Facing the pandemic in the dark: Psychopathic personality traits and life history strategies during COVID-19 lockdown period in different areas of China.

The current research aims to examine variation in psychopathic personality traits and life history strategies during COVID-19 lockdown period in different areas of China. In Study 1 (N = 564), participants completed explicit measures of psychopathic traits and of life history strategy. To attenuate common method biases, Study 2 (N = 267) employed an alternative measure of psychopathy and an indirect measure of life history strategy, namely, future-discounting. Across two studies, we found consistent and significant evidence that participants from Wuhan, the initial epicenter of the pandemic, evidenced a faster life history strategy and a markedly higher level of psychopathic traits than did participants from Chongqing, which was less affected by the virus. Furthermore, a consistent pattern of correlation between life history strategy and psychopathy was observed across different groups of participants. We also replicated some previously reported studies but found that not all sex effects were consistent with life history in Chinese populations. Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals may show a high degree of variation in life history speed and psychopathic traits in response to unpredictable and adverse environments, which provide support for extended life history plasticity.

I'm Offering You My Pain: Priming COVID-19 Salience Increases Everyday Sadism.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its link to the emergence of everyday sadism is a matter of public concern worldwide. However, previous studies are nearly silent regarding the causal relationship between the two variables. We address this gap by theorizing that exposure to information about coronavirus can increase sadistic behavior by inducing state boredom. We conducted three complementary controlled experiments, which comprised multiple participants populations (N = 784, student and community samples) and measurement techniques of sadism, to test our theoretical perspective. Based on self-report measures, Study 1 found that Chinese university students who were exposed to a reminder of COVID-19 exhibited a higher level of everyday sadism than participants in the control condition. Study 2 replicated this finding in a more generalized population. Additionally, results revealed that state boredom mediated this effect. Moving beyond subjective self-report data in Studies 1 and 2, Study 3 assessed a different behavioral operationalization of sadistic tendencies, namely, shredding worms. As expected, priming COVID-19 salience has an immediate, statistically significant influence on sadistic behavior in impactful real-world contexts. Overall, these findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic not only has grave effects on economy and society, but has implications for the malevolent side of human nature.

The Dark Side of Interpersonal Touch: Physical Contact Leads to More Non-compliance With Preventive Measures to COVID-19.

Following preventive measures is crucial for slowing the rate of COVID-19 spread. To date, most research has focused on the role of individual differences and personality in compliance with preventive measures to COVID-19. Building on findings that interpersonal touch instills a feeling of security, we propose that interpersonal touching behavior, an underexplored factor tied to social interaction, leads to more breaches of coronavirus restrictions by inducing security feelings. In a lab experiment (Experiment 1) and a field study (Experiment 2), we demonstrated that a female experimenter's fleeting and comforting pat on the shoulder made people less willing to abide by preventive measures in their self-report and actual behavior. Further, we excluded a potential alternative explanation that touch intervention by the experimenter presents the defiance of COVID-19 rules because the effect cannot be observed when the touch consists of a handshake rather than a comforting pat on the shoulder (Experiment 3). Finally, consistent with our theoretical perspective, the results revealed that sense of security mediated the effect of interpersonal touch on violation of instructions to follow coronavirus precautions. Taken together, interpersonal touch not only enhances trust and security, but also can push people away from health guidelines.

BIM and Digital Twin for Developing Convergence Technologies as Future of Digital Construction

The construction industry is slow to adopt new technologies. The implementation of digital technologies and remote operations using robots were considered farfetched affairs and unbelievable approaches. However, the effect of COVID-19 on clients and construction companies put high pressure on construction managers to seek digital solutions and justified the need for remote operating or distant controlling technologies. This paper aims to investigate the state of play in construction technology implementation and presents a roadmap for developing and implementing required technologies for the construction industry. The COVID-19 disruption required new methods of working safely and remotely and coincided with the advent of advanced automation and autonomous technologies. This paper aims to identify gaps and 11 disruptive technologies that may lead to upheaval and transformation of the construction sector, perhaps in this decade. A road map for technology implementation can be helpful in developing business strategies at the organizational level as a theoretical measure, and it can facilitate the technology implementation process at the industry level as a practical measure. The roadmap can be used as a framework for policymakers to set industry or company strategies for the next 10 years (2030).

Engagement of the G3BP2-TRIM25 Interaction by Nucleocapsid Protein Suppresses the Type I Interferon Response in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Cells.

The nucleocapsid (N) protein contributes to key steps of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle, including packaging of the virus genome and modulating interactions with cytoplasmic components. Expanding knowledge of the N protein acting on cellular proteins and interfering with innate immunity is critical for studying the host antiviral strategy. In the study on SARS-CoV-2 infecting human bronchial epithelial cell line s1(16HBE), we identified that the N protein can promote the interaction between GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain-binding protein 2 (G3BP2) and tripartite motif containing 25 (TRIM25), which is involved in formation of the TRIM25-G3BP2-N protein interactome. Our findings suggest that the N protein is enrolled in the inhibition of type I interferon production in the process of infection. Meanwhile, upgraded binding of G3BP2 and TRIM25 interferes with the RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, which may contribute to SARS-CoV-2 escaping from cellular innate immune surveillance. The N protein plays a critical role in SARS-CoV-2 replication. Our study suggests that the N protein and its interacting cellular components has potential for use in antiviral therapy, and adding N protein into the vaccine as an antigen may be a good strategy to improve the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. Its interference with innate immunity should be strongly considered as a target for SARS-CoV-2 infection control and vaccine design.

Diagnostic efficiency of RPA/RAA integrated CRISPR-Cas technique for COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of recombinase polymerase/ aided amplification (RPA/RAA) integrated clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) in the diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: We searched relevant literature on CRISPR technology for COVID-19 diagnosis using "novel coronavirus", "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats" and "RPA/RAA" as subject terms in PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase databases. Further, we performed a meta-analysis after screening the literature, quality assessment, and data extraction. RESULTS: The pooled sensitivity, specificity and a rea under the summary receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI):0.97-0.99], 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.98-1.00), respectively. For CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins-12, the sensitivity, specificity was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-1.00), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99-1.00), respectively. For Cas13, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00) and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-1.00). The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 183.2 (95% CI: 28.8, 1166.8); the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.02 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.03). CONCLUSION: RPA/RAA integrated with CRISPR technology is used to diagnose coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) with high accuracy and can be used for large-scale population screening.

Normal lark, deviant owl: The relationship between chronotype and compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures.

Current evidence suggests that preventive measures, such as social distancing and wearing face masks, are critical to contain the spread of COVID-19. The recent burgeoning literature has empirically examined how a wide range of facet-level personality and individual-differences variables are associated with people's adherence to COVID-19 regulations. However, there lacks direct evidence regarding the role of chronotype in compliance with pandemic safety measures. According to the eveningness epidemiological liability hypothesis, people of later chronotype are more likely to breach COVID-19 restrictions. Despite this hypothesis shedding considerable light on the potential role of chronotype in the abidance of the virus-mitigating measures, it has not been rigorously tested using empirical data. To fill this gap, the present research investigated the link between morningness-eveningness and compliance with COVID-19 containment policies in Chinese samples. Two studies using multiple populations (students and community adults) and diverse measures of adherence to public health guidelines (self-report and actual behavior) consistently show that individuals who orient towards morningness display a higher level of compliance with COVID-19 prevention than people who orient towards eveningness. Overall, these findings present the first empirical confirmation of the eveningness epidemiological liability hypothesis, highlighting the role of chronotype in adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

Different T-cell and B-cell repertoire elicited by the SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine and S1 subunit vaccine in rhesus macaques.

Multiple types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been used worldwide, but summarizing their immunologic efficacy post-vaccination remains challenging. The BCR and TCR sequencing based on single-cell sorting makes it possible to evaluate the vaccine-induced immune responses of B or T cells. In this study, we compared the repertoire diversities of B cells and T cells between a whole-virus inactivated vaccine and an S1 protein subunit vaccine in rhesus macaques. We found that the inactivated vaccine could induce a large antigen-specific-BCR repertoire with longer VH CDR3 (21 aa), while the CD3+ TCR α chains of the two vaccine groups showed a similar TCRV/J usage frequency. Detailed analysis of the TCR and BCR repertoires might be of interest for further understanding of the mechanisms of vaccine-induced immune responses.

Application of Blockchain Technology in Fresh Food Supply Chain Under COVID-19 Environment in China

Food safety is a vital issue of public and social concern. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, frozen fresh food has become the hardest hit area for the spread of the COVID-19. In response to the opaque information, lack of trust, and difficulty in traceability in the fresh food supply chain, the article proposes blockchain technology to address the problem. This paper defines a blockchain technology use case and a quick reference guide to design a blockchain network for the food industry. It improves transparency throughout the supply chain and helps reconcile the documentation and required data with legislation authorities to import cold chain products to certify the quality of the final product. The fresh food supply chain framework can ensure integrity, authenticity, and supply chain information. This design is of great significance to ensure the traceability of the fresh food supply chain.

Sequence similarity of SARS-CoV-2 and humans: Implications for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) needs human samples, which inevitably contain trace human DNA and RNA. Sequence similarity may cause invalid detection results; however, there is still a lack of gene similarity analysis of SARS-CoV-2 and humans. All publicly reported complete genome assemblies in the Entrez genome database were collected for multiple sequence alignment, similarity and phylogenetic analysis. The complete genomes showed high similarity (>99.88% sequence identity). Phylogenetic analysis divided these viruses into three major clades with significant geographic group effects. Viruses from the United States showed considerable variability. Sequence similarity analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 has 612 similar sequences with the human genome and 100 similar sequences with the human transcriptome. The sequence characteristics and genome distribution of these similar sequences were confirmed. The sequence similarity and evolutionary mutations provide indispensable references for dynamic updates of SARS-CoV-2 detection primers and methods.

Nasal Mucosa Exploited by SARS-CoV-2 for Replicating and Shedding during Reinfection.

Reinfection risk is a great concern with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic because a large proportion of the population has recovered from an initial infection, and previous reports found that primary exposure to SARS-CoV-2 protects against reinfection in rhesus macaques without viral presence and pathological injury; however, a high possibility for reinfection at the current stage of the pandemic has been proven. We found the reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 in Syrian hamsters with continuous viral shedding in the upper respiratory tracts and few injuries in the lung, and nasal mucosa was exploited by SARS-CoV-2 for replication and shedding during reinfection; meanwhile, no viral replication or enhanced damage was observed in the lower respiratory tracts. Consistent with the mild phenotype in the reinfection, increases in mRNA levels in cytokines and chemokines in the nasal mucosa but only slight increases in the lung were found. Notably, the high levels of neutralizing antibodies in serum could not prevent reinfection in hamsters but may play roles in benefitting the lung recovery and symptom relief of COVID-19. In summary, Syrian hamsters could be reinfected by SARS-CoV-2 with mild symptoms but with obvious viral shedding and replication, and both convalescent and vaccinated patients should be wary of the transmission and reinfection of SARS-CoV-2.

Getting through a COVID-19 winter: Physical coldness increases the perceived risk of coronavirus disease.

What factors influence how people perceive the risk of getting COVID-19? Extending beyond features of general health conditions, media coverage, and genetic susceptibility to disease, the present research investigates whether the immediacy of experience with temperature, a subtle yet pervasive environmental factor, can affect people's estimation of contagion probability. According to the attribute substitution model, people may rely on the visceral experience of coldness, a far easier quantity to evaluate, to estimate the contagion probability of the new coronavirus disease. Study 1 found that Chinese university students who perceived the indoor temperature to be lower believed that the coronavirus was more infectious. To provide causal evidence for the effect, Study 2 randomly assigned participants to different conditions. The results showed that participants in the cold condition reported a higher likelihood of contracting the coronavirus than participants in the control condition. Overall, these findings are consistent with the attribute substitution model: people tend to recruit simpler and more accessible information (e.g., local temperature) in place of more diagnostic but less tangible information (e.g., scientific data) in assessing the risk of disease transmission. Theoretical contributions and the significance of this research for policy makers are discussed.

Differential Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity Involvements and Exercise Habits in People With and Without Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize evidence regarding differential changes in physical activity (PA) involvements and exercise habits in people with and without chronic diseases during the COVID-19 outbreak. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, SPORTDiscus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database were searched from November 2019 to May 2021. STUDY SELECTION: Two reviewers independently screened cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that investigated changes in PA-related outcomes in people with and without chronic diseases during the pandemic. DATA EXTRACTION: PA-related outcomes and sedentary time were extracted from the included studies. Relevant risk of bias were assessed. Meta-analyses were conducted for each PA-related outcome, if applicable. Quality of evidence of each PA-related outcome was evaluated by Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 1226 identified citations, 36 articles (28 with and 8 without chronic diseases) with 800,256 participants were included. Moderate evidence from wearable sensors supported a significant reduction in pooled estimates of step count (standardized mean differences [SMD]=-2.79, P<.01). Very limited to limited evidence substantiated significant decreases in self-reported PA-related outcomes and significant increases in sedentary behaviors among people with and without chronic diseases. Specifically, pooled estimates of metabolic equivalent-minute per week (SMD=-0.16, P=.02) and PA duration (SMD=-0.07, P<.01) were significantly decreased, while sedentary time (SMD=0.09, P=.04) showed significant increases in the general population (small to large effects). Very limited evidence suggested no significant PA changes among people in a country without lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, objective and self-reported assessments showed significant reductions in PA in people with and without chronic diseases globally. This mainly occurred in countries with lockdowns. Although many countries have adopted the "live with the coronavirus" policy, authorities should implement population-based strategies to revert the potential lockdown-related long-term deleterious effects on people's health.

Emergency department crowdedness and emergency department cardiac arrest occurrence: an observational study in the COVID-19 pandemic

Emergency department (ED) crowdedness is a global phenomenon that can lead to many adverse effects. The relationship of crowdedness and emergency department cardiac arrest (EDCA) occurrence is still debated. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a change in the patient volume of the ED and the crowdedness of the ED varied with the epidemic in a continuous period. Different degrees of crowdedness provided us with an opportunity to study the relationship between crowdedness and EDCA occurrence. Our aim of this study was to determine the relationship between EDCA occurrence and prognosis and ED crowdedness.This was a longitudinal study conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital. The study period was from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2020, and was divided into three periods according to daily patient volume and crowdedness. All nontraumatic and adult EDCA patients during the study period were included, and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients and patients with do-not-resuscitate orders were excluded.During the study period, a total of 126 EDCA patients were included. The ratio of EDCA events to daily patient volume was compared among these 3 periods, and there was no significant difference (P2: p = 0.109, P3: p = 0.761, P1 as reference). No significant difference in the prognosis of EDCA patients was found among the 3 periods, regardless of the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (p = 0.437) or survival rates (p = 0.838). In conclusion, there was no obvious correlation between ED crowdedness and EDCA occurrence. The prognosis of EDCA patients was not significantly associated with crowdedness. The metrics of ED overcrowding is unknown and may need further study to develop a generally accepted standard or index. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Signa Vitae is the property of Pharmamed Mado Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Longitudinal analyses reveal distinct immune response landscapes in lung and intestinal tissues from SARS-CoV-2-infected rhesus macaques.

The pathological and immune response of individuals with COVID-19 display different dynamics in lung and intestine. Here, we depict the single-cell transcriptional atlas of longitudinally collected lung and intestinal tissue samples from SARS-CoV-2-infected monkeys at 3 to 10 dpi. We find that intestinal enterocytes are degraded at 3 days post-infection but recovered rapidly, revealing that infection has mild effects on the intestine. Crucially, we observe suppression of the inflammatory response and tissue damage related to B-cell and Paneth cell accumulation in the intestines, although T cells are activated in the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Compared with that in the lung, the expression of interferon response-related genes is inhibited, and inflammatory factor secretion is reduced in the intestines. Our findings indicate an imbalance of immune dynamic in intestinal mucosa during SARS-CoV-2 infection, which may underlie ongoing rectal viral shedding and mild tissue damage.

To vaccinate or not: The relationship between conscientiousness and individual attitudes toward vaccination in real-life contexts.

Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine being well-recognized as a critical tool to end the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals remain vaccine hesitant for various reasons. In the literature, one well-established finding is that skeptical attitudes towards vaccination are higher amongst individuals low in conscientiousness. However, no research is available to corroborate whether the relationship between conscientiousness and intention to vaccinate has force in real life. The present research investigated whether, in addition to self-reported conscientiousness, objectively observable index of conscientiousness behaviors is related to individual perception of vaccination. Based on self-reported data, Study 1 fully replicated prior findings that higher levels of conscientiousness are associated with more positive attitudes towards vaccination in a Chinese student sample. Using the time of arrival for an appointment as a proxy measure for conscientiousness behaviors, Study 2 revealed that non-student adults who arrived early to appointments showed stronger COVID-vaccine uptake intentions than those who arrived late to appointments. Moving beyond vaccination intention to actual behavior, Study 3 found that the arrival punctuality rates of vaccinated participants were higher than those of unvaccinated participants. Overall, our research highlights the important role of conscientiousness-related traits in individuals' COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and behavior.

Rules We Live by: How Religious Beliefs Relate to Compliance with Precautionary Measures Against COVID-19 in Tibetan Buddhists.

The present studies investigated how particular religious beliefs shape compliance with preventive measures in adherents of Gelug and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In Study 1, Gelug and Nyingma monks were asked to report their compliance with various infection prevention measures surrounding COVID-19. Results showed that the former group showed higher compliance with public health guidelines than the latter. Extending beyond self-report measures, Study 2 added a behavioral outcome measure and observed the same effect. Together, our results provide the first empirical evidence that various Tibetan Buddhist traditions are related to different degrees of compliance with precautionary measures against COVID-19.

Your pain, my gain: The relationship between self-report and behavioral measures of everyday sadism and COVID-19 vaccination intention.

Vaccination plays a crucial role in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a significant fraction of the global population is reluctant to take a coronavirus vaccine. A burgeoning literature has considered mainly adaptive personality traits as antecedents of vaccine hesitancy (i.e., Big Five and HEXACO), while maladaptive personality traits (i.e., "Dark Tetrad" of personality) are often a comparatively neglected area. In this research, we examined the relationship between everyday sadism and intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We theorized that driven by antisocial tendencies and social indifference, individuals with higher sadism may be less willing to obtain a vaccine. Employing a bug-killing paradigm to capture everyday sadism, we tested this prediction in a Chinese sample of non-student adults (N = 188). Support for this proposition was found in the lab task, which demonstrates that sadism was associated with more vaccine refusal spanning the self-report and behavioral domains. In addition, we showed that the sadistic behavioral choices can be predicted with self-report measure of sadistic personality. These findings highlight the important role of maladaptive personality traits in predicting vaccination attitudes and intentions.