scholarly journals An Investigation of Social Distancing and Quantity of Luggage Impacts on the Three Groups Reverse Pyramid Boarding Method

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 544
Author(s):  
Liviu-Adrian Cotfas ◽  
R. John Milne ◽  
Camelia Delcea ◽  
Corina Ioanăș
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Airline Industry ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Group 1

The social distancing imposed by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has affected people’s everyday lives and has resulted in companies changing the way they conduct business. The airline industry has been continually adapting since the novel coronavirus appeared. A series of airlines have changed their airplane boarding and passenger seat allocation process to increase their passengers’ safety. Many suggest a minimum social distance among passengers in the aisle while boarding. Some airlines have reduced their airplanes’ capacities by keeping the middle seats empty. Recent literature indicates that the Reverse Pyramid boarding method provides favorable values for boarding time and passenger health metrics when compared to other boarding methods. This paper analyses the extent to which aisle social distancing, the quantity of carry-on luggage, and an airline’s relative preferences for different performance metrics influence the optimal number of passengers to board the airplane in each of three boarding groups when the Reverse Pyramid method is used and the middle seats are empty. We also investigate the resulting impact on the average boarding time and health risks to boarding passengers. We use an agent-based model and stochastic simulation approach to evaluate various levels of aisle social distancing among passengers and the quantity of luggage carried aboard the airplane. When minimizing boarding time is the primary objective of an airline, for a given value of aisle social distance, decreasing the carry-on luggage volumes increases the optimal number of boarding group 1 passengers and decreases the optimal number of group 2 passengers with aisle seats; for a given volume of luggage, an increase in aisle social distance is associated with more passengers in group 1 and more aisle seat passengers in group 2. When minimizing the health risk to aisle seat passengers or to window seat passengers, the optimal solution results from assigning an equal number of window seat passengers to groups 1 and 2 and an equal number of aisle seat passengers to groups 2 and 3. This solution is robust to changes in luggage volume and the magnitude of aisle social distance. Furthermore, across all luggage and aisle social distancing scenarios, the solution reduces the health risk to aisle seat passengers between 22.76% and 35.31% while increasing average boarding time by less than 3% in each scenario.

scholarly journals Evaluating Classical Airplane Boarding Methods Considering COVID-19 Flying Restrictions

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liviu-Adrian Cotfas ◽  
Camelia Delcea ◽  
R. John Milne ◽  
Mostafa Salari
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Zone Method ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has imposed the need for a series of social distancing restrictions worldwide to mitigate the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic. This applies to many domains, including airplane boarding and seat assignments. As airlines are considering their passengers’ safety during the pandemic, boarding methods should be evaluated both in terms of social distancing norms and the resulting efficiency for the airlines. The present paper analyzes the impact of a series of restrictions that have been imposed or mooted worldwide on the boarding methods used by the airlines, featuring the use of jet-bridges and one-door boarding. To compare the efficacy of classical airplane boarding methods with respect to new social distancing norms, five metrics were used to evaluate their performance. One metric is the time to complete the boarding of the airplane. The other four metrics concern passenger health and reflect the potential exposure to the virus from other passengers through the air and surfaces (e.g., headrests and luggage) touched by passengers. We use the simulation platform in NetLogo to test six common boarding methods under various conditions. The back-to-front by row boarding method results in the longest time to complete boarding but has the advantage of providing the lowest health risk for two metrics. Those two metrics are based on passengers potentially infecting those passengers previously seated in the rows they traverse. Interestingly, those two risks are reduced for most boarding methods when the social distance between adjacent passengers advancing down the aisle is increased, thus indicating an unanticipated benefit stemming from this form of social distancing. The modified reverse pyramid by half zone method provides the shortest time to the completing boarding of the airplane and—along with the WilMA boarding method—provides the lowest health risk stemming from potential infection resulting from seat interferences. Airlines have the difficult task of making tradeoffs between economic productivity and the resulting impact on various health risks.

scholarly journals Determining the Number of Passengers for Each of Three Reverse Pyramid Boarding Groups with COVID-19 Flying Restrictions

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2038
Author(s):  
Camelia Delcea ◽  
R. John Milne ◽  
Liviu-Adrian Cotfas
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Relative Preference ◽  
Search Optimization ◽  
Airport Terminal ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The onset of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 has changed many aspects of people’s economic and social activities. For many airlines, social distancing has reduced airplane capacity by one third as a result of keeping the middle seats empty. Additionally, social distancing between passengers traversing the aisle slows the boarding process. Recent literature has suggested that the reverse pyramid boarding method provides favorable values for boarding time and passenger health metrics when compared to other boarding methods with social distancing. Assuming reverse pyramid boarding with the middle seats unoccupied, we determined the number of passengers to include in each of three boarding groups. We assumed that passengers use a jet-bridge that connects the airport terminal to the airplane’s front door. We used agent-based modeling and a stochastic simulation to evaluate solutions. A full grid search found an initial good solution, and then local search optimization determined the best solution based upon the airline’s relative preference for minimizing average boarding time and minimizing risks to previously seated passengers from later-boarding, potentially contagious passengers breathing near them. The resulting solution contained the number of passengers to place into each of the three boarding groups. If an airline is most concerned about the health risk to seated passengers from later boarding passengers walking near them, the best three-group reverse pyramid method adapted for social distancing will first board passengers with window seats in the rear half of the airplane, then will board passengers with window seats in the front half of the airplane and those with aisle seats in the rear half of the airplane, and finally will board the passengers with aisle seats in the front half of the airplane. The resulting solution takes about 2% longer to board than the three-group solution that minimizes boarding time while providing a 25% decrease in health risk to aisle seat passengers from later boarding passengers.

scholarly journals Coronaphobia in patients with fibromyalgia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevinç Külekçioğlu ◽  
Merve Akyüz ◽  
Özenç İnan ◽  
Alp Çetin
Keyword(s):  
Fibromyalgia Syndrome ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Locomotor System ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Group 1

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the level of coronaphobia caused by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to compare the results in patients without FMS. Patients and methods: Between August 2020 and October 2020, a total of 61 patients who were admitted to our outpatient clinic were included. The patients were divided into two groups as Group 1 (n=30; 2 males, 28 females; mean age: 43.2±9.3 years; range, 21 to 61 years) consisting of patients who were newly diagnosed or under follow-up for FMS and Group 2, the control group, (n=31; 4 males, 27 females; mean age: 49±10.7 years; range, 25 to 66 years) consisting patients who presented with any locomotor system complaint and were not diagnosed with FMS. Sociodemographic data of the patients and comorbidities were recorded. All the patients in both groups completed the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S). Results: The C19P-S total score and psychological, psychosomatic, social, and economic subscale scores were statistically significantly higher in the FMS group than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our study results suggest that FMS patients have more concerns in this extraordinary global pandemic situation. Early detection of coronaphobia and timely psychological support are critical for individuals prone to psychological disorders, such as FMS.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic Response Simulation in a Large City: Impact of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions on Reopening Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 0272989X2110030
Author(s):  
Serin Lee ◽  
Zelda B. Zabinsky ◽  
Judith N. Wasserheit ◽  
Stephen M. Kofsky ◽  
Shan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Large City ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Variable Compliance ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to expand, policymakers are striving to balance the combinations of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to keep people safe and minimize social disruptions. We developed and calibrated an agent-based simulation to model COVID-19 outbreaks in the greater Seattle area. The model simulated NPIs, including social distancing, face mask use, school closure, testing, and contact tracing with variable compliance and effectiveness to identify optimal NPI combinations that can control the spread of the virus in a large urban area. Results highlight the importance of at least 75% face mask use to relax social distancing and school closure measures while keeping infections low. It is important to relax NPIs cautiously during vaccine rollout in 2021.

scholarly journals A Failure of Political Communication Not a Failure of Bureaucracy: The Danger of Presidential Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 614-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Hatcher
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Incorrect Information

President Trump’s communications during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic violate principles of public health, such as practicing transparency and deferring to medical experts. Moreover, the president’s communications are dangerous and misleading, and his lack of leadership during the crisis limits the nation’s response to the problem, increases political polarization around public health issues of social distancing, and spreads incorrect information about health-related policies and medical procedures. To correct the dangerous path that the nation is on, the administration needs to adopt a more expert-centered approach to the crisis, and President Trump needs to practice compassion, empathy, and transparency in his communications.

scholarly journals Prevalence and correlates of forgone care among adult Israeli Jews: A survey conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260399
Author(s):  
Perla Werner ◽  
Aviad Tur-Sinai
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Model ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Efforts to control the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic include drastic measures such as isolation, social distancing, and lockdown. These restrictions are accompanied by serious adverse consequences such as forgoing of healthcare. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of forgone care for a variety of healthcare services during a two-month COVID-19 lockdown, using Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization. A cross-sectional study using computerized phone interviews was conducted with 302 Israeli Jewish participants aged 40 and above. Almost half of the participants (49%) reported a delay in seeking help for at least one needed healthcare service during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Among the predisposing factors, we found that participants aged 60+, being more religious, and reporting higher levels of COVID-19 fear were more likely to report forgone care than younger, less religious and less concerned participants. Among need factors, a statistically significant association was found with a reported diagnosis of diabetes, with participants with the disease having a considerably higher likelihood of forgone care. The findings stress the importance of developing interventions aimed at mitigating the phenomenon of forgoing care while creating nonconventional ways of consuming healthcare services. In the short term, healthcare services need to adapt to the social distancing and isolation measures required to stanch the epidemic. In the long term, policymakers should consider alternative ways of delivering healthcare services to the public regularly and during crisis without losing sight of their budgetary consequences. They must recognize the possibility of having to align medical staff to the changing demand for healthcare services under conditions of health uncertainty.

EVALUATION OF THE ORAL SYMPTOMS IN COVID 19 PATIENTS IN KAMRUP METRO- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

2021 ◽  
pp. 58-61
Author(s):  
Rubi Kataki ◽  
Pranamee Barua ◽  
Debosmita Roy ◽  
Prasanta Kumar Rabha
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Burning Sensation ◽  
Taste Sensation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Live Virus ◽  
Oral Manifestation ◽  
Oral Symptoms ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Group 1

The novel coronavirus are found to affect the ACE2 receptors in the epithelial cells of the lining of the respiratory tract. Since live virus have been found in the saliva of infected patients, and ACE2 receptors are present in epithelial lining of salivary glands and tongue, there are chances that the virus might affect the oral cavity and hence might have oral manifestation. The aim of the study was to determine and evaluate the presence of oral symptoms in the patients infected with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (Covid 19). In this cross sectional descriptive study, a set of questionnaires was MATERIALS AND METHODS: formulated and the patients who have come to covid screening centers in Kamrup Metro region were interviewed for both oral symptoms and general symptoms. A total of 467 patients were evaluated. The samples were divided according to covid positive or negative. Group 1: Covid positive (+ve); Group 2: Covid negative (- ve). Out of which Group 1 had 287 patients whereas Group 2 had 180 patients. Upon statist RESULTS: ical analysis, signicant differences were found with respect to fever, cough, breathing difficulty, sore throat, arthralgia, and asthenia where covid positive patients found to have a high prevalence of these symptoms. On evaluation of the of the oral symptoms in both covid positive and negative patients signicant differences were found viz., burning sensation, swollen gums , changes in taste sensation, pain in the TMJ and bleeding gums with covid positive patients having more predilection of having all these symptoms. On evaluation of the gender predilection between positive patients with symptoms, positive patients without symptoms and negative patients with symptoms , there found to be no signicant difference. oral CONCLUSION symptoms of burning sensation, changes in taste sensation , bleeding gums and pain in the TMJ are found to be more prevalent with patients having corona virus infection.

Work of the clinical expert department of the ophthalmosurgical clinic in the context of a pandemic of the novel coronavirus disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
O.B. Baleva ◽  
◽  
N.V. Savchenko ◽  
V.V. Egorov ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Distance ◽  
State Institution ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Medical Documentation ◽  
Federal State ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Clinical Expert

Changes in work of the clinical expert department of the Khabarovsk branch of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution (the Khabarovsk branch) in the context of a pandemic of the novel coronavirus disease were analyzed in the article. The difficulties that have appeared in all sections of the work performed are described, both medical and expert: the time for checking the quality of filling out medical documentation has increased due to the identification of a larger number of defects; the time for medical control and discharge of patients from the hospital has increased due to the impossibility of accumulating patients in one place and the need to maintain social distance; difficulties arose in working with experts from insurance companies due to the lack of direct communication (medical records are checked outside the Khabarovsk branch). The concern of people about the possibility of carrying out surgical treatment in conditions of coronavirus infection was expressed in an increase in the information load of the «Question - Answer» section on the website of the Khabarovsk branch and, accordingly, on the doctors in the clinical expert department working with it. Key words: pandemic, COVID-19, SARSCoV-2, anti-epidemic measures, personal protective equipment, social distance, treatment control, medical documentation, medical and economic expertise.

scholarly journals The role of race and scientific trust on support for COVID-19 social distancing measures in the United States

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254127
Author(s):  
Sara Kazemian ◽  
Sam Fuller ◽  
Carlos Algara
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Trust ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Media ◽  
Racial Lines ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Pundits and academics across disciplines note that the human toll brought forth by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States (U.S.) is fundamentally unequal for communities of color. Standing literature on public health posits that one of the chief predictors of racial disparity in health outcomes is a lack of institutional trust among minority communities. Furthermore, in our own county-level analysis from the U.S., we find that counties with higher percentages of Black and Hispanic residents have had vastly higher cumulative deaths from COVID-19. In light of this standing literature and our own analysis, it is critical to better understand how to mitigate or prevent these unequal outcomes for any future pandemic or public health emergency. Therefore, we assess the claim that raising institutional trust, primarily scientific trust, is key to mitigating these racial inequities. Leveraging a new, pre-pandemic measure of scientific trust, we find that trust in science, unlike trust in politicians or the media, significantly raises support for COVID-19 social distancing policies across racial lines. Our findings suggest that increasing scientific trust is essential to garnering support for public health policies that lessen the severity of the current, and potentially a future, pandemic.

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