COVID-19 breakthrough infection after four doses of the vaccines: a case report

The COVID-19 vaccines provide a high degree of protection against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. However, no vaccine claimed 100% effectiveness and it is expected that a small proportion of vaccinated individuals may develop a breakthrough infection due to individual differences, virus variants and other factors. We conducted an epidemiological investigation and analysis of an imported case who had finished four doses of vaccination, and in order to provide a relevant reference for regular epidemic prevention and control in the post-pandemic era.

China's education response to COVID-19: A perspective of policy analysis

This study explores how China's education responses to COVID-19 from a perspective of policy analysis. Specifically, it involves building an educational policy system for COVID-19 to examine educational governance framework, school management and teaching, policies for teachers during the epidemic. The education policy during the epidemic has achieved positive results. Those results aim to ensure the physical and mental health of teachers and students, ensure the supply of epidemic prevention materials and educational resources, ensure the quality of students' learning, and enhance the application ability of teachers' teaching technology. The process of policy changes and effects of policy implementation have been examined to analyze how China's education responses to COVID-19. The characteristics and experience of China's education policy in response to the epidemic concentrate on forming a governance system under the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China, building a pattern in which families and schools cooperate closely to promote the smooth development of education and teaching, transforming from an emergency substitute during the crisis into an important motivation to promote the transformation of education paradigm, and paying great attention to remote and poor areas and disadvantaged student groups.

Interdisciplinary Teaching Reform of Financial Engineering Majors Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process in the Post-Pandemic Era

In the post-epidemic era, the labor market has become increasingly complex, making it even more crucial to incorporate sustainability into employment demand. As we enter the post-pandemic era, a globalization trend has become more apparent. It is crucial to modernize employability through educational reform in order to assist employees in enhancing their professional skills. This study began by analyzing the importance of financial engineering practice instruction and graduate employability in the post-epidemic era. Second, the study proposed the content and a plan for inter-disciplinary teaching reform to address talent cultivation needs based on labor market requirements. Third, a face-to-face survey and interview were conducted with students affected by changes in teaching, and the results were analyzed and summarized. On this basis, the impact of education reform was evaluated using both the expert scoring method and the analytic hierarchy approach. The results indicated that the suggested financial engineering teaching reform program improved the school's discipline strength, enrollment rate, employment rate, and competition awards, especially discipline strength. This research can be used to inform the teaching of financial engineering majors in various countries, assist job candidates in enhancing their professional skills, and build a formidable talent pool for the labor market.

Concept Drift Adaptation Methods under the Deep Learning Framework: A Literature Review

With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, data-driven decision making has also become an integral part of decision making. At the same time, deep learning is one of the core technologies of the fourth industrial revolution that have become vital in decision making. However, in the era of epidemics and big data, the volume of data has increased dramatically while the sources have become progressively more complex, making data distribution highly susceptible to change. These situations can easily lead to concept drift, which directly affects the effectiveness of prediction models. How to cope with such complex situations and make timely and accurate decisions from multiple perspectives is a challenging research issue. To address this challenge, we summarize concept drift adaptation methods under the deep learning framework, which is beneficial to help decision makers make better decisions and analyze the causes of concept drift. First, we provide an overall introduction to concept drift, including the definition, causes, types, and process of concept drift adaptation methods under the deep learning framework. Second, we summarize concept drift adaptation methods in terms of discriminative learning, generative learning, hybrid learning, and others. For each aspect, we elaborate on the update modes, detection modes, and adaptation drift types of concept drift adaptation methods. In addition, we briefly describe the characteristics and application fields of deep learning algorithms using concept drift adaptation methods. Finally, we summarize common datasets and evaluation metrics and present future directions.

Market development strategy and process performance of knowledge-intensive SMEs in the epidemic era: a process-oriented perspective

PurposeThis study analyzes in-depth how knowledge-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can achieve higher new product development (NPD) process performance in the epidemic era and examine the internal development mechanism of knowledge-intensive SMEs in the process of continuous digital transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis issue is tested with partial least squares on data collected via a survey conducted from November 2021 to February 2022. The sample comprises 487 knowledge-intensive SMEs operating in China.FindingsThe results indicate that one form of cross-functional ambidexterity, market development strategy (MDS), plays an important role in process performance from an inside-out financial perspective and an outside-in customer perspective. Simultaneously, product innovation efficiency (PIE) mediates the relationship between MDS and the above results. Big data analytics capabilities (BDACs) positively regulate the relationship between MDS and PIE.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors do not consider other contingency factors. Future research should introduce influential factors such as leadership and competitive intensity to further distinguish the effects of MDS on NPD process performance.Practical implicationsThe study findings offer suggestions to help knowledge-intensive SME managers better manage their NPD process by making better use of their limited resources in developing countries such as China.Originality/valueThis study is one of only a few to adopt a process-oriented perspective to specifically examine how one form of cross-functional ambidexterity, MDS, impacts knowledge-intensive SME process performance in the epidemic era. This study also extends the theoretical framework of cross-functional ambidexterity to BDAC research.

Recent progresses in rapid detection of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

The global pandemic coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), the disease infected by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is extremely contagious. It is mainly spread among people through respiratory droplets, aerosols, direct or indirect contact, fecal-oral transmission, and cold chain transportation. Especially, patients who are in the incubation period or have no obvious symptoms already have the ability to infect others. SARS-C0V-2 is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, with a single linear RNA segment. Each SARS-CoV-2 virion is 60-140 mm in diameter. Like other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 has four structural proteins, known as the spike (S), envelope(E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. To date, a variety of detection methods for the SARS-CoV-2 have been developed based on the virus structural basis and 'etiological characteristics, which would provide an effective guarantee for the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients and the control of the epidemic. In order to help for the early diagnosis and prevention of COVID-19, the pathogenic characteristics and recent progresses of detection base on nucleic acid, immunology and biosensors of the SARS-CoV-2 are reviewed in this paper.

Research on the Optimal Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Path for Promoting High-Quality Industrial Development in Hubei Province

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus broke out in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, and, as the center of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, the economy and production throughout Hubei Province suffered huge temporary impacts. Based on the input–output and industrial pollution emissions data of 33 industrial industries in Hubei from 2010 to 2019, this article uses the non-parametric frontier analysis method to calculate the potential production losses and compliance costs caused by environmental regulations in Hubei's industrial sector by year and industry. Research has found that the environmental technology efficiency of the industrial sector in Hubei is showing a trend of increasing year-on-year, but the overall efficiency level is still not high, and there is great room for improvement. The calculation results with and without environmental regulatory constraints indicate that, generally, production losses and compliance costs may be encountered in the industrial sector in Hubei, and there are significant differences by industry. The potential production losses and compliance costs in pollution-intensive industries are higher than those in clean production industries. On this basis, we propose relevant policy recommendations to improve the technological efficiency of Hubei's industrial environment, in order to promote the high-quality development of Hubei's industry in the post-epidemic era.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Immunology

For many science teachers and science teacher educators, COVID-19 made clear a need to focus on the socioscientific issues. [...]it subverts and undercuts the goals of having inquiry in the standards as it was intended. [...]the lack of ability to address things outside the standards leads to a lesser engagement with inquiry as it becomes more a poorly implemented default than a carefully crafted learning objective. [...]it is one with no explicit link to the NGSS. [...]teachers have made a choice either to teach about IDE outside the content mandated by the NGSS-perhaps under the cover of inquiry-or to avoid instruction on the most relevant and immediate socioscientific issue in students' lives. [...]current events have prompted a resurgence of this discussion (Zucker and Noyce 2020). [...]examination and discussion of how the NGSS might be understood or implemented in more adaptive ways is both timely and productive for scholars and policy makers who have a vested interest in the sufficiency or potential shortcomings of the dominant set of science education standards.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Blind Spot

According to a global survey undertaken by Ipsos, the number of people who would be vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine outweighs the number who wouldn't in most countries, but some European countries ranked quite low in terms of public confidence in vaccine safety (5). [...]overcoming misgivings and improving confidence in vaccination programmes are of critical importance to ensure overall success. [...]this complacency may be a result of the eradication of certain diseases, such as polio and smallpox, which could lead to forgetfulness as to how vaccines are effective tools in epidemics.

The influence of COVID-19 prevention and control measures on the transmission and epidemic of influenza in Chongqing

Objective: To evaluate the influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control measures on the transmission and epidemic of influenza in Chongqing, so as to provide references for formulating targeted influenza prevention and control strategies. Methods: The influenza surveillance data, during the year 2018 to 2020, were collected through the "China Influenza Surveillance Information System", and the seasonal characteristics of influenza epidemic were analyzed. The percentage of influenza like cases (ILI%) and influenza virus positive rate between 2020 and 2018-2019 were compared, so as to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control measures on influenza epidemic characteristics. Results: The annual proportions of ILI cases in Chongqing were respectively 3.53%, 2.23% and 1.2% from 2018 to 2020, while the positive rates of influenza virus were respectively 13.97%, 23.81% and 2.65%. The distribution trend of ILI% from 2018 to 2019 fluctuated were similar, but it continued to drop and remain at a low level since February 2020. The positive rate of influenza virus showed an epidemic peak from December to March in 2018-2019, also peaked from November 2019 to January 2020, but decreased to 0 in March. ILI% was positively correlated with the positive rate of influenza virus (r=0.404 8, P < 0.05). In 2020, compared with the same period of 2018-2019, the growth rate of ILI% was -66.09% and -46.32%, respectively. The positive rate of influenza virus in 2020 decreased by 81.03% and 88.87% compared with the same period of 2018-2019, respectively. The growth rates of influenza virus positive rate in January 2020 were decreased with a small rate of about 39.87%, and with a significantly decline of more than 93.65% from February. No influenza epidemic was found after March. Conclusions: Since COVID-19 prevention and control measures were implemented in January 2020 in Chongqing, the ILI% and the positive rate of influenza virus in sentinel hospitals decreased significantly. In the season of high incidence of respiratory infectious diseases, personal protection and other measures can effectively reduce influenza virus infection.

Supply chain analytics and post-pandemic performance: mediating role of triple-A supply chain strategies

PurposeThe abrupt outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit every nation in 2020–2021, causing a worldwide pandemic. The worldwide COVID-19 epidemic, described as a "black swan”, has severely disrupted manufacturing firms' supply chain. The purpose of this study is to investigate how supply chain data analytics enable the effective deployment of agility, adaptability and alignment (3As) strategies, resulting in improving post-COVID disruption performance. It also analyses the indirect effect of supply chain data analytics on disruption performance through the 3As supply chain strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesis and theoretical framework were tested using a questionnaire survey. The authors employed structural equation modelling through the SMART PLS version 3.2.7 to analyse data from 163 textile firms located in Pakistan.FindingsThe results revealed that the supply chain data analytics contributed positively and significantly to the agility and adaptability, while all 3As supply chain strategies impacted the PPERF substantially. Further, the connection between supply chain data analytics (SCDA) and disruption performance has substantially been influenced through 3As supply chain strategies.Practical implicationsThe results imply that in the event of low likelihood, high effect disruptions, managers and decision-makers should focus their efforts on integrating data analytics capabilities with 3As supply chain policies to ensure long-term company success.Originality/valueThis research sheds fresh light on the importance of data analytics in effectively implementing 3As strategies for sustaining company performance amid COVID-19 disruptions.

Factors affecting the public higher education institution (PHEI) acceptance of online meetings applications during COVID-19 pandemic: an empirical study

PurposeIn order to ensure effectiveness of staff's performance using online meetings applications during coronavirus disease (COVID-19), having the behavioural intention is mandatory for staff to measure, test, and manage the staff's data. Understanding of Public Higher Education Institution (PHEI) staffs' intention and behaviour toward online meetings platforms is needed to develop and implement effective and efficient strategies. The objectives of this paper to identify the factors that affect staff to use online meetings applications, to develop a model that examining the factors that affect PHEI staff to online meetings applications and to validate the proposed model. This study used a cross-sectional quantitative correlational study with using UTAUT2 model by validating the model and mediating variables to enhance the model's explanatory power and to make the model more applicable to PHEI staff's behavioural intention.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected in Malaysia from March to May 2021. The survey took place using Google form and was send to PHEI staff for answer. This research particularly chooses PHEI as the location to carry out the research due to two main factors. Statistical analysis and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling based on the optimisation technique of partial least squares. SmartPLS software, Version 3.0 (Hair et al., 2010) was used to conduct the analysis. A conceptualised estimation model was "drawn in” the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the consequences of the variables' relationships. In essence, the PLS-SEM simulation was carried out in a model by assessing and computing various parameters that included elements like validity, durability, and item loading. Henseler et al. (2009) suggested a two-step method that includes PLS model parameter computing. This is accomplished by first solving the estimation model in the structural model independently before calculating the direction coefficients. The results of data analysis using SmartPLS findings and interpretation of the data are addressed. The questionnaire was extensively examined to ensure that the data obtained were presented in a clear and intelligible manner, with the use of figures, and graphs.FindingsThis current study found that the usability of the material, the reliability of operating, the impact of the PHEI staff's views on its usage, and finally the familiarity with the online meetings platforms influenced PHEI staff's behavioural intention for adoption and long-term use of online meeting platforms using UTAUT2. The staff's behavioural intention for using online meeting platforms was significantly influenced by the effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and habit of online meeting platforms. There was a clear association between "Habit” and "Behavioural Intention” for the usage of information technology in learning in several studies (El-Masri and Tarhini, 2017;Uur and Turan, 2018;Mosunmola et al., 2018;Venkatesh et al., 2003). As a consequence of the utility of online meeting platforms in daily staff meetings and learning activities, this technology has been adopted.Originality/valueThis study used UTAUT2 and structural equations modelling in this study to assess respondents' perspectives on the use of online meetings platforms in PHEI, since users' perspective is a significant factor in the adoption and acceptance of online meeting applications. Staff's behavioural intention to use online meeting platforms was effectively enhanced by "Effort Expectancy,” "Facilitating Conditions” and "Habit” in this study. The study shows that identifying PHEI staff's perspectives will effectively increase the staff's aversion to utilising online meeting platforms for online meetings purposes.

The UK's public health response to covid-19

Too little, too late, too flawed

Psychometric Performance of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Its Validation in Czechia

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to people's lives, causing high levels of anxiety, distress, and fear. In response, the "Fear of COVID-19” scale (FCV-19S) was developed in 2020 to measure the severity of fears related to COVID-19. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Czech version of the FCV-19S, which was administered to a representative sample of 1372 participants, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. The sample reflects the structure of a theoretical population aged 15–74 years and is composed of 50% males and 50% females. Moreover, univariate statistics were calculated, internal consistency was tested, and uni-dimensionality based on principal component analysis was performed. In addition, univariate statistical analyses were performed, internal consistency was tested, and univariate consistency was also assessed using principal component analysis. CFA indicated that the scale demonstrated very good standard indices;FCV-19S showed a high level of internal consistency, and it adequately differentiated the levels of fear among diverse subpopulations. The findings suggest that the Czech version of the FCV-19S is a valid and reliable instrument that has robust psychometric properties and can, therefore, be recommended for use in research. The availability of the Czech version of the FCV-19S will contribute to assessments of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Czech population, providing valuable information in guiding interventions aimed at reducing the negative psychological impacts of the pandemic.

Geo-Economy of the Future: Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Energy: Volume II

This book presents an international review of the modern geo-economy and a scientific take on the geo-economy of the future. It identifies the challenges of climate change and their impact on the modern geo-economy. Prospects for the geo-economy of the future are outlined based on sustainable agriculture and alternative energy. Policy implications are put forward to develop a geo-economy of the future in response to the challenges of climate change. The book presents management implications for the development of the geo-economy of the future in response to the challenges of climate change at the regional and global scale. It presents the lessons-learned through the COVID-19 pandemic, and applies experiences of countries with different environmental conditions for agriculture and the development of the energy sector. Based on these results, advanced practical recommendations and ready-made frameworks at the national, regional, and enterprise level are provided. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Trending the Variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the Veteran Population: How Things Have Changed from Before to the Interesting Present

Introduction/Objective In both the past and for the foreseeable future, SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease) will continue to evolve. This evolution has already and will lead to new variants that will then cause surges of infection. These outbreaks in the past with the variant responsible have previously been reported individually. However, a timeline perspective on the changing SARS-CoV-2 variant landscape is sparse in the literature, particularly for testing performed at a Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The Veteran population has increased comorbidities compared to the general population leading to susceptibility to infection including SARS-CoV-2. Hence, it is of utmost importance to explore the trending variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the veteran population as this epidemiological information may help in preventing transmission, which remains key in the management of COVID-19. Methods/Case Report Samples from selected patients from March 2021 to June 2022 who tested positive for SARS- CoV-2 by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction with a cycle threshold or number <30 (required for sequencing) were sent for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing analysis. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) There were a total of 19 VAMC patients who were sequenced during the entire study period (March 2021 to June 2022). From March to May 2021, there were 8 patients, from which 6 demonstrated Pango Lineage B.1.1.7, 1 demonstrated Pango Lineage B.1.526.1, and 1 demonstrated Pango Lineage B.1. Later in 2021 (August to October 2021), there were 4 patients all of which demonstrates the Delta variant;2 of these 4 demonstrated the Delta subvariant Pango Lineage AY.25 and the other 2 demonstrated Pango Lineage AY.44. By May to June 2022, there were 7 patients, all of whom demonstrated infection by the Omicron variant. Interestingly, 6 of these 7 patients demonstrated the newly emerging subvariant BA.2.12.1 and the remaining 1 demonstrated BA.2.9. Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve throughout the course of the pandemic, which has led to variants and subvariants that have predominated for a time to cause an outbreak only to be replaced later by a different strain. This timeline epidemiological perspective demonstrates that the Veteran population has also been affected by the variants that have led to outbreaks in the past within the general population.

Viral modernity? Epidemics, infodemics, and the ‘bioinformational' paradigm

Viral modernity is a concept based upon the nature of viruses, the ancient and critical role they play in evolution and culture, and the basic application to understanding the role of information and forms of bioinformation in the social world. The concept draws a close association between viral biology on the one hand, and information science on the other – it is an illustration and prime example of bioinformationalism that brings together two of the most powerful forces that now drive cultural evolution. The concept of viral modernity applies to viral technologies, codes and ecosystems in information, publishing, education and emerging knowledge (journal) systems. This paper traces the relationship between epidemics, quarantine, and public health management and outlines elements of viral-digital philosophy (VDP) based on the fusion of living and technological systems. We discuss Covid-19 as a ‘bioinformationalist' response that represents historically unprecedented level of sharing information from the sequencing of the genome to testing for a vaccination. Finally, we look at the US response to Covid-19 through the lens of infodemics and post-truth. The paper is followed by three open reviews, which further refine its conclusions as they relate to (educational) philosophy and the notion of the virus as Pharmakon.

LEAKED DRAFT OFFERS PROMISES OF NEW SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN CLINICAL TRIALS

A leaked draft of the health plans under consideration for the next stage of the European Union's Horizon research program gives some insight into what is likely to result later in the year in a formal invitation for proposals. Successful proposals are likely to be able to demonstrate the ability to sustain multi-country adaptive platform trials with adequate trial implementation capacity, laboratory analysis capacity, and a harmonized approach to the collection, storage, sharing, and analysis of data. Proposals should consider the coordination of adaptive platform trials addressing diverse trial target populations (such as primary care or hospitalized patients) as well as different possible medical countermeasures (including therapeutics and vaccines), within or across networks, which could include performance study plans for diagnostics, says the leaked draft.

COVID-Sparked Practices Driving New Patient-Centric Behaviors

To explore these major shifts, several clinical trial stakeholders were interviewed to gain an understanding of remote processes unfolding in the era of COVID-19, and how smart technologies and mobile health staff are key to sites making this transformation. Upheaval now Starting in March, stories began appearing about sponsors slashing clinical trial activity as the coronavirus was actively spreading across the globe.2,3 This slow-down reflects an all-out effort to protect the trial participants and site staff, meaning that study visits are being reduced, shifted to tele-visits, or cut entirely. [...]the traditional study model, whereby all visits take place at the site, is giving way to a more virtual approach, with technologies and platforms enabling this transition. Cioffi adds that sites also have issues with remote monitoring, as source documents cannot leave the site, and any efforts to monitor them remotely must be in accordance with HIPAA guidelines.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic implications on nursing care: A short review

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease is a global pandemic infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, which affects all age groups with a higher incidence in the geriatric population and people with chronic diseases. The outbreak of the virus is a serious public health challenge including to nurses at the various health care facilities around the world. The outbreak of the coronavirus has been a huge threat to nursing and nursing care globally. Nurses are experiencing a high level of daily emotional stress in their activities in preventing disease infections, promoting health, and saving lives. Many nurses have lost their lives to the deadly disease in their fight to save their patients, many feel stressed and burnout, and many feeling discouraged because of the protracted effects of the disease. The psychological health of the nurses as frontline health care workers should be safeguarded owing to their crucial roles in mitigating disease pandemics. Thus, adequate training of nurses would better equip them with the necessary information regarding the preventive measures, and management approaches to foster the mitigation of the disease, mitigate the disease burden on healthcare facilities, and enhance the recovery rate of the infected populations. Andfurther better prepare nurses on prioritizing personal psychological health.