ABSTRACT
This research analyses the structure of pilot remuneration and assesses the implications of structural change for pilots and airlines as they rebuild competitiveness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A review of the literature reveals a significant gap to be filled regarding the structure of airline pilot's pay and the way in which it has changed due to the pandemic. To explore this subject further in the context of the crisis, a conceptual framework is developed and an empirical study in the context of Australia is conducted. It is found that within Australia there has been a shift towards more productivity-based pilot remuneration strategies recently, with Virgin Australia opting for significant structural changes in how pilots are paid. A move to more productivity-based pay need not necessarily penalise pilots in the long-term but can provide significant savings in the short-term. For countries with highly unionised pilot workforces such as Australia, it is recommended that a pay structure to cater for a drop in demand is considered even during negotiations in good times.
ABSTRACT
Monitoring the mutation and evolution of the virus is important for tracing its ongoing transmission and facilitating effective vaccine development. A total of 342 complete genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed in this study. Compared to the reference genome reported in December 2019, 465 mutations were found, among which, 347 occurred in only 1 sequence, while 26 occurred in more than 5 sequences. For these 26 further identified as SNPs, 14 were closely linked and were grouped into 5 profiles. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the sequences formed 2 major groups. Most of the sequences in late period (March and April) constituted the Cluster II, while the sequences before March in this study and the reported S/L and A/B/C types in previous studies were all in Cluster I. The distributions of some mutations were specific geographically or temporally, the potential effect of which on the transmission and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 deserves further evaluation and monitoring. Two mutations were found in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) but outside the receptor-binding motif (RBM), indicating that mutations may only have marginal biological effects but merit further attention. The observed novel sequence divergence is of great significance to the study of the transmission, pathogenicity, and development of an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.
ABSTRACT
This study empirically investigates the determinants and drivers of Hong Kong's inbound tourism using data from January 2019 to December 2020. Five of Hong Kong's major regional tourism source markets are selected: Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. Our empirical results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant negative impacts on the tourism and aviation sectors in Hong Kong that are asymmetric in the source and destination countries. In addition, international travel control imposed by the Hong Kong government is often defined according to the pandemic situation in the tourism source countries, Hong Kong's inbound visitor volume is also significantly affected by the Hong Kong government's response to COVID-19 infection cases in the tourism origin markets. Our empirical results also suggest that the flying distance to Hong Kong and high tourism costs in Hong Kong reduced visitor arrival demand, whereas increased aviation services and tourism market potential contributed to tourism growth. These results suggest that the tourism industry and government agencies should cooperate to recover when the pandemic is under good control, so that Hong Kong will be regarded as a preferred and safe destination for travelers and visitors. Our study emphasizes the complementarity between pandemic control and tourism recovery. Pandemic control involves extra tests and quarantine requirements on passengers, more vigorous border control. These operational and associated financial requirements call for government support to the tourism and aviation sectors in the early stage of recovery to create a positive feedback loop.
ABSTRACT
Utilizing an interdigitated microelectrode chip modified with an antibody probe, and integrating dielectrophoresis enrichment with interfacial capacitance sensing, a real-time immunosensor is presented for detection of trace level biomarkers from virus.
ABSTRACT
The detection of serum antibodies to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is emerging as a new tool for the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis. Since many coronaviruses are sensitive to heat, heating inactivation of samples at 56 prior to testing is considered a possible method to reduce the risk of transmission, but the effect of heating on the measurement of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is still unclear. By comparing the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies before and after heat inactivation of serum at 56 for 30 minutes using a quantitative fluorescence immunochromatographic assay, we shown that heat inactivation significantly interferes with the levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The IgM levels of all the 34 serum samples (100%) from COVID-19 patients decreased by an average level of 53.56%. The IgG levels were decreased in 22 of 34 samples (64.71%) by an average level of 49.54%. Similar changes can also be observed in the non-COVID-19 diseases group (n=9). Of note, 44.12% of the detected IgM levels were dropped below the cut-off value after heating, suggesting heat inactivation can lead to false-negative results of these samples. Our results indicate that heat inactivation of serum at 56 for 30 minutes interferes with the immunoanalysis of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Heat inactivation prior to immunoanalysis is not recommended and the possibility of false-negative results should be considered if the sample was pre-inactivated by heating.