Dynamic modelling of changes in emotional and behavioural problems in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aims: Children and adolescents were affected in various ways by the measures due to COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study were to investigate and compare the effects on mental health across age, to identify latent class trajectories of emotional and behavioural problems over 12-months and to examine the association of classes of trajectories with baseline demographic and clinical predictors. Method(s): Children (n = 1854) and adolescents (n = 1243) from the general population were assessed baseline, at 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up. They were eligible if they were residents in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland, were parents/caregivers of a child aged between 7 and 10 years or adolescents >=11 years, had sufficient German language skills and provided informed consent. Results and Conclusion(s): Significant age-effects were found regarding type and frequency of problems. While children had the largest increase in aggressive behaviours, adolescents reported the largest increase in emotional problems. Sociodemographic variables, exposure to and appraisal of COVID-19, psychotherapy before COVID-19 and parental mental health significantly predicted change in problemscores (F >= 3.69, p <= .001). Using growth mixture modelling, a oneclass solution was detected for the trajectory of aggressive behaviours and a two- and three-class solution for withdrawn/depression and anxiety/depression. A substantial proportion of children and adolescents experienced age-related mental health problems during the different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggest that psychological problems of specific sub-groups should be monitored over the longer-term and interventions to improve communication, emotion regulation, and appraisal style should be offered to risk groups.

G.2 Timing of formative feedback in a virtual learning environment from an E-tutors perspective

One of the most important learning activities of a student at the university are collaborative activities which have a positive effect on the learning skills of students. In the last decades and especially in the last years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a huge increase in offers to learn in virtual environments. This increase led to the need for professional pedagogical support within the unique environment, which can be addressed by E-tutors. This learning facilitation role becomes increasingly important. Nevertheless, the number of concrete recommendations when interventions are needed is rare. The aim of this study is to fill the gap in the literature when the E-tutor needs to give feedback to students in higher education. The results are derived from a systematic literature review and a qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that feedback needs to be given in a close timeframe, at best within the first two hours after a question arises. © Communities in New Media. Digitality and Diversity Overcoming Barriers with Digital Transformation - Proceedings of 25th Conference GeNeMe 2022.

Allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines.

Anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination has been reported after administration of all vaccines licensed in the EU. In Germany, the rate is approximately 0.3 - 0.5 cases per 100,000 vaccinations. In patients with anaphylaxis, clinical diagnostic workup has to be performed in specialized centers. Only well-defined high-risk groups cannot be vaccinated with certain vaccines. Every vaccinator must be able to treat an anaphylactic reaction. After delayed local reactions following mRNA vaccination (COVID arm") a second shot can be given without restrictions.Copyright © 2022 Dustri-Verlag Dr. K. Feistle.

COVID on campus: An empirical analysis of COVID infection rates at U.S. colleges and universities

We provide an empirical analysis of the determinants of cumulative COVID infection rates at 1069 U.S. colleges and universities during the 2020–21 academic year. We propose that financially constrained educational institutions faced a trade-off between the reduction of COVID infection risks and an institution's educational, social, reputational, and financial goals. We find that cumulative infection rates are higher at wealthier institutions, measured by higher endowments per student or higher tuition rates. Institutions with lower enrollment yields in admissions also have higher COVID infection rates, perhaps reflecting the greater influence of student preferences on decision making at these institutions. Economies of scale in COVID mitigation emerge gradually over the course of the year. Finally, COVID infection rates do not differ significantly for otherwise similar public and private institutions in states with Democratic governors, but they are significantly higher for public institutions in states with Republican governors. © 2023 The Southern Economic Association.

Passive Video Quality Assessment Using Lab and Remote Testing

In this chapter, research about the assessment of video quality for gaming content will be provided. At first, a dataset that was used for the development of the ITU-T Rec. G.1072 will be presented. The dataset was created in a laboratory environment using the passive test paradigm described in Chap. 3. Next, some results of the collected video quality ratings will be illustrated. While QoE assessment studies traditionally make use of controlled laboratory environments, there are also other possibilities to conduct user studies without a laboratory environment. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented many researchers from performing lab studies, the concept of supervised and unsupervised remote studies got lots of attention. By using such a remote study design, two studies assessing video quality ratings of similar conditions as in the previously mentioned dataset were conducted. These two studies allow to address three research topics that will be the focus of the remainder of this chapter. At first, it will be investigated whether video quality ratings obtained using the remote study design are comparable to those collected in the lab environment. Second, a comparison between video quality ratings collected using a stimulus duration of 20 s instead of 30 s will be performed, which tries to answer whether it is enough to use a shorter stimulus duration as proposed in ITU-T Rec. P.809. Lastly, the differences between using a discrete 5-point ACR scale and the extended continuous 7-point scales will be investigated. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

COVID-19 in full inpatient care facillities - a never ending story?

Since March 2020, the corona pandemic has consistently exposed the weaknesses of the inpatient care system at the expense of those in need of case. No population group in Germany died more frequently as a result of corona-related infections (outbreaks) than residents of inpatient care facilities. By the end of March 2022. nearly 60% of Munich nursing home residents had become nosocomially infected with COVID-19, of which 18% died COVID-19 associated. Inadequate hygiene measures in the facilities could not and still cannot prevent large outbreaks. Because nursing facilities were not previously required to have hygienic staff, the Munich Health Department conducted standardized inspections and consultations during outbreaks. In almost no facility was a professionally correct outbreak management implemented. In addition, numerous hygiene deficiencies were identified that favored the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infections to third parties. Furthermore, it became apparent that despite years of professional advice to the nursing facilities, no lasting positive effect on their hygiene management could be achieved. There are several reasons for this: a very high staff turnover, a low ratio of skilled workers, and a lack of commitment on the part of the facilities to a structured hygiene management system. Due to the continuing risk to the vulnerable population group in full inpatient care facilities, there is a fundamental need for regulation of binding hygiene management in these facilities - also with regard to risks from outbreaks with other pathogens. This was met by the legislature in September 2022 with an amendment to the Infection Protection Act. However, the theory-practice transfer required for functioning hygiene management can only succeed if sufficient numbers of professionally qualified staff with knowledge of German are available in the facilities to care for those in need of care.

South African Urban Youth Responses to Living in a World With COVID: Lessons from #Slam4urLife

Using poetry, visual art, songs, raps and sketches submitted to #Slam4urLife, a social media competition encouraging young people in South Africa to respond creatively to the COVID-19 pandemic, this article outlines young urban people's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa through four narratives: shock, loss, survival and activism. Resting on practices of engaged scholarship, it draws on knowledge bases and collaborations in and beyond the academy to contribute grounded research on arts-based social media competitions as an effective method for encouraging and amplifying the youth voice. It does this by creating digital public spaces in which young people can practise civic engagement in contexts where this cannot be done in physical public spaces. In doing so, the article contributes to the literature on community-based research and youth in African cities from the perspective of South Africa. It also argues the importance of art-based social media competitions in creating digital public spaces in which the youth voice can be encouraged, legitimised and amplified in so far as these kinds of digital spaces allow for a kind of civic engagement not always seen by young people in the physical public spaces of African cities. © 2022 by the author(s).

Working from Home (WFH) 2022-Best Practices Implementation and Case Study of Company Agreement

While four per cent of employees in Germany worked from home before the covid crisis, this figure was around 30 per cent in the first lockdown in April 2020. Now working from home and mobile working are part of the everyday life of many employees. Experience has shown that many activities can also be carried out from other locations than the classic office in the company. Location-flexible work will also still be standard in some sectors after the crisis. This article shows employees' experiences with working from home in corona times, with serious advantages and disadvantages being reported. Best practices as implementation of company agreements are presented based on an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) example: Example of working from home (WFH) / office work, life-phase oriented working time instruments as a personnel management success factor, promotion of cross-border cooperation, efficient use of resources, questions on learning from the pandemic, working through the corona period with employees, recommendations for surviving this crisis and culture of trust versus control

Passive Video Quality Assessment Using Lab and Remote Testing

In this chapter, research about the assessment of video quality for gaming content will be provided. At first, a dataset that was used for the development of the ITU-T Rec. G.1072 will be presented. The dataset was created in a laboratory environment using the passive test paradigm described in Chap. 3. Next, some results of the collected video quality ratings will be illustrated. While QoE assessment studies traditionally make use of controlled laboratory environments, there are also other possibilities to conduct user studies without a laboratory environment. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented many researchers from performing lab studies, the concept of supervised and unsupervised remote studies got lots of attention. By using such a remote study design, two studies assessing video quality ratings of similar conditions as in the previously mentioned dataset were conducted. These two studies allow to address three research topics that will be the focus of the remainder of this chapter. At first, it will be investigated whether video quality ratings obtained using the remote study design are comparable to those collected in the lab environment. Second, a comparison between video quality ratings collected using a stimulus duration of 20 s instead of 30 s will be performed, which tries to answer whether it is enough to use a shorter stimulus duration as proposed in ITU-T Rec. P.809. Lastly, the differences between using a discrete 5-point ACR scale and the extended continuous 7-point scales will be investigated. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Social Vulnerability: understanding the territory to confront COVID-19

This work aimed to evaluate social vulnerability based on popu-lation characteristics as a means to indicate the possible intra-ur-ban spaces with greater chances of dispersion and contagion by COVID-19. Based on variables that explain social characteristics and increase the vulnerability of individuals, information from IBGE was selected, treated by factor analysis and mapped, accord-ing to the adaptation of the methodology developed by the Centre for Social Studies in Coimbra. The scale of coverage chosen was that of census sectors, from three municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil. The analysis resulted in 21 variables that make it possible to classify five dimensions of the vulnerability of the populations, indicating the places where actions to prevent contagion should be more incisive, given the population character-istics, and the vulnerability of urban peripheries was evidenced. The grouping of information expressed social dimensions that de-note aspects auxiliary to understanding the territory and social vul-nerability on a local scale. The methodology demonstrated can be easily adopted in different scales and regions of Brazil, and also in other countries. This study will make it possible to make decisions aimed at avoiding contagion, and to subsidize with information the elaboration of plans for the gradual resumption of economic and social activities.

Dynamic Capabilities and Innovation to Deal with the Impacts of Covid-19

Objective: to assess the extent to which dynamic and innovative capabilities contribute to companies facing turbulent crisis scenarios such as the covid-19 pandemic. Methods: the research is characterized by a quantitative approach through an online survey and analysis by structural equation modeling (SEM). The study sample consisted of 166 companies. Results: The results showed that in the face of crisis environments (unexpected situations), companies with dynamic capabilities could deal more effectively with impacts in the face of crisis. On the other hand, but less significantly (p<0.10), innovation presents itself as a context of risk enhanced by crisis scenarios. Conclusions: The article theoretically contributes to the relationship between the themes of dynamic capacity, innovation, and impacts of the crisis, through a structural model, in the context of the pandemic generated by covid-19. From a managerial and practical perspective, the research highlights the importance of developing dynamic capabilities to face crises, as well as innovation, in the sense of being ready to face difficult scenarios, showing that companies with developed dynamic capabilities were able to face the crisis more satisfactorily. Finally, through factor analysis in a methodological way, the research refines the relationship between relevant themes (dynamic capacity and innovation) given the empirical-contextual axis (covid-19 crisis).

Are diversified football clubs better prepared for a crisis? First empirical evidence from the stock market. (Special Issue: Sport and COVID-19: impact and challenges for the future: volume 1.)

Research question: In this short article, the researchers explore whether highly diversified professional football clubs, from an investor perspective, are better prepared for an unpredictable global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic than undiversified clubs. Research methods: The researchers apply event study methodology to analyze stock returns of football clubs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[COVID-19-associated deaths]. / COVID-19-assoziierte Sterbefälle: Erste Daten aus Münchner Todesbescheinigungen.

INTRODUCTION: In December 2019, the new infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first appeared in China. So far, no systematic evaluation of death certificates of COVID-19-associated deaths has been presented. METHODS: The death certificates of all deaths in Munich during the period from 1 March to 31 July 2020 were analyzed. The previously defined inclusion criteria were the indication of corona, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV­2 in the death certificates. The variables were entered anonymously according to a developed key. The collected data were evaluated descriptively. RESULTS: In the period under investigation, a total of 5840 people died in the Munich City area. Of these deaths 332 (5.7%) were COVID-19-associated. In 281 deaths (84.6%) there was a definite COVID-19 and in 51 deaths (15.4%) the suspicion of this disease. The most frequent causes of death were acute respiratory distress syndrome or respiratory insufficiency (59.1%), multiple organ failure (21.4%) and sepsis (10%). An average of 1.8 pre-existing illnesses were reported in the death certificates. Most frequently mentioned were diseases of the circulatory system (54.8%), the nervous system (22.8%) and metabolic diseases (18.9%). The average age at death was 79 years and the most frequent place of death was a hospital (85%). An autopsy was attempted by the doctors who issued the death certificates for 18.1% of the collective, most frequently in the case of unexplained or unnatural causes of death and young age of the deceased. Clinical pathological autopsies were performed on 11% of the collective and judicial autopsies on 1%. DISCUSSION: This study is the first evaluation of death certificates with respect to the novel infectious COVID-19. Number and essential characteristics of COVID-19-associated deaths in Munich during the so-called first wave could be mapped. The interest of physicians in autopsies was rather low despite the appearance of a new infectious disease.

Hands-On Laboratory Experience Using Adhesives for Remote Learning of Polymer Chemistry

Teaching chemistry without access to a traditional laboratory space is an ongoing challenge that has become especially relevant because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. While several remote learning options exist for covering general chemistry concepts (including kitchen-based experiments, online modules, and virtual reality), few options provide opportunities for hands-on learning about the chemistry of synthetic polymer materials. Here, we offer remote learning modules that use household adhesives as a platform for teaching polymer chemistry outside of the laboratory. These modules are designed for students who have taken at least one semester of organic chemistry and have varied hands-on time commitments, ranging from 2 to 10 total hours each. Concepts covered include polymer synthesis, intermolecular interactions, thermomechanical properties, structure–function relationships, and molecular design. The experiments described in these modules also give students a chance to practice research-relevant skills such as searching for primary literature sources, fabricating test samples, explaining unexpected experimental results, and revising experimental procedures to improve methodologies. Ultimately, these modules provide educators with an additional tool for teaching experimental chemistry outside of the laboratory.

Long-term health sequelae and quality of life at least 6 months after infection with SARS-CoV-2: design and rationale of the COVIDOM-study as part of the NAPKON population-based cohort platform (POP).

PURPOSE: Over the course of COVID-19 pandemic, evidence has accumulated that SARS-CoV-2 infections may affect multiple organs and have serious clinical sequelae, but on-site clinical examinations with non-hospitalized samples are rare. We, therefore, aimed to systematically assess the long-term health status of samples of hospitalized and non-hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals from three regions in Germany. METHODS: The present paper describes the COVIDOM-study within the population-based cohort platform (POP) which has been established under the auspices of the NAPKON infrastructure (German National Pandemic Cohort Network) of the national Network University Medicine (NUM). Comprehensive health assessments among SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals are conducted at least 6 months after the acute infection at the study sites Kiel, Würzburg and Berlin. Potential participants were identified and contacted via the local public health authorities, irrespective of the severity of the initial infection. A harmonized examination protocol has been implemented, consisting of detailed assessments of medical history, physical examinations, and the collection of multiple biosamples (e.g., serum, plasma, saliva, urine) for future analyses. In addition, patient-reported perception of the impact of local pandemic-related measures and infection on quality-of-life are obtained. RESULTS: As of July 2021, in total 6813 individuals infected in 2020 have been invited into the COVIDOM-study. Of these, about 36% wished to participate and 1295 have already been examined at least once. CONCLUSION: NAPKON-POP COVIDOM-study complements other Long COVID studies assessing the long-term consequences of an infection with SARS-CoV-2 by providing detailed health data of population-based samples, including individuals with various degrees of disease severity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered at the German registry for clinical studies (DRKS00023742).

Tracheotomy at the time of the corona pandemic - New perspective?

Introduction For weeks, the treatment of ENT patients was limited to the most necessary. Apart from tumour patients and patients in the surgical categories A-C, only tracheotomies were carried out continuously, especially on Cov-19 patients. Tracheotomies are classified as a "high risk procedure". In order to prevent the ENT physician from being called in to deal with the complications of the dilated tracheotomy performed by the intensive care physician, the ENT physician performs all tracheotomies at the BwZK after examining the patient and checking the criteria (habitus, perspective, cervical malpositions, previous illnesses). Methods In the BwZK 23 patients were tracheotomised in the first wave, 7 of them were proven Cov-19 patients. After strict indication and development of a new SOP for interdisciplinary cooperation in the intensive care unit, these tracheotomies were performed with maximum conservation of resources (personnel, health, time, material, operating capacity). Punctures are performed under endoscopic control, in particular to keep the aerosol spread between puncture and blocking of the tracheal cannula short. In all Cov-19 patients a dilated endoscopically controlled tracheotomy was possible. Results Between puncture of the trachea and blocking of the tracheal cannula, 122sec in apnea with desaturation of 1% on average. This reduces the risk of contamination and saves resources. Especially in the context of the pandemic, dilated tracheotomy has proven to be a good procedure and should definitely be returned to the hands of the ENT physician, who can also treat the complications.