Games and Play SIG: Connecting Through Social and Playful Technologies

Games have always been popular for connecting people, from local single-player and couch co-op, to massively multiplayer online. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, remote games that involved and fostered social interactions and connections were a highlight among strategies for staying connected. For this year's games and play SIG, we come together to discuss the relevant and timely topic of social and playful technologies, and how they can be designed to best foster meaningful social connections over a distance. We bring together attendees from not only the games community, but also those in the broader field of CHI focusing on social and playful technologies. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Patient acceptability of dynamic chest radiography compared to pulmonary function testing

Introduction: Dynamic Chest Radiography (DCR) is a novel imaging modality. Studies show correlation between DCR measurements and Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) (Hino, T et al. ERJ Open. 2020;7). Patient acceptability of DCR requires assessment if it is to be used as an adjunct or replacement for PFTs. Method(s): Patients with recent PFTs attended for posteroanterior (PA) and lateral DCR, carried out over 10-15 seconds, during which tidal breathing was followed by a single breath at maximal inspiration/expiration. Patients rated DCR acceptability on a 10 point visual analogue scale. PFTs from 2016 onwards were assessed for physiologist references to patient difficulties and highest technical grade where applicable - these served as a proxy marker for PFT acceptability. Result(s): Among 40 patients with respiratory pathology or previous CoVid-19 infection, acceptability of DCR was rated as 9.7. 37.5% of participants had recorded difficulties during previous PFTs, most commonly cough, anxiety, or poor respiratory effort. Of the 20 participants who had previously completed spirometry, only 40% were able to achieve the highest grading. Conclusion(s): DCR demonstrated excellent acceptability among this cohort. This was compared to a high rate of difficulty and a low rate of technical excellence with PFTs. This suggests DCR would be acceptable to patients as a future adjunct to or replacement of PFTs.

Food involvement, sustainable practices, and travel intent: moral tensions?

Considerable work has identified the characteristics and travel preferences of foodies. Many food tourists are seduced by high end indulgent activities, not necessarily aligned with sustainability objectives. In this article we ask: Are food tourists' involvement levels and travel choices in accordance with sustainability objectives? In so doing we explore moral tensions. Using Swedish survey data incorporating a food involvement scale we capture domestic sustainability sensibilities and infer food involvement and travel intention implications. Results show (a) strong linkages between domestic sustainability food practices and involvement and (b) that those seeking novel and new food experiences are likely to travel. On the other hand, foodies that practice sustainability in their domestic life are less inclined to travel. Inherent to these findings is an identity tension between the hedonic epicure and the sustainable food-wise foodie. Theoretically, this suggests sustainability, in parallel with hedonism, is a sensitizing driver of involvement. Practically, the implications are that destinations post-COVID-19 will have to work harder on image enhancement campaigns targeting sustainably sensitive food tourists.

Uncovering the Importance of Peer-to-Peer Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Rotating Chromatography Experiments to Overcome Limited Student Capacity

Even though scientific communication and collaboration play critical roles in academic success, they often come in second to teaching laboratory fundamentals. COVID-19 associated capacity constraints forced our program to reexamine the traditional laboratory instruction paradigm by limiting physical attendance, as well as laboratory duration. Instead, we opted to turn these restrictions into opportunities to study peer-to-peer communication as a means to enhance in-person experimentation. Here, a two-week high performance liquid and gas chromatography (HPLC and GC) module uses centralized student communication between peer groups to not only maintain but increase quality laboratory experiences. Students rotate between two chromatography experiments to ensure each person gains exposure to foundational separations techniques. The module's first week focuses on method development, while the second week highlights method validation. Since HPLC and GC can accommodate similar experimental objectives, students receive comparable method development and validation experiences no matter which specific instrument they are assigned to that week. By integrating communication into the experimental process and adding peer accountability to the laboratory's design, the authors observed an increase in laboratory report words and figures when compared to the prior years' reports. Student questionnaires also indicated structured rotation and group communication increased student interest and investment in obtaining and reporting quality data. © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.

The Case for Continuing In-Person Workshops in a Virtual World

In spring of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic brought in-person gatherings across the world to a screeching halt. Over the last two years it has become the norm to conduct workshops and meetings sitting in front of a computer screen rather than in a room full of people. Nowadays, things like raising a virtual hand or reminding someone about the mute button seem to be more common than physically shaking a team member's hand or sitting across the table from a client. Whether you are in the camp that believes virtual workshops are the greatest thing since sliced bread, a poor substitute for the real thing, or somewhere in between, it certainly does not seem like they are going away anytime soon. In this paper we discuss the impact on learning and information exchange in general, the value industry, specifically, the role of the facilitator and associated core competencies, and the path forward. We find that while learning and information exchange can be done in a virtual environment, there are obstacles that cause engagement, understanding, and creativity to be hindered. These same obstacles have also impacted the value industry. This has affected teams' ability to fully engage in the workshops, ability to learn and understand a subject better, and the team leader's ability to manage and facilitate workshop teams in the virtual environment. The good news is that most of these limitations are manageable, but it's important for us as an industry to recognize that improving on this takes time and effort. In our opinion, in-person workshops yield the best results by increasing team engagement, allowing for more informal communication, and parallel communication;all this increases both creativity and understanding. Further, they allow for more opportunities for team building which enhances collaboration and the trust built between team members, thus improving the team's collective capability. Virtual workshops can be done, and may be preferable in specific circumstances, but we must change our approach in virtual workshops to overcome these obstacles. We have taken the low hanging fruit in terms of solutions, but it will require more creative solutions if we are going to continue to conduct virtual workshops in the future. © SAVE International 2022 Value Summit Proceedings: Turning Up the Heat on Value. All Rights Reserved.

Multidrug-resistant OXA-48/CTX-M-15 Klebsiella pneumoniae cluster in a COVID-19 intensive care unit: salient lessons for infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Wards caring for COVID-19 patients, including intensive care units (ICUs), have an important focus on preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to other patients and healthcare workers. AIM: To describe an outbreak of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in a COVID-19 ICU and to discuss key infection control measures enabling prompt termination of the cluster. METHODS: CPE were isolated from clinical specimens and screening swabs from intensive care patients with COVID-19 disease and from environmental screening. Whole-genome sequencing analysis was instrumental in informing phylogenetic relationships. FINDINGS: Seven clinical isolates and one environmental carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate - all carrying OXA-48, CTX-M-15 and outer membrane porin mutations in ompK35/ompK36 - were identified with ≤1 single nucleotide polymorphism difference, indicative of clonality. A bundle of infection control interventions including careful adherence with contact precautions and hand hygiene, twice weekly screening for multidrug-resistant organisms, strict antimicrobial stewardship, and enhanced cleaning protocols promptly terminated the outbreak. CONCLUSION: Prolonged use of personal protective equipment is common with donning and doffing stations at the ward entrance, leaving healthcare workers prone to reduced hand hygiene practices between patients. Minimizing transmission of pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 by careful adherence to normal contact precautions including hand hygiene, even during high patient contact manoeuvres, is critical to prevent outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms. Appropriate antimicrobial stewardship and screening for multidrug-resistant organisms must also be maintained throughout surge periods to prevent medium-term escalation in antimicrobial resistance rates. Whole-genome sequencing is highly informative for multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales surveillance strategies.

A CASE REPORT OF THE EMERGENCE OF NEUROSARCOIDOSIS AFTER COVID-19 INFECTION

Introduction Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease with protean manifestations. The aetiology is not fully understood. Infectious agents are considered to potentially contribute to its pathogenesis. This case report highlights the emergence of neurosarcoidosis after COVID-19 infection. Case: A 48 year old female developed cough, myalgia and fatigue and was diagnosed with COVID-19 based on serological testing in April 2020. Post-infection, she developed a reactive arthritis, then presented in June with left facial lower motor neuron weakness, initially treated as a Bell's palsy with a significant neuralgic component. This pain resolved with steroid treatment. One month later she developed multiple cranial neuropathies and bilateral leg weakness. MRI brain showed bilateral enhancement of the trigeminal and facial nerves. CSF was abnormal (CSF protein 0.95g/L, WCC 9/uL). Leg power rapidly improved with intravenous immunoglobulins, and FDG-PET identified mediastinal and axillary hilar lymphadenopathy. A neck node showed non-necrotising granulomatous inflammation. CSF angiotensin converting enzyme was elevated (2.07umol/min/L). She has since commenced high dose steroids for probable neurosarcoidosis. Discussion This case suggests a possible association between COVID-19 and the emergence of sarcoidosis. At present the strength of any association is uncertain and putative mechanisms remain to be determined.

Bird ringing and nest recording in Britain and Ireland in 2020

This is the 84th annual report of the British Trust for Ornithology’s Ringing Scheme, incorporating the report of the Nest Record Scheme and covering work carried out and data processed in 2020. An analysis of Curlew Numenius arquata ringing records was carried out to investigate recent declines. Results showed that survival rates are high, so current population declines are more likely to have been driven by low productivity. To reverse the recent population declines, breeding success would need to increase and effective conservation strategies will be needed to maintain the high levels of survival. We examined the potential opportunities and challenges of using winter ringing records to produce survival estimates, as well as other outputs such as age ratios and recruitment, by analysing 2 641 352 encounter records from the winters of 2007/08 to 2017/18: winter-to-winter survival analyses on adult birds were undertaken, initially on 44 species. Results indicated that fortnightly ringing sessions should yield sufficient data to produce useful survival estimates. This research identified a number of potential analytical and methodological options for future development. Covid-19 restrictions limited the amount of fieldwork carried out in 2020;consequently, only 72 CE sites submitted data for the year. Long-term (1984–2019) declines in abundance were observed for five migrant, one partial migrant and four resident species while long-term increases in abundance were recorded for two short-distance migrants and six resident species. Six species are exhibiting significant long-term declines in productivity while only Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs shows a significant long-term increase. Long-term trends in survival indicate increases for 10 species and declines for nine. Short-term trends, which compare the current year to the five-year mean (2015–19), show that the abundance of 10 species increased significantly in 2020, with three species being recorded in higher numbers than in any previous year since CES monitoring began. Significant decreases in abundance were recorded for only two species. Productivity decreased significantly for one migrant and five resident species in 2020;no species recorded a significant increase. Productivity was lower in 2020 than in any previous CES year for Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tit Parus major. Significant changes in survival rate were observed in two species in 2020 compared to the five-year mean, with Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula increasing and Blackbird Turdus merula decreasing. A new habitat was added to the suite of standard CES habitats in 2020 in the first year of a Garden CES trial. Submissions were received from 92 sites. A new winter ringing project was also launched in 2020, following a similar methodology to CES. Submissions were received from 111 sites. The number of Retrapping Adults for Survival projects that were able to run and submit data in 2020 was 146, from 200 that were registered. In total, 60 species were monitored, with Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca (20 projects), Starling Sturnus vulgaris (19), House Sparrow Passer domesticus (18), Sand Martin Riparia riparia (10) and Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus (eight) the species most studied. A total of 930 091 birds were ringed during the year, comprising 98 500 nestlings, 523 777 first-year birds, 278 157 adults (birds in their second calendar year or older) and 29 657 birds whose age could not be determined. In addition, there were 212 414 recaptures of ringed birds at or near the ringing site. In total, 42 987 recoveries (birds found dead, recaptured or resighted at least 5 km from the place of ringing) of BTO-ringed birds were reported in 2020. The Appendix highlights a selection of recoveries that have extended our knowledge of movements, as well as longevity records established during the year. A total of 23 928 NRS submissions were received in 2020, far fewer than usual due to Covid-19 restrictions being in place during the height of the nesting season. As the seasonality of nest reco ds was biased towards the end of the breeding season, after Covid-19 restrictions had lifted, it was not possible to generate meaningful NRS trends for 2020. Permits or licences to disturb breeding birds on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) were prepared and issued to 611 ringers and nest recorders in 2020. During 2020, the use of special methods was authorised for 1182 marking projects and 146 trapping projects. © 2022 British Trust for Ornithology.

Multi-centre development of a secure, cloud based, patient to clinician, neurology video transfer, classification and management syste

Purpose: A government funded;interactive cloud storage platform (www.vcreate.tv/neuro) allowing patients and carers to upload video and linked metadata for neurological diagnosis was established during the Covid-19 pandemic. We describe the utility for epilepsy and paroxysmal disorders in 16 centres with the first centre active from 01/05/2020. Method: Users are invited to register and utilise a password and passcode for access. Videos are uploaded with a structured history. The clinician classifies seizure type, syndrome, aetiology or other diagnosis using drop-down menus. Users and clinicians complete online evaluations. Postcode allows linkage to user index of deprivation score. Consents for teaching by the local clinical team and research within a national neurology video research database with research ethics approval are optional. All data, except the video file, transfer to the electronic patient record. Result: To 24/03/2021, 4582 video uploads (4024 paediatric, 558 adult), 1889 patients (1594 paediatric, 295 adult). 400-600 new videos per month. 323 physician and nurse users. Deprivation scores indicate equitable use across socio-economic groups. Paediatric classification: non-epileptic 55%, epileptic (36.5%), unknown (8.5%). Adult: non-epileptic 73.5% (34% dissociative, 41% movement disorders), epileptic 11%, unknown 15.5%. Paediatric seizure types include: focal impaired awareness (19%), generalised tonic clonic (18%), focal clonic (17%), epileptic spasms (13%). Non-epileptic events: tics (13%), normal behaviour (12%), sleep myoclonus (10%) gratification (8%), dissociative (5%). >95% carers ranked the system positively. Clinicians report video prevented face-to-face review in 57%, investigations in 44% and reduced time to diagnosis in 97%. Median time to review video and classify was 5 minutes. Conclusions: Remote care is facilitated, investigations prevented or prioritised, with rapid diagnosis and efficiencies in the patient pathway. A rapidly growing teaching resource and research database for semiology and machine learning diagnostics for paroxysmal disorders has been established. We plan to establish the system in low-income countries without cost.

2,000 years ago who knew that there would be a pandemic now? wu yun liu qi had a clue

Purpose: An ethnographic and qualitative research study was conducted with licensed acupuncturists to elicit treatment and public health philosophies for COVID-19 related issues as well as it was created to see if integration of the theory of Wu Yun Liu Qi was a foundational consideration for their viewpoints methods using a quasi experimental design in remote natural settings 12 acupuncturists gave irb approved recorded interviews to answer questions on their views of covid-29 and related public health issues to a licensed acupuncturist interviewer on a cloud based software platform (zoom) summary although not consciously included, answers were found to have a strongly associative role to the philosophical premise of Wu Yun Liu Qi from those acupuncturists who live in weather regions affected by Wildfires in 2020. Conclusions: Formal training of most acupuncturists does not include the tenants of Wu Yun Liu Qi the acupuncturists in this study did show a philosophical correlation with extreme climate and weather conditions due to their geographic region locations.

Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Students in Health Professions: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Vaccine hesitancy (VH), delay in acceptance, and/or refusal to vaccinate is influenced by complacency, confidence, unmet safety, and efficacy concerns. A survey was conducted among U.S. healthcare students to identify factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: The World Health Organization 2014 vaccine hesitancy guidelines informed development of a 37-item survey. This cross-sectional survey was distributed to students in 10 randomly selected nursing, pharmacy, and medical programs. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to identify factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. RESULTS: Of the 902 participants who started the survey, 398 completed all COVID-19 questions. Survey respondents were primarily from private schools (84%) and consisted of medical students (49%), female (71%), and millennials (57%). Students believed COVID-19 vaccine was important and protection of vulnerable communities more important than individual protection. Students in general agreed getting the vaccine was necessary to protect others (school and healthcare facilities) (77.4%);only one-third (33.7%) disagreed that they planned to wait and want to see how vaccine affected others before receiving it. Logistic regression results suggest significant differences based on program and political affiliation. CONCLUSIONS: Engagement of healthcare students may help reach student peers who are vaccine hesitant and help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 disinfection in aqueous solution 1 by UV222 from a krypton chlorine excilamp

There is an urgent need for evidence-based development and implementation of engineering controls to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19. Ultraviolet (UV) light can inactivate coronaviruses, but the practicality of UV light as an engineering control in public spaces is limited by the hazardous nature of conventional UV lamps, which are Mercury (Hg)-based and emit a peak wavelength (254 nm) that penetrates human skin and is carcinogenic. Recent advances in the development and production of Krypton Chlorine (KrCl) excimer lamps hold promise in this regard, as these emit a shorter peak wavelength (222 nm) and are recently being produced to filter out emission above 240 nm. However, the disinfection kinetics of KrCl UV excimer lamps against SARS-CoV-2 are unknown. Here we provide the first dose response report for SARS-CoV-2 exposed to a commercial filtered KrCl excimer light source emitting primarily 222 nm UV light (UV222), using multiple assays of SARS-CoV-2 viability. Plaque infectivity assays demonstrate the pseudo-first order rate constant of SARS-CoV-2 reduction of infectivity to host cells to be 0.64 cm2/mJ (R2 = 0.95), which equates to a D90 (dose for 1 log10 or 90% inactivation) of 1.6 mJ/cm2. Through RT-qPCR assays targeting the nucleocapsid (N) gene with a short (<100 bp) and long (-1000 bp) amplicon in samples immediately after UV222 exposure, the reduction of ability to amplify indicated an approximately 10% contribution of N gene damage to disinfection kinetics. Through ELISA assay targeting the N protein in samples immediately after UV222 exposure, we found no dose response of the ability to damage the N protein. In both qPCR assays and the ELISA assay of viral outgrowth supernatants collected 3 days after incubation of untreated and UV222 treated SARS-CoV-2, molecular damage rate constants were similar, but lower than disinfection rate constants. These data provide quantitative evidence for UV222 doses required to disinfect SARS-CoV-2 in aqueous solution that can be used to develop further understanding of disinfection in air, and to inform decisions about implementing UV222 for preventing transmission of COVID19.

Wage theft in professional kitchens: Conned or complicit?

Wage theft, which is the non-payment of employee entitlements, is a term that has gained currency in the legal and policy literature. In Australia, the context for this study, pressure has been applied to the hospitality industry after a string of revelations, many involving celebrity chef business interests, of routine wage violations. A national study into the working experiences of chefs, involving individual and group interviews, investigated the dimensionality of wage theft forms in professional kitchens. Besides cataloguing a number of direct and indirect wage theft genres, the study has revealed that alongside creative and exploitative organizational practices, victims are often complicit in their own mistreatment. Theoretically, this augments our understandings of how workers can become disempowered in organizational contexts. Practically, it suggests interventions directed at both victims and perpetrators are required to complement policy and jurisdictional approaches.