DEEP LEARNING BASED AN EFFICIENT HYBRID PREDICTION MODEL FOR COVID-19 CROSS-COUNTRY SPREAD AMONG E7 AND G7 COUNTRIES

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of many people around the world and has also caused economic problems for all countries in the world. In the literature, there are many studies to analyze and predict the spread of COVID-19 in cities and countries. However, there is no study to predict and analyze the cross-country spread in the world. In this study, a deep learning based hybrid model was developed to predict and analysis of COVID-19 cross-country spread and a case study was carried out for Emerging Seven (E7) and Group of Seven (G7) countries. It is aimed to reduce the workload of healthcare professionals and to make health plans by predicting the daily number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Developed model was tested extensively using Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and R Squared (R2). The experimental results showed that the developed model was more successful to predict and analysis of COVID-19 cross-country spread in E7 and G7 countries than Linear Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The developed model has R2 value close to 0.9 in predicting the number of daily cases and deaths in the majority of E7 and G7 countries. © 2023 by the authors.

Information Systems Resilience: The Role of Flexibility and Stability

This paper contributes to conceptualization of information system resilience. By building upon and extending the framework of Heeks and Ospina (2019), we argue that an information system's ability to be resilient lies in its balance between stability and flexibility. Based on empirical findings we suggest that a stable core and flexibility to change is crucial when a digital system is faced with unforeseen adversities. We hope to contribute to more theorizing of the information system resilience and inspire further research on this subject. The paper may also have practical value for stakeholders working with implementation of national information systems in the health sector. This is a qualitative case study conducted together with the Health Information Systems Programme (HISP) at the Institute of Informatics, University of Oslo. Our findings are based on empirical insights related to the DHIS2 software during the Covid-19 response. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Guest editorial: Post-COVID-19 sustainable supply chain management in emerging markets

Since the early 2000s, emerging markets have become the heart of global supply chains hosting a large volume of industrial productions. The second article looked into the barriers to attaining sustainability in supply chain of the Bangladeshi pharmaceutical sector and developed a hierarchical structure of those barriers using interpretive structural modeling and MICMAC analysis. The eleventh article explored a new way to assess suppliers' suitability by considering pseudo-resilience factors to achieve SSC in the post-COVID-19 era using an analytical hierarchy process and R. It also provided a case study of three smartphone processor suppliers (Jessin et al., 2023).

Distance Learning in an Inclusive Preschool Focused on Autism During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study of Four Children

Despite the widespread use of distance learning during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, little is known about the developmental appropriateness of this instructional format for preschoolers, particularly when implemented in inclusive settings. The current research was implemented in a university-affiliated, state-funded inclusive preschool classroom focused on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) where parents were given the option to enroll in a full distance program (FDP) during the first 9 weeks of the 2020/21 school year. Parents of four children, including two children with ASD, selected the FDP option. Synchronous whole group, small group, and individual online sessions were recorded using screen capture and coded for children's maintained attention and directed communication. Further, parents and teachers completed exit interviews or a focus group, which were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative research methods. This is the first study to use observational methods to measure child engagement during preschool FDP sessions. Results from this mixed-method multiple case study paint a rich picture of both opportunities and limitations inherent in distance learning when implemented in inclusive preschool settings. General conclusions, future directions, and study limitations are discussed.

An organizational analysis of how managers must understand the mental health impact of teleworking during COVID-19 on employees

PurposeThe unimagined workplace disturbance caused by the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has made many organizations virtual or telework driven workplaces, often without the infrastructure and systems in place to support employees facing these sudden workplace changes (Burrell, 2020). Many stressors accompanied this transition, to include lack of childcare, home-school responsibilities and layoffs and business closings. These stressors have perpetuated concerns for the job and financial security for all workers (Fox, 2020), leading some employees to struggle with the work-life balance out of concern for being laid off due to perceived low productivity (Fox, 2020). This study aims to explore those manifestations.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research case study explores the impact COVID-19 induced telework has on their job satisfaction, mental well-being and aspects of organizational commitment to fill a gap in the literature concerning emerging workplace dynamics due to COVID-19 for small real estate businesses in the USA.FindingsThe results of this qualitative research case study provide knowledge and information about the need for small businesses to be resourceful and resilient in the way that they support and engage remote workers. This qualitative research case study explores the impact COVID-19-induced telework has on their job satisfaction, mental well-being and aspects of organizational commitment for small real estate businesses. The analysis of current work-life structures through a qualitative lens provides trends among workers to gain a greater perspective of the current accelerators and barriers to worker success in a COVID-19 teleworking environment.Originality/valueThis qualitative research case study explores the impact COVID-19 induced telework has on their job satisfaction, mental well-being and aspects of organizational commitment to fill a gap in the literature concerning emerging workplace dynamics due to COVID-19 for small real estate businesses. The value of this research is that majority of the participants were African-Americans, which represents a participant group that is highly under researched.

Factors Affecting Consumer Behaviour during COVID-19:A Case Study in Bangladesh

Customer shopping behaviour has changed and people are becoming used to accessing, using and adapting to online shopping rather than visiting stores physically due to COVID-19 restrictions. It is not known how long the trend will last but it can be observed that there will be changes in current and future models in almost every business around the world. According to the 'Motivation-need theory' (1943), every individual considers five (5) key elements to fulfil their needs. It includes physiological survival, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. The big question is why consumers act differently during the global pandemic, which does not support Maslow's 'Motivation-need theory'. It might be the panic situation all over the world, frustration of losing jobs, mental stress while isolated and many other factors that are making consumers act differently while shopping from e-commerce or different social media platform. This research study aims to examine the factors affecting consumer behaviour toward online purchasing during COVID-19 in Bangladesh. . © 2023 IEEE.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Online Discussions: the Case Study of the Sanctioned Suicide Forum

The COVID-19 pandemic has been at the center of the lives of many of us for at least a couple of years, during which periods of isolation and lockdowns were common. How all that affected our mental well-being, especially the ones' who were already in distress? To investigate the matter we analyse the online discussions on Sanctioned Suicide, a forum where users discuss suicide-related topics freely. We collected discussions starting from March 2018 (before pandemic) up to July 2022, for a total of 53K threads with 700K comments and 16K users. We investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the discussions in the forum. The data show that covid, while being present in the discussions, especially during the first lockdown, has not been the main reason why new users registered to the forum. However, covid appears to be indirectly connected to other causes of distress for the users, i.e. anxiety for the economy. © 2023 ACM.

Characterizing food systems to better understand their vulnerabilities: a case study in Québec and São Paulo

Characterizing food systems, i.e., describing their organizational features, can help to generate a better understanding of the structural vulnerabilities that constrain transitions towards sustainable food security. However, their characterization across different economic contexts remains challenging. In this paper, by linking key concepts from research on food regimes, food system vulnerabilities and responsible innovation, we aim to characterize food systems in a developing and a developed economy to identify their shared vulnerabilities. We applied a case study design to characterize food production, processing and distribution in the province of Québec (Canada) and in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). In both cases, the processing and distribution stages have higher economic predominance when compared to the agricultural production stage. Furthermore, we observed concentration in a few activities in both food systems, with a shared focus on export-oriented supply chains. Vulnerabilities in both food systems include: (1) increased interdependence because some supply chains are export-oriented or depend on foreign labor and are, therefore, exposed to external risks;(2) concentration in a few activities, which threatens present and future local food diversity and (3) unequal power relations, making small and medium players vulnerable to decisions made by big players. The characterization developed in this study shows that the two food systems are mainly pursuing economic goals, following the institutional logics of the neoliberal food regime, which are not necessarily aligned with food security goals. It also exposes the presence of characteristics of ‘responsibility' that may eventually help overcome food systems' vulnerabilities and support transitions toward sustainability.

Design for an Intelligent Waste Classifying System: A Case Study of Plastic Bottles

The use of plastic bottles has become a significant environmental concern, and recycling them has become a priority. Small and medium-sized recycling companies must collect and categorize large volumes of plastic bottles and sell them to larger recycling firms, a process that is time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive. This manual sorting process can pose health risks, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and can affect worker productivity. To address these issues, this study proposes the development of an automated conveyor belt system that can rapidly and accurately separate plastic bottles by type. The system utilizes an opaque and transparent plastic bottle separation platform, which saves time, cost, and manpower. This system design provides recycling SMEs with a competitive advantage by serving as a practical application model and a prototype with an easy-to-use concept. Key tools employed in this research include product design development (PDD), Kansei engineering, manufacturing process design, controlling system, and fault tree analysis (FTA). The light sensors are critical components in the separation process, detecting the opacity or transparency of the bottles' surfaces. The proposed prototype's reliability will be assessed by FTA, which considers all potential failures. This study contributes to the body of knowledge surrounding the integration of conveyor systems and provides valuable information for businesses seeking to optimize their sorting processes. The guidelines developed in this study can serve as a starting point for further research on the integration of conveyors in waste sorting plants. © 2013 IEEE.

Bringing order to Petra's tourism economy

The popularity of Petra, Jordan, as a tourist destination has surged among international visitors since the 1980s. This has led to the tourism sector's emergence as a major source of income for indigenous communities living adjacent to the ancient city's ruins. Rapidly expanding visitor numbers and business activity-both licensed and unlicensed-exposed the need for government to play an active role in organizing Petra's tourism industry. Drawing upon a thematic analysis of interviews I conducted in three tourism-reliant, tribal communities in Petra's vicinity in 2022, this case study examines relations between the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) and indigenous stakeholders in the local economy. Focusing on the period extending from 2019-just before the COVID-19 pandemic's onset-to 2022, I explore local perspectives towards PDTRA policies impacting indigenous work in the tourism sector. I find that legality, size, and internal organization of stakeholder groups affect their capacity to influence political decisions that impact their lives and livelihoods.

Factors prompting augmented reality adoption in sacred places

There is evidence that sacred places across the world are launching augmented reality (AR) applications. This application of AR is somehow prompted by the most recent Covid-19 pandemic where in-person experiences are altered by the virtual. AR, as an innovative technology, augments the physical environment with digitally generated imagery that can generate privileges for tourists in sacred places and become the reason to trigger cultural conflicts and religious controversy. This in-depth interview-based research aims to explore the tourists' views and ideas of applying AR in the Mosque City of Bagerhat of Bangladesh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in terms of possibilities, cultural conflicts, and religious controversy. Findings show that the application of AR in a sacred place can support tourists in many useful ways, can offer them positive experiences, and help in sustainability concerns of the site. However, the application of AR in a sacred place can be an element of conflicting interests between the religious and general tourists. Adequate attention is thus required from the parties involved in terms of applying AR in the Mosque City of Bagerhat of Bangladesh, a sacred religious site.

Concern for Self-Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada: How to Tell an Intersectional Story Using Quantitative Data?

Rooted in Black feminism, intersectionality theory entered critical legal studies and travelled to public health and beyond. This chapter demonstrates one of many ways to apply intersectionality theory using a descriptive intercategorical approach to quantitative data. In so doing, I attempt to tell an intersectional story to make visible the intersectional inequalities for Canadians' concerns for self-health during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. For pedagogical purposes, I share a subset of Statistics Canada's COVID-19 Impacts Survey 2020 dataset of 239,143 participants and Stata code to encourage students to practice estimating intersectional outcomes and ask questions to explicate health inequalities. Although interrogating the systems of power is critical, this project does not statistically analyse but draws on the literature to discuss how interacting power structures might shape intersectional peoples' experiences. In addition, the analysed dataset is not representative of the Canadian population. Nonetheless, it might be helpful to showcase a case study on introductory-level quantitative intersectionality research. I hope, despite these limitations, this case study and the pedagogical tools will contribute to greater access to intersectionality research, generating a cadre of intersectionality data translators in public health. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Verification and validation of a framework for collaborative BIM implementation, measurement and management (CIMM)

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to develop through a two-stage verification and validation process a novel implementation framework for collaborative BIM, utilising experts from academia and industry as well as a real-world case study project.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this research was to build upon previous research findings by the authors in order to develop an implementation framework that stems from ousting the inefficiencies of current collaborative BIM practices. This is achieved by a more objectified and quantified approach towards seeking heightened transparency and objectivism of what is required through the implementation of BIM. The mixed research methods technique of both qualitative and quantitative data collection was utilised, with the structure consisting of a two-stage approach utilising the Delphi model for verification and validation. This was developed to test the novelty and beneficial structure hypothesis involving 15 core BIM experts from academia, construction and design with c. 22 years average experience. Validation was undertaken on a complex, high value real world building structures project in central London, inclusive of 8 core project BIM experts. The research utilised a developed solution that mirrored and provided a more holistic representation guiding the practitioners as a project team step by step through the determination of underpinning elements, which support the goal of enhanced information requirements as well as executing the prioritisation measurement tools as part of the framework. Data ascertained at the workshop case study prioritised areas of importance that are core in supporting the delivering of these enhanced information requirements at a project delivery level, which were in order of prioritisation determined by the project team (1) constraints (39.17%), (2) stakeholder requirements (35.78%), (3) coordination (existing asset) (15.86%), (4) exchange requirements (5.38%) and (5) level of information need (3.81%). Furthermore, risk mitigations for the top three priorities were focussed on early stakeholder engagement, appropriation of survey data collection, focus on quality of outputs and applying toolsets and processes with meaning and emphasis on the defined high-level requirements.FindingsFindings show that the framework and the developed solution translate the process methodology of the framework schema into a useable and beneficial tool that provides both qualitative and quantitative inputs and outputs. Furthermore, a collective agreement on the objectives, risk mitigations and assignment of tasks in order to achieve outcomes is presented, with evidence on numerical weightings and goal achievement.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the impacts of COVID-19 on physical engagements both the verification (electronic survey questionnaire) and validation (case study project) were undertaken remotely, using available technologies and web interfaces.Practical implicationsThe case study workshop was limited to one building structures project in central London of a value of c. £70 m design and build cost that the project team (participants) were actively engaged with.Social implicationsThe social impacts of this research has resulted in the review of existing systems, methods and approaches from a wider perspective of theoretical and applied environments, which led to the development of a novel approach and framework guided by an interactive and useable solution.Originality/valueAs shown within the core findings, experts across academia and industry (design and construction) confirmed that the framework methodology and application were 100% novel, and added a benefit to the existing collaborative BIM approach. Value added is that through objectifying, weighting/prioritizing and creating a discussion supported by qualitative and quantitative reasoning the focus on what collaborative BIM is to achieve is increased, and thus the likelihood of successful implementation.

A Quantitative Analysis of Barriers to International Telemedicine Education: The Case of the Philippines

A multitude of studies have investigated the opportunities and limitations of telemedicine pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. However, most of the research has focused on telemedicine's constraints in the context of international, regional, and developed nations, with few studies examining the specific challenges that may affect telemedicine's progress in developing countries where the pandemic may have exacerbated existing technological and geographical difficulties. This study takes the Philippines as a case study due to its archipelagic location, use of English as an official language, and other factors that influence its adaptability to international telemedicine. We assessed the barriers and challenges to the advancement of telemedicine from four viewpoints: policy, organization, individual, and collaboration between organizations. Therefore, the significance of this study is twofold: (a) to concentrate on international telemedicine education by contrasting domestic and international practices, and (b) to newly reveal connections between each component, as prior research highlighted barriers and difficulties but did not clarify relationships among different elements. We surveyed and interviewed 38 physicians, technicians, coordinators, and staff involved in telemedicine education in the Philippines. The study found that (1) public support yields favourable results, (2) a strong correlation exists between domestic and international telemedicine, (3) communication and technical obstacles are interconnected, (4) unity and cooperation in intra-hospital collaboration are critical, and (5) comprehending the "significance of work" has a positive impact. This study underscores the intersectionality of several barriers to telemedicine development. It also recommends providing greater support for telemedicine education in developing nations and promoting collaboration between developing and developed nations. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Design Principles and a Software Reference Architecture for Big Data Question Answering Systems

Companies continuously produce several documents containing valuable information for users. However, querying these documents is challenging, mainly because of the heterogeneity and volume of documents available. In this work, we investigate the challenge of developing a Big Data Question Answering system, i.e., a system that provides a unified, reliable, and accurate way to query documents through naturally asked questions. We define a set of design principles and introduce BigQA, the first software reference architecture to meet these design principles. The architecture consists of high-level layers and is independent of programming language, technology, querying and answering algorithms. BigQA was validated through a pharmaceutical case study managing over 18k documents from Wikipedia articles and FAQ about Coronavirus. The results demonstrated the applicability of BigQA to real-world applications. In addition, we conducted 27 experiments on three open-domain datasets and compared the recall results of the well-established BM25, TF-IDF, and Dense Passage Retriever algorithms to find the most appropriate generic querying algorithm. According to the experiments, BM25 provided the highest overall performance. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Building Resilient Supply Chains with Information Systems: Key Lessons from Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique During the COVID-19 Crisis

This research aims to analyze the resilience of humanitarian supply chains, with a focus on the role of information systems, through a case study of Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique during the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical research methodology is based on a qualitative study, which includes semi-structured interviews with key actors and operators from the Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021. The paper highlights the crucial and inherent role of information systems on each of the four dimensions of humanitarian supply chain resilience: reorganization capacity, collaboration, flexibility, and humanitarian culture. Drawing on recent theoretical works on supply chain resilience as well as empirical results, the paper underscores the importance of information systems and proposes a conceptual model of the relationship between humanitarian supply chain resilience and the role of information systems. The value of this research is linked to its empirical and qualitative study of a Non-Governmental Organization logistics operation during an international crisis, which contributes not only to the literature on resilience, but also provides guidance for managers to target their actions responsively and proactively to enhance resilience over time.. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

So, You Want to Build a Program?

This article will help dementia care service organizations develop and evaluate intervention programs in the absence of evidence-based solutions, which is key, given: the limited access family caregivers have to evidence-based intervention programs;and the need for organizations to use limited resources to develop and test new programs to serve families living with dementia. It draws upon two case studies of interventions developed at an academic-service center: KINDER and Ayudando a Quien Ayuda;evaluates lessons learned in assessing the two programs to refine them by applying the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, and recommends ways organizations can refine interventions prior to efficacy-testing.

The impact of price insulation on world wheat markets during COVID-19 and the Ukraine crisis

This paper begins with a survey of recent commodity price developments that highlights the magnitude of this price surge and identifies the rapid rise in wheat prices as a key element. The analysis in this paper focuses on the extent to which domestic markets are insulated from these changes and on the resulting impacts on world prices. An econometric analysis using Error Correction Models finds stable long-term relationships between world wheat prices and most domestic prices of wheat and wheat products, but with considerable variation across countries in the rate of price transmission. A case study of the price shocks during the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine food price crisis finds that price insulation roughly doubled the overall increase in world wheat prices and raised their volatility both during periods of price increase and price decline.

Guest editorial: Special issue introduction repurposing and repositioning events: real, responsible and revolutionary futures

Findings revealed that hygiene is not perceived as an integral part of event safety, but rather as a disconnected pillar beside traditional event safety measures and that event and health safety measures strongly influence each other, both positively, but often also negatively as event organisers are often concerned with how to get their events successfully through the approval process rather than focussing on the safety aspects. Acknowledging the prevalence of disability in its various forms in society and highlighting the fact that existing research exploring inclusive events and disabled people as event participants focuses mostly on the challenges faced by attendees, the author offers a refreshing perspective by exploring the potential that these events have and the opportunities they bring to people with disabilities and the wider community. [...]the author embraces the argument suggested in the call for papers of this special issue that events provide opportunities to determine new paths, make the future less fearsome, allow more positive outcomes and uses this description to define what they propose to be "revolutionary futures”. In an exploratory case study inspired by a hermeneutics approach and combining different methods of data collection, the author explores the perspectives of attendees, volunteers, event staff and organisers to investigate if the event can indeed create revolutionary futures.

Framing blockchain-integrated digital twins for emergent healthcare management at local and city levels: A proof of concept

It has been witnessed that digital technology has the potential to improve the efficiency of emergent healthcare management in COVID-19, which however has not been widely adopted due to unclear definition and configuration. This research aims to propose a proof of concept of digital twins for emergent healthcare management through configuring the cyber and functional interdependencies of healthcare systems at local and city levels. Critical interdependencies of healthcare systems have been firstly identified at both levels, then the information and associated cyber and functional interdependencies embedded in seven critical hospital information systems (HISs) have been identified and mapped. The proposed conceptual digital twin-based approach has been then developed for information coordination amongst these critical HISs at both local and city levels based on permissioned blockchain to (1) integrate and manage the information from seven critical HISs, and further (2) predict the demands of medical resources according to patient trajectory. A case study has been finally conducted at three hospitals in London during the COVID-19 period, and the results showed that the developed framework of blockchain-integrated digital twins is a promising way to provide more accurate and timely procurement information to decision-makers and can effectively support evidence-based decisions on medical resource allocation in the pandemic. © 2023 ICE Publishing: All rights reserved.