Prolonged Viable Viral Shedding in Immunocompromised Patients with Covid-19

Background: Immunocompromised patients with COVID-19 tend to shed viable virus for a prolonged period. Therefore, for moderately or severely immunocompromised patients with COVID-19, CDC recommends an isolation period of at least 20 days and ending isolation in conjunction with serial testing and consultation with an infectious disease specialist. However, data on viral kinetics and risk factors for prolonged viral shedding in these patients are limited. Method(s): From February 1, 2022 to April 1, 2022, we collected weekly saliva samples from immunocompromised patients with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Genomic and subgenomic RNAs were measured, and virus culture was performed. Result(s): A total of 41 patients were enrolled;29 (70%) were receiving chemotherapy against hematologic malignancies and the remaining 12 (30%) had undergone solid organ transplantation. Of the 41 patients, 14 (34%) had received 3 doses or more of COVID-19 vaccines. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that 7 (17%) were infected with Omicron BA.1, and 33 (80%) with Omicron BA.2. The median duration of viable virus shedding was 4 weeks (IQR 3-6). Patients undergoing B-cell depleting therapy shed viable virus for longer than the comparator (p=0.01). Multivariable analysis showed that 3-dose or more vaccination (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12 - 0.93, p = 0.04) and B-cell depleting therapy (HR 12.50, 95% CI 2.44 - 100.00, p = 0.003) independently affected viable virus shedding of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion(s): Immunocompromised patients with COVID-19 shed viable virus for median 4 weeks. B-cell depleting therapy increases the risk of prolonged viable viral shedding, while completion of a primary vaccine series reduces this risk. Overall distribution of samples according to genomic viral copy number and culture positivity. Red dot indicates positive culture results, whereas blue dot indicated negative culture results. (Figure Presented).

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Roles of Cognitive and Affective Job Insecurity Before and During the Pandemic

Background: While an increasing body of research has examined employees' job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, we know little about the role of cognitive and affective job insecurity in the pandemic context. Methods: We conducted a two-wave study on 211 service employees in South Korea to assess the indirect effect of their cognitive job insecurity that existed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on their job performance after the onset of the pandemic, via affective job insecurity. Results: Mediation analysis revealed that pre-COVID cognitive job insecurity significantly indirectly affected mid-COVID job performance through mid-COVID affective job insecurity. Further, we found this indirect effect significant only among female employees. Discussion: These findings underscore the long-term effects of cognitive job insecurity on job performance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supervisor incivility and frontline employees' performance amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A multilevel moderated mediation analysis

Underpinned by conservation of resources (COR) theory, the study examines how supervisor incivility affects in- and extra-role performance by assessing the intermediary role of self-efficacy of frontline employees (FLEs) and moderating role of person-job fit (P-J Fit) at the store-level in the COVID-19 context. The study samples 366 FLEs from 48 retail stores in India. The findings show that the association between supervisor incivility and FLEs' in- and extra-role performance through self-efficacy is only strong when the P-J Fit remains weak. The theoretical model backed by empirical findings provides potential value to the existing literature. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Relational resources for promoting restaurant employees' thriving at work

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the significant role of restaurant employees' relational resources to promote thriving at work. The mediating effect of heedful relating was focused on as an underlying mechanism. This study also investigated the moderating effect of employees' perceived COVID-19 impact on the hypothesized relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The research model was tested with frontline restaurant employees working in full-service restaurants using the convenience sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire was used for an online survey. A total of 361 responses were analyzed with structural equation modeling, bootstrapping analysis and multi-group analysis. Findings: The results showed the significant relationships not only between relational resources and thriving at work but also between relational resources and heedful relating. Heedful relating was significantly associated with thriving at work. The significant mediating effect of heedful relating was supported. The moderating effect of the perceived COVID-19 impact on the association between leader–member exchange and thriving was significant. Research limitations/implications: Employees' relational resources at work leads to thriving at work both directly and indirectly through the impact of heedful relating. The findings contributed to the literature on human resource management and hospitality. Moreover, the study presented implications for the restaurant industry to promote employees' self-adaptation and development in a post-pandemic era. Originality/value: With the study findings, the importance of relational aspects to foster restaurant employees' thriving at work could be highlighted which reflects the unique nature of the restaurant industry. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

National trends in suicide-related behaviors among youths between 2005-2020, including COVID-19: a Korean representative survey of one million adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: It is difficult to conclude that COVID-19 is associated with a decrease in the suicide attempts rate by comparing only a short-term period. Therefore, it is necessary to examine attempted suicide rates through a trend analysis over a longer period. This study aimed to investigate an estimated long-term trend regarding the prevalence of suicide-related behaviors among adolescents in South Korea from 2005 to 2020, including COVID-19. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We sourced data from a national representative survey (Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey) and analyzed one million Korean adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (n=1,057,885) from 2005 to 2020. The 16-year trends regarding the prevalence of sadness or despair and suicidal ideation and attempt and the trend changes before and during COVID-19. RESULTS: Data of 1,057,885 Korean adolescents was analyzed (weighted mean age, 15.03 years; males, 52.5%; females, 47.5%). Although the 16-year trend in the prevalence of sadness or despair and suicide ideation and attempt consistently decreased (prevalence of sadness or despair between 2005-2008, 38.0% with 95% confidence interval [CI], 37.7 to 38.4 vs. prevalence in 2020, 25.0% [24.5 to 25.6]; suicide ideation between 2005-2008, 21.9% [21.6 to 22.1] vs. prevalence in 2020, 10.7% [10.3 to 11.1]; and suicide attempt between 2005-2008, 5.0% [4.9 to 5.2] vs. prevalence in 2020, 1.9% [1.8 to 2.0]), the downward slope decreased during COVID-19 (ßdiff in sadness, 0.215 with 95% CI 0.206 to 0.224; ßdiff in suicidal ideation, 0.245 [0.234 to 0.256]; and ßdiff in suicide attempt, 0.219 [0.201 to 0.237]) compared with pre-pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the observed risk of suicide-related behaviors during the pandemic was higher than expected through long-term trend analysis of the prevalence of sadness/despair and suicidal ideation and attempts among South Korean adolescents. We need a profound epidemiologic study of the change in mental health due to the pandemic's impact and the establishment of prevention strategies for suicide ideation and attempt.

17-year trends of body mass index, overweight, and obesity among adolescents from 2005 to 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic: a Korean national representative study.

OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of pediatric studies that have analyzed trends in mean body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of obesity and overweight over a period that includes the mid-stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we aimed to investigate trends in BMI, overweight, and obesity among Korean adolescents from 2005 to 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We used data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), which is nationally representative of South Korea. The study included middle- and high-school students between the ages of 12 and 18. We examined trends in mean BMI and prevalence of obesity and/or overweight during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared these to those of pre-pandemic trends in each subgroup by gender, grade, and residential region. RESULTS: Data from 1,111,300 adolescents (mean age: 15.04 years) were analyzed. The estimated weighted mean BMI was 20.48 kg/m2 (95% CI, 20.46-20.51) between 2005 and 2007, and this was 21.61 kg/m2 (95% CI, 21.54-21.68) in 2021. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13.1% (95% CI, 12.9-13.3%) between 2005 and 2007 and 23.4% (95% CI, 22.8-24.0%) in 2021. The mean BMI and prevalence of obesity and overweight have gradually increased over the past 17 years; however, the extent of change in mean BMI and in the prevalence of obesity and overweight during the pandemic was distinctly less than before. The 17-year trends in the mean BMI, obesity, and overweight exhibited a considerable rise from 2005 to 2021; however, the slope during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) was significantly less prominent than in the pre-pandemic (2005-2019). CONCLUSIONS: These findings enable us to comprehend long-term trends in the mean BMI of Korean adolescents and further emphasize the need for practical prevention measures against youth obesity and overweight.

Measures to Ensure the Sustainability of Information Systems in the COVID-19 Environment

National defense requires uninterrupted decision-making, even under direct or indirect impacts of non-traditional threats such as infectious diseases. Since all work utilizes information systems, it is very important to ensure the sustainability and availability of information systems. In particular, in terms of security management, defense work is being performed by dividing the network into a national defense network and a commercial Internet network. This study suggests a work execution plan for sustainability that takes into account the efficiency of work performed on the Internet and the effectiveness of security through effective defense information system operation. It is necessary to minimize the network contact points between the national defense network and the commercial Internet and to select high-priority tasks from various tasks and operate them efficiently. For this purpose, actual cases were investigated for an institution, "Organization A”, and characteristics were presented. Through the targeted tasks and operation plans presented in this paper to improve the effectiveness of defense tasks and ensure security, it will be possible to increase the sustainability and availability of task performance even under non-traditional threats such as infectious diseases. © 2022 by the authors.

Nitric-oxide enriched plasma-activated water inactivates 229E coronavirus and alters antiviral response genes in human lung host cells

The ongoing pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is influencing global health. Moreover, there is a major threat of future coronaviruses affecting the entire world in a similar, or even more dreadful, manner. Therefore, effective and biocompatible therapeutic options against coronaviruses are urgently needed. To address this challenge, medical specialists require a well-informed and safe approach to treating human coronaviruses (HCoVs). Herein, an environmental friendly approach for viral inactivation, based on plasma technology, was considered. A microwave plasma system was employed for the generation of the high amount of gaseous nitric oxide to prepare nitric oxide enriched plasma-activated water (NO-PAW), the effects of which on coronaviruses, have not been reported to date. To determine these effects, alpha-HCoV-229E was used in an experimental model. We found that NO-PAW treatment effectively inhibited coronavirus infection in host lung cells, visualized by evaluating the cytopathic effect and expression level of spike proteins. Interestingly, NO-PAW showed minimal toxicity towards lung host cells, suggesting its potential for therapeutic application. Moreover, this new approach resulted in viral inactivation and greatly improved the gene levels involved in host antiviral responses. Together, our findings provide evidence of an initiation point for further progress toward the clinical development of antiviral treatments, including such coronaviruses. © 2022 The Authors

Automated sample-to-answer system for rapid and accurate diagnosis of emerging infectious diseases

Automated sample-to-answer systems that promptly diagnose emerging infectious diseases, such as zoonotic diseases, are crucial to preventing the spread of infectious diseases and future global pandemics. However, automated, rapid, and sensitive diagnostic testing without professionals and sample capacity and type limitations remains unmet needs. Here, we developed an automated sample-to-answer diagnostic system for rapid and accurate detection of emerging infectious diseases from clinical specimens. This integrated system consists of a microfluidic platform for sample preparation and a bio-optical sensor for nucleic acid (NA) amplification/detection. The microfluidic platform concentrates pathogens and NAs in a large sample volume using adipic acid dihydrazide and a low-cost disposable chip. The bio-optical sensor allows label-free, isothermal one-step NA amplification/detection using a ball-lensed optical fiber-based silicon micro-ring resonator sensor. The system is integrated with software to automate testing and perform analysis rapidly and simply;it can distinguish infection status within 80 min. The detection limit of the system (0.96 × 101 PFU) is 10 times more sensitive than conventional methods (0.96 × 102 PFU). Furthermore, we validated the clinical utility of this automated system in various clinical specimens from emerging infectious diseases, including 20 plasma samples for Q fever and 13 (11 nasopharyngeal swabs and 2 saliva) samples for COVID-19. The system showed 100% sensitivity and specificity for detecting 33 samples of emerging infectious diseases, such as Q fever, other febrile diseases, COVID-19, human coronavirus OC43, influenza A, and respiratory syncytial virus A. Therefore, we envision that this automated sample-to-answer diagnostic system will show high potential for diagnosing emerging infectious diseases in various clinical applications. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Trend Analysis of Balcony Vegetable Gardens in Korea, Before and After COVID-19 Pandemic Using Big Data

Background and objective: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been staying at home more and "balcony vegetable gardens," a form of urban agriculture, have been mentioned more frequently. As a result of the Korea Housing Survey in 2020, the percentage of households living in apartments among general households in Korea was 51.1%, but there is insufficient research to understand public perception and trends of the balcony vegetable gardens. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the trends of balcony vegetable gardens over the last 4 years including before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and to provide basic data for effective application to related policies and research. Methods: A total of 5,011 posts that mentioned balcony vegetable gardens were collected from Naver blogs and cafes from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021. To tokenize nouns, Okt morphological analysis of KoNLPy was used, and keywords were derived using TfidfVectorizer of Scikit-learn library. Following that, LDA topic modeling was performed by setting the hyper parameters as α= 0.1, β = 0.01 and iterations = 1,000. The above analysis was conducted using Python 3.9.5. Results: Before the outbreak of COVID-19, balcony vegetable gardening began to receive attention and vitalized as a form of participation in urban agriculture, but after the outbreak, they are established as an activity for healing, emotional support, environmental campaign, and healthy hobby. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, people clearly seemed to seek a more sustainable lifestyle through balcony vegetable garden activities. This shows the values and expected outcomes the public has toward urban agriculture. Conclusion: Balcony gardening activities heal the public, and this healing effect could be a key to the revitalization and development of urban agriculture. These findings can help establish policies and set the directions for urban agriculture that reflect the values and expected outcomes the public has toward urban agricultural activities. © 2022 by the Society for People, Plants, and Environment.

Exploring Virtual Reality-based Teaching Capacities: Focusing on Survival Swimming during COVID-19

This study aims to analyse teaching capacities exhibited by survival swimming instructors applying virtual reality (VR) devices in the education field. We conducted in-depth interviews with swimming instructors to obtain research data, which was then qualitatively analysed. Based on the research results, the following capacities were derived. First, as the VR and simulator-based survival swimming classes utilise educational equipment, the ability to skilfully handle educational equipment is considered a vital teaching capacity. Second, strong communication skills are required to accurately explain the class objectives and contents. To achieve the class goals, teachers should practice using educational equipment before class, answer students' queries during and after practice, and prepare the necessary materials so that the class is well organised. Finally, the principal lecturer needs to be able to quickly improvise in various situations as needed to ensure students remain focused. Under the circumstances where survival swimming education was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the research results indicated that survival swimming education applying VR and simulation devices allowed students to indirectly gain experience, interest, and pleasure. Therefore, it is expected that VR-based education can increase students' interest and learning performance in survival swimming. Finally, VR-based teaching capacities were derived based on the research results. © 2022 Society for Research and Knowledge Management. All rights reserved.

Depressive Symptoms Among Migrant Workers in South Korea Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the depressive symptoms among migrant workers in South Korea amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: This web-based cross-sectional survey involved migrant workers in South Korea to examine their depression levels using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale. Logistic regression was used to find out the factors associated with depression. Results: Migrant workers exhibited mild to severe depressive symptoms (98.4%) of which 41.7% had severe depression (n = 161). Migrant workers aged above 25 years were shown to have a significantly higher level of depression (odds ratio = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.084-4.193). Male workers (71.1%) had a higher depression level than females (28.9%). Losing a job during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (odds ratio = 3.89, 95% CI = 1.705-8.906) and not having any social relief support (odds ratio = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.109-3.351) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: Migrants workers were found to be experiencing a severe level of depression. Mental healthcare should be prioritized and made accessible to vulnerable and risk groups.

Trends in body mass index changes among Korean adolescents between 2005-2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic period: a national representative survey of one million adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on weight gain in children and adolescents remains unknown. We aimed to identify an estimated 15-year trend in mean body mass index (BMI) changes and prevalence of obesity and overweight among Korean adolescents from 2005 to 2020, including the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data taken from a nationwide survey (Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey), between 2005 and 2020. Representative samples of one million Korean adolescents aged 13-18 years (n=1,057,885) were examined. The 15-year trends in mean BMI and proportion of obesity or overweight, and the changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. RESULTS: The data of 1,057,885 Korean adolescents were analyzed (mean age: 14.98 years; females, 48.4%). The estimated weighted mean BMI was 20.5 kg/m2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 20.4-20.5] from 2005 to 2008 and 21.5 kg/m2 (95% CI, 21.4-21.6) in 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic). Although the 15-year trend of mean BMI gradually increased, the change in mean BMI before and during the pandemic significantly lessened (ßdiff, -0.027; 95% CI, -0.028 to -0.026). The 15-year (2005-2020) trend changes in the prevalence of obesity and overweight were similar (obesity prevalence from 2005-2008, 3.2%; 95% CI, 3.1-3.3 vs. obesity prevalence in 2020, 8.6%; 95% CI, 8.2-9.0; ßdiff, -0.309; 95% CI, -0.330 to -0.288). CONCLUSIONS: The 15-year trend of overall mean BMI and obesity and overweight prevalence demonstrated a significant increase; however, its slope decreased during the pandemic. These landmark results suggest the need for the development of precise strategies to prevent pediatric obesity and overweight during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAR Satellite Imagery Reveals the Impact of the Covid-19 Crisis on Ship Frequentation in the French Mediterranean Waters

The Covid-19 pandemic is the latest example in a growing number of health, social, economic, and environmental crises humanity is facing. The multiple consequences of this pandemic crisis required strong responses from governments, including strict lockdowns. Yet, the impact of lockdowns on coastal ecosystems and maritime activities is still challenging to quantify over large spatial scales in comparison to the pre-Covid period. In this study, we used an object detection algorithm on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images acquired by the two Sentinel-1 satellites to assess the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the presence of boats before, during and after lockdown periods in the French Mediterranean Exclusive Economic Zone. During the French most severe lockdown period (March - May 2020), we observed that ship frequentation remained at the same level from March to July 2020, instead of rising towards the summer peak like in previous years. Then, ship frequentation increased rapidly to a normal level in August 2020 when restrictions were lifted. By comparing morning and evening (7:00 am and 7:00 pm) ship frequentation during this period to pre-Covid years, we observed contrasting patterns. On the one hand, morning detections were particularly high, while on the other hand evening detections were significantly lower and less concentrated in coastal touristic waters than in previous years. Overall, we found a 9% decrease in ship frequentation between the year 2020 and the 2017-2019 period, with a maximum of 43% drop in June 2020 due to the lockdown. So, the Covid -19 crisis induced only a very short-term reduction in maritime activities but did not markedly reduce the annual ship frequentation in the French Mediterranean waters. The satellite imagery approach is an alternative method that improves our understanding of the pandemic impacts at an unprecedented spatiotemporal scale and resolution.

Nitric-oxide enriched plasma-activated water inactivates 229E coronavirus and alters antiviral response genes in human lung host cells

The ongoing pandemic caused by the novel comnavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is influencing global health. Moreover, there is a major threat of future coronaviruses affecting the entire world in a similar, or even more dreadful, manner. Therefore, effective and biocompatible therapeutic options against comnaviruses are urgently needed. To address this challenge, medical specialists require a well-informed and safe approach to treating human coronaviruses (HCoVs). Herein, an environmental friendly approach for viral inactivation, based on plasma technology, was considered. A microwave plasma system was employed for the generation of the high amount of gaseous nitric oxide to prepare nitric oxide enriched plasma-activated water (NO-PAW), the effects of which on coronaviruses, have not been reported to date. To determine these effects, alpha-HCoV-229E was used in an experimental model. We found that NO-PAW treatment effectively inhibited comnavirus infection in host lung cells, visualized by evaluating the cytopathic effect and expression level of spike proteins. Interestingly, NO-PAW showed minimal toxicity towards lung host cells, suggesting its potential for therapeutic application. Moreover, this new approach resulted in viral inactivation and greatly improved the gene levels involved in host antiviral responses. Together, our findings provide evidence of an initiation point for further progress toward the clinical development of antiviral treatments, including such comnaviruses.

COVID-19 susceptibility and clinical outcomes in autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aims to assess the susceptibility to and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIRD) and following AIRD drug use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included observational and case-controlled studies assessing susceptibility and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with AIRD as well as the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 with or without use of steroids and conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs). RESULTS: Meta-analysis including three studies showed that patients with AIRD are not more susceptible to COVID-19 compared to patients without AIRD or the general population (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.58 to 2.14). Incidence of severe outcomes of COVID-19 (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.76 to 2.35) and COVID-19 related death (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 0.68 to 2.16) also did not show significant difference. The clinical outcomes of COVID-19 among AIRD patients with and without csDMARD or steroid showed that both use of steroid (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 0.96 to 2.98) or csDMARD (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.63 to 3.08) had no effect on clinical outcomes of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: AIRD does not increase susceptibility to COVID-19, not affecting the clinical outcome of COVID-19. Similarly, the use of steroids or csDMARDs for AIRD does not worsen the clinical outcome.

Customer incivility and employee outcomes in the new service marketplace

Purpose Due to volatile changes and crises in the business environment, frontline service employees (FSEs) are faced with increasing work stressors in the new service marketplace. Of these, customer incivility has been found to negatively affect their work outcomes. This study aims to examine the moderating effect of experiencing an imminent environmental crisis (i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic) on the relationship between customer incivility, work engagement and job crafting, using pre- and postpandemic samples. Design/methodology/approach The authors administered two-wave surveys to 276 FSEs (prepandemic sample) in July and October 2019 and to 301 FSEs (postpandemic sample) in March and April 2020. Findings Moderation analyses showed that the relationship between customer incivility, work engagement and job crafting varied between FSEs who experienced the pandemic and those who did not;the relationship was stronger for the postpandemic than the prepandemic sample. There was a positive relationship between work engagement and job crafting;it was weaker for the postpandemic sample. Research limitations/implications The deleterious effect of customer incivility exacerbated after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic;however, the authors did not explore why the pandemic aggravated the negative effect. The mechanism underlying the moderating effect of the pandemic and the effect of more diverse types of incivility should be explored in future research. Practical implications It is critical to provide FSEs with instrumental and emotional support to cope with the crisis brought on by the pandemic. Service organizations must monitor customers' uncivil behaviors to identify their causes and develop interventions to improve service quality. Furthermore, service organizations are advised to enhance the coping capabilities of FSEs by using diverse interventions, such as emotion regulation training, debriefing sessions, short breaks and job crafting. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to reveal the moderating effect of the pandemic on the relationships between customer incivility, work engagement and job crafting, using pre- and postpandemic samples. This study offers necessary insights to improve FSEs' engagement at work and enhance their job crafting in the new service marketplace.

Trend Analysis of Pet Plants Before and After COVID-19 Outbreak Using Topic Modeling: Focusing on Big Data of News Articles from 2018 to 2021

Background and objective: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restricted daily life, forcing people to spend time indoors. With the growing interest in mental health issues and residential environments, ‘pet plants’ have been receiving attention during the unprecedented social distancing measures. This study aims to analyze the change in trends of pet plants before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide basic data for studies related to pet plants and directions of future development. Methods: A total of 2,016 news articles using the keyword ‘pet plants’ were collected on Naver News from January 1, 2018 to August 15, 2019 (609 articles) and January 1, 2020 to August 15, 2021 (1,407 articles). The texts were tokenized into words using KoNLPy package, ultimately coming up with 63,597 words. The analyses included frequency of keywords and topic modeling based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to identify the inherent meanings of related words and each topic. Results: Topic modeling generated three topics in each period (before and during the COVID-19), and the results showed that pet plants in daily life have become the object of ‘emotional support’ and ‘healing’ during social distancing. In particular, pet plants, which had been distributed as a solution to prevent solitary deaths and depression among seniors living alone, are now expanded to help resolve the social isolation of the general public suffering from COVID-19. The new term ‘plant butler’ became a new trend, and there was a change in the trend in which people shared their hobbies and information about pet plants and communicated with others in online. Conclusion: Based on these findings, the trend data of pet plants before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 can provide the basis for activating research on pet plants and setting the direction for development of related industries considering the continuous popularity and trend of indoor gardening and green hobby. © 2021 by the Society for People, Plants, and Environment.

Trend analysis of grow-your-own using social network analysis: Focusing on hashtags on instagram

Background and objective: The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on mental health, which has emerged as a major public health issue around the world. This study aimed to analyze trends and network structure of ‘grow-your-own (GYO)’ through Instagram, one of the most influential social media platforms, to encourage and sustain home gardening activities for promotion of emotional support and physical health. Methods: A total of 6,388 posts including keyword hashtags ‘#gyo’ and ‘#growyourown’ on Instagram from June 13, 2020 to April 13, 2021 were collected. Word embedding was performed using Word2Vec library, and 7 clusters were identified with K-means clustering: GYO, garden and gardening, allotment, kitchen garden, sustainability, urban gardening, etc. Moreover, we conducted social network analysis to determine the centrality of related words and visualized the results using Gephi 0.9.2. Results: The analysis showed that various combinations of words, such as #growourrownfood, #growourrownveggies, and #growwhatyoueat revealed preference and interest of users in GYO, and appeared to encourage their activities on Instagram. In particular, #gardeningtips, #greenfingers, #goodlife, #gardeninglife, #gardensofinstagram were found to express positive emotions and pride as a gardener by sharing their daily gardening lives. Users were participating in urban gardening through #allotment, #raisedbeds, #kitchengarden and we could identify trends toward self-sufficiency and sustainable living. Conclusion: Based on these findings, it is expected that the trend data of GYO, which is a form of urban gardening, can be used as the basic data to establish urban gardening plans considering each characteristic, such as the emotions and identity of participants as well as their dispositions. © 2021 by the Society for People, Plants, and Environment.

Tooee: A Novel Scratch Extension for K-12 Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Education using Text-based Visual Blocks

Many approaches have been proposed to teach the basic concepts of big data and artificial intelligence to K-12 students based on block-based programming languages, such as Scratch. Using these approaches, young students can easily experience big data and artificial intelligence through a drag-and-drop approach. However, it remains difficult for them to perform more complex tasks, such as directly collecting data from the web or exploiting custom-made machine learning algorithms. In this paper, we propose a novel Scratch extension that allows Scratch to communicate with text-based programming languages such as Python and JavaScript using WebSockets. Unlike other Scratch extensions, our extension greatly enhances the extensibility of Scratch given its use of "text-based visual blocks" so that messages can be freely exchanged through a minimum number of blocks. In order for students to use these blocks easily, the blocks are designed such that they can be used as if talking with a friend named "Tooee." In order to show how this extension can help students create big data and artificial intelligence programs, we present eight example applications that students can easily implement. These are (1) Weather Forecast, (2) Top 5 Movies in Theaters, (3) COVID-19 Dashboard, (4) Saving Quiz Results to a CSV File, (5) Facial Image Classification, (6) Color Classification, (7) Object Classification, and (8) Handwriting Recognition. Our analyses and experimental results show that Tooee has several advantages over other educational environments. Author