Souraya Sidani, Melissa Northwood, Bharati Sethi, Zhixi Cecilia Zhuang and Konain Edhi
The stay-at-home orders were necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19 but have worsened social isolation and loneliness among older persons. Strategies to maintain social…
Abstract
Purpose
The stay-at-home orders were necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19 but have worsened social isolation and loneliness among older persons. Strategies to maintain social connections have been proposed. It is unclear if the reported experiences of social isolation and loneliness are comparable for older immigrants and if the proposed strategies are relevant to this vulnerable population. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap.
Design/methodology/approach
This scoping review addressed two questions: What evidence exists on the experience of social isolation and loneliness in older immigrants? What strategies can be beneficial to keep older immigrants socially connected during the COVID-19 pandemic? The search for relevant articles was done in several databases covering the scientific and gray literature, using keywords that reflect the diversity of terminology referring to the main concepts (isolation and loneliness) and target population (older immigrants). Discussion papers and research studies were reviewed, and the main points or findings were documented on data abstraction forms and summarized in a table. The information in the table was compared and contrasted to identify common themes.
Findings
Only six articles (four discussion papers and two studies) met the scoping review’s eligibility criteria. Concerns about interruptions of older immigrants’ social connection during the pandemic were partially corroborated with the studies’ results. Most participants shifted the medium of their contacts from in-person to telephone or social media, and perceived no change in the experience of loneliness. Those with high levels of loneliness reported heightened anxiety and depression. The proposed strategies entailed the use of technology to connect with others and to deliver services, outdoor group activities within the constraints of containment measures and provision of culturally tailored social programs or services.
Research limitations/implications
The acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategies should be examined to determine the best practices aimed to promote social connection among older immigrants within and outside the context of the pandemic.
Originality/value
The scoping review identified strategies that can be used to address social isolation and loneliness among older immigrants during the pandemic.
Details
Keywords
Panagiotis Loukopoulos, George Zolkiewski, Ian Bennett, Pericles Pilidis, Fang Duan and David Mba
Centrifugal compressors are integral components in oil industry, thus effective maintenance is required. Condition-based maintenance and prognostics and health management…
Abstract
Purpose
Centrifugal compressors are integral components in oil industry, thus effective maintenance is required. Condition-based maintenance and prognostics and health management (CBM/PHM) have been gaining popularity. CBM/PHM can also be performed remotely leading to e-maintenance. Its success depends on the quality of the data used for analysis and decision making. A major issue associated with it is the missing data. Their presence may compromise the information within a set, causing bias or misleading results. Addressing this matter is crucial. The purpose of this paper is to review and compare the most widely used imputation techniques in a case study using condition monitoring measurements from an operational industrial centrifugal compressor.
Design/methodology/approach
Brief overview and comparison of most widely used imputation techniques using a complete set with artificial missing values. They were tested regarding the effects of the amount, the location within the set and the variable containing the missing values.
Findings
Univariate and multivariate imputation techniques were compared, with the latter offering the smallest error levels. They seemed unaffected by the amount or location of the missing data although they were affected by the variable containing them.
Research limitations/implications
During the analysis, it was assumed that at any time only one variable contained missing data. Further research is still required to address this point.
Originality/value
This study can serve as a guide for selecting the appropriate imputation method for missing values in centrifugal compressor condition monitoring data.