Quality Of Contact Research Articles

Good enough residential care setting: Child-parent contact and youth adjustment in the context of staff attitudes towards parent involvement

The importance of parent-child contact to the well-being of children in residential care is emphasized in child welfare literature. However, despite the central role of youth care workers in the lives of children in residential care settings (RCSs), there is a lack of research on the role of RCS staff in child-parent contact. This study, based on the reports of 240 youth, aged 14 to 18, in therapeutic RCSs for children at risk in Israel, examined the link between frequency of contact and quality of attachment between mothers and adolescents and adolescents’ emotional-behavioral difficulties, and the moderating role of RCS youth care workers’ attitudes towards mother involvement in that link. The findings show a negative relationship between adolescents’ emotional-behavioral difficulties and their perceived quality of attachment to their mother. Frequency of contact was found to be non-significantly linked with adolescent difficulties. The attitudes of RCS staff towards mother involvement moderated the relationship between quality of mother-child contact and adolescents’ adjustment difficulties, so that among youth who reported a more positive attitude of the staff towards mothers’ involvement, the relationship between the quality of child-mother attachment and fewer adjustment difficulties among adolescents was stronger. The study has implications for designing interventions and training RCS staff to enhance child-parent contact while in care.

CO2 quantification in silicate glasses using µ-ATR FTIR spectroscopy

Abstract A new method for measurements of high-CO2 concentrations in silicate glasses was established using micro–attenuated total reflectance (µ-ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the mid-IR (MIR) region. We studied two glass/melt compositions, namely leucitite and granite, to cover samples in which CO2 is dissolved as carbonate ions (CO32−) or as CO2 molecules (CO3mol). In the leucitite glasses a carbonate absorption doublet with maxima at 1510 and 1430 cm–1 has shown to clearly separate from aluminosilicate lattice vibrations at lower wavenumbers. Due to the lower sensitivity of the µ-ATR method, we were able to measure high-CO2 contents (cCO2 >0.5 wt%) in experimental silicate glasses that would only be measurable with great difficulties using established transmission MIR measurements due to detector linearity limit effects even with very thin sample wafers. The peak heights of the 1430 cm–1 ATR band (A1430), normalized to the integral of the T-O lattice vibrations (T = Si, Al, Fe) at about 930 cm–1 (Int930) show a linear trend with CO2 contents in the range 0.2–4.3 wt%, yielding a linear correlation with cCO2 (wt%) = 0.4394 ± 0.006·A1430·10000/Int930. The normalization of the CO2 related band to a lattice vibration accounts for variations in the quality of contact between ATR crystal and sample, which has a direct effect on signal intensity. In granitic glasses, where CO2 is dissolved as CO3mol only, the asymmetric stretching vibration at 2350 cm–1 overlaps with the signal of atmospheric, gaseous CO2. As the ATR signal of dissolved CO2 is very weak, the atmospheric signal may dominate the spectrum. Since the absorbance spectrum is calculated by division of the single-channel sample spectrum by a single-channel reference spectrum measured in air, keeping the laboratory and spectrometer atmosphere as constant as possible during spectral acquisition can resolve the problem. Nonetheless, a procedure to subtract the signal of remaining atmospheric CO2 may still be required for the spectral evaluation. We studied a series of 5 granitic glasses with CO3mol contents of 0.08 to 0.27 wt% and found an excellent linear relation between CO2 concentration and lattice vibration normalized ATR intensity of the 2350 cm–1 band: cCO2 (wt%) = 0.2632 ± 0.0016·A2350·10000/Int990. Although the CO3mol concentrations in our granitic glass series can still be analyzed without major difficulties by conventional transmission IR spectroscopy, our data demonstrate the potential of the ATR method for samples with higher CO2 contents or for samples where a high spatial resolution is required (melt inclusions, vesicular or partially crystallized glasses). The lower limits of the ATR method are approximately 0.2 wt% CO2 dissolved as carbonate groups or 0.1 wt% CO2 (or slightly less) dissolved in molecular form.

Effect of TeO2 on Ag/Si interface contact of crystalline silicon solar cells

• The effects of TeO 2 on the sintering of c-Si solar cell are systematically studied. • TeO 2 affects the morphology of the grids on the sintering process of Ag pastes. • TeO 2 promotes Ag pastes sintering and improves the conductivity of Ag grids. • TeO 2 promotes the growth of the Ag nanocrystallites in Ag/Si contact interface. • An optimal conversion efficiency of solar cells was acquired at TeO 2 content ∼40%. Glass frits, as a critical ingredient, plays an important role between Ag electrode and crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells and determines sintering properties of the silver paste and contact quality with c-Si solar cells. Here glass frits with different contents of TeO 2 are prepared and used to investigate the sintering process and effects of contact quality of Ag pastes on c-Si solar cells. Microstructures and electrical properties of the Ag/Si contact interface and performances of the resultant c-Si solar cells are characterized systematically. The results show that TeO 2 promotes the growth of Ag nanocrystallites in the glass layer between Ag grids and c-Si wafers, thus reduces the contact resistance of the Ag grids and improves the contact quality of the Ag/Si interfaces. Moreover, TeO 2 improves the densification and conductive performances of the Ag grids. However, excessive TeO 2 has a negative effect on the conductivity of the Ag grid due to the increased thickness of the glass layer. Based on the competing factors played by TeO 2 , the conversion efficiency is the highest at an optimized TeO 2 content ∼40%.

Joint-Space CPG for Safe Foothold Planning and Body Pose Control During Locomotion and Climbing

From insects to larger mammals, legged animals can be seen easily traversing a wide variety of challenging environments, by carefully selecting, reaching, and exploiting high-quality contacts with the terrain. In contrast, existing robotic foothold planning methods remain computationally expensive, often relying on exhaustive search and/or (often offline) optimization methods, thus limiting their adoption for real-life robotic deployments. In this work, we propose a low-cost, bio-inspired foothold planning method for legged robots, which replicates the mechanism of the central nervous system of legged mammals. We develop a low-level joint-space CPG model along with a high-level vision-based controller that can inexpensively predict future foothold locations and locally optimize them based on a potential field based approach. Specifically, by reasoning about the quality of ground contacts and the robot's stability through the high-level vision-based controller, our CPG model smoothly and iteratively updates relevant locomotion parameters to both optimize foothold locations and body pose, directly in the joint space of the robot for easier implementation. We experimentally validate our control model on a modular hexapod on various locomotion tasks in obstacle-rich environments as well as on stair climbing. Our results show that our method enables stabler and steadier locomotion than an open-loop CPG controller, yielding higher-quality feedback from onboard sensors by minimizing the effect of slippage and unexpected impacts.

Adolescents’ implicit attitudes towards people with immigrant background: Differences and correlates

People with an immigrant background can be affected by stereotypes and discrimination. As adolescence is an important developmental stage, this study investigated whether adolescents hold (negative) implicit attitudes towards people with Turkish immigrant background and whether adolescents differ in the extent of attitudes. Additionally, the relevance of perceived discrimination, identification with culture of residence, motivation to act without predjudice, and quality and quantity of contact to people with Turkish immigrant background for the extent of implicit attitudes was analysed. Analyses are based on 244 adolescents (60.7% female, 1.6% diverse; 13.1% with Turkish immigrant background, 16.8% with immigrant background other than Turkish) who participated in an online study. An implicit association test revealed that negative implicit attitudes towards people with a Turkish immigrant background were present among adolescents. Unlike adolescents with a Turkish immigrant background, adolescents without immigrant background and with immigrant background other than Turkish hold negative implicit attitudes on average. For the total sample, it was found that low perceived discrimination was related to negative implicit attitudes. The results are discussed with respect to substantive and methodological aspects. Implications for research and practice are derived.

Explaining Prejudicial Attitudes and Bias-Motivated Aggression in Belgium: a Comparison of Individual-Level Theoretical Models

Prejudice and bias-motivated aggression (BMA) are pervasive social problems. Scholars have tested numerous competing theoretical models to demonstrate the key predicates of prejudice and BMA, including intergroup contact, dual process (i.e., right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation), perceived injustice, peer socialization, and empathy. Yet, studies to date have not empirically examined the comparative strength of these theoretical perspectives to explain the correlates of (a) prejudice and (b) BMA. This study seeks to address this gap. Utilizing a sample of young 1,001 Belgian participants, this study explores the association between key constructs from different theoretical perspectives to better understand prejudice and BMA towards immigrant populations. Findings show that when accounting for all models of prejudice and BMA, the strongest predictors of prejudice emerge from the dual-process model, the empathy model (outgroup empathy), and the quality (not frequency) of intergroup contact. Yet, prejudice and exposure to peer outgroup hostility are the strongest predictors of BMA. We discuss the implications of our findings and suggest that drawing on criminological theories of prejudice and BMA can be integrated to provide a more nuanced understanding of the nature of prejudice and BMA than what is currently known. We conclude by highlighting some directions for future research on prejudice and BMA.

Effect of Overhead Contact Line Pre-Sag on the Interaction Performance with a Pantograph in Electrified Railways

In the high-speed rail industry, the overhead contact line erected along the railroad is used to supply the electricity to the high-speed train via a pantograph on the carbody’s roof. This work attempts to explore the effect of contact line pre-sag on the contact quality between the pantograph and the contact line. A nonlinear finite element approach is implemented to build the overhead contact line system with accurate description of the pre-sag of the contact line. Through a nonlinear solution, the effect of contact line pre-sag on the contact force is analysed with different train speeds and tension classes. The analysis result indicates the feasibility of tuning the pre-sag to improve the interaction performance at a given speed and tension class. In the low-speed range, the change of pre-sag does not have a significant effect on the interaction performance. However, when the speed increases up to a certain value, the effect of pre-sag on the contact force is nonnegligible. The increase in tension can reduce the sensitivity of the interaction performance to the pre-sag. An optimisation procedure is implemented to obtain the optimal amount of pre-sag for different train speeds and tension classes. The results indicate a necessity to include a certain amount of contact line pre-sag to maintain an excellent interaction performance at high speed.

Quality and Quantity of Grandparent Contact: Associations with Late Adolescents’ Psychological Adjustment

This study explored how grandparents influence their late adolescent grandchildren’s psychological adjustment. Late adolescent participants ( N = 474, 60% female, 63% Caucasian) reported their current relationship quality and degree of contact during elementary school for each living grandparent. Hierarchical linear regressions, controlling for demographic characteristics and parental acceptance, found that grandparent relationship quality, but not grandparent contact, was linked to multiple late adolescent outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, self-worth, perceived competence in close friendships, and romantic relationships). Significant associations examining both maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather relationship quality were supported, but fewer associations were found for maternal grandfathers and paternal grandmothers. Moderation analyses found more contact during childhood strengthened some of the positive associations between grandparent relationship quality and grandchildren’s self-worth and perceived competence in close friendships. The need for more research examining how specific grandparent factors are linked to grandchildren’s outcomes across developmental periods and contexts is discussed.

Investigation of eye contact attempts of three-year-old children and their mothers in a play environment

Eye contact has been defined as an exchange that mediates a significant part of non-verbal procedures between people. Though studies have been carried out on eye contact between adults, the number of studies dealing with the quality, process and messages of eye contact between children and attachment figures is limited. The goal of this study is to analyse the quality, process and messages of eye contact between three-year-old children and their mothers during their interaction in a play setting. It is a qualitative case study. Micro analysis was used as the analysis method. 14 three-year-old children, 8 girls and 6 boys, participated in the study with their mothers. A 10-minute play process was recorded in a standard setting with standard materials. Records were evaluated in periods cut with micro analysis method and transformed into graphics. Study results showed 374 attempts to make eye contact between children and their mothers. It was understood that majority of these attempts were initiated by the mothers and the success/failure rate of these attempts were close each other. It was observed that success rate of eye contact was higher when it was initiated by children and failure rate of eye contact was higher in cases when it was initiated by mothers. Causes of making eye contact shows that mothers were more likely to make eye contact when they ask questions, wait for an answer and control the child and children tried to make eye contact when they ask for approval of their mothers, chat and exchange ideas with them.
 Keywords: Mother, child, interaction, eye contact.

Are You Willing to Protect the Health of Older People? Intergenerational Contact and Ageism as Predictors of Attitudes toward the COVID-19 Vaccination Passport.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerability of older people to COVID-19 has been stressed in political discourse and the mass media, with the call to protect older adults. Therefore, policies aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus, such as the COVID-19 vaccination passport policy, might be perceived as policies aimed at preserving the health of older people, and negative attitudes toward older people (i.e., ageism) might underlie negative attitudes toward such policies. While intergenerational contact is one of the main antecedents of reduced ageism, the pandemic has forced people to separate, and direct intergenerational contact in particular might have been reduced, possibly being replaced by telephone and virtual contact. In a correlational study (N = 153 Italian university students) we found that quantity and quality of direct intergenerational contact diminished during the pandemic. Virtual intergenerational contact was unexpectedly less frequent than direct contact. Quality of direct contact before the pandemic was associated, over and above the effects of other contact forms under investigation, with reduced ageism, which was in turn associated with negative attitude toward the vaccination passport. Findings will be discussed focusing on the roles of intergenerational contact and ageism for public health.

Beyond quality and quantity: Spatial distribution of contact encodes frictional strength.

Classically, the quantity of contact area A_{R} between two bodies is considered a proxy for the force of friction. However, bond density across the interface-quality of contact-is also relevant, and contemporary debate often centers around the relative importance of these two factors. In this work, we demonstrate that a third factor, often overlooked, plays a significant role in static frictional strength: The spatial distribution of contact. We perform static friction measurements, μ, on three pairs of solid blocks while imaging the contact plane. By using linear regression on hundreds of image-μ pairs, we are able to predict future friction measurements with three to seven times better accuracy than existing benchmarks, including total quantity of contact area. Our model has no access to quality of contact, and we therefore conclude that a large portion of the interfacial state is encoded in the spatial distribution of contact, rather than its quality or quantity.

The Influence of Facility Infrastructure and Personal Contact on Inpatient’s Trust

Trust is one of the most important aspects of the relationship between patients and medical staff. Patients are free to choose hospitals based on their confidence, leading to competition among hospitals. This is a challenge for hospital management to improve impact trust and patient retention. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of facility infrastructure and personal contacts on the confidence of inpatients at Royal Prima Medan Hospital through an interpretive survey study. The study was conducted between July 2019 and August 2019 with a total of 98 participants using a proportional random sampling technique. The results showed that a facility’s infrastructure and personal contacts statistically influenced patient trust. The most important factor influencing patient confidence was facility infrastructure (p-value = 0.002 and odds ratio = 5.27). These results suggest that improving the quality of facilities and personal contact increases trust in patients.

Fit for purpose: Conception and psychometric evaluation of developmentally appropriate measures to assess functional recovery in first-episode psychosis across geo-cultural contexts.

Given the paucity of functional recovery measures for young people with psychosis, we developed and conducted psychometric testing of the Functional Outcomes Interview (FOI) and the Roles and Aspirations Among Youth scale (RAY; a much-needed patient-reported outcome measure). Both measures were developed in English, Tamil, and French through discussions with professionals, participants, and families at early psychosis programs in Canada and India. The FOI assesses the number and tenure of functional roles and allows the nuanced assessment of each role in terms of performance, need for support, and quality of social contacts. The roles include work, school, household responsibilities, parenting/caregiving, and efforts to return to work/school. The RAY is a self-report of current roles and future aspirations. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, factorial validity, and concurrent validity for the RAY; and inter-rater reliability (IRR), internal consistency, and concurrent validity for the FOI were assessed. The RAY had adequate internal consistency and temporal stability and was unidimensional in factor analysis. The FOI had acceptable IRR and internal consistency, as evinced by comparable performance ratings across functional roles. Significant associations between our novel measures and well-established measures of functioning and negative symptoms indicate concurrent validity. The FOI and RAY were designed to be youth friendly, assess aspirations, and acknowledge individuals as desiring and holding multiple roles. They thus represent a significant advancement in assessing functional recovery in first-episode psychosis. Having been tested in two distinct settings, these measures show promise for wider deployment across geo-cultural contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Correlates of Attitudes Toward Bisexuality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a systematic review of factors that correlate with attitudes toward bisexuals, and a meta-analysis to estimate the effect size of these relationships. A search strategy was designed to identify studies that had a measure of attitudes toward bisexuals and assessed the relationship between these attitudes and at least one attitude-relevant correlate. The strategy was then applied to PsycINFO, PsycEXTRA, Proquest Psychology Collection, EBSCO Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection and SociINDEX databases, and calls for unpublished data were circulated through relevant professional bodies. Effect size data were extracted from the articles, and meta-analyses were conducted on each of the applicable correlates. The meta-analyses revealed that age, contact (quality and quantity), income, political orientation, religion, sexual orientation, education, ethnicity, gender, and population density were related to negative attitudes toward bisexual individuals (Fisher’s Zs = 0.108, −0.418, −0.209, 0.221, 0.231, 0.346, & 0.831, and Hedges’ g’s = 0.365, 0.344, 0.278, & 0.193, respectively). In addition, a sub-group moderation analysis revealed these effect sizes for participant gender differed as a function of target gender (i.e., bisexual men vs. bisexual women).

Transparent Conductive Oxide Sputtering Damage on Contact Passivation in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells with Hydrogenated Nanocrystalline Silicon

Mitigating the adverse effect of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) sputtering on the passivation quality of the heterojunction contact is very critical for achieving high‐efficiency silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Herein, n‐type ultra‐thin (5 nm) nanocrystalline silicon (nc‐Si:H) is utilized as a contact layer in rear‐junction SHJ solar cells. It is revealed that the TCO sputtering damage on the contact layer is caused by the ion bombardment during the sputtering process and cannot be fully recovered by low‐temperature annealing. A more severe passivation deterioration is observed for the devices with nc‐Si:H(n) having a higher microstructure factor. This result is explained by an increased ion penetration depth in the porous nc‐Si:H film. By applying denser nc‐Si:H(n) in SHJ solar cells, the front silicon film stack shows more resilience to sputter damage, yielding a remarkable cell performance on the M2‐size wafer with certificated power conversion efficiency (η) of 23.87%. The sputter damage on nc‐Si:H by TCO in SHJ solar cells is explored in depth for the first time from the perspective of silicon thin films.

The effect of advice network connectedness on problem-solving competence among software developers

Software development requires software developers to share knowledge and solve problems together. Although researchers have considered the business and technical knowledge germane to performing software development tasks, empirical studies investigating business and technical advice networks on problem-solving competence is scarce. Using social network theory, we argue that software developers must be embedded for knowledge brokering within and across business and technical advice connectedness for improving problem-solving competence. Moreover, we argue that contact quality matters in increasing or decreasing individual problem-solving competence. We present data collected via an online survey from 153 respondents in a professional software organisation. Our findings suggest that software developers who engage in knowledge brokering in business and technical advice connectedness will increase problem-solving competence in the software development effort. Our findings also reveal no significant effect of contact quality between these advice networks and problem-solving competence. We discuss our findings’ implications for theory and practice.

High-Quality Contact With Fellow Majority Group Students Is Associated With Better Academic Performance of Minority Group Students.

We examined the association between intergroup contact and academic performance at university among minority students in a context with a segregated pre-university school system. Study 1 tested whether participation in a group dynamics course, which involves intimate interpersonal contact between Israeli Arab (n = 125) and Jewish students, was associated with better grade point average (GPA). As expected, Arab students who participated in the course had a higher GPA than those who did not, even when controlling for pre-university achievements. The corresponding difference among Jews was substantially smaller. Study 2 (N = 90), a longitudinal study, revealed that the quality of contact with Jewish students at university was associated with Arab students' subsequent higher GPA, even when controlling for pre-university contact, proxies of academic achievements, and perceptions of intergroup relations. The quality of contact with Jewish students was also associated with Arab students' sense of academic belonging. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Trust repair in the aftermath of conflict occurrence in construction subcontracting: an intergroup contact perspective

Although trust repair after conflict occurrence is significant for effective work and sustainable relationships in construction subcontracting and contact is inevitable, researchers have yet to examine the relationship between contact quality and trust repair after conflict occurrence. This study investigates the effect of contact quality on Party A’s trust repair after conflict occurrence and the mediating mechanisms of that effect. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey to collect data for hypotheses testing, receiving 310 valid questionnaires from general contractors and subcontractors engaged in construction projects. The results reveal the positive effect of contact quality on Party A’s trust repair after conflict occurrence and the mediating roles of Party A’s feeling of threat and Party B’s self-disclosure in that effect. This study contributes to the trust research and intergroup contact theory. It also offers suggestions for construction subcontracting practitioners to facilitate trust repair after conflict occurrence.

Psychosocial Wellbeing of Schoolchildren during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Berlin, Germany, June 2020 to March 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions have affected the wellbeing of schoolchildren worldwide, but the extent and duration of specific problems are still not completely understood. We aimed to describe students’ psychosocial and behavioral parameters and associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Berlin, Germany. Our longitudinal study included 384 students from 24 randomly selected Berlin primary and secondary schools, assessing psychosocial wellbeing at four time points between June 2020 and March 2021. We analyzed temporal changes in the proportions of anxiety, fear of infection, reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical activity and social contacts, as well as sociodemographic and economic factors associated with anxiety, fear of infection and HRQoL. During the observation period, the presence of anxiety symptoms increased from 26.2% (96/367) to 34.6% (62/179), and fear of infection from 28.6% (108/377) to 40.6% (73/180). The proportion of children with limited social contacts (<1/week) increased from 16.4% (61/373) to 23.5% (42/179). Low physical activity (<3 times sports/week) was consistent over time. Low HRQoL was observed among 44% (77/174) of children. Factors associated with anxiety were female sex, increasing age, secondary school attendance, lower household income, and the presence of adults with anxiety symptoms in the student´s household. Fear of infection and low HRQoL were associated with anxiety. A substantial proportion of schoolchildren experienced unfavorable psychosocial conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/2021. Students from households with limited social and financial resilience require special attention.

Exploration of correlation between the material characteristics of the copper layer on the electrical and thermal properties of REBCO tape and coil

To achieve the approriate trade-off between the low charing delay and enough self-protection ability in the NI REBCO coil, the controllable Cu layer structure in REBCO tape is essential, which can cause required electrical and thermal properties in both the radial and circumferential direction. In this paper, the correlation between the material characteristics of the copper layer on the electrical and thermal properties of REBCO was explored by investigating the REBCO tape with different Cu layer thicknesses. The influence of charging decay, self-protection, and cold shrinkage stress on the REBCO coil performance was also evaluated based on three tapes. Three new findings showed the possible dominant factor on electrical and thermal properties in either radial or circumferential direction. Unlike the traditional electroplated layer, the Cu layer in the SP3 sample has piecemeal Cu grains, which may be the primary factor in significantly increasing the electrical resistivity and decreasing the thermal conductivity significantly. In the radial direction, the nonuniform top, bottom, and even side thickness of the Cu layer could increase the electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity. And the bad corner contact quality between the Cu and Ag/REBCO could be an important factor. Furthermore, the Cu layer purity may be significantly lower than previously thought. Using the electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity values of pure Cu as the Cu layer in the simulation could result in significant errors. This study provides possible directions for finding a method to control the properties of the Cu layer of REBCO commercial tape, which can better fit different application scenarios.