Unemployment and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) during the First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic in Metropolitan Lima, Peru

Due to the increase in unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Metropolitan Lima (Peru), unemployment in 2020 rose to 16.5% (1.3 million unemployed) compared to the previous year. Through innovation, SMEs sought new strategies to continue growing in the highly competitive market, generating labour demand. Therefore, the research question proposed was: How has business innovation favoured the reduction of unemployment in SMEs during the pandemic caused by COVID-19 in Metropolitan Lima? In order to solve this problem, this research developed a qualitative approach using grounded theory. Data was collected by interviewing 17 key subjects, in addition to the observation of 12 businesses between the months of August and October 2021. The results show that the observed businesses that were able to successfully cope with the pandemic had to modify their structure or processes with new sales methods (home delivery), as well as novel promotion and advertising techniques. © 2023 Maldonado-Cueva et al.

THE EFFECT OF SURGICAL MASKS ON OXYGEN SATURATION AND PERCEIVED EXERTION DURING RESISTANCE TRAINING

Objective: This investigation aimed to evaluate SpO2, and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) derived from a strength training session in two distinct scenarios: normal condition versus the usage of surgical masks for COVID-19 prevention. Methods: Fifteen trained men (81.66 ± 8.37 kg;177.66 ± 6.31 cm;26.88 ± 5.55 years of age;12.17 ± 5.98 % fat;1.15 ± 0.19 kg/kg bench press relative strength/body weight) were selected, and they performed two test sessions to determine 10-RM loads for all exercises adjusted for 80%. The SpO2 measurement was verified immediately after each set for every exercise, and, concomitantly, the participants were asked to identify their RPE to provide a subjective measure of fatigue. In the first session, subjects performed the training routine using the SARS-CoV-2 protection surgical mask with a passive rest interval of 2 minutes, but the second was performed without wearing a surgical mask. Results: The SpO2 showed a difference (p = 0.03) under the condition curve with the mask (481.33 ± 3.04) versus without the mask (484.46 ± 5.96), with increments in SpO2 for the condition without the mask at different verification times (p = 0.039). Regarding the initial sets and exercises, there were no significant differences between the RPE values between the different conditions, that is, regardless of the mask use (p = 0.052). However, for the final exercises, significant differences were observed in the second set (PD, p = 0.01;LC, p = 0.02) and in the three sets of the TE exercise (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Overall, we found that the use of surgical masks reduces SpO2 and increases RPE in a strength training session. © 2022, Drustvo Pedagoga Tjelesne i Zdravstvene Kulture. All rights reserved.

Study of Different Seat Allocation Strategies to Reduce the Risk of Contagion Among Passengers in a Public Road Transport System

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, public transport systems suffered a significant reduction in passengers due to the suppression of services and reduced vehicle capacity. This reduction jeopardized their role as facilitators of sustainable mobility, causing large economic losses to public transport operators. Therefore, an intelligent management aimed at reducing the risk of contagion among its users is an aspect of interest for public transport operators and a challenge from a scientific point of view. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at analyzing the effect of different seat allocation strategies on the risk of contagion among passengers. Starting from a formalization of the problem based on epidemiological and public transport entities, the methodology employed, based on Data Mining, makes use of simulation processes to analyze the effect of these strategies. The paper presents the results obtained by analyzing a route of a public road passenger transport operator. The results allow us to evaluate the risk of contagion of different seat allocation strategies and to evaluate how this risk varies according to the number of passengers who have traveled on a vehicle journey. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Using Data Mining to Estimate Patterns of Contagion-Risk Interactions in an Intercity Public Road Transport System

The COVID-19 pandemic has had very negative effects on public transport systems. These effects have compromised the role they should play as enablers of social equity and environmentally sustainable mobility and have caused serious economic losses for public transport operators. For this reason, in the context of pandemics, meaningful epidemiological information gathered in the specific framework of these systems is of great interest. This article presents the findings of an investigation into the risk of transmission of a respiratory infectious disease in an intercity road transport system that carries millions of passengers annually. To achieve this objective, a data mining methodology was used to generate the data required to ascertain the level of risk. Using this methodology, the occupancy of vehicle seats by passengers was simulated using two different strategies. The first is an empirical approach to the behaviour of passengers when occupying a free seat and the second attempts to minimise the risk of contagion. For each of these strategies, the interactions with risk of infection between passengers were estimated, the patterns of these interactions on the different routes of the transport system were obtained using k-means clustering technique, and the impact of the strategies was analysed.

The assist program

Background: Older adults (OA) disproportionately account for over 80 percent of mortality from the pandemic. Public Health safety recommendations for this vulnerable group includes social distancing and staying home, resulting in isolation and loneliness. UC Irvine Division of Geriatrics and School of Nursing developed the Assisting and Supporting Socially Isolated Seniors via Telephone or ASSIST Program to provide emotional support, community resources, and COVID-19 information by pairing OA with trained medical and nursing students for regular telephone check-ins during the pandemic. Methods: OA participants were recruited through health and community agencies including Meals on Wheels and low-income residential communities. Medical and nursing students were trained by UCI faculty/staff on COVID-19 guidelines, program procedures, and support services. Students called their paired OA and submitted Call Logs summarizing each conversation for faculty/staff review. Call Logs were analyzed to identify recurring themes. Staff conducted an OA participant satisfaction survey by phone. Students participated in an anonymous web-survey to identify learning experience and program satisfaction. Results: For 8 months during the pandemic, 43 OA participated in the program (living status-51% alone, 16% with others, 16% with family;70% female;63% aged 65-84). 45 students were paired to provide calls for about 30-minute weekly, averaging 9 calls per participant. An analysis of the combined 332 Call Logs identified frequent OA concerns: 'worries regarding health', 'family support and caregiving,' 'feelings of isolation,' 'COVID-19 education,' and 'needing community resources.' Satisfaction with the program was high with 95.2% of OA stating that ASSIST had been helpful;90.5% said that their student communicated effectively and provided helpful resources;and 95.2% said their student helped them feel less isolated during the pandemic. Mean student learning satisfaction was 4.3 of 5 (SD=0.43) with 94.7% reporting improved communication skills. Conclusion: The results from the project demonstrated satisfaction with the ASSIST program in vulnerable OA living in the community during the pandemic and positive geriatric education outcomes for healthcare students.