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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has become a global public health event, attracting worldwide attention. As a tool to monitor public awareness, internet search engines have been widely used in public health emergencies. ObjectiveThis study aims to use online search data (Baidu Index) to monitor the public’s attention and verify internet search engines’ function in public attention monitoring of public health emergencies. MethodsWe collected the Baidu Index and the case monitoring data from January 20, 2020, to April 20, 2020. We combined the Baidu Index of keywords related to COVID-19 to describe the public attention’s temporal trend and spatial distribution, and conducted the time lag cross-correlation analysis. ResultsThe Baidu Index temporal trend indicated that the changes of the Baidu Index had a clear correspondence with the development time node of the pandemic. The Baidu Index spatial distribution showed that in the regions of central and eastern China, with denser populations, larger internet user bases, and higher economic development levels, the public was more concerned about COVID-19. In addition, the Baidu Index was significantly correlated with six case indicators of new confirmed cases, new death cases, new cured discharge cases, cumulative confirmed cases, cumulative death cases, and cumulative cured discharge cases. Moreover, the Baidu Index was 0-4 days earlier than new confirmed and new death cases, and about 20 days earlier than new cured and discharged cases while 3-5 days later than the change of cumulative cases. ConclusionsThe national public’s demand for epidemic information is urgent regardless of whether it is located in the hardest hit area. The public was more sensitive to the daily new case data that represents the progress of the epidemic, but the public’s attention to the epidemic situation in other areas may lag behind. We could set the Baidu Index as the sentinel and the database in the online infoveillance system for infectious disease and public health emergencies. According to the monitoring data, the government needs to prevent and control the possible outbreak in advance and communicate the risks to the public so as to ensure the physical and psychological health of the public in the epidemic.

Background As an important part of the general practice team, assistant general practitioners undertake a lot of grassroots general practice work, but at present, there is no recognized national level assistant general practitioners post competency model to provide scientific basis for training qualified assistant general practitioners. Objective The competency of assistant general practitioners for China was constructed to provide support for the design of national assistant physician qualification examination, and provide theoretical basis for the training and evaluation of assistant general practitioners. Methods Based on the research group's previous literature research and behavioral event interviews, from September 2019 to January 2020, the entry pool was established, and 30 experts engaged in general practice were consulted by Delphi method for 2 rounds. The index and weight coefficient of the Chinese assistant general practitioner post competency model were determined by AHP. Results Six first-level indicators [the basic medical and health services (0.244 8), medical knowledge and life-long learning (0.244 8), and professional quality (0.244 8), interpersonal communication and team work (0.138 9), the basic public health services (0.085 8), the information utilization ability and management capacity (0.041 0) ] and 63 second-level indicators were finalized, and the weight coefficients of each indicator were defined. Conclusion This study constructs the post competency of assistant general practitioners for China for the first time, which has a high degree of expert representativeness and authority, and a more comprehensive and reasonable index selection, laying a foundation for the empirical study of the index system.

Background: Zoomorphism, an obverse of conventional anthropomorphism, has been shown in many cases to be a powerful tool with respect to the metaphorical use of animals. Objectives: This study introduced zoomorphism into the instructional video design of pedagogical agents (PAs). Method: We first developed three image sets, each of which corresponded to a type of zoomorphic PA image construct (full panda, a human face with a panda body, and a human body with panda head imagery). Then, we conducted an image-screening experiment in which 177 second-grade students from a primary school were asked to select their favourite PA image for each image construct set. We used a realistic human PA as the baseline. Next, 114 second-grade students from another school were randomly assigned to learn instructional videos on the topic of pandas using a PA with one of four imageries. Results and Conclusions: ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests indicated that students presented with PAs with full-panda imagery achieved significantly higher learning performance, learning experience, social presence, and learning interest than those presented with other imageries of PAs. The regression results showed that the effect of zoomorphic PAs with full-panda imagery on learning performance was exerted in a direct way and that its effect on learning experience was mediated by social presence and learning interest. Implications: Our findings suggest that zoomorphic appearance is an essential quality for video learning that merits further investigation for the efficient imagery construction of PAs.

Understanding the relationship between the fabrication process and the dielectric behavior of thermo-responsive dielectric materials and accordingly optimizing the dielectric response behavior through simple regulation is critical to advancing their practical applications. For this purpose, we systematically analyze and demonstrate the effects of blow-spinning process parameters, the feed rate and airflow pressure, on the orientation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) chains, the individual phase fractions of PVDF, the structure of the core-sheath nanofibers, the mechanical properties, and the dielectric pulsing properties in polyethylene glycol (PEG)-PVDF core-sheath fiber films, and achieve the goal of effectively regulating the thermo-responsive dielectric behavior. In particular, by increasing the airflow pressure, the polar phase fraction of the PVDF can be effectively increased, thus strengthening the dielectric pulsing effect. The significant influence of the processing parameters on the nanofiber structure also allows us to tailor the strength and toughness of the nanofiber films over a wide range by adjusting the feed rate and airflow pressure. Our work shows that the regulation of feed rate and airflow pressure can be used as an effective strategy to optimize the dielectric pulsing and mechanical properties of PEG-PVDF films, enabling a simple and low-cost performance optimization of thermo-responsive dielectric materials. Highlights * Effective regulation of thermal dielectric behavior by tuning process parameters. * Simple tuning of mechanical properties of nanofiber films over a wide range. * High ratio of [beta]- and [gamma]-phases of PVDF by solution blow spinning. * Major polar phases contribute to improved mechanical and dielectric properties. KEYWORDS blow spinning, coaxial nanofiber, dielectric pulse, processing, PVDF, 1 | INTRODUCTION Nowadays, electrical energy storage and conversion, sensing, information storage, and communication are the most important actual and potential applications for dielectric materials. (1-6) In particular, electrical energy [...]

PK-12 leaders use gender- and sexuality-inclusivity professional development (IPD) as a tool to improve the school climate for LGBTQ+ students, but IPD programs vary widely in their scope, breadth, duration, instructional approach, and content. In this paper, we present the IPD conceptual framework, which proposes a sustained, intensive, and expansive approach to PD can influence student outcomes through changes in educators' beliefs, attitudes, skills, and knowledge concerning gender and sexuality. Using a large, Midwestern school district as a case study, we examine characteristics of schools participating in an intensive IPD program and whether participation contributed to school disciplinary rates. Using 2018-2019 administrative and program data from the district and state department of instruction, we: (1) describe demographic and program differences between IPD and non-IPD schools, and (2) evaluate the contribution of IPD on disciplinary outcomes using OLS regression analysis controlling for selection characteristics. Our analysis reveals less racial and ethnically-diverse and better financially-resourced schools participate in the IPD program. The regression analysis suggests schools participating in IPD have lower suspension rates, assault rates, and endangering behavior rates compared to non-IPD schools. Several studies indicate supportive leaders and IPD improves school climates for LGBTQ+ students; however, quantitative descriptions of how IPD may influence student behavior remain scarce. Policymakers and educational leaders may be interested in this study's results suggesting a decrease in disciplinary actions among schools committed to IPD with core components of the IPD framework.