Attitudes among physicians toward vaccine mandates for emerging infectious disease: the case of the COVID-19 vaccine

Objectives: The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a global pandemic. Vaccine mandates were implemented in several countries, including in Taiwan, and often targeted health-care workers in particular. This study investigated attitudes among Taiwanese physicians toward such policies and how ethical beliefs and logic influenced attitudes. Methods: A total of 16 physicians were recruited by using the snowball method from hospitals in northern Taiwan. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Results: Physicians tended not to support mandatory vaccination. Five themes emerged: (1) Individual rights, including violation of autonomy and labor rights;(2) vaccine performance, including safety and efficacy;(3) institutional norms, including the degree of relevancy of the policy-issuing unit and the employment relationship between physicians and institutions;(4) social and workplace stigma resulting from coercive policies in different job categories or departments;and (5) professional ethics of physicians. Conclusions: Autonomy and professional ethics among physicians influence attitudes toward vaccine mandates. Vaccine performance, institutional norms, and stigma also influence attitudes toward vaccine mandates and decision-making. Even with high ethical awareness, the study participants tended not to support vaccine mandates. The government should formulate mandatory vaccination policy means for healthcare workers that can be used by hospitals. Each hospital should assess their unique risks and implement policies that best suit their needs. (Taiwan J Public Health. 2023;42(1):75-87)

Preface

The International Conference on Emerging Electronic & Automation Technology (ICEEAT 2022) is a forum for promoting, discussing and developing ideas in emerging electronic and automation technology. ICEEAT 2022 was successfully held virtually, featuring two days of oral presentations with distinguished invited talks. We are very much aware that one of the objectives of worldwide researchers is to gain and share knowledge. However, due to the recent outbreak of Covid-19, we realize that some precaution needs to be made to maintain the balance of the need for sharing our knowledge and the precaution due to global health concerns. Thus, we offer to hold the conference under a virtual platform with the same quality as offline medium. Through ethical virtual conferences, we ensured that the programs would be conducted as planned.The conference agenda covered keynote speeches, oral presentations, and online Q&A discussion. Firstly, keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches. Then in the oral presentations, the excellent papers selected were presented by their authors one by one. During the conference, we were greatly honored to invite five sophisticated keynote speakers to address their speeches: Prof. Dr. Junle Qu from Shenzhen University (China);Professor Dr. Yiming Li from Zhejiang Normal University (China);Professor Dr. Xiaodong Zhang from Tianjin University (China);Senior;and Assistant Prof. Dr. William Hurst from Wageningen University (Netherlands) and Prof.Dr. Hai Tao from Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities,(China). The wonderful and dramatic speeches of each keynote speaker had triggered heated discussion. Moreover, every participant praised this conference for disseminating useful and insightful knowledge.Scientists and practitioners submitted more than 80 papers in total. The editors and committees to make a success of ICEEAT2022 carefully reviewed all of them. As a result, the conference proceedings were compiled. These papers feature but are not limited to the following topics: Image processing and patron recognition;Artificial intelligent for smart system, communication network control and management, etc. All the papers have been checked through rigorous review and processes to meet the requirements of publication.On behalf of the conference organizing committee, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all the keynote speakers, peer reviewers, and all the participants. Especially, we would like to acknowledge the Journal of Physics: Conference Series, for the efforts of all the colleagues in publishing this paper volume. We firmly believe that all the attendees have had fruitful discussions and gained valuable knowledge, and will enjoy the opportunity for future collaborations.Committee of ICEEAT2022List of Conference Organization, Committee member is available in this Pdf.

Determinants of e-waste workers' intention to wear respiratory protective equipment at work in Hong Kong

IntroductionE-waste workers in Hong Kong are exposed to more chemicals because more e-waste needs to be handled locally. However, studies suggested that many e-waste workers are unwilling to wear respiratory protective equipment (RPE) for different reasons. This study aimed to identify the determinants of e-waste workers' intention to wear RPE in Hong Kong.Material and MethodsWe recruited 109 e-waste workers from June 2021 to September 2022. A workplace RPE intention scale (WRPIEs) was developed based on validated Robertsen's RPE behavior intention model and Hong Kong Occupational Safety Culture Index. The WRPIEs was consolidated by exploratory factor analysis and further enhanced by confirmatory factor analysis. Multivariate linear regression was used to test the association between the identified domain factors and the intention to use RPE at work.ResultsMost of the participants were aged over 40 years (76%), had middle school or below educational degrees (83%), wore RPE (94%) at work, and had increased time of wearing RPE after the Covid-19 pandemic (69%). Four domain factors (containing 17 manifest variables) were confirmed, including ‘subjective norms (SN)', ‘supportive working conditions (SWC)', ‘autonomy', and ‘occupational safety and health'. The enhanced WRPIEs had good indices in internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α ranged: 0.78–0.94), good composite reliability (range: 0.79–0.95), and model fit (SRMR=0.05, RMSEA=0.03, CFI=0.99). Among the identified domain factors, SN (β=0.36) and SWC (β=0.30) significantly increased e-waste workers' intention to wear RPE at the workplace.ConclusionsThis newly validated WRPIEs scale can help capture Chinese e-waste workers' intention to wear RPE. Results from this study also suggested that various stakeholders could enhance SN and SWC to facilitate workers' willingness to wear PPE. (Acknowledgements: GRF/RGC-165056653 & VCDFIII-136366853. Ethics approval: CREC 2020.039;*shelly@cuhk.edu.hk)

Breakthrough infection among workers in different non-healthcare working settings

IntroductionWorkplace is supposed to be an important transmission node of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in the epic initiation. Assessing the contagious risk in the different workplaces is important to target effective measures workplace. However, there was limited data to explore transmission patterns in work settings after COVID-19 spread into the community and population vaccination.Materials and MethodsFrom April to June 2022, 328 workers were enrolled in a variety of work settings. An online questionnaire was used to collect their current work industry, geographic information, vaccination of SARS-CoV-2, infection, etc. To categorize their exposure risk to COVID-19 cases from the workplace, workers were grouped into 3 different work settings according to their job nature and working environment. Non-office workers were those who normally carried out their jobs in a range of environments in an indoor or outdoor working space where close contact with the general public is frequent;Mobile workers were those who frequently move for conducting business that involves closer and more frequent contact with the general public;Office workers were those normally carry out professional duties and administrative work in an indoor working space. Breakthrough infection is defined as an infection after 14 days of full vaccination. The ethics approval number is CREC-2021.531-T.ResultsThere were 97, 151, and 80 workers in mobile, non-office, and office work groups and the infection rate were 40.2%, 40.4%, and 37.5%, respectively. 96.3% of them were full-vaccinated or get a booster shot. There was no significant difference in the breakthrough infection rate of workers in these three work settings no matter getting two or three shots of vaccine.ConclusionsWorkplace infection especially after full vaccination is not an important SARS-CoV-2 transmission pathway. [HMRF#COVID1903008, shelly@cuhk.edu.hk]

How COVID-19 pandemic has shaped buyer-supplier relationships in engineering companies with ethical perception considerations: A multi-methodological study.

In business-to-business (B2B) operations, prior studies have mainly explored transaction-based relationships with both buyers and suppliers opportunistic behaviors, driven largely by their intent to maximize their own benefits. These studies have also found that dependency on partners increases when supply materials are scarce. However, research is scant on how this relationship changes in the face of exogenous forces such as the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping in mind the ethical perception considerations. This study aims to bridge this gap in the literature by studying how buyers and sellers leverage collaboration and resource-sharing to tide over pandemic-like situations similar to the current COVID-19 pandemic while considering their ethical perceptions. We conduct a multi-methodological study consisting of an industrial survey and an interview-based thematic analysis. In the first phase, we collect primary data using a structured questionnaire and conduct a covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) analysis. In the second phase, we conduct a post-hoc test. We find that non-regular suppliers will share strategic resources with buyers during uncertain times (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic) if they have a high ethical perception of the buying firm and share a candid relationship despite being their irregular customers. Our findings propose that B2B firms should maintain healthy relationships with alternative suppliers to build trust and avoid supply crises in times of disruptions.

Towards an Ethics of Inclusivity, Fairness, and Balance in the Age of Pandemics

According to White (2010), any departure from such norms should be unimaginable given the public's need to trust in journalists' devotion to communicating truth. According to Mawarire's (2020) study on ethics in the African media, vulnerable groups and marginalized communities have not received equitable and balanced coverage during the pandemic. According to the U.N., journalism ethics are similar to human rights, universal and inalienable, interconnected and linked. [...]journalistic accuracy, fairness, and truth should be required universally by media practitioners, regardless of nationality [8]. [...]newsrooms are forced to operate on a tight budget, unable to fulfil their information and watchdog roles properly.

Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: A practical guide., 6th ed

It is noted that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic transformed-at least temporarily-psychotherapy and counseling from encounters primarily conducted in-person to virtual meetings convened over Zoom, FaceTime, and other video conferencing and digital tools. Creative innovation, surprising research findings, landmark legal decisions, demographic shifts, and new perspectives continue to bring change to psychotherapy and counseling, and to ethical standards, theory, and practice. To address these trends and changes, the authors updated all the chapters in this edition and have created some new chapters. Changes in the authorship of this book are noted. The sixth edition benefits from four very diverse perspectives and co-authors who worked collaboratively to create an edition that motivate to strengthen and inform ethical awareness and sense of personal and collective ethical responsibility. The book addresses foundations and common sources of problems in psychotherapy and counseling. Special topics are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Adapting and Innovating Research to Create Impact: What Does it Take?

We live in an interconnected world that is rapidly changing due to the confluence of very pressing challenges in the social, economic and environmental spheres. COVID-19 has highlighted the critical value of science in providing answers and solutions to the pandemic and for a fast economic recovery plan. This has increased the demands for technology-driven solutions, accelerated digital transformation, data-driven decisions (evidence-based) as well as agile responses in record time. As a result, we adopted a technocentric approach as opposed to a human-centric approach that gives emphasis to people and values in order to create impact. In providing impactful research and innovation, the combination of whole government and whole societal approach must take centre stage to navigate the unprecedented challenges brought in the new normal. To recover from the economic impact of COVID-19 we need to instil innovation among our researchers and industries in order to move productivity. To provide the necessary solutions using indigenous technologies require creativity, critical thinking and the entrepreneurial mindset. The turn-key to transformation of knowledge into innovation is education and being a change maker. As such, responsible research and innovation that is human-centric, nature centric and values-centric must be inculcated from young and move from being a mere concept to research practice at national level. To produce the desired results, intangibles (values, ethics, trust and trustworthiness) play a big role to provide solutions that must align the scientific and technological progress with socially desirable and acceptable ends. Closing the gap between academia and industry is imperative since our industries need use indigenous technologies in order to remain competitive in the innovation economy. Continuous adoption of foreign technology will delay the country from being a high-tech nation by 2030. This paper will discuss on the issues and challenges in creating the ecosystem to support impactful research with emphasis in biotechnology.

The ethics of wastewater surveillance for public health

The COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled interest in the use of wastewater analysis for public health surveillance. Hydrologists, engineers, environmental scientists, microbiologists, public health experts and those in other disciplines have been tasked with the implementation of national-scale surveillance and the resultant data have been used for decision making at the highest levels of government. The widespread surveillance of communities is not without its concerns, however. This paper explores the ethics of surveillance drawing on the literature and our experiences with wastewater analysis. Consent is not typically required for wastewater surveillance, which can exacerbate perceptions of risk and undermine public trust. Seemingly innocuous communication of surveillance data can stigmatise communities and perpetuate inequities. There are tensions between the desire for the rapid delivery of information and the time needed to build confidence in surveillance data. There are also limitations and uncertainties in the science of wastewater surveillance, and these add to the pressures of communication for and with decision makers. Media representations can be problematic and perpetuate social stigma. On a positive note, the transdisciplinary nature of wastewater surveillance presents an opportunity to work across and beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries to address the ethics of surveillance, which, we expect, will be especially important as wastewater surveillance becomes further mainstreamed, particularly under the auspices of surveillance capitalism.

Every fifth published metagenome is not available to science

Have you ever sought to use metagenomic DNA sequences reported in scientific publications? Were you successful? Here, we reveal that metagenomes from no fewer than 20% of the papers found in our literature search, published between 2016 and 2019, were not deposited in a repository or were simply inaccessible. The proportion of inaccessible data within the literature has been increasing year-on-year. Noncompliance with Open Data is best predicted by the scientific discipline of the journal. The number of citations, journal type (e.g., Open Access or subscription journals), and publisher are not good predictors of data accessibility. However, many publications in high–impact factor journals do display a higher likelihood of accessible metagenomic data sets. Twenty-first century science demands compliance with the ethical standard of data sharing of metagenomes and DNA sequence data more broadly. Data accessibility must become one of the routine and mandatory components of manuscript submissions—a requirement that should be applicable across the increasing number of disciplines using metagenomics. Compliance must be ensured and reinforced by funders, publishers, editors, reviewers, and, ultimately, the authors.

Expanding the transdisciplinary conversation towards pluriversal distributive disaster recovery: development ethics and interculturality

Purpose>From a Latin American decolonial and transdisciplinary perspective, this article expands the increasingly relevant conversation about disaster ethics, not only in depth and scope but also both interdisciplinarily and interculturally. By reviewing key points of development ethics that are closely related but underexplored, it makes the case for focusing on disaster recovery as a relevant distributive phase for improving future prevention and mitigation, while remedying long-standing injustices.Design/methodology/approach>To do so, against the backdrop of recently emerging postcolonial, decolonial and structural approaches to disaster and vulnerability studies, the article presents a theoretical conversation between decolonial studies, development ethics, intercultural practice and philosophy, and disaster ethics beyond utilitarian approaches.Findings>So far, development and disaster ethics remain worlds apart, despite their relevant convergence around the key notion of “recovery” and its underlying normative determination. This article identifies that prevailing utilitarian ethics in emergency response, in addition to their problematic universalization, have prevented further engagement with deontological and process-based principles, including a nuanced distributive sensitivity. As a result of such cross-fertilization, methodological individualism in an intercultural encounter is suggested, as well as continued engagement with pluriversal deliberation about key ethical values and notions regarding disaster risk and response.Originality/value>Calling for distributive bottom-up engagement beyond professional and academic boundaries, this article presents a new direction for decolonising disaster ethics, so far unexplored, seeking to bridge the value gap between development and disaster efforts, planning and prevention.

Ethics and negotiations for access to vaccines: methodological and ethical exceptionalities

Purpose/Context. This article discusses the various factors that have affected access to vaccines for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with particular attention to the interests involved in the negotiations. An analysis of the processes of vaccine research, production, procurement, distribution, and marketing is detailed, as well as the international ethical standards that guide these practices. Methodology/Approach. Similarly, a framework of scientific, methodological, ethical and legal exceptions for research, production and commercialization of vaccines is identified, while the rules imposed by the global market system regarding intellectual property protection (Adpic), negotiations and contracts, defense of private and corporate interests have been maintained and deepened without exceptions. It also highlights the role played by the richest countries, accumulating more doses than necessary, which seriously impacted the access of low-income countries. Results/Findings. The international ethical norms and agreements made by governments that should limit conducts such as these, avoid their consequences and that have not been complied with, are analyzed. Discussion/Conclusions/Contributions. It concludes with a concrete proposal that could alleviate the current situation and includes a reflection on the impact on the life and health of the most vulnerable countries and groups, if the international order continues to be governed by the global market system instead of a new and fairer global pact.

Ética y negociaciones para el acceso a vacunas: excepcionalismos metodológicos y éticos

Propósito/Contexto. En este artículo se analizan los distintos factores que han afectado el acceso a las vacunas para la prevención de la infección por SARS-COV2 poniendo particular atención a los intereses que atraviesan las negociaciones. Se detalla un análisis de los procesos de investigación, producción, contratación, distribución y comercialización de vacunas, así como las normas éticas internacionales que orientan estas prácticas. Metodología/Enfoque. De igual modo, se identifican un marco de excepciones científicas, metodológicas, éticas y legales para la investigación, producción y comercialización de las vacunas, al tiempo que se ha mantenido y profundizado, sin excepciones, las normas impuestas por el sistema global de mercado en lo referente a protección de propiedad intelectual (ADPIC), negociaciones y contratos, defensa de intereses privados y de las empresas. También se pone en evidencia el rol que han tenido los países más ricos, acumulando más dosis de las necesarias lo cual impactó seriamente en el acceso de los países de bajos ingresos. Resultados/Hallazgos. Se analizan las normas éticas internacionales y los acuerdos realizados por los gobiernos que deberían limitar conductas como estas y evitarían sus consecuencias y que no han sido cumplidas. Discusión/Conclusiones/Contribuciones. Se concluye con una propuesta concreta que podría aliviar la situación actual y se incluye una reflexión sobre el impacto en la vida y la salud de los países y grupos más vulnerables, si el orden internacional sigue regido por el sistema global de mercado en lugar de un nuevo pacto global más justo.

Halal Food Sustainability between Certification and Blockchain: A Review

Islam is the second-largest religion on a global scale. All around the world Muslims are estimated to comprise more than 1.9 billion people. Therefore, the demand for Halal commodities is expected to reach a high growth rate: thus, it is crucial to increase its global market’s reliability and traceability. Based on these grounds, the scope of this paper is to assess Halal food sustainability, examining the barriers and opportunities offered by the certification and blockchain tools. To this purpose, the authors carried out an integrative literature review, selecting 54 contributions in the Web of Science platform. Despite several limitations, such as the lack of a standardized framework or universally accepted and reliable certifying authorities, the implementation of blockchain technology has emerged as an interesting instrument to increase the trustworthiness and traceability of Halal foods. This tool could also help the development of protocols and standard procedures, ensuring hygienic and permitted products that may boost food safety and security. Besides, the enhancement of the Halal certification and the blockchain tool, even if several efforts are required in terms of innovation and cooperation by local authorities, industrial associations and leading consumers, could enhance fair trade, ethical business, green animal breeding and environmental economics, and hence sustainable development.

Predicting Volatility Index According to Technical Index and Economic Indicators on the Basis of Deep Learning Algorithm

The Volatility Index (VIX) is a real-time index that has been used as the first measure to quantify market expectations for volatility, which affects the financial market as a main actor of the overall economy that is sensitive to the environmental and social aspects of investors and companies. The VIX is calculated using option prices for the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and is expressed as a percentage. Taking into account that VIX only shows the implicit volatility of the S&P 500 for the next 30 days, the authors develop a model for a near-optimal state trying to avoid uncertainty and insufficient accuracy. The researchers are trying to make a contribution to the theory of socially responsible portfolio management. The developed approach allows potential investments to make decisions regarding such important topics as ethical investing, performance analysis, as well as sustainable investment strategies. The approach of this research allows to use deep probabilistic convolutional neural networks based on conditional variance as a linear function of errors with the aim of estimating and predicting the VIX. For this purpose, the use of technical indicators and economic indexes such as Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) VIX and S&P 500 is considered. The results of estimating and predicting the VIX with the proposed method indicate high precision and create a certainty in modeling to achieve the goals.

Research in the Time of COVID-19: Challenges of Research Ethics Committees.

Compliance with ethics guidelines for research are even more critical in the time of emergency public health situations such as a pandemic. Underpinned by the principles laid out in the 1979 Belmont report, conduct of research at any time should focus on respect for persons, beneficence and justice. Certain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in research ethics committees may be revised to provide a quicker turn-around and timely review. Key elements in effective review of studies include rigorousness, responsiveness and timeliness. It is crucial to recognize that ethics review committees share responsibility with researchers and its institutions, funding agencies and regulatory agencies for upholding ethical principles in research at all times.