Studying the impact of COVID-19 on the European Air Transportation Network

The European Air Transportation Network was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an unprecedented loss of flight connections. Utilizing a combination of graph representation learning and time series analysis, this paper studies the evolution of both the global connectivity as well as the structure of the European Air Transportation Network from January 2020 to December 2022. Specifically, it finds strong differences in recovery rates for flights across six different market segments. In terms of network structure, the study finds that structural roles that are present in the pre-covid network have seen a loss in performance over the course of the pandemic, but have recovered to pre-covid levels. Using regional changes in structural roles, this study identifies Italy as the region with the strongest increase and the United Kingdom as the region with the strongest decrease in structural role, finding substantial differences in recovery rates per market segment. Lastly, this study pays special attention on the effect of the Russia-Ukrainian war on the European Air Transportation Network. © 2023 IEEE.

Opening Up Opportunities in 2023

"The ongoing journey to standardization on more aspects of submission and data exchange will continue to have an impact," he notes. lan Crone, business unit director Europe-fme Life Sciences, which provides business and technology services, points out that the web-based human variations electronic application form (eAF) for centrally authorized products (CAPs) has been available for use since 4 Nov. 2022 on the European Medicines Agency's (EMA's) new product lifecycle management (PLM) portal. Renato Rjavec, Amplexor Life Sciences "Many biopharmaceutical functions have spent the last decade modernizing their base technologies, most often in a cloud/software as a service environment platform that brings foundational benefit to individual functions," states Steve Gens managing partner. Internal productivity and external regulatory requirements are both driving this data connectivity within industry, he adds, which "requires a clear cross functional digitization strategy and focus on cross-functional data governance, master data management, and ensuring all data from these various authoritative systems [are] at the same high level. " "Many biopharmaceutical functions have spent the last decade modernizing their base technologies, most often in a cloud/ software as a service environment platform that brings foundational benefit to individual functions." -

Reviewing in a pandemic? A commentary on COVID-19 and domestic homicide review

PurposeThis paper is a commentary on COVID-19's impact on Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), the system in England and Wales that enables learning from domestic abuse-related deaths.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a practitioner–researcher perspective, this paper reflects on how COVID-19 affected the delivery and experience of DHRs, the place of victims at the heart of this process and what the pandemic's impact might mean moving forward.FindingsThis paper explicates some of the challenges of undertaking DHRs in a pandemic. Critically, however, it argues that these challenges illuminate broader questions about the practice of DHR.Originality/valueThis paper's originality comes from the author's practitioner–researcher perspective and its use of COVID-19 as a lens to consider DHRs.

Factors affecting students' use of a data-free instant messenger for on-line peer tutoring: a large, undergraduate class at a historically disadvantaged university

There is a need for synchronous and inclusive online peer tutoring in large, undergraduate classes. As a lack of data or internet connectivity may limit online peer tutoring, the use of a data-free instant messenger was implemented for online tutoring in a class of 342 students. The Moya application allows students to chat and send voice notes to tutors and peers without using data. Sending attachments incurs data costs but the amount of data is displayed prior to downloading. The qualitative interpretivist case study used data collected from purposive sampling via an online survey. Consent was received from 252 third-year Information Systems students at a historically disadvantaged university. Qualitative data were analysed via thematic content analysis using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model as a theoretical basis. Findings indicate that the majority of students (85.7%) did not use the data-free Moya instant messenger. Reasons for the low usage included a negative performance expectancy, as students did not see the benefit in using the application to engage with peers or tutors. Perceived effort expectancy was low, as students did not desire to learn to use a new application. Results showed that using WhatsApp was a habit. Moreover, social influence was a factor, as fellow students and tutors were also using WhatsApp. Students recommended increasing awareness of the Moya application and providing training. The price value was expected to be a significant factor as this application does not require data, but this was not the case. Facilitating conditions show that students had data for WhatsApp. Moya has the same interface design as the preferred WhatsApp so learning to use the application should require minimal effort. The unexpected findings indicate that students prefer WhatsApp, an instant messenger that requires data, over a datafree instant messenger. The findings leave lecturers questioning whether using WhatsApp for online peer tutoring is the more viable option.

Eroding Boundaries and Creeping Control: "Digital Regulation” as New Normal Work

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and accelerated two trends that are now fully part of the "new normal” of work. First, the erosion of boundaries between work and life has become very salient with the normalization of work from home. Second, the quantification of organizational control, which was already present in monitoring devices and algorithmic management, has reached news levels with electronic monitoring of employees through "bossware” and Internet of Behaviours devices. This essay chapter analyses these trends and argues that active regulation of technology and its implications at work and outside of work is now an integral part of work for workers in many occupations. Specifically, the new normal of work routinely includes devising and adapting rules and behaviours around three major challenges: (a) constant connectivity (when and where workers are connected and available to work);(b) self-presentation (disclosures on video conferences, social media, and other online spaces);and (c) privacy (protecting personal information despite monitoring software, trackers, and algorithmic work). Colliding worlds and quantified algorithmic control are deep-rooted trends that must be addressed by workers, employers, unions, public policy makers, and scholars, if we are to build a new normal sustainable workplace. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Analysis and Interpretation of Adolescent Multi Relationship and Privacy during COVID-19 Pandemic

Closures of schools in the advent of COVID-19 all around the world have affected nearly about 87% of students in different aspects of life. The importance of school life and its impact on the social and psychological well-being of an adolescent has left a deep and evident impression. As per the Indian population statistics, we embrace the largest adolescent population in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the lives of millions around the world. The authors through an exhaustive survey specially designed to relate the present mental state and well-being have analyzed the critical phase. 315 participants that consisted of both males and females take up the survey. 'What we analyzed is the fact regarding the association between Stress anxiety and Depression among the Adolescent in Covid - 19 situation.' . © 2023 IEEE.

The impact of digital supply chain capabilities on enterprise sustainable competitive performance: an ambidextrous view

PurposeThe construction of digital supply chains to integrate internal and external resources is becoming an important path for manufacturing enterprises to gain competitiveness. However, at present, research on the internal mechanisms of digital supply chain capabilities (DSCC) and enterprise sustainable competitive performance (ESCP) has not been sufficiently studied. Based on contextual ambidexterity theory, this study investigates whether DSCC could enable the realization of supply chain ambidexterity and further explains the mediating role of supply chain ambidexterity on DSCC and ESCP, and the boundary conditions of supply chain governance on supply chain ambidexterity and ESCP.Design/methodology/approachWith a survey data set of 232 Chinese manufacturing enterprises from different industries, the study empirically tests a moderated mediating model and conducts hierarchical linear modeling and bootstrap to test the study's hypotheses.FindingsThe results demonstrate that: (1) DSCC positively enhance ESCP;(2) supply chain ambidexterity, which can be regarded as a synergic ability of supply chain alignment and adaptability, partially mediates the positive relationship between DSCC and ESCP;and (3) supply chain governance such as incentive governance positively moderates the association between supply chain ambidexterity and ESCP, but there is no evidence that relational governance moderates their relationship.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a new interpretive perspective to understand digital supply chains. More importantly, it reveals the importance of DSCC in contributing toward supply chain ambidexterity and ESCP, and demonstrates the differential regulating action of incentive and relational governance on the association between supply chain ambidexterity and ESCP, with implications for both academics and practitioners.

Imbalanced brain connectome: A possible link behind functional somatic disorders, multiple chemical sensitivity, and long COVID patients

Background: Functional Somatic Disorders (FSDs) are characterized by persistent physical symptoms that cannot be explained by other somatic or psychiatric conditions. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a non-allergic FSD characterized by odour intolerance and various somatic symptoms being attributed to the influence of toxic environmental chemicals in low, usually harmless doses. The pathophysiology of FSDs are still not clear. Smell and taste complaints were also among the notable symptoms characterizing the covid epidemic and the latest evidence suggests overlaps between long COVID and FSDs. Method(s): The study includes advanced analysis of MRI-derived functional and structural connectomes acquired on a 3 T MR scanner. Furthermore, it includes questionnaires and paraclinical tests, e.g. the Sniffin' Stick olfactory test, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Sino-Nasal Outcome test 22. The pilot part of the project included 6 MCS patients who were compared with 6 matched healthy participants. Later follow-up included analysis of 8 multiorgan FSD and 4 post-COVID patients. Result(s): The MCS group showed important brain structural connectivity differences in 34 tracts. Notably, for MCS patients, the olfactory cortex (especially in the right hemisphere) showed decreased connectivity with regions in the emotional system. Conclusion(s): We plan to extend these findings with whole-brain modelling of the functional connectivity in the patient groups. Long-term this could be used as a 'fingerprint' which could help with diagnosis and treatment monitoring in FSDs as well as with new diagnoses such as long-COVID.Copyright © 2023

University students? connectivity during the pandemic generated by the COVID-19

The topic refers to the processes of connectivity, access to digital tools, and the disposition of university students who were affected by their university semesters in person, and due to the health emergency caused by COVID-19, they had to go to virtual classes in an improvised way. The general aim was to inquire about the possession of digital tools, connectivity, and student disposition for virtual classes. This article is the product of an exploratory, non-experimental and descriptive study where the information was collected through an online survey published in a massive WhatsApp group, where there are more than 240 students of the Bachelor of Mathematics at the Universidad Del Atlantico whose total population ranges at 790 students. The main results obtained are the changes in a general way like this: 1) Some students do not feel prepared to receive classes remotely or complete enrollment procedures virtually;2) It is necessary to privilege the use of platforms that are low data consumption;and 3) In the region, the electricity service is not guaranteed on a regular basis, turning off access to connectivity.

Supporting victims of domestic violence in rural and island communities during COVID-19: the impact of the pandemic on service providers in North East Scotland and Orkney

We investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence service providers in rural and island communities in North East Scotland and Orkney. Domestic abuse and violence in rural areas is typically underestimated and might be more hidden due to stigma, a surveillance culture, and the practical difficulties of accessing services. The geographical challenges of rural and remote areas in relation to domestic violence are, to some extent, further amplified in small island locations, given population sizes, terrain and separation by sea. In such communities, visits to a service organisation's offices, or a visit by one of their staff, might publicly mark a service user out as a domestic abuse survivor. This article focuses on the move to digital and telephone provision of support in areas where broadband internet access is inconsistent and service users may live many miles from sources of support. At the same time, the move to online modes of communication was welcomed by staff in relation to offering opportunities for training and networking. There was also use of social and local media to raise awareness of the prevalence of domestic violence in these locations and to counter the myth of idyllic and abuse-free rural and island communities.

Topology and evolution of international trade network for fish and fish products

In this study, a complex network method was employed to quantify the changing role of countries in fish trade and the dynamic characteristics of fish globalization. Based on the United Nations Comtrade Database, the International Trade Network for Fish and Fish Products (ITN-Fish) was constructed as a series of weighted-directed networks for each year from 1990 to 2018. Almost all countries and territories worldwide have participated in the fish trade. In 2018, the network identified 229 fish traders. The share of developing countries in imports and exports has increased. Traders actively establish new trade relations, which improve network connectivity. However, these relations only account for a small part of the fish trade. The high connectivity allows risks to spread rapidly in the world through hubs such as the United States and China, which raises concerns about the robustness of these weak links in the Sino-US trade conflict and the outbreak of COVID-19. However, we have optimistic expectations on this issue. The dynamic of network topology property shows that the globalization of fish trade flourished between 1990 and 2018. Although, due to the financial crisis and its subsequent impact, the total amount of fish trade declined in 2009 and 2015, the network structure was not seriously affected, and the trend of topology property remained unchanged. Based on the construction of the international trade network, its node attribute, and its structural attribute, fish trade maintains the trend of globalization. Countries should actively adhere to trade globalization to promote the development of the fish trade.

Adoption of FinTech services amidst COVID-19 pandemic: empirical evidence from Assam

PurposeThe paper intends to comprehend the pattern of usage of FinTech services among bank customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper also examines the factors influencing the adoption of FinTech services by using the constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM) together with highlighting the issues faced in using FinTech services in Assam.Design/methodology/approachThe research is empirical in nature. Data have been collected from 1,066 prime earners of the households having a bank account.FindingsThere has been an upsurge in the use of FinTech services in the area of study. Apart from government and private service employees, businessmen, self-employed professionals, many daily-wage earners and agriculturists have also experienced an increase in their frequency of usage of FinTech services thereby making technology-based financial services an indispensable tool in enhancing access, improving inclusivity in the times of crisis and aftermath. Government support, trust, perceived usefulness (PU), attitude and social influence have a positive influence on FinTech adoption;however, perceived risks impact respondents' trust towards FinTech services thereby requiring necessary measures to evaluate organizations' preparedness to deal with cyber threats.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight into the factors impacting the adoption of FinTech services to stimulate superior connectivity infrastructure, robust security measures and maintaining financial stability with adequate supervisory and monitoring regulations to enhance trust towards FinTech services during the crisis and aftermath.

Associations between mother's depressive symptoms during pregnancy and newborn's brain functional connectivity.

Depression during pregnancy is common and the prevalence further increased during the COVID pandemic. Recent findings have shown potential impact of antenatal depression on children's neurodevelopment and behavior, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Nor is it clear whether mild depressive symptoms among pregnant women would impact the developing brain. In this study, 40 healthy pregnant women had their depressive symptoms evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory-II at ~12, ~24, and ~36 weeks of pregnancy, and their healthy full-term newborns underwent a brain MRI without sedation including resting-state fMRI for evaluation of functional connectivity development. The relationships between functional connectivities and maternal Beck Depression Inventory-II scores were evaluated by Spearman's rank partial correlation tests using appropriate multiple comparison correction with newborn's gender and gestational age at birth controlled. Significant negative correlations were identified between neonatal brain functional connectivity and mother's Beck Depression Inventory-II scores in the third trimester, but not in the first or second trimester. Higher depressive symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy were associated with lower neonatal brain functional connectivity in the frontal lobe and between frontal/temporal lobe and occipital lobe, indicating a potential impact of maternal depressive symptoms on offspring brain development, even in the absence of clinical depression.

Co-designing with engineers for community engagement in rural Uganda

Co-design is seen as crucial for designing solutions for resource-constrained people living in developing countries. To best understand their needs, user engagement and co-design strategies need to first be developed. In this Design Practice Brief, a process of co-design was created and used to understand ways telecommunication engineers could engage with rural communities in Uganda. It reports and reflects on (i) the experience of co-designing with nondesigners and (ii) creating a co-design structure and developing co-design methods of engaging with community members living in developing countries. In doing so, it offers a format and case study for future practitioners facilitating and conducting co-design with nondesigners and contributes to a knowledge gap in the reporting and reflection of co-design practice. This case study is unique as the co-design practice was achieved remotely (online), crossed disciplines (designers and telecommunication engineers) and cultural boundaries (European and African). It finds that in co-designing with nondesigners, preparation and structure are key, with acknowledgement and management of cultural and discipline differences.

Mundane emotions: Losing yourself in boredom, time and technology

Marketing and consumer research has drawn attention to the positive and joyful emotional features of consumer tribes. However, research has little to say on boredom, an emotional state already prevalent in consumers' lives, yet exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdown restrictions that prevented tribal consumption experiences. Informed by Heidegger's understanding of boredom as a fundamental mood tied to temporality, this research uses semi-structured interviews to identify two kinds of boredom – superficial and profound boredom – and their specific temporal dynamics. Superficial boredom is common and refers to a situational restlessness in which people desire distractions. In contrast, profound boredom refers to an existential discomfort in which people struggle with their sense of self, but ultimately can result in the discovery of tribal passions. We explain superficial boredom as a symptom of a dominant temporal regime that comprises connectivity and acceleration. Together these temporal logics fragment and compress time in ways that encourage mundane social media consumption that simply fills time. We also explain how profound boredom stems from an abundance of uninterrupted time spent in relative solitude. In extending Heidegger's theory of boredom to analyse contemporary boredom in an era where digital technology is ubiquitous, our research contributes to consumer research's understanding of mundane emotions and discusses what it means to be bored together.

Educational Management in Times of Pandemic: A Panoramic View in Latin America

As a result of a systematic review obtained, eight levels of constructs: educational inequalities, online education, Covid's impact, educational management, and Covid's effects, innovator leadership, resilience, home as an adaptation source, and, finally, sustainable actions. The results showed that the pandemic put in evidence a big social gap between educational communities in Latin America where access to the obtention of technological resources to teach-learn process and handle digital competencies in teachers. In addition, it showed many inequalities in people to energy and connectivity access as minimal conditions to do educational activities, meanwhile health restrictions during Covid-19.

An Explorative Study of Resilience Influence on Business Performance of Korean Manufacturing Venture Enterprise

Due to the recent trend of sustainability and socio-economic changes and to expand the research on resilient supply chains in Korea, this study targets Korean venture companies to ensure their success and growth. This study aims to analyze the reliance factors affecting the business performance of Korean manufacturing venture enterprises by considering two types of business performance: technology and financial performance. Regarding the factors influencing business performance, this study analyzes five resilience factors: product structure intensity, brand intensity, research and development intensity, cooperation, and corporate social responsibility. Business years were used as control variables and the causal relationship between the factors was analyzed using SPSS 22. The results show that all resilience factors positively influenced technology performance. The results for the financial performance show research and development intensity and corporate social responsibility. However, cooperation only shows different results between technology performance and financial performance. Based on these results, this study provides implications and contributions for manufacturing venture enterprises.

Adolescent functional network connectivity prospectively predicts adult anxiety symptoms related to perceived COVID-19 economic adversity.

BACKGROUND: Stressful events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are major contributors to anxiety and depression, but only a subset of individuals develop psychopathology. In a population-based sample (N = 174) with a high representation of marginalized individuals, this study examined adolescent functional network connectivity as a marker of susceptibility to anxiety and depression in the context of adverse experiences. METHODS: Data-driven network-based subgroups were identified using an unsupervised community detection algorithm within functional neural connectivity. Neuroimaging data collected during emotion processing (age 15) were extracted from a priori regions of interest linked to anxiety and depression. Symptoms were self-reported at ages 15, 17, and 21 (during COVID-19). During COVID-19, participants reported on pandemic-related economic adversity. Differences across subgroup networks were first examined, then subgroup membership and subgroup-adversity interaction were tested to predict change in symptoms over time. RESULTS: Two subgroups were identified: Subgroup A, characterized by relatively greater neural network variation (i.e., heterogeneity) and density with more connections involving the amygdala, subgenual cingulate, and ventral striatum; and the more homogenous Subgroup B, with more connections involving the insula and dorsal anterior cingulate. Accounting for initial symptoms, subgroup A individuals had greater increases in symptoms across time (ß = .138, p = .042), and this result remained after adjusting for additional covariates (ß = .194, p = .023). Furthermore, there was a subgroup-adversity interaction: compared with Subgroup B, Subgroup A reported greater anxiety during the pandemic in response to reported economic adversity (ß = .307, p = .006), and this remained after accounting for initial symptoms and many covariates (ß = .237, p = .021). CONCLUSIONS: A subgrouping algorithm identified young adults who were susceptible to adversity using their personalized functional network profiles derived from a priori brain regions. These results highlight potential prospective neural signatures involving heterogeneous emotion networks that predict individuals at the greatest risk for anxiety when experiencing adverse events.

Multimodal neuroimaging in post-COVID syndrome and correlation with cognition.

Brain changes have been reported in the first weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, limited literature exists about brain alterations in post-COVID syndrome, a condition increasingly associated with cognitive impairment. The present study aimed to evaluate brain functional and structural alterations in patients with post-COVID syndrome, and assess whether these brain alterations were related to cognitive dysfunction. Eighty-six patients with post-COVID syndrome and 36 healthy controls were recruited and underwent neuroimaging acquisition and a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Cognitive and neuroimaging examinations were performed 11 months after the first symptoms of SARS-CoV-2. Whole-brain functional connectivity analysis was performed. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to evaluate grey matter volume, and diffusion tensor imaging was carried out to analyse white matter alterations. Correlations between cognition and brain changes were conducted and Bonferroni corrected. Post-COVID syndrome patients presented with functional connectivity changes, characterized by hypoconnectivity between left and right parahippocampal areas, and between bilateral orbitofrontal and cerebellar areas compared to controls. These alterations were accompanied by reduced grey matter volume in cortical, limbic and cerebellar areas, and alterations in white matter axial and mean diffusivity. Grey matter volume loss showed significant associations with cognitive dysfunction. These cognitive and brain alterations were more pronounced in hospitalized patients compared to non-hospitalized patients. No associations with vaccination status were found. The present study shows persistent structural and functional brain abnormalities 11 months after the acute infection. These changes are associated with cognitive dysfunction and contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the post-COVID syndrome.

Shifts in Public Transit Equity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in Riverside, California

A prime component of any effective public transportation system is equitable access for all riders within the community. Building transportation networks with equity in mind can boost ridership and transit network coverage. The problem of social equity in transportation is further exacerbated by historically auto-dependent cities and the pandemic restrictions from COVID-19. This paper aims to quantify transit equity using a disadvantage index. These results are then applied to different periods of a transit system throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to see how it affected social equity in public transportation as part of a case study in Riverside, California. Heat maps are overlaid on the transit network's lines and stops using geographic information systems (GIS) software to visualize the variables associated with transit equity calculations. Publicly released General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data is used to plot the state of the transit network at different points in time. The results show that route changes during the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable but minimal effect on social equity in transportation.