Experiences of working from home: umbrella review

INTRODUCTION

The concept of "working from home" is extremely topical following the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, it is unsurprising that there has been an increased interest in collating research related to homeworking. This has been carried out by multiple reviews, all with slightly different research aims and methodologies. Collating the findings from the available reviews is therefore highly beneficial to establish the experience of homeworking to create recommendations for the future of home-based work.

METHODS

An umbrella review was carried out. In June 2022, literature searches were conducted across 4 electronic databases. Published reviews of literature that used a systematic process, were focused on working from home populations, and detailed factors that could be related to the personal experience of homeworking (eg, barriers, facilitators, advantages, disadvantages) were included.

RESULTS

A total of 1930 records were screened and 6 review articles were included. Results report on the following sections: working environment (eg, workplace design, space conditions), personal impact (eg, satisfaction, career impact), and health (eg, physical health, well-being) including a total of 19 themes. Mixed findings were apparent for nearly all included themes, highlighting the need to consider individual and contextual circumstances when researching working from home.

CONCLUSIONS

This review establishes the importance of retaining flexibility while homeworking for employees, managers, and organizations. Essentially, a one-size-fits-all approach to working from home is impractical as individual circumstances limit application. Eight recommendations for the future of working from home are suggested.

An online RCT on behavioural expectations effects of COVID-19 certification policies in England

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different types of COVID-19 certification policy on subsequent behavioural expectations.

Design

4 × 2 between-subjects pre-registered randomised controlled trial.

Method

In August 2022, participants (n = 2726) in England were presented with a scenario describing a rise in COVID-19 infections and the introduction of new protective measures. The protective measures described varied with regards to the setting (healthcare vs. recreational) and the type of policy (no certification vs. vaccination vs. vaccination or free Lateral Flow test vs. vaccination or Lateral Flow test at personal cost). Participants then answered questions on their expectations to receive another dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine and to adhere to other protective behaviours following the announcement, as well as questions based on Self-Determination Theory, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and broader vaccine hesitancy.

Results

We found no main effects of setting or type of certification on expectation to receive the next dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine, or to adhere to other protective measures, when controlling for baseline expectations.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that it is unlikely that the concept of certification, however it is framed, alters inclinations in the English population towards COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccination or inclinations towards adhering to other protective behaviours within settings to which certification would apply. These findings are based on a hypothetical scenario and should be interpreted with caution.

Field-based methods for measuring greenhouse gases emissions from on-site sanitation systems: A systematic review of published literature

On-site sanitation systems (OSS) are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although efforts have been made recently to measure and quantify emissions from septic tanks using various field-based methods, the vast majority of published literature reporting GHG emissions from OSS units (e.g., pits and tanks) is based on non-empirical evidence. This systematic review presents an overview and limitations of field-based methods used for the quantification of GHG emissions from OSS. Papers published in English were searched in three databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, and Directory of Articles and Journals. Peer-reviewed papers that reported field-based methods applied to containment units in OSS were included in this study. Only eight out of 2085 papers met the inclusion criteria with septic tanks as the sole technology reported and were thus, considered for the review. Most of the studies have been conducted in middle- and high-income countries. Field-based measurements of GHGs are conducted using a flux chamber (FC) and the most commonly used FC methods are (a) the modified simple static FC, (b) automated static FC, and (c) floating FC. Data reported in published studies do not provide sufficient information on the calibration and validation of the results from the FCs used. The complex FC designs, laborious fieldwork operations, and reliance on expensive, specialist equipment, suggest that such methods may not be suitable in Low and Middle-Income countries (LMICs), where resources and access to laboratory facilities are limited. Also, the complexity of pits and tank typology in LMICs (i.e., unstandardised designs and sizes) may be a challenge to the use of FCs with fixed dimensions and set operational conditions. The variation in the quantification methods and resulting emission rates among the studies indicates that gaps prevail in the use of existing methods. Therefore, there is still a need for a simple field-based, easily adaptable FC method with adequate calibration and validation that can help in reliably quantifying the emissions from different OSS in any LMICs.

The effects of messaging on long COVID expectations: An online experiment

OBJECTIVE

We examined whether varying information about long COVID would affect expectations about the illness.

METHOD

In October 2021, we conducted a 2 (Illness Description: long COVID vs. ongoing COVID-19 recovery) × 2 (Symptom Uncertainty: uncertainty emphasized vs. not emphasized) × 2 (Efficacy of Support: enhanced vs. basic support) between-subjects randomized online experimental study. Participants (N = 1,110) were presented with a scenario describing a positive COVID-19 test result, followed by one of eight scenarios describing a long COVID diagnosis and then completed outcome measures of illness expectations including: symptom severity, symptom duration, quality of life, personal control, treatment control, and illness coherence.

RESULTS

We ran a series of 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVAs on the outcome variables. We found a main effect of illness description: individuals reported longer symptom duration and less illness coherence when the illness was described as long COVID (compared to ongoing COVID-19 recovery). There was a main effect of symptom uncertainty: when uncertainty was emphasized, participants reported longer expected symptom duration (p < .001), less treatment control (p = .031), and less illness coherence (p < .001) than when uncertainty was not emphasized. There was a main effect of efficacy of support: participants reported higher personal control (p = .004) and higher treatment control (p = .037) when support was enhanced (compared to basic support).

CONCLUSIONS

Communications around long COVID should avoid emphasizing symptom uncertainty and aim to provide people with access to additional support and information on how they can facilitate their recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Modelling faecal pathogen flows and health risks in urban Bangladesh: Implications for sanitation decision making

Faecal-oral infections are a major component of the disease burden in low-income contexts, with inadequate sanitation seen as a contributing factor. However, demonstrating health effects of sanitation interventions - particularly in urban areas - has proved challenging and there is limited empirical evidence to support sanitation decisions that maximise health gains. This study aimed to develop, apply and validate a systems modelling approach to inform sanitation infrastructure and service decision-making in urban environments by examining enteric pathogen inputs, transport and reduction by various sanitation systems, and estimating corresponding exposure and public health impacts. The health effects of eight sanitation options were assessed in a low-income area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a focus on five target pathogens (Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella Typhi, norovirus GII and Giardia). Relative to the sanitation base case in the study site (24% septic tanks, 5% holding tanks and 71% toilets discharging directly to open drains), comprehensive coverage of septic tanks was estimated to reduce the disease burden in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by 48-72%, while complete coverage of communal scale anaerobic baffled reactors was estimated to reduce DALYs by 67-81%. Despite these improvements, a concerning health risk persists with these systems as a result of effluent discharge to open drains, particularly when the systems are poorly managed. Other sanitation options, including use of constructed wetlands and small bore sewerage, demonstrated further reductions in local health risk, though several still exported pathogens into neighbouring areas, simply transferring risk to downstream communities. The study revealed sensitivity to and a requirement for further evidence on log reduction values for different sanitation systems under varying performance conditions, pathogen flows under flooding conditions as well as pathogen shedding and human exposure in typical low-income urban settings. Notwithstanding variability and uncertainties in input parameters, systems modelling can be a feasible and customisable approach to consider the relative health impact of different sanitation options across various contexts, and stands as a valuable tool to guide urban sanitation decision-making.

Faecal Pathogen Flows and Their Public Health Risks in Urban Environments: A Proposed Approach to Inform Sanitation Planning

Public health benefits are often a key political driver of urban sanitation investment in developing countries, however, pathogen flows are rarely taken systematically into account in sanitation investment choices. While several tools and approaches on sanitation and health risks have recently been developed, this research identified gaps in their ability to predict faecal pathogen flows, to relate exposure risks to the existing sanitation services, and to compare expected impacts of improvements. This paper outlines a conceptual approach that links faecal waste discharge patterns with potential pathogen exposure pathways to quantitatively compare urban sanitation improvement options. An illustrative application of the approach is presented, using a spreadsheet-based model to compare the relative effect on disability-adjusted life years of six sanitation improvement options for a hypothetical urban situation. The approach includes consideration of the persistence or removal of different pathogen classes in different environments; recognition of multiple interconnected sludge and effluent pathways, and of multiple potential sites for exposure; and use of quantitative microbial risk assessment to support prediction of relative health risks for each option. This research provides a step forward in applying current knowledge to better consider public health, alongside environmental and other objectives, in urban sanitation decision making. Further empirical research in specific locations is now required to refine the approach and address data gaps.

Measurement of the ratio of the numu charged-current single-pion production to quasielastic scattering with a 0.8 GeV neutrino beam on mineral oil

Using high statistics samples of charged-current numu interactions, the MiniBooNE [corrected] Collaboration reports a measurement of the single-charged-pion production to quasielastic cross section ratio on mineral oil (CH2), both with and without corrections for hadron reinteractions in the target nucleus. The result is provided as a function of neutrino energy in the range 0.4 GeV<Enu<2.4 GeV with 11% precision in the region of highest statistics. The results are consistent with previous measurements and the prediction from historical neutrino calculations.

Search for muon neutrino and antineutrino disappearance in MiniBooNE

The MiniBooNE Collaboration reports a search for nu_{micro} and nu[over]_{micro} disappearance in the Deltam;{2} region of 0.5-40 eV;{2}. These measurements are important for constraining models with extra types of neutrinos, extra dimensions, and CPT violation. Fits to the shape of the nu_{micro} and nu[over]_{micro} energy spectra reveal no evidence for disappearance at the 90% confidence level (C.L.) in either mode. The test of nu[over]_{micro} disappearance probes a region below Deltam;{2} = 40 eV;{2} never explored before.

Measurement of numicro and nue events in an off-axis horn-focused neutrino beam

We report the first observation of off-axis neutrino interactions in the MiniBooNE detector from the NuMI beam line at Fermilab. The MiniBooNE detector is located 745 m from the NuMI production target, at 110 mrad angle (6.3 degrees) with respect to the NuMI beam axis. Samples of charged-current quasielastic numicro and nue interactions are analyzed and found to be in agreement with expectation. This provides a direct verification of the expected pion and kaon contributions to the neutrino flux and validates the modeling of the NuMI off-axis beam.

Unexplained excess of electronlike events from a 1-GeV neutrino beam

The MiniBooNE Collaboration observes unexplained electronlike events in the reconstructed neutrino energy range from 200 to 475 MeV. With 6.46x10;{20} protons on target, 544 electronlike events are observed in this energy range, compared to an expectation of 415.2+/-43.4 events, corresponding to an excess of 128.8+/-20.4+/-38.3 events. The shape of the excess in several kinematic variables is consistent with being due to either nu_{e} and nu[over ]_{e} charged-current scattering or nu_{mu} neutral-current scattering with a photon in the final state. No significant excess of events is observed in the reconstructed neutrino energy range from 475 to 1250 MeV, where 408 events are observed compared to an expectation of 385.9+/-35.7 events.

Measurement of muon neutrino quasielastic scattering on carbon

The observation of neutrino oscillations is clear evidence for physics beyond the standard model. To make precise measurements of this phenomenon, neutrino oscillation experiments, including MiniBooNE, require an accurate description of neutrino charged current quasielastic (CCQE) cross sections to predict signal samples. Using a high-statistics sample of nu_(mu) CCQE events, MiniBooNE finds that a simple Fermi gas model, with appropriate adjustments, accurately characterizes the CCQE events observed in a carbon-based detector. The extracted parameters include an effective axial mass, M_(A)(eff)=1.23+/-0.20 GeV, that describes the four-momentum dependence of the axial-vector form factor of the nucleon, and a Pauli-suppression parameter, kappa=1.019+/-0.011. Such a modified Fermi gas model may also be used by future accelerator-based experiments measuring neutrino oscillations on nuclear targets.

Search for electron neutrino appearance at the Delta m2 approximately 1 eV2 scale

The MiniBooNE Collaboration reports first results of a search for nu e appearance in a nu mu beam. With two largely independent analyses, we observe no significant excess of events above the background for reconstructed neutrino energies above 475 MeV. The data are consistent with no oscillations within a two-neutrino appearance-only oscillation model.

Sensory integration and teacher-judged learning problems: a controlled intervention trial

Seventy-four children from 21 schools referred because of teacher-perceived learning difficulties and prescreened for sensory integration (SI) deficits were given tests of SI, reading, vocabulary, perceptuo-motor function and motor development, and their teachers rated their classroom behaviour. The results showed that the children suffered primarily from attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity, and from mild deficits of SI. They were then divided into two groups matched approximately for sex, school and degree of SI deficits. One group received no treatment while the other was given about 13 weekly SI sessions, each of 1 h duration. All children were then reassessed on the same set of measures. There were significant improvements with time in both treated and untreated groups on most measures except classroom behaviour. Only one measure showed a treatment effect, though this one was most reflective of SI theory.

Detection of a unique human V kappa IV germline gene by a cloned cDNA probe

We have cloned the cDNA encoding the KIV chain of a human antibody with specificity against the major carbohydrate antigen of Streptococcus A. The cDNA has been used as a genetic probe to estimate the number of germline VKIV genes in human DNA. The presence of unique hybridizing bands on digestion of human DNA with several restriction endonucleases and the equivalence of the DNA in a band to a single gene per haploid genome point to the conclusion that there is a unique human VKIV germline gene. The corollary of this conclusion is that the diversity of human VKIV chains must be exclusively due to somatic mutation. This is supported by examination of the sequences of human KIV chain genes and their KIV chain products. Fusion of the unique germline VKIV gene (1) with one of several JK segments, followed by somatic mutations in the V region of the rearranged KIV gene, can account for the known sequences. The restricted germline gene repertoire may account for the small proportion of human KIV chains in the human K chain sequence library (2).

Canadian contributions towards the comprehension of hyperinsulinism: the first successful excision of an insulinoma

The authors review briefly the contributions to the "insulin story" made by Canadian doctors. A.G. Nichols from the department of pathology, McGill University, first described an adenoma arising from the islets of Langerhans. The authors also review the background to the first successful excision of a functioning tumour of the pancreas by R.R. Graham in 1929; in the preceding 2 years W. J. Mayo had found a malignant islet cell tumour with hepatic metastases and J.M.T. Finney had operated on a patient suffering from functional hypoglycemia. Graham found and successfully excised what was probably a solitary benign islet cell adenoma. The authors believe the patient was cured.

Recurrent meningitis and brain abscess caused by Eikenella corrodens

A case of recurrent menigitis and brain abscess caused by Eikenella corrodens in a patient with previous otitis media and mastoidectomy.