ABSTRACT
Virtual education has gained great relevance in recent years, due to the pandemic. The access to electronic devices and services represents an urgent necessity and thus the concern for acquiring digital competences, which allow a proper interaction within the teaching–learning process. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of having digital resources and the adaptability of their use from the university students' homes during the pandemic crisis. This research intends to identify the relevant challenges regarding the accessibility to technological devices and digital competences that university students had to face to obtain suitable learning during the lockdown, due to the pandemic. The sample information consisted of 9326 Peruvian university students. The data was obtained from the National Homes Survey from the Statistics and Information National Institute, and it was distributed in twenty-five regions (in groups of five macro-regions) over a period of three years (2019–2021). The results showed significant differences in the number of students with internet access from home: between 40% and 60% access classes with a desktop or laptop, and digital competences have improved in the last year. This is evidence that digital divides set limits on the opportunities for a quality education.
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We are in the midst of a sensitive scenario of COVID-crisis due to the unregulated increase of waste products such as metals and plastic from electronic wastes, which is a result of the smart world that surrounds us with electronic gadgets. These electronic gadgets pose significant risks to the health of humans, animals, and the environment, and have the potential to have negative consequences for society and ecology. Electronic waste products have been very important in the issue of resource sustainability in recent years, owing to their increasing demand, consumption of essential resources, and difficulties in controlling the waste stream that results as a consequence (e-waste). As a result, the notion of circular economy, which aims to 'design out' waste via improved goods and processes, is considered to be very significant for e-products. In light of this, the purpose of this review is to investigate the possibility of incorporating lessons from behavioural sciences to assist in the management of macro and nano e-wastes being generated due to disposal or recycling issues. It provides an overview of major facts in the context of sustainable consumerism and pro-environmental actions. Finally, the article inclines for interventions in order to improve e-waste management and discusses possible prospects for improving the framework for a dangerous but yet essential electronic product which are now becoming necessity in a fast-growing economy, as well as the challenges that may arise by their disposal. © 2022
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Since dust and flammable gas are generated during the waste recycling process, there is always a risk of a fire accident. However, research on disaster management at recycling facilities deals only with the problem of processing systems from a technical standpoint and does not suggest concrete alternatives from a management aspect. Therefore, this study analyzed the influence of the disaster response network of a Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling center at the organizational level based on the concept of the cognitive accuracy of a network considering administrative aspects. Accordingly, a survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire targeting 47 employees at the WEEE recycling center in South Korea and by applying the two-mode network analysis method using UCINET software, the centrality of the actor and the density of the network were quantitatively analyzed. Through this analysis, we confirmed that factors affecting the influence of the network exist, such that the entire network and the networks of different levels of position are different. We suggest that this can be improved by deploying safety and health management managers who perform formal tasks at the center of the network so that everyone can agree on the political approach and by empowering the safety and health management manager to conduct active education and training. Furthermore, we suggest that the network structure should be reorganized, centering on the person in charge of safety and health management to have a network system that matches each position.
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The article explores the digital everyday life of recently or currently undocumented migrants in times of Covid-19 in Finland. It is based on an empirical case study on a collaborative photographic exhibition and workshop including visual images, diaries, interviews, and discussions. The analysis explores the ways in which a photography exhibition and a workshop may depict meaningful moments in digital everyday life as well as open up an understanding of the various vulnerabilities that emerge in the life of the undocumented, as expressed by themselves. The study demonstrates the fundamental importance of communication rights for people in precarious life situations, expressed by themselves in visual images. The insight produced multidimensionally in images, discussions, and interviews illustrate how digital media environment exposes to coerced visibility and requires constant struggle for communicative rights. These struggles take place on the material infrastructural level of devices, chargers, and access, but also on the level of self-expression and connection on social media platforms. Finally, the article discusses the emancipatory potential of a collaborative exhibition and workshop as a way to encounter and deal with increasingly vulnerable life situations. It points out the relevance of collaborative work as a research method, in providing knowledge from experience as well as space of recognition.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has warranted modifications to clinical research implementation to ensure adherence to public health and safety measures. Often, this modification has necessitated a deviation from the traditional face-to-face approach to an electronic or hybrid consent process. We assessed the acceptability and preference for electronic consent and explored understanding of the electronic consent information - an outcome which is vital in providing reassurance that consent is provided with full appreciation of the risks and benefits of study participation. In this descriptive study, healthcare professionals (HCPs) were invited, through a database of HCP contacts, snowball sampling and advertisement, to participate in an online survey between 14 July 2021 and 17 September 2021, to explore their experiences of providing electronic consent for enrolment into the largest implementation trial of a COVID vaccine in South Africa (SISONKE Trial). Descriptive analysis was used to characterise respondents and categorical data were expressed as frequencies. The prevalence of recurring responses to open-ended questions allowed for the identification of themes. A total of 1025 HCPs completed the online survey. Access to a COVID-19 vaccine was the strongest motivating factor for enrolment (82.3%) into the SISONKE Trial. Over a third of participants (38.6%) were not able to discuss the study with research staff. While the majority of participants (85.2%) indicated that online consent was acceptable, it was recognised that acceptability was context specific. Although 64% indicated awareness that reporting both a positive COVID test and adverse events were requirements, a significant percentage (32%) did not recall that the reporting period was 2 years. The electronic consent process was easily navigated by educated HCPs with access to electronic devices and data. Vaccine access was the most important motivation for participation, thus raising questions about how voluntary the consent process was and the role of desperation in deciding to participate.
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Telecommuting in education field, enforced by Romanian Government measures as policy responses to COVID-19 pandemic, has had a tremendous effect both on teaching professionals and on students. This paper investigates the first group, namely the teachers and their perception of online education versus students’ academic performance during distance learning, with a particular focus on the negative factors impacting educational activities: objective ones, such as the limits of technology, and personal subjective ones, as in the phenomenon of negative affect. The study is based on quantitative research that assesses the relationship between personal subjective factors (skills, affect, difficulties in adapting, level of preparedness, professional satisfaction) and technological objective factors (inadequate electronic devices, faulty internet services), with a view to establishing if online education is genuinely sustainable as a valid educational system in the long run. 881 teachers from Romania were subjected to reflect on the effectiveness of online education during the pandemic, resulting in a correlational study with some interesting conclusions and directions highlighted as characteristic for a sustainable educational program. All in all, it can be concluded that when teachers become experienced in online teaching, the efficiency of online teaching is set to improve and when improvement happens, online teaching becomes sustainable as a proper method of training via online-facilitated means of communication.
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Background: During the initial outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, there were few effective evidence-based vaccines or treatments available, which led to many attempts to find alternative options. Objective: This study aimed to compare the general dietary and lifestyle habits among the Saudi adult population in Riyadh before and during COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study targeting the Riyadh population from 16 May 2020 to 16 June 2020. The study was composed of a structured questionnaire that collected demographic information (such as age, gender, place of residence, and health status), dietary habit information (such as daily intake of certain foods, food frequency, number of meals/day, and number of times drinking tea and coffee), lifestyle habit information (such as physical activity;sleep quality;and time spent using the internet, social media, and electronic devices for fun or stress relief) using Google forms. A total of 1193 participants aged over 18 years were included in the study. Results: During the COVID-19 period, a significant increase was observed in the number of meals eaten daily, fruit and vegetable intake, the intake of sweets and cakes/biscuits, the number of hours of sleep per day, and time spent on the internet and social media compared with the pre- COVID-19 pandemic period. However, the amount of running exercise or physical activity was found to be significantly reduced. Conclusion: In this study, we found that the dietary and lifestyle habits changed among Saudi adults during the COVID-19 period. Similar large-scale studies should be undertaken in the future to confirm the results of the study.
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Online learning played an increasingly important role in education. While the COVID-19 pandemic made institutions shift classroom learning to online learning. Online learning caused various problems that affect the physical and mental health problems of students. They needed to be confined indoors and sitting in front of electronic devices resulting in stress, depression, or fatigue. Certainly, COVID-19 was a huge threat to the health of students so it causes students to suffer physical and mental health problems significantly. This research was designed as quantitative data collected using online questionnaires from 450 students aged 15-26 using exploratory factor analysis were conducted to identify factors for the impact of health problems during online learning among Thai students during COVID-19. Therefore, this research aims to study the impact of the study during the outbreak of COVID-19 and examine the impact of physical and mental health problems. It also helps to improve student learning efficiency and for the benefit of teachers in adapting teaching and learning to the situation as well as avoiding potential future health risks. © 2022 IEEE.
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The probability of medical staff to get affected from COVID19 is much higher due to their working environment which is more exposed to infectious diseases. So, as a preventive measure the body temperature monitoring of medical staff at regular intervals is highly recommended. Infrared temperature sensing guns have proved its effectiveness and therefore such devices are used to monitor the body temperature. These devices are either used on hands or forehead. As a result, there are many issues in monitoring the temperature of frontline healthcare professionals. Firstly, these healthcare professionals keep wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits during working hours and as a result it would be very difficult to monitor their body temperature. Secondly, these healthcare professionals also wear face shields and in such cases monitoring temperature by exposing forehead needs removal of face shield. Doing so after regular intervals is surely uncomfortable for healthcare professionals. To avoid such issues, this paper is disclosing a technologically advanced face shield equipped with sensors capable of monitoring body temperature instantly without the hassle of removing the face shield. This face shield is integrated with a built-in infrared temperature sensor. A total of 10 such face shields were printed and assembled within the university lab and then handed over to a group of ten members including faculty and students of nursing and health science department. This sequence was repeated four times and as a result 40 healthcare workers participated in the study. Thereafter, feedback analysis was conducted on questionnaire data and found a significant overall mean score of 4.59 out of 5 which indicates that the product is effective and worthy in every facet. Stress analysis is also performed in the simulated environment and found that the device can easily withstand the typically applied forces. The limitations of this product are difficulty in cleaning the product and comparatively high cost due to the deployment of electronic equipment.
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The article reports on Imec, a leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technology, and miDiagnostics, a spin-off of imec in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, announce that they have signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement for imec's patented technology. It mentions that the aerosols and droplets from exhaled breath are captured for screening for viral RNA through miDiagnostics ultrafast PCR technology.
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The trending need for smarter electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is surging globally by the year and is giving rise to huge amounts of outdated EEE going into landfills. This has caused enormous threats to our environment and the health of living beings due to its unsustainable ways of collection, treatment and disposal of waste EEE or E-waste. With increasing E-waste, the formal sectors lack infrastructure, technology and expertise required to collect and process the E-waste in an environmentally sound manner. This article is intended to bring out the global best practices in the field of E-waste management, to shed light on the importance of policy implementation, technology requirement and social awareness to arrive at a sustainable and circular economy. Although about 71% of the world’s populace has incorporated E-waste legislation, there is a need to enforce and implement a common legal framework across the globe. The article explains the gap created among the stakeholders and their knowledge on the roles and responsibilities towards a legalized E-waste management. It further explains the lack of awareness on extended producer responsibility (EPR) and producer responsibility schemes. Despite various legislations in force, numerous illegal practices such as acid leaching, open incineration, illegal dumping carried out by the informal sector are causing harm to the environment, natural resources and the safety of unorganized and unskilled labor. The article discusses the crucial need for awareness amongst stakeholders, consumer behavior and the global challenges and opportunities in this field to achieve a low-carbon, circular economy. To conclude, the article highlights the importance of common legal framework, EPR and licenses, transformation of the informal sector, benchmark technologies, responsibilities of various stakeholders and entrepreneurial opportunities to enhance the formal capacity. The article wholly advocates for transparency, accountability and traceability in the E-waste recycling chain, thus creating a greener environment and protecting our planet and natural resources for future generations.
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The experiential tsunami produced by the pandemic's entry into 2020 provoked a thoughtless pedagogical change, with no possibility of modifying the articulation between virtual teaching and learning processes. Despite the widespread use of electronic devices and their connection to the internet, the lack of a virtual pedagogy showed a lack of strategies, scenarios and guidelines that could only be overcome through the ethics of positivity. From the Didactics of Mathematics, we demand a considered approach to the pedagogical needs required by the new virtual situation, i.e. a comprehensive epistemological approach. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] El tsunami vivencial producido por la entrada de la pandemia en 2020 provocó un cambio pedagógico irreflexivo, sin posibilidad de modificar la articulación entre procesos de enseñanza y aprendizajes virtuales. Pese al amplio uso de los dispositivos electrónicos y su conexión a internet, la falta de una pedagogía virtual mostró la carencia de estrategias, escenarios y pautas que tan solo pudo ser sobrepujada mediante la ética de la positividad. Desde la Didáctica de las Matemáticas, reivindicamos un ponderado planteamiento de las necesidades pedagógicas que requiere la nueva coyuntura virtual, es decir, un planteamiento epistemológico integral. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Utopia y Praxis Latinoamericana is the property of Revista de Filosofia-Universidad del Zulia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
ABSTRACT
Background/AimsPatient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are essential in gaining valuable feedback. Due to outbreak of COVID-19, dietitians at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) were moved off site to work remotely resulting in change of practice, where patients who were previously seen face-to-face, were reviewed by telephone. The blood, cells, cancer (BCC) dietitians undertook a PROMs questionnaire to understand patient/carer experience of dietetic service and was compared to experience pre-pandemic.MethodsParents/carers with a child under care of BCC dietitians from mid-June to September 2020 were eligible to complete online Nutrition and Dietetic Patient Outcomes Questionnaires (validated PROM tool). Children >8 years were eligible to complete young-person version of questionnaire. After review with dietitian, parents/carers were given website URL to allow optional and anonymous completion of questionnaire on own electronic devices. Responses allocated numerical values and analysed using Microsoft Excel.ResultsThirty-five parent/carers and two young persons completed questionnaire. No difference in dietetic experience observed overall (score=26.1) since pre-pandemic (score=26.1). Those who had met a dietitian once scored more favourably (score=23.7) than those who had seen dietitian twice or more (score =27.5, 26.7 respectively);in 2019, those who had seen dietitian >5 times had more positive experience (score=23.6). Reported improvement in parents/carers feeling a dietitian helped them better understand how to manage child’s condition (+7%), but worse experience around managing anxiety (-9%) and increasing socialisation/interaction (-22%).ConclusionsChange to remote working during pandemic well-received by parents/carers under BCC dietitians at GOSH. Data collected during national lockdown likely impacted results around anxiety and socialisation;however, impact of face-to-face reviews in reducing anxiety must be considered. A combination of face-to-face reviews and remote working is likely to become new model of care. Repeat questionnaire is needed once new ways of working implemented. Methods of gathering data from young children needs further consideration.