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ObjectivesTo assess the percentage of people in the UK with cough, fever or loss of taste or smell who have not had a positive COVID-19 test result who had been to work, to shops, socialised or provided care to a vulnerable person in the 10 days after developing symptoms. To investigate whether these rates differed according to the type of symptom, what the participant thought the cause of their symptoms was and whether they had taken a COVID-19 test.DesignFour online cross-sectional surveys using non-probability quota sampling method (n=8547).SettingData were collected across the UK from 20 September to 3 November 2021, via a market research company.ParticipantsAged over 16 years living in the UK.Primary outcome measuresOut-of-home activity.Results498 participants reported one or more symptoms and had not had a positive COVID-19 test result. Within that group, about half of employed participants had attended work while symptomatic (51.2%–56.3% depending on the symptom, 95% CIs 42.2% to 65.6%). Rates of other contact behaviours ranged from 31.4% (caring for a vulnerable person after developing a cough: 95% CI 24.3% to 38.4%) to 61.5% (shopping for groceries or pharmacy after developing a cough: 95% CI 54.1% to 68.9%). There were no differences according to type of symptom experienced or what the participant felt might be the cause. People who had taken a COVID-19 test were less likely to go out shopping for non-essentials than people who had not taken a test.ConclusionMany people in the UK with symptoms of an infectious disease were not following government advice to stay at home if they believed they had an infectious illness. Reducing these rates may require a shift in our national attitude to the acceptability of people attending work with infectious illnesses.

Метою дослідження є узагальнення найкращих практик корпоративної соціальної відповідальності міжнародних компаній, особливо під впливом глобальної пандемії COVID-19. У дослідженні використано методи логічного узагальнення, аналізу, порівняння, групування, графічні та табличні. Особливістю корпоративної соціальної відповідальності є її приналежність до суспільного або квазісуспільного блага, що поєднує корпоративне управління й економіку публічного сектора. Низка сучасних досліджень указує на прямий зв'язок соціальної відповідальності та репутації компаній, оскільки її найбільш важливими факторами визнаються якість товарів та послуг (20,1 %), якість управління (14,8 %), громадянство (14,4 %), фінансовий успіх (13,2 %) та інновації (13,1 %).У статті наголошено, що глобальний уплив пандемії COVID-19 сприяв тому, що організації в прискореному режимі почали розвивати власну стратегічну гнучкість та різні моделі корпоративної соціальної відповідальності. Відтак у 2022 р. рейтинг соціально відповідальних компаній очолили: Rolex, Ferrari, Lego Group, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Harley-Davidson, The Bosch Group, PayPal, Netflix, Intel. Визначено, що пандемія COVID-19 сприяла появі нових соціальних ініціатив: від створення інноваційного фонду кліматичних рішень, відмови від використання пластику до забезпечення дітей із малозабезпечених сімей безкоштовним доступом до Інтернету та гаджетами. У статті доведено, що зростання лояльності споживачів, підвищення репутації корпорацій як привабливих роботодавців безпосередньо впливають на збільшення обсягів продажів, мотивацію співробітників, бажання держави та суспільства взаємодіяти із соціально відповідальними компаніями, зростання ринкової вартості компаній.

H παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή εξετάζει το ρόλο που έχει διαδραματίσει μέχρι σήμερα η ηλεκτρονική διακυβέρνηση στην υπηρεσία του μεταρρυθμιστικού πλαισίου της ελληνικής δημόσιας διοίκησης, με την προοπτική μετασχηματισμού της σε νέες μορφές διοικητικών διαδικασιών και δημοσίων υπηρεσιών. Παράλληλα επιχειρεί να εντοπίσει και να αναδείξει τους παράγοντες που επιδρούν στο βαθμό ανάπτυξης της ηλεκτρονικής διακυβέρνησης στην Ελλάδα. Στο θεωρητικό σκέλος της διατριβής εξετάζεται η έννοια της διοικητικής μεταρρύθμισης και η εξελικτική πορεία της δημόσιας διοίκησης, υπό τις επιδράσεις των κυριότερων σταθμών διοικητικών μεταρρυθμίσεων. Στη συνέχεια διερευνώνται τα ιδιαίτερα προβλήματα και οι παθογένειες της ελληνικής δημόσιας διοίκησης, με σκοπό να διαπιστωθεί πως η ηλεκτρονική διακυβέρνηση και οι τεχνολογίες πληροφορικής έχουν συμβάλει ή δύναται να συμβάλλουν στην επίλυση ή στη μείωσή τους. Μέσα από την ανάλυση αυτή, επιχειρείται η διερεύνηση και η αξιολόγηση του βαθμού ανάπτυξης της ηλεκτρονικής διακυβέρνησης στην ελληνική δημόσια διοίκηση, εν συγκρίσει με τις άλλες χώρες και ειδικότερα με τα κράτη μέλη της Ε.Ε.. Στο ερευνητικό σκέλος της διατριβής εξετάζεται μέσω τριών ποιοτικών ερευνών ο βαθμός ενσωμάτωσης και διείσδυσης της ηλεκτρονικής διακυβέρνησης στην ελληνική δημόσια διοίκηση. Το ερευνητικό σκέλος περιλαμβάνει τα αποτελέσματα και τα συμπεράσματα από τη χρήση της ηλεκτρονικής διακυβέρνησης α) από τους εσωτερικούς χρήστες, ήτοι τα στελέχη της δημόσιας διοίκησης, β) από τις επιχειρήσεις του ιδιωτικού τομέα και γ) από τους πολίτες, υπό τις ιδιάζουσες συνθήκες που διαμορφώθηκαν έπειτα από την υγειονομική κρίση που προέκυψε από την πανδημία Covid-19. Η στάση, η πρόθεση και η τελική συμπεριφορά των εσωτερικών και εξωτερικών χρηστών απεικονίζουν τα ποιοτικά χαρακτηριστικά της ηλεκτρονικής διακυβέρνησης στην Ελλάδα σήμερα, και τους τομείς στους οποίους απαιτούνται βελτιωτικές ενέργειες εκ μέρους της ελληνικής πολιτείας. Η διατριβή καταλήγει σε πολύτιμα συμπεράσματα αναφορικά με τα επιμέρους ποιοτικά χαρακτηριστικά της ηλεκτρονικής διακυβέρνησης στη χώρα μας και το βαθμό ανάπτυξής της, αλλά και αναφορικά με τους παράγοντες εκείνους που εμποδίζουν την περαιτέρω αξιοποίησή της, για τον εκσυγχρονισμό της δημόσιας διοίκησης και για τη βελτίωση των παρεχόμενων υπηρεσιών σε πολίτες και επιχειρήσεις. Η ηλεκτρονική διακυβέρνηση στην Ελλάδα έχει επιτύχει σημαντική πρόοδο, καθώς έχει να επιδείξει επιτυχείς ηλεκτρονικές πλατφόρμες, στις οποίες πολίτες και επιχειρήσεις έχουν τη δυνατότητα απομακρυσμένης και άυλης πρόσβασης, παρέχοντάς τους άμεσα ικανοποιητικές υπηρεσίες. Εξίσου σημαντικός όμως είναι ο αριθμός δημοσίων υπηρεσιών που παρέχονται μόνον κατά ένα μέρος ηλεκτρονικά ή που δεν παρέχονται ηλεκτρονικά. Επίσης, παρότι ολοένα και περισσότεροι πολίτες χρησιμοποιούν τις παρεχόμενες από το δημόσιο ηλεκτρονικές υπηρεσίες, είναι μεγάλο το ποσοστό των πολιτών και των μικρών και πολύ μικρών επιχειρήσεων (που αποτελούν το 99,6% του συνόλου των ελληνικών επιχειρήσεων) που αντιμετωπίζουν δυσχέρειες πρόσβασης στις ηλεκτρονικές υπηρεσίες του δημοσίου για διάφορους λόγους, π.χ. ψηφιακός αναλφαβητισμός, ηλικία, πρόσβαση στο διαδίκτυο και σε βασικό εξοπλισμό τεχνολογιών πληροφορικής.

AbstractThe present study has investigated the role of regional meteorology and air quality parameters in the outbreak pattern of COVID-19 pandemic in India. Using the remote sensing based dataset of 12 environmental variables we correlated infective case counts at a district level in India. Our investigation carried out on the circumstantial data from more than 300 major affected districts in India and found that air quality parameters are playing very crucial role in this outbreak. Among the air pollutants, O3 was better correlating with infection counts followed by AOD, CO, NO2, BC and SO2. We also observed that among the weather parameters air temperature, incoming shortwave radiation, wind speed are positively and significantly associate with outbreak pattern and precipitation and humidity are negatively correlated with confirmed cases; only cloud cover has no significant relation. We noted that coastal districts in the both coast of India and districts located in the plain and low-lying areas have experienced bitter situation during this pandemic. Our study suggests that improving air quality with proper strict regulations and complete lockdown during the peak of pandemic could reduce the misfortune in all over India.

The Merdeka Curriculum is a curriculum that has been inaugurated since the 2021/2022 school year and will be applied to the national curriculum in the 2022/2023 school year. This curriculum is set as a form of learning recovery due to the Covid-19 pandemic which is one of the causes of students experiencing learning lags. In the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum, there will definitely be obstacles or obstacles, both from internal and external factors. This study aims to find out the obstacles faced by biology teachers of Yuppentek 1 High School in the learning process of the Merdeka Curriculum. The type of research used is descriptive qualitative using two types of research data in the form of primary data obtained by conducting interviews, distributing questionnaires, as well as documentation and secondary data in the form of journals, books, and data from schools. Based on the research that has been carried out, it can be concluded that the obstacles for biology teachers in the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum at Yuppentek 1 High School are: (i) in the learning process by 21,4% have difficulty determining learning models that are relevant to the Merdeka Curriculum and difficulties in time management, (ii) obstacles to teaching materials are not felt by biology teachers at Yuppentek 1 High School because the teaching materials are adequate, (iii) the process and implementation of the assessment do not experience obstacles because the evaluation materials used have measured the abilities of students, (iv) and finally there are no obstacles in obtaining information about the Merdeka Curriculum, because teachers get enough information with the socialization of the Merdeka Curriculum.

INTRODUCTION: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused drastic shifts in hospital workflows internationally In an effort to limit viral spread and to preserve equipment and staffing availability, many hospitals lowered procedure capacity, prioritizing urgent and emergent cases The purpose of this study was to characterize the numbers, indications, and diagnostic yield of gastrointestinal endoscopies across three affiliated hospitals in the New York metropolitan area before and after the outbreak METHODS: We compared characteristics and outcomes of inpatient (IP) and outpatient (OP) endoscopies on adults (≥18 years) during the six months before and the nine weeks following March 16, 2020, the date on which elective procedures were cancelled at these institutions RESULTS: A total of 9,105 procedures before and 332 procedures after the start of the outbreak were performed (350 vs 37 per week on average) The mean age was 60 and 62 years in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods Females comprised 57% and 44% of patients respectively (P < 0 01) There were significant differences in the distribution of procedures in the OP setting, with a decline in the proportion of EGDs (38% vs 23%, P < 0 001) and colonoscopies (49% vs 18%, P < 0 001) and a rise in the proportion of EUSs (6% vs 19%, P < 0 001) and ERCPs (3% vs 29%, P < 0 001) Procedure indications changed, with a marked rise in the proportion of all EGDs to evaluate bleeding (18% vs 66%, P < 0 001), and in the proportion of ERCPs to evaluate jaundice (21% vs 43%, P < 0 001) Patients undergoing IP ERCP for evaluation of jaundice had higher levels of total bilirubin prior to procedure (mean 11 vs 17 mg/dl, P = 0 02) There was a significant increase in the diagnostic yield of combined IP and OP EGDs for bleeding (47% vs 63%, P < 0 01) While not statistically significant, there were also increases in diagnostic yield of EUS and ERCPs for diagnosis of malignancy, and OP colonoscopy for bleeding (Table 1) CONCLUSION: In this comparative series of endoscopies before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we observed an increase in the proportion of endoscopies done for urgent indications such as bleeding or biliary obstruction EGDs done for bleeding had a higher diagnostic yield during the pandemic, likely reflecting the restriction of endoscopies to patients with a high level of suspicion for active bleed The trend towards higher likelihood of diagnosing malignancy on EUS similarly suggests that providers had a higher threshold to perform endoscopy

Online communication in our work and private lives has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative research has evolved with this trend with many studies adopting online methods. It is therefore timely to assess the use and utility of online focus groups compared to face-to-face focus groups. Traditional Pearl Growing Methodology was used to identify eligible papers. Data were extracted on data collection methods, recruitment and sampling strategies, analytical approaches to comparing data sets, the depth of data produced, participant interactions and the required resources. A total of 26 papers were included in the review. Along with face-to-face focus groups ( n = 26) 16 studies conducted synchronous, eight asynchronous and two both online focus group methods. Most studies ( n = 22) used the same recruitment method for both face-to-face and online focus groups. A variety of approaches to compare data sets were used in studies. Of the studies reporting on depth of data ( n = 19), nine found that face-to-face groups produced the most in-depth data, four online groups and six equivalent data. Participant interaction was reported to be greater during face-to-face groups in 10 studies; three reported online groups produced greater interaction and six equivalent interaction. Detailed resource use comparisons were not presented in any of the studies. This review demonstrates that to date there is not a clear consensus as to whether face-to-face or online focus groups hold specific advantages in terms of the data produced and the resources required. Given these findings it may be appropriate for researchers to consider using online focus groups where time and resources are constrained, or where these are more practicable.

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected more than 200 countries. Wearing masks can effectively cut off the virus spreading route since the coronavirus is mainly spreading by respiratory droplets. However, the common surgical masks cannot be reused, resulting in the increasing economic and resource consumption around the world. Herein, we report a superhydrophobic, photo-sterilize, and reusable mask based on graphene nanosheet-embedded carbon (GNEC) film, with high-density edges of standing structured graphene nanosheets. The GNEC mask exhibits an excellent hydrophobic ability (water contact angle: 157.9°) and an outstanding filtration efficiency with 100% bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE). In addition, the GNEC mask shows the prominent photo-sterilize performance, heating up to 110 °C quickly under the solar illumination. These high performances may facilitate the combat against the COVID-19 outbreaks, while the reusable masks help reducing the economic and resource consumption.Supplementary material (further details of electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) sputtering system, deposition of GNEC film, fabrication of GNEC mask, and characterization of the GNEC mask) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-020-3158-1.

In 2020, several Nordic archives and museums sent out ”question lists”, questionnaires, to collect the public’s experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The collections resulted in an incomparable collection of contemporary cultural history about the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this thesis is to follow the creation of this collection. The thesis is defined through three research questions: one asking about the initial creation of the collection projects, one about the implementation, and one about what will happen to the resulting collection as an archival material. The study is based on previous research about Nordic contemporary Mass-Observation projects and question lists, as well as health narrative studies and research about Covid-19 experiences. Aspects of the previous research are used to create a theoretical framework, based around the concept of actors in accordance with Giddens structural theory (Johansson 2003:422). The three primary terms that are used in the analysis are dialogue, (immaterial) monument, and post-custodial archives, all retrieved from previous research in the field. The empirical data is collected through semi-participatory observation and documentation of the question lists, as well as interviews with responsible personnel at the institutions. The analysis is divided into three chapters, based on the three research questions. The first chapter thus concerns the initial creation of the collection projects, with regards to the design of the question lists, and the institutions’ thoughts and aims with the projects. The term dialogue is used to analyse the interaction between and within the institutions during this process. The second chapter studies the implementation of the actual project and includes an analysis of the question lists themselves as well as the digital interface through which they are made accessible to the public. Here, too, the term dialogue is used, to analyse how the answers are made in the interaction between the institutions and the public. The third chapter studies the institutions’ plans and hopes for the collected experiences, with regards to future research projects and exhibitions as well as archiving. Here, the term monument is used to illustrate the value and usage of the overall collection. Post-custodial archives are also used to highlight discussions about how digital archival collections should be archived and made accessible. The thesis closes with a final discussion chapter, which expands on the questions about what the purposes of these kinds of collections are, as well as about what role and place archiving should have in the creation and implementation of these kinds of Mass-Observation projects. This is a two years master's thesis in Archival science.

How did we let it get to this stage? Abbasi asks.1 The answers are not forthcoming. A brash and, despite its numerous failures, emboldened government finally get the release it needs: attempted herd immunity. Like most “calculated” decisions made by our political elite, the unilateral costs of lives saved versus economic wellbeing falter in the face of reality. Beyond what …