What is being uploaded on YouTube?: Analysis of fitness-related TouTube video titles pre- and post-COVID-19 in Korea. (Special issue on 2023 Asia Pacific sport and social science.)

Opportunities to participate in physical activities (PA) and fitness exercises in public and private facilities have been reduced or banned due to social distancing regulations during the height of the global pandemic. Though Korea has not experienced lockdown, several venues have been restricted to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Despite the limitations of PA engagement, people have found alternative activities by using online platforms to keep active and fit. Thus, this study focuses on analyzing fitness-related video titles from YouTube. By collecting data through text mining and conducting network analysis, it provides basic knowledge of the fitness trends from pre- and post-Covid-19. As a result, 'exercise' was found to have the highest tendency and had strong connections to keywords that indicated specific methods of working out to become fit, but it also had connections to trendy keywords such as 'hip-up' and 'body-profile' which reflect the fitness culture in Korea.

Incidence and sero-surveillance of feline viruses in Korean cats residing in Gyeonggi-do

Incidences of major feline viral diseases provide basic information for preventing viral disease in cats. Despite the growing interest in feline viral diseases, sero-surveillances have been lacking. In this study, we analyzed the diagnoses of feline viral diseases and conducted a sero surveillance of feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), and feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) in Korean cats. Of the 204 confirmed cases since 2015, the numbers of diagnoses for FPV, FIPV, FCV, feline influenza virus, and FHV-1 were 156, 32, 12, 3, and 1 case, respectively. In total, 200 sera, collected between 2019 and 2021, were screened for the presence of antibodies against FPV, 2 FCVs, FHV-1, and FIPV using a hemagglutination inhibition test and a virus-neutralizing assay (VNA). The overall seropositive rates in cats tested for FPV, the 2 FCVs, FHV-1, and FIPV were 92.5%. 42.0%, 37.0%, 52.0%, and 14.0%, respectively. A low correlation (r = 0.466) was detected between the VNA titers of 2 FCV strains. The highest incidence and seropositive rate of FPV reveal that FPV is circulating in Korean cats. The low r-value between 2 FCVs suggests that a new feline vaccine containing the 2 kinds of FCVs is required.

Students' psychological perceptions toward online learning engagement and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative analysis of students in three different countries

Due to COVID-19, universities have shifted to offer online learning for their students from traditional face-to-face learning. Despite various efforts made by university administrators for their students' online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, not much has been identified about how students perceived online learning and what factors affected their online learning engagement and outcomes. Examining students' motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety as key factors for their online learning engagement and outcomes, this study conducted a self-administered online survey with college students in three countries: the U.S., South Korea, and Colombia. This study used SEM to test hypotheses and conducted a multi-group analysis to find differences among students. The findings indicated that students' self-efficacy and anxiety significantly impacted their online learning engagement, influencing online learning outcomes. Although students were highly engaged in online learning, their perceived online learning was not so effective and rigorous compared to face-to-face learning.

Human vs robot baristas during the COVID-19 pandemic: effects of masks and vaccines on perceived safety and visit intention

Purpose: This study aims to compare the effect of barista type (human vs robot) on perceived safety and examine the role of two moderators (mask-wearing and coronavirus vaccination) on the effects of barista type on perceived safety and visit intention. Design/methodology/approach: The research design consists of three studies. Three experiments were sequentially designed and conducted to address research questions. Findings: Study 1 found that perceived safety mediates the effect of barista type on customers' visit intention. Study 2 revealed that the mask-wearing of human and robot baristas differently influences perceived safety. Study 3 showed that customers, especially where robot baristas are used, perceive the effect of mask-wearing differently depending on their coronavirus vaccination status. Research limitations/implications: Given that the levels of restrictions vary worldwide, together with the extent of countries' vaccination rollouts, caution is required when generalising the research findings. Practical implications: The findings have practical implications for the hospitality industry, where the roles of face masks and coronavirus vaccines in shaping consumer psychology and behaviour have been underexplored. Originality/value: Coronavirus vaccination is considered one of the most important driving forces for the recovery of hospitality businesses. As a heuristic-systematic model postulated, this study identified that vaccination status (fully vaccinated vs not vaccinated) changes the level of involvement when customers assess the level of risk in service environments. By pinpointing the function of service robots in safeguarding customers from the potential spread of the disease, this study broadens the scope of human-robot interaction research in hospitality.

Advancing patient safety governance in the COVID-19 response

In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the safety of health care services remains a serious, ongoing challenge. This once-in-a-century global health crisis exposed the vulnerability of healthcare delivery systems and the subsequent risks of patient harm. Given the scale of the occurrence and costs of preventable patient safety events, intervention and investment are still relatively modest. Good patient safety governance focuses on what leaders and policy makers can do to improve system performance and reduce the financial burden of avoidable care. Moreover, it is essential in driving progress in improving safety outcomes. This report examines how patient safety governance mechanisms in OECD countries have withstood the test of COVID-19 and provides recommendations for countries in further improving patient safety governance and strengthening health system resilience.

Improving the timeliness of health expenditure tracking in OECD and low-and middle-income countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that access to timely health spending data is crucial for informed policy-making. This Health Working Paper summarises and compares the methodologies applied in around half of OECD countries to estimate public and private health spending for the most recent year (i.e. t-1) as well as the approaches taken by the OECD Secretariat to fill existing data gaps for the remaining OECD countries. For the first time, the paper also explores the feasibility of nowcasting health spending for the current year (i.e. t) and examines data sources that could be potentially useful in such an exercise. While this review should help OECD countries that do not yet have experience in estimating health spending for year t-1 to improve the timeliness in their data reporting, a special focus in this paper lies on testing the applicability of the methods in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), using the WHO Western Pacific Region (WPRO) as an example. Generally, different data sources exist in many countries that would allow for a more timely estimation for health spending aggregates.

A study on the dietary behavior of Korean adults: focus on dietary supplement intake, household size, and COVID-19

Objectives: This study investigates dietary supplement intakes by examining the characteristics of dietary and health-related behaviors. Data were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Dietary and health-related behaviors were also examined before and after the occurrence of COVID-19 and household types (multi-members vs. single person). Methods: Data used in this study were collected from the 2019-2020 KNHANES by including adults aged 19 to 64 years. Pregnant, lactating, and subjects consuming calories less than 500 and more than 5,000 were excluded. Differences in dietary and health-related behaviors before and after COVID-19, and between the two types of households were analyzed by Chi-square analyses using Rao-Scott. Logistic regression analyses were applied to determine which dietary and health-related behaviors affected the dietary supplement intakes. In addition, descriptive analysis was run for demographic characteristics. Results: The dietary supplement intake rate differed significantly with respect to the gender, age, education, marital status, and household income. Dietary supplement intakes, frequency of eating out, obesity, and body weight changes were significantly different before and after COVID-19. In addition, meal evaluation, frequency of eating out, drinking, smoking, activity, subjective health evaluation, and body weight changes showed significant differences by household type. Attitude towards nutrition, activity, meal evaluation, obesity, and smoking were factors that affected the intake of dietary supplements. Conclusions: While increased intake of dietary supplements is a prevalent phenomenon, this intake needs to be monitored and studied closely, considering the sociodemographic characteristics and dietary and health-related behaviors. Furthermore, the dietary supplement intake trend after COVID-19 needs to be studied along with food intake.

Analysis of the diet of obese elementary school students using various dietary intake survey methods

Purpose: Childhood obesity has become a social problem due to the social distancing necessitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This study aimed to identify the dietary problems of obese children through various dietary assessment methods and to confirm the usefulness of each method. Methods: The subjects were 88 students in the 4th to 6th grade of elementary school who participated in the nutrition camp organised by the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, 2020. To evaluate dietary problems and assess diet quality, 24-hour meal records, monthly food intake frequency, and Dietary Screening Test (DST) data were analyzed. Results: Of the subjects, 15.7%, 30.3%, and 53.9% were normal weight, overweight, and obese, respectively. The average age was 11.77 +or- 0.77 years and the average body mass index was 23.96 +or- 3.01 kg/m2. It was observed from the 24-hour meal record method that the overweight and obese subject groups consumed fewer green vegetables (p < 0.001) and white vegetables (p < 0.01) than the normal weight group. In the monthly food intake frequency method, the consumption of ramen (p < 0.01), snacks (p < 0.05), and sausages (p < 0.05) were high in the obese group, and that of anchovies, broccoli, and sweet pumpkin was high in the normal group (p < 0.05). The comparative data from the DST revealed that the overweight and obese groups had less vegetable intake than the normal weight group (p < 0.01) and had higher intakes of dairy products, fast food, and sweet snacks (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The usefulness of each method in the dietary evaluation of obese children was confirmed. To address the problem of obesity, it is necessary to evaluate the dietary problem and approach it with a customized solution tailor-made for the individual subject.

Risk assessment of global Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in December 2022

Objective: To assess the global epidemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2022 and the risk of importation. Methods: According to the daily COVID-19 data publicly released by Johns Hopkins University, combined with the policy stringency index published by the University of Oxford, an epidemiological description method was used to provide a comprehensive and timely assessment of the global epidemiological risk overview, a comprehensive assessment of the epidemic trends in each continent and key countries, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the epidemic and prevention and control policies in 14 neighboring countries. The assessment results for each country are expressed as countries of gl, "countries of the general concern in each continent" and "neighboring countries of special concern". Results: Compared with the previous month, the number of confirmed cases and deaths respectively increased by 38.92% and 25.95% globally in February 2022. Daily new confirmed cases and deaths in the Asia continued to rise in December. The time taken for every new 50 mill confirmed cases and 50 thousand deaths globally has increased significantly. Japan, Korea, America and France were countries with global concern. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Mauritius and Australia were the countries of general concern in each continent. Russia with was the special count among the 14 neighboring countries. Conclusion: The global daily new confirmed cases and deaths showed a downward trend after mid-December, but the epidemic situation was prominent in some regions and countries. information and provide timely warnings.

Summary of national data of class A, B and C communicable diseases in China, December 2022

In December 2022 (from 00: 00, 1 December to 24: 00, 31 December), except COVID-19, a total of 278 907 cases of notifiable communicable diseases, including 2 384 deaths, were reported in China (except Hong Kong, Macao Special Administrative Regions and Taiwan Province, the same below). In communicable diseases in class A, no cases and no deaths were reported. In communicable diseases in class B, no cases and no deaths of severe acute respiratory syndrome, poliomyelitis, human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, diphtheria and human infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus were reported. For the remaining 21 communicable diseases except COVID-19 in class B, a total of 148 573 cases were reported, a decrease of 29% compared with last month (210 178 cases) and a decrease of 46% compared with the same period in 2021 (273 361 cases). The first 5 diseases in terms of reported case number were viral hepatitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhea and AIDS, accounting for 96% of the total reported cases in class B. A total of 2 384 deaths were reported, an increase of 28% (521 deaths) compared with last month (1 863 deaths) and a decrease of 14% compared with the same period in 2021 (2 763 deaths). In class C communicable diseases, a total of 130 334 cases were reported, a decrease of 33% compared with last month (195 072 cases) and a decrease of 69% compared with the same period in 2021 (420 015 cases). The first 3 diseases in terms of reported case number were influenza, other infectious diarrhea, and hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD), accounting for 96% of the total reported cases in class C. Compared with last month, except filariasis which had no incidence, the reported case number of leprosy was same, and the disease with reported case increase was echinococcosis (47 cases, 48%), the reported cases of other diseases all decreased, the first 3 diseases with reported case decreases were HFMD (22 886 cases, 45%), other infectious diarrhea (21 962 cases, 43%) and influenza (14 775 cases, 18%). Compared with the same period in 2021, except filariasis which had no incidence, the reported cases of other diseases all decreased, the first 3 diseases with reported case decreases were influenza (181 158 cases, 73%), other infectious diarrhea (53 502 cases, 65%) and HFMD (46 674 cases, 63%). No death caused by class C communicable disease was reported, same to last month and a decrease of 7 deaths compared with the same period in 2021 (7 deaths).

Squid Game outside the wall: fandom nationalism in China and negotiation with state power (Special Forum: The politics of representation in Squid Game and the promise and peril of its transnational reception)

In the post-COVID era, the prevalence of "fandom nationalism" on Chinese social media has led to the development of two distinct attitudes toward Squid Game among Chinese netizens. Some nationalist netizens are dedicated to accusing Squid Game of plagiarism or dismissing it as a "cultural invasion." Another group of fans, due to the ever-tightening Chinese Internet governance, use fandom nationalism as a disguise to protect themselves against cyberbullying by declaring an anti-Korean political stance before posting positive comments about Squid Game. Therefore, two such divergent attitudes eventually led to a negotiation between fan culture and state power, where on the one hand fandom nationalistic practices were accepted by the mainstream for party-state propaganda, but on the other, in order to prevent being censored, fan culture had to be subordinated to the state's governance.

Analysis on drinking water use change by COVID-19: a case study of residential area in S-city, South Korea

The COVID-19 started to spread at early 2020 in South Korea and has been threatening our life in many aspects. Countermeasures such as social distancing to prevent COVID-19 spread have brought many changes in our society an human life. In this study, as a part of the COVID-19 pandemic management, drinking water usage change is analyzed to evaluate potential risks on water supply service. We collected hourly water use data of residential area in S city, which is a mid-size city in South Korea, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data were analyzed to reveal the changes in total water consumption, water usage weight, and hourly water-demand pattern caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study revealed the noticeable changes in water consumption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and required more secured and adaptive operation of drinking water system under the pandemic situation caused by infectious disease.

Changes in clinical features and outcomes in three major critical diseases after COVID-19 pandemic: acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiac arrest. (Special Issue: COVID-19 in the emergency department: epidemiology and changes throughout the pandemic.)

A few months after the onset of the coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the worse prognoses of acute myocardial infarction, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and cardiac arrest were reported. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the characteristics and prognoses of these diseases in the emergency department (ED) over a year after pandemic's onset. This was a retrospective observational study. The year 2019 was defined as the pre-period, while the year from February 2020 to January 2021 was defined as the post-period. Adult patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, or cardiac arrest during the study period were included. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Time series analyses using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)(p,d,q) model were performed to evaluate the changes between periods. A multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors affecting in-hospital mortality was performed. The proportions of patients with acute myocardial infarction (0.8% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001), hemorrhagic stroke (1.0%vs. 1.2%, p = 0.011), and cardiac arrest (0.9% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.012) increased in the post-period. The post-period was independently associated with in-hospital mortality in acute myocardial infarction (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.54, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.06-6.08, p = 0.037) and hemorrhagic stroke (aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.11-2.73, p = 0.016), but not for ischemic stroke or cardiac arrest. Over a year after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea, the number of patients with acute myocardial infarction, hemorrhagic stroke, and cardiac arrest in the ED increased. An independent association between the post-period and mortality was observed for acute myocardial infarction, and hemorrhagic stroke. This study provides important information for future studies and policies.

Comparative analysis of epidemic characteristics and prevention and control measures of corona virus disease 2019 in South Korea and Japan

Objective: By analyzing epidemic characteristics and prevention and control measures of Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea and Japan, to provide reference for prevention and control of the epidemic.

Are we ready for MICE 5.0? An investigation of technology use in the mice industry using social media big data

This study aims to conceptualize the notion of event technology by examining past and current trends in the event technology industry. Based on social representation and agenda-setting theories, this study analyzed approximately 390,000 posts related to event technology on Twitter and Instagram. For an in-depth examination, the authors performed multilateral big data analytics: descriptive, comparative, sentiment, and content analysis. The results revealed that product life cycles are clearly discernible in the event technology industry and that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for rejuvenation. The findings also suggest that event technology is the dominant terminology over meeting technology and Twitter is the preferred platform for discussing event technology-related agenda. This study examines the previously unvisited topic of technology usage in the MICE industry and provides academic and practical implications to prepare for the upcoming MICE 5.0 era.

Rapid global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant: spatiotemporal variation and public health impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has already affected human society for more than 1.5 years. As of August 8, 2021, this pandemic had caused more than 203 million infected and 4.3 million deaths worldwide. As an RNA virus, SARS-CoV-2 is prone to genetic evolution, thus resulting in development of mutations over time. Numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been described globally, four of which are considered variants of concern (VOCs) by the WHO: Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P1) and Delta (B.1.617.2). The Delta VOC was first reported in India in December of 2020 and has since affected approximately 130 different countries and regions. Herein, the spatiotemporal spread of the Delta VOC during April to July 2021 in 20 selected countries with available data were analyzed. The prevalence of the Delta VOC sequences was maintained at low levels in the beginning of April, increased rapidly in the following 3 months and is now becoming the predominant viral strain in most regions of the world. We also discuss the effects of the Delta VOC on transmissibility, clinical severity and vaccine effectiveness according to the latest data. The Delta VOC has greater transmissibility and risk of hospitalization than the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strains and the other three VOCs. The Delta VOC places partially or unvaccinated sub-populations at high risk. Currently authorized vaccines, regardless of vaccine type, still have reliable effectiveness against symptomatic infections and hospitalizations due to the Delta VOC.

Genetic diversity of porcine deltacoronavirus in Guangxi Province from 2017 to 2019

To understand the genetic diversity of porcine deltacoronavirus(PDCo V) in Guangxi Province, clinical diarrhea samples were collected from suspected piglets in Guangxi Province from2017 to 2019, detected by RT-PCR for PDCoV, and the positive samples were used for amplification and sequence of S, M, N genes. Finally, 16 S, M and N gene sequences of PDCoV were obtained. Homology analysis showed that the S, M, N gene nucleotide identity among Guangxi strains were 95.8% -99.9%, 95.9%-100% and 97.9%-99.9%, respectively. The nucleotide identity of S, M and N genes among Guangxi strains and other reference strains were 95.1%-100%, 95.0%-100%and 96.3%-99.9%, respectively. Sequence alignment showed that S1 protein existed amino acid mutations and insertions, and there were some variations among different epidemic strains. Phylogenetic trees based on S, M and N genes obtained similar topological diagram and all strains could be divided into Group I, Group II and GroupIII, of which Group I came from USA, Japan and Korea, Group II came from China, and Group III came from China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Most strains from Guangxi Province distributed in Group II, individual strain distributed in Group III and some strains formed a single small branch. The evolutionary rates of S, M and N genes of Guangxi strains and other reference strains were 2.57 x 10-4, 2.07 x 10-4, 1.70 x 10-4 substitutions/site/year, respectively, showing that the evolutionary rate of S gene was the fastest. The results indicated that the S, M, N genes of PDCo V strains from Guangxi Province had some variations and existed genetic diversity.

Estimation of willingness to pay for public benefit evaluation of forest roads in recreational forests

The purpose of this research is to analyze recreational forest visitors' behavior and to estimate public benefit from forest roads, which play various and positive roles, such as open green space, timber production, forest management, and forest fire prevention. A DBCV (double bounded contingent valuation) onsite survey was conducted nationwide from July 20th~August 7th in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis result of 500 respondents proves that the improvement of accessibility for forest users and the provision of recreation opportunities and recreational facilities through forest road development (both in quality and quantity) substantially affects forest users' economic welfare in recreational forests (RF). Also, the survey result shows 4.6 visits within 3 years for forest scenery and refreshment with family. About 60% of the respondents recognize the importance of forest roads within recreational forests and about 80% represent a positive response to the contribution of recreational forest roads. The WTP (willingness to pay) of the respondents through the logit model applied is estimated at KRW 1,803.04 per person/visit for a year and the result of benefit expansion based on the WTP estimation is calculated to be KRW 43.24 billion. Hence, the result shows that increasing forest road quality and quantity within the RF contributes to forest users' economic welfare in terms of forest recreational satisfaction. It will be the fundamental data on economic analysis related to forest-road construction plans and forest policies reflecting the increasing demand of consumers based on their preference.

Strategies by national health systems in the northern hemisphere during first wave of COVID-19: evaluation and the way forward

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of strategies adopted by national health systems across the globe in different 'geographical regions' in the Northern Hemisphere to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Data is included since the first case was reported in November 2019 till mid-April 2020. Sources of information are COVID-19 case repositories, official country websites, university research teams' perspectives, official briefings, and available published research articles to date. We triangulated all data to formulate a comprehensive illustration of COVID-19 situation in each country included. It has been found that the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak experienced in China, Taiwan, and South Korea saw better strategies adopted by leadership to combat COVID-19 pandemic containment as compared to Iran, Italy, and the United States of America. Saudi Arabia has so far been successful in the implementation of containment strategies as there is no large outbreak in major cities or confined areas as prisons. The situation has yet to unfold in India and Pakistan, which exhibit their own weaknesses in policy formulation or implementation in response to health crises. This review provides conclusive evidence that timely travel bans, early detection of COVID-19 spread through exhaustive and reliable testing, and the establishment of a central, fully authorized body to foresee health trends and implement appropriate containment measures are essential to contain the spread of the virus.

The effect of metformin use on mortality of COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus

Background: COVID-19 is a disease caused by infection with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 is still a worldwide threat because of its high morbidity and mortality. This is influenced by the occurrence of hypertension, obesity, age and diabetes mellitus. However, currently there is still controversy in the results of research regarding the use of metformin in COVID-19 with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM). This study was aimed to analyze the effect of metformin in COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus on mortality rates. Subjects and Method: This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis with the following PICO. P: COVID-19 patient with type-2 diabetes mellitus. I: administration of metformin therapy. C: therapy other than metformin and O: mortality. The articles used in this study were obtained from several databases, namely PubMed, Science Direct, Proquest, SpringerLink, Google Scholar and Scopus. The article search keywords were: "COVID-19" OR "coronavirus" AND "diabetes" AND "metformin" AND "mortality". Articles included are full-text English using a cohort study design from 2020 to 2021 and reporting the Odds Ratio in multivariate analysis. The selection of articles was carried out using the PRISMA flow chart. The articles were analyzed using the Review Manager 5.3 application.