Build an Agent-Based Model for COVID-19 Effect of Mitigation Policies

Non-Drug Intervention (NDI) is one of the important means to prevent and control the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the implementation of this series of measures plays a key role in the development of the epidemic. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of different mitigation measures on the situation of the COVID 19, and effectively respond to the prevention and control situation in the "post-epidemic era". The present work is based on the Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Remove-Susceptible (SEIRS) Model, and adapted the agent-based model (ABM) to construct the epidemic prevention and control model framework to simulate the COVID-19 epidemic from three aspects: social distance, personal protection, and bed resources. The experiment results show that the above NDI are effective mitigation measures for epidemic prevention and control, and can play a positive role in the recurrence of COVID-19, but a single measure cannot prevent the recurrence of infection peaks and curb the spread of the epidemic;When social distance and personal protection rules are out of control, bed resources will become an important guarantee for epidemic prevention and control. Although the spread of the epidemic cannot be curbed, it can slow down the recurrence of the peak of the epidemic;When people abide by social distance and personal protection rules, the pressure on bed resources will be eased. At the same time, under the interaction of the three measures, not only the death toll can be reduced, but the spread of the epidemic can also be effectively curbed. © 2022 ACM.

Effect of marine economic development pilot policies on regional economic resilience: Based on quasi-natural experiments from coastal areas in China

China began to implement marine economic development pilot policies from 2011 in order to promote land and marine development in a coordinated way, transform and optimize marine industrial layout, formulate and improve the policy and institutional construction of ocean development, promote marine economic power strategy, and improve the level of regional economic resilience in coastal area. Tourism industry is an important part of regional economy of coastal areas. Taking the marine economic development pilot policies as a quasi-natural experiment and based on the panel data of cities in coastal areas of China from 2007 to 2020, a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model was used to assess the impact of these pilot policies on regional economic resilience and tourism economic resilience. The results show that the implementation of marine economic development pilot policies can significantly promote regional economic resilience and tourism economic resilience. COVID-19, as a moderating variable, has significantly weakened the effect of marine economic development pilot policies on regional economic resilience. In terms of regional heterogeneity, the establishment of marine economic development pilots has a more significant policy effect on regional economic resilience in the central and southern coastal areas, while the policy effect on tourism economic resilience is more significant in the eastern coastal areas. In view of these findings, it is of great significance for cities to prevent systemic risks and improve regional economic resilience, by means of reasonably expanding marine economic development pilots and planning coastal regional economic systems according to local conditions. © 2023, Editorial office of PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY. All rights reserved.

Visibility and perceptions of mental health among university students, access to services and university internal communication during the Covid-19 pandemic: Comparing experiences in four universities (France, Spain, Argentina, United States).

This study examines communication and information regarding mental health in four public universities in four countries and compares perceptions about the prevalence and importance of mental health problems and about the visibility of university health services. Therefore, the purpose is to better understand the space granted by the university to this issue, and the role that internal university communication could play in facilitating the renewal of social bonds. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Este estudio1 analiza la comunicación y la información respecto de la salud mental en cuatro universidades públicas pertenecientes a cuatro países y compara las percepciones acerca de la prevalencia y la importancia de los problemas de salud mental y sobre la visibilidad de los servicios de salud universitarios. Por consiguiente, el propósito es entender mejor el espacio otorgado por la universidad a esta problemática en sus diferentes territorios y el rol que puede tener la comunicación interna universitaria en esta temática. Finalmente se presenta la comunicación como agente facilitador de la renovación del lazo social pudiendo influenciar en las estrategias de comunicación universitarias. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Zer: Journal of Communication Studies / Revista de Estudios de Comunicacion / Komunikazio Ikasketen Aldizkaria is the property of Universidad del Pais Vasco 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.)

Commentary: Educational Policies in Pandemic Times. A View from Latin America

Most countries in the world closed their educational centers and maintained classes online to prevent the spread of the virus SARSV-Cov-2. Latin America is not an exception. Estimates of the transmission dynamics of the pandemic indicate the application of actions that will affect educational contexts for years. This piece reflects on necessary changes in educational policies to take account of the current setting of COVID-19. We focus this reflection from a Latino American perspective, but it is not exclusive. The discussion can be useful to other countries with similar characteristics. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Latinos & Education 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.)

Adapting IT Governance Policies and Technology to Cope with COVID-19 at Ahlia University

The COVID-19 pandemic has developed into a diverse worldwide emergency with gigantic difficulties for any association all throughout the planet. With lockdowns and other social removing conventions carried out in nations around the world, financial exercises and social associations become progressively dependent on innovation. This examination planned to look at the intercession part of business-IT arrangement because of IT administration (ITG) in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) performance. The Higher Educational area was picked as an object of study as this area will encounter a time of extremist innovation driven change because of COVID-19‘s boost and there very few studies in this sector. This study used the case study of a HEI in Bahrain where Integrated IT governance framework was implemented successfully during the time of crisis and need. In fact the ITG helped a lot in achieving the strategic goals of the HEI. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Green Revolution and Ecological Transition: Italy's Response to the Pandemic

As a consequence of the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic, Italy and other member States of the European Union have suffered consider-able economic damage. To redress this situation, the European Commission authorized the return of a large amount of financial resources to European countries, in the form of loans and subsidies, as means for implementing the Next Generation EU, an ambitious program allowing member States to launch significant public spending policies. According to these initiatives, Italy ad-opted the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr), which includes six primary missions to modernize the country. The second mission, called the green revolution and ecological transition, is one of the pillars of the EU Next Generation project and constitutes an essential guideline for the future development of the country.

COVID-19 Pandemic, Climate Change, and Conflicts on Agriculture: A Trio of Challenges to Global Food Security

Global food security is a worldwide concern. Food insecurity is a significant threat to poverty and hunger eradication goals. Agriculture is one of the focal points in the global policy agenda. Increases in agricultural productivity through the incorporation of technological advances or expansion of cultivable land areas have been pushed forward. However, production growth has slowed in many parts of the world due to various endemic challenges, such as decreased investment in agricultural research, lack of infrastructure in rural areas, and increasing water scarcity. Climate change adversities in agriculture and food security are increasing. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected global food supply chains. Economic and social instability from the pandemic contribute to long-term disturbances. Additionally, conflicts such as war directly affect agriculture by environmental degradation, violence, and breaches of national and international trade agreements. A combination of food security and climate change challenges along with increased conflicts among nations and post-COVID-19 social and economic issues bring bigger and more serious threats to agriculture. This necessitates the strategic design of policies through multifaceted fields regarding food systems. In this comprehensive review, we explore how these three challenging factors, COVID-19, climate change, and conflicts, are interrelated, and how they affect food security. We discuss the impact of these issues on the agricultural sector, plus possible ways of preventing or overcoming such adverse effects.

When the State calls you: Quality in early childhood care services in the Pandemic. Case of the JUNTOS program

In Peru, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on various dimensions of human and national development. While it is true that children have not been affected in terms of mortality, there is evidence of a negative impact on their development in the short and long term. In this sense, in Peru, timely and quality care through access to the integrated package of services of the Ministry of Health was severely affected, reducing its coverage and generating risk scenarios for the physical, emotional and mental development of children in the future. In this context, the State promoted temporary interventions through Emergency Decree 095-2020, including interventions aimed at early childhood development through the National Program of Direct Support to the Poorest "JUNTOS”. This article aims to examine the implementation of these interventions by "JUNTOS”, analyze the challenges and results achieved, and propose working hypotheses for research. It proposes to explain the success of the implementation through: i) innovation in the face of implementation challenges;ii) the relevance of intersectoral coordination;and, iii) improving the quality of public services through universal mechanisms of affiliation and accompaniment to families. © 2022, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. All rights reserved.

Attitudes among physicians toward vaccine mandates for emerging infectious disease: the case of the COVID-19 vaccine

Objectives: The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a global pandemic. Vaccine mandates were implemented in several countries, including in Taiwan, and often targeted health-care workers in particular. This study investigated attitudes among Taiwanese physicians toward such policies and how ethical beliefs and logic influenced attitudes. Methods: A total of 16 physicians were recruited by using the snowball method from hospitals in northern Taiwan. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Results: Physicians tended not to support mandatory vaccination. Five themes emerged: (1) Individual rights, including violation of autonomy and labor rights;(2) vaccine performance, including safety and efficacy;(3) institutional norms, including the degree of relevancy of the policy-issuing unit and the employment relationship between physicians and institutions;(4) social and workplace stigma resulting from coercive policies in different job categories or departments;and (5) professional ethics of physicians. Conclusions: Autonomy and professional ethics among physicians influence attitudes toward vaccine mandates. Vaccine performance, institutional norms, and stigma also influence attitudes toward vaccine mandates and decision-making. Even with high ethical awareness, the study participants tended not to support vaccine mandates. The government should formulate mandatory vaccination policy means for healthcare workers that can be used by hospitals. Each hospital should assess their unique risks and implement policies that best suit their needs. (Taiwan J Public Health. 2023;42(1):75-87)

IMPLICATIONS OF POTENTIAL NEW REGULATORY MEASURES TO ADDRESS AVIATION EMISSIONS

This work is an analysis of the implications of the potential new regulatory policies being recently proposed in the European Union, in particular the mandatory blending of SAF (on top of the already existing CORSIA or ETS), to address aviation emissions from a technical, operational and economic perspective. As a continuation of previous work from the Department of Aerospace Systems, Air Transport and Airports from the ETSIAE (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), the air traffic structure of the European Union in 2019 has been analysed based on publicly available data from EUROCONTROL and EUROSTAT. The output has been used as the reference scenario for the implementation of the mandatory blending of SAF, expected to take over at the beginning of 2025, since it is expected that by then, air traffic will reach the pre-COVID levels. The results show that all the policy options considered so far have uneven impact among the different stakeholders and that before deciding going forward with any of the presented options, extra work needs to be done to overcome the different challenges that would potentially arise. © 2022 ICAS. All Rights Reserved.

Media Policies and Practices in Zimbabwe's ‘New Dispensation'

Mnangagwa's ascendancy into the presidency in November 2017 came with significant promise for Zimbabweans who were tired of the long autocratic rule of President Robert Mugabe. Touting itself as the ‘New Dispensation' and Zimbabwe's ‘Second Republic', the new regime promised to lead Zimbabwe into prosperity, underpinned by respect for democratic principles and the rule of law. Significantly, Mnangagwa's regime reached out to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, promised to restore relations with the international community and declared that Zimbabwe was ‘open for business'. In this chapter, I argue that the Second Republic's declared intentions have not been matched by its actions, with specific reference to the media. Since the general elections in July 2018, Zimbabweans have experienced various forms of repression that have included violent disruption of demonstrations and the brutal and public killing of civilian protestors by the army. This assault on civic spaces and basic liberties has been accompanied by similar efforts targeting opposition political parties and spaces. The new regime has also used different tactics, including co-optation, to control the media and emasculate communicative spaces. I conclude that, under Mnangagwa, there has been more continuity than change from the old media policies and practices of Robert Mugabe. Because of this, the significance of Mnangagwa's formative project should be seriously doubted. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Nurses' experiences caring for patients with opioid use disorders

The purpose of this study was to examine nurses' experience of quality care for hospitalized patients with a history of opioid use disorder or self-injection of opioids and whether hospital, unit, or nurse characteristics impacted experiences of quality care. A secondary aim of the study was to understand how nurses' experiences of quality care for this population have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute of Medicine's Six Domains of Health Care Quality were used to define quality care in this study. A national sample of 179 nurses completed an online survey regarding their experiences caring for patients with opioid use disorders. The majority of the participants were staff nurses who worked in emergency departments, critical care units, or mother baby units. Only 41.9% of the participants had received education regarding substance use disorders from their employers, and even less had participated in harm reduction education. Only 45% of the nurses had knowledge regarding harm reduction strategies for this population. The participants experienced a low number of restrictive safety measures and an average number of adverse events and effective care interventions when caring for patients with opioid use disorders. The nurses rated quality care and satisfaction as average. Correlation and linear regression analysis suggested trends in nurse, hospital and unit characteristics that are associated with nurses' experiences caring for this population;substance use disorder education, harm reduction education, and unit type were most often associated with nurses' experiences. Content analysis of open-ended questions regarding equity, patient-centeredness, timeliness and the impact of COVID-19 on experiences of quality care supported quantitative findings in the study and provided insight into the nurses' experiences. The findings in this study contribute to current evidence regarding the need for standardized hospital policies and practices aimed at improving quality care for patients with opioid use disorders. These policies and practices should incorporate harm reduction strategies that are patient-centered and evidence-based. Hospitals and nursing schools should provide education aimed at reducing stigma and improving care for this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Bitcoin and money supply relationship: An analysis of selected country economies

Bitcoin has become quite known after the 2008 economic crisis and the COVID-19 health crisis. For some, these cryptocurrencies constitute rebellion against the existing system as governments encourage uncontrolled expansions in the money supply;for some others, it is a quick source of income. Undeniably, the volume of the crypto money market has grown considerably in recent years, regardless of the reasoning of the people who invest and trade in this field. At this point, one of the most important questions to be investigated is "what variables have caused the tremendous growth in the crypto money quantities in recent years?" This study tests the assumption that changes in cryptocurrencies are affected by changes in national currencies. Thus, the Bitcoin price is the dependent variable, and M1 monetary supply changes in the USA, European Union and Japanese economies are considered independent variables. The variables in this study were tested using the time-varying Granger causality method. The results obtained from this study confirm the philosophy of Bitcoin's emergence and the possibility that it can be a hedge against the inflationary effects of money, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Development Model in Economic Growth: Dynamic Cycle on Halal Tourism: Acces la Success

The development of sharia tourism in Indonesia has some extraordinary challenges and obstacles throughout 20202022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the 2019 gMtI data shows that by 2030, the number of Muslim tourists is projected to exceed 230 million worldwide. The opportunities, challenges, and obstacles shown in the development of sharia tourism require stakeholder follow-up as part of the growth of the sharia economy in the country. This study offers a theoretical framework for economic growth built on dynamic cycle theory because very few studies investigate it. Even though it is imperative to consider an analysis of economic growth with a dynamic cycle that focuses on the halal tourism sector because it is known to make a significant contribution that supports sustainable development conditions and vice versa. This study investigates one of the Islamic tourism development models originating from Ibn Khaldun's thoughts regarding the concept of the state relating to justice to obtain wealth in economic activity (through trade). The research method used is a literature study using content analysis that focuses on the thoughts of Ibn Khaldun as contained in his work entitled Muqadimmah and several relevant previous literatures. The findings reveal that there are two important points. First, Ibnu Khaldun proposes a framework to help countries face challenges of growth or problems of back-and-forth economic development including a dynamic cycle. The framework is based on a proposition of eight principles from a policy known as the eight wise principles or sentence hikammiyah consisting of sovereign power (al-mulk), sharia, human resources (ar-rijal), property (al-mal), development (al-imarah), justice (al-adl), a yardstick (al-mizan), and responsibility are cycles that occur with different durations. So in the end created three generations. Second, if Ibn Khaldun's thoughts about the eight principles of justice policy are embodied in sharia tourism development policies that are supported by the role of human resources, it will affect the reversal of sharia economic growth. It can be concluded that the dynamic cycle can support the development of sharia tourism and have an impact on sharia economic growth as long as the eight policy principles are implemented correctly according to sharia. Stakeholders need to consider the dynamic cycle for future sharia tourism development policies.

Earnings management and issue characteristics: an empirical analysis of IPOs in India

PurposeThis study aims to examine earnings management around initial public offerings (IPOs) in India. It also explores the influence of issue characteristics on earnings management around the IPOs.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 511 IPOs that came during April 2003-March 2019 is studied for calculating earnings management for pre-issue, issue and post-issue years. Using Cross-Sectional Modified Jones Model, the paper presents earnings management on the basis of three proxies i.e. discretionary accruals, discretionary current accruals and discretionary long-term accruals. The influence of issue characteristics on earnings management practised around the IPOs is also observed through correlation and multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe paper finds that earnings management is abnormally high during the issue year compared with pre-issue and post-issue years. It also unveils that profitability, premium, age, and size of the issuer significantly determine the level of pre-issue and issue year earnings management practised by Indian IPO issuers.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are useful to stakeholders (potential investors, analysts and regulators) to observe, assess and understand the quality of financial numbers that are based on fallacious disclosure of accounting figures. It provides insight into the possibilities of managed earnings around the issue that could influence investors' decision-making. Further, the study reflects the efficacy of Indian regulatory norms for IPOs.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, it is the only Indian study that had used an extensive data set of about two decades to calculate earnings management during pre-issue, issue and post-issue years. The uniqueness of the study further lies in three proxies of earnings management representing short-term and long-term accruals. Moreover, it is the first study to observe the influence of IPO issue characteristics on earnings management.

Deterioration of the subjective financial well-being during the coronavirus pandemic: a latent transition analysis

PurposeThe authors seek (1) to identify the profiles of subjective financial well-being (SFWB) of bank customers before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, (2) to analyze the transition to profiles of lower SFWB during the pandemic and (3) to identify the factors driving such transitions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed five countries during 2019 and 2020 to measure SFWB. The authors applied latent class analysis (LCA) to identify profiles of bank customers according to a mix of SFWB indicators in pre-pandemic times (Study 1). The authors validated the profiles during the pandemic and identified the SFWB dimensions that deteriorated during the crisis (Study 2). Finally, the authors applied latent transition analysis (LTA) to explore transitions to profiles of lower SFWB and identify the drivers.FindingsThe authors identified three profiles of customers in pre- and post-pandemic periods for four dimensions of SFWB: control over finances, capacity to absorb financial shocks, ability to track financial goals and financial freedom. Gender, age, trust in banks and bank-supporting policies were related to transitions across profiles of SFWB during the pandemic. These relationships are contingent upon contextual country-related variables.Research limitations/implicationsBanks and policymakers should reduce customers' exposure to the pandemic's long-lasting adverse effects on SFWB and should identify and control the multiplier role that contextual variables play.Originality/valueExtant literature has not fully identified the dimensions of SFWB that changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors narrow this gap by identifying three SFWB profiles of customers, analyzing the patterns of SFWB change and connecting these changes to individual, provider and contextual factors.

Housing in Portugal and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The adoption of important housing-related measures in Portugal occurred in 2018/2019, before the period in which the SARS-COV-2 pandemic began to manifest itself. Although these measures intended to anticipate and regulate several dimensions of the right to housing, they were not fully prepared, or were not in a state of concreteness, such as to allow a timely reaction to Covid-19 related changes. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the intersection between the new demands brought about by the pandemic and the distinct legal responses that had an impact on the housing market in Portugal.

Exploring Plastic-Management Policy in China: Status, Challenges and Policy Insights

Plastic pollution is recognized as one of the most urgent global environmental concerns. China is the top producer and consumer of plastics and creates the most plastic waste globally. To evaluate policy options to control plastic pollution in China, we first reviewed the relevant policies and action plans in place. Then, we examined plastic-material flows and changes at the national level based on officially published data to evaluate the current situation and efficacy of policies at the macro-level. Results showed that 2016, the start of the 13th Five-Year Plan, was a pivotal year in the history of China's plastic policies tackling plastic issues nationally and internationally. Since 2016, the growth trend in the production and consumption of plastic products has slowed and the recycling rate has risen, surpassing 30% in 2021. To further tackle plastic pollution, key suggestions with important policy implications were provided, covering better integration of policies, the combined management of vertical–horizontal governance, tracking-system implementation, the introduction of a quality-certification system, the development of behaviour-based consumer-oriented solutions, the promotion of stakeholder collaboration, and the need for appropriate post-COVID-19 policies.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Cultural Products Interests

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on human behaviors and how it influenced peoples' interests in cultural products is an unsolved problem. While prior studies mostly adopt subjective surveys to find an answer, these methods are always suffering from high cost, limited size, and subjective bias. Inspired by the rich user-oriented data over the Internet, this work explores the possibility to leverage users' search logs to reflect humans' underlying cultural product interests. To further examine how the COVID-19 mobility policy might influence cultural interest changes, we propose a new regression discontinuity design that has the additional potential to predict the recovery phase of peoples' cultural product interests. By analyzing the 1592 search interest time series in 6 countries, we found different patterns of change in interest in movies, music, and art during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a clear overall incremental increase. Across the six countries we studied, we found that changes in interest in cultural products were found to be strongly correlated with mobility and that as mobility declined, interest in movies, music, and art increased by an average of 35, 27 and 20, respectively, with these changes lasting at least eight weeks. © 2023 ACM.

China's Perceptions of Russia during the Ukraine Conflict

The ongoing Russian military operation in Ukraine since February 2022 has presented significant challenges to China's foreign and security policies, as well as its economic and technological ties with the West. Initially, China refrained from criticizing Russia's military actions and adopted a "neutral" or "independent" stance in response to Western criticism. However, China was taken aback by the protracted nature of the conflict and Russia's inability to successfully conclude its military operation. This raised concerns within China, considering its own situation of potentially reunifying with Taiwan through military means if necessary. While there are distinctions between the situations in Ukraine and Taiwan, the initial speculation of China conducting military operations against Taiwan has gradually diminished, although military pressure on Taiwan remains. The conflict in Ukraine has also caused internal divisions within China and has had an impact on its relations with the West, which are crucial for China's rise on the global stage. This article aims to examine China's interests and positions regarding the ongoing Ukrainian conflict, the implications for its relations with Russia, and the opportunities and challenges that China faces in the current situation. The article employs an inductive approach, analyzing China's predicaments at four levels: perceptions within the decision-making bodies of the Communist Party, the foreign ministry, think-tanks, and the media community. It argues that in conjunction with China's economic contraction resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian military operation has prompted China to seriously contemplate how to safeguard its national interests, particularly with regard to Taiwan and its strategic objectives of attaining a prominent global position. These considerations carry medium to long-term implications for the evolving regional and global orders. In conclusion, the article briefly discusses the implications of these developments on India, shedding light on the broader regional dynamics influenced by China's response to the Ukrainian conflict. © 2023, MGIMO Universty Press. All rights reserved.