Anxiety and depression among epilepsy patients in low-risk areas for COVID-19 in the northern part of Guizhou Province, China, during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThis study was aimed to investigate whether patients with epilepsy (PWE) have higher depression and anxiety levels than the normal population in low-risk areas for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the northern part of Guizhou Province, China, during the COVID-19 epidemic, to evaluate their knowledge on COVID-19, and to analyze related factors for the psychological distress of PWE at this special time.MethodsThe survey was conducted online from February 28, 2020 to March 7, 2020 via a questionnaire. PWE from the outpatient clinic of epilepsy of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, and healthy people matched for age and sex, participated in this study. Mental health was assessed via a generalized anxiety self-rating scale (GAD-7) and the self-rating depression scale (PHQ-9). The knowledge of COVID-19 in both groups was investigated.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the general demographics between the PWE and healthy control groups. The scores of PHQ-9 (P < 0.01) and GAD-7 (P < 0.001) were higher in the PWE group than in the healthy group. There was a significant difference in the proportions of respondents with different severities of depression and anxiety, between the two groups, which revealed significantly higher degree of depression and anxiety in PWE than in healthy people (P = 0, P = 0). Overwhelming awareness and stressful concerns for the pandemic and female patients with epilepsy were key factors that affect the level of anxiety and depression in PWE. Further, the PWE had less accurate knowledge of COVID-19 than healthy people (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the knowledge of virus transmission route, incubation period, susceptible population, transmission speed, clinical characteristics, and isolation measures on COVID-19 (P > 0.05). PWE knew less about some of the prevention and control measures of COVID-19 than healthy people.ConclusionsDuring the COVID-19 epidemic, excessive attention to the epidemic and the female sex are factors associated with anxiety and depression in PWE, even in low-risk areas.

Revisiting online academic networks within the COVID-19 pandemic – From the intellectual capital of knowledge networks towards institutional knowledge capitalization

Purpose: The study sets out to explore the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) dimensions (i.e. human, structural and relational) between scholars' affiliation to online academic networks and institutional knowledge capitalization. Online academic networks are tackled through the lens of knowledge networks which have been of primary importance for new relevant knowledge acquisition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire-based survey of 305 academics from 35 different countries was conducted from July to December 2021, employing a partial least squares structural equation modelling technique. The database was initially filtered to ensure the adequacy of the sample, and data were analyzed using the statistics software package SmartPLS 3.0. Findings: Evidence was brought forward that the proposed conceptual model accounted for 52.5% of the variance in institutional knowledge capitalization, the structural and relational capital availed by knowledge networks exerting strong positive influence on the dependent variable. Research limitations/implications: The study has both research and managerial implications in that it approaches a topical phenomenon, namely the capitalization of online academic networks in the COVID-19 context, which has dramatically altered the way that research and teaching are conducted worldwide. Originality/value: The most important contribution of the paper resides in the comprehensive research model advanced which covers individual, organizational and network multifaced layers, starting with the personal and institutional motives to join a specialized network, continuing with the opportunities provided by knowledge networks in terms of intellectual capital harnessing, and ending with its influence on higher education organizations. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Intellectual Capital is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Mobile Intellectual Property Marketplace Model for Commercialization of Intellectual Property Rights

This study discusses the development of the intellectual property (IP) marketplace model based on mobile location-aware computing. Referring to statistics released by the Directorate General of Intellectual Property, there has been a growth in the number of intellectual property rights (IPR) applications in recent years, even during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, after IPR protection, the commercialization of IPR is one of the pillars of the IP system. Nevertheless, research institutions such as LIPI/BRIN indicate that the potential for commercializing IPR is still low. Furthermore, the opportunity is that cellular networks have covered almost all parts of Indonesia, and there has been significant growth in smartphone users. The method utilized in this research is prototyping. This research results from an IP marketplace model based on mobile location-aware computing in Indonesia. Using the smartphone user's location, contextual IPR information from the user's location related to IPR will enter their smartphone. The experimental results indicate that the application can display a list of IPR information according to the smartphone user's location. Furthermore, the search feature can forage IPR listing information based on user queries. © 2022 IEEE.

Securing Europe's Critical Entities from Cyber Attacks

The revised NIS-2 Directive has been assigned to the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE), within the European Parliament, and is intended to form one of the baselines for the European cybersecurity framework, as well as act as a central tool in advancing Europe's strategic autonomy and the Digital Europe Programme (3). The intention is that cyber resilience must be considered a priority at board and senior management level rather than be confined to the remit of technical teams. European Parliament Adopts New Draft Directive," Technology Law Dispatch, Reed Smith LLP, 20 Jan. 2022.

MONEY AND GOODWILL, BUT WHAT HAPPENS NOW ON COVID THERAPIES?

The international pledging conference that the European Union hosted in May has surpassed its target of $8 billion, in cooperation with the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization, the G20, the G7, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. Many nations have rallied round the beleaguered World Health Organization (WHO) after Donald Trump announced he would withdraw U.S. funding for it. [...]the EU announced a coronavirus recovery plan in late May with a budget close to $2 trillion-which included a new €10 billion health program and additional projected spending on medicines to combat COVID-19.

Manufacturing Innovation

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted.) The annual Global Innovation Index released in September 2021 ranked China twelfth, surpassing developed economies such as Japan, Israel, and Canada and raising fears in the United States amidst sluggish growth in North America and strong growth in the Asia Pacific region.1 Interestingly, the United States government responded by boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games, citing human rights abuses as the main reason.2 A tech war between China and the United States brewed beneath the diplomatic rancor over the attendance at the Olympic Games. Part I documents how the United States has assisted China's tech and intellectual property domination through President Nixon's historic visit to China, giving China Most Favorite Nation (MFN) status and ascending China to the World Trade Organization (WTO). [...]under Deng Xiaoping's leadership during the reform period, China rapidly developed its special economic zones (SEZs), laying the foundation for subsequent tech innovation and production. [...]broadcasting, telecommunications, office machines, computers, integrated circuits, and cell phones are among China's notable exports to the world.9 China dominates in commodities and raw materials, exporting refined petroleum, cotton, plywood, and tea.10 For agricultural products, China occupies the perch as the world's largest producer. Shenzhen rose as the largest among the four.18 Shenzhen, a small fishing locale in the southern part of China's southern province, Guangdong, served as the pioneer of Deng Xiaoping's embrace of economic reforms.19 A market-oriented economy took root in Shenzhen, allowing foreign companies and entities from Hong Kong and Macau to operate and allowing Chinese talents the freedom to leave their hometowns and move into the SEZs.20 Cheap labor proved to be another significant factor facilitating China's rise as a global manufacturer.21 In the 1980s, multinational corporations from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, as well as domestic Chinese companies, opened their factories in the SEZs and other cities in China to take advantage of the cheap and plentiful labor force.22 Indeed, when Deng Xiaoping began his pilot SEZs, China's young workers who wished to lift themselves out of poverty descended into the economic zones in search of better opportunities.23 Shenzhen grew from a population of 59,000 in 1980 to a population of 12,357,000 in 2020.24 The new migrants became the workers, participants, and stakeholders in the global manufacturing frontier.25 Because of the abundance of cheap labor, manufacturers in China have no difficulty keeping production prices low and pleasing consumers and businesses worldwide.26 China's currency manipulation is another factor propelling China to its domination in global manufacturing.27 The United States Congress attempted numerous times to introduce legislation to combat China's currency manipulation.28 China artificially devalued its currency through government control of the exchange rate and refused to let the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) float.29 Despite strong criticisms from the United States, China refuses to allow its currency to freely float.30 China's currency manipulations, according to critics, caused the widening of trade deficits between the United States and China.31 China's currency manipulation allows products to be manufactured at lower prices, hampering competitors and thereafter replacing them.32 In order to cope with China's currency practices, United States manufacturers facing their own existential crises must decide to either outsource jobs overseas or face large risks, including financial ruin.33 The United States lost millions of manufacturing jobs due to massive job outsourcing as the trade deficits between the United States and China continued to persist.34 Geopolitically, in shaping post-Cold-War powers, the United States decided to assist China in its transformation from a poverty-stricken country to a global manufacturer.

FACTORS PRECEIVED TO INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES WITH MEDIATING EFFECT OF EMPLOYEES SATISFACTION, A CASE STUDY OF CIVIL DEFENCE DIRECTORATE

In developing countries like Pakistan, mostly the public sector departments give not as much of focus on the performance / capacity building as well as the satisfaction of the employees, the research was conducted to know the influence of the factors perceived on the performance of public sector employees by increasing satisfaction and for this purpose the Civil Defence Department was selected. The study was conducted on the mixed method approach in which both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were adopted to know the responses of the employees of the Civil Defence Department regarding research objectives. Questionnaires, both in open ended and close ended format were distributed among 100 employees of the Civil Defence Department as per the availability of the skeleton staff during COVID-19. The hypotheses were equipped to recognize the significance relationship of variables as well as statistical analysis was applied through SPSS to examine the acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis. Hence, the result instigated that factors perceived in this study have significance influenced on the performance and satisfaction of the public sector employees.

The Influence of Intellectual and Innovative Determinants on the Development of Regions in the Conditions of COVID-19 and Global Digitalization

The social challenges of modern globalization caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to significant changes in the development of economic systems at various levels. Social development in the direction of a post-industrial society activates the introduction of digital technologies in all areas of life, which requires paying attention not only to the innovative component of its development, but also to the intellectual one, since the digital transformation requires a constant updating of knowledge;this determines the purpose of this scientific study. The article aims to highlight the influence of intellectual and innovative determinants in the development of regions under current conditions, which are outlined by the manifestations of the COVID-19 pandemic and global digitalization in the development of economic systems. The foundation of the system approach methodology made it possible to distinguish the development trends of the regions in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and global digitalization. It is proposed to create guidelines for the intellectual and innovative promotion, determinants of the development of the regions in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and global digitalization, according to the socioeconomic, scientific-technological, organizational and legal components. The main guidelines of efforts to increase the role of intellectual and innovative determinants in the development of regional systems in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and global digitalization have been tested, taking into account the principles of complexity, integrity, flexibility, efficiency and long term.

Evaluating the use of videoconferencing for handover and MDT meetings within an intensive support team

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the use of videoconferencing when conducting multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and handover meetings within an NHS Adult Learning Disabilities Intensive Support Team (IST). The IST have been conducting MDT and handover meetings "virtually” since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, in line with government guidance. It is pertinent to evaluate the effectiveness of using videoconferencing, as the move to flexible, remote working is detailed within the NHS Long Term Plan. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were members of the IST. A mixed methods approach using an online questionnaire collected participant's views relating to the use of videoconferencing when conducting MDT and handover meetings, in comparison to previous face-to-face meetings. The questionnaire considered five key areas: accessibility, environment and communication, organisation, continuation of care and data protection and confidentiality. Results were collated and analysed. Findings: Improvements were reported relating to accessibility, as the virtual format allowed for easier attendance, provided greater flexibility in attending and inviting key stakeholders. A reduced sense of team connectedness was reported, related to the virtual environment. The majority of participants reported that they wish to continue to have the option to attend meetings virtually in future. Originality/value: There are no previous papers evaluating the use of videoconferencing within ISTs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study suggests that the use of videoconferencing to conduct MDT and handover meetings is effective within the IST and highlights points for consideration moving forward. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Trends in International Arbitration: The Fallout from COVID-19

[...]of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, global arbitration has adapted to a 'new normal'. Arbitration trends A number of trends are emerging with respect to life sciences disputes that are anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future, including in particular: * A greater number of disputes arising out of global supply chain disruptions, and use of the pandemic as a defence to contractual non-performance * An increase in disputes over earn-out clauses and pre-closing covenants in M&A transactions * A rise in investor-state claims brought by investors against states for breach of international investment protection agreements * More insolvent parties in arbitrations, which pose particular challenges * An increase in third-party funding of significant claims in international arbitration * The continued use of efficient procedures by arbitral tribunals, including paperless proceedings and remote hearings. Earn-out arrangements are usually intended to bridge the gap between diverging valuations of the target company by the buyer and the seller at the time of closing-in addition to the upfront purchase price, the seller of a business receives further payouts if and when the target company achieves certain agreed performance targets over an agreed period of time after closing. [...]the seller trades the certainty of a lower upfront payment for a potential higher pay-out in the future. [...]party funding of claims Third-party funding of significant claims is now a common feature in international arbitration and has become available in jurisdictions that previously were subject to regulatory restrictions.

Continued Innovation is Key for COVID-19 Recovery

According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), more than a quarter of a million businesses are due to close their doors for the final time in 2021 (1). A key reason behind Switzerland leading the way in the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2020 Global Innovation Index for 10 consecutive years (4) is due to its excellent innovation outcomes including patent applications, IP receipts, and high-tech manufacturing products. utilizing IP Put simply, the UK needs to take a leaf from Switzerland's book and focus on how we can turn the UK into an IP powerhouse. Solutions are available It is clear more needs to be done to educate businesses around the value of innovation, while demonstrating the availability of funding through schemes readily available, and already baked into the budget such as the R&D tax credit scheme and Patent Box.

Holes at the Bottom of the Boat: Disrupting Performative Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts in Libraries in the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic

This article seeks to understand the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the effectiveness of library-based equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. In the early days of the pandemic, libraries closed their doors and pivoted to digital services and programs, resources often inaccessible to BIPOC and low-income users. Since reopening, libraries have found that the lack of diversity in their ranks and information curation is compromising their ability to actualize the equity, diversity, and inclusion goals—objectives that are critical to closing the socioeconomic gaps that the pandemic has only widened. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Library Administration is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Global Health Technologies are Transforming Intellectual Property and World Trade

The nano-enabled technology of 3-D printing for medical devices presents a dynamic new avenue for meeting patient needs. 3-D printers can generate food, soaps, cosmetics, body parts, metal devices, or medicines. This technology enables continuity of health care delivery despite disruptive breaks in any supply chain due to war, shortage, or broken distribution lines due to pandemic force majeure.1 Featuring custom-tailored attributes for each device, economic efficiency by eliminating transport costs during emergencies, avoiding issues of distribution supply chains, and offering biocompatibility, 3-D printed medical devices during the COVID-19 pandemic2 provided a very attractive alternative to enduring medical supply shortages worldwide. Beyond the covid-19 pandemic exigencies, 3-D printed medical devices promise custom-tailored meals to meet medical needs that are unique for each patient's metabolism and a wide variety of tools for patient care that will change the shape of global commerce.3 3-D printing offers the alluring promise of biocompatible medical devices, matching any patient's unique anatomy, using a specific patient's imaging data, or using a standard design to make multiple identical copies of the same device, but without delays for transport or shipping and insurance costs. The global health impact of these efforts, from the standpoint of patient safety4 and overall deterrence of unnecessary or unsafe medical practices, remains unclear due to the absence of regulation and monitoring. The reality is that commerce can reduce or eliminate transport and storage costs associated with shipping and can change international trade. Yet, 3-D printing simultaneously offers great promise to meet challenges arising from the arcane role of intellectual property rights (IPR)5 in shaping the creation and transfer of nanomedicines and nanotechnologies to attain health equity and meet universal needs of health for all. These millennial technological changes may permanently alter how civil society does business for global health. © 2022, Andover House, Inc.. All rights reserved.

Investigating the predictors and outcomes of social entrepreneurship in post-COVID-19 period: moderating role of dynamic technology capability

In the post-COVID-19 period, social entrepreneurship is becoming extremely important, as it generates employment, and improves economic prosperity and solves various issues for society. Not many studies have attempted to understand the social entrepreneurship phenomena in post-COVID-19 period and its impact on society. Thus, there is a research gap, which this study aims to fill. This paper aims to analyse the impacts of intellectual capital and entrepreneurial ability on social entrepreneurship, and its impact on society in the post-COVID-19 period, moderated by technology capability. By the inputs of literature and lending knowledge from theories, a research model is prepared. It was verified using structural equation modelling with data collected through a survey. The study finds that intellectual capital and entrepreneur ability both significantly and positively impact social entrepreneurship. This study implies that intellectual capital and entrepreneurial ability could impact social entrepreneurship when moderated by technology capability, which in turn has social impact in the post-COVID-19 period. Also, the study highlights the moderating role of technology capability on social entrepreneurship.

Fit for purpose? The patents regime, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and sustainable development

This article uses data from several publicly available databases to show that the distribution of intellectual property for frontier technologies, including those useful for sustainable development, is very highly skewed in favor of a handful of developed countries. The intellectual property rights (IPR) regime as it exists does not optimize the global flow of technology and know-how for the attainment of the sustainable development goals and is in need of updating. Some features of the Fourth Industrial Revolution imply that the current system of patents is even more in need of reform than before. COVID-19 vaccines and therapies and the vast inequality in access to these has highlighted the costs of inaction. We recommend several policy changes for the international IPR regime. Broadly, these fall into three categories: allowing greater flexibility for developing countries, reassessing the appropriateness of patents for technologies that may be considered public goods, and closing loopholes that allow for unreasonable intellectual property protections.

Association Between Internet Use, Sleep, Cognition and Physical Activity Levels During COVID-19 Lockdown.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare internet usage, sleep, cognition and physical activity in college professors and collegiate students during COVID-19 lockdown and to study the association of internet overuse with sleep quality, cognition and physical activity during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: A sample of 125 participants {professors (n = 52) and collegiate students (n = 73)} was recruited from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India. Criteria for inclusion were college professors and collegiate students who uses internet. Both the groups were assessed for internet usage (Internet Addiction Test), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), cognition (Cognitive Failure Questionnaire) and physical activity (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) via google forms. Results: There was a significant difference for internet usage (p < 0.05), sleep quality (p = 0.032), cognition (distractibility, p = 0.019) and physical activity in college professors and collegiate students. It has been also reported that there was a significant association of internet usage with sleep quality and cognition and sleep quality with cognition. Conclusion: Students have more problematic internet usage, bad sleep quality, more cognitive failures and less physical activity than college professors during pandemic lockdown. It has been also observed that problematic internet usage has correlation with sleep quality, cognition and physical activity.

A Qualitative Investigation on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Neurodivergent Communities.

Vaccine hesitancy is a major barrier to vaccination, hindering the success of vaccine efforts and thereby increasing public health risk to viral diseases, including COVID-19. Neurodivergent (ND) individuals, including individuals with an intellectual and/or developmental disability, have demonstrated a heightened risk of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19, highlighting the need for further research specifically on ND communities. We conducted a qualitative analysis using in-depth interviews with medical professionals, non-medical health professionals and communicators, and ND individuals or their caregivers. Using a thematic coding analysis methodology, trained coders identified major themes according to 24 distinct codes spanning across the categories of (1) barriers to vaccination; (2) facilitators to vaccination; and (3) suggestions for improving vaccine confidence. Qualitative findings identify misinformation, perception of vaccine risk, sensory sensitivities, and structural hardship as the most significant barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. We highlight the importance of accommodations to vaccination for the ND community alongside coordinated efforts by healthcare leaders to direct their communities to accurate sources of medical information. This work will inform the direction of future research on vaccine hesitancy, and the development of programs specific to the ND community's access to vaccines.

Preliminary Pilot-Testing of Social Determinants of Health Screener for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Med-Peds.

In the United States, one in six children has an intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD), including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, seizures, and developmental delays, with or without intellectual impairment. Individuals with I/DDs experience disproportionate rates of immune, metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders, as well as anxiety, depression, functional somatic symptoms, and other co-occurring physical and mental health conditions. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, having an I/DD emerged as one of the strongest predictors of contracting and dying from COVID-19. These findings spurred increased attention toward the myriad health inequities affecting this population well before the pandemic. While inequities for individuals with I/DD can be traced to many factors, social determinants of health (SDOH) - the underlying social, economic, and environmental conditions that lead to poor health outcomes and high healthcare costs - are key contributors. Our interdisciplinary combined internal medicine and pediatrics (Med-Peds) team of physicians, psychologists, and researchers within a large, diverse, academic health system aimed to pilot-test the implementation of a five-item SDOH screener within a Med-Peds specialty clinic focused on the developmental needs of individuals with I/DD and their families (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities {LEND}) and a general primary care practice (PCP). The SDOH screener tested in this initiative includes five items from the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tool (HRSN) assessing social isolation, food insecurity, transportation, and paying for basic needs, such as housing and medical care. In this study, we describe the process of implementing this screener and collecting initial pilot data from 747 patients between October 2022 and April 2023 across the LEND and the primary care practice. We also highlight the challenges and opportunities identified during the mid-way point of implementation and pilot testing. The results of this pilot study revealed low response rates among SDOH screeners, spurring several measures to increase uptake, including increasing the accessibility of the screener and ensuring the screener results in effective referrals. We call on additional Med-Peds healthcare teams without universal SDOH screening protocols in place - particularly those serving the I/DD population - to consider adopting these practices.