Investigating the Impact of Social Contact, Coping Strategies, and Social Cognition on Loneliness and Psychological Distress in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Online Survey

This study investigated factors associated with wellbeing in 114 older adults (aged ≥70) during the COVID-19 pandemic; namely, the effects of social contact, coping strategies, and social cognition. Data was collected through an online survey. The relationships between variables were investigated using multiple linear regression. Qualitative data on wellbeing and coping strategies was also collected and analysed using content analysis. Results showed that participants who lived alone reported higher levels of psychological distress than those who lived with someone else. Higher face-to-face social contact with people from outside of one’s household was associated with lower reported distress; however, virtual social contact and attendance of organised online groups were not associated with distress. Negative coping strategies, including denial, self-blame, and behavioural disengagement were associated with higher distress, whereas Theory-of-Mind ability and cognitive empathy were associated with lower distress. Additionally, the negative relationship between face-to-face social contact and distress was stronger in participants who lived with someone than in participants who lived alone. There was also a suggestion that social cognition, namely cognitive and affective empathy, may moderate the relationship between social contact and distress. This research is important for understanding how older adults can be supported during the COVID-19 pandemic, and implications are discussed. Further research with larger and more representative samples is needed to clarify and confirm these effects. Further research also needs to focus on experiences of carers and cared-for individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Design of Non-Binary Quasi-Cyclic LDPC Codes by ACE Optimization

An algorithm for constructing Tanner graphs of non-binary irregular quasi-cyclic LDPC codes is introduced. It employs a new method for selection of edge labels allowing control over the code's non-binary ACE spectrum and resulting in low error-floor. The efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated by generating good codes of short to moderate length over small fields, outperforming codes generated by the known methods.Comment: Accepted to 2013 IEEE Information Theory Worksho

Immediate reaction to lidocaine with periorbital edema during upper blepharoplasty

Introduction: Blepharoplasty is the fourth most commonly performed cosmetic surgery in the US, with 207,000 operations in 2014. Lidocaine is the preferred anesthetic agent for blepharoplasty. Presentation of case: We describe the unusual case of acute periorbital edema following local anesthesia with lidocaine for upper blepharoplasty. At present, only two other reports of periorbital reactions to lidocaine are present in the literature. The reactions observed are significant palpebral swelling and erythema with scaling of the cheek. Fortunately the swelling, although marked, is transient in nature and resolves almost spontaneously without affecting the visual acuity. Discussion: Patients reporting adverse reactions should be screened for allergy according to the standard protocols, but skin testing has only been reported to be positive in less than 10% of all cases and allergy confirmation with IgE is even more rare. Conclusion: In clinical practice, we recommend that patient should be informed about the possibility of recurrence of an adverse reaction in case of re-exposure to lidocaine, even in the vast majority of cases where true allergy could not be proven. In case of further need for local anesthesia with history of an adverse event, a different agent may be chosen even from the same class (another amide) as cross-reactions in the amide group are rare. Otherwise, an anesthetic from the ester group can also be safely used

Dispositivos universitarios multiactorales destinados a la generación de conocimientos para la incidencia en políticas sociales : estudio comparado de dos experiencias en Argentina (2006-2015)

Esta ponencia constituye un avance de nuestra investigación doctoral en el marco del Doctorado Interuniversitario en Educación que da cuenta de una experiencia de campo sistemática y continúa entre 2006 y 2010 (Presman, 2011 a y b). Partimos de encontrar un objeto de estudio escasamente analizado. A saber, se trata de un proceso por el cual desde las políticas universitarias se demanda crecientemente a las universidades un rol activo en la capacitación de la sociedad civil para la gestión e incidencia en políticas públicas de gestión participativa. Simultáneamente la sociedad civil solicita conocimientos a las universidades para poder participar e incidir en diversas instancias de dichas políticas (diagnóstico, formación de agenda, diseño, implementación). En consecuencia- y frente a esta doble demanda-las universidades deben re-legitimar su lugar en la sociedad como actores participantes en los procesos de producción y distribución de conocimientos socialmente productivos y en tanto árbitros para el encuentro y el trabajo común con otros actores sociales y políticos en la gestión de las políticas sociales. Así, una gran parte de las universidades públicas argentinas se constituyen en interlocutoras de ambos actores ofertando capacitaciones, mesas de debate, asesoramiento puntuales - e inclusive- alentando procesos de desarrollo local que intentan vincular los saberes universitarios con la práctica y necesidades cotidianas de la sociedad civil y el Estado.Fil: Presman, Betina. Universidad Nacional de San Martí