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This paper extends a novel piecewise mathematical model of the COVID-19 epidemic using fractional and variable-order differential equations and fractional stochastic derivatives in three intervals of time. The deterministic models are augmented with hybrid fractional order and variable order operators, while the stochastic differential equations incorporate fractional Brownian motion. To probe the behavior of the proposed models, we introduce two numerical techniques: the nonstandard modified Euler Maruyama method for the fractional stochastic model, and the Caputo proportional constant-Grünwald-Letnikov nonstandard finite difference method for the fractional and variable-order deterministic models. Several numerical experiments corroborate the theoretical assertions and demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approaches.

AbstractDue to the COVID-19 epidemic, the tourism industry in Bangladesh has caused massive disruption in both inbound and outbound tourism, where all interdependent tourism supply chain activities (hotels, resorts, restaurants and transportation) have been forced to be bunged down. The fundamental aim of this qualitative study is to evaluate stakeholders’ experiences and opinions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry of Bangladesh. Reliable literature reviews and qualitative interviews with stakeholders in the tourist industry were utilized to generate the data for this study. This qualitative research was conducted in three phases, comprising a longitudinal approach from January 2021 to March 2022, focusing on the perspectives of multi-level stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry in four distinct tourist destinations in Bangladesh. Moreover, this research used a case study technique based on 36 semi-structured interviews with important stakeholders in the region. The findings indicate that the influence of COVID-19 on tourism has a substantial positive and negative impact on a number of stakeholders who contribute significantly to the region’s sustainable development. Positive impacts are (a) improved air quality, (b) reduced water and noise pollution, (d) limited natural resources consumption and (e) favourable greenhouse atmosphere; on the other hand, negative impacts are (a) reduced rate of tourists arrival (b) unoccupied hotel accommodations (c) disruption of tourism activities (d) declining purchasing trends and (e)hampering socialization process. Based on the evaluation of stakeholders’ views, an alternative re-engineering policy framework has been recommended for future strategic actions and control.

In the future, new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus might emerge and cause outbreaks. If this occurs, the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can be reconsidered. Consideration of the potential benefits and harms of implementing NPIs, and ultimately deciding about implementing NPIs, is currently mainly executed by experts and governments. However, general literature on public engagement suggests that integrating public perspectives into decision-making can enhance the quality of decisions and foster greater public understanding of them. In this study, a deliberative mini-public was conducted to integrate this public perspective. The aim was to elicit public considerations regarding non-pharmaceutical interventions by asking a diverse group of citizens to participate as decision-makers and convene, learn and deliberate about implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions during a hypothetical outbreak of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant. Participants emphasized the importance of early implementation during the outbreak, to prevent exceeding healthcare capacity, long-term mental health issues, educational deficits, and bankruptcies. Additionally, participants stressed taking public support into account, and shared ideas on maintaining support. Furthermore, participants wanted to give citizens personal responsibility and freedom in making their own assessment regarding adherence to interventions and how much risk of infection they would be willing to accept. Participants also expressed the need for the government to adopt a learning attitude towards improvements in pandemic response, and to generate more focus on long-term strategies. The deliberative mini-public, revealed public considerations that reflected public values and needs. These considerations might be helpful in better aligning epidemic management policies with public perspectives. Regarding the deliberative mini-public, uncertainties remain about the design and impact on a bigger scale.

Background: Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (C/HC) received considerable international media attention due to anticipated treatment effect in COVID-19. This led to increased prescriptions threatening to generate product shortages for patients prescribed within approved indications.We evaluated effects of a temporary regulation mandating pharmacies to only dispense C/HC prescribed by physicians with defined specialties. Methods: Data from Region Stockholm, which include 2.4 out of 10 million Sweden’s population, were used. Weekly time trends of prescriptions and requisitions of C/HC by prescriber’s workplace during January to April 2020 were followed. Results: Numbers of unique individuals with filled prescriptions of chloroquine increased tenfold and of hydroxychloroquine more than threefold from January to March. In the first week of April, filled prescriptions of C/HC dropped. In the later weeks of April, the number of filled prescriptions was back at similar levels as before the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.During January and February, specialists in rheumatology accounted for 686 out of all 979 prescriptions dispensed (70.1%) of C/HC. In March, a large proportion of prescriptions dispensed were from specialists not usually prescribing C/HC, and rheumatology accounted for 628 out of all 1,639 prescriptions (38.3%). In April, specialists in rheumatology accounted for 386 out of all 641 prescriptions dispensed (60.0%). Conclusion: After an observed increase in prescriptions of C/HC, a temporary regulation was introduced on 2nd April 2020 to reduce prescriptions from specialists not usually prescribing C/HC to avoid shortages for patients within approved indications. Subsequently, dispensed prescriptions decreased from April and remained at pre-COVID-19 levels thereafter.

IntroductionIn the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, urban communities have emerged as the frontline defenders in epidemic prevention and control, providing the most effective means of curbing the spread of virus both inward and outward. This study attempts to explain the underlying factors and mechanisms that shape the community epidemic prevention and control capacity (CEPCC).MethodsWe adopted a resilience-based perspective and drew on a sample of 20 exemplary anti-epidemic communities in China. By constructing an analytical framework and employing the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method (fsQCA), we explored how four conditional variables—infrastructure completeness, community self-organizing ability, redundancy of community resources, and stability of regional economic development—and their various configurations impact the CEPCC.ResultsOur findings reveal that the four conditional variables, when considered in isolation, cannot effectively enhance the CEPCC. Instead, four configuration pathways with mixed conditional variables exist. Notably, community self-organizing ability emerges as a vital condition for effectively strengthening the CEPCC.DiscussionThis study identifies four pathways to improve the CEPCC and confirms the validity of the data results through case studies. Conclusions of this research contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the factors influencing the CEPCC, which can help communities to better plan and prepare for future epidemics and ensure better response and adaptation to the impacts of future emergencies.

Objective·To investigate the occurrence of new onset anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 epidemic, and analyze the influencing factors.Methods·Based on Chengdu Positive Child Development (CPCD) cohort, a total of 5 566 children and adolescents from five primary and secondary schools in Chengdu were enrolled. Two longitudinal study cohorts of new anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents were established, and two rounds of survey were conducted. The first round of survey (baseline survey) was conducted from December 2019 to January 2020, and the general demographic characteristics of the cohort members were collected through the Student Questionnaire for the Study on Promoting Positive Growth of Children and Adolescents. The second round of survey (follow-up survey) was conducted from February to July 2020 to collect additional information on the cohorts' infection history of COVID-19, and whether their eating, learning, and social and recreational activities were affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) was used to evaluate the new onset anxiety symptoms of all subjects. The multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of new onset anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents.Results·The results of SCARED assessment showed that the incidence of new onset anxiety symptoms among children and adolescents in Chengdu during the COVID-19 epidemic was 13.47%. In the longitudinal study cohort of new onset anxiety in children,the incidence was 11.91%, and in the longitudinal study cohort of new onset anxiety in adolescents, the incidence was 14.25%. The results of chi square test showed that there were statistically significant differences in the incidence of new onset anxiety symptoms among children in terms of age, whether they or their family members were infected with COVID-19, and whether their eating, learning and social activities were affected (all P

People with disabilities during the COVID-19 epidemic were particularly vulnerable to information exclusion, e.g. press conferences were not translated into PJM, there was no information in plain language, etc. In addition, restrictions were introduced on social contacts and the possibility of carrying out previous activities and using the support of volunteers or assistants. This made social media an important tool during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with disabilities as it often provided a way to connect with a wider community, maintain social relationships, and obtain information about the epidemic and the restrictions being imposed. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the significance of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland from 2020 to 2021 for people with disabilities. This will be facilitated by netnographic research, which will be based on the analysis of content published in 10 Facebook groups for people with disabilities between March–April 2020 and December–February 2021. The results of the research indicate that social media played an important role for people with disabilities during the crisis situation of the pandemic. Analysis of the content of social media group profiles showed that they provide a space for seeking and exchanging information, sharing concerns, seeking support, and fighting for their rights by people with disabilities.

This study focuses on how the COVID-19 epidemic affects gambling motivation and behavior. This research also analyzes the behavioral intervention effects of the anti-epidemic measures on the COVID-19 epidemic and the relationship between the epidemic impact and gambling motivation and behavior. To investigate these connections, this research used Structural Equation Modeling to analyze 334 valid questionnaires collected during COVID-19 from gamblers from mainland China who visited the Macao Special Administrative Region. The results showed that the epidemic impact negatively affected gambling motivation and behavior, and gambling motivation partially mediated the relationship between epidemic impact and gambling behavior. Anti-epidemic measures positively moderated the epidemic’s impact on gambling motivation and behavior. This paper offers a theoretical contribution by proving the influence of the social environment on human motivational behavior, especially the effect of the COVID-19 crisis, and the support of government and enterprise anti-epidemic measures for behavior intervention theory. The practicality of this study consists of behavioral interventions from anti-epidemic efforts by regional government and industry to cope with the epidemic. These measures should influence the gamblers’ behavior intentions by considering the health and safety strategies that may reduce the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mainland Chinese gamblers. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-04-024 Full Text: PDF

Abstract Background Nursing undergraduates’ academic self-efficacy is a significant factor in determining their learning motivation, cognition, and emotions. It has a significant impact on improving academic performance and achieving learning goals. Methods To explore the mechanism of psychological distress affecting the academic self-efficacy of nursing undergraduates, the generalized anxiety disorder scale-7, patient health questionnaire-9, academic self-efficacy scale, perceived social support scale and mindful attention awareness scale were conducted. Results Model fitness indexes of the structural equation model is good (CMIN/DF = 1.404, RMSEA = 0.042, GFI = 0.977, IFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.954, CFI = 0.975, NFI = 0.923). Structural equation model analysis showed that social support and mindfulness were the mediating variables of psychological distress on academic self-efficacy. Mediating variables accounted for 44% of the total effect value (− 0.3) with a value of − 0.132. Three paths were verified: psychological distress indirectly affected academic self-efficacy through social support (− 0.064); psychological distress indirectly affected academic self-efficacy through mindfulness (− 0.053); psychological distress indirectly affected academic self-efficacy through social support and mindfulness (− 0.015). Conclusions Social support and mindfulness play significant mediating roles in the effect of psychological distress on academic self-efficacy, and the chain mediating role of social support and mindfulness is also significant. Educators may mitigate the impact of psychological distress on academic self-efficacy by enhancing students’ social support and mindfulness.

AIM: To explore the characteristics of astigmatism in preschool children before, during and after the COVID-19 epidemic, so as to provide a reference for further prevention and control of children's vision.METHODS: In the consecutive four years from January 2018 to December 2021, a retrospective analysis of vision data was conducted on 2 273 preschool children(4 546 eyes)younger than 4 years old who participated in children's vision screening test in Baiyun district, Guangzhou. They were divided into 1-year old group(ages

Suppose a new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer-retailer system where the wholesale price and the order quantity are determined through a negotiation procedure. Considering the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the manufacturer and the retailer are both assumed to be risk averse with Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) as their performance measure. With the uniform distribution assumption, we derive the equilibrium solutions as well as the players’ profit shares in the Stackelberg game and Nash bargaining framework. We quantitatively address the impacts of the players’ confidence levels and government subsidy on the equilibrium order quantity, wholesale price and profit allocation in both negotiation frameworks. We find that, in both negotiation frameworks and considering the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, a more risk-averse (i.e., with lower confidence level in CVaR model) manufacturer or retailer tends to occupy a higher profit share. On the other hand, a higher government subsidy aiming at offsetting the epidemic’s impact leads to a higher profit share for the manufacturer and a lower one for the retailer. A quantitive comparison of the equilibriums in the two negotiation frameworks indicates that more NEVs are ordered by the retailer and a higher system profit is generated in the Nash bargaining framework than the Stackelberg game. Thus, we analytically prove that the Nash bargaining framework is superior to the Stackelberg game for the NEV manufacturer-retailer system in terms of both quantity and profit with consideration of the epidemic impact. In addition, a series of numerical experiments is carried out to illustrate the effects of some significant parameters on the equilibrium order quantity and the system profit allocation in different negotiation frameworks. These numerical experiments also further demonstrate the superiority of the Nash bargaining framework for either NEV player—no matter how the epidemic trend and the government subsidy vary—and provide a quantitative scope for the retailer’s bargaining power to sustainably maintain the win-win cooperation between the NEV manufacturer and retailer in the superior Nash bargaining framework within the epidemic environment. From the perspective of policy, the government should increase subsidy within the epidemic environment to offset the negative effect and can degenerate subsidy when the epidemic dissipates. Furthermore, as the subsidy degenerates, both model results and numerical experiments show that the manufacturer suffers a more unfavorable effect, so the government can preferentially support the manufacturer by adjusting the subsidy to a higher level to alter players’ relative powers and profit shares.

The COVID-19 epidemic has required countries to implement different containment strategies to limit its spread, like strict or weakened national lockdown rules and the application of age-stratified vaccine prioritization strategies. These interventions have in turn modified the age-dependent patterns of social contacts. In our recent paper, starting from the available age-structured real data at the national level, we identified, for the Italian case, specific virulence parameters for a two-age-structured COVID-19 epidemic compartmental model (under 60, and 60 years and over) in six different diseases transmission scenarios under concurrently adopted feedback interventions. An interpretation of how each external scenario modifies the age-dependent patterns of social contacts and the spread of COVID-19 disease has been accordingly provided. In this paper, which can be viewed as a sequel to the previous one, we mainly apply the same general methodology therein (involving the same dynamic model) to new data covering the three subsequent additional scenarios: (i) a mitigated coordinated intermittent regional action in conjunction with the II vaccination phase; (ii) a super-attenuated coordinated intermittent regional action in conjunction with the II vaccination phase; and (iii) a last step towards normality in conjunction with the start of the III vaccination phase. As a new contribution, we show how meaningful updated information can be drawn out, once the identification of virulence parameters, characterizing the two age groups within the latest three different phases, is successfully carried out. Nevertheless, differently from our previous paper, the global optimization procedure is carried out here with the number of susceptible individuals in each scenario being left free to change, to account for reinfection and immunity due to vaccination. Not only do the slightly different estimates we obtain for the previous scenarios not impact any of the previous considerations (and thus illustrate the robustness of the procedure), but also, and mainly, the new results provide a meaningful picture of the evolution of social behaviors, along with the goodness of strategic interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global mental health, affecting individuals of all age groups and various demographic backgrounds including athletes. Anxiety disorders have become more prevalent during the pandemic, attributed to factors such as quarantine, social isolation, fear of the virus, job insecurity, and the psychological impact of a pandemic. This narrative review aims to summarize the existing literature addressing mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the associated risk factors and potential interventions. Additionally, the review explores the impact of COVID-19 on specific populations, including athletes, frontline healthcare workers, children and adolescents, and individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions. In addition, the review explores the long-term consequences of the pandemic on mental health, including the potential for a surge in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders. Overall, this review underscores the urgent need for comprehensive mental health support and resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Background In the management of epidemics, like COVID‐19, trade‐offs have to be made between reducing mortality and morbidity and minimizing socioeconomic and political consequences. Traditionally, epidemic management (EM) has been guided and executed attentively by experts and policymakers. It can, however, still be controversial in the public sphere. In the last decades, public engagement (PE) has been successfully applied in various aspects of healthcare. This leads to the question if PE could be implemented in EM decision‐making. Methods From June to October 2020, seven deliberative discussion focus groups were executed with 35 Dutch citizens between 19 and 84 years old. Their views on PE in COVID‐19 management were explored. The deliberative approach allows for the education of participants on the topic before the discussion. The benefits, barriers, timing and possible forms of PE in EM were discussed. Results Almost all participants supported PE in EM, as they thought that integrating their experiences and ideas would benefit the quality of EM, and increase awareness and acceptance of measures. A fitting mode for PE was consultation, as it was deemed important to provide the public with possibilities to share ideas and feedback; however, final authority remained with experts. The publics could particularly provide input about communication campaigns and control measures. PE could be executed after the first acute phase of the epidemic and during evaluations. Conclusions This paper describes the construction of an empirically informed framework about the values and conditions for PE in EM from the perspective of the public. Participants expressed support to engage certain population groups and considered it valuable for the quality and effectiveness of EM; however, they expressed doubts about the feasibility of PE and the capabilities of citizens. In future studies, these results should be confirmed by a broader audience. Patient or Public Contribution No patients or members of the public were involved in the construction and execution of this study. This study was very exploratory, to gain a first insight into the views of the public in the Netherlands, and will be used to develop engagement practices accordingly. At this stage, the involvement of the public was not yet appropriate.

Objective To explore the teaching effect of the teaching mode changed from traditional teaching to online teaching after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods Relying on the Beijing Women's Health Care Technology Improvement Project, the online and offline continuing medical education was carried out, to train the obstetrician and gynecologist working in 16 maternal and child health care hospitals in 16 administrative regions of Beijing, which was planned from September 2020 to December 2025. This study retrospectively collected the assessment results of the two teaching modes from March 2021 to December 2021 (the first year of the teaching plan), and compared the teaching effects. Results Online teaching completed three sessions of 30 live online conference courses, with about 25 000 participants, including 4757 obstetricians and gynecologists from 16 maternal and child health care hospitals in Beijing. A total of 82 on-site teaching courses were held for offline teaching, and 1771 gynecologists and obstetricians from 16 maternity and child care hospitals in Beijing participated in the study. The scores of online teaching and offline teaching were 90.88±4.88 and 88.65±4.35, respectively. Conclusions Online teaching maybe has similar teaching effects as offline teaching. Compared with offline teaching, online teaching has more advantages, such as convenience, efficiency and economy, which is worthy of promotion and application in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Background Public health recommendations and governmental restrictions during the COVID-19 epidemic have affect everyday life. This study aimed to examine temporal changes in health-related lifestyle and the accumulation of positive and negative changes in the key lifestyle factors (vegetable consumption, leisure-time physical activity, sleeping, alcohol consumption, smoking) in the same individuals among Finnish adults during the epidemic. Methods This study was based on a series of cross-sectional surveys conducted between April 2020 and June 2021 to investigate antibody levels for the new coronavirus in the population. In each survey, a random sample of adults (18 to 69 years) from five university hospital regions were invited. A total of 5655 (response rate 32%) responded to the questionnaire including questions on lifestyle changes during epidemic. Results On average one-sixth of respondents (17%) reported at least two negative changes in the key lifestyle factors during the study period. An increase in snacking and sleep problems and decrease in leisure-time physical activity and active commuting to work were the most common of individual negative changes. The proportion of negative changes in physical activity increased as the epidemic drags on. In contrast, on average every seventh of the respondents (14%) reported at least two positive lifestyle changes in the key lifestyle factors. The most common individual positive changes were increased consumption of fruit, berries and vegetables and decreased consumption of alcohol. More negative changes were reported on average, when both negative and positive changes in the key lifestyle factors were summed. The most negative changes were reported in the late 2020. Conclusion The results of the present study suggest that the lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 epidemic have been diverse being on average more commonly unfavorable than favorable for health. The deteriorated epidemic situation in the late 2020 and, on the other hand, prolonged epidemic predisposed to negative lifestyle changes. Further studies are important to examine whether these changes are maintained over time and to identify the factors that contribute to changes and their accumulation in the same individuals. Health promotion actions are needed to prevent the long-term effects of the epidemic on health and welfare.

This article focuses on the work named “Games at Home” which deals with how kids and teenagers transfer their traditional games to the digital world. The work “Games At Home” applied because it is believed that this work will solve the problems on cultural transmission in covid-19 pandemic time period. Work performed on kids that are between 4-14 ages, in total of 259 participant children and their parents. Gathered data is created by content analysis and by assesment forms given to the participants end of the training. At the same time researcher’s observations during the work and includes them detachedly. During the work participants are informed about the purpose of the work and the usage of the data and by that parents are informed about the importance of cultural transmission and researches aims to raise awareness towards the cultural games, at the same time it avoids the outrun of the scientific ethics. The work leads to some discussions which are if the digital world is proper for this task, is the cultural transmission can be done with these methods, is there a need of an instructor during the process and sustainability of the project. In conclusion, altough it is not possible to exactly distinguish games between traditional and digital and the contents which created are experienced during the covid-19 pandemic and it is manifested that it has a sustainability.

Abstract Background The existing body of research mostly discusses inequality in physical activity (PA) based on the difference in the level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Evidence is lacking on the quantified inequality measures (e.g., how big the inequality is, and the distribution) in order to identify the most vulnerable groups of a population. This study measured PA inequality among Thai adults by using three parameters to construct an inequality index: (1) Proportion of the population with sufficient MVPA; (2) Cumulative minutes of MVPA; and (3) The Gini coefficient. Methods This study employed three rounds of data from Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity (SPA) 2019–2021. In each round, over 6,000 individuals age 18–64 years were selected as nationally-representative samples, and were included in the analysis. PA inequality was constructed by using three parameters, with a combination of the three as the final measure, to identify the sub-groups of the Thai adults who are most vulnerable: groups with the least MVPA, highest insufficiency, and highest inequality index (Gini). Results Covid-19 containment measures have widened the gap in PA inequality, as shown by a declining proportion of the population meeting the recommended guidelines, from 74.3% in 2019 to 56.7% in 2020 and 65.5% in 2021. PA inequality existed in all sub-populations. However, by combining three parameters, the most vulnerable groups during the Covid-19 epidemic were identified as follows: (1) Those with no income; (2) The unemployed; (3) Those who have no access to PA facilities; (4) Older adults aged 60 + years; and (5) Those earning

Objective To analyze the impact of sporadic cases of COVID-19 on the work of Transfusion Department, so as to explore the countermeasures. Methods The admission of inpatient departments, the reception of outpatient(including emergency) departments, the workload of transfusion department(including blood typing, unexpected antibody screening and cross matching), and the consumption of blood components in the Xijing Hospital between October and November in 2021, during COVID-19 outbreak, were collected. All the above data was statistically compared to the data in same period in 2018, before the COVID-19 outbreak. Results Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, there was a significant decrease in number of inpatients(280±157.1 vs 340.4±110.2), outpatient(including emergency)(8 359±3 615 vs 10 151±3 225), the workload of blood typing(272.0±132.4 vs 341.6±110.4), unexpected antibody screening(78.26±42.22 vs 98.51±43.53) and crossmatch(237.2±99 vs 475.7±155.6), as well as the consumption(U) of all blood components(457.9±50.32 vs 579.4±62.51) in the Xijing Hospital(P

A large number of antibiotics have been discharged into rivers by human activities, posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems. The surface water of the Yellow River Basin also suffers antibiotic pollution, which hinders the improvement in the aquatic ecological environment. This study investigated and analyzed the characteristics and assessed the ecological risks of antibiotic pollution in surface water bodies such as canals, rivers and fish ponds in Kaifeng, Henan Province, which is a key city along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The test results are as follows. A total of 15 types of antibiotics were detected in the surface water. They had a total antibiotic concentration of 12.2–249.9 μg/L, of which tetracyclines (TCs) and quinolones accounted for the highest percentages. Six types of quinolones had detection rates of up to 100%, and doxycycline (DC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) had average concentrations of 29.52 μg/L1 and 13.71 μg/L, respectively. The major canals with water diverted from the Yellow River had total concentrations of quinolones and TCs of 22. 0 μg/L and 14.9 μg/L, respectively, which were higher than those in previous studies. This phenomenon may be related to the decrease in the water flow of the Yellow River during the dry season and the increase in the antibiotic consumption of residents in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak. The upper reaches of the Huiji River in the Xiangfu District had higher antibiotic content than other districts in Kaifeng. Specifically, TCs accounted for 72.38%–91.84% of all antibiotics, and the DC and OTC concentrations were significantly higher than other antibiotics in the upper reaches. As indicated by the ecological risk assessment results, TCs had the highest ecological risks to green algae. Among them, DC had medium-high risks; TC, OTC, and chlortetracycline (CTC) had medium-high risks; trimethoprim (TMP) and lomefloxacin (LOM) had low risks; other TC antibiotics had no risk. Compared with green algae, most antibiotics showed higher ecological risks to daphnia and lower ecological risks to fish. DC and OTC dominate antibiotic pollutants in the surface water in Kaifeng City, and especially in Xiangfu District, where DC and OTC have medium-high risks. The TCs in the major Yellow River showed medium risks to both green algae and daphnia. It can be speculated that the antibiotic pollution in the Yellow River might pose a certain threat to the ecological security of water in Kaifeng City.©2022 China Geology Editorial Office.

Abstract In the past decade, the global industry and research attentions on intelligent skin-like electronics have boosted their applications in diverse fields including human healthcare, Internet of Things, human–machine interfaces, artificial intelligence and soft robotics. Among them, flexible humidity sensors play a vital role in noncontact measurements relying on the unique property of rapid response to humidity change. This work presents an overview of recent advances in flexible humidity sensors using various active functional materials for contactless monitoring. Four categories of humidity sensors are highlighted based on resistive, capacitive, impedance-type and voltage-type working mechanisms. Furthermore, typical strategies including chemical doping, structural design and Joule heating are introduced to enhance the performance of humidity sensors. Drawing on the noncontact perception capability, human/plant healthcare management, human–machine interactions as well as integrated humidity sensor-based feedback systems are presented. The burgeoning innovations in this research field will benefit human society, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, where cross-infection should be averted and contactless sensation is highly desired.

In the current manuscript, we deal with the dynamics of a piecewise covid-19 mathematical model with quarantine class and vaccination using SEIQR epidemic model. For this, we discussed the deterministic, stochastic, and fractional forms of the proposed model for different steps. It has a great impact on the infectious disease models and especially for covid-19 because in start the deterministic model played its role but with time due to uncertainty the stochastic model takes place and with long term expansion the use of fractional derivatives are required. The stability of the model is discussed regarding the reproductive number. Using the non-standard finite difference scheme for the numerical solution of the deterministic model and illustrate the obtained results graphically. Further, environmental noises are added to the model for the description of the stochastic model. Then take out the existence and uniqueness of positive solution with extinction for infection. Finally, we utilize a new technique of piecewise differential and integral operators for approximating Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative operator for the purpose of constructing of the fractional-order model. Then study the dynamics of the models such as positivity and boundedness of the solutions and local stability analysis. Solved numerically fractional-order model used Newton Polynomial scheme and present the results graphically.

PurposeBy serving and providing a guide for other regional places, this study aims to advance and guide the epidemic prevention and control methods, and practices and strengthen people’s ability to respond to COVID-19 and other future potential public health risks.Design/methodology/approachA comparative analysis was conducted that the COVID-19 epidemic development trend and prevention and control effects both in Beijing and Shanghai. In fact, regarding the COVID-19 policy and strategic areas, the differences between governmental, social, and professional management were discussed and explored. To prevent and be ready for potential pandemics, experience and knowledge were used and summarized.FindingsThe strong attack of the Omicron variant in early 2022 has posed challenges to epidemic prevention and control practices in many Chinese cities. Shanghai, which had achieved relatively good performance in the fight against the epidemic, has exposed limitations in its epidemic prevention and control system in the face of Omicron. In fact, the city of Beijing has undertaken prompt and severe lockdown measures and achieved rather good results in epidemic prevention and control because of learning from Shanghai’s experience and lessons; adhering to the overall concept of “dynamic clearing,” implementing precise prevention and monitoring, enhancing community control, and making emergency plans and preparations. All these actions and measures are still essential in the shift from pandemic response to pandemic control.Research limitations/implicationsDifferent places have introduced different urgent policies to control the spread of the pandemic. Strategies to control COVID-19 have often been based on preliminary and limited data and have tended to be slow to evolve as new evidence emerges. Hence, the effects of these anti-epidemic policies need to be further tested.

ObjectiveTo assess the epidemic trend of COVID-19 Omicron and the effectiveness of containment measures in Shanghai by estimating the time-varying reproduction number （Rt）.MethodsBased on the daily reported confirmed cases and asymptomatic infections in Shanghai from February 20 to April 26， 2022， the R package "Epiestim"， which was built by Bayesian framework method， was used to estimate the variation curve of Rt during the epidemic period and to analyze the trend of the epidemic.ResultsIn the early stage of the epidemic， after the implementation of school closure and nuclear acid screening in some communities， Rt continued to fluctuate between 2.000 and 3.000， reaching a peak of 2.740 （95%CI： 2.640‒2.830） on March 21， but began to decline around one week after the city lock-down on April 1. As of April 18， the Rt value in Shanghai was below the threshold of 1.000 for the first time， reaching 0.955 （95%CI： 0.951‒0.961）.ConclusionAfter the implementation of public health measures with increasing strength of containment in Shanghai， the transmission rate gradually decreased， reflecting the effectiveness of the interventions. In the actual prevention and control process， the containment work should not be relaxed in order to keep the Rt below 1.000.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in early 2020, it has spread rapidly and threatened public health worldwide. Vaccination is an effective way to control the epidemic. In this paper, we model a SAIM equation. Our model involves vaccination and the time delay for people to change their willingness to be vaccinated, which is influenced by media coverage. Second, we theoretically analyze the existence and stability of the equilibria of our model. Then, we study the existence of Hopf bifurcation related to the two equilibria and obtain the normal form near the Hopf bifurcating critical point. Third, numerical simulations based two groups of values for model parameters are carried out to verify our theoretical analysis and assess features such as stable equilibria and periodic solutions. To ensure the appropriateness of model parameters, we conduct a mathematical analysis of official data. Next, we study the effect of the media influence rate and attenuation rate of media coverage on vaccination and epidemic control. The analysis results are consistent with real-world conditions. Finally, we present conclusions and suggestions related to the impact of media coverage on vaccination and epidemic control.

This study conduct regressions of panal data with OLS and test with IV, empirically examines the COVID-19 epidemic's impact on the import of medical products from China from the perspective of the importing countries, exporting country, and other trading partners, and analyzes the inter-temporal impact across different product categories. The empirical results reveal that, in importing countries, the COVID-19 epidemic increased the import of medical products from China. In China, as an exporting country, the epidemic inhibited the export of medical products; by contrast, for other trading partners, it promoted the import of medical products from China. Among them, key medical products were most affected by the epidemic, followed by general medical products and medical equipment. However, the effect was generally found to wane after the outbreak period. Additionally, we focus on how political relations shape China's medical product export pattern and how the Chinese government is using trade means to improve external relations. In the post-COVID-19 era, countries should prioritize the stability of supply chains for key medical products and actively engage in international cooperation on health governance to further combat the epidemic.

Huong Thi Le,1 Thao Thi Phuong Nguyen,2,3 Corey Jacinto,4 Cuong Tat Nguyen,2,3 Linh Gia Vu,2,3 Hien Thu Nguyen,2,3 Minh Ngoc Le Vu,5 Xuan Thi Thanh Le,1 Thao Thanh Nguyen,1 Quan Thi Pham,1 Nhung Thi Kim Ta,1 Quynh Thi Nguyen,1 Carl A Latkin,6 Cyrus SH Ho,7,8 Roger CM Ho7,9 1Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 2Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam; 3Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam; 4Department of Health Policy & Management, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 5Institute of Health Economics and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam; 6Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 7Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 8Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore; 9Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, SingaporeCorrespondence: Cuong Tat Nguyen, Duy Tan University, 254 Nguyen Van Linh Street, Da Nang, 550000, Vietnam, Tel +84 35 8705177, Email nguyentatcuong@duytan.edu.vnPurpose: New COVID-19 variants pose great challenges in protecting the success of vaccination programs. Awareness of community becomes an important component to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to analyze people’s awareness of COVID-19 and identify the implications for optimal risk communication in Vietnam.Study Methods and Materials: A total of 341 individuals participated in an online cross-sectional study. Community awareness on COVID-19 was examined by using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable Tobit regression was used to examine associated factors with community awareness.Results: Our results indicated high levels of awareness of local COVID-19 situation, transmission risks, and preventive behavioral practices during the first week of social isolation. Higher awareness of local pandemic situation was associated with female respondents (Coef.: 6.19; 95% CI: 0.51; 11.87) and larger family sizes of above 5 people (Coef.: 9.00; − 1.00; 19.00). Respondents between 35– 44 years old were shown to be less aware of preventive behavioral practices than other age groups, including the group of participants above 44 years old (Coef.: − 0.34; 95% CI: − 0.67; − 0.02). Lastly, participants who were “fairly satisfied” with information resources had awareness levels of preventive behavioral practices lower than that of “unsatisfied” respondents (Coef.: − 0.45; 95% CI: 0.74; − 0.16).Conclusion: This study offers crucial insights into the pandemic awareness of citizens and risk communication effectiveness during COVID-19 in Vietnam. The study findings shall serve the development of policies and interventions aimed at empowering individuals in the local and global fight against coronavirus.Keywords: COVID-19 epidemic, risk communication, awareness generation, preventive measures, Vietnam

The global epidemic of COVID-19 has made a huge impact on global health and financial markets. And the spread of the virus has stalled economic development in many parts of the world. As stocks and bonds are two important financial assets, how to take appropriate economic policies to restore the stock and bond markets is the focus of governments as they are seeking for quick recovery. Based on the Event Study method and the GARCH model, data from 1 October 2019 to 1 April 2020 were collected from 26 countries or regions as analytic samples. The results show: 1) COVID-19 has made greater impacts on the stock market than the bond market; 2) the economic policy responses after the COVID-19 has brought impacts on both of the stock and the bond markets; 3) the monetary policy responses has brought greater volatility to the stock market than the fiscal policy responses, while the fiscal policy responses has brought greater volatility to the bond market than the monetary policy; 4) the fiscal policy has brought more positive effects on the stock market, and monetary policy has brought more positive effects on the bond market. This research is helpful to understand the mechanism of COVID-19’s impacts on the stock and bond market. And it is of great practical significance to the governments’ decisions to make economic policy responses after an epidemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant changes in nursing education. Maintaining social distance could slow down the spread of COVID-19, and it was necessary, but it significantly reduced students’ hands-on clinical practice experience in healthcare settings. Traditional classroom teaching in schools has transitioned to distance or online learning methods, which significantly reduced students’ hands-on clinical practice experience in healthcare settings. Although distance education had been implemented for a long time, there are many problems and challenges to be resolved. The experiences and needs of nursing students in remote clinical training urgently require further understanding. Purpose: To understand the stress and coping strategies of online nursing practicum courses for Taiwanese nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative research approach with purposive sampling was supplemented by snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data were collected following the eight-step process outlined by Waltz, Strickland, and Lenz (2010). The participants were 12 nursing students on a two-year nursing RN-to-BSN program at a university in Eastern Taiwan, consisting of 11 females and 1 male student. Findings: The stress and coping behaviors of nursing students consist of four main themes, each with three subthemes, including “urgent changes”, “the gaps between online courses and practical operations”, “mixed feelings of joy and anxiety” and “unexpected gains”. Conclusions: The pandemic has impacted nursing students’ learning and living. Engaging in online nursing practicum brought about significant stress; nevertheless, students employed various coping strategies to navigate through this challenging period. The findings of this study would also help nursing educators understand the learning gaps in clinical practicum among students.

Based on the SIRS epidemic model embedded in complex network theory and the COVID-19 spreading characteristics, the influence of prevention & control and treatment on the contagion of COVID-19 and the stability of social network is analyzed separately in this paper. The results show that the contagion of COVID-19 leads to the risk stability of social network. The number of infected persons is decreased by prevention & control and treatment which drives social network to risk-free stability. The treatment is more effective than prevention & control against COVID-19. Compared with prevention & control, treatment can make social network more risk-free and stable faster.

This research constructed a relationship model between human capital, social capital, and the employability of college students. With two moderating variables introduced, the perception reduction of employment opportunities under the COVID-19 epidemic and future career clarity, this research studied the direct impact of human capital and social capital on the employability of college students and boundary conditions. Research data from 810 employed Chinese college graduates shows that both human capital and social capital have a positive and significant impact on the employability; the perception reduction of employment opportunities under the COVID-19 epidemic negatively regulates the relationship between human capital and the employability of college students; the future career clarity positively regulates the relationship between human capital and the employability of college students; the perception reduction of employment opportunities under COVID-19 epidemic and the future career clarity jointly regulate the relationship between human capital, social capital and the employability of college students. These conclusions enrich the relevant theoretical and practical research on the employability of college students under the COVID-19 epidemic.

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine how the COVID-19 epidemic has affected the working capital management practices of Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) companies. From 2012 to 2021, 101 firms were studied in the financial sector. The data was also examined using a Multiple Regression Model in the study. The results revealed that Covid-19 Pandemic has significant and negative effect on working capital management. According to the results, companies tended to take a relatively conservative approach to managing their working capital. More importantly, the data demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis drove changes in working capital management practices. Companies with a high FL, QR, and CCC have attempted to increase their client base by prolonging the average age of their accounts receivable and decreasing the turnover rate of their liabilities, respectively. Companies with a greater CCC, as well as those whose principal current assets are accounts receivable, outperformed the other working capital management strategies.

This study examined the effect of e-learning compared to traditional education on student achievement and satisfaction, and to find out if COVID-19 is the first step for creating a society without a school, an online survey was conducted. The study sample consisted of 125 Palestinian bachelor’s degree students from different universities in the Republic of China and the Arab Gulf states. The study took place during the first half of the pandemic’s academic year, from the end of February to the end of August. 2020. The findings revealed that there are no statistically significant differences between the E-learning and traditional learning concerning students’ achievement based demographic variables (university years and scientific specialization), and the student’s satisfaction variable from (teaching staff style, educational programs provided, and quality). The study indicated that e-learning has proven its feasibility during the pandemic, so it should not be excluded and underestimated. Some third world societies still prefer traditional education, but e-learning should be a permanent option that is not limited to times of crisis; Educational institutions should recognize e-learning as a fait accompli, as is the case in many developed countries. This study recommended the necessity of recognizing e-learning and enhancing this style of study by allocating specific budgets and specialized technical and educational cadres. It also recommended adopting a hybrid education pattern by integrating e-learning and F2F education.

The current research paper explored the impact of social stigma on people infected with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia and the factors that worsen the stigma against COVID-19 patients. The research sample consisted of fifteen Saudis recovering from COVID-19 aged 25–55; eight males and seven females. Using the purposive sampling method, the research utilized a guided interview consisted of four main sections. Following qualitative research design, the research administered the instrument to obtain and discuss the results. The research was conducted during the academic year 2020.The results showed that there was a positive association between social stigma and COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, there was no difference between the participants in the rate of social stigma according to gender. Moreover, this also highlighted that the experienced social stigma is varied in its form and in people’s behavior. Cooperation between society institutions and media is recommended to increase the awareness of rejecting discrimination and social stigma. Furthermore, stigmatized persons should be provided with early intervention and ongoing counseling programs.

PurposeWe focused on changes in the amount of physical activity (PA) and depression and anxiety symptoms in people, who were previously regularly physically active, as they were all members of fitness centers at time of lockdown because of COVID-19.Materials and methodsWe sampled 150 fitness center members, tested individually in facilities of fitness centers. Depression and anxiety were measured with subscales of Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and PA was measured with global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ).ResultsWe found that depression (t = −1.97; p < 0.05) and anxiety (t = −2.66; p < 0.05) was more present in female participants than male participants, single participants experienced more depression (t = 2.04; p < 0.05) than participants in relationship, unemployed participants experienced more depression (F = 3,24; p < 0.05) and anxiety (F = 5,32; p < 0.01) than employed participants and participants with lower levels of education experienced higher levels of affective depression (F = 3,42; p < 0.05) and physiological anxiety (F = 3,72; p < 0.05) than participants with higher levels of education. Finally, we found that mental health can be influenced by changes in amount of movement–both anxiety (p < 0.05) and depression (p < 0.05) (in whole and its specific dimensions) increased for male participants when there is less strenuous work-related activity, less walking, or cycling to work and when they would spend more time each day sitting. For female participants, affective depression (t = 3.78; p < 0.01) and anxiety (t = 3.23; p < 0.01) increased with increased sitting time. Ex-competitive athletes are particularly immune to anxiety (t = −2.18; p < 0.05) and depression (t = −2.09; p < 0.05).DiscussionAs in some previous studies, our results show that because of lockdown, the most endangered groups for mood disorders are women, singles, unemployed and students, uneducated people and those, who had less PA, and more sitting time. Additionally, those who had some sport competitive history are less endangered for depression and anxiety.ConclusionIsolation has great impact on mental health, the most effective solution to stress relief and anxiety is physical exercise, which was limited or non-existent in the time of pandemic. Ex-professional athletes are especially immune to anxiety and depression in events such as COVID-19 lockdown. For future studies we recommend focusing on likelihood of increased depression and anxiety levels in individuals, who were physically active before the isolation period.

Based on the big data and survey data of online recruitment platform, this paper empirically tests the impact of COVID-19 on the employment status and psychological expectations of college graduates. The results show that: under the impact of COVID-19 epidemic, both supply and demand sides of college graduates’ employment market are affected, such as the decline of recruitment demand, the rise of the employment supply, and the obvious decrease of employment market prosperity. The impacts of COVID-19 epidemic on college graduates’ employment status and psychological expectation in different cities are heterogeneous. In the short term, the epidemic has a negative impact on the employment of graduates, but the employment situation is gradually improving with the support of national policies. Under the influence of COVID-19 epidemic, graduates will change their employment location and expected salary, and they tend to choose “temporary non-employment,” and their proportions of getting offers and signing contracts are significantly reduced. This paper suggests: Firstly, we should continue to push forward the action plan of “expanding jobs in graduation season to promote employment,” and strengthen the persistence and permanence of employment promotion policies for college graduates; Secondly, encourage college students to change their employment concept and rationally adjust their employment expectations; Thirdly, to promote the development of flexible employment of college graduates, it is necessary to strengthen the propaganda of flexible employment, so that students can understand relevant policies; Fourthly, strengthen employment guidance services for graduates from poor families to ensure the continuity and stability of employment assistance policies.

Few studies have actually explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in college students, although many studies have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a great threat to people’s mental health in many cohorts. Furthermore, college students may be a particularly vulnerable cohort that needs more attention and access to psychological services due to the psychological changes involved in the transition to college and the characteristics of college students’ study habits and lifestyle. Therefore, investigating the basic characteristics of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college freshmen is of great practical importance and has theoretical implications for the identification and provisioning of services to vulnerable cohorts. A total of 5,818 college freshmen completed the College Student Adaptability Inventory. The results suggest that the mean detection rate of the seven dimensions of undergraduate maladjustment to university is 27.13%. Specifically, livelihood self-management adaptability has the highest detection rate (48.93%), while environmental general evaluation has the lowest detection rate (9.81%). Moreover, the school adaptation of college freshmen is impacted by gender, number of siblings, and family socioeconomic status (SES). Specifically, students who are female, an only child, and have a lower SES have lower levels of school adaptation. However, the school adaptation of college freshmen is not influenced by minority status or left-behind status. The findings of the present study suggest that the maladaptation of college freshmen has been a common phenomenon in China during the COVID-19 epidemic. Prevention programs may be most helpful if they pay more attention to effective intervention efforts for students who are female, an only child, and have a lower SES.

BackgroundCOVID-19 epidemic has lasted for nearly 3 years, and revolutionized social life. In the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese undergraduate students to explore their understanding and experience of meaning in life. Meaning of life is interpreted from four aspects: life goals, life value, life enthusiasm, and life freedom. These four aspects are independent yet interrelated. Based on the free grasp of life, individuals explore and pursue the true meaning of life goals, acquire life value in evaluating the completion of life goals, and subsequently experience enthusiasm for life. Life enthusiasm and the perception of life value can help individuals to further understand and possess their meaning of life.Materials and methodsThe present study adopts the qualitative method to understand the experience of meaning in life among Chinese undergraduate students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and six people participated the study. The Grounded Theory was adopted to analyze the qualitative data.Results(1) Chinese undergraduates had clear life goals and obtained a certain sense of achievement and satisfaction when striving for these goals. (2) The life value of Chinese undergraduates was mainly to their families, but there was also a willingness to make due contributions to the country and society. (3) Chinese undergraduates’ feelings about life were polarized, but they all expressed the view of “living in the moment and cherishing the present.” (4) Chinese undergraduate students see life freedom as freedom of choice and generally believed that COVID-19 did not restrict their lives very much. (5) Chinese undergraduate students gained a deeper understanding of meaning in life after this major public health emergency.

Based on the stress interaction theory, this research constructed a model to study the joint moderating effects of the perception reduction of employment opportunities under the COVID-19 epidemic on the employment pressure of college students. With two moderating variables introduced, employment policy support and job-searching self-efficacy, this research studied the mechanism and boundary conditions of perception reduction of employment opportunities on employment pressure of college students from both individual and environmental aspects. The study found that during the epidemic if college students perceived fewer employment opportunities, they could have greater employment pressure from themselves, schools, and families; and that under the joint moderation of employment policy support and job-searching self-efficacy, the perception reduction of employment opportunities under the COVID-19 epidemic, the employment pressure of college students, universities, and families were connected, with different adjustment mechanisms. Based on empirical data, this research can provide theoretical enlightenment and practical guidance for the government, universities, and families to alleviate the employment pressure on college students during the epidemic.

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has had a deep impact on the lives of the entire world population, inducing a participated societal debate. As in other contexts, the debate has been the subject of several d/misinformation campaigns; in a quite unprecedented fashion, however, the presence of false information has seriously put at risk the public health. In this sense, detecting the presence of malicious narratives and identifying the kinds of users that are more prone to spread them represent the first step to limit the persistence of the former ones. In the present paper we analyse the semantic network observed on Twitter during the first Italian lockdown (induced by the hashtags contained in approximately 1.5 millions tweets published between the 23rd of March 2020 and the 23rd of April 2020) and study the extent to which various discursive communities are exposed to d/misinformation arguments. As observed in other studies, the recovered discursive communities largely overlap with traditional political parties, even if the debated topics concern different facets of the management of the pandemic. Although the themes directly related to d/misinformation are a minority of those discussed within our semantic networks, their popularity is unevenly distributed among the various discursive communities.

In this paper, we analyse effects of the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic on employment in Slovenia in the light of some theories on the destandardisation and segmentation of employment. We consider statistical databases, state measures and policies, along with union strategies before and during the epidemic. The epidemic has caused a sharp decline in employment and hit hardest those workers holding non-standard forms of employment (especially students and temporary workers). Given the decline in service turnover/production volume, particular service industries (e.g. retail, exports) have been more affected by export-oriented manufacturing that has invested less in employee skills and shifted the effects of the shock to labour and the state. We also note the trade unions have not deepened the splits in labour market divisions, while segmentation has been strengthened by both pre- and post-epidemic state policies.

The subject of research in this article is the feeling of burnout of teachers in the second stage of the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland. The research group was made up of a total of 172 teachers from the district of Radom. The Scale of Burnout of Forces of S. Steuden and W. Olya was used. The results of the study showed that the overall level of burnout is low, but the variables like school type, place of residence and seniority differentiated the obtained data. Statistically lower level of occupational burnout was characteristic of teachers working in secondary schools, living in the city and working for less than 15 years in the profession.

The COVID-19 epidemic spread globally at the start of 2020, resulting in a wide range of diffusion of infectious diseases. At present, SARS-CoV-2 is still prevalent worldwide, and it is of great practical significance to strengthen the study on the COVID-19 epidemic. Based on the COVID-19 confirmed cases and incidence, this article explored both the temporal and spatial distribution pattern of COVID-19 in Hunan Province and its influencing variables between January 21 and February 28, 2020 by using ArcGIS 10.3 and GeoDetector. The results show that: 1) The epidemic evolved with temporal phasing. The epidemic in Hunan Province can be divided into four basic stages: the diffusion period, peak period, decay period, and the stagnant period.The first COVID-19 confirmed case of 84.47% affected counties was imported from Wuhan;2) The epidemic spread as a result of transportation convenience. The confirmed COVID-19 cases were concentrated near major railway lines, which were also high-incidence areas. The epidemic occurred "early in prefecture-level cities and frequently in urban areas"; 3) the extent of the epidemic has distance attenuation. The COVID-19 cases and high-incidence areas were mainly distributed in the middle, north, and northeast of Hunan, in regions in proximity to Wuhan; 4) the epidemic was distributed with spatial aggregation. The agglomeration level of cases and incidences increased first and then remained high. The hot spots identified are in Changzhutan and Yueyang City, while the cold spots are in Xiangxi Prefecture; 5) the epidemic prevalence was of variable interaction. Wind-free, cold and dry weather was more conducive to the spread of the epidemic; population density, road network density and GDP were the main factors affecting the epidemic spatial differentiation; and the strongest variable interaction happened between natural and social factors. 6) the influencing variables of the COVID-19 epidemic have spatial heterogeneity. The impacts of spatial distance and population density have spatial heterogeneity on both the reported cases the total infections rates of COVID-19, spatial distance has the greatest impact in northeast Hunan, and population density has the greatest impact in northwest and northern Hunan; but the mobility of population and the number of health technicians only have spatial heterogeneity of impacts on the reported cases of COVID-19, the impact of population mobility is diminishing from north to south in Hunan, and the influence of the number of health technicians decreases gradually with the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city agglomeration as the core to the outer circle.The paper's conclusions are consistent with other scholars' studies in other regions, confirming that the epidemic not only spreads significantly in neighboring areas, but there are also "jump spreads" to distant cities that rely on the transportation network in Hunan. It is evident that restricting the entry of residents of affected areas plays a key role in COVID-19 prevention and control, and moreover, allocating plentiful health technicians, executing rigorous transport quarantine, and adopting compatible preventing measures with local and temporal conditions, are the top priorities in effectively responding to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Objectives: Determine the changes in clinical, pharmacological and healthcare resource use parameters, between the 6 months prior to the lockdown and the 6 months following its end, in a population with hypertension who did not have a diagnosis of COVID-19.Methods: Real world data observational study of 245,979 persons aged >16 years with hypertension in Aragon (Spain). Clinical (systolic-diastolic blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), blood creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides and anthropometric measures); pharmacological (diuretics, calcium channel antagonists, and ACE inhibitors); and utilization of healthcare resources were considered. We performed the Student’s T-test for matched samples (quantitative) and the Chi-squared test (qualitative) to analyze differences between periods.Results: SBP, DBP, parameters of renal function and triglycerides displayed a significant, albeit clinically irrelevant, worsening in women. In men only DBP and eGFR showed a worsening, although to a lesser extent than in women. Certain antihypertensive drugs and health-resource utilization remained below pre-pandemic levels across the 6 months post-lockdown.Conclusion: Changes in lifestyles, along with difficulties in access to routine care has not substantially compromised the health and quality of life of patients with hypertension.

The outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic has influenced human beings from various aspects including physical exercise behaviours. This study aims to explore the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic on exercise self-efficacy and exercise behaviour, as well as the intermediary effects of exercise motivation. A sample of 1,115 undergraduate students was investigated using the physical exercise behaviour scale, exercise self-efficacy scale, and exercise motivation scale, combined with the COVID-19 epidemic environment as an influencing factor. SPSS was used for statistical analysis and AMOS for the prediction model building. Logical analysis was undertaken to sort out and analyse the data. The structural equation model reveals that exercise self-efficacy has a positive effect on exercise motivation and exercise behaviour. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 epidemic environment negatively influences exercise behaviour through the intermediary role of exercise self-efficacy and exercise motivation. Moreover, the intermediary effect of exercise self-efficacy is greater than that of exercise self-efficacy and exercise motivation. This study provides both theoretical implications and practical guidelines for society and undergraduate students to improve their exercise behaviour during epidemic.

Since 2020, COVID-19 has repeatedly arisen around the world, which has had a significant impact on the global economy and culture. The prediction of the COVID-19 epidemic will help to deal with the current epidemic and similar risks that may arise in the future. So, this paper proposes a hybrid prediction model based on particle swarm optimization variational mode decomposition (PSO-VMD), Long Short-Term Memory Network (LSTM) and AdaBoost algorithm. To address the issue of determining the optimal number of modes K and the penalty factor (α) in the variational mode decomposition (VMD), an adaptive value for particle swarm optimization (PSO) is proposed. Specifically, the weighted average sample entropy of the relevant coefficients is utilized to determine the adaptive value. First, the epidemic data are decomposed into multiple modal components, known as intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), using PSO-VMD. These components, along with policy-based factors, are integrated to form a multivariate forecast dataset. Next, each IMF is predicted using AdaBoost-LSTM. Finally, the prediction results of all the IMF components are reconstructed to obtain the final prediction result. Our proposed method is validated by the cumulative confirmed data of Hubei and Hebei provinces. Specifically, in the case of cumulative confirmation data, the coefficient of determination (R2) of the mixed model is increased compared to the control model, and the average mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) decreased. The experimental results demonstrate that the VMD–AdaBoost–LSTM model achieves the highest prediction accuracy, thereby offering a new approach to COVID-19 epidemic prediction.

Bulgaria has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the European Union and the second-highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world. That is why we think it is important better to understand the reason for this situation and to analyse the development of the disease over time. In this paper, an extended time-dependent SEIRS model SEIRS-VB is used to investigate the long-term behaviour of the COVID-19 epidemic. This model includes vaccination and vital dynamics. To apply the SEIRS-VB model some numerical simulation tools have been developed and for this reason a family of time-discrete variants are introduced. Suitable inverse problems for the identification of parameters in discrete models are solved. A methodology is proposed for selecting a discrete model from the constructed family, which has the closest parameter values to these in the differential SEIRS-VB model. To validate the studied models, Bulgarian COVID-19 data are used. To obtain all these results for the discrete models a mathematical analysis is carried out to illustrate some biological properties of the differential model SEIRS-VB, such as the non-negativity, boundedness, existence, and uniqueness. Using the next-generation method, the basic reproduction number associated with the model in the autonomous case is defined. The local stability of the disease-free equilibrium point is studied. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the basic reproduction number is performed.

Introduction: Before the mass vaccination, epidemiological control measures were the only means of containing the COVID-19 epidemic. Their effectiveness determined the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic. Our study evaluated the impact of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors on patient-reported epidemiological control measures. Methods: A nationwide representative sample of 1008 randomly selected adults were interviewed in person between 15 March and 30 May 2021. The prevalence of test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was 12.1%, of testing was 33.7%, and of contact tracing among test-confirmed infected subjects was 67.9%. The vaccination coverage was 52.4%. Results: According to the multivariable logistic regression models, the occurrence of infection was not influenced by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors or by the presence of chronic disease. Testing was more frequent among middle-aged adults (aOR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.10–2.13) and employed adults (aOR = 2.06, 95% CI 1.42–3.00), and was more frequent among adults with a higher education (aORsecondary = 1.93, 95% CI 1.20–3.13; aORtertiary = 3.19, 95% CI 1.81–5.63). Contact tracing was more frequently implemented among middle-aged (aOR41-7y = 3.33, 95% CI 1.17–9.45) and employed (aOR = 4.58, 95% CI 1.38–15.22), and those with chronic diseases (aOR = 5.92, 95% CI 1.56–22.47). Positive correlation was observed between age groups and vaccination frequency (aOR41-70y = 2.94, 95% CI 2.09–4.15; aOR71+y = 14.52, 95% CI 7.33–28.77). Higher than primary education (aORsecondary = 1.69, 95% CI 1.08–2.63; aORtertiary = 4.36, 95% CI 2.46–7.73) and the presence of a chronic disease (aOR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.75–3.80) positively impacted vaccination. Regular smoking was inversely correlated with vaccination (aOR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.44–0.83). Conclusions: The survey indicated that testing, contact tracing, and vaccination were seriously influenced by socioeconomic position; less so by chronic disease prevalence and very minimally by lifestyle. The etiological role of socioeconomic inequalities in epidemic measure implementation likely generated socioeconomic inequality in COVID-19-related complication and death rates.

A model of a COVID-19 epidemic is developed to predict the effectiveness of vaccination. The model incorporates key features of COVID-19 epidemics: asymptomatic and symptomatic infectiousness, reported and unreported cases, and social measures that decrease infection transmission. The model incorporates key features of vaccination: vaccination efficiency, vaccination scheduling, and relaxation of social measures that decrease infection transmission as vaccination is implemented. The model is applied to predict vaccination effectiveness in the United Kingdom.

الملخص: أهداف البحث: منذ ديسمبر ٢٠١٩، شكل وباء كوفيد-١٩ تهديدا كبيرا مع ارتفاع عدد الوفيات، والعدوى، ومخاطر الإجهاد النفسي. تأثر عدد كبير من الطلبة بسبب الاستراحة الطويلة من النشاطات الأكاديمية والجلوس في البيت. محور هذه الدراسة هو فهم مستوى التوتر عند الطلاب في الهند، واختلال التوازن النفسي، والعقبة الرئيسة خلال الإغلاق الكامل بسبب كوفيد-١٩. طرق البحث: باستخدام طريقة أخذ عينات كرة الثلج. تم إجراء مسح عبر الإنترنت لمقياس الإجهاد المتصور على الطلاب عبر الهند. مع التفاصيل الديموغرافية، سجل المشاركون أيضا عن أنماط الدراسة والتحديات خلال فترة الإغلاق. تم حساب الدرجات الإحصائية للردود وتحليل المتغيرات الديموغرافية. تم مقارنة مستوى مقياس الإجهاد وأجريت تحليلات التباين والانحدار. النتائج: لاحظنا أن الطلاب كانوا خلال الإغلاق والجائحة متوترين بشكل عام. وكان الإناث (المتوسط =٣.٠٣) متوترات أكثر من الذكور (المتوسط =٢.٦١) حيث إنهم كانوا تحت الضغط باستمرار بسبب أحداث الحياة المجهدة. الاستنتاجات: خلال الجائحة، يجب مراقبة صحة الطلاب العقلية بشكل مستمر لأنهم متوترون من الخوف حول دراستهم ومستقبلهم الوظيفي. Abstract: Objective: Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a substantial threat with its associated high mortality, infection, and risk of psychological stress. A large number of students are affected because of a prolonged break from academic activities and staying at home. The focus of this study is to understand the stress levels of Indian students, any psychological imbalances, and their major hurdles during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: Using a snowball sampling method, an online survey of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was conducted on students across India. Along with their demographic details, the participants also reported their study patterns and challenges during their confinement period. The statistical scores for the responses were calculated and the demographic variables analysed. The levels indicated by the PSS were compared, and variance and regression analyses were performed. Results: We observed that students were generally stressed during lockdown and the pandemic. Females (mean = 3.03) were more stressed than males (mean = 2.61) as they were constantly under pressure because of stressful life events (OR = 0.752, 95% CI = 2.425–310.642) and apprehensive about their studies (RII = 0.67, OR = 2.168, 95% CI = 0.332–6.691). Conclusion: During the pandemic, students’ mental health needs to be continually monitored as they are stressed owing to fear as well as about their studies and future careers.