Digitized Entertainment - Factors influencing Consumer Adoption of OTT Platforms

People's way of consuming media changed tremendously with rapid technological improvements and increased internet penetration levels across India due to emergence of over-the-top media services (OTT) platforms. COVID-19 outbreak has tremendously increased the demand for OTT streaming channels like Netflix, Amazon prime, Zee 5, Alt Balaji and Disney Hotstar which transformed the world of entertainment and media by contributing mind blowing services during the lockdown period.This research paper is an attempt to study the shift in media consumption patterns from old ways of entertainment like cinema, television to new ways of entertainment like OTT platforms, study and analyze the consumer preference towards choice of OTT platforms, watching habits of online over the top (OTT) applications among Indian viewers. © 2023 IEEE.

Determinants and Outcomes of Food Delivery App Engagement During COVID-19: A Study of Urban and Semi-Urban Customers

With the expansion of internet penetration and the adoption of mobile apps, usage of food delivery applications has increased significantly during the pandemic. The study's main objective was to examine the antecedents and consequences of food delivery app engagement among urban and semi-urban customers in India during COVID-19. The data were collected from 269 semi-urban respondents and 301 urban respondents. The stimulus organism and response (SOR) model has been used to understand consumers' antecedents and consequences of food delivery app engagement during the pandemic. The study used the structural equation modelling method to test the relationship between the variables. The study's findings showed that the mobile application's perceived ease of use, enjoyment, and time convenience found a significant effect among urban and semi-urban customers. This study is limited to urban and semi-urban customers with cross-sectional survey data. The study has explored a few antecedents and consequences of mobile food delivery app engagement.

Digital welfare state and problem arising: an exploration and future research agenda

PurposeThe penetration of technology and the strengthening of evidence-based policies have paved the way for the automated delivery of social services. This study aims to discuss the inherent risks of this automatization, particularly those associated with the discrimination, exclusion and inequality problem, which the authors package under the theoretical umbrella of a digital welfare state (DWS).Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual article reviews the literature on the welfare DWS, with an empirical focus on the recent experience of selected countries from India, Kenya and Sweden. These countries reflect three different types of welfare regimes but are connected by the same digital social risk. The authors' exploration also includes questions about what this DWS has in common with and how it differs from the previous era. This article illustrates that there has been a very similar trajectory in regards to the development of the DWS and the associated risks in the examined countries.FindingsDWS has triggered new social risks (e.g. discrimination, exclusion and inequality in welfare access) that are a result of data breaches experienced by citizens. Further, vulnerable groups in the digital age should be viewed not only as those who lack access to welfare services, such as education, health and employment, but also as those without internet access, without digital skills and excluded from the DWS system.Originality/valueThe article calls for the development of scholarly research into the DWS in particular and the contemporary one in general. The authors also predict that a critical aspect of the future regime typology rests in the ability to mobilize resources to address contemporary digital risks, as every country is equally vulnerable to them. Overall, this article can be considered to be one of the initial works that focus on cross-national comparison across different meta-welfare regimes.

Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Higher Education: Challenges Facing Engineering Education in India

Online platforms are being utilized effectively for sharing the knowledge and imparting education. The affordability of the mobiles, laptops or other devices is a major problem for the weaker section of the society. Engineering branches like mechanical, civil and electrical are most severely affected in this lockdown. Chemical engineering is an interdisciplinary area of engineering. It include many interdisciplinary subjects such as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Performing the practical to validate the estimates from models or formulae is very important aspect of experimental analysis. Also, students are not able to perform the project work physically. Project work contains the application of all the subjects learned until the final year for identifying, quantifying, modelling and solving industrial and societal problems. Stakeholders in engineering education like students, teachers, parents, managements have been affected adversely due to the lockdown. This chapter provides an insight into these effects. Also this chapter provides a pre-COVID-19 e-learning scenario in developing countries, especially India and post-COVID-19 developments that have taken place in this digital education. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Technology growth in the digital age: Evidence from China

Based on a broad definition of the digital economy, this study constructs a digital technology capital measure-ment framework and measures China's digital technology capital services from 2002 to 2018 to illustrate the growth of digital technology. In addition, the relationship between digital technology and economic growth is examined using the growth accounting method and econometric panel models from the perspective of the substitution and penetration effects of information and communication technologies. The measurement results show that China's digital technology capital services grew faster than non-digital ones from 2002 to 2018. In terms of the substitution effect, the contribution of traditional capital to economic growth is diminishing, whereas digital technology capital's contribution is expanding. Regarding the penetration effect, the contribution of digital technology capital to labor productivity is gradually overtaking that of traditional capital, with the impact varying by sector. These results may provide developing countries with a strategy to seek new devel-opment drivers and sustain economic growth in the post-pandemic era.

Novel polymer composite coated with ethylcellulose nanoparticle from waste paper as an alternative material to extracorporeal oxygenation membrane

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) is a valuable technology to support people with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and is recommended for COVID-19 patients. This study aims to fabricate polymer-based composite membranes coated with ethylcellulose nanoparticles from waste paper and identify the performance of the composite as ECMO candidates. Composite membranes were made from four types of polymers, namely, nylon, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), Pebax® MH-1657, and SBS (poly-(styrene-b-butadiene-b-styrene)). PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) 1 wt.% and ethylcellulose nanoparticles (3% and 10 wt.%) were used as membrane coatings to increase their hydrophobic properties. The success of cellulose isolation and ethylcellulose synthesis from waste paper was confirmed by the FTIR and XRD analysis. The size of the synthesized ethylcellulose nanoparticles was 32.68 nm. The coating effect on composite membranes was studied by measuring the contact angle, membrane porosity, protein quantification tests, and single gas permeation of O2 and CO2. Based on the protein quantification test, the protein could not pass through the Pebax/PDMS and SBS/PDMS composites coated with 10 wt.% ethylcellulose;this indicated less risk of plasma leakage. The gas permeation test on nylon/PDMS, PTFE/PDMS, and SBS/PDMS composites coated with 10% ethylcellulose resulted high CO2/O2 selectivity, respectively, 2.17, 3.48, and 3.22 as good indication for extracorporeal oxygenation membrane.

HOW DO MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMEs) IN BALI SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC? A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN BULELENG, TABANAN, GIANYAR, AND DENPASAR

Purpose: This study aims to explore the survival strategies carried out by local micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) actors to maintain their business, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic which lasted for more than two years. In Bali, the problems that arise with MSMEs are not only the layoff rate and loss of a number of consumers but also the emergence of competitors from new business actors who come from tourism workers affected by layoffs. Theoretical framework: Small and Medium Enterprises (Qosasi et.al: 2019) that are able to capture potential markets in the future are those who utilize Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their business. Amadasun, D.O.E., Mutezo, A.T. (2022) show that the factors used to measure market-based strategies such as market orientation, the intensity of competition, and technology dynamics affect the competitive growth of SMEs. However, studies on the survival of SMEs in Bali are still important, given their role as the government's safety valve, namely the economic solution in times of crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted using a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with MSME actors at four locations in Bali, namely Buleleng, Tabanan, Gianyar, and Denpasar. From forty-two MSME owners, we found out four major implications of MSMEs' survival strategies amid the pandemic and in response to major layoffs and skyrocketing competitions which are: revisiting the implications of business agility, understanding the options for market penetration, gaining support from the government, and leveraging product development ideas. Findings: People's lifestyles lead business actors to think creatively, as part of the creative industry. Creativity and innovation are mandatory in the creative industry. People's lifestyles that are increasingly developing along with the capitalist movement which always seduces the public with the various product trends it creates have become opportunities for business actors, including SMEs. The existence of the community's need for clothing, food, and ritual products as major needs, has led SMEs business actors to penetrate products and markets. Produce the products to fulfill domestic needs. Products that were initially consumed by tourists were developed into local products, in order to meet the needs of people who want a product with a western image. In practice, not only are products diversified, but the way of marketing is also shifting from offline to online. Platforms in the form of YouTube Facebook Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp are the choices for business actors, both in urban and rural areas spread across Bali. Research, Practical & Social implications: This research would hope to clearly navigate MSME actors toward the most applicable survival strategies in their respective region and enable an interchange of ideas of other tactical plans through a comparative business differentiation supplemented by this informed research. © 2023 AOS-Estratagia and Inovacao. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned from Penetration Testing Hands-on Training during COVID-19 Pandemic

Because of the increase in cyberattacks in the Internet era, cybersecurity is a crucial area that still requires many more human resources. Security handson training plays an important role in educating a skilled workforce. However, delivering hands-on training with a large number of participants during the COVID-19 pandemic was a big challenge. In this paper, we discuss differences between onsite and online penetration testing hands-on training, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. We share our teaching experiences and lessons learned and provide recommendations for preparing and delivering online hands-on training efficiently. © 2022 IEEE.

Mobile phone access and preferences among medical inpatients at an urban Canadian hospital for post-discharge planning: A pre-COVID-19 cross-sectional survey.

Background: Digital health interventions are increasingly used for patient care, yet little data is available on the phone access type and usage preferences amongst medical ward inpatients to inform the most appropriate digital interventions post-discharge. Methods: To identify mobile phone ownership, internet access, and cellular use preferences among medical inpatients, we conducted a researcher-administered survey of patients admitted to five internal medicine units at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) in January 2020. The survey was administered over 2 days separated by a 2-week period. Results: A total of 81 inpatients completed the questionnaire. Survey found that 85.2% of survey respondents had mobile phone access where 63.0% owned their own mobile phone, and 22.2% had access to a mobile phone via a proxy (or an authorized third-party) such as a family member. All participants with mobile phone access had cellular plans (i.e., phone and text); however, a quarter of respondents did not have data plans with internet access. Survey showed that 71.1% of males owned a mobile phone compared to only 52.8% of females. All participants at a "high" risk of readmission had access to a mobile phone, either as phone-owners or proxy-dependent users. Conclusion: Access to mobile phones among medical ward inpatients, 85.2%, was comparable to smartphone penetration rates amongst Canadians in 2019, 85.1%. More patients had cellular than data plans (i.e., internet and applications). Understanding patient-specific access is key to informing potential uptake of digital health interventions aimed at using patients' mobile phones (mHealth) from an effectiveness and equity lens.

Why Digital Health Literacy Matters in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: How Bridging the Digital Health Literacy Gap Could Improve Access to Health Services and Social Equality

Around the world, mobile phones have been used for quite some years now to put healthcare systems into interactive action through various mobile health applications. The results regarding efficiency, access, greater social equality, and interconnectivity are proven, and they promise to mitigate economic and educational gaps. All this is increasingly the case in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the technological prerequisites are quickly evolving. About 500 million people in SSA--more than 46 percent of the region's population--were subscribing to mobile services in 2020, and their numbers are forecast to reach 615 million in 2025. In the meantime, coverage works also in the structurally poorest areas. In 2020, 2G mobile network coverage in Burkina Faso was 81 percent for the territory and 92.4 percent for the population. The high penetration rate of mobile phones and the increasing coverage of the mobile network has created a vast variety of opportunities for health provision. Mobile devices can no longer be ignored in practical health delivery and disease prevention workflows.

Measuring Global Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Using Trade Network Analysis Method

With the trade network analysis method and bilateral country-product level trade data of 2017-2020, this paper reveals the overall characteristics and intrinsic vulnerabilities of China S global supply chains. Our research finds that first, most global supply-chain-vulnerable products are from technology-intensive sectors. For advanced economies, their supply chain vulnerabilities are primarily exposed to political and economic alliances. In comparison, developing economies are more dependent on regional communities. Second, China has a significant export advantage with over 80% of highly vulnerable intermediate inputs relying on imports of high-end electrical, mechanical and chemical products from advanced economies or their multinational companies. China also relies on developing economies for the import of some resource products. Third, during the trade frictions from 2018 to 2019 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant reduction in the supply chain vulnerabilities of China and the US for critical products compared with other products, which reflects a shift in the layout of critical product supply chains to ensure not just efficiency but security. China should address supply chain vulnerabilities by bolstering supply-side weaknesses, diversifying import sources, and promoting international coordination and cooperation.

Lockdown Without Loss? A Natural Experiment of Net Payoffs from COVID-19 Lockdowns: JPP&M

Lacking a federal policy to control the spread of COVID-19, state governors ordered lockdowns and mask mandates, at different times, generating a massive natural experiment. The authors exploit this natural experiment to address four issues: (1) Were lockdowns effective in reducing infections? (2) What were the costs to consumers? (3) Did lockdowns increase (signaling effect) or reduce (substitution effect) consumers' mask adoption? (4) Did governors' decisions depend on medical science or nonmedical drivers? Analyses via difference-in-differences and generalized synthetic control methods indicate that lockdowns causally reduced infections. Although lockdowns reduced infections by 480 per million consumers per day (equivalent to a reduction of 56%), they reduced customer satisfaction by 2.2%, consumer spending by 7.5%, and gross domestic product by 5.4% and significantly increased unemployment by 2% per average state by the end of the observation period. A counterfactual analysis shows that a nationwide lockdown on March 15, 2020, would have reduced total cases by 60%, whereas the absence of any state lockdowns would have resulted in five times more cases by April 30. The average cost of reducing the number of cases by one new infection was about $28,000 in lower gross domestic product.

CyberGeeksMY: Public Awareness on Website Vulnerability and Proposed Idea of 'Smuggy' Prototype

The needs on online-based activities are increasing tremendously as the worldwide is currently in COVID-19 pandemic situation and most people are being bounded to stay at home. Society is forced to learn and adapt with this new normal in all aspects of life from running businesses, conducting online classes and meetings, buying stuffs and communicating with families and friends. This causes high dependency on web applications. The idea of proposing 'Smuggy' prototype has emerged to provide relevant skillsets for web penetration testers specifically and web developers in general. In order to realize the idea, a survey was conducted to gauge for public awareness on website vulnerability as the first part of this research. The scope of survey is on public concerns when browsing reputable websites vs. unfamiliar new ones, which further down to know the reasons why the respondents feel as such. Another part of the survey was to find out the respondents' knowledge on related events of compromised websites and their encounter in discovering web vulnerabilities. With these data as research basis, 'Smuggy' prototype is designed with a focus to educate users about the OWASP top 10 web vulnerabilities so that the vulnerabilities found in today's web applications can be minimized. © 2022 IEEE.

Education in India—During COVID-19 Challenges Faced and Solutions for a Post-Pandemic Era

Mankind has faced pandemic situations and the misery that it had bought along. Determination, knowledge and the guidance of leaders helped humans fight, survive and emerged more resilient. This paper tries to summarizes the experiences in India during the Coronavirus pandemic with specific reference to education sector. The impact of coronavirus pandemic on education has been a cause of concern since the lockdown first began. Further, this paper highlights how schools quickly jumped into action and continued their classes online so that the students' year is not wasted. Even if it required teachers to learn new technology overnight. As the paper progresses it emphasises – how educators were trying to figure out the new normal of education, evolving all stakeholders – students, teachers and parents. Adaption of a system to ensure seamless delivery of classes, revamped curriculum to suit the online format, relaxations on assessments and evaluations for students. The paper also brings out the difficulties faced due to Low internet penetration and unsupportive home environment. Further, highlighting the stress of faculty, parents and students due to uncertainty they faced. The Authors have tried to bring into context precautions necessary to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 in school settings without stigmatising students and staff who may have been exposed to the virus, while minimising disruption and protecting students and staff from discrimination. Further, the authors have brought out the problems that may be faced while reopening schools and also tried to give solutions to the above problems especially laying emphasis on students and staff being updated regarding basic information about (COVID-19). The authors having experience in teaching & counselling go a step ahead by laying down principles of Safe School Operations after the end of the pandemic with emphasis to development of school emergency and contingency plans. The paper also emphasises on Information Sharing specially in coordinating & following guidelines for staff, caregivers and students. The paper concludes with the author suggesting upgrading of school policies, viz. developing flexible attendance and sick leave policies that encourage students and staff to stay home when sick, Identify critical job functions and positions, and planning for alternative coverage by cross-training staff. Further, it suggests adaption of reviewed accelerated education strategies by engaging with communities. © 2023 DMICS.

Macroeconomic Challenges for Life Insurance Market in the Baltic States

The development of life insurance sector in the Baltic States is influenced by various opportunities and threats from the macroeconomic environment. In this context, the aim of this paper is to identify some macroeconomic factors that influence various indicators describing the life insurance market in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in the period 1993-2020 (direct premiums written, life insurance density, and life insurance penetration). The panel data approach suggests that economic growth, expenditure on tertiary education and income supports the development of the life insurance sector in these countries, while higher unemployment negatively affects the insurance market. These results have implications for the life insurance market forecasting in the new international context dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022, University of National and World Economy. All rights reserved.

It takes a pirate to know one: ethical hackers for healthcare cybersecurity.

Healthcare cybersecurity is increasingly targeted by malicious hackers. This sector has many vulnerabilities and health data is very sensitive and valuable. Consequently, any damage caused by malicious intrusions is particularly alarming. The consequences of these attacks can be enormous and endanger patient care. Amongst the already-implemented cybersecurity measures and the ones that need to be further improved, this paper aims to demonstrate how penetration tests can greatly benefit healthcare cybersecurity. It is already proven that this approach has enforced cybersecurity in other sectors. However, it is not popular in healthcare since many prejudices still surround the hacking practice and there is a lack of education on hackers' categories and their ethics. The present analysis aims to comprehend what hacker ethics is and who ethical hackers are. Currently, hacker ethics has the status of personal ethics; however, to employ penetration testers in healthcare, it is recommended to draft an official code of ethics, comprising principles, standards, expectations, and best practices. Additionally, it is important to distinguish between malicious hackers and ethical hackers. Amongst the latter, penetration testers are only a sub-category. Acknowledging the subtle differences between ethical hackers and penetration testers allows to better understand why and how the latter can offer their services to healthcare facilities.

Challenging clinical cases

A case of hepato-splenic-renal candidiasis will be discussed with the aim to track down the causative organism and its likely susceptibility. The role of BDG, selection of the antifungal agent, and duration of therapy will be discussed. Acase ofan HIV-infected patient withcryptococcal meningitis, pulmonaryinfection, and pulmonary IRISwillbe discussed. Acase ofCandida auris fungemiaand organ infectionin aliver transplant recipientwho developed seriallyincreasing MIC will bepresented. The relevanceof MIC, tentativebreakpoints, and selectionof antifungal agentsbased on PKPDconsiderations will be discussed. Talamycosis is usually seen in HIV-infected individuals from North East India. Here we discuss a 3-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia from Western India who developed cavitary pneumonia and multiple brain abscesses due to talaromyces. The case posed significant management challenges pertaining to both the fungal infection and cancer. Renal mucormycosis in healthy immunocompetent hosts is an entity generally reported only from India and China. We discuss the case of a previously healthy 3-month-old infant who presented with acute renal failure and renal mucormycosis. The case is unique with respect to the source of infection and management strategy. Treatment of fungal infections involving the draining system of the kidney is challenging mainly due to limited antifungal drug penetration at the site of infection. Challenges in the treatment of amphotericin-resistant Aspergillus terreus pelvicalyceal infections will be discussed. CAPA is a well-known complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but usually involves the lung alone and rarely disseminates when treated. This case illustrates a rare complication of COVID-19, namely endocarditis caused by As-pergillus. Rhinosporidiosis is a well-known disease that usually involves mucosal surfaces in the head and neck. This case illustrates a rare occurrence, namely dissemination to multiple areas and mimicking the clinical presentation of other cutaneous mycoses.

Federally Qualified Health Center Penetration Associated With Reduced Community COVID-19 Mortality in Four United States Cities.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on health care access and delivery, with disparate effects across social and racial lines. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) provide critical primary care services to the nation's most underserved populations, including many communities hardest hit by COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted an ecological analysis that aimed to examine FQHC penetration, COVID-19 mortality, and socio-demographic factors in 4 major United States cities: New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington. RESULTS: We found the distribution of COVID-19 cases and mortality varied spatially and in magnitude by city. COVID-19 mortality was significantly higher in communities with higher percentages of low-income residents and higher percentages of racial/ethnic minority residents. FQHC penetration was protective against increased COVID-19 mortality, after model adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study underpins the critical role of safety-net health care and policymakers must ensure investment in long-term sustainability of FQHCs, through strategic deployment of capital, workforce development, and reimbursement reform.

A Conceptual Model for Integrating Sustainable Supply Chain, Electric Vehicles, and Renewable Energy Sources

The effects of climate change can be seen immediately in ecosystems. Recent events have resulted in a commitment to the Paris Agreement for the reduction of carbon emissions by a significant amount by the year 2030. Rapid urbanisation is taking place to provide room for an increasing number of people's residences. Increasing the size of a city and the number of people living there creates a daily need for consumable resources. In the areas of transportation, supply chains, and the utilisation of renewable energy sources, deliver on pledges that promote the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations. As a result, the supply chain needs to be handled effectively to meet the requirements of growing cities. Management of the supply chain should be in harmony with the environment;nevertheless, the question of how to manage a sustainable supply chain without having an impact on the environment is still mostly understood. The purpose of this study is to present a conceptual model that may be used to maintain a sustainable supply chain with electric vehicles in such a way that caters to both environmental concerns and human requirements. As part of the continual process of achieving sustainability, interrelationships between the various aspects that are being investigated, comprehended, and applied are provided by the model that was developed. It is self-evident that governmental and international organisations that are concerned with supply-demand side information will benefit from such a model, and these organisations will locate viable solutions in accordance with the model's recommendations. Beneficiaries consist of individuals who are active in the supply chain and are concerned with supply-demand side information. These individuals also need to understand how to effectively manage this information.

Therapeutic delivery: industry update covering January 2022

This industry update covers the period from January 1 through January 31, 2022, and is based on information sourced from company press releases, scientific literature, patents and news websites. January 2022 saw Janssen and Midatech expand their collaboration on bioresorbable polymer microsphere technology for drug delivery. Takeda announced its plans to acquire UK-based Adaptate Biotherapeutics and Gandeeva raised further investment funds to support its drug discovery and development platform focused on the evaluation of protein-drug interactions. Biogen announced that it will sell its stake in a biosimilars joint venture and ABL Bio and Sanofi announced a collaboration around a novel treatment for Parkinson's disease. New regulatory announcements this month included US FDA approvals of a new insomnia treatment for Idorsia and a treatment for atopic dermatitis developed by Pfizer. Insulet gained FDA clearance for a closed-loop insulin pump and Ascendis Pharma followed up its United States approval last year for a once-weekly treatment for growth hormone deficiency with European approval. Pfizer and Ionis announced the discontinuation of the clinical development of a novel cardiovascular drug. In terms of collaborations, Novartis and Alnylam announced they will work together to explore targeted therapies to restore liver function;Scorpion Therapeutics partnered with AstraZeneca to develop novel cancer treatments and Nutriband Inc. and Kindeva Drug Delivery will work together to develop a transdermal fentanyl patch. Collaborations were also announced between Century Therapeutics and Bristol Myers Squibb and Lilly and Entos Pharmaceuticals in the areas of stem cell therapies for cancer treatment and neurology, respectively. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported progress in developing oral mRNA treatments and West Pharmaceutical Services published a blog describing the development of a proof-of-principle system for a closed-loop feedback system targeting opioid overdose. A report on the BBC website highlighted the benefits of more sustainable inhalers.