STRESS AND RESILIENCE ACROSS PHASES OF COVID-19: A QUALITATIVE STUDY WITH OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged older Chinese immigrants' lives in physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. This study employed a socioecological perspective of resilience to examine how older Chinese immigrants perceived and navigated through pandemic-related adversities. We conducted a time-bound retrospective qualitative investigation to capture participants' lived experiences between December 2019 to August 2021. Three phases of the pandemic-related adversities were identified, including uncertain threats and psychological impacts at the beginning, unmet needs and fatigue at 2nd and 3rd wave of infections, and benefit-risk balance after vaccinated. Despite adversities, the integration of strengths, opportunities, and social services at the individual, interpersonal, and neighborhood levels allows participants to appraise and individualize their problem-focus coping (e.g., risk mitigation), selective engagement (e.g., maintaining habits through other means), or emotion-focus coping strategies (e.g., acceptance). Findings highlight the importance of personal and community resources in fostering resilient responses.

SOCIAL NETWORK AND MENTAL HEALTH OF OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Chinese older immigrants who live in senior housing communities are at high risks of experiencing discrimination and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines how and to what extent the pandemic has affected this population's social network and mental health. Participants reported a decrease in social contact with their family and friends. Before the pandemic, many paid regular visits back to the home country and could not do so in the past two years. The loss of connection left some feeling despaired and expressed uncertainty on whether they could ever go back "home” before death. Participants also reported being in a low mood and feeling bored constantly. Participants reported resilience generated from their religious beliefs, having neighbors as role models, and wisdom learned from past life experiences. Knowledge produced in this project can inform the planning for responding to future crises in affordable senior housing.

DISCRIMINATION AND COPING AMONG OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Discriminatory events against Asians, especially Chinese, became rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is difficult for older Chinese immigrants to effectively protect themselves from racism-related attacks due to their personal and social disadvantages. This study explored older Chinese immigrants' experience of discrimination and coping strategies, as well as factors that influence their perceptions, attitudes, and coping preferences. Among 27 interviewees, 11 experienced discriminatory incidents themselves or known people around had been discriminated against during the pandemic. Thematic analysis revealed negative psychological impact of discrimination risk or experience. Most participants tended to adopt disengagement coping styles, such as avoidance, rationalization, and reducing social participation. Three primary influencing factors are: (1) perceived unkindness from government and public opinions;(2) concern for own health;(3) limited acculturation. Our findings suggest needing efforts to protect the safety of older Chinese immigrants, and raise their awareness and ability to defend themselves from racism and discrimination.

FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE: bridging the “ knowledge-action” gap

This chapter discusses the inadequate application of the available scientific knowledge to the improvement of human health in urban areas, leading to what we define as a “knowledge-action” gap. The current state of efforts to implement the “Nature as Health” concept is reviewed, and recommendations are made to adopt an evidence-based design process as a framework for addressing the knowledge-action gap and the science-action gap. While Chapter 39 provided case studies from near the Pacific Rim, this chapter details the cases in Taiwan that bridged the knowledge-action gap in the relationship between nature and public health. Chapter 40 discussed several research tools, methods, and interdisciplinary concepts that might lend light to future studies. This chapter will discuss more detailed information of the HealthCloud app and its application, which provides psychological questionnaires and monitors heart rate and environmental information and could be a useful tool for data collection on the changing behaviors and patterns of humans experiencing nature, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. A “Landscape and Health Information Note” application could be used to connect health data and environmental information as a feedback system for users. The chapter concludes with the following questions: what is the future relationship between human and environment interaction? Given the rapid advancement of technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, how can we apply this technology and the strategies of landscape design to fill the knowledge-action gap? Finally, how can we respond to sustainable development goals (SDGs)? © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Yizhao Yang and Anne Taufen;individual chapters, the contributors.

Coronavirus disease 2019 in dermatology practice: Perspective of three levels of prevention on public health

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has become a major public exigency of international concern. The COVID-19 epidemic has spread rapidly around the world, profoundly impacting people's lives. Patients are among those most affected by the pandemic. COVID-19 has adversely affected health-care systems, and the effects are long-lasting and devastating. Most medical institutions in the impacted countries and regions have been imbued with COVID-19 cases, both confirmed and suspected, leading to an overburdened health-care workforce like never before. While most of the critical situations involved internal medicine departments, such as infectious diseases, and intensive care units, other specialties, including dermatology, have also been profoundly affected by this pandemic. Dermatoepidemiology, the application of epidemiological methods to dermatology practice, is an important emerging discipline in dermatology. In this review, we discussed the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic on dermatology practice, as well as the application of public health strategies in dermatology. These findings from genetic epidemiological research, clinical trial networks, and pharmacovigilance research suggested that further research in dermatology requires collaborative studies across different fields, institutions, and countries. To solve the highly complex unsolved problems that we face, dermatologists and epidemiologists should be dynamic team members with multiple approach skills.

Exploring the relationship between landscape features and brain activation using vision AI

This research aims to investigate landscape features depicted by machine learning correlated with brain activation on the emotional response. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan participants’ brains while viewing various types of environmental images. The analysis focuses on emotion-related brain activation which is related to emotion and mental health. By using the Google Vision AI, this study tried to identify labeled visual elements of the images by AI feature detection (REST and RPC API) to understand what environmental features potentially predict emotion response based on the neuroimaging data. The study explored the use of feature detection and fMRI data to construct research on the visual landscape assessment field. This method is expected to be more accurate and objectively reveal the relationship between human cognitive health and environmental factors. While the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated human demands for new technology, it has also given rise to new possible applications of artificial intelligence, this research corresponds to the use of AI and the neuro-activation that could become a new resource of many decision-making grounds. © 2021 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.