Longitudinal Analysis of Mask and No-Mask on Child Face Recognition

Face is one of the most widely employed traits for person recognition, even in many large-scale applications. Despite technological advancements in face recognition systems, they still face obstacles caused by pose, expression, occlusion, and aging variations. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, contactless identity verification has become exceedingly vital. To constrain the pandemic, people have started using face mask. Recently, few studies have been conducted on the effect of face mask on adult face recognition systems. However, the impact of aging with face mask on child subject recognition has not been adequately explored. Thus, the main objective of this study is analyzing the child longitudinal impact together with face mask and other covariates on face recognition systems. Specifically, we performed a comparative investigation of three top performing publicly available face matchers and a post-COVID-19 commercial-off-The-shelf (COTS) system under child cross-Age verification and identification settings using our generated synthetic mask and no-mask samples. Furthermore, we investigated the longitudinal consequence of eyeglasses with mask and no-mask. The study exploited no-mask longitudinal child face dataset (i.e., extended Indian Child Longitudinal Face Dataset) that contains 26,258 face images of 7,473 subjects in the age group of [2, 18] over an average time span of 3.35 years. Due to the combined effects of face mask and face aging, the FaceNet, PFE, ArcFace, and COTS face verification system accuracies decrease by approximately , , , and , respectively. © 2022 ACM.

Longitudinal Analysis of Memory T-Cell Responses in Survivors of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a highly lethal respiratory disease caused by a zoonotic betacoronavirus. The development of effective vaccines and control measures requires a thorough understanding of the immune response to this viral infection. METHODS: We investigated cellular immune responses up to 5 years after infection in a cohort of 59 MERS survivors by performing enzyme-linked immunospot assay and intracellular cytokine staining after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with synthetic viral peptides. RESULTS: Memory T-cell responses were detected in 82%, 75%, 69%, 64%, and 64% of MERS survivors from 1-5 years post-infection, respectively. Although the frequency of virus-specific interferon gamma (IFN-γ)-secreting T cells tended to be higher in moderately/severely ill patients than in mildly ill patients during the early period of follow-up, there was no significant difference among the different clinical severity groups across all time points. While both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were involved in memory T-cell responses, CD4+ T cells persisted slightly longer than CD8+ T cells. Both memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells recognized the E/M/N proteins better than the S protein and maintained their polyfunctionality throughout the period examined. Memory T-cell responses correlated positively with antibody responses during the initial 3-4 years but not with maximum viral loads at any time point. CONCLUSIONS: These findings advance our understanding of the dynamics of virus-specific memory T-cell immunity after MERS-coronavirus infection, which is relevant to the development of effective T cell-based vaccines.

The development of the 5Cs of positive youth development in a school year: A 3-wave longitudinal study of Slovenian youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The paper analyses the longitudinal pathways for the 5Cs of positive youth development outcomes (Competence, Confidence, Character, Caring, Connection) in a school context during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical framework for the paper is provided by the Positive youth development (PYD) perspective, which focuses on the importance of the interplay between individual characteristics and contexts. In the period of adolescence, school and its characteristics are one of the most influential contexts for the promotion of positive youth development. Therefore, the paper focused on the changes in the 5Cs in one school year using the methodology of longitudinal research (latent growth modeling) with three measurement points (beginning of the school year, middle of the school year, and the end of the school year). We used a sample of Slovenian youth (N = 1241 participants; 59,5% female; M age = 15.35, SD = 1.21) who participated in the PYD-SI-MODEL study and responded to the PYD questionnaire during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we tested whether the development of the 5Cs in a school year differed by gender, age, and school level (lower-secondary, upper-secondary). The results indicated a significant decrease in Connection, Caring, and Character from the beginning to the end of the school year and an increase in Competence and Confidence in the same period. Significant intercept-slope interactions were detected in Confidence and Connection indicating that their higher initial level is associated with a more stable trajectory throughout the school year. In addition, we found that gender and school level play a significant role in several of the pathways while age was not a significant covariate with any of the Cs. The study is the first to test 5Cs pathways in one school year, using Slovenian data. In addition to the important role of contexts on positive developmental outcomes, the study highlights the significance of 5Cs promotion in pandemic times as much as in more stable times.

A longitudinal perspective on perceived vulnerability to disease during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, individuals relied heavily on media sources to stay informed about the disease and public health measures. However, differences exist in the type and frequency of news media consumption, which can be linked to their perceived vulnerability to disease. In this longitudinal study, 1000 Flemish (Belgium) individuals were followed from March 2020 until September 2020, focussing on the evolution in perceived vulnerability to disease (i.e. perceived infectability and germ aversion). Media consumption significantly impacts perceived germ aversion; heavy consumers of commercial media reported greater germ aversion than light consumers of these media. The evolution of germ aversion among individuals from March to August depends on their gender, living environment, age and possibility to work from home. Furthermore, the evolution of perceived infectability depends on the age and living environment of the respondent. These findings may interest policy makers and media professionals to anticipate how anxieties regarding contracting an infectious disease evolve over time and how individual characteristics affect this evolution.

Longitudinal analysis of electrolyte prolife in intensive care COVID-19 patients

Introduction: According to a substantial body of research, electrolyte abnormalities are a common manifestation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and are associated with adverse outcomes. This study aimed to investigate electrolyte imbalances in COVID-19 patients and assess their relation to mortality. Method(s): Adult COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Security Forces Hospital in Saudi Arabia from June 8th till August 18th, 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective observational study. We examined baseline characteristics, comorbidities, acute organ injuries, medications, and electrolyte levels including sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, bicarbonate, phosphate, and magnesium on ICU admission, as well as every following day of ICU stay, until death or discharge. Patients were stratified according to survival, and differences in variables between groups were compared using Mann-Whitney's U test or Fisher's exact test. Longitudinal electrolyte profiles were modeled using random intercept linear regression models. Result(s): A total of 60 COVID-19 patients were enrolled. Compared to survivors, non-survivors had significantly higher sodium and phosphate on admission and death, higher potassium and magnesium at death, and significantly lower calcium at death. Abnormalities in admission levels of chloride and bicarbonate were also more frequently observed in non-survivors. Furthermore, in the deceased group, we observed a daily increase in potassium and phosphate levels, and a daily decrease in sodium and chloride. Finally, calcium increased in non-survivors over time, however, not as significantly as in the survivor group. Conclusion(s): Admission levels of electrolytes and changes over the course of ICU stay appear to be associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Long-term functional ability trajectories and mental health among older people before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset in Chile.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the advances in understanding the complex association between functional abilities and mental health in old age, studies have overlooked two important aspects. First, traditionally, research has employed cross-sectional designs, measuring limitations at a single time point. Second, most gerontological studies on this field have been conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic onset. This study aims to explore the association between diverse long-term functional ability trajectories across late adulthood and old age, and older people's mental health in Chile, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset. METHODS: We use data from the population-representative and longitudinal 'Chilean Social Protection Survey', sequence analysis to reconstruct functional ability trajectory types from 2004 to 2018, and bivariate and multivariate analyses to measure their association with depressive symptoms in early 2020 (N = 891) and late 2020 (N = 672). We analyzed four age groups defined by their age at baseline (2004): people aged 46-50, 51-55, 56-60, and 61-65. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that erratic or equivocal patterns of functional limitations across time (with people transiting back and forth between low and high levels of limitations) show the worst mental health outcomes, both before and after the pandemic onset. Prevalence of people with depression increased after the COVID-19 onset in most groups, being particularly high among those with previous equivocal functional ability trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between functional ability trajectories and mental health calls for a new paradigm, moving away from age as the main policy guide, and highlighting the need to adopt strategies to improve population-level functional status as an efficient policy to address the challenges of population aging.

The Longitudinal Association between Co-Residential Care Provision and Healthcare Use among the Portuguese Population Aged 50 and Over: A SHARE Study.

Co-residential care is associated with poor caregiver health and a high burden. Although Portugal relies heavily on co-residential care by individuals aged 50 and over, studies on the impact of co-residential care provision on Portuguese caregivers' healthcare use are lacking. This study aims to analyze the impact of co-residential care (spousal and non-spousal care) on healthcare use of the Portuguese population aged 50 plus. Data from waves 4 (n = 1697) and 6 (n = 1460) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used. Negative Binomial Generalized Linear Mixed Models with random (individual level) and fixed (covariates) effects were performed. The results show that the number of visits to the doctor decrease significantly over time for the co-residential spousal caregivers as compared to the non-co-residential caregivers. This result highlights the fact that the Portuguese co-residential spousal caregiver group is at a higher risk of not using healthcare, thus jeopardizing their own health and continuity of care. Promoting more accessible healthcare services and implementing public policies adjusted to the needs of informal caregivers are important to improve the health and healthcare use of Portuguese spousal co-residential caregivers.

COVID-19 lockdowns and changes in loneliness among young people in the U.K.

RATIONALE: There has been growing concern that loneliness has increased throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns, and that the burden has fallen heavily on young people. This is important because loneliness is strongly linked to worse health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We examine whether and how loneliness among young people changed during the pandemic across the different lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021. We also assess differences by gender, socioeconomic status, and economic activity before the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: We use nine waves of longitudinal data from the COVID-19 supplement of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society), collected between April 2020 and September 2021. We apply an individual fixed-effects event study design, which compares the loneliness reported by the same individual over lockdown transitions. We focus on loneliness reported by 1870 respondents aged between 16 and 24 years and compare it with pre-pandemic baselines. RESULTS: We find that the loneliness of young people tracked the extent of lockdown restrictions but had returned to baseline levels by September 2021. This loneliness response was more pronounced for females than males but similar for young people across higher and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that policy interventions aimed at increasing opportunities for in-person social interactions for young people in 'normal' times, might have some success in tackling loneliness, particularly for young females.

Longitudinal Analysis of Electronic Health Information to Identify Possible COVID-19 Sequelae.

Ongoing symptoms might follow acute COVID-19. Using electronic health information, we compared pre‒ and post‒COVID-19 diagnostic codes to identify symptoms that had higher encounter incidence in the post‒COVID-19 period as sequelae. This method can be used for hypothesis generation and ongoing monitoring of sequelae of COVID-19 and future emerging diseases.

Lung-Heart Outcomes and Mortality through the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in a Prospective Cohort of Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Patients.

We investigated lung-heart toxicity and mortality in 123 women with stage I-II breast cancer enrolled in 2007-2011 in a prospective trial of adjuvant radiotherapy (TomoBreast). We were concerned whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected the outcomes. All patients were analyzed as a single cohort. Lung-heart status was reverse-scored as freedom from adverse-events (fAE) on a 1-5 scale. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and pulmonary function tests were untransformed. Statistical analyses applied least-square regression to calendar-year aggregated data. The significance of outliers was determined using the Dixon and the Grubbs corrected tests. At 12.0 years median follow-up, 103 patients remained alive; 10-years overall survival was 87.8%. In 2007-2019, 15 patients died, of whom 11 were cancer-related deaths. In 2020, five patients died, none of whom from cancer. fAE and lung-heart function declined gradually over a decade through 2019, but deteriorated markedly in 2020: fAE dipped significantly from 4.6-4.6 to 4.3-4.2; LVEF dipped to 58.4% versus the expected 60.3% (PDixon = 0.021, PGrubbs = 0.054); forced vital capacity dipped to 2.4 L vs. 2.6 L (PDixon = 0.043, PGrubbs = 0.181); carbon-monoxide diffusing capacity dipped to 12.6 mL/min/mmHg vs. 15.2 (PDixon = 0.008, PGrubbs = 0.006). In conclusion, excess non-cancer mortality was observed in 2020. Deaths in that year totaled one-third of the deaths in the previous decade, and revealed observable lung-heart deterioration.

Psychological capital of petrochemical corporate employees during COVID-19 social isolation: a longitudinal analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health emergency and a significant stressor to most people. The objective of this study was to examine the mental health status and social support level of participants from 2019 to 2020. The study aimed to investigate the changes in people's psychological capital state due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal study was performed to study the psychosocial predictors of mental health among a sample of 2,999 Chinese employees in 2019, and the follow-up survey was conducted one year later. Regression coefficients were visualized in a heatmap. Path analysis was performed base on the structural equation model (SEM) to measure the associations between study variables. The status of mental health, resilience, and optimism changed significantly during the pandemic (P < 0.05). The level of employee's social support in 2019 could significantly and positively predicted the level of employee's psychological capital in 2020, and the level of employee mental health in 2019 significantly and negatively predicted the level of employee psychological capital in 2020. The mental health of employees played an intermediary role between social support and psychological capital. These results highlight that the COVID-19 pandemic has a strong impact on the psychological capital of company employees. While demanding performance, corporations should ensure timely intervention in the mental health of their employees.

Adulthood Employment Trajectories and Later Life Mental Health before and after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This life course study has two aims. First, to explore how diverse employment trajectories across adulthood are related to older people's mental health in Chile, a country with no research in this field, and second, to analyze these associations before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We use data from the nationally-representative and longitudinal 'Chilean Social Protection Survey' sequence analysis to reconstruct employment trajectory types, and bivariate and multivariate analyses to measure their association with depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that formal labor force patterns in adulthood show the lowest burden of depressive symptomology before and after the onset of the overwhelming COVID-19 pandemic when controlling for traditional risk factors. CONCLUSION: We emphasize that policymakers in both the labor market and public health domains must consider the relationship between informal employment pathways in adulthood and poorer mental health in old age. Public policies should improve the conditions and quality of jobs during adulthood and promote more formalization in the labor market to address the high uncertainty involving low social protection, which is strongly associated with severe mental health problems in later life.

Changes in activity organization and travel behavior choices in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought disruptive changes to society. In this chapter, we discuss how participation in activities and travel behavior choices have changed during the various stages of the pandemic through the analysis of data collected through multiple waves of surveys administered in 2020 in various regions of the United States. We present insights regarding how different aspects of life and mobility have reshaped during this period and discuss the potential temporary versus longer-term nature of the changes. We observe how some phenomena that presented a steep increase during the first stage of the pandemic started to decline, to some extent, in late 2020, whereas others, such as the adoption of remote work and increased reliance on personal vehicles, persisted also in the later stage of the pandemic at rates that are considerably higher than the prepandemic patterns. We discuss the different impacts that the pandemic has had on different segments of the population, and the importance for public policies to react to these new circumstances not only to account for the modified mobility and travel behavior landscape but also considering the socioeconomic and equity implications underneath these impacts.

Mobility in pandemic times: Exploring changes and long-term effects of COVID-19 on urban mobility behavior.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a global disruption of unprecedented scale which was closely associated with human mobility. Since mobility acts as a facilitator for spreading the virus, individuals were forced to reconsider their respective behaviors. Despite numerous studies having detected behavioral changes during the first lockdown period (spring 2020), there is a lack of longitudinal perspectives that can provide insights into the intra-pandemic dynamics and potential long-term effects. This article investigates COVID-19-induced mobility-behavioral transformations by analyzing travel patterns of Berlin residents during a 20-month pandemic period and comparing them to the pre-pandemic situation. Based on quantitative analysis of almost 800,000 recorded trips, our longitudinal examination revealed individuals having reduced average monthly travel distances by ∼20%, trip frequencies by ∼11%, and having switched to individual modes. Public transportation has suffered a continual regression, with trip frequencies experiencing a relative long-term reduction of ∼50%, and a respective decrease of traveled distances by ∼43%. In contrast, the bicycle (rather than the car) was the central beneficiary, indicated by bicycle-related trip frequencies experiencing a relative long-term increase of ∼53%, and travel distances increasing by ∼117%. Comparing behavioral responses to three pandemic waves, our analysis revealed each wave to have created unique response patterns, which show a gradual softening of individuals' mobility related self-restrictions. Our findings contribute to retracing and quantifying individuals' changing mobility behaviors induced by the pandemic, and to detecting possible long-term effects that may constitute a "new normal" of an entirely altered urban mobility landscape.

SARS-CoV2 Infection During Pregnancy Causes Persistent Immune Abnormalities in Women Without Affecting the Newborns.

SARS-CoV2 infection in pregnancy and exposed newborns is poorly known. We performed a longitudinal analysis of immune system and determined soluble cytokine levels in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV2 and in their newborns. Women with confirmed SARS-CoV2 infection and their exposed uninfected newborns were recruited from Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), cord cells and plasma were collected at birth and 6 months later. Immunophenotyping of natural killer (NK), monocytes and CD4/CD8 T-cells were studied in cryopreserved PBMCs and cord cells by multiparametric flow cytometry. Up to 4 soluble pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines were assessed in plasma/cord plasma by ELISA assay. SARS-CoV2-infected mothers and their newborns were compared to matched healthy non-SARS-CoV2-infected mothers and their newborns. The TNFα and IL-10 levels of infected mothers were higher at baseline than those of healthy controls. Infected mothers showed increased NK cells activation and reduced expression of maturation markers that reverted after 6 months. They also had high levels of Central Memory and low Effector Memory CD4-T cell subsets. Additionally, the increased CD4- and CD8-T cell activation (CD154 and CD38) and exhaustion (TIM3/TIGIT) levels at baseline compared to controls remained elevated after 6 months. Regarding Treg cells, the levels were lower at infected mothers at baseline but reverted after 6 months. No newborn was infected at birth. The lower levels of monocytes, NK and CD4-T cells observed at SARS-CoV2-exposed newborns compared to unexposed controls significantly increased 6 months later. In conclusion, SARS-CoV2 infection during pregnancy shows differences in immunological components that could lead newborns to future clinical implications after birth. However, SARS-CoV2 exposed 6-months-old newborns showed no immune misbalance, whereas the infected mothers maintain increased activation and exhaustion levels in T-cells after 6 months.

Covid-fatigued? A longitudinal study of Norwegian older adults' psychosocial well-being before and during early and later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the pandemic continues, many older adults are facing prolonged isolation and stress while having less access to traditional ways of coping. There is widespread concern that the situation is increasingly taking its toll on older adults' psychological and social well-being. We use linear mixed models to examine psychosocial impacts and predictors thereof among older Norwegians in early and later stages of the pandemic. Longitudinal data were collected online in the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey right before the pandemic and in June and November-December 2020 in two counties (baseline n = 4,104; age 65-92). Outcomes include loneliness (single item, UCLA3), psychological ill-being (worried, anxious, depressed), and psychological well-being (satisfied, engaged, happy). From before to three months into the pandemic men's psychosocial well-being remained stable, whereas women's slightly declined. Five months later we observe broad and substantial declines in psychosocial well-being. These impacts disproportionately affect women (all outcomes) and single and older individuals (loneliness only) and are not moderated by educational level, urbanicity, or whether self or partner are reported "at risk" due to health problems. Pre-pandemic low social support and high psychological distress predict relatively improved psychosocial well-being. Older Norwegians seemed to manage the pandemic's early stage without clear psychosocial impacts. However, we observe notably compromised well-being during the second wave of COVID-19 in late 2020. Lessons learned about the nature and distribution of the psychosocial impacts of prolonged health-threats and social distancing provide valuable knowledge for intervention design during this and future pandemics.

Immunological memory to common cold coronaviruses assessed longitudinally over a three-year period pre-COVID19 pandemic.

The immune memory to common cold coronaviruses (CCCs) influences SARS-CoV-2 infection outcome, and understanding its effect is crucial for pan-coronavirus vaccine development. We performed a longitudinal analysis of pre-COVID19-pandemic samples from 2016-2019 in young adults and assessed CCC-specific CD4+ T cell and antibody responses. Notably, CCC responses were commonly detected with comparable frequencies as with other common antigens and were sustained over time. CCC-specific CD4+ T cell responses were associated with low HLA-DR+CD38+ signals, and their magnitude did not correlate with yearly CCC infection prevalence. Similarly, CCC-specific and spike RBD-specific IgG responses were stable in time. Finally, high CCC-specific CD4+ T cell reactivity, but not antibody titers, was associated with pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 immunity. These results provide a valuable reference for understanding the immune response to endemic coronaviruses and suggest that steady and sustained CCC responses are likely from a stable pool of memory CD4+ T cells due to repeated earlier exposures and possibly occasional reinfections.

Travel mode preferences among German commuters over the course of COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way how the people live, work and move, and naturally the transport sector became one of the most affected by this global crisis. Beyond the sudden fall of mobility at the beginning of the pandemic, it is important to understand how people are regaining trust in travelling, even if it is still unpredictable if and when the transport sector will recover to the pre-pandemic levels. This study focuses on the analysis of commuting trips and the changes of travel mode preferences over the first eight months of the pandemic in Germany. A survey with an orthogonal design based on sets of cards containing different transport mode alternatives and attributes was conducted in three waves (April, June, and October 2020). The individual characteristics and the preferences of around 4800 commuters were collected through the survey and modelled using a conditional logit approach. The results show that commuters have regained some trust on public transport since the April-May 2020 lockdown, but this has occurred at a slow pace. The reduction of public transport ticket fares can be the most effective strategy to recover some of the users lost to other modes.

Being a NEET before and after the Great Recession: persistence by gender in Southern Europe

This article adds to the scant literature on the time persistence of being a young Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) by including four main novelties: we distinguish short- and long-term persistence;we use estimations before (2004-2007) and after the Great Recession (2013-2016);we analyse four Southern European countries that are relatively similar and were significantly affected by the Great Recession (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain);and all analyses are disaggregated by gender. The descriptive analysis shows a convergence in NEET rates by gender in the four countries due to a worsening of the male NEET rate and no improvement among young females. The econometric estimations show that long-term persistence is smaller than short-term persistence and that the latter increased after the Great Recession, especially for male NEETs. Policy implications for the design of the Youth Guarantee and lessons from the coronavirus pandemic are also discussed.