Impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on water quality along the coast of Morocco

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the marine activities and all the anthropogenic activities along the coast have been shut off for several months. The total suspended matter (TSM) was analyzed before and during COVID-19 lockdown in the coast of Morocco. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess all the changes reflected through the coast in April of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In the absence of the ground observations during this period, the remote sensing data was used in this study. The results showed a gradual reduction in TSM concentration, indicating a positive improvement during the lockdown period. The TSM concentrations during this period decreased by 40.59% on average compared with the pre-lock-down period. Further, the turbidity in the water has reduced at each stretch of the rivers. Remote sensing is a powerful tools for analyzing turbidity over the whole littoral areas, even in the absence of field observations. The ongoing pandemic shows that an ocean with cleaner water is possible. These findings provide a general reference on the state of the Moroccan coast that could contribute to improve policy and future monitoring program.

The new innovators in the footsteps of the coronavirus

This chapter explores the regeneration of minds through the light of past experiences and with regard to the many innovative examples that are already emerging. Innovation is currently seen as positive and indispensable in companies, where all employees are now expected to be innovators. The innovator is basically an explorer, a discoverer like Christopher Columbus. Corporate hacking is the act of acting outside the rules of the company, more like a "rebel" and less like a "good soldier". The lockdown period was conducive, on the one hand, to the natural emergence of fears and, on the other hand, to the emergence of a collective and of group thinking. New innovators will hybridize existing models and create new agile and sustainable methods with reference to the future. Going all digital will not be enough, neither will going all local. The blue economy is, in this respect, a very inspiring idea. © ISTE Ltd 2022.

COVID-19 Television Audience Program Choices: Analysis of How Nigerians Consume Television During the Pandemic

This chapter is anchored on the uses and gratification theory and starts off with a background review on television viewers' choices of media programs and the decision of audiences to select what they see or hear from available content. Key factors that influence viewers' selection and consumption of TV programs are considered. Experimentation into how Nigerians consumed TV programs before and during Nigeria's first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown measures is assessed. Using a semi-structured online questionnaire, data was obtained from 457 respondents, from 27 out of the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, between April 27, 2020, and May 21, 2020. The results showed that most respondents doubled their consumption of TV programs to combat boredom, get information on COVID-19, and get spiritual inspiration. They also indicated there is no significant relationship between gender and the amount of time spent viewing TV during the lockdown period. Possible reasons for this included (1) both male and female viewers were confined to their home and had equal time to spend viewing television, and (2) couples living together usually watch TV alongside each other. This second reason correlated with program choices, noting that movies, news, and religious programs were preferred over food networks, sports, and documentaries. Additional findings indicated a preference for local TV channels versus foreign ones and the need for the Federal government to improve the recurring problem of inconsistent power supply as many Nigerians reported this as a reason they did not watch TV. Moreover, traditional versus digital media consumption is considered as well as the Federal and state governments handling of COVID-19. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Reckoning Air Pollution based on Tolerance Index of Plant under Pre and Post-Covid-19 Lockdown Scenario

Air pollution is major environmental issue facing around the world. Covid-19 the pandemic which smashed all the socio-economic development of the countries also have an impact on human activities in all fields. The drastic reduction in transportation due to lockdown to control the spread of virus reduced the emission of toxic pollutants from vehicles. The air quality analysis studies indicated an increase in quality in post-covid lockdown period. Plants are always exposed to air pollution and they cope with increasing air pollution in various ways. Air pollution tolerance analyses were always performed to assess the tolerance and susceptibility of plants to air pollution. Large scale planting of tolerant plants in urban areas for creating green belts and reducing air pollution is a common practice. In the present scenario a comparative evaluation of air pollution tolerance index of plant was performed by comparing the tolerance index in pre and post-covid lockdown period. A reduction in tolerance index can be significantly correlated with reduction in air pollution after the lockdown period. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.

Mental Health and Sleep Quality of Healthcare Providers After Partial Relief of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: We aimed to assess sleep quality and psychological distress among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the context of mitigated governmental restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 370 HCWs from a single tertiary healthcare institution in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sleep quality and psychological distress were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21). Results: The median stress score for HCWs aged between 20 and 29 years was higher compared to HCWs aged between 30 and 39 years (p=0.002) and HCWs aged between 50 and 59 years (p<0.001). The median anxiety score of the age group between 20 and 29 years was also significantly higher compared to the age groups between 40 and 49 and 50-59 years (all p<0.05). HCWs living with family showed higher anxiety and depression scores compared to those living with non-family members (p=0.006 and p=0.005, respectively). Handling COVID-19 patients on multiple occasions during routine patient care was significantly associated with higher anxiety and depression scores among HCWs. The results also showed higher PSQI scores among younger HCWs (20-29 years) and trainees (all p<0.05). In addition, PSQI correlate significantly with depression (r=0.268) and anxiety (r=0.278) scores of DASS-21 scale (all p<0.001). Conclusion: Poor psychological well-being and sleep quality were observed among certain groups of HCWs, even after the mitigation of COVID-19 restrictions. This study highlights the need for strategies to manage HCWs at risk of developing psychological distress during future catastrophes.

Employment status during the lockdown period and task crafting: Job insecurity, emotional exhaustion, and affective commitment as mediators

The focus of the present study was to better understand the psychological effects of the Covid-19 epidemic of employee furloughs. As one of the techniques for dealing with the relatively sudden and distressing effects of the pandemic, a relatively new employment status not commonly used before the crisis was implemented. Analysis of the data here showed that the decision to put employees on furlough has profound emotional effects associated with it including a negative impact on feelings of job security with withdrawal behavior as a potential outcome. Suggestions for reducing some of these negative consequences are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Analysis of appendicitis management during COVID-19 pandemic: A study of Chinese adult cohorts.

Background: Healthcare seeking behavior has been widely impacted due to the restricted movements of individuals during the Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to perform risk stratification in patients requiring timely intervention during the recovery periods. Methods: Operation notes of acute appendicitis (AA) patients within a hospital were analyzed during three six-month periods (23 January-23 July in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively). Patient data were collected retrospectively including demographics, pre-emergency status, perioperative information, postoperative outcomes, and follow-up results. Results: 321 patients were included in this study, with 111, 86, and 124 patients in 2019, 2020, and 2021 groups, respectively. The median age of patients decreased by 4 years in 2020 as compared to that in 2019. The proportion of pre-hospitalization symptoms duration of more than 48 h in the 2020 group was higher (36.05% in 2020 vs. 22.52% in 2019). Length of hospital stay (LOS) in 2020 was shorter than it was during the same period in 2019 (4.77 vs. 5.64) and LOS in 2021 was shorter than in 2019 (4.13 vs. 5.64). Compared to the lockdown period, the proportion of patients with recurrent AA was higher in the post-lockdown period (15.1% vs. 27.4%). The median age was 34 years (vaccinated) vs. 37 years (unvaccinated). Logistic regression suggests that elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1.018, CI = 1.010-1.028), white cell count (WBC) (OR = 1.207, CI = 1.079-1.350), female (OR = 2.958, CI = 1.286-6.802), recurrent (OR = 3.865, CI = 1.149-12.997), and fecalith (OR = 2.308, CI = 1.007-5.289) were associated with complicated appendicitis (CA). Conclusion: The lockdown measures during the COVID-19 epidemic are shown to be correlated with a reduction in the proportion of AA patients who underwent surgery, particularly in older adults. Risk factors for CA include elevated CRP, WBC, female, recurrent, and fecalith.

Prevalence of sexual harassment among young Spaniards before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown period in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Sexual harassment is a type of coercion, including social pressure, intimidation, physical force, and verbal acts, in addition to other forms such as cyber-harassment, recognized as a major important public health problem. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, based on a survey administered online to men and women aged 18 to 35 years and living in Spain throughout 15th and 28th October 2020, aims to analyze the prevalence and factors associated with sexual harassment among young people in Spain within the last 12 months, particularly according to the COVID-19 lockdown period. It has been conducted by bivariate analysis and robust Poisson regression models. The final sample includes 2.515 participants. RESULTS: The results indicate that women were almost twice as likely as men to experience sexual harassment (49% vs 22.2%). Also, among heterosexual men and women, the estimated prevalence was lower concerning that observed among bisexuals, gays, and lesbians (31.5% vs 53, 39.2, and 34.6% respectively). The prevalence percentage in the 18-24 age group was twice high as that observed in the 30-35 age group. Finally, during the lockdown period, the harassment through electronic channels increased (32.6% vs 16.5 and 17.8% before and after this period, respectively) and decreased on public roads (22.9% vs 63.4 and 54.4% pre-lockdown and post-lockdown periods, respectively). CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that sexual harassment presents a high prevalence among young people, especially cyber-harassment, and workplace harassment and it is important to be aware that young women are more likely to suffer harassment and even more if they do not have a partner or have LGB orientation. During the lockdown sexual harassment has moved from public spaces to the social network.

Nutritional knowledge and immunity-boosting food consumption patterns before and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown periods in Osun State, Nigeria.

Background: A healthy diet can ensure a robust immune system that can resist any onslaught by viruses and bacteria. Aim: To assess the nutritional knowledge and consumption patterns of immunity boosting foods of adults before & after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown periods and the effect of the lockdown on daily food intake among respondents in selected towns in Osun state. Methods: Cross sectional data was collected from six largest local governments areas purposively selected from the three senatorial districts of Osun State (n = 1000) using a well-structured, self-administered questionnaire and the data collected was analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and Pearson's correlation test The study assessed the food intakes of adults using a qualitative food frequency questionnaire. Results: The results indicated that the majority (89.8%) of the respondents had high knowledge of the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily food intake was affected by COVID-19 lockdown, consumption of healthy food among the respondents was high during lockdown as 77% strongly agreed that vitamins and minerals supplement can be considered healthy and immunity boosting, while there was a reduction in the consumption of healthy foods after the lockdown periods. The test of hypothesis showed that the occurrence of pandemic and nutritional knowledge had a significant relationship with the consumption of healthy foods. Conclusion: This study extends and confirms previous research on high nutritional knowledge of immunity-boosting foods in relation to COVID-19 among the respondents and a general reduction in the consumption of healthy foods after the COVID -19 lockdown periods.

Instagram Use among Czech Young Generation during COVID-19 Lockdown Period with Restricted Travel and Services

The paper focuses on the social network Instagram and its use by Czech university students during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns with restricted travel and services in comparison to typical Instagram activity in the pre-pandemic period. As Instagram specializes in visuals, it is perceived as an attractive online tool for promoting a wide range of products and services, including hospitality services and tourism destinations. The research aimed to determine which aspects of the use of this social network were affected by the pandemic lockdown period in 2020 among the young generation of active Instagram users. The analysis of data collected from a survey of 1138 respondents, for example, showed that students often started to follow new topics - especially in the areas of politics, health, personal development, sports, or hospitality services - in the context of the pandemic and its associated restrictions. At the same time, they started to spend more time on Instagram daily, typically 1-3 hours longer than they did in the pre-pandemic period. The analysis findings suggest that this social network should be seen as an increasingly important tool for effective online communication with the younger generation with tertiary education. © 2022 Center for International Scientific Research of VSO and VSPP. All Rights Reserved.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Depressive Symptomatology in High School Students during the Lockdown Period Due to SARS-CoV-2.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare the prevalence of health-related quality of life and depressive symptomatology in high school students during the lockdown period due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with students attending the High School Education System of the University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Through a Google Forms survey, students answered their perceptions of health-related quality of life and depressive symptomatology. The outcome variable was the presence of depressive symptoms, assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.8 in both surveys. A total of 1446 students participated (women, 64.9%; mean age of 16.1 ± 0.9 years). Among the students, 22% manifested clinical depressive symptoms (24.4 ± 5.0), and males showed lower scores on health-related quality of life and depressive symptoms (44.9 ± 11.9, p = 0.005) (12 ± 7.7, p = <0.001) compared to their female peers (45.2 ± 10.6, p = 0.005) (13.7 ± 7.5, p = <0.001), respectively. During the lockdown due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a high prevalence of depressive symptomatology was identified in our students with in addition to a low perception of health-related quality of life in dimensions, mood and emotions, and peers and social support.

A retrospective analysis of metabolic control in children with PKU in the COVID-19 era.

Background: Patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) must maintain a lifelong natural protein-restricted diet to prevent neuro-cognitive damage. Early diagnosis is established with newborn screening, with diet subsequently controlled by regular phenylalanine (Phe) monitoring. During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant lockdown measures were introduced that may have influenced the above. Aim of our study: To establish whether the diagnosis was delayed in neonates during the pandemic. In addition, metabolic control was further assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic era (CE) compared to the same period a year prior (non-COVID-19 era, NCE). The lockdown periods (LD) were also compared with unrestricted periods (URP). Patients methods: Six neonates born during the CE and eight neonates born during NCE were included in the newborn screening analysis. Seventy-two classical PKU patients aged 2-18 years and categorized as children (2-12 years; 51 patients) and adolescents (>13 years; 21 patients) were included in the metabolic control analysis. The frequency of dried blood spot (DBS) sampling and Phe levels were assessed according to the different periods. Results: There was no diagnostic or therapeutic delay in reaching the recommended Phe range in neonates born during CE compared to those born in NCE (median [interquartile range, IQR]: 23.5 [22.5-24] vs. 22 [18.0-27] days, p = NS). The cumulative DBS sampling frequency in children increased by 9.9% in the CE while no change was noted in the adolescent group. The median Phe level increased significantly in both age groups in the CE, but remained within the recommended target range. During CE, changes in Phe levels differed in the two age groups: children had the highest median Phe in the second lockdown period (LD2), while the adolescents had an increased Phe in URP.There were significant negative correlations between DBS sampling frequencies and Phe levels in both age groups in NCE (children: r - 0.43, p = 0.002; adolescents r = -0.37, p = 0.012), and in adolescents in CE (r = -0.62, p = 0.006). Conclusion: The pandemic did not impact newborn metabolic screening. The increased frequency of DBS sampling in CE and good target Phe levels suggest a better compliance in a very sensitive period. Since many factors may impact metabolic control in the different age groups, further studies are needed to analyse their respective role.

Design and development of Residential Sector Load Prediction model during COVID-19 Pandemic using LSTM based RNN

Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown has created a wide impact on social life, including sudden rise in residential load demand. Utilities, for better load scheduling and economic operations, rely on different prediction models among which neural networks proved to be more appropriate. For such unforeseen situations, the non-availability of prior predictions elevated the utility challenges. Moreover, the stringency of lockdowns caused due to mutated COVID-19 virus, necessitates accurate lockdown load predictions. This paper proposes a Recurrent Neural Network based Long Short-Term Memory (RNN-LSTM) model, trained to produce such predictions for two areas of residential sector. The model uses real-time residential load data from the year 2020, with and without weather parameters. The correlation factor (R) of proposed method 0.9683 outperformed the ARIMA's value 0.703. The model is evaluated with correlation factors of 0.9683 and 0.9235 without temp;0.90361 and 0.913662 with temperature for Apurupa and Jyothi colonies respectively located in Hyderabad, India. In addition, the error metrics namely, Mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and Mean absolute error (MAE) are 2.0464 and 138.576 for Apurupa colony;0.015 and 201.648 for Jyothi colony respectively. However, the prediction error metrics increased slightly with temperature data. The proposed framework will assist utilities for effective load predictions during situations such as pandemic lockdown.

Changes in the new particle formation and shrinkage events of the atmospheric ions during the COVID-19 lockdown

Impacts of environmental changes at Pune, India during the lockdown period imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, on the characteristics of the atmospheric ions and the new particle formation (i.e. the formation of molecular clusters and their subsequent growth to larger sizes) and shrinkage events have been investigated. The increase in the small and big cluster ion concentrations and the decrease in intermediate ion concentrations observed during the lockdown period have been associated with the decrease in the aerosols and precursor gases, respectively. During the NPF events, the nucleation mode particles of both polarities grow in size. However, during the unique shrinkage events observed here, particles increase in concentration but do not grow in size during the morning-to-noon period and shrink in the noon-to-evening period during the lockdown period. Simultaneously, the concentration of particles of >25 nm decrease i during the morning hours and increase during the afternoon hours .On the shrinkage event days, solar irradiance is higher and relative humidity is lower throughout the day than on the NPF/no-event days. Occurrence of shrinkage events has been proposed to be associated with the change in saturation vapour pressure of different chemical species with temperature/solar irradiance.

Assessment of the effects of COVID-19 lockdown period on groundwater quality of a significant rice land in an urban area of Türkiye.

In the current research, the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown period on groundwater quality of Lower Meriç Plain (Thrace Region of Türkiye) was evaluated. Some significant nutrient characteristics (NO3-, NO2-, and PO43-), salinity characteristics (EC, TDS, and salinity), and physical characteristics (temperature, DO, pH, and turbidity) were investigated in groundwater samples collected from 45 sampling points in pre-lockdown and lockdown periods. Water quality index (WQI) and nutrient pollution index (NPI), Pearson correlation index (PCI), cluster analysis (CA), one-way ANOVA test (OWAT), and factor analysis (FA) were applied to assess ecological risk. Excluding recorded statistical differences in temperature and DO due to climatic conditions (p < 0.05), levels of all the investigated water quality parameters show no statistically significant differences and no significant reduction in pollutants measured in the lockdown period. On the contrary, the WQI and NPI scores have increased between the rates of 4.76-27.10% during the lockdown period. In the lockdown period, although the reduction of industry or limited production of many industrial facilities reduced the inorganic contaminant releases to the environment, ongoing agricultural activities and domestic wastes caused to prevent the reduction of organic pollutants in groundwater of the region during the lockdown period.

A Longitudinal Research on the Distribution and Prognosis of Intracerebral Hemorrhage During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: Globally, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common cerebrovascular disease. At the beginning of 2020, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the allocation of medical resources and the patient treatment and referrals were affected to varying degrees. We aimed to determine the characteristics and prognoses and associated factors of patients with ICH. Patients and Methods: The baseline demographic characteristics and ICH outcomes were compared between patients diagnosed with ICH between January and June 2020 (the 2020 group) and between January and June 2019 (the 2019 group). COVID-19 positive patients were excluded from the study. A 30-day data from patients in the 2019 and 2020 groups were analyzed to create survival curves for these patients. We also used regression models to identify the significant determinants of poor outcomes [modified Rankin score (mRS): 3-6] and death. Results: The number of patients diagnosed with ICH was slightly lower in the 2020 group (n = 707) than in the 2019 group (n = 719). During the lockdown period (February 2020), the admission rates for ICH decreased greatly by 35.1%. The distribution of the patients' domicile (P = 0.002) and the mRS (P < 0.001) differed significantly between the years. The survival curve revealed that the highest risk of death was in the acute stage (especially in the first 5 days) of ICH. At 30 days, mortality was 19.8% in February 2019 and 29.4% in February 2020 (P = 0.119). Multivariate analysis revealed age, baseline mRS, postoperative complications, massive brainstem hemorrhage, and creatinine as factors significantly associated with poor outcomes and death following ICH. Neurosurgery and massive supratentorial hemorrhage were only correlated with the risk of death. Conclusion: During the lockdown period, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decrease in the admission rates and severe conditions at admission due to strict traffic constraints for infection control. This led to high mortality and disability in patients with ICH. It is necessary to ensure an effective green channel and allocate adequate medical resources for patients to receive timely treatment and neurosurgery.

Risk Analysis of Viral Diseases in Infected Pig Farms during the Lockdown Period in China, January to May 2020.

Biosecurity plays a critical role in preventing and controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic in China triggered a nationwide lockdown policy which reduced most of the daily activities of people, but the pig industry was encouraged to ensure the pork supply. An investigation of biosecurity practices in intensive pig farms across several provinces in China was conducted in June 2020 via questionnaire to evaluate the factors that may pose viral diseases risk to the farms during the lockdown period from January to May 2020. A total of 50 farms in 12 provinces of China were engaged. Fourteen of them were classified as positive farms since at least one viral disease was presented during this period, including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (seven farms), porcine epidemic diarrhea (three farms), and pseudorabies (one farm). The other three farms only reported their disease positive status but refused to release disease names. The overall farm level prevalence of viral disease was 28.0% (95%CI: 16.3-42.5%). A logistic regression model was built to identify risk/protective factors for farm positivity. In the multivariable logistic regression model, the risk factor of dead pig 'removal by the others' (OR = 8.0, 95%CI: 1.5, 43.5) was found to be significantly associated with viral disease positivity. On-farm incineration pits are highly recommended to be the administered for the harmless treatment of dead pigs. This is not only crucial for controlling the transmission of viral diseases but also plays a key role in reducing activity in the illegal dead meat business. According to previous studies, factors such as adapting an all-in-all-out system, on-farm incineration pits, and requiring workers to wash their hands regularly would reduce the risk of virus transmission, even though these factors did not show significance in our study. The results of our study could help to design better surveillance strategies in China and other countries.

The Seesaw Pattern of PM2.5 Interannual Anomalies Between Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta Across Eastern China in Winter

Since 2013, the winter mean fine particulate matter (PM2.5) had been decreased significantly due to stringent emission controls in most of China. Nevertheless, we found a seesaw pattern of PM2.5 interannual anomalies between Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) and Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Using the multiple linear regression method, meteorology-driven PM2.5 interannual anomalies show that the low (high) PM2.5 relative difference between BTH and YRD (RDB&Y) was associated with the strong (weak) East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). The strong EAWM transported more air pollutants from BTH to YRD. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, due to the weak EAWM, air pollution still occurred in northern BTH, while the PM2.5 was relatively low in YRD, causing high RDB&Y values. Our results imply that the activity of EAWM and characteristics of regional transport have obvious interannual variations, which is indispensable in evaluating the achievements of PM2.5 quality management between up and downstream regions.

Assessment of Railway Transport Safety in Bangladesh: A Before-After Study of COVID-19 Case

The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh is part of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, caused by extreme acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In March 2020, the virus was reported as having spread to Bangladesh and the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), announced the first 3 (three) identified cases on 8 March 2020. In order to protect the population and to prevent the outbreak of novel coronavirus-2, the government implemented non-therapeutic measures such as declared "lockdown" throughout the nation from March 26, 2020 to May 30, 2020 and prepared some necessary steps to spread awareness to keep this syndrome away from them as Bangladesh being the second most affected country in South Asia, after Indi a. Due to transport restrictions put in place to mitigate the pandemic, commercial road transport, both passenger and goods, has been severely impacted by COVID-19 in Bangladesh. The COVID-19 also contributed to the accident patterns and casualties of railway related accidents. An attempt has been made in this study to demonstrate the before-after effect of COVID-19 pandemic to highlight the variation in the perspective of railway transportation accidents. A comprehensive descriptive analysis has been conducted to find the major factors contributed to the railway accidents. The study also includes hotspot analysis using ArcGIS. The study has been conducted utilizing two years (2019-2020) of daily newspaper-based data which is classified by two categories: 299 days (May 14, 2019 to March 7, 2020) before and 299 days (March 8, 2020 to December 31, 2020) after the first case of COVID-19 was reported on March 8 in Bangladesh. The results reveal that railway accidents are significantly declining due to this pandemic situation. Finally, based on the findings, probable countermeasures to the guidelines for the prevention of certain incidents have been discussed with recommendations. © 2021, Avestia Publishing, Switzerland. All rights reserved.

Forecasting gasoline consumption using machine learning algorithms during COVID-19 pandemic

Due to travel restrictions and the general economic slowdown caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the gasoline consumption profile has exhibited unusual behavior. Depending on the severity of lockdown policies, the consumption pattern has changed even at different stages of the epidemic. Forecasting gasoline demand has become a more difficult and essential tool for energy planning. Therefore, reliable models are needed to ensure energy security in pandemic conditions. Presenting a case study on Turkey, this paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gasoline demand. Four common machine learning models, including Gaussian Process Regression, Sequential Minimal Optimization Regression, Multi-Layer Perceptron Regressor, and Random Forest, were used to estimate daily gasoline consumption. In the training of the models, inputs such as historical gasoline demand, national holidays, date attributes, gasoline price, and COVID-19 related factors such as curfews and travel bans were considered. Analysis results showed that the Random Forest model performed best with the highest correlation coefficient (0.959) and the lowest mean absolute percentage error (11.526%), and root mean square percentage error (17.022%) values in the test dataset. This study can help policymakers understand the impact of such an emergency on the energy industry and respond quickly to potential threats. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Energy Sources Part A: Recovery, Utilization & Environmental Effects is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)