Masked Face Recognition System using Extended VGG-19

The scientific community has observed several issues as a result of COVID-19, both directly and indirectly. The use of face mask for health protection is crucial in the current COVID-19 scenario. Besides, ensuring the security of all people, from individuals to the state system, financial resources, diverse establishments, government, and non-government entities, is an essential component of contemporary life. Face recognition system is one of the most widely used security technology in modern life. In the presence of face masks, the performance of the current face recognition systems is not satisfactory. In this paper, we investigate a flexible solution that could be employed to recognize masked faces effectively. To do this, we develop a unique dataset to recognize the masked face, consisting of a frontal and lateral face with a mask. We propose an extended VGG19 deep model to improve the accuracy of the masked face recognition system. Then, we compare the accuracy of the proposed framework to that of well-known deep learning techniques, such as the standard Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and the original VGG19. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed extended VGG19 outperforms the investigated approaches. Quantitatively, the proposed model recognizes the frontal face with the mask with high accuracy of 96%. © 2022 IEEE.

Towards a Model for Inclusive Healthcare Access post COVID-19

The devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed years of cyclic inequalities faced by disadvantaged and minority communities. Unequal access to healthcare and a lack of financial resources further exacerbates their suffering, especially during a pandemic. In such critical conditions, information technology-based healthcare services can be an efficient way of increasing access to healthcare for these communities. In this paper, we put forward a decision model for guiding the distribution of IT-based healthcare services for racial minorities. We augment the Health Belief Model by adding financial and technology beliefs. We posit that financial inclusion of minority populations increases their ability to access technology and, by extension, IT-based healthcare services. Financial inclusion and the use of secure private technologies like federated learning can indeed enable greater access to healthcare services for minorities. Therefore, we incorporate financial, health, and technology tools to develop a model for equitable delivery of healthcare services and test its applicability in different use-case scenarios. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Changes in socioeconomic resources and mental health after the second COVID-19 wave (2020-2021): a longitudinal study in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: During the 2020/2021 winter, the labour market was under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in socioeconomic resources during this period could have influenced individual mental health. This association may have been mitigated or exacerbated by subjective risk perceptions, such as perceived risk of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 or perception of the national economic situation. Therefore, we aimed to determine if changes in financial resources and employment situation during and after the second COVID-19 wave were prospectively associated with depression, anxiety and stress, and whether perceptions of the national economic situation and of the risk of getting infected modified this association. METHODS: One thousand seven hundred fifty nine participants from a nation-wide population-based eCohort in Switzerland were followed between November 2020 and September 2021. Financial resources and employment status were assessed twice (Nov2020-Mar2021, May-Jul 2021). Mental health was assessed after the second measurement of financial resources and employment status, using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). We modelled DASS-21 scores with linear regression, adjusting for demographics, health status, social relationships and changes in workload, and tested interactions with subjective risk perceptions. RESULTS: We observed scores above thresholds for normal levels for 16% (95%CI = 15-18) of participants for depression, 8% (95%CI = 7-10) for anxiety, and 10% (95%CI = 9-12) for stress. Compared to continuously comfortable or sufficient financial resources, continuously precarious or insufficient resources were associated with worse scores for all outcomes. Increased financial resources were associated with higher anxiety. In the working-age group, shifting from full to part-time employment was associated with higher stress and anxiety. Perceiving the Swiss economic situation as worrisome was associated with higher anxiety in participants who lost financial resources or had continuously precarious or insufficient resources. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the association of economic stressors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the exacerbating role of subjective risk perception on this association.

Sustainable budgeting and financial balance: Which lever will you pull?

During the past few decades, countries have experienced a remarkable increase in local expenditure levels to address rising local needs. However, the limited availability of financial resources, exacerbated first by the 2008 financial crisis and then by Covid19 crisis, has called for budget restrictions usually imposed by higher levels of government. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of a balance budget rule enforcement, exploring its effect on the local government cost efficiency and, in particular, considering the complex trade-off between efficiency and equity. Specifically, our identification strategy considers the exogenous introduction of a new budget balance rule that requires local governments to respect both an annual and a longer-term equilibrium criterion. The difference-in-differences analysis builds on a rich panel dataset covering all the public functions. We find that, on average, the budget rule enforcement exerted a positive effect on local government efficiency. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

RESOURCE PERCEPTIONS AND EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE ROLE OF PERSONAL CONTROL AS A MODERATOR

This paper used Hobfoll's conservation of resources (COR) theory to investigate the extent to which interpersonal and financial resources predict the well-being of salaried employees in the United States. Data were collected from a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States conducted by the RAND Corporation1. Two measures of well-being (depressive symptoms and life satisfaction), along with an actual loss of financial resources and a perceived lack of interpersonal and financial resources, were examined. The role of perceived control as a moderator in the relationship between resource deficit perceptions and well-being was also examined. The results of the regression analysis indicate that the perceived lack of resources was associated with a decline in well-being. Perceived control was found to buffer the negative effects of resource deficit perceptions. Employees with high levels of perceived control showed less of a reduction in well-being than those with low levels of perceived control as the perceived deficit of resources increased. The study also revealed that actual loss of resources, measured as a decrease in wages, is associated with a decrease in life satisfaction but is not associated with depressive symptoms. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our research on the relationship between resource deficits and well-being during a public health crisis. © 2022, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. All rights reserved.

Trends and Factors of Development of the Financial system Elements of the Modern Russian Economy

The subject of the research is the segments of the financial system of the Russian Federation: the budget system, the banking sector, the stock and insurance markets, and the currency policy of the state. The purpose of the study is to determine the trends and factors in the development of the main elements of the financial system at the present stage. The relevance of scientific research is due to the fact that the financial system is a key element of the strategy of socio-economic development of any state, providing economic processes with financial resources and capital. The author uses the following methods: analysis, synthesis, generalization, and the logical method. The study highlights promising directions, ways and mechanisms for the development of the Russian financial system that are relevant in the 2020s. The key factors influencing their trends and threats that create barriers are analyzed. The main directions, ways and mechanisms for stimulating the further development of the elements of the financial system are described. The author concludes that due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and economic sanctions imposed on Russia, the stability of the Russian financial system has been violated, which requires the adoption of state regulation mechanisms to improve the activities of financial institutions. The prospect of further research on this topic may be related to the development of areas for improving individual elements of the Russian financial system. © Ismoilov g.N., 2022.

Accelerating the Uptake of Advanced Digital Technologies for Health and Safety Management within Construction: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Health and safety problems are essential for the construction industry, and such problems are more pronounced in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to the lack of financial resources and skilled personnel. Researchers have explored the feasibility and viability of addressing such constraints using artificial intelligence-enhanced, low-cost sensor systems. Our previous studies have investigated both conventional machine learning and deep neural network models for recognizing workers' postures from low-cost wearable sensors and assessing the ergonomics risks for injury prevention. In the next steps for this research, we are investigating adoption drivers and diffusion barriers for the scaled deployment of AI-enhanced sensor networks and other emerging digital technologies for construction health and safety in a real-work setting. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges, it has also sped up the digital technology adoption. The discussion in this paper is directed at building on this momentum to advance the use of emerging digital technologies at construction SMEs. The authors conducted a systematic review of literature on digital technologies at construction SMEs and how COVID-19 affected the digital transformation at SMEs. After an initial screening of a total of 170 articles, the key publications based on the research questions were selected for a more in-depth analysis. It emerged that although construction SMEs have embraced the use of several digital technologies during the current pandemic, there is still a large digital divide between these companies and larger companies. The research discussed in this paper contributes to efforts directed at addressing this problem through the design and deployment of SME-centric digital technologies for construction health and safety. © 2021 Computing in Civil Engineering 2021 - Selected Papers from the ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering 2021. All rights reserved.

Does Size Matter for Enhancing Company Resilience and Performance of Indonesian Trucking Company during COVID-19 Pandemic?

It is not clear whether or not the size of a company affects its survival during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will address the issue of size and its contribution to company resilience and performance by looking at factors affecting resilience such as financial resources management, innovation and digitalisation technology, resilient leadership, risk and business continuity management. We focus specifically on the trucking sector. Both factors and its indicator were determined through an in-depth literature review and then transformed into questionnaires, distributed to Indonesian trucking companies and then validated through statistical analysis using PLS-SEM. This study found that different resilience factors significantly contributed to company resilience, and the size does matter in terms of achieving resilience in facing COVID-19 disruption. © 2022 ACM.

Design of Face Recognition Temperature Detector Based on YoloV2 Strategy

Because of the new champions league epidemic raged in the whole world, a variety of inconvenience to people's production, life, at present, although the effective control of domestic outbreak, but the epidemic still cannot relax, requires a lot of manpower, material resources, financial resources, in particular schools, hospitals, shopping malls and other crowded places, as the main representation of the new champions league patients body fever, Temperature detection is needed for initial screening of COVID-19 patients. Based on the above reasons, a non-contact, long-distance body temperature detector was designed to detect the temperature of candidates to avoid problems such as temperature misdetection, false alarm, and omission. The method of manual verification by invigilators was changed, and the YoloV2 algorithm was used to obtain identity in real time and automatically. Validation results. This article first analyzes the existing problems of the current body temperature detector and the market demand for epidemic prevention and control, and then designs the non-contact, remote body temperature measurement and face recognition functions of the body temperature detector. Finally, it has been actually verified to meet the design requirements, especially for the success rate of face recognition of blurred images is over 74%. With the continuous improvement and upgrade of functions, it will have high engineering application value. © 2021 IEEE.

Informing Equitable Water and Food Policies through Accurate Spatial Information on Irrigated Areas in Smallholder Farming Systems

Accurate information on irrigated areas’ spatial distribution and extent are crucial in enhancing agricultural water productivity, water resources management, and formulating strategic policies that enhance water and food security and ecologically sustainable development. However, data are typically limited for smallholder irrigated areas, which is key to achieving social equity and equal distribution of financial resources. This study addressed this gap by delineating disaggregated smallholder and commercial irrigated areas through the random forest algorithm, a non-parametric machine learning classifier. Location within or outside former apartheid “homelands” was taken as a proxy for smallholder, and commercial irrigation. Being in a medium rainfall area, the huge irrigation potential of the Inkomati-Usuthu Water Management Area (UWMA) is already well developed for commercial crop production outside former homelands. However, information about the spatial distribution and extent of irrigated areas within former homelands, which is largely informal, was missing. Therefore, we first classified cultivated lands in 2019 and 2020 as a baseline, from where the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to distinguish irrigated from rainfed, focusing on the dry winter period when crops are predominately irrigated. The mapping accuracy of 84.9% improved the efficacy in defining the actual spatial extent of current irrigated areas at both smallholder and commercial spatial scales. The proportion of irrigated areas was high for both commercial (92.5%) and smallholder (96.2%) irrigation. Moreover, smallholder irrigation increased by over 19% between 2019 and 2020, compared to slightly over 7% in the commercial sector. Such information is critical for policy formulation regarding equitable and inclusive water allocation, irrigation expansion, land reform, and food and water security in smallholder farming systems.

Food Security, Financial Resources, and Mental Health: Evidence during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 has negatively impacted many households' financial well-being, food security, and mental health status. This paper investigates the role financial resources play in understanding the relationship between food security and mental health among U.S. households using data from a survey in June 2020. Results show job loss and savings draw down to pay for household bills had a significant relationship with both lower food security and greater numbers of poor mental health days during the pandemic.

Entrepreneurial bricolage: crowdfunding for female entrepreneurs during COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented effects around the world and particularly on vulnerable populations, such as female entrepreneurs in developing countries. They are facing a new normal, characterized by high uncertainty and resource constraints. This paper aims to use the experiential learning theory applied to entrepreneurship to propose the entrepreneurial bricolage approach to study how female entrepreneurs can overcome this type of crisis. Design/methodology/approach Within the research designs of conceptual papers, the study is situated within the model approach because the authors propose novel relationships between constructs to answer the research questions through the development of theoretical propositions. Findings The analysis suggests that the entrepreneurial bricolage process represents a type of strategy that allows these women to adapt to this new normal. Based on this approach, the authors suggest that crowdfunding represents a financial resource at hand for both pre-existing female entrepreneurs and new female entrepreneurs. Practical implications The theoretical implications suggest an alternative conceptual framework of the entrepreneurial bricolage process to analyse the female entrepreneurial activity in developing countries and during crisis' contexts. The managerial implications suggest that crowdfunding is a financial resource at hand for female entrepreneurs that allow them to perform well, innovate or implement growth strategies and have more chances of surviving and growing during the crisis. Finally, the policy implications are oriented to the promotion of this kind of financial alternative and the generation of trust for users, along with the strengthening of a regulatory framework to attract more investors and entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study provides useful information on how the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting female entrepreneurs in developing countries. It also expands on the literature on crowdfunding in terms of its advantages as a non-traditional funding source for women.

TEACHING MODULES: LEVELS OF CROSS-SUBSIDY AT A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

Traditional universities, typically presenting face-to-face education on-campus, are facing their biggest survival crisis in decades. COVID-19 fast-tracked the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on universities in terms of online education, rethinking their core disciplines and even their role in society. In a matter of months, most universities had to embrace technology to educate their students. Huge amounts of money had to be spent to retrain staff and invest in technology, leading to significant increases in spending. In addition, the world is experiencing a massive rise in unemployment, which is already leading to declining student numbers and a need for more affordable education. The primary research objective of this article was to determine the levels of cross-subsidy of teaching modules at a South African university using cost and management accounting principles. The sample consisted of 3 689 modules with 286 831 students enrolled during 2018 at a selected South African university. The authors of this article are convinced that the costing methodology applied in this study is unique and sound, and, in spite of the fact that the results reflect the figures of only one university, it is quite likely that most traditional universities are facing the same dilemma. The results of this study indicated that 49,7 per cent (1 769) of the teaching modules at the related university did not cover their direct cost in 2018. In addition, the 1 769 modules not covering their direct costs, accounted for only 5,2 per cent of all enrolments. Hence, if the selected university had to close 47,9 per cent of the modules not covering their direct costs, it would only impact 14 867 of 286 832 enrolments, which is negligible. The unique contribution of this research is to assist traditional universities to avail resources to fund the critical changes needed to combat COVID-19 and embrace the 4IR.

Who is resilient in a time of crisis? The importance of financial and non-financial resources.

Enhancing population resilience to adverse events is now a policy priority. Accordingly, there have been calls for more evidence on the determinants of resilience. We answer this call by identifying financial and non-financial resources associated with psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using longitudinal survey data, psychological resilience is measured by comparing distress reported pre-COVID-19 with distress reported during the outbreak and initial lockdown in April 2020. Methodologically, we compare differences in resilience and resources between people with identical gender, ethnicity, health, parenthood status, education, employment status, and region of residence (all measured pre-2020). We also provide estimates from within-household comparisons. Surprisingly, income, savings, and debt levels did not affect the likelihood of psychologically resilient outcomes. Cognitive ability, religiosity, and neighborhood social capital also had no protective effect. In contrast, we find robust evidence that non-cognitive skills, measured by self-efficacy, strongly protected against psychological distress. Self-efficacy also dampened the increase in distress caused by large earnings shocks. These findings support investments in non-cognitive skills that modify the damage-function from adverse events.