ABSTRACT
Background: The benefits of physical training on exercise capacity, pulmonary functioning, and health-related quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) is well documented [1], meaning it is currently considered part of standard CF care to encourage a physically active lifestyle [2,3]. COVID-19 limited opportunities for people with CF to undergo structured exercise programs in the hospital, gym, or leisure center. To address this, we launched three progressive on-demand exercise programs on Beam (a specialist online exercise, education and wellbeing platform for the CF community, www.beamfeelgood.com) aimed at varying disease severity and baseline fitness levels. Each 12-session program was curated by a CF physiotherapist and designed to build strength and cardiovascular fitness, improve CF symptom management, and increase confidence to exercise. Participants were offered remote coaching to support completion of the program, including email and text support, and joint workouts. Here,we look at the impact of this program on self-reported measures of health and exercise perceptions. Method(s): Adults with CFwere invited via social media to participate in one of three Getting Started exercise programs on Beam. Participants selfselected the program that was most suited to them based on their disease severity and current fitness levels, as outlined in Table 1. Participants were asked to complete pre- and post-program surveys evaluating their general health, emotional wellbeing, appetite, sleep, motivation, enjoyment, confidence, and time and limitations to exercise on a five-point scale. Result(s): Between November 2021 and March 2022, of 71 people signed up for a Getting Started program, 36 completed a minimum of one class, and 16 completed the entire 12-sessions in a program. Of the 16 who(Table Presented) Audience and aims of the three Beam programs completed a program, 75% felt more motivated, 68% felt fitter, 75% felt stronger, and 65.5% were happier. All said their enjoyment of exercise was the same or more than before (37.5% saying they enjoyed it more), and 43.7% said they became more confident. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion(s): This work suggests that CF-specific online exercise programs have the potential to increase strength and cardiovascular fitness levels as well as motivation, confidence, and enjoyment to exercise in adults with CF, although these outcomes were self-reported, and a research trial to evaluate impact on clinical outcome measures is warranted. Additionally, further research and service development is required to improve the programs and increase activation and completion of the exercise programs with greater consideration of behavior change interventions.Copyright © 2022, European Cystic Fibrosis Society. All rights reserved
ABSTRACT
Background: Knowing the prevalence of true asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases is critical for designing mitigation measures against the pandemic. We aimed to synthesize all available research on asymptomatic cases and transmission rates. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane COVID-19 trials, and Europe PMC for primary studies on asymptomatic prevalence in which (1) the sample frame includes at-risk populations, and;(2) follow-up was sufficient to identify pre-symptomatic cases. Meta-analysis used fixed-effects and random-effects models. We assessed risk of bias by combination of questions adapted from risk of bias tools for prevalence and diagnostic accuracy studies. Results: We screened 2,454 articles and included 13 low risk-of-bias studies from seven countries that tested 21,708 at-risk people, of which 663 were positive and 111 asymptomatic. Diagnosis in all studies was confirmed using a real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction test. The asymptomatic proportion ranged from 4% to 41%. Meta-analysis (fixed effects) found that the proportion of asymptomatic cases was 17% (95% CI 14% to 20%) overall and higher in aged care (20%;95% CI 14% to 27%) than in non-aged care (16%;95% CI 13% to 20%). The relative risk (RR) of asymptomatic transmission was 42% lower than that for symptomatic transmission (combined RR 0.58;95% CI 0.34 to 0.99, p = 0.047). Conclusions: Our one-in-six estimate of the prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and asymptomatic transmission rates is lower than those of many highly publicized studies but still sufficient to warrant policy attention. Further robust epidemiological evidence is urgently needed, including in subpopulations such as children, to better understand how asymptomatic cases contribute to the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
In 2020, the amount of cargo requiring haulage was surplus to the transportation facilities available. The number of commercial flights operated decreased due to Coronavirus 2019 causing lockdowns, immigration restrictions, and border closures. Stay at home measures increased demand for online shopping and deliveries. Due to the reduction in commercial airline passengers and vacancy of the passenger cabin, governmental aviation agencies and airline regulators sought permissions to transport cargo in the passenger cabin. This paper evaluates the task of transporting cargo in the passenger cabin from a cabin safety perspective. Type of cargo and cargo placement in the cabin were key areas identified, as well as fire prevention. Consideration is also given to human factors and the continuously updating standard operating procedures for which cabin crew found themselves responsible when flying weeks after the World Health Organization announced Coronavirus 2019 to be a pandemic. © 2022, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Creating community among new graduate students in a COVID world prompted the development of a two-week virtual orientation program for engineering and applied sciences graduate students at a research university. Despite the complexity of multiple time zones, technology challenges, and the virtual space, the program sought to accomplish three goals: (1) community building among students;(2) intellectual engagement with faculty in the home departments;and (3) career development as a foundation for their overall graduate school experience. Participants (N=350 MS or PhD students) were introduced to support services (e.g., health and counseling, ombuds) and student organizations, attended workshops on digital literacy and technology tools, gained perspective from alumni and industry panels, and began their personal career development plan. Evaluations were highly positive, with means of 3.5 - 4.4 on a 5.0 scale, with 5 being very satisfied. Additionally, 98 first-year PhD students were also enrolled in a rigorous and comprehensive online asynchronous TA training, with high satisfaction scores from those who completed the training. While virtual delivery may have limitations, this program has clearly demonstrated that a pre-arrival program can add value to the graduate student on-boarding process and improve the welcome culture at educational institutions. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021