Policy Enforcement Research Articles

Compliance measurement and labour regulation enforcement: a randomized field experiment

ABSTRACT Labour regulation matters for the economy. But measuring firms’ compliance with this regulation poses significant challenges as inspections, enforcement, or reporting might be correlated to compliance risk factors of each firm. We propose estimating the compliance rate by a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of standard labour inspections. We run the experiment on small and medium firms (SME) in Chile. We estimate a non-compliance sanction rate of 13%. Our results are robust to various alternative estimation methods. Additional results look at the effects of enforcing labour laws, showing no significant differences on firms’ growth; neither on the intensive (employment and sales) nor the extensive margin (exit). Nonetheless, the experiment had limited power for these additional results. Our methods and results matter for the monitoring and enforcement of labour policies.

P019 HYPERTENSION PREVALENCE, HEALTH POLICY, AND GUIDELINES MAPPING: A COMPARATIVE ANALYTIC STUDY ACROSS NINE AFRICAN COUNTRIES 2024

Background: Hypertension, a global burden, increases mortality from cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Worldwide, in 2019, an estimated 1.3 billion adults developed hypertension. In Africa, the cumulative estimated prevalence of hypertension is ∼30.8%. Main Objective: To perform a comparative analysis between African countries focusing on hypertension prevalence, health policy, and guidelines mapping. Methods: A descriptive comparative analytic study compared hypertension data from nine African countries: Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, in 2024. Data included hypertension prevalence, health policy, guidelines’ mapping, and hypertension management responses. Mixed statistical methods of content analysis, percentages, means, and Spearman's correlations were used. Results: Hypertension prevalence varied from 27% in Ethiopia to 43% in Eswatini. Females consistently had higher prevalence than males, 30% in Ethiopia to 47% in Eswatini, suggesting gender-specific risk factors or disparities in healthcare access/utilization. Sudan had the second-highest prevalence 44%. Eswatini implemented strong blood pressure control measures, unlike Sudan. High prevalence was also found in countries with strong policies (Eswatini, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan), suggesting urgent improved healthcare delivery, policy enforcement, and addressing other risk factors. Ghana and Somalia had lower hypertension prevalence, though fewer policies. Spearman's test showed strong negative correlations between national responses and hypertension prevalence. Salt Intake Surveys had the strongest negative correlation (-0.707) with hypertension prevalence, highlighting countries like Ethiopia and Malawi with salt intake surveys and lower prevalence, reinforcing dietary factors’ effectiveness in managing hypertension. Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia leverage trained non-physician health workers in hypertension management, thereby, improving treatment access and adherence. Treatment guidelines were moderately negatively correlated (-0.335) with hypertension prevalence. The mere presence of guidelines is insufficient, signifying their implementation and enhancement with targeted interventions Conclusions: These findings highlighted the multifaceted nature of hypertension in African countries which requires comprehensive approaches encompassing considerations of gender, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle, salt reduction, policy implementation, healthcare access, and a unified African hypertension guideline.

Sustainable inventory, pricing, and marketing strategies for imperfect quality perishable items with inspection errors and advertisement-, expiration date- and price-dependent demand under carbon emissions policies

The demand for perishable products is affected by freshness levels, advertising efforts and selling prices, among other factors. By virtue of being consumed mostly by humans, quality control is also an important factor in perishable production systems. Moreover, inventory management related operations in such production systems release sizeable quantities of carbon emissions that are often regulated by carbon policies. To study the interactions of all these attributes in the context of a perishable inventory system, this paper proposes four sustainable inventory models for a perishable product with imperfect quality, inspection errors and whose demand depends on the advertising frequency, expiration date and selling price. The emissions released are assumed to be governed by carbon tax and carbon cap policies. Two of the models are developed under the assumption that the quality inspection process is 100% effective while the other two models consider the possibility of committing inspection errors, and additionally, for each pair of models, one is developed under a carbon tax policy and the other under a carbon cap policy. All the models are aimed at jointly optimising the perishable product’s lot-size, advertising frequency and selling price. The numerical results show that the presence of inspection errors leads to 28% and 23% lower profits under carbon tax and cap policies, respectively. Moreover, profit can be maximised by either stocking perishable products with longer shelf lives or targeting customers that engage with advertising mediums and those that are not price-conscious, while emissions can be minimised via the enforcement of carbon policies.

The Weight of Numbers: Counting Border Crossing Deaths and Policy Intent

Executive Summary This article explores how undocumented border crosser (UBC) deaths are counted as well as mis- and under-counted across the US southwest, and proposes a suite of policy remediations to standardize this process. An accurate count of UBC recovered remains is vital to understanding the scope of fatalities associated with border crossing, providing evidence accounting for the reciprocal relationship between US border enforcement and the incidence of migration-related death. To meaningfully intervene, it is insufficient to advocate only for more robust individual death investigations, though this is pivotal to forensically identify UBC decedents and unite them with their loved ones. Though identification and reunification of UBCs are the elements of forensic care most commonly attributed as humanitarian, the relationship between forensic investigation and international humanitarian principles is equally about accumulating primary evidence for policy intervention and justice claims on behalf of those who wrongfully die. Even if existing counting mechanisms do not provide the means for establishing this attribution between border-crossing deaths and border enforcement policy, this article lays out an argument for why they must do so and it makes recommendations for how this can take place. Necessarily, this article begins with a critique of existing mechanisms for counting UBC deaths, from the federal observation of such deaths by Customs and Border Protection, to the bureaucratic mechanisms for the collection of vital statistics authored at the local level. It then suggests means for improving accurate counting using the US Standard Certificate of Death. It particularly explores two aspects of the certificate, Manner of Death reporting and a section that asks death filers to describe how the death occurred, sections 37 and 43 respectively. Finally, it explores historical precedent for altering the standard death form at local and then national levels, positing that select amendments to the existing death certificate would be useful for standardizing how medicolegal death filers across the border and beyond can more accurately enumerate and characterize UBC deaths. Policy recommendations include the following, in order of immediacy: ● Jurisdictions across the US southwest must adopt standardized criteria for counting fatalities believed to be associated with undocumented border crossing. ● Despite some local formalization of UBC counting, current means of representing UBC status in vital records remains ad hoc across the US southwest and existing mechanisms for counting elude wider scale national recognition in vital statistics. The most straightforward and reliable method of standardization to ensure systematic representation of UBC deaths across the borderlands would be a UBC checkbox on the death certificate. This would require cooperation with state-level public health departments and legislatures. Precedent exists for changing the death form at the state level, facilitating, in some cases, for eventual inclusion of new components of the death certificate to be adopted on the US Standard Certificate of Death. This is recommended as a longer-term goal. ● Finally, there must be a means to characterize the deadly relationship between UBC fatalities and US border enforcement policy and practice in vital records where UBC Manners of Death are most often characterized as “Natural” or “Accidental.” Both are inaccurate. Unilaterally ensuring an accurate count leaves room for a trend already well underway in which agencies associated with border enforcement have cast UBC deaths as simply due to unfortunate heat-related accidents, resulting in legislation aimed to mitigate deaths that fails to address the role of border policy in causing deaths. This paper recommends that a new Manner of Death category could be useful beyond the border to represent non-capital crimes enforced by leveraging bodily harm.

Strategies for Land Economic Development in South Delhi District

This research paper examines the land economic development strategies in South Delhi, focusing on their impact on the socio-economic and spatial dynamics of the region. South Delhi, a diverse and economically vibrant district within the National Capital Region of India, presents a unique case study to explore how tailored land use policies and economic planning can foster sustainable growth. Using a mixed-method approach, this study integrates qualitative analysis of policy documents, stakeholder interviews, and quantitative assessment of economic indicators to analyze land use changes, economic transformations, and policy effectiveness from 2011 to 2021. The analysis spans both macro and micro levels, investigating transformations in key areas like Mehrauli, Lado Sarai, and Aya Nagar. Findings highlight significant shifts in land use from agricultural to residential and commercial purposes, driven by rapid urbanization, infrastructure development, and policy reforms. While certain strategies have effectively promoted economic growth, challenges such as environmental degradation, congestion, uneven policy enforcement, and socio- economic disparities persist. The study underscores the need for sustainable land use planning, improved infrastructure, stakeholder collaboration, and adaptive governance frameworks to balance economic growth with social equity and environmental sustainability The research offers comprehensive insights and practical recommendations for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders to optimize land economic development strategies in South Delhi, with implications for similar urban contexts globally. The study advocates for a holistic approach that integrates sustainable development, community engagement, and resilient policy frameworks to create livable and prosperous urban environments. Index Terms— Land Economic Development Strategies,South Delhi, Socio-Economic Dynamics ,Spatial Dynamics, Land Use Policies ,Economic Planning ,Sustainable Growth ,Mixed-Method Approach, Policy Documents, Stakeholder Interviews, Economic Indicators, Land Use Changes, Urbanization, Infrastructure Development ,Policy Reforms Environmental Degradation, Socio- Economic Disparities ,Sustainable Land Use Planning, Stakeholder Collaboration, Adaptive Governance, Urban Environments.

Cybersecurity leadership policy and compliance for institutions of higher education

Cybersecurity pairs with information asset storage and security for institutions of higher education. When institutions of higher education lack effective cybersecurity leadership, cyber incidents escalate. Worldwide, institutions of higher education are experiencing threats and vulnerabilities woven in their information systems and technology applications. This requires strategic resolutions. One strategy is cybersecurity and information security policy. Research collected worldwide proves usage of cybersecurity policy aligned with federal international law, establishes a cyber culture of compliance. Furthermore, personnel, internally and externally, are the bridge to managing access to data assets, and unless they are knowledgeable of the policy mandated by the institution and its cybersecurity infrastructure, the results of non-compliance can be catastrophic. Since the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology enacted cybersecurity policy for federal information systems. Institutions of higher education must adhere to these standards and guidelines to manage threats and vulnerabilities programmed in their hardware, software, and cloud. Therefore, why are so many institutions of higher education neglecting to align policy and enforcement of policy with these standards? What problems are creating non-compliance among institutions of higher education personnel and executive leadership? How can cybersecurity leadership improve policy and compliance to control risks factors programmed in information systems, technology, and cloud applications, institutions of higher education rely on to reduce human error? To assess and answer these questions, the researcher deployed qualitative grounded theory lite research to assess trends of cybersecurity leadership at institutions of higher education and to improve policy development and compliance.

Mitigating Climate Change in Ecotourism: Analyzing Initiatives and Challenges of Tourist Spot Owners in Adapting to Environmental Impacts

This research focuses on strategies and challenges that tourist spot owners and the ecotourism industry face in mitigating climate change. It, in particular, assesses carbon strategies, adaptive infrastructure, policy implementation, and sustainable resource management in tandem with community engagement and education. The results suggest that these are moderately effective in these regards, though there is considerable work done in carbon-emission reduction and water conservation. There is substantial scope for improvement in carbon offsetting, resilience building in infrastructure, and policy implementation and enforcement. The identified challenges include disruptions of operations due to climate-related events, fluctuating visitor arrivals, impacts on supply chains, biodiversity, and human health. Improvements to carbon offsetting schemes, enhancement of resource use management, refocusing waste management policies, and addressing disruptions in operations are also necessary. This study offers insights into developing more robust mitigation strategies in the tourism sector against climate change.

Factors Associated with the Access and Use of Improved Latrine Facilities in Tanzania

Access to improved latrine facilities is a basic human right and fundamental to good health. Inadequate sanitation practices cause serious health problems especially transmission of diarrhea. The study aimed to determine associated factors with access to and use of improved latrine facilities in Tanzania. The data for this study was obtained from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey (2022 TDHS-MIS) by visiting https://www.dhsprogram.com. Data were analyzed using STATA Version 16, whereby a multilevel logistic regression model was chosen as the statistical approach. The study revealed that overall 67.76% of the households had access to improved latrines. The study revealed that head of households with higher education, rich 55+ years and with television had higher odds of using improved toilets compared to others. The study concludes that more than half of the households in Tanzania had access to an improved latrine which is not common in most developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and thus can be used as a reference for learning. This implies the government and stakeholders’ interventions have brought positive changes. Hence, the need of policy enforcement in specific areas as well as government and stakeholders creating awareness campaigns to enable more households’ access to improved latrine in both rural and urban areas

Innovative Practices and Future Directions of Antitrust in Online “Live Streaming Sales”

Online “live streaming sales”, as an emerging platform economic model, exhibits significant differences in economic characteristics compared to traditional industries. Therefore, unique strategies distinct from those applied to traditional industries should be adopted in antitrust governance within the realm of online “live streaming sales”. China has implemented innovative practices from multiple perspectives, including legislation and law enforcement. However, the rapid advancement of antitrust regulation in online “live streaming sales” through administrative means poses challenges related to high economic costs, necessitating the establishment of a long-term regulatory mechanism centered on innovation-driven development. The key to achieving long-term regulation lies in ensuring the legalization of antitrust supervision, specifically involving the construction of a scientific and stable policy framework for antitrust regulation, the improvement of a legalized antitrust law enforcement system, the enhancement of the systematic and effective guidance for antitrust compliance, and the promotion of innovative practices in antitrust law enforcement policies. These measures will effectively maintain a fair competition order in the market and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the digital economy.

Securing Container Images through Automated Vulnerability Detection in Shift-Left CI/CD Pipelines

Integrating shift-left security practices and automated vulnerability detection in container images is imperative for modern software development, given the dynamics and vulnerability landscape. This crucial methodology emphasizes security from the initial stages of integration in container-based environments like Docker and Kubernetes. The paper examines containerization security challenges, including image vulnerabilities, insecure configurations, runtime risks, weak orchestration security, and supply chain weaknesses, while stressing compliance with regulatory rules. It explores how this automated approach leverages vulnerability detection methods integrated into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines through static and dynamic analyses, vulnerability databases, and policy-enforcement mechanisms. Beyond identifying vulnerabilities in CI/CD pipelines, the paper outlines methods to avoid policy violations, mitigate vulnerable images, and prevent recurring practices. Importantly, it underscores the continuous enforcement and remediation of policies and security standards. Security teams must invest efforts in developing policies, automated executions, and remediation procedures, fostering cross-departmental collaboration. In essence, this proactive stance aims to enhance software security, reduce risks, and improve adherence in containerized ecosystems, making it an indispensable component of modern software development.

Policy Implementation of The Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement in The Greater Jakarta Metro Area Police Jurisdiction

The aim of this study is to investigate the implementation of the ETLE policy in the Greater Jakarta Metro Area Police Jurisdiction. Data has shown that there have been fluctuations in the trend of traffic violations in the Greater Jakarta Metro Area Police Jurisdiction from 2018-2023. This research examines further the implementation of the Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (ETLE) policy to realize an orderly traffic area in the Greater Jakarta Metro Area Police Jurisdiction. Researchers use Grindle's policy implementation model to look at policy implementation. The researchers used a post-positivist approach by conducting data analysis techniques using illustrative methods on primary data in the form of in-depth interviews. In-depth interviews were conducted with several crucial policymakers, including the Traffic Director at the Greater Jakarta Metro Area Police, who led the ETLE policy in its jurisdiction. The results showed that implementation of the ETLE policy in the Greater Jakarta Metro Area Police jurisdiction has not run optimally in establish an orderly traffic area. Although there is progress in implementation, there are several critical notes that must be addressed to achieve policy objectives.

A study on substance abuse awareness and usage trends within the construction sector

Purpose To address safety risks, worker well-being concerns and productivity losses in construction due to substance misuse, this study aims to explore awareness and usage levels of various substances among Nigerian construction professionals. The findings aim to inform targeted interventions and policy development to tackle these industry-specific challenges. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature review identified several substances and intoxicants commonly used in construction, which informed the development of a well-structured questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed to both construction professionals and nonprofessionals. The Shapiro-Wilk test assessed the normality of awareness and utilization scores for each substance, while the Kruskal-Wallis H-test explored significant differences in awareness and usage scores among different respondent groups. Findings Despite reporting low awareness of substances commonly used in construction, a significant proportion (over 60%) of respondents admitted to using several of these substances in their construction activities. This highlights a concerning disconnect, with more than half (62.5%) exceeding a predefined threshold (3.5) for significant substance use. Ten out of the 16 substances surveyed fell into this category, indicating a widespread issue within the industry. Practical implications The findings of this study highlight the need for increased education and awareness programs about the dangers of substance misuse in the construction industry. Construction companies should implement regular training sessions and workshops to educate workers on the risks associated with substance use. Additionally, there should be stricter enforcement of substance use policies and routine substance testing to deter misuse. These measures can enhance safety, improve worker well-being and boost overall productivity in the construction industry. Originality/value The insights from this study can inform the development of international policies and best practices for substance use prevention and worker well-being in the construction industry. Sharing these findings with international organizations, policymakers and industry stakeholders can help create broader guidelines and frameworks adaptable for implementation in various countries.

Role of Media Representation in Shaping Public Perceptions of Crime in Tanzania

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of media representation in shaping public perceptions of crime in Tanzania. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Media representation plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions of crime in Tanzania by influencing how crime is perceived and understood by the general population. Sensationalized reporting and frequent coverage of violent crimes create a heightened sense of fear and insecurity, often leading to a distorted view of the prevalence and nature of crime. This can result in public demand for stricter law enforcement and punitive measures, sometimes disproportionately affecting certain communities. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Research on the role of media representation in shaping public perceptions of crime in Tanzania highlights several key points. Media coverage often emphasizes sensational or high-profile crimes, which can inflate public fear and skew perceptions of crime rates. Sensationalism and biased reporting contribute to distorted views, reinforcing stereotypes and increasing public anxiety. This media influence also affects policy and law enforcement responses, as crime coverage can shift political priorities and lead to reactive measures. Social media exacerbates these effects by spreading unverified information rapidly, adding to public concern.

Spatial and temporal changes of air quality in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2022 and model prediction

This study investigates the spatial and temporal dynamics of air quality in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2022. The Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a seasonal pattern, with higher values in winter due to temperature inversions and heating emissions, and lower values in summer aided by favorable dispersion conditions. The AQI improved significantly, decreasing by approximately 39.4 % from 6.44 to 3.90. Coastal cities exhibited better air quality than inland areas, influenced by industrial activities and geographical features. For instance, Zibo's geography restricts pollutant dispersion, resulting in poor air quality. CO levels remained stable, while O3 increased seasonally due to photochemical reactions in summer, with correlation coefficients indicating a strong positive correlation with temperature (r = 0.65). Winter saw elevated NO2 levels linked to heating and vehicular emissions, with an observed increase in correlation with AQI (r = 0.78). PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were higher in colder months due to heating and atmospheric dust, showing a significant decrease of 45 % and 40 %, respectively, over the study period. Predictive modeling forecasts continued air quality improvements, contingent on sustained policy enforcement and technological advancements. This approach provides a comprehensive framework for future air quality management and improvement.

Fire is associated with forest degradation and economic land concessions, but not land conversion in the rapidly transforming Cambodian landscape

Abstract Cambodia is beset by high deforestation rates and fire frequencies. From 2001–2020, forest cover declined by 34%, and cropland and rubber expanded by 31,401 km2 and 4,530 km2, respectively; meanwhile nearly 8.7 million fires burned 41.6% of the land. Fires may be associated with deliberate land change, stable land management systems, and unplanned forest degradation. We integrated annual land cover and monthly burned area data from 2001–2020 to test three hypotheses. First, if fire is used during land conversion, there would be a detectable pulse in fire activity in the year immediately prior to, and the year of land cover change. Our temporal analysis found statistically elevated burn rates in five of 16 transition tests, however, they were typically <1% outside the predicted range, indicating no practical significance in the association of fire with land cover change. Second, fire prevalence would be lower in land managed for conservation or agricultural production than unclassified or unmanaged land. persistent forest and shrubland burned at significantly higher rates than expected, cropland burned significantly less, burning was almost absent from rubber plantations, and forests in protected areas (PAs) exhibited lower total burn percentages than unclassified land or industrial economic land concessions (ELCs), thus supporting the fire-land management hypothesis. However, total burned area in ELCs was greater than unclassified land for several persistent land cover classes, suggesting that local landowners may prevent fire in commercially valuable private agricultural land, but there may be no such prevention measures in industrial ELCs. Anti-fire policy enforcement in ELCs should be enhanced. Third, forests that converted into (degraded) shrublands would experience increasing fire frequency in the years leading up to transition, a hypothesis we found strong support for through our temporal analysis. Cambodia’s 2013 Law on Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting deputizes the public to enforce its provision, however given that the vast majority of fires occur in persistent forest in state-owned land, collective action problems are likely to hinder its effective implementation.

Membrane - Safe and Performant Data Access Controls in Apache Spark in the Presence of Imperative Code

Data Governance is an increasingly critical feature of modern cloud database systems, enabling administrators to set granular access policies on their data. AWS customers want to define row or column filtering on their blob storage data and access it using popular tools such as Apache Spark. AWS EMR provides a managed and serverless solution that lets users run Spark jobs in the AWS cloud with imperative and declarative programming against their data, while securely enforcing the fine-grained access controls defined on those datasets. Spark runs its compiler and scheduler alongside the user application and embeds user-defined functions in query plans, giving a threat actor direct access to its memory space. This introduces attack vectors such as information disclosure or privilege escalation during policy enforcement, in addition to well-researched threats such as SQL side channel attacks. In this paper, we present Membrane: a novel approach to secure query plans with declarative and imperative code. The innovation comes from splitting the Spark driver in two in order to rewrite query plans with security boundaries while avoiding traditional tradeoffs when using container isolation techniques. The approach described herein enables applying fine grained data access controls to both SQL and map-reduce Spark jobs, with negligible performance and cost differences.

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge: a Transformative Approach to Biodiversity Legislation in Nigeria.

Indigenous communities worldwide have cultivated and preserved invaluable ecological knowledge on biodiversity conservation long before the formalisation of scientific inquiry. Rooted in familial intimacy with nature and an acute ability to discern subtle micro-changes, these communities profoundly understand the patterns and processes shaping their natural world. In Nigeria, a nation boasting diverse indigenous peoples and rich biodiversity, this unique knowledge system finds limited recognition within the current legal framework on biodiversity conservation. In response to the persistent decline of biodiversity within and beyond protected areas in the country, the paper argues for a shift grounded in integrating indigenous ecological knowledge(I.E.K) into the existing laws and policies on biodiversity conservation. The findings of this paper demonstrate the need for a transformative change- one demanding a fundamental reorganisation in the design, implementation, and enforcement of biodiversity policies in the country to prioritise the rights and agency of indigenous peoples and local communities in biodiversity policies. It submits that by acknowledging and incorporating indigenous knowledge into legal frameworks, the country can effectively combat biodiversity loss and foster a more inclusive, sustainable approach that aligns with the vision of the country and the global conservation goals.

Testing Smoker Detection Using Google Cloud Services and Infrastructure

Smoking remains a significant public health challenge globally, contributing to a wide range of detrimental health outcomes including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory disorders. Despite concerted efforts to curb smoking rates through policy interventions, effective monitoring and enforcement remain complex and resource-intensive tasks for health authorities and organizations. Innovative approaches leveraging advanced technologies such as visual detection systems powered by deep learning offer promising solutions to enhance smoking behavior detection and monitoring. Integrating the Google Cloud Vision API enables real-time identification of smoking indicators and discrimination from complex visual backgrounds. This capability not only supports proactive health monitoring but also strengthens the enforcement of public health policies aimed at reducing smoking prevalence. The research methodology utilizes a dataset of 600 images sourced from the Kaggle platform, encompassing diverse scenarios to optimize model training. Techniques such as image segmentation, feature extraction, and machine learning-based classification are employed to achieve high levels of precision and recall in identifying smokers and cigarette smoke. Despite the advantages of scalability, robust infrastructure, and high availability facilitated by cloud computing, the study acknowledges challenges such as bandwidth constraints and security risks associated with handling sensitive health data. Nevertheless, technological innovations in visual detection systems and cloud services are underscored as pivotal in mitigating the health impacts of smoking and advancing public health initiatives.

Cannabis Use, Use Disorder, and Workplace Absenteeism in the U.S., 2021–2022

Cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes, but their impact on workplace absenteeism remains poorly understood. Moreover, few studies have examined the role of CUD severity. This study aims to address these gaps by examining the associations between cannabis use recency, frequency, CUD severity, and workplace absenteeism. Cross-sectional data from a U.S. representative sample of full-time employed adults aged ≥18 from the 2021 to 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N=46,499) were analyzed. The associations between cannabis use recency, past-month cannabis use frequency, CUD severity, and workplace absenteeism (measured by self-reported number of missed days due to illness/injury and skipped work in the last 30 days) were evaluated using negative binomial regression, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and other substance use. Data were analyzed in 2023-2024. An estimated 15.9% of full-time employed adults used cannabis in the past month, with 6.5% meeting CUD criteria. Past-month cannabis use (compared to no lifetime use), more frequent past-month cannabis use (compared to no use in the past month), and each level of CUD (compared to no CUD) were associated with increased incidence of both missing work due to illness/injury and skipping work, with a dose-response relationship observed between CUD severity and skipping work (mild: adjusted incident rate ratio [aIRR]=1.60 [95% confidence interval [CI]=1.24, 2.08]; moderate: aIRR=1.98 [95% CI=1.50, 2.61]); severe (aIRR=2.87 [95% CI=2.12, 3.88]). Individuals with recent and frequent cannabis use and CUD are disproportionately prone to workplace absenteeism. Results support the enforcement of workplace drug prevention and treatment policies.

Appraisal of awareness about single use plastic bags (supbs) among consumers and shopkeepers of Lanka market, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract The awareness level of humans varies depending upon various known and unknown factors. Environmental awareness of an individual is the reflection of his/her thoughts, feelings and sensitivities towards the environment and its associated problems like degradation. It is the most important parameter for the measurement of implementation of government’s policies designed for the safeguard of environment and other related issues. The Indian Government decision for the complete ban on the Single-Use Plastic Bags (SUPBs) has been implemented in the whole country since 01 July 2022. Single-use plastic bags pose serious concerns for the environment and the economy of the country. The consumption as well as the disposal of plastic-related products is increasing day by day in India. Around 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated every year (CPCB 2020). The present paper is about the appraisal of the awareness level of consumers and shopkeepers about the use of plastic bags. In the present study, the primary survey is conducted to understand the awareness of consumers and shopkeepers regarding Single-Use Plastic Bags (SUPBs) in Lanka market, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The study tries to relate the level of literacy, economic status, hesitation to carry own bags and demand for the plastic bags with the environment awareness level. Study reflects, there is a strong relationship between uses of plastic bags with economic, social, cultural, political status of the people. It also reflects the lack of enforcement of policies about the Single-Use Plastic Bags (SUPBs).