Professional Contacts Research Articles

Lessons for the global primary care response to COVID-19: a rapid review of evidence from past epidemics.

BackgroundCOVID-19 is the fifth and most significant infectious disease epidemic this century. Primary health care providers, which include those working in primary care and public health roles, have critical responsibilities in the management of health emergencies.ObjectiveTo synthesize accounts of primary care lessons learnt from past epidemics and their relevance to COVID-19.MethodsWe conducted a review of lessons learnt from previous infectious disease epidemics for primary care, and their relevance to COVID-19. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, PROQUEST and Google Scholar, hand-searched reference lists of included studies, and included research identified through professional contacts.ResultsOf 173 publications identified, 31 publications describing experiences of four epidemics in 11 countries were included. Synthesis of findings identified six key lessons: (i) improve collaboration, communication and integration between public health and primary care; (ii) strengthen the primary health care system; (iii) provide consistent, coordinated and reliable information emanating from a trusted source; (iv) define the role of primary care during pandemics; (v) protect the primary care workforce and the community and (vi) evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.ConclusionsEvidence highlights distinct challenges to integrating and supporting primary care in response to infectious disease epidemics that have persisted over time, emerging again during COVID-19. These insights provide an opportunity for strengthening, and improved preparedness, that cannot be ignored in a world where the frequency, virility and global reach of infectious disease outbreaks are increasing. It is not too soon to plan for the next pandemic, which may already be on the horizon.

Two Delegations of British Architects in the Soviet Union: Professional Contacts between British and Soviet Architects at the Beginning of the Khrushchev Thaw

The article is devoted to the history of professional contacts between British and Soviet architects at the beginning of the Khrushchev Thaw period. A great deal of work that has been carried out in recent decades in the field of studying the activities of the VOKS and Soviet cultural international politics, as well as a discussion about the features and the role of Soviet architectural practice in the 1930–1950s, prompt us to look at this subject with special attention. After all, the reasons, circumstances, and the very nature of professional communication between Russian architects and their foreign colleagues help us to take a fresh look at the peculiarities of the development of post-war architecture. Before World War II, some British architects, although they considered the possibility of travelling to the USSR in hope of getting an order, mostly came here out of curiosity. However, in the 1940s, the context of the perception of the Soviet art changed. The tasks of post-war reconstruction were common to both Great Britain and the USSR: the industrialization of the construction sector, mass housing, the redevelopment of cities, and the restoration of damaged historical monuments. Intensive communication between the VOKS architectural section and English architects already during the war years predetermined the mutual interest that flared up in the post-war period. The first trips, which took place in 1953 and 1955, as well as their results, have been reviewed in this study. The publication was prepared within the framework of the Academic Fund Program at HSE University in 2020–2021 (grant № 20-04-029).

МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЕ СВЯЗИ ПАРТИИ КАДЕТОВ

This article raises the problem of the international activities of the Cadet Party from 1906 to 1917. During this period, the Cadets were at the head of the foreign policy activities of the State Duma from the first to the fourth convocations. Firstly, the reason is that the cadets had a developed network of personal and professional contacts with Western politicians and journalists; secondly, they formulated their own vision of foreign policy, and were also ideologically close to the political elite of England and France. The Cadet Party used its international authority in two directions: on the one hand, this increased the party’s authority within the Russian society; on the other hand, Russia was drawing closer to its allies in the Entente. In this rapprochement, it is not so much the geopolitical aspect that is important as the establishment of horizontal ties between the societies of these countries, which allows building long-term friendly relations. This was the main feature of the activities of the Cadets – they did not have government powers, their activities did not lead to the conclusion of agreements, but it influenced public opinion both in Russia and abroad.

The attitudes towards LGBT people among workers delivering key public services: The first regional study in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Public perceptions (particularly in post-communist societies) of the LGBT community and related issues have extensively been studied in recent years. Still, so far there is little information about how specific occupational groups view these people. The given research paper is intended to somewhat fill this gap by presenting a thorough description and analysis of findings from an empirical study focusing on the attitudes towards LGBT individuals among three occupational groups such as medical workers, social workers and the police. The relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the fact that a personʼs physical and mental health or even life may often depend on the quality and timeliness of services provided by these professionals. The above-mentioned study consisted of two cross-sectional surveys performed in 2017 and 2019. In total, approximately 1,500 persons (nurses, family practitioners, social care staff, patrol officers, etc.) from five countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia) took part in the two rounds of this study. Research toolkit included a questionnaire (designed by the authors for each occupational group) and the Bogardus social distance scale. Respondents were recruited through snowball sampling, which involved using personal and professional contacts. The survey data indicated the following: (a) the overall attitude of the aforementioned occupational groups towards LGBT people is somewhat positive; in addition, social workers are the most favourably disposed to the LGBT community while the police take a cautious approach to LGBT issues; (b) the overwhelming majority of respondents (except for police officers in Kyrgyzstan) believe that LGBT people should enjoy the same rights as the other citizens of their country; nevertheless, only a third of those surveyed hold the opinion that same-sex marriages should be permitted by law and about one fifth express support for the right of same-sex couples to adopt children; (c) women, residents of Belarus and North Macedonia, religiously unaffiliated respondents and those having an LGBT acquaintance exhibit greater tolerance for LGBT individuals than men, residents of Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, those belonging to a particular religion and respondents without LGBT acquaintances; (d) during the period under study, a noticeable change in the attitude towards LGBT persons occurred in some subsamples: among Armenian healthcare workers, for example, there was a steep fall in support for the right of LGBT couples to marry. However, little or no change was recorded in other subsamples or in the whole sample: a slight growth in the overall percentage of respondents favouring the idea of LGBT parenting is a case in point. Although the samples of the countries in question are not nationally representative, the research results have a certain empirical value because they can be taken into consideration while developing programmes aimed at fostering tolerance in society and improving attitudes to LGBT people.

Shifting emphasis in the educational paradigm of engineers training

The article deals with the issues of efficient shift of cultural accents in the engineers’ training concept in the context of educational environment internalization and expansion of cross-cultural professional contacts. The improvement of professional skills is considered through framing and formation of students’ basic skills of multicultural communication. It is to be regarded as a main factor of the training of the new generation engineers. The authors stress on the idea that the success of academic mobility and business communication in professional community is determined by the level of future specialists’ readiness to professional multicultural cooperation.

Уход Пендерецкого. Несколько замечаний о его творческом наследии

In the article devoted to the passing away of the outstanding Polish composer K. Penderecki (1933–2020), an overview of the creative path and legacy of the master-experimenter is undertaken in all its large-scale diversity. The stylistic and aesthetic modifications of K. Penderecki’s art are recorded with approving of the most important creative principle of his composer biography — the constant overcoming of the aesthetic traditions’ limits. Long-term professional contacts between the author and the composer, which give the study a special personal intonation, allow to clarify the master’s creative method’ features and the aesthetic-outlooking foundations of his art.

ШЛЯХИ СПІВПРАЦІ ЛІКАРІВ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ДІАСПОРИ КАНАДИ ТА ЛІКАРІВ УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ СУЧАСНИХ ВИКЛИКІВ

In the article, the current state of cooperation between Canadian Ukrainians and Ukrainian doctors analyzes. The urgency of modern challenges for cooperation is determined, in particular: pandemic restrictions due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 virus and a sharp restriction of direct professional contacts; the politicization of professional international cooperation in the conditions of Russian aggression; bureaucracy on the part of the management of medical institutions of Ukraine, unfinished state regulation of charitable organizations and international cooperation; insufficient development of charity in Ukraine. The activity of the main Cooperation programs between doctors Canadian Ukrainians and Ukrainian doctors is analyzed. The main focus of the article is on the analysis of the effectiveness of the Canadian-Ukrainian Pediatric Fellowship Program. The Medical Director of the Program is Professor James Rutka, and the Program Coordinator is Professor Myroslava Romach. The stages of organizing training meetings within the Program are indicated: planning and preparation for the meeting (goal setting and detailed planning); choice of locations, according to pre-thought-out criteria; the meeting itself (lectures and practical training, joint operations in 7 cities of Ukraine); further observation, assessment of the impact and results of the meeting, as well as planning of long-term cooperation. Analysis of the concrete results of cooperation is one of the most important stages of international cooperation, as it not only increases its efficiency but also ensures the targeted use of funds. It is determined that important factors that increase the effectiveness of interstate programs in the field of medicine are awareness of cooperation at the diplomatic level, coordinated cooperation at the local level, selection of reliable partners for cooperation, systematic contacts, activities, targeted, premeditated assistance, careful selection of applicants, changes in the means of communication in today's challenges. The work of the above-mentioned medical Ukraine Paediatric Fellowship Program can serve as an example of the organization of international cooperation in various directions of social and political life of modern Ukraine, and a guarantee of its high efficiency in clear strategic planning.

Review of Luc Olivier Bauer and E. Marshall Wilder, The Microchip Revolution: A Brief History (Amazon, 2020)

This book explores the history of the microelectronics industry from the perspective of the authors who have written histories of the semiconductor industry. Both authors worked as process engineers and fab managers. It is from this unique perspective that they write the history of the industry. Their book also benefits from their network of professional contacts, which enabled them to interview key engineers and entrepreneurs and access their troves of historical documents. Oral histories and private collections are essential for reconstructing the history of semiconductors, because rare are the papers of corporations and individual engineers and managers currently in public repositories. Bauer and Wilder’s book has a dual focus: the histories of nine innovative firms (Fairchild, Hughes, Intersil, Eurosil, Intel, AMD, Integrated Device Technology, Cypress, and Micron) and the critical manufacturing processes (silicon gate, ion implantation, NMOS, CMOS, and high-speed CMOS) they developed and brought to production from the late 1950s to the 1990. The book covers new historical ground. It brings a sensibility rarely seen in the literature: an attention to people and their personalities, including the workers toiling in the fabs. It discusses at some length the character and management style of Jean Hoerni, the inventor of the planar process and the founder of Fairchild, Intersil, and Eurosil, a charming and cantankerous man, but also an inveterate philanderer. The authors grant a significant place in their narrative to operators, their relations with management, and their deep understanding of the manufacturing process. Overall, Bauer and Wilder show that production and process innovations do really matter in microelectronics. The digital revolution, they tell us,

EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE TRAINING OF LEGAL AND HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS ON ISSUES OF INFECTION WITH ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS INFECTIOUS DISEASES

The aim: Developing integration training (educational) programs for medical and legal students, interns, masters, doctors. Material and methods: When performing the work, on a set of search and analytical methods: analytical, bibliographic, systemic, informational, statistical; interdisciplinary interactive teaching methods for students of Sumy State University. Results: The results of the integrated training course are the formation of a new style of interdisciplinary relations between participants of the educational process and practical medicine and jurisprudence; new educational environment; classes with multi - and transdisciplinary experts-consultants; development of personal attitudes, future professional contacts, and practical skills. Conclusions: The introduction of new teaching methods using an interdisciplinary integrated approach increases the level of education quality (35.8% higher than the initial result) and conduct applied research in the field of public health, jurisprudence.

Social and economic exchanges with the organization and employee work outcomes: a study in Turkish work context

Purpose - Social Exchange Theory is one of the most influential concepts in organizational behavior literature. It provides a wide comprehension upon exchange dynamics both at an interpersonal and organizational level. This study presents and tests a framework that links the two different forms of employee–organization exchange, namely social exchange and economic exchange with important employee outcomes– affective commitment, in-role behavior, extra-role behavior and turnover intention. Methodology – The study was conducted in the province of Istanbul/Turkey, based on convenient sample of 195 participants from private organizations. Participants were contacted through snowball sampling technique via the researcher’s personal and professional contacts. For testing the hypotheses of the present study, simple regression and multiple regression analyses were utilized. Data obtained from the participants were analyzed through SPSS 22. Findings- . Results indicated that social exchange is positively related with affective commitment, in-role behavior, extra-role behavior and negatively related with turnover intention. On the other hand, economic exchange was found to be negatively related with affective commitment and turnover intention while positively related with in-role behavior. Economic exchange did not significantly predict extra-role behavior. This study has provided partly inconsistent results found in similar studies conducted in the Western work settings. Conclusion- The findings of the present research in the Turkish work settings seems to draw the attention to a need for further detailed studies on the specific relationships between social and economic exchange and important employee work outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Intercultural Communication in the Professional Training of Master’s Students: Concept and Structure of a Joint Educational Project

Introduction. The area of intercultural communication with its system-forming theory, empirical research and implementation is gaining currency both in academic research and in the professional training of students. Regarding the latter aspect, there is a need (a) for developing a concept for the training of master’s students with knowledge of foreign languages; (b) for the introduction of new educational practices that successfully combine intercultural communication, foreign language and the modeling of communicative behavior in foreign language communication with its further reproduction in language practice in the students’ native language as well as (c) for the introduction of an educational project using modern technologies in the practice of institutions of higher education. The paper discusses the concept, structure and content of an educational project relying on the experience of higher education in Russia and Germany and aims to work towards an understanding of the social significance of future professional activities, primarily concerning the specific problems as well as of the adequacy of social and professional contacts in intercultural communication. Materials and Methods. Based on the subject, object and objectives of the study, the project’s methodological plan was implemented in the following stages: project planning, development of the fundamental features of the concept; determination of the project’s content; project modeling; introduction to the training of master’s students of various specialties at institutions of higher education. The methodological basis of the project consisted of the analysis of intercultural communication between representatives of the German and the Russian linguocultural community as well as the exchange of experience between them and their comparison. Results. Following the study and the exchange of experience between the institutions of higher education of Russia and Germany, the need for an integrative educational course was revealed, aiming at the improvement and optimization of intercultural communication skills at the level of both professional and personal communication with the goal to prepare master’s students for their future as researchers and practitioners. The educational project presented in the paper drawing on an eponymous integrative course will increase the efficiency of the training of master’s students from various specialized fields and prepare them for successful communication processes with representatives of other linguocultural communities. Discussion and Conclusion. The contents of this paper will be useful for researchers interested in optimizing the preparation of master’s students with knowledge in foreign languages by applying international experience.

Metal hypersensitivity screening among frontline healthcare workers-A descriptive study.

The study aims were to (a) assess allergy screening practices, (b) determine the awareness of metal hypersensitivity among frontline healthcare workers and (c) examine perceived barriers to implementing metal hypersensitivity screening into clinical practice. Adverse device-related events, such as hypersensitivity to metals, are well documented in the literature. Hypersensitivity to metal is a type IV T-cell-mediated reaction that can occur after cardiac, orthopaedic, dental, gynaecological and neurosurgical procedures where a device with metal components is implanted into the body. Patients with hypersensitivity to metal are likely to experience delayed healing, implant failure and stent restenosis. Identifying patients with a history of metal hypersensitivity reaction could mitigate the risk of poor outcomes following device implant. Yet in clinical practice, healthcare workers do not routinely ask about the history of metal hypersensitivity when documenting allergies. The existing literature does not report why this is not included in allergy assessment. Following the STROBE checklist, a cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted. Frontline healthcare workers were recruited using professional contacts and social online media to complete an online questionnaire. Quantitative data were summarised descriptively while thematic analysis was used to examine barriers to implementation. Three hundred forty-five participants from 14 countries completed the questionnaire, with the majority (187/54%) practicing in Canada, in general medicine and intensive care units. Ninety per cent of the participants did not routinely ask about metal hypersensitivity when evaluating allergy history. Of the respondents, 86% were unaware of the association between metal hypersensitivity and poor patient outcomes. After presented with the evidence, 81% indicated they were likely or very likely to incorporate the evidence into their clinical practice. Common themes about barriers to implementing were 'Standards of Practice', 'Knowledge' and 'Futility of Screening'. The findings suggest lack of awareness as the main reason for not including metal in routine allergy assessment.

Becoming more of an insider: A grounded theory study on patients' experience of a person-centred e-health intervention.

The aim was to explore the experiences of a person-centred e-health intervention, in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic heart failure (CHF). Grounded theory was applied to gather and analyse data. The study is part of a research project evaluating the effects of person-centred care (PCC) using a digital platform and structured telephone support for people with COPD or CHF recruited from nine primary care units in Sweden. Twelve patients from the intervention group were purposefully selected in accordance with the initial sampling criteria. The intervention was delivered through a digital platform and telephone support system for 6 months. The intervention relied on person-centred ethics operationalised through three core PCC components: patient narratives, partnership and shared documentation. A core category was formulated: Being welcomed through the side door when lacking the front door keys. The core category reflects how a PCC intervention delivered remotely provides access to mutual and informal meetings at times when professional contacts were desired to support patient self-management goals. According to patients' wishes, family and friends were seldom invited as care partners in the e-health context. A PCC intervention delivered remotely as a complement to standard care in a primary care setting for patients diagnosed with COPD or CHF is a viable approach to increase patients' access and involvement in preventive care. The e-health intervention seemed to facilitate PCC, strengthen patients' position in the health service system and support their self-management.

Making contact

This article explores the intersection between friendship and artistic collaboration through a focus on the engraving production of a group of itinerant Netherlandish artists who, in the wake of the Dutch Revolt, lived and worked in Munich, seat of the court of Wilhlem V. The first part of this contribution introduces Joris Hoefnagel, several printmakers from the Sadeler dynasty and other artists active in Munich. An analysis of the artistic gifts which the Netherlanders exchanged in Munich suggests that they enjoyed membership of an egalitarian circle sustained by friendship and artistic aspirations. The second half of the article examines the engraved series Salus Generis Humani (1590): the co-creation of Joris Hoefnagel, Aegidius II Sadeler and Hans von Aachen. Through a collaborative working practice, the three artists conceived engravings that self-reflectively alluded to their composite facture and which constituted another expression of the humanist friendship underpinning their professional and personal contacts.

Impact of early direct patient care introductory pharmacy practice experiences on student pharmacists' career exploration

Background and purposeThe University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy piloted a novel longitudinal introductory experiential program to provide second (P2) and third (P3) year professional students early exposure to pharmacist-provided direct patient care, opportunity to develop professionally expected behaviors, and ability to explore contemporary pharmacy career options. This paper describes the influence of the pilot on pre-advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) career interests and professional development. Educational activity and settingForty P2 and P3 students participated in the longitudinal experiential pilot course. Students were assigned to 32 pharmacist preceptors in a variety of direct patient care practices. Students completed 16 onsite hours over the fall semester. Influence of the pilot experience on APPE plans and future career interests was assessed by an end of experience reflective assignment and survey. FindingsThe pilot course served as the initial exposure for the majority of students to both direct patient care and specialized areas of pharmacy practice. Nearly half of students indicated the experience advanced their knowledge of pharmacists' scope of practice and potential career opportunities. Most students (85%) reported the experience influenced future career plans, with half indicating increased interest in their specific practice specialty. Over 75% planned to pursue an APPE in that practice area. Nearly all students reported making professional contacts through this experience. SummaryEarly exposure to direct patient care and specialized pharmacy practice areas through this IPPE provided students opportunity to inform career interest and develop professional contacts with preceptors in specialized practice areas.

Factors of biological nature in work of mobile teams of emergency medical care station on the eve of pandemics of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)

Aim. Determination of the actual spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms to which medical workers of mobile teams of emergency medical care (EMC) are exposed, and scientific justification of the class of the working conditions of this professional group in terms of the biological factor.
 Materials and Methods. Data of the electronic journal of the automated Ambulance Service control system for infectious patients, and records of the register for infectious diseases among workers of the municipal emergency medical care station of Ryazan (300 medical assistants, 64 doctors) for 2016-2019 were used.
 Results. The average amount of calls to patients with infectious pathology in 2016-2019 made 2178.5221.3 per year. Most emergency calls were for intestinal infections, common cases were varicella, erysipelas, viral hepatites, tuberculosis infection, herpes zoster. The main load in servicing these calls fell on linear (from 63.7 to 77.4%) and pediatric (from 24.8 to 35.1%) teams; calls of resuscitation teams to patients of such profile were sporadic. The level of infectious morbidity of doctors made 0.78 cases per 100 doctors which is 1.2-fold higher than the level of medical assistants (t=3.79; р=0.0003).
 Conclusion. The confirmed cases of diseases of the studied group of workers resulting from professional contacts with sources of infections of Group III pathogenicity permits to refer the working conditions of medical workers of mobile teams of emergency medical care stations to hazard Class II. However, a high probability for professional contact with high pathogenicity strains of group A influenza, HIV-1 and HIV-2, hepatitis C, D, E viruses belonging to Group II pathogenicity, and existence of the evident contacts with SARS-CoV-2, permit to raise the class of the working conditions to hazard Class III.

Partnering with patients to get better outcomes with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy: towards engagement of patients in early phase trials

AimThough patient engagement in clinical research is growing, recent reports suggest few clinical trials report on such activities. To address this gap, we describe our approach to patient engagement in the development of a clinical trial protocol to assess a new immunotherapy for blood cancer (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, CAR-T cell therapy).MethodsOur team developed a clinical trial protocol by working with patient partners from inception. Two patient partners with lived blood cancer experience were identified through referrals from our team’s professional network and patient organization contacts. Our patient partners were onboarded to the team and engaged in several studies conducted to develop the clinical trial protocol, including a systematic review of the existing literature on the therapy, patient interviews and a survey to obtain perspectives on barriers and enablers to participating in the trial, an early economic analysis, and a retrospective cohort study.ResultsEngaging patient partners enhanced our research in ways that would not have otherwise occurred. By selecting patient important outcomes for data collection, our partners helped flag that quality of life and health utility measures have not been reported in previous CAR-T cell therapy trials for blood cancer. Our partners also co-developed a non-technical summary of the systematic review that summarized results in an accessible manner. Our patient partners reviewed interview and survey questions, to improve the language and appropriateness; provided recruitment suggestions; and provided a patient perspective on the results, thereby confirming the importance of findings. Input was also obtained on costs for the early economic analysis. Our patient partners identified costs that may be a burden to both patients and caregivers during a trial and helped to confirm that the overall structure of the economic model reflected the patient care pathway. Our patient partners also shared their diagnosis and treatment stories, which helped to provide the research team with insight into this experience.ConclusionsContributions by our patient partners were invaluable to each component study, as well as the overall development of the trial protocol. We plan to use this approach in the future in order to meaningfully engage patients in the development of other clinical trials; we also hope that by reporting our methods this will help other research teams to do the same.Trial registrationAffiliated with the development of NCT03765177.

Response to non‐response: How people react when their smartphone messages and calls are ignored

AbstractSmartphone‐mediated communication has become the norm for a lot of people over the last two decades. It's common to see people spend a large part of their days glued to their smartphones, maintaining constant connectivity through sending and receiving messages and calls. However, people, almost daily, experience their closed ones or professional contacts not responding to certain messages and phone calls from them. The objective of this project is to investigate the non‐response behavior and the anxiety that people experience when their messages or calls are not responded to, and the resulting adverse effect on communication. Through interviews of 24 smartphone users, we found that the majority of the participants, especially those very active on social media, were highly affected by non‐response. By better understanding individual reactions to non‐response, the study recommends solutions and a framework for effective communication using smartphones. The study demonstrates how relationships play out in smartphone‐based communication, and what we could do to make them better. The study will inform the youth, parents, teachers, employers, and the society as a whole, as we embrace changes brought about by smartphone‐mediated communication.

Whether, How, and Why Networks Influence Men’s and Women’s Career Success: Review and Research Agenda

Substantial research has documented challenges women experience building and benefiting from networks to achieve career success. Yet fundamental questions remain regarding which aspects of men’s and women’s networks differ and how differences impact their careers. To spur future research to address these questions, we present an integrative framework to clarify how and why gender and networks—in concert—may explain career inequality. We delineate two distinct, complementary explanations: (1) unequal network characteristics (UNC) asserts that men and women have different network characteristics, which account for differences in career success; (2) unequal network returns (UNR) asserts that even when men and women have the same network characteristics, they yield different degrees of career success. Further, we explain why UNC and UNR emerge by identifying mechanisms related to professional contexts, actors, and contacts. Using this framework, we review evidence of UNC and UNR for specific network characteristics. We found that men’s and women’s networks are similar in structure (i.e., size, openness, closeness, contacts’ average and structural status) but differ in composition (i.e., proportion of men, same-gender, and kin contacts). Many differences mattered for career success. We identified evidence of UNC only (same-gender contacts), UNR only (actors’ and contacts’ network openness, contacts’ relative status), neither UNC nor UNR (size), and both UNC and UNR (proportion of men contacts). Based on these initial findings, we offer guidance to organizations aiming to address inequality resulting from gender differences in network creation and utilization, and we present a research agenda for scholars to advance these efforts.

Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children and Adolescents Compared With Adults

The degree to which children and adolescents are infected by and transmit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear. The role of children and adolescents in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is dependent on susceptibility, symptoms, viral load, social contact patterns, and behavior. To systematically review the susceptibility to and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and adolescents compared with adults. PubMed and medRxiv were searched from database inception to July 28, 2020, and a total of 13 926 studies were identified, with additional studies identified through hand searching of cited references and professional contacts. Studies that provided data on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents (younger than 20 years) compared with adults (20 years and older) derived from contact tracing or population screening were included. Single-household studies were excluded. PRISMA guidelines for abstracting data were followed, which was performed independently by 2 reviewers. Quality was assessed using a critical appraisal checklist for prevalence studies. Random-effects meta-analysis was undertaken. Secondary infection rate (contact-tracing studies) or prevalence or seroprevalence (population screening studies) among children and adolescents compared with adults. A total of 32 studies comprising 41 640 children and adolescents and 268 945 adults met inclusion criteria, including 18 contact-tracing studies and 14 population screening studies. The pooled odds ratio of being an infected contact in children compared with adults was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.37-0.85), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 94.6%). Three school-based contact-tracing studies found minimal transmission from child or teacher index cases. Findings from population screening studies were heterogenous and were not suitable for meta-analysis. Most studies were consistent with lower seroprevalence in children compared with adults, although seroprevalence in adolescents appeared similar to adults. In this meta-analysis, there is preliminary evidence that children and adolescents have lower susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, with an odds ratio of 0.56 for being an infected contact compared with adults. There is weak evidence that children and adolescents play a lesser role than adults in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at a population level. This study provides no information on the infectivity of children.