Provincial policies affecting resident quality of life in Canadian residential long-term care.

BACKGROUND: The precautions and restrictions imposed by the recent Covid-19 pandemic drew attention to the criticality of quality of care in long-term care facilities internationally, and in Canada. They also underscored the importance of residents' quality of life. In deference to the risk mitigation measures in Canadian long-term care settings during Covid-19, some person-centred, quality of life policies were paused, unused, or under-utilised. This study aimed to interrogate these existing but latent policies, to capture their potentiality in terms of positively influencing the quality of life of residents in long-term care in Canada. METHODS: The study analysed policies related to quality of life of long-term care residents in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia). Three policy orientations were framed utilising a comparative approach: situational (environmental conditions), structural (organisational content), and temporal (developmental trajectories). 84 long term care policies were reviewed, relating to different policy jurisdictions, policy types, and quality of life domains. RESULTS: Overall, the intersection of jurisdiction, policy types, and quality of life domains confirms that some policies, particularly safety, security and order, may be prioritised in different types of policy documents, and over other quality of life domains. Alternatively, the presence of a resident focused quality of life in many policies affirms the cultural shift towards greater person-centredness. These findings are both explicit and implicit, and mediated through the expression of individual policy excerpts. CONCLUSION: The analysis provides substantive evidence of three key policy levers: situations-providing specific examples of resident focused quality of life policy overshadowing in each jurisdiction; structures-identifying which types of policy and quality of life expressions are more vulnerable to dominance by others; and trajectories-confirming the cultural shift towards more person-centredness in Canadian long-term care related policies over time. It also demonstrates and contextualises examples of policy slippage, differential policy weights, and cultural shifts across existing policies. When applied within a resident focused, quality of life lens, these policies can be leveraged to improve extant resource utilisation. Consequently, the study provides a timely, positive, forward-facing roadmap upon which to enhance and build policies that capitalise and enable person-centredness in the provision of long-term care in Canada.

Carbon Dioxide Monitoring in Refuse Collection Vehicle Cabins to Reduce the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Airborne Transmission

During the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers such as waste collection crews continued to provide services in the UK, but due to their small size, maintaining social distancing inside waste collection vehicle cabins is impossible. Ventilation in cabins of 11 vehicles operating in London was assessed by measuring air supply flow rates and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the driver's cabin, a proxy for exhaled breath. The indoor CO2 indicated that air quality in the cabins was mostly good throughout a working day. However, short episodes of high CO2 levels above 1500 ppm did occur, mainly at the beginning of a shift when driving towards the start of their collection routes. This data indicated that the ventilation systems on the vehicles were primarily recirculating air and the fresh air supply made up only 10-20 % of the total airflow. Following recommendations to partly open windows during shifts and to maintain ventilation systems, a second monitoring campaign was carried out, finding on average, an improvement in ventilation on board the vehicles. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

SIREN - smart ventilation for infection risk mitigation and HVAC energy efficiency: a case study amid the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for effective ventilation control in public buildings. This study develops and evaluates a smart ventilation control algorithm (SIREN) that dynamically adjusts zone and system-level HVAC operation to maintain an acceptable COVID-19 infection risk and HVAC energy efficiency. SIREN uses real-time building operation data and Trim & Respond control logic to determine zone primary and system outdoor airflow rates. An EnergyPlus and CONTAM co-simulation framework was developed to assess its performance across various control scenarios and US climate zones. Results show that SIREN can flexibly control infection risk within a customized threshold (e.g. 3%) for every zone, while traditional controls cannot. At the building level, SIREN's HVAC energy consumption is comparable to a fixed 70% outdoor airflow fraction scenario, while its infection risk is lower than the 100% outdoor airflow scenario, illustrating its potential for safe and energy-efficient HVAC operation during pandemics.

The Risk Mitigation Decision-Making Model for Music Therapy Services During the Covid-19 Pandemic

When the Covid-19 pandemic began, music therapists moved quickly to adapt services across many clinical settings. Many music therapists shifted their service delivery model to telepractice. Music therapists also worked to adapt in-person services to integrate the emerging risk mitigation strategies required or recommended by various public health bodies and healthcare organizations. When public health circumstances are changing rapidly, how do music therapists make decisions regarding service delivery and risk mitigation, while balancing the requirements of public health directives and organization policies? Considering evidence-based practice and ethical thinking, we propose a risk mitigation decision-making model for providing clinical music therapy services during the Covid-19 pandemic. We consider the intersection of public health guidelines and orders, service delivery options (i.e. telepractice), and risk mitigation strategies for in-person services. Case studies follow, as well as discussion of how to use this model in future public health crises.

Exploring Consumers Risk Mitigation Strategies in E-Commerce: A Qualitative Study of High-Risk Transactions

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in online shopping. While the promises of shopping on e-commerce platforms are vast, there are simultaneously novel and exacerbated risks compared to traditional brick-and-mortar retail purchases. Existing research outlines numerous risk dimensions associated with online shopping. In addition, scholars examine the underlying reasons for consumers' risk perceptions, such as the inability of physical quality checks. However, there is a lack of research investigating how consumers attempt to navigate and mitigate risk perceptions when confronted with a high-risk online transaction. To address this research gap, we conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with consumers who had recently performed an online transaction associated with high-risk perceptions. Our study contributes to the existing literature by identifying an affective and cognitive risk mitigation strategy and respective underlying mechanisms. Notably, we find that online social networks play a central role in shaping consumers' risk perceptions. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Unknown-Unknown Risk Mitigation Through AI: Case of Covid-19

The purpose of this study is to investigate how artificial intelligence can mitigate unknown-unknown risks, taking COVID-19 as a case. The utilization of this technology has helped with the risk management and mitigations process by providing efficient solutions. Today, the artificial intelligence of applications plays a critical role in containing the fast spread of COVID-19 virus and reducing the number of infected individuals. This research will explore how countries around the world have benefited from contact tracing applications. The research discussed the UAE Alhosn application compared to the applications developed by China, Australia, Thailand, France, South Korea to identify the best features and better utilization of AI technology in the applications. In addition, a mixed-method approach used in this research, and a combination of a qualitative and a quantitative approach to make a clear understanding of the topic and find out accurate results. For qualitative research, interviews were conducted with five people from different companies in the UAE. For quantitative research, ten questions survey was sent to a sample of 50 random respondents who are the users of Alhosn application. Domain analysis was used to organize the ideas and to generate other ideas. The research will also gather secondary data based on reviews of literature related to the research topic. Based on the gathered information and research results recommendations were given. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The Role of Distance Learning Technology in Mitigating Unknown-Unknown Risks: Case of Covid-19

With the changing circumstances across the world due to the pandemic COVID-19, the concept of distance learning and the use of technology has increased at a very fast pace. This has resulted different online classes and different associated risks related to security with these online classes for the organizations. However, with the passage of time, it has been realized that COVID-19 has now become a part of our lives, and what we considered a matter of days or weeks might last for a very long period, which is still unknown to us. Most importantly, this new phase of life has become a new normal for the people today. It has now become important for us to change the course of our lives and to hold different activities according to this new normal. Most of the business activities are also now being adapted through this social distancing and many other activities involving the education system to be on top of everything else. The methodology adopted for the study was qualitative study and the method adopted for the study was interviewed and generating the study through literature reviews. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

How Drones Can Mitigate Unknown-Unknown Risks Case of Covid-19

This paper shows the importance of technology in mitigating the spread of Covid-19 which has significantly changed the lives of people, affecting health, livelihood, and the global economy due to the closure of international borders. It has promoted social distancing and increased the need for measures that can eliminate the impact of COVID-19 related issues and outcomes. The research investigates the ways technology can benefit to support teams in preventing Covid-19. It also aims to examine the main advantages of drones during Covid-19. In addition to suggesting the use of drones to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The inability of some countries to cope with the virus and the effective use of drones to deal with it highlights its importance. However, there is a need to adjust some cultures to the use of drones during the coronavirus crisis. Based on the review of literature, it indicated that people couldn't eliminate the virus impact yet, but they could alleviate the damage they caused. The current research has used interviews to collect data from five organizations involved in the mitigation of unknown-unknown risks, including the Ministry of Health & Community Protection, Dubai Executive Council, DEWA, Melaaha Drones, and ArabDrones. Moreover, a face-to-face interview was conducted by phones and e-mail conversations. As well as a literature review has helped in exploring the unknown-unknown risk method along with the use of Artificial Intelligence such as drones to assist in combating the Covid-19 pandemic. The descriptive qualitative research design has helped to test the hypothesis regarding its ability of drones to mitigate the unknown-unknown risk of Covid-19. The research results part indicated that drones are vital constituents of contingency planning. They have proven their value by going for the extra mile in saving costs and lives by incorporating drones technology in minimizing the effects of the crisis which was illustrated with some real examples. Also, the paper has proven the hypothesis by showing another real example on a drone company like ArbaDrone and how they assess, plan and mitigate unknown-unknown risks by following such a specialized program called RIO Project Program to measure and minimize the crisis impacts in the running company. Thus, drones have significantly helped countries such as the UAE to deal with the risks against Covid-19 through the elimination of infection risks with about 96% accuracy via computerized tomography scans. Finally, since the drones have contributed to international success in mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic and having an essential role in fighting the spread of the virus, so, it is very necessary to re-enforce the drone's experience to enhance the fight against coronavirus attracting other tools. Furthermore, extra studies still needed to give more bigger pictures about the impact of this coronavirus statistically to have more information about its influences on the global market. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Impact of Remote Work on Project Risks Management: Focus on Unknown Risks

Unidentified risks, also called unknown unknowns, have been outside the scope of organization risk management for a long time. Many leaders believe uncertainties are difficult to find or imagine in advance. For instance, when COVID-19 spread quickly to different parts of the world in early 2020, the sudden shift of tens of millions of workers from on-site to remote work locations was experienced across the globe. Many businesses sent their staff to work at home, and most enterprises adopted technology to maintain their operations. Remote work has been aided by new technological platforms, including virtual private networks (VPNs), voice over Internet protocols (VoIPs), virtual meetings, and other collaboration tools. During this COVID-19 pandemic, these technologies have reduced the spread of the virus, enabled employers to decrease overhead expenses, helped workers to gain flexibility, and abridged overall organization risks. This study gathers critical information about remote work amidst unknown risks, such as COVID-19 pandemic, by relying on qualitative and quantitative data. The study develops a model to characterize unidentified risks by gathering employees' perspectives on remote working. Data collected will be compared in terms of the benefits and challenges of remote work. The findings and discussion will be used to suggest and recommend ways organizations can rely on remote work to improve performance and mitigate sudden, unknown risks. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Managing Immunosuppression in Vasculitis Patients in Times of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the emergence of multiple challenges in the care of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases. Patients with vasculitis represent a group of particular concern due to existing risk factors which include a higher burden of comorbidities and specific immunosuppressive therapies used for treatment. Vaccination and the use of other risk mitigation strategies are crucial for the care of these patients. This review provides an overview of existing evidence to contribute to the understanding and specific requirements of the treatment and management of patients with vasculitis during the time of COVID-19.

COVID-19 and supply chain risk mitigation: a case study from India

PurposeThis study prioritizes the supply chain risks (SCRs) and determines risk mitigation strategies (RMSs) for the Indian apparel industry to mitigate the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic disruption.Design/methodology/approachInitially, 23 SCRs within the apparel industry are identified through an extant literature review. Further, a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) is utilized to prioritize the SCRs considering the epidemic situations to understand the criticality of SCRs and determine appropriate RMSs to mitigate the shock of SCRs during COVID-19.FindingsThis study prioritized and ranked the SCRs within the Indian apparel industry based on their severity during the COVID-19 disruption. Results indicate that the demand uncertainty and pandemic disruption risks are the most critical. Based on the SCRs, the present work evaluated and suggested the flexibility and postponement mitigation strategies for the case under study.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has novel implications to the existing literature on supply chain risk management in the form of the FAHP framework. Supply chain practitioners from the other industrial sectors can extend the proposed FAHP framework to assess the SCRs and identify suitable mitigation strategies. The results aid the practitioners working in an apparel industry to benchmark and deploy the proposed RMSs in their firm.Originality/valueThe present study is a unique and earlier attempt to develop a quantitative framework using FAHP to evaluate and determine the risk mitigation strategy for managing the SCRs during the coronavirus epidemic.

Implementation of Key Risk Mitigation Strategies and Learnings Enabling Successful Efficient Execution in Malikai Phase 2 Project Mooring Campaigns

Malikai Tension Leg Platform (TLP) being the first TLP in Malaysian waters, was installed in 2016 at a water depth of 500m. The mooring system was designed with tender-assisted drilling (TAD) features to allow for station keeping activities during drilling operations. Malikai Phase 2 is brownfield project to develop six infill wells to be drill using existing well slots available on TLP. To drive project value of replication and standardization, similar TAD vessel was used as per Phase 1 campaign. The project execution strategy emphasizes on the reuse of Phase 1 mooring component to lower the CAPEX and re-certification of the mooring component were done to maintain the integrity of the hardware. Existence of porkmarks and large part of geo-hazard on the Malikai seafloor, remain one of the main challenges to safety pre-lay polyester on the selected routes. Furthermore, due to Covid-19 pandemic the shipment of the polyester ropes was delayed. Improvement was made in the offshore installation methodology with introduction of the direct hook-up methods to eliminate the risk of polyester damaging during pre-laid, eliminate the chain twists issue on ground chain section and that also help in preserving project schedule. The development of innovative contracting and supply chain management strategies such as competitive bidding exercise and leverage on contractor expertise to drive the efficient execution. Virtual working setting is a new way of working in marine assurances due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. This paper will provide a board overview of various aspects of Malikai Phase 2 brownfield development during pandemic condition while highlighting key success factors and lesson learned for future projects. Copyright © 2022, Offshore Technology Conference.

An integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach for identifying the risk level of musculoskeletal disorders among handheld device users.

In work-from-home (WFH) situation due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the handheld device (HHD) users work in awkward postures for longer hours because of unavailability of ergonomically designed workstations. This problem results in different type of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among the HHD users. An integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach was offered for identifying the risk level of MSDs among HHD users. A case example implemented the proposed approach in which, firstly, the best-worst method (BWM) technique was used to prioritize and determine the relative importance (weightage) of the risk factors. The weightages of the risk factors further used to rank the seven alternatives (HHD users) using Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) technique. The outcomes of the BWM investigation showed that the three most significant risk factors responsible for MSDs are duration of working, poor working posture and un-ergonomic design. The outcome of the VIKOR technique exhibited that computer professionals were at the highest risk among all users. The risk factor priority must be used for designing a working strategy for the WFH situation which will help to mitigate the risks of MSDs.

Evaluation of Safety Measures at a Medical Summer Camp During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV-2 poses challenges for the safe delivery of a camp experience with a medically complex camper population. Multiple studies have investigated the effect of nonpharmaceutical interventions for preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission in traditional summer camp settings, but none in the medical summer camp settings. Our objective was to describe and evaluate the nonpharmaceutical interventions on SARS-CoV-2 transmission rate in a medical summer camp setting. METHODS: This was a single-institution cross-sectional study conducted between June 2021 and August 2021 in a rural summer camp setting in upstate New York. Nonpharmaceutical interventions consisted of prearrival guidance on low-risk activities, obtaining negative SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction results within 72 h prior to arrival, adult SARS-CoV-2 vaccine mandate, universal masking mandate, small cohorts, daily symptom screening, and rapid testing on site. Primary cases were defined as an individual with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result of any type while at camp or 2 wk after departure from camp without any known exposure at camp; secondary cases were defined as cases from potential exposures within camp. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-three campers were included. Nine individuals were tested owing to potentially infectious symptoms while at camp. Thirty-four campers were tested because they arrived from a county with an a priori intermediate level of SARS-CoV-2 community spread. Zero on-site rapid tests were positive for SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: We describe the implementation of multilayered nonpharmaceutical interventions at a medical summer camp during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Lessons Learned from In-Person Conferences in the Times of COVID-19.

Scientific societies and conference secretariats have recently resumed in-person meetings after a long pause owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some safety measures continue to be implemented at these in-person events to limit the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). With increased numbers of waves of infection, caused by the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, additional information is needed to ensure maximal safety at in-person events. The MEX-DART case study was conducted at the in-person Hep-DART 2021 conference, which was held in Los Cabos, Mexico, in December 2021. Many COVID-19 safety measures were implemented, and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the conference was tested onsite. In this study, we highlight the specific conditions and safety measures set in place at the conference. In addition to vaccination requirements, social distancing, and mask wearing, daily rapid testing was implemented for the duration of the conference. At the end of the 4-day meeting, none of the 166 delegates (and family members attending the conference) had tested antigen positive for SARS-CoV-2. Two delegates tested positive in the week after the conference; the timing of their positive test result suggests that they contracted the virus during their travels home or during postconference vacationing. We believe that this model can serve as a helpful template for organizing future in-person meetings in the era of COVID-19 and any other respiratory virus pandemics of the future. While the outcomes of this case study are encouraging, seasonal surges in respiratory virus infections such as SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and influenza virus incidence suggest that continued caution is warranted.

Sustainable institutional investment in the COVID-19 pandemic

This article examines institutions' investment strategies towards environmental and social (E&S) stocks in the first quarter of 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Backed with both institutional- and firm-level analyses, we find that institutional investors shift towards stocks with higher E&S performance. The high E&S portfolios exhibit lower risk and return characteristics, outperforming (underperforming) their peers on market-down (-up) days. Further analysis shows this shift towards E&S is not a permanent transition, rather it reversed with the market rebound in the second quarter, thereby suggesting that the underlying driver of institutional E&S investment strategy in the pandemic is downside-risk protection. JEL Classification: G01, G12, G23, M14 © The Author(s) 2022.

Perspective: The Emerging Omicron Variant, Children And School.

Many publications have demonstrated the detrimental effects of school closures on children, families and communities in the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there is a surge of Omicron cases as children prepare to return to school around the world. While many children are asymptomatic, or have mild disease, it is nevertheless and important problem. As we focus on vaccinations in the 5-12-year-old group, we should consider other risk mitigation factors to keep school open, and children safe.

A Technology Enabled Framework for Mitigating Risk during Supply chain Disruptions in a Pandemic Scenario

At present supply chains are dynamic and interactive in nature which integrates suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and consumers. An important objective of supply chain management is to ensure that each supply chain partner is in the coordination with others so that supply chain potential and enhanced surplus can be realized in sales. In general, this coordination breaks due to distrust, misinformation, poor logistics and transportation infrastructure;however, in specific cases like Covid-19, it arises due to uncertainties caused by various types of risks such as delays and disruptions. During pandemic Covid-19 global supply chains have been distorted badly due to multiple lockdowns and country specific decisions to contain the spread of coronavirus. For dealing with such pandemic situation in future, we have learned and proposed some of the strategies from literature and practice that a supply chain manager can think of to minimize supply chain disruptions during a pandemic. These supply chain strategies include Resilience, Outsourcing/Offshoring, Agility, and Digitalization. For helping in decision making to the practitioners, we have applied Best Worst Method (BWM) to evaluate these strategies during pandemic times and found that Digitalization strategy (0.574) has been most differentiating among the proposed four strategies in a pandemic scenario;whereas, Outsourcing/Offshoring strategy is most hampered/ineffective during such times. © 2022 Kharazmi University. All rights reserved.

Association between COVID-19 risk-mitigation behaviors and specific mental disorders in youth.

BACKGROUND: Although studies of adults show that pre-existing mental disorders increase risk for COVID-19 infection and severity, there is limited information about this association among youth. Mental disorders in general as well as specific types of disorders may influence the ability to comply with risk-mitigation strategies to reduce COVID-19 infection and transmission. METHODS: Youth compliance (rated as "Never," "Sometimes," "Often," or "Very often/Always") with risk mitigation was reported by parents on the CoRonavIruS Health Impact Survey (CRISIS) in January 2021. The sample comprised 314 female and 514 male participants from the large-scale Child Mind Institute Healthy Brain Network, a transdiagnostic self-referred, community sample of children and adolescents (ages 5-21). Responses were summarized using factor analysis of risk mitigation, and their associations with lifetime mental disorders (assessed via structured diagnostic interviews) were identified with linear regression analyses (adjusted for covariates). All analyses used R Project for Statistical Computing for Mac (v.4.0.5). RESULTS: A two-factor model was the best-fitting solution. Factor 1 (avoidance behaviors) included avoiding groups, indoor settings, and other peoples' homes; avoidance scores were higher among youth with any anxiety disorder (p = .01). Factor 2 (hygiene behaviors) included using hand sanitizer, washing hands, and maintaining social distance; hygiene scores were lower among youth with ADHD (combined type) (p = .02). Mask wearing was common (90%), did not load on either factor, and was not associated with any mental health disorder. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Although most mental disorders examined were not associated with risk mitigation, youth with ADHD characterized by hyperactivity plus inattention may need additional support to consistently engage in risk-mitigation behaviors. Enhancing risk-mitigation strategies among at-risk groups of youth may help reduce COVID-19 infection and transmission.

Expiratory Aerosol pH: The Overlooked Driver of Airborne Virus Inactivation.

Respiratory viruses, including influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, are transmitted by the airborne route. Air filtration and ventilation mechanically reduce the concentration of airborne viruses and are necessary tools for disease mitigation. However, they ignore the potential impact of the chemical environment surrounding aerosolized viruses, which determines the aerosol pH. Atmospheric aerosol gravitates toward acidic pH, and enveloped viruses are prone to inactivation at strong acidity levels. Yet, the acidity of expiratory aerosol particles and its effect on airborne virus persistence have not been examined. Here, we combine pH-dependent inactivation rates of influenza A virus (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2 with microphysical properties of respiratory fluids using a biophysical aerosol model. We find that particles exhaled into indoor air (with relative humidity ≥ 50%) become mildly acidic (pH ∼ 4), rapidly inactivating IAV within minutes, whereas SARS-CoV-2 requires days. If indoor air is enriched with nonhazardous levels of nitric acid, aerosol pH drops by up to 2 units, decreasing 99%-inactivation times for both viruses in small aerosol particles to below 30 s. Conversely, unintentional removal of volatile acids from indoor air may elevate pH and prolong airborne virus persistence. The overlooked role of aerosol acidity has profound implications for virus transmission and mitigation strategies.