ABSTRACT
Mental disorders in the young adult population are becoming more frequent, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to the need to find new ways to adapt to therapeutic methods, offering greater attractiveness for this age range, and in many studies, it has been reported that this can be achieved thanks to video games. In this work, a controller design for video games that allows to obtain some of the most relevant biological signals of the relationship between the physiological state and the mental state of the user is proposed. An accessible and non-invasive instrument was built, in the form of a video game controller, to make measurements of heart rate and the galvanic response of the skin, two physiological variables that play a vital role in determining a person’s emotional state, that allows, in turn, to play video games that are designed to be able to perform actions based on the measurements of biosignals, such as modifying the difficulty, improving the user experience, etc. Making use of two biosignal sensors (photoplethysmography and galvanic skin response), the controller is developed to offer non-invasive biofeedback while playing computer video games, which provides an effective approach to developing interactive and customizable diagnostic and therapeutic psychological tools. This work, which involves the unification of various ideas and fields, could mean an advance in the field of the development of digital alternatives for therapies related to mental health, as well as a tool that allows a greater approach on the part of the community to which it is focused. This may mean that, in future developments, there is greater cohesion and a greater boom in treatments for people considered young adults. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
The development of systems that help automate and manage people’s lives at different levels is what has driven the enormous growth that humanity has had. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant an unprecedented event that has marked a before and after for the entire world. As a result of this, companies and institutions implemented various technological tools to have a greater capacity to respond to the challenges generated by this and other similar potential diseases, however, the development of these technological tools is not always clear and accessible, particularly to small companies and to academic institutions. This paper describes the development of a web tool for the analysis of physical and mental health data of students using a COVID-19 screening tool, commonly used psychological questionnaires and inventories which help diagnose symptoms of mental illnesses, and a microblogging tool for further natural language processing. The results and conclusions reached at the end of this work are also presented. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Background: Information about COVID infection in physicians is limited. This knowledge would allow the implementation of actions to reduce its impact. The objective was determining the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in physicians from health institutions in Argentina, its characteristics, and associated factors. Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective/retrospective cohort study with nested case-control study. Physicians active at the beginning of the pandemic were included, those on leave due to risk factors were excluded. The incidence of confirmed cases was estimated. We conducted bivariate analyses with various factors and used those significant in a logistic regression. Results: Three hundred and forty three physicians with COVID-infection from 8 centers were included. The incidence of disease was 12.1% and that of global absenteeism related to COVID, 34.1%. Almost 70% of close contacts were work-related. In the multivariate analysis living in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) (OR 0.19, p = 0.01), working in high-risk areas (OR 0.22, p = 0.01) and individual transportation (OR 0, 34, p = 0.03) reduced the risk of COVID. The odds of infection increased 5.6 times (p = 0.02) for each close contact isolation. Discussion: The number of close contact isolation increased considerably the risk of infection. Living in Buenos Aires City, individual transportation and working in high-risk areas reduced it. Given the high frequency of close contact in the workplace, we strongly recommend the reinforcement of prevention measures in rest areas and non-COVID-wards.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this work is to characterize and analyze the flow of arrivals to the city of Puerto Madryn (Patagonia - Argentina), during the first six month of social isolation while the pandemic for Covid-19 was occurring. Results remarked how simple traffic data collection based on provenance, local destination, age and gender is more important to understand the spread of the virus and for the design of health policies than reinforcing traffic restrictions. The intention is to expose the potentialities of a more comprehensive analogous analysis of this kind of mobility for local public health policy and urban planning in a post-pandemic context. ©2021 IEEE