Lockdown: a non-pharmaceutical policy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Mathematical modeling and computation

In this paper, we derive and analyze an extended SIRS-model which includes lockdown policies at the early stages of the pandemic. The latter play a salient role for flattening the curve of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and is introduced as a model compartment. An error function is reported, which serves as a bridge between the outcomes of the model and available databases; we estimate the values of the model parameters by minimizing the error function. The intervention function, obtained from the equivalent system of the proposed model, and effective reproduction function are also derived to understand the underline scenario of the coronavirus outbreak. We then estimate the epidemiological variables such as susceptible, recovered, lockdown etc. for Canada and three of its provinces, Ontario, Qu\’ebec and British Columbia, significantly affected by the coronavirus. Some improvements, such as spatial dependence or “at risk’‘ vs “healthy” population, will finally be proposed in order to increase the accuracy of the modeling.

Caught Between Expectations and the Practice Field

Background: Volunteer crisis line responders are a valuable resource for suicide prevention crisis lines worldwide. Aim: The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how volunteers operating a diaconal crisis line in Norway experienced challenges and how these challenges were met. Method: A qualitative, explorative study was conducted. A total of 27 volunteers were interviewed through four focus groups. The material was analyzed using systematic text condensation. Results: The greatest challenge to the volunteers was the perception of a gap between their expectations and the practice field. The experience of many volunteers was that the crisis line primarily served a broad ongoing support function for loneliness or mental illness concerns, rather than a suicide prevention crisis intervention function. Limitations: The focus group design may have made the participants more reluctant to share experiences representing alternative perspectives or personally sensitive information. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that a uniform response to callers using crisis lines as a source of ongoing support is warranted and should be implemented in volunteer training programs.

Video artivism: The poetics of symbolic conflict

The relationship between signs and human action is one of the most widely studied theories in art and communications. Humans are constantly producing new discourse and new discursive devices and the issue of the relationship between signs / action not only remains open, but is branching off and forming hybrids with other matters. This work explores one of its branches. We performed theoretical research on the foundations of video artivism, with the aim of achieving a conceptual definition. Firstly, the purpose of the study is defined and the historical background and basic sources of influence described in order to trace a map of its fields of application in teaching practices and empirical research. The results therefore come from a bibliographic review of academic as well as artistic and activist sources, which were based on sections of the differentiating features they respectively recognize and self-recognize as artivist. Six identified features are described: the intervention function, the hybrid code, against domination, disruption, disavowal and subversion, which are aimed at establishing processes, procedures, subjects and the specific forms in which artivism has an impact on society. The article also refers to selected cases as a conceptual sample of the theoretical assumptions made and to describe their capacity of transformation. La relación entre los signos y la acción humana representa uno de los asuntos más estudiados en el campo del arte y la comunicación. Y el ser humano no para de producir nuevos discursos y nuevos dispositivos discursivos, por lo cual, la pregunta sobre esa relación signos/acción no solo sigue abierta, sino que se ramifica e hibrida hacia otros materiales. Este trabajo explora una de sus ramas. Realizamos una indagación teórica de los fundamentos del videoartivismo, con el objetivo de realizar una delimitación conceptual. Para ello, se define el objeto de estudio, se describen los antecedentes históricos y fuentes básicas de influencia que permiten trazar un mapa de sus campos de aplicación en prácticas docentes o investigaciones empíricas. Se presentan resultados de una revisión bibliográfica de fuentes académicas, y también artísticas y activistas, a las que se ha interrogado a partir de una rúbrica sobre los rasgos diferenciales con los que respectivamente reconocen y se autorreconocen como artivistas. Se describen seis rasgos identificados: función de intervención, código híbrido, contra dominación, disruptividad, desautorización y subversión, que pretenden fijar los procesos, procedimientos, sujetos y forma específica en que el artivismo impacta en la sociedad. En paralelo, el texto remite casos seleccionados como muestra conceptual de ratificación de los supuestos teóricos, con los que describir su capacidad de transformación.