Rethinking human capital: Perspectives from women working in the informal economy

MotivationThe development of human capital is a priority for most nation states, accelerated by the COVID-19 global pandemic. In the context of reimagining a "new normal" post-COVID, we reconsider the concept of human capital, and focus on knowledge, skills, and training of individuals in order to capture aspects of inclusive development.PurposeThis paper shows how the perspective of women, informal sector workers, representing some of the most marginalized workers in society, informs and improves our understanding of human capital and its development and utilization.Methods and approachOur findings are derived from field-based research conducted over the summer of 2021 in which multiple (virtual) focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with selected members of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in India.FindingsThrough our FGDs, the participants provided new perspectives and insights into our knowledge of human capital, emphasizing the importance of social protection programmes, gender equity, ongoing training opportunities, decentralized supply chains, and income security. Perhaps most significantly, the benefits accrued to women through being organized have been key to unlocking their human capital potential.Policy implicationsOur research highlights themes that are often overlooked in the literature or are beyond the scope of more narrow conceptualizations of human capital. We show that human capital is tightly interwoven with other forms of capital (community assets), and hence efforts to build the former cannot be achieved in isolation from attending to the latter.

Factors contributing to COVID-19 skepticism and information gaps among older adults in the United States and Canada: An analysis of nationality, gender, education, family, and politics

This study examines relationships between demographic attributes of older adults, information challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and skepticism about the efficacy of COVID-19 preventative measures (social distancing, mask wearing, good hygiene). A 12-question survey was distributed on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform in late June 2021, receiving 400 responses. Findings indicate that gender, political affiliation, relationship status, family closeness, and perceived family control over one's information source preferences are the greatest predictors of elevated gaps in information and skepticism towards COVID-19 prevention. Specifically, in this study, married, conservative men with close family ties often expressed elevated inadequacy of information and COVID-19 skepticism.

Preparation of monoclonal antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein and development of double antibody sandwich ELISA

Objective To prepare the monoclonal antibody (McAb) against spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and develop and verify a double antibody sandwich ELISA method for determination of spike protein antigen content. Methods McAb was prepared by hybridoma cell technology and identified. A double antibody sandwich ELISA using the prepared McAb as coating antibody and HRP-labeled rabbit anti-spike protein polyclonal antibody as detection antibody, and used for determination of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antigen content. The concentrations of coating (10, 5, 2. 5 and 1. 25 microg / mL) and eniyme-labeled antibodies (4, 2 and l microg / mL) as well as kinds of bloc king reagents (non-blocked, 1% BSA diluted with PBS, 2% BSA diluted with PBS, 1% BSA + 1% sucrose, 2% BSA + 2% sucrose) were optimized. The developed method was verified .'or linear range, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. The 10 samples with known S protein antigen contents at various stages of production process were determined by the developed method, of which the coincidence rate of result to that by a quantitative determination method developed by Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College was calculated. Results Eighteen hybridom cell strains secreting S protein-specific McAb were screened. The ascites antibody prepared with 7B IOA2 cell line reached a concentration of 4. 487 mg/ mL and a purity of more than 90% after purification, which showed specific binding to the SI subunit of S protein. The McAb was of an antibody subtype of lgG2b, of which the titer and effect concentration were I: 128 000 and 0. 137 micro.g / mL respectively. The optimal concentrations of coating and enzyme-labeled antibodies were 5 and micro.g / mL respectively, while the optimal blocking reagent was 2% BSA + 2% sucrose. The linear range of the developed method was 2. 5 - 160 U, with a correlation coefficient (R2 ) of more than 0. 99 and a sensitivity of 1. 25 U. The method showed high specificity, with no reactions with nucleocapsid (N) protein, BSA, PBS and influenza virus. The recovery in verification for accuracy was 92. 10% - 111. 58%. The coincidence rates of determination results of samples with known S protein antigen contents by two methods were 94. 2% - 109% . Conclusion Specific McAb against S protein of SARS-CoV-2 was prepared, and a double antibody sandwich ELISA method was developed, which was suitable for determination of S protein content in vaccine products samples at various stages of production process and other samples. Copyright © 2022 Changchun Institute of Biological Products. All rights reserved.

Infectious Diseases Dynamic Transmissibility with Age Structure and Medical Resources

Tendency forecasting of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, is urgently required to evaluate outbreak risk and control decisions. Although transmission models based on natural factors like virus propagation, temperature, and human modality are studied carefully, social factors cause high flexibility on dynamic propagation change under actual virus spreading conditions. We propose a time-variant relevance-based infected recovered extreme learning machine to generate a quantitative forecasting model with social factors. Also, embedded distance is used to measure the similarity and realize flexible forecasting based on social impactors. We investigated the age structure and the medical supply under the COVID-19 pandemic with nonidentical open-source data We found that embedded distance with the proposed model is highly consistent with projection accuracy, and the proposed method can achieve higher accuracy than existed methods. Based on the forecasting model, age distribution and medical supply make a difference in COVID-19 transmission. Areas with the middle proportion of the aged population face higher outbreaking risks, and sufficient medical supply control the infection speed efficiently within three weeks. This study provides an efficient projection of dynamic transmission under the social impact on infectious diseases pandemics. © 2021 IEEE

Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Intubation Confirmation of COVID-19 Patients

The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, as well as large numbers of patients requiring endotracheal intubation. While much of the literature has focused on the intubation technique, there is scant discussion of intubation confirmation. Herein, we discuss the limitations of traditional confirmatory approaches, summarize the literature supporting a role for point-of-care ultrasound in this application, and propose an algorithm for intubation confirmation among COVID-19 patients. [West J Emerg Med. 2020;21(5)1042-1045.]

Dermatologic Manifestations and Complications of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While much of the focus has been on the cardiac and pulmonary complications, there are several important dermatologic components that clinicians must be aware of. Objective: This brief report summarizes the dermatologic manifestations and complications associated with COVID-19 with an emphasis on Emergency Medicine clinicians. Discussion: Dermatologic manifestations of COVID-19 are increasingly recognized within the literature. The primary etiologies include vasculitis versus direct viral involvement. There are several types of skin findings described in association with COVID-19. These include maculopapular rashes, urticaria, vesicles, petechiae, purpura, chilblains, livedo racemosa, and distal limb ischemia. While most of these dermatologic findings are self-resolving, they can help increase one's suspicion for COVID-19. Conclusion: It is important to be aware of the dermatologic manifestations and complications of COVID-19.Knowledge of the components is important to help identify potential COVID-19 patients and properly treat complications.

Analysis of the neonatal dacryocystitis treated by lacrimal passage probing in ambulatory surgery mode during the prevalence of COVID-19

AIM: To analyze the clinical efficacy of neonatal dacryocystitis treated by the lacrimal passage probing (LPB) in ambulatory surgery mode during the prevalence of the COVID-19, and to provide a theoretical basis for the development and promotion of daytime operation mode of LPB in neonatal dacryocystitis. METHODS: The information of 215 cases with neonatal dacryocystitis treated by LPB with ambulatory surgery mode was analyzed retrospectively, including the cure rate, the incidence of complications and adverse reactions, as well as the reasons for not arriving at the hospital after appointment. RESULTS: All patients accomplish LPB surgery and daytime operation management successfully. The success rate of LPB for neonatal dacryocystitis with ambulatory surgery mode was 99.6%, with few postoperative complications and adverse reactions. The reason why the children did not arrive at the hospital after appointment was mainly due to the sickness being catching a cold, pneumonia, diarrhea and other diseases, otherwise, they had to cancel or postponed the appointment. CONCLUSION: In the course of the prevalence of the COVID-19, LPB in the treatment of neonatal dacryocystitis in ambulatory surgery mode is safe, effective and feasible. It can reduce hospitalization expenses, shorten hospitalization time, and is more conducive to the prevention and control of COVID-19, which is worthy of popularization and application.

A coronavirus disease-2019 induced pancytopenia

As the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) pandemic progresses, various hematologic complications have emerged, often centered around the hypercoagulable state. However, pancytopenia represents a rare but serious complication from SARS-CoV2 infection. While lymphopenia is a common finding, concomitant acute anemia and thrombocytopenia are not commonly reported. We describe a novel case of SARS-CoV2 pancytopenia in a 40-year-old male without active risk factors for cell line derangements but subsequent critical illness. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The impact of Social Media Marketing on the Travel Intention of Z Travelers

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the tourism industry's development;however, the demand for traveling increases in the young people, significantly, the Generation Z, who was born in 1996. A bright outlook awaits the tourism industry in the post-Covid-19 period. The study aims to determine the relationship between the economic perspective, social perspective, user-generated content trust, and inbound travel intention of Generation Z travelers. The mixed-method research was done to archive the research objectives. The research results pointed out that there were positive impacts of economic and social perspectives on user-generated content trust;moreover, user-generated content trust positively affected the inbound travel intention. Some managerial implications were proposed for the tourism business managers to increase their business performance.

Strategies and key points of perioperative management of coronavirus disease 2019 patients

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic threatening public health. Its pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can be transmitted from person to person through droplets, contact and other ways. How to avoid further spread of the virus when patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 receive treatment in the operating rooms or intensive care units has become the focus and difficulty faced by medical staff. Here we discussed the dissemination characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, the perioperative environments, the disease management and infection control measures under specific operation.