Special Issue on Application of Implementation Science to Improve Outcomes for Students With Disabilities: Synthesis and Future Directions

Over the last 20 years, researchers examining the education of students with disabilities have made a concerted effort to develop evidence-based practices (EBP) and enact policies to promote and support their usage to raise expectations and improve outcomes. However, the promised results of EBP are still elusive. This special issue illustrates the potential and impact of using implementation science across various educational contexts to develop enabling conditions for leaders and educators to support the use of evidence. We summarize the special issue's articles on the use of implementation science to support progress toward obtaining outcomes for students with disabilities. Specifically, key takeaways from each article and connections between articles are made. The summary concludes with key recommendations for policymakers, education agencies at each level of the system, and our practitioners who make use of implementation science methods and practices. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2023.

Digital entrepreneurial intentions and actions in China during the COVID-19 pandemic with policy implications

Despite the rapid development of digital start-ups and market expansion in China, there have been challenges for developing digital business in recent years. Unique economic, institutional, and social factors, as well as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, influence the digital entrepreneurs and their businesses. Yet, the literature on the changing digital entrepreneurial behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic remains limited. The intentions and behaviours of these entrepreneurs in relation to their digital start-ups and the impact caused by exogenous changes require deeper investigation. By adopting an intention-based social cognitive perspective, this study examines the factors influencing digital entrepreneurs' intentions and actions in managing their start-ups. We also present a holistic framework with regard to the changing entrepreneurial behaviour and policy implications for the development of digital start-ups.

Modeling technology changes in air transport in the presence of a market shock: A passenger-based analysis

This paper proposes a formal model to assess the introduction of hydrogen technology in the air transport sector when the initial market is uncovered, a situation relevant to the current COVID-19 crisis. The "flight shame” movement causes some passengers to leave the market while allowing for some willingness-to-pay for cleaner technologies. Starting from a horizontally differentiated duopoly between airlines with old technology and an uncovered market, the introduction of hydrogen technology provides the opportunity for vertical differentiation in line with the increased environmental consciousness of passengers. The principal methodological novelties start from an uncovered market and combine horizontal and vertical differentiation. The main results are the airlines' optimal strategy sets and the adoption strategy dynamics with an increased valuation of quality by passengers. We justify a regulator's intervention and draw several potential policy implications from this dynamic, such as a minimum subsidy level and educational advertising. © 2022

How does COVID-19 lockdown affect air quality: Evidence from Lanzhou, a large city in Northwest China.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has disrupted health, economy, and society globally. Thus, many countries, including China, have adopted lockdowns to prevent the epidemic, which has limited human activities while affecting air quality. These affects have received attention from academics, but very few studies have focused on western China, with a lack of comparative studies across lockdown periods. Accordingly, this study examines the effects of lockdowns on air quality and pollution, using the hourly and daily air monitoring data collected from Lanzhou, a large city in Northwest China. The results indicate an overall improvement in air quality during the three lockdowns compared to the average air quality in the recent years, as well as reduced PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO concentrations with different rates and increased O3 concentration. During lockdowns, Lanzhou's "morning peak" of air pollution was alleviated, while the spatial characteristics remained unchanged. Further, ordered multi-classification logistic regression models to explore the mechanisms by which socioeconomic backgrounds and epidemic circumstances influence air quality revealed that the increment in population density significantly aggravated air pollution, while the presence of new cases in Lanzhou, and medium- and high-risk areas in the given district or county both increase the likelihood of air quality improvement in different degrees. These findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of lockdown on air quality, and propose policy suggestions to control air pollution and achieve green development in the post-epidemic era.

Do oil shocks affect the green bond market?

This study examines the predictive power of oil shocks for the green bond markets. In line with this aim, we investigated the extent to which oil shocks could be used to accurately make in- and out-of-sample forecasts for green bond returns. Three striking findings emanated from our results: First, the three types of oil shock are reliable predictors for green bond indices. Second, the performances of the predictive models were consistent across the different forecasting horizons (i.e. H = 1 to H = 24). Third, our findings were sensitive to classifying the dataset into pre-COVID and COVID eras. For instance, the results confirmed that the predictive power of oil shocks declined during the crisis period. We also discuss some policy implications of this study's findings. © 2022 The Author(s)

Weak-Form Efficiency of Shariah-compliant Finance Stocks: Evidence from KLSE of Malaysia

We examine the weak-form efficient market hypothesis (EMH) for the selected Shariah-compliant finance stocks from the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) from 1/17/92 to 8/26/2022. Based on the ADF and artificial neural network (ANN) unit root tests, our results suggest that all three Shariah-compliant stocks are efficient before the COVID-19 period. Our results of ANN test suggest that BURSA and BIMB are inefficient during the COVID-19 period. These results have some notable policy implications. © 2022 IEEE.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic across Africa: Current Status of Vaccinations and Implications for the Future.

The introduction of effective vaccines in December 2020 marked a significant step forward in the global response to COVID-19. Given concerns with access, acceptability, and hesitancy across Africa, there is a need to describe the current status of vaccine uptake in the continent. An exploratory study was undertaken to investigate these aspects, current challenges, and lessons learnt across Africa to provide future direction. Senior personnel across 14 African countries completed a self-administered questionnaire, with a descriptive analysis of the data. Vaccine roll-out commenced in March 2021 in most countries. COVID-19 vaccination coverage varied from low in Cameroon and Tanzania and up to 39.85% full coverage in Botswana at the end of 2021; that is, all doses advocated by initial protocols versus the total population, with rates increasing to 58.4% in Botswana by the end of June 2022. The greatest increase in people being fully vaccinated was observed in Uganda (20.4% increase), Botswana (18.5% increase), and Zambia (17.9% increase). Most vaccines were obtained through WHO-COVAX agreements. Initially, vaccination was prioritised for healthcare workers (HCWs), the elderly, adults with co-morbidities, and other at-risk groups, with countries now commencing vaccination among children and administering booster doses. Challenges included irregular supply and considerable hesitancy arising from misinformation fuelled by social media activities. Overall, there was fair to reasonable access to vaccination across countries, enhanced by government initiatives. Vaccine hesitancy must be addressed with context-specific interventions, including proactive programmes among HCWs, medical journalists, and the public.

Sustainable Development Goals: A Regional Overview Based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have the ambitious goal of protecting the planet, eradicating poverty and providing peace and prosperity for all citizens. The challenge is certainly very ambitious and it is necessary to monitor progress toward these SDGs over time. This work is based on the multi-criteria decision analysis and aims to build a framework that can be replicated. A necessary condition for this aim is that the data are available and that they are as recent as possible. This work is based on 28 targets with data mainly from 2019 to 2020 and related to Italian regions. The results show that Trentino Alto Adige and Valle d’Aosta have the best performance and, in general, the northern territory has several realities that perform positively toward the SDGs. Important results are also present at the level of central Italy (in particular Marche and Toscana), while at the southern level the situation is not flourishing, with the sole exception of Abruzzo. The policy implications thus drive the need for targeted green investments for southern regions, projects that nationally promote the “green, bio and circular Made in Italy” brand that can enhance territorial distinctiveness, and the necessary collaboration among regions to be poles of excellence based on available resources and skills.

Experiences of the Frontline Healthcare Professionals Amid the COVID-19 Health Hazard: A Phenomenological Investigation.

The highly infectious novel coronavirus (COVID-19), officially SARS-CoV-2, was discovered in Wuhan, China, and quickly spread to the rest of the world in 2020. Frontline workers had frequent interactions with COVID-19-infected and -uninfected patients. Therefore, the study's overarching goal is to investigate the experiences of frontline healthcare professionals in dealing with the COVID-19 health emergency. The study used a qualitative research approach with a phenomenological research design. Using a purposeful sampling approach, the researcher collected data from 24 participants. The MAXQDA program was used to analyze the data, and followed Collaizzi's 7-step technique. All ethical standards were met to perform the study. Four main themes and ten subthemes were derived from the 24 in-depth interviews. The key themes were emotional suffering, intense physical pressure, social connection deterioration, and the inability to manage family obligations. Extensive social, emotional, and organizational aid is necessary to assist individuals in dealing with this unprecedented health crisis. Furthermore, the government and non-governmental organizations must work together to come up with the right policies to limit the COVID-19 burden on frontline health professionals.

Agent-based modeling in global pandemic propagation

Agent-based modeling has been widely used in the simulation of global pandemics, which provides useful policy implications and helps contain the pandemic's spread. Through agent-based modeling (ABM), people gain insight into the transmission of the pandemic and develop better policies to contain its spread. This article introduces the existing agent-based models used in the pandemic, such as smallpox, H1N1, and COVID-19, and the conclusions about pandemic forecasting that the scientists have reached through ABM. The introduction also shows the development and improvement of ABM as the computational power increases. It has been concluded from the existing research that implementing contact tracing and lockdown regulations could contribute to the achievement of digital herd immunity and contain the spread of the pandemic. Currently, scientists are dedicated to making a more scalable version of the agent-based model to analyze the transmission of the virus on a global scale. © 2022 IEEE.

Food Retail Network Spatial Matching and Urban Planning Policy Implications: The Case of Beijing, China

Food is the core of urban daily life and socio-economic activities but is rarely the focus of urban planning. The spatial layout of food retail outlets is important for optimizing the urban food system, improving land resource allocation, and encouraging healthy food consumption. Based on food retail POI data, this study employed kernel density estimation, road network centrality, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and locational entropy to analyze the spatial characteristics of supermarkets, produce markets, and small stores in an urban center in Beijing, and explored street coupling and supply-demand matching. The results indicated that within the study area: (1) supermarkets had an obvious “core-periphery” distribution, produce markets had a polycentric distribution, and small stores had a relatively uniform distribution;(2) road network centrality indices revealed a differentiated multi-core-edge distribution;(3) streets with high locational entropy values for supermarkets and produce markets were mostly concentrated in the central area, whereas the matching distribution of small stores was relatively balanced. From the perspective of urban planning, policy implications are proposed based on spatial and social equity, urban-rural differences, population structure and distribution status, and a resilient supply chain. The study findings have practical significance for guiding the development of urban food systems in a healthy, just, and sustainable direction, as well as rational urban land planning.

The impact of military expenditures on out of pocket healthcare payments: international evidence based on a dynamic panel data analysis

Purpose The empirical analysis dealt in this paper emphasizes on the impact of military expenditures on out of pocket (OOP) healthcare payments. A sizeable body of defence economics literature has investigated the trade-off between military and public health expenditure, by testing the crowding-out or growth-stimulating hypothesis;does military expenditure scaling up crowd-out or promote governmental resources for social and welfare programs, including also state health financing? Design/methodology/approach In this study, panel data from 2000 to 2018 for 129 countries is used to examine the impact of military expenditure on OOP healthcare payments. The dataset of countries is categorized into four income-groups based on World Bank's income-group classification. Dynamic panel data methodology is applied to meet study objectives. Findings The findings of this study indicate that military expenditure positively affects OOP payments in all the selected groups of countries, strongly supporting in this way the crowding-out hypothesis whereby increased military expenditure reduces the public financing on health. Study econometric results are robust since different and alternative changes in specifications and samples are applied in our analysis. Practical implications Under the economic downturn backdrop for several economies in the previous decade and on the foreground of a potential limited governmental fiscal space related to the Covid-19 pandemic adverse economic effects, this study provides evidence that policy-makers have to adjust their government policy initiatives and prioritize Universal Health Coverage objectives. Consequently, the findings of this study reflect the necessity of governments as far as possible to moderate military expenditures and increase public financing on health in order to strengthen health care systems efficiency against households OOP spending for necessary healthcare utilization. Originality/value Despite the fact that a sizeable body of defence economics literature has extensively examined the impact of military spending on total and public health expenditures, nevertheless to the best of our knowledge there is no empirical evidence of any direct effect of national defence spending on the main private financing component of health systems globally;the OOP healthcare payments.

Risk factors, contemporary challenges and psychological well-being of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: Policy implications.

Over the last few years, the number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has increased exponentially. On arrival, they experience poor mental health and psychological well-being. This commentary explores the risk factors and contemporary challenges that deteriorate Rohingyas' psychological well-being in Bangladesh. The onslaught of Covid-19 compounds the pre-existing psychological health conditions of the Rohingyas living in cramped and flimsy camps. The recent relocation to Bhashan Char may likely trigger tensions and eventually exacerbates their existing psychological well-being. The relocation to Bhashan Char has presumably happened against their volition. Meanwhile, the Myanmar military's coup has added additional fear about their bleak future of a safe and dignified return from Bangladesh to Myanmar. All these have contributed to the worsening of their existing psychological well-being. In order to subside their psychological health challenges, this commentary suggests: (a) the immediate execution of 'National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for Covid-19 Vaccines and initiation of vaccine rollout among the refugees; and (b) involving Rohingyas in economic activities and making them a self-reliant and economically empowered community. We suggest that safe and dignified repatriation is the only solution to the challenges they have been going through in Bangladesh and to preserve their psychological well-being.

Economic and fiscal effects of COVID-19 pandemic: An evaluation of selected countries

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic is among the most important events of the 21st Century. Its global character and the multi-dimensional fallouts it has on communities worldwide further increase the importance of the pandemic. During the period of more than one year since the declaration of the pandemic, the communities failed to provide a lasting solution other than the face masks, social distance, and hygiene. Failure to fight the pandemic with considerable success subsequently raised the topic of revising the policymakers’ previous predictions at the start of the pandemic based on incomplete information. So, the calendar put forward for the pandemic went forward day by day, and the authorities who failed to adopt a prudent approach were obliged to pay increasingly higher costs for their mistakes. In the chapter, the financial and economic effects of the pandemic in selected countries are examined. While examining the policies followed in these countries, in terms of fiscal stimulus packages and monetary expansion packages, it is aimed to shed light on the pandemic experience in the Turkish economy and to develop policy recommendations. Thus the persistence of the pandemic pushes all countries to update their current policies and seek new methods. This chapter aims to examine developed and emerging economies in the covid-19 era that have implemented policies to struggle with the pandemic and whose policy framework can be accessed. Methodology: To do this we carried out a literature review of the Economic and Fiscal Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic during 2020 and early 2021. Findings: Countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany are believed to have taken strong measures to minimize the damages on the economy due to the pandemic, while other countries like Russia, India, and Brazil are deemed to have mounded new policies within the framework of their internal dynamics. One should also note that, in addition to the individual efforts of each European country, the European Union has also played a decisive role in the policies of its member states for crisis management institutionally. © 2022 by Emerald Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.

The ambiguity of covid-19 effect on the latvian fishery sector

The dramatic change in various spheres of daily life caused by the COVID-19 virus epidemic has had many ambiguous effects on the Latvian fisheries sector. As part of a national research program project reCOVery-LV to study the virus’s effect on the supply chain, LLU researchers concluded that Latvian fish processing demonstrates a multidirectional effect. The interpretation of statistics and the interviews conducted confirmed the hypothesis that the virus has had negative and positive effects within one sector of the economy. This industry heterogeneity places high demands on support criteria, making them more targeted for successful risk management. The research aims to analyze the fishery sector and identify the COVID-19 pandemic effect on Latvia’s fish sector. As part of the study, all stages of the fish food chain were studied, risks were identified, their relative relevance was determined, and measures were proposed to neutralize these risks. This article summarizes the results of the study, prioritizes the implementation of countermeasures that reduce risks and are recommended by the results of the risk assessment, and complement the results of the study, identifies measures aimed at the long-term and sustainable development of the industry, based on the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. All rights reserved.

Interactions between two existential threats: COVID-19 and climate change.

The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change are complex existential threats, unpredictable in many ways and unprecedented in modern times. There are parallels between the scale and scope of their impacts and responses. Understanding shared drivers, coupled vulnerabilities, and criteria for effective responses will help societies worldwide prepare for the simultaneous threats of climate change and future pandemics. We summarize some shared characteristics of COVID-19 and climate change impacts and interventions and discuss key policy implications and recommendations.

Air quality changes in cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: A critical review.

In response to the rapid spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) within and across countries and the need to protect public health, governments worldwide introduced unprecedented measures such as restricted road and air travel and reduced human mobility in 2020. The curtailment of personal travel and economic activity provided a unique opportunity for researchers to assess the interplay between anthropogenic emissions of primary air pollutants, their physical transport, chemical transformation, ultimate fate and potential health impacts. In general, reductions in the atmospheric levels of outdoor air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were observed in many countries during the lockdowns. However, the levels of ozone (O3), a secondary air pollutant linked to asthma and respiratory ailments, and secondary PM were frequently reported to remain unchanged or even increase. An increase in O3 can enhance the formation of secondary PM2.5, especially secondary organic aerosols, through the atmospheric oxidation of VOCs. Given that the gaseous precursors of O3 (VOCs and NOx) are also involved in the formation of secondary PM2.5, an integrated control strategy should focus on reducing the emission of the common precursors for the co-mitigation of PM2.5 and O3 with an emphasis on their complex photochemical interactions. Compared to outdoor air quality, comprehensive investigations of indoor air quality (IAQ) are relatively sparse. People spend more than 80% of their time indoors with exposure to air pollutants of both outdoor and indoor origins. Consequently, an integrated assessment of exposure to air pollutants in both outdoor and indoor microenvironments is needed for effective urban air quality management and for mitigation of health risk. To provide further insights into air quality, we do a critical review of scientific articles, published from January 2020 to December 2020 across the globe. Finally, we discuss policy implications of our review in the context of global air quality improvement.

Dynamic impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the regional express logistics: Evidence from China.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic brings huge consequences on the global economy and health. Diverse restrictive policies have been enforced to prevent the novel Coronavirus from spreading. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the express logistics companies transport essential goods among different regions in China, supporting people's normal lives. This study explores the dynamic impacts of COVID-19 epidemic on the intra-provincial and inter-provincial express parcel flows based on the statistical and econometric analysis considering the individual-specific effects of each province. The key results obtained from the unique long-run panel data analysis are: (1) the temporal fluctuation of inter-provincial express logistics flows affected by the epidemic is stronger than that of intra-provincial flows, both of which also show significant spatial heterogeneity; (2) the process of China's fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic is divided into four stages according to the severity of pandemic and implications of restrictive policies, which have moderating effects for the impacts on the express logistics; (3) the dynamic effects of the pandemic on the express logistics are obviously heterogeneous in different stages, confirming the effectiveness of restrictive and support policies; (4) the delayed effects of COVID-19 epidemic on the regional express logistics vary with different setting of time lags. In the short term, the typical restrictive policies and Chinese Spring Festival holidays have significant negative effects on the express logistics. In the long term, the resumption of work and production stimulate the demands of express logistics, presenting significant positive effects in post-epidemic era. This study can provide the policy implications for the logistics planning and management under the public health intervention.

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the global energy system and the shift progress to renewable energy: Opportunities, challenges, and policy implications.

Being declared a global emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken many lives, threatened livelihoods and businesses around the world. The energy industry, in particular, has experienced tremendous pressure resulting from the pandemic. In response to such a challenge, the development of sustainable resources and renewable energy infrastructure has demonstrated its potential as a promising and effective strategy. To sufficiently address the effect of COVID-19 on renewable energy development strategies, short-term policy priorities should be identified, while mid-term and long-term action plans should be formulated in achieving the well-defined renewable energy targets and progress towards a more sustainable energy future. In this review, opportunities, challenges, and significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on current and future sustainable energy strategies were analyzed in detail; while drawing from experiences in identifying reasonable behaviors, orientating appropriate actions, and policy implications on the sustainable energy trajectory were also mentioned. Indeed, the question is that whether the COVID-19 pandemic will kill us or provide us with a precious lesson on future sustainable energy development.

Social distancing and reopening universities after the COVID-19 pandemic: policy complexity in G20 countries.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected the entire globe, and various mythologies argue about its diagnosis, cure, and prevention. Globally, as of September 18th, 2020, there have been 30.055 million confirmed cases, including 0.943 million deaths. The nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world's student population. This study aimed to explore the social distancing policies and universities' reopening after COVID-19 in G20 countries (19 member countries and the European Union). Design and Methods: The study is based on documentary analysis. G20 members represent around 80% of the world's economic output, two-thirds of the global population (including more than half of the world's poor), and 75% of international trade. Based on documentary analysis, the study revealed that there is a policy dilemma among G20 countries regarding school reopening and a variety of conflicting policies within each country. Results: Based on a sample of 838 universities in the USA, 66% of universities (552 of 838) plan for in-person instruction, while only 7% are planning for a completely online teaching mode in the fall 2020 semester. Conclusions: Interestingly, none of the private universities in this study are planning to implement an online teaching mode. Policymakers need an integrated set of policy guidelines for school reopening, considering the evaluation of current COVID- 19 pandemic circumstances and social distancing capacity.