Wear Face Research Articles

ABOUT SOME FEATURES OF DISEASE DEVELOPMENT

            The aim of our study was to determine the role of gender as a factor in the development of disease during infection with COVID-19 and whether the age of the patient along with gender was an important factor in causing lethal outcomes and the infection was much more severe in men, than in women. At the same time irresponsible attitude among men reversibly affect their undertaking of preventive measures such as frequent handwashing, wearing of face mask, and stay at home orders. It is means that being male is also a factor. Our study showed that in people over 60 years of age, mortality was higher in men. However, with age, this difference became less noticeable due to certain circumstances. Finally, we would like to point out that, in our opinion, this new disease of the 21st century, COVID-19, has once again proven that the male and female immunity are significantly different from each other, and this gives us reason to believe that research in this direction will further develop in the future.

How Face Masks Affect the Use of Echolocation by Individuals With Visual Impairments During COVID-19: International Cross-sectional Online Survey.

BackgroundAlthough a critical safety measure, preliminary studies have suggested that the use of a face mask may pose a problem for some users with disabilities. To date, little is known about how the wearing of a traditional face mask may pose a barrier to individuals with visual impairments who draw on auditory cues and echolocation techniques during independent travel.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to document the difficulties, if any, encountered during orientation and mobility due to the use of a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies used to address these barriers.MethodsIn total, 135 individuals aged 18 years and older who self-identified as being blind, being deafblind, or having low vision and who could communicate in either English or French completed an anonymous cross-sectional online survey between March 29 and August 23, 2021.ResultsIn total, 135 respondents (n=52, 38.5%, men; n=83, 61.5%, women) between the ages of 18 and 79 (mean 48.22, SD 14.48) years participated. Overall, 78 (57.7%) self-identified as blind and 57 (42.3%) as having low vision. In addition, 13 (9.6%) identified as having a combined vision and hearing loss and 3 (2.2%) as deafblind. The most common face coverings used were cloth (n=119, 88.1%) and surgical masks (n=74, 54.8%). Among the barriers raised, participants highlighted that face masks made it more difficult to locate people (n=86, 63.7%), communicate with others (n=101, 74.8%), and locate landmarks (n=82, 60.7%). Although the percentage of those who used a white cane before the pandemic did not substantially change, 6 (14.6%) of the 41 participants who were guide dog users prior to the pandemic reported no longer working with a guide dog at the time of the survey. Moreover, although guide dog users reported the highest level of confidence with independent travel before the pandemic, they indicated the lowest level of confidence a year after the pandemic began.ConclusionsThese results suggest that participants were less able to draw on nonvisual cues during independent travel and social interactions due to the use of a facemask, contributing to a reduction in perceived self-confidence and independence. Findings inform the development of evidence-based recommendations to address identified barriers.

Motivation, Intention and Action: Wearing Masks to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

Governments are seeking to slow the spread of COVID-19 by implementing measures that encourage, or mandate, changes in people’s behaviour such as the wearing of face masks. The success of these measures depends on the willingness of individuals to change their behaviour and their commitment and capacity to translate that intention into actions. Understanding and predicting both the willingness of individuals to change their behaviour and their enthusiasm to act on that willingness are needed to assess the likely effectiveness of these measures in slowing the spread of the virus. We analysed responses to two different regional surveys about people’s intentions and behaviour with respect to preventing the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand. While motivations and intentions were largely similar across the regions, there were surprisingly large differences across the regions regarding the frequency of wearing face masks. These regional differences were not associated with regional differences in demographics (or in Alert levels) but were associated with regional differences in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. The results highlight the importance to policy design of distinguishing the factors that might influence the formation of behavioural intentions from those that might influence the implementation of those intentions.

Effect of Wearing a Face Mask on Hand-to-Face Contact by Children in a Simulated School Environment

Wearing a face mask in school can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission but it may also lead to increased hand-to-face contact, which in turn could increase infection risk through self-inoculation. To evaluate the effect of wearing a face mask on hand-to-face contact by children while at school. This prospective randomized clinical trial randomized students from junior kindergarten to grade 12 at 2 schools in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during August 2020 in a 1:1 ratio to either a mask or control class during a 2-day school simulation. Classes were video recorded from 4 angles to accurately capture outcomes. Participants in the mask arm were instructed to bring their own mask and wear it at all times. Students assigned to control classes were not required to mask at any time (grade 4 and lower) or in the classroom where physical distancing could be maintained (grade 5 and up). The primary outcome was the number of hand-to-face contacts per student per hour on day 2 of the simulation. Secondary outcomes included hand-to-mucosa contacts and hand-to-nonmucosa contacts. A mixed Poisson regression model was used to derive rate ratios (RRs), adjusted for age and sex with a random intercept for class with bootstrapped 95% CIs. A total of 174 students underwent randomization and 171 students (mask group, 50.6% male; control group, 52.4% male) attended school on day 2. The rate of hand-to-face contacts did not differ significantly between the mask and the control groups (88.2 vs 88.7 events per student per hour; RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.78-1.28; P = >.99). When compared with the control group, the rate of hand-to-mucosa contacts was significantly lower in the mask group (RR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.07-0.21), while the rate of hand-to-nonmucosa contacts was higher (RR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.08-1.82). In this clinical trial of simulated school attendance, hand-to-face contacts did not differ among students required to wear face masks vs students not required to wear face masks; however, hand-to-mucosa contracts were lower in the face mask group. This suggests that mask wearing is unlikely to increase infection risk through self-inoculation. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04531254.

Masked Facial Recognition in Security Systems Using Transfer Learning.

The COVID-19 is a crisis of unprecedented magnitude, which has resulted in countless casualties and security troubles. In view of recent events of corona virus people are required to wear face masks to protect themselves from getting infected. As a result, a good portion of face (nose and mouth) is hidden by the mask and hence the facial recognition becomes difficult. Many organizations use facial recognition as a means of authentication. Researchers focus on developing rapid and efficient solutions to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by coming up with suggestions for handling the facial recognition problem. This research paper aims to identify the person, while the face is covered with a facial mask with only eyes and forehead being exposed. The first step involves marking the facial region. Next, using the data set, we will implement an object detection model YOLOv3 to identify unmasked and masked faces. The YOLO v3 object detection model is the best performing model with a detection time of 0.012 s, F1 score of 0.90 and mAP score of 0.92. Experimental results on Real-World Masked-Face-Data set show high recognition performance.

Influence of short-term face mask wear on semiautomatically measured tear film parameters in dry eye patients and healthy volunteers

PurposeThe use of face masks has been proposed to cause or exacerbate the symptoms of dry eye disease (DED), which has been widely discussed under the term mask-associated dry eye (MADE). However, no studies have systematically investigated tear film parameters during the use of different face masks. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate clinically relevant parameters of the tear film before and during the short-time use of face masks in dry and normal eyes.MethodsIn a prospective study, the tear film parameters of 42 DED patients and 42 healthy volunteers were examined while wearing different types of face masks in a randomized order. This included measurements of non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT), lipid layer thickness, tear meniscus height, and bulbar redness after 30 min of wearing no mask, a surgical face mask or an FFP2/K95 mask. The equivalence of the means was assessed using the two one-sided t-test (TOST) method.ResultsIn healthy volunteers’ lipid layer thickness, NIBUT and tear meniscus height were not significantly altered by 30 min of surgical or FFP2 mask wear (p > 0.016). The use of either type of mask was significantly associated with decreased bulbar redness (p < 0.001) in healthy eyes. In patients with DED, none of the tear film parameters or bulbar redness were significantly altered by 30 min of mask wear (p > 0.016).ConclusionsBased on these results, the short-term wearing of face masks, regardless of type, did not produce a significant difference in tear film parameters of lipid layer thickness, NIBUT, and tear meniscus in healthy or dry eyes, while bulbar redness was reduced after mask wear only in healthy volunteers.

Knowledge and attitudes of Mexican dentists regarding COVID-19

Dentists have a high risk of contracting COVID-19, they needed to be aware of the major challenge that represents the dental practice and COVID-19. Accordingly, this study aimed: 1) to investigate the knowledge of dentists regarding COVID-19, 2) to investigate the attitudes of dentists concerning the use of personal protective equipment and, 3) to investigate the attitudes of dentists on stopping their dental practices in the framework of a contingency plan for the COVID-19 outbreak. An online cross-sectional survey was applied to dentists (n=822). Dentists in Mexico answered the survey, which was administered before the contingency plan for the COVID-19 outbreak. Results were analyzed with descriptive statistics and with a Chi-square test (P≤0.05). Of the respondents, 99% of dentists indicated knowing what COVID-19 is, knowing most, but not all, of its signs and symptoms and knowing its mode of transmission. The 89% of dentists indicated that they always used personal protective equipment. But they did not use always wear face masks, protective eyewear, face shields, disposable gowns, and caps. Dentists were aware of the risk of performing dental procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak. The 90% of dentists indicated that they would treat only patients requiring emergency treatment, and 10% indicated that they would not treat any patients. The dentists had limited knowledge about the COVID-19 disease. They did not use personal protective equipment consistently, and they indicated that they might continue working during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Face masks inhibit facial cues for approachability and trustworthiness: an eyetracking study

Wearing face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic has undeniable benefits from our health perspective. However, the interpersonal costs on social interactions may have been underappreciated. Because masks obscure critical facial regions signaling approach/avoidance intent and social trust, this implies that facial inference of approachability and trustworthiness may be severely discounted. Here, in our eyetracking experiment, we show that people judged masked faces as less approachable and trustworthy. Further analyses showed that the attention directed towards the eye region relative to the mouth region mediated the effect on approachability, but not on trustworthiness. This is because for masked faces, with the mouth region obscured, visual attention is then automatically diverted away from the mouth and towards the eye region, which is an undiagnostic cue for judging a target’s approachability. Together, these findings support that mask-wearing inhibits the critical facial cues needed for social judgements.

Vocal health for mask-wearing healthcare providers

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers are now required to wear face masks throughout the day. However, masks impact communication by creating a barrier to sound. Our previous studies show that masks attenuate mid-to-high-range frequency content and reduce vowel articulatory space. Mask-wearing healthcare workers also report significant increases in vocal effort compared to unmasked speech, as well as increased vocal effort at the end of their workday. Increased vocal effort co-occurred with a reduction in relative fundamental frequency (RFF) offset cycle 10—an acoustic indicator of vocal effort and laryngeal tension. With this in mind, we developed recommendations to help overcome some of the challenges of masked communication, with a specific focus on vocal health maintenance. A small pilot study in mask-wearing healthcare providers found that providers were able to learn and recall vocal health information with &amp;gt;90% accuracy over one week and implement 4 out of 6 vocal recommendations into their workday. RFF offset cycle 10 improved (Cohen’s d = 0.25) following strategy implementation. More research in a larger group of providers is needed to understand the long-term effects of mask-wearing on vocal health, and the behavioral strategies healthcare workers can use to prevent voice problems.

Particles and fragments in unused disposable face masks: A microscopic analysis

Introduction: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments mandated the wearing of face masks by law. New research shows that these masks contain and release microplastics. Methods: In the present work, five samples of surgical masks were examined microscopically for the presence of particles and fragments. The masks were purchased from two of the largest supermarket chains in Switzerland. Results: Particles and fragments were found on the fiber surfaces in the inner layer of all face masks examined. The size of these objects varied in the range of about 2-40 µm, with dark spots and particles on the fibers having a smaller diameter than the more transparent fragments. Conclusions: In this work, it was shown that particles and fragments in the micrometer range can be found on the inside of commercially available surgical face masks purchased in supermarkets in Switzerland. The health significance of the presence of particles and fragments in the micrometer range as demonstrated by the current investigation of surgical face masks needs to be further investigated.

IoT-Deep Learning Based Face Mask Detection System for Entrance and Exit Door

During the pandemic, it has been seen that the global population follows the guidelines issued by the health organization regarding wearing face masks, but some people do not take care of this and do not use masks. The objective of the proposed system, Wollega University Face Mask Detection System (WUFMDS), is to restrict people who are not wearing a mask on the door side by identifying the face mask from the face or open the door if the incoming person is wearing the mask. This system is based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and a Deep Learning algorithm called Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). For this purpose, images with and without masks were collected as samples from the university. The CNN algorithm is used to detect the mask and classify it as with or without masks. The IoT module controls the door operation based on the classification response sent to the IoT module by the CNN algorithm. The system was tested lively with the dummy door system in order to ensure the functionality of the face mask detection system and developed software applications for the system model are working as defined objectives. Our model had 99.36% accuracy with the training dataset and 99.29% accuracy with the validation set. Hence, the proposed system could be used for the automatic identification and classification of masks on the face and to operate the door to allow the person who is wearing the mask to pass through while keeping it closed when no mask is found on the face.

Deep learning techniques for detecting and recognizing face masks: A survey.

The year 2020 brought many changes to the lives of people all over the world with the outbreak of COVID-19; we saw lockdowns for months and deaths of many individuals, which set the world economy back miles. As research was conducted to create vaccines and cures that would eradicate the virus, precautionary measures were imposed on people to help reduce the spread the disease. These measures included washing of hands, appropriate distancing in social gatherings and wearing of masks to cover the face and nose. But due to human error, most people failed to adhere to this face mask rule and this could be monitored using artificial intelligence. In this work, we carried out a survey on Masked Face Recognition (MFR) and Occluded Face Recognition (OFR) deep learning techniques used to detect whether a face mask was being worn. The major problem faced by these models is that people often wear face masks incorrectly, either not covering the nose or mouth, which is equivalent to not wearing it at all. The deep learning algorithms detected the covered features on the face to ensure that the correct parts of the face were covered and had amazingly effective results.

The impact of face-mask mandates on all-cause mortality in Switzerland: a quasi-experimental study

BackgroundWhereas there is strong evidence that wearing a face mask is effective in reducing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), evidence on the impact of mandating the wearing of face masks on deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and all-cause mortality is more sparse and likely to vary by context. Focusing on a quasi-experimental setting in Switzerland, we aimed to determine (i) the effect of face-mask mandates for indoor public spaces on all-cause mortality; and (ii) how the effect has varied over time, and by age and sex.MethodsOur analysis exploited the fact that between July and October 2020, nine cantons in Switzerland extended a face-mask mandate at different time points from being restricted to public transportation only to applying to all public indoor places. We used both a Difference-in-Differences approach with fixed-effects for canton and week and an event-study approach.ResultsIn our main Difference-in-Differences model, the face-mask mandate was associated with a 0.3% reduction in all-cause mortality [95% confidence interval (CI): −3.4% to 2.7%; P = 0.818]. This null effect was confirmed in the event-study approach and a variety of robustness checks. Combining the face-mask mandate with social distancing rules led to an estimated 5.1% (95% CI: −7.9% to −2.4%; P = 0.001) reduction in all-cause mortality.ConclusionsMandating face-mask use in public indoor spaces in Switzerland in mid-to-late 2020 does not appear to have resulted in large reductions in all-cause mortality in the short term. There is some suggestion that combining face-mask mandates with social distancing rules reduced all-cause mortality.

FACE MASKS, BETWEEN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL MESSAGES IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS

In the COVID-19 pandemic, people should wear face masks as medical equipment to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Some people donate and distribute face masks to many other people in social charity events. Unfortunately, these kinds of events are used by some people to do political campaigns while distributing donations. This study conducted a Semiotic analysis to describe and analyze signifiers brought by face masks distributed in a social charity event by a Klaten’s regent that symbolizes social and political messages. Using the concept of ‘rhetoric of the image’ by Barthes (1977), which was dragged into a critical semiotics study, which analyzed the image, colors, and written language on the object observed in a video taken from television news. Political messages are often disguised in social events and publications to gain more supporters for bigger chances to win the election.

Do masks affect social interaction?

Wearing face masks to prevent the spread of COVID‐19 has proved controversial in many countries; conducting new research on the use of masks would be colored by this controversy. In 2012 (pre‐COVID), we conducted an experiment on the effects of masks on social interaction. College students (N = 250) were assigned to find a previously unknown student in a lecture hall, converse, and evaluate the interaction. Half were assigned to wear a surgical mask, sunglasses, and a hat (all provided); half wore no extra gear. Mask wearing had no effect on the ease, authenticity, friendliness of the conversation, mood, discomfort, or interestingness of the interaction. There were no discernable consequences of political ideology on the partner selection process or the evaluation of the interaction. Mask‐wearing did not disable successful social interaction in this setting.

DeepMask: face mask detection using GAN algorithm

COVID-19 pandemic is the main reason people must wear face masks in public places. Traditionally, officers monitor the use of face masks in the public area manually. However, monitoring masks using manual techniques is challenging in a crowded spot. Thus, we propose a face mask detection based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) through the learning model to accelerate mask detection accurately and quickly. To construct our detection model, we collect the dataset, conduct pre-processing, and train the model by tuning multiple parameters to obtain the highest accuracy and tiny loss. The experimental results can produce D_Loss = 0.0032 and G_Loss = 7.3296. Therefore, the proposed model can be a promising solution for mask detection issues.

Identifying targets for interventions to support public use of face coverings.

Interventions to promote the wearing of face coverings if required in the future can only be developed if we know why people do or do not wear them. Study aims were, therefore, to assess public adherence to wearing face coverings to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and to gauge why people were or were not wearing face coverings in work, public transport, and indoor leisure settings. Cross-sectional survey. 10,622 adults (25 January-6 February 2022) who were representative of the UK population were asked about their (a) wearing of face coverings in work, public transport, and leisure settings; (b) sociodemographic characteristics; and (c) perceptions of capabilities, opportunities, and motivations ("COM-B"). Data were analysed descriptively, using within-participants ANOVA and multiple linear regression. Participants reported mostly wearing face coverings in public transport settings (>80%), but substantially less in work (<50%) and leisure (<30%) contexts. Perceptions of capabilities, opportunities, and motivations to wear face coverings were consistently associated with the actual wearing of face coverings across the three settings, but there were marked deficits in automatic motivation and social opportunity. People living in England, describing themselves as White, and men were least likely to wear face coverings. Interventions targeted at men, people living in England, and those describing themselves as White that focus on increasing capabilities, providing greater opportunities and boosting motivations are suggested to promote the wearing of face coverings, with particular focus on addressing automatic motivation and social opportunity.

P44 - The implications of face mask wearing for babies and families during the COVID-19 pandemic: A discussion

COVID-19 has changed the way that newborn babies are cared for within the neonatal setting, and infants in the first year of their lives, due to the introduction of social distancing and the wearing of face masks to limit the spread of the infection. Potential implications of these practices exist, related to the normal development of attachment, face processing and recognition by the infant, and connections with others. This paper discusses the importance of face-to-face interactions in relation to these within the context of developmental theory. Mask wearing can potentially impact relational communication, requiring us to change our current ways of working. The possible implications of decreasing face-to-face interactions for the infant and relational communication are discussed, along with key recommendations for both parents and health professionals to mitigate the potential long-term effects on development related to human connection and attachment.

Face Mask Acceptability for Communal Religious Worship During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom: Results from the CONFESS Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to restrictions such as social distancing and mandatory wearing of face masks. Singing and religious gatherings have been linked to infection clusters, and between 2020 and 2021 indoor congregational singing and chanting were prohibited in the United Kingdom. We evaluated attitudes to face mask use and their acceptability as well as changes within places of worship since their reopening in July up to autumn 2020. In this cross-sectional study, participants were recruited using convenience sampling through selective targeting of religious organisations and social media. Participants self-enrolled and completed an online questionnaire, which included open and closed questions. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with face mask acceptability. We performed thematic analysis to evaluate responses to open questions. A total of 939 participants were included in the analysis. Median age was 52.7 years and 66.1% were female, while 80.7% identified as Christian. A majority (672/861; 78.0%) of participants would find it acceptable to wear a face mask and reduce their singing or chanting volume if required, even though 428/681 (49.1%) found face masks to be uncomfortable. Multivariable regression found that younger age was associated with a higher acceptability of face masks (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.98 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.96–1.00), p = 0.0218). The majority of respondents stated that religious services had become shorter, attended by fewer people and with reduced singing or chanting. Most (869/893, 97.3%) stated their place of worship complied with government guidelines, with 803/887 (90.5%) reported that their place of worship enforced face mask wearing and 793/887 (89.4%) at least moderately happy with precaution measures. Our study demonstrates the significant impact of COVID-19 in places of worship but a high degree of compliance with guidelines. Face masks, despite practical difficulties, appeared to be more acceptable if there was an incentive of being able to sing and chant.

How What You See Can Influence What You Hear

We automatically use more than one of our senses to understand the world around us. When having a conversation, most of us use our ears to listen to what other people are saying. But you might be surprised to know that what you see is also very important in helping you to understand others. This article looks at how hearing and sight are combined and explains how both of these senses help us to understand speech. We demonstrate how important it is to see the faces of people who are talking, particularly when we are in noisy places. This topic has important implications for the wearing of face masks! It is really important that we think about how face masks may affect the ability of people to communicate with each other.