Federal Entities Research Articles

State of Mental Health, Healthy Behaviors, and Wellness Support in Big 10 University Nursing and Health Sciences Faculty, Staff, and Students During COVID-19.

Federal and national entities urge organizations to assess healthcare professionals' mental health and well-being as the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the issue. This study aimed to (1) describe rates of mental health issues, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and perceptions of COVID-19's impact among Big 10 University nursing and health sciences faculty, staff, and students; (2) identify predictors of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout; and (3) assess the relationships among perceived school wellness support, healthy lifestyle behaviors, physical/mental health, and mattering. A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used. Nursing and health science deans emailed invitations to faculty, staff, and students concerning an anonymous wellness assessment survey. Correlation coefficients tested associations among mental health indicators and wellness cultures. Multiple linear regression examined factors associated with mental health indicators. Faculty, staff, and students responded (N=1345). Findings indicated that most respondents were not getting adequate sleep, meeting physical activity recommendations, or eating the daily recommended number of fruits/vegetables. Fourteen to 54.9% of participants reported depression, anxiety, and burnout. Overall, students, faculty and staff at colleges that operated under a strong wellness culture had better outcomes. Wellness cultures impact the mental and physical health of faculty, staff, and students.

Algorithmic bias: Looking beyond data bias to ensure algorithmic accountability and equity

As algorithms increasingly aid public sector decision making in the United States, it becomes important to understand how to effectively tackle algorithmic bias in systems that local, state, and federal government entities use and procure, including what kinds of policies are currently in place or proposed. There is a prevalent belief that algorithmic bias arises primarily from statistical biases present in the data used to train or develop the algorithm, but bias may also arise during data collection, problem specification, how and where algorithms are deployed, and within the broader societal contextualization of algorithms. So far, enacted policies in in the US center on temporary bans of particular types of algorithms, transparency, and post-hoc bias audits, as well as more wide-ranging (but non-binding) policy frameworks; all largely focus on quantitative notions of fairness when they assess bias, leaving room for more comprehensive legislation to meaningfully address this issue going forward.

Organochlorine contaminants in sediments and factors influencing their distribution in the natural marine protected area in the gulf of Mexico

The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in marine sediments of a natural marine protected area (NMPA), Veracruz Reef System (VRS), in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). This NMPA represents one of the first coastal sites with port activity in Mexico, which causes a range of human activities that require adequate planning so as not to impact and destroy this marine protected area; In this sense, this work represents the first effort aimed at diagnosing the presence of organochlorine contaminants in reef sediments from the mainland, both from the adjacent port area and from more distant regions with dominant agricultural activities that ultimately affect this NMPA. Content of organic matter (OM), carbonates and grain-size composition were determined to investigate their influence on compounds distribution in the sediment through multivariate analysis. The potential risk represented by organochlorines concentrations was evaluated taking as reference Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs). Levels of ∑PCBs, ∑DDTs, ∑HCHs and ∑Cyclodienes ranged from 11.59 to 29.79, < 0.01 to 34.11, 22.10 to 102.80, and 17.21–104.45 ng g−1 dry weight (DW), respectively. The statistical analysis revealed that the content of mud and organic matter were the parameters that might influence PCBs distribution in the sediment while OCPs could be influenced by sand and carbonate. The theoretical risk assessment estimated with the results obtained showed that concentrations of lindane, endrin, dieldrin and p,p’-DDT could have an adverse effect on the reef benthic community and continued monitoring is required. The data obtained on the organochlorine contaminants (OCs) considered in this work will contribute to support the strategies proposed by the Mexican federal government entity to continue with the conservation and surveillance of this NMPA and thereby guarantee the least impact derived mainly from port and related agricultural activities.

The US Federal Retail Pharmacy Program: Optimizing COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Through a Strategic Public-Private Partnership.

To help achieve the initial goal of providing universal COVID-19 vaccine access to approximately 258 million adults in 62 US jurisdictions, the federal government launched the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) on February 11, 2021. We describe FRPP's collaboration among the federal government, US jurisdictions, federal entity partners, and 21 national chain and independent pharmacy networks to provide large-scale access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 (eg, people aged ≥65 years, people from racial and ethnic minority groups). FRPP initially provided 10 000 vaccination sites for people to access COVID-19 vaccines, which was increased to >35 000 vaccination sites by May 2021 and sustained through January 31, 2022. From February 11, 2021, through January 31, 2022, FRPP vaccination sites received 293 million doses and administered 219 million doses, representing 45% of all COVID-19 immunizations provided nationwide (38% of all first doses, 72% of all booster doses). This unprecedented public-private partnership allowed the federal government to rapidly adapt and scale up an equitable vaccination program to reach adults, later expanding access to vaccine-eligible children, during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the largest federal COVID-19 vaccination program, FRPP exemplifies how public-private partnerships can expand access to immunizations during a public health emergency. Pharmacies can help meet critical national public health goals by serving as convenient access points for sustained health services. Lessons learned from this effort-including the importance of strong coordination and communication, efficient reporting systems and data quality, and increasing access to and demand for vaccine, among others-may help improve future immunization programs and support health system resiliency, emphasizing community-level access and health equity during public health emergencies.

Association of Receipt of Paycheck Protection Program Loans With Staffing Patterns Among US Nursing Homes

Staffing shortages in nursing homes (NHs) threaten the quality of resident care, and the COVID-19 pandemic magnified critical staffing shortages within NHs. During the pandemic, the US Congress enacted the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a forgivable loan program that required eligible recipients to appropriate 60% to 75% of the loan toward staffing to qualify for loan forgiveness. To evaluate characteristics of PPP loan recipient NHs vs nonloan recipient NHs and whether there were changes in staffing hours at NHs that received a loan compared with those that did not. This economic evaluation used national data on US nursing homes that were aggregated from the Small Business Administration, Nursing Home Compare, LTCFocus, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Payroll Based Journal, the Minimum Data Set, the Area Deprivation Index, the Healthcare Cost Report Information System, and the US Department of Agriculture Rural-Urban Continuum Codes from January 1 to December 23, 2020. Paycheck Protection Program loan receipt status. Staffing variables included registered nurse, licensed practical nurse (LPN), and certified nursing assistant (CNA) total hours per week. Staffing hours were examined on a weekly basis before and after loan receipt during the study period. An event-study approach was used to estimate the staffing total weekly hours at NHs that received PPP loans compared with NHs that did not receive a PPP loan. Among 6008 US NHs, 1807 (30.1%) received a PPP loan and 4201 (69.9%) did not. The median loan amount was $664 349 (IQR, $407 000-$1 058 300). Loan recipients were less likely to be part of a chain (733 [40.6%] vs 2592 [61.7%]) and more likely to be for profit (1342 [74.3%] vs 2877 [68.5%]), be located in nonurban settings (159 [8.8%] vs 183 [4.4%]), have a greater proportion of Medicaid-funded residents (mean [SD], 60.92% [21.58%] vs 56.78% [25.57%]), and have lower staffing quality ratings (mean [SD], 2.88 [1.20] vs 3.03 [1.22]) and overall quality star ratings (mean [SD], 3.08 [1.44] vs 3.22 [1.44]) (P < .001 for all). Twelve weeks after PPP loan receipt, NHs that received a PPP loan experienced a mean difference of 26.19 more CNA hours per week (95% CI, 14.50-37.87 hours per week) and a mean difference of 6.67 more LPN hours per week (95% CI, 1.21-12.12 hours per week) compared with nursing homes that did not receive a PPP loan. No associations were found between PPP loan receipt and weekly RN staffing hours (12 weeks: mean difference, 1.99 hours per week; 95% CI, -2.38 to 6.36 hours per week). In this economic evaluation, a forgivable loan program that required funding to be appropriated toward staffing was associated with a significant increase in CNA and LPN staffing hours among NH PPP loan recipients. Because the PPP loans are temporary, federal and state entities may need to institute sufficient and sustainable support to mitigate NH staffing shortages.

Barriers to digital government and the COVID-19 crisis – A comparative study of federal government entities in the United States and Austria

Barriers to digital government and the COVID-19 crisis – A comparative study of federal government entities in the United States and Austria

Impact of COVID-19 Infection by Federative Entity in Mexico: A Focus on Economic Inequalities and Vulnerability

In December 2019, China announced a SARS CoV-2 virus in the Wuhan market, later announced by the WHO as the COVID-19 pandemic with a global impact on public health. The aim of this review was focused on determining if there are disparities in the impact of COVID-19 associated with the average salary.&#x0D; Methodology: A documentary review of information detected in the network [Data México] among other sources was carried out, using the keywords; covid-19 pandemic, confirmed cases of covid-19, socioeconomic status and covid-19, socioeconomic disparity and covid-19 as well as cross-checking of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of deaths from this cause and salary average of each of the federative entities. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS-Ver 23.&#x0D; The results denote marked socioeconomic disparities, the impact of covid-19 does not reside in the biology of the virus, but in particularities of the patient, social environment, and other predictors such as marginalization and comorbidities.&#x0D; Conclusion: Economic disparities, municipal marginalization constitute a predictor of presenting severe forms of COVID-19, an independent association of other predictors such as age and cardio-metabolic comorbidities.

PROFIT MANAGEMENT OF ENTERPRISES IN CRISIS CONDITIONS: SOME FEATURES AND SECURITY SYSTEM

The problem of bankruptcy in Ukraine is quite relevant during the economic crisis. In connection with the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, citizens and business entities in Ukraine are experiencing financial losses that lead to insolvency. The war prevents enterprises from effectively conducting business activities, making timely payments to counterparties, and fully fulfilling their obligations. The crisis that began in the domestic economy with the beginning of the war in Ukraine showed that enterprises were not ready for it at all. The lack of profit prompts organizations to borrow, which ultimately, in the case of an ineffective debt policy, can lead to a financial crisis and bankruptcy. In addition, the process of gradual integration of Ukraine into the European community with its specific, clear rules and conditions of operation in the market is currently underway, which may lead to a decrease in the financial stability of domestic sectors of the economy.&#x0D; An increase in the profits of enterprises has a significant impact on the pace of economic development of the country, individual regions, and the improvement of the standard of living of the population. Therefore, the problem of competent and effective management of the profits of enterprises is relevant for the economy of Ukraine at this time.&#x0D; The modern market of economic relations is unstable and changeable. The economic situation is prone to constant changes and, as a rule, the inability of business entities to quickly adapt to changing market conditions creates a crisis situation at the enterprise. The emergence of a crisis situation gives an impetus to the improvement of effective management processes, the choice of anti-crisis management methods in order to maintain profitability, because profit is the final result of the activity of every enterprise.&#x0D; The article examines theoretical generalizations, the essence of profit as an economic category and the main element of the enterprise's efficiency, factors that affect its value and its importance in the financial and economic activity of the enterprise. The conceptual principles of profit management are characterized and the profit management system of enterprises is analyzed, as well as proposed actions to improve the mechanism of profit management.

BRAZILIAN CITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE EMERGENCY AND THE NEED TO OVERCOME THE NEOLIBERAL LOGIC BY POLYCENTRIC GOVERNANCE

The article addresses climate governance in the context of Brazilian cities, through public adaptation policies. The justification for the research is the fact that cities are home to the urban population, which, in addition to being the largest part of the world population, will be more directly impacted by climate change. The research problem is to analyze how cities should act and the cost of acting in the face of the need for adaptive policies in the context of climate emergency. The general objective is to analyze the impasse in local climate governance for cities. In this vein, the article presents three specific objectives: (a) to highlight that cities are obliged to act within the climate agenda; (b) reveal the neoliberal logic as responsible for the current failure of climate governance in cities; and (c) present an alternative for cities based on the polycentric approach to climate governance. The method adopted is based on the polycentric approach to climate governance, which advocates collaborative action between state and non-state entities, and in the sphere of public power, the interaction between federative entities is highlighted. It is considered as the most adequate methodological way to understand how Brazilian cities try to face local climate governance problems. polycentric approach.

Проблемы декомпозиции показателей Единого плана по достижению национальных целей развития Российской Федерации в региональной экономической политике

The study is concerned with the issues of harmonization of regional plans and federal guidelines in the imple-mentation of the Unified Plan for achieving the national development goals of the Russian Federation. The paper substantiates the presence of five derivations, which are deviations of the forecasting and planning pro-cesses from the optimal trajectory: insufficient degree of harmonization between federal and regional targets; increased volatility of planned indicators over time; the existence of gaps in the unified goal-setting; significant ambition; exaggeratedly rigid goal-setting. The practical aspect of the study was carried out on the basis of the content analysis of planned and targeted indicators of development strategies of individual federal entities (on the example of the regions of the North-Western Federal District). As recommendations for reducing deriva-tives, it is recommended to form the Plan of regional interest, determine the timing for the transformation of regional planning documents, establish priorities in regional development in conjunction with federal guide-lines, form a modular strategy for regional development, and determine the degree of responsibility of officials for failure to achieve planned targets.

Federalism as an institutional doctrine

Federalism as an institutional doctrine

Policy articulation in the institutional arrangement for implementing the pibid 2007-2013

This article is part of the debate on public educational policies in Brazil, and presents research results on the institutional arrangement for the implementation of the Institutional Program of Initiation Scholarship to Teaching, Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. This is a program for encouraging and valuing teaching and for improving the process of teaching for Basic Education, in partnership between universities and schools, with the licensees as their target public. The main theoretical-methodological foundation of the research is from the field of Public Policies, especially the studies about the phase of implementation of policies. Based on the theoretical-analytical model of the institutional arrangements for implementation, the guiding issue of this study was: what are the public educational policies linked to the Pibid in its institutional arrangement for implementation. The results pointed to a articulation of recent public educational policies to Pibid established via LDBEN, I and II PNE, PDE and "new" Capes, regarding teacher training for Basic Education. These policies also characterized the context of the creation of the Bibid and a structure of institutional and financial incentives. Consideration of the institutional arrangement for implementing the Pibid at different scales is relevant to understand the collaborative regimes involved in its institutional-legal and institutional-academic arrangement and the respective scales of implementation in the subnational federative entities and implementation in the partnerships between HEIs, public elementary education networks and each school-field.

An updated list of the Mexican herpetofauna: with a summary of historical and contemporary studies.

The growth in our knowledge of the diversity of the herpetofauna of Mexico has occurred over the period of approximately 445 years from the work of Francisco Hernández to that of a broad multinational array of present-day herpetologists. The work of this huge group of people has established Mexico as one of the most significant centers of herpetofaunal biodiversity in the world. This status is the result of a complex orography, in addition to diverse habitats and environments and the biogeographic history of Mexico. The current herpetofauna consists of 1,421 native and introduced species, allocated to 220 genera, and 61 families. This figure is comprised of 1,405 native species and 16 non-native species (as of April 2023). The non-native species include two anurans, 13 squamates, and one turtle. The level of endemism is very high, presently lying at 63%, with this level expected to increase with time. Species richness varies among the 32 federal entities in the country, from a low of 50 in Tlaxcala to a high of 492 in Oaxaca. Amphibian species richness by state-level can be envisioned as comprising three levels of low, medium, and high, with the lowest levels occurring in the Peninsula of Baja California, a group of seven states in north-central and central Mexico, and a group of three states in the Yucatan Peninsula, with the highest levels occupying the southern states of Guerrero, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, and the medium level in the remaining states of the country. Reptile species richness also can be allocated to three categories, with the lowest level occupying Baja California Sur, a group of central states, and the states of the Yucatan Peninsula, and the highest level found in a cluster of the states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Knowledge of the Mexican herpetofauna will continue to grow with additional studies on systematics, conservation, and the construction of checklists at various levels.

The Shared Stewardship Strategy in the Southern United States: Lessons Learned

Abstract The USDA Forest Service (Forest Service)’s Shared Stewardship strategy, announced initially in 2018, is built on a vision of advancing federal partnerships with states and other entities to better accomplish shared forest management priorities at the landscape scale. Early implementation of the strategy provides a glimpse into how these partnership dynamics differ both among states and among geographic and jurisdictional regions. Building on a prior assessment of early Shared Stewardship implementation in the western states, this Brief Communication article provides insights from a parallel analysis in the Southern Region (Region 8) of the Forest Service. Our results highlight the fact that informal relationships and ways of doing business can be as important as formal policies in shaping the ways that federal, state, and other entities work together in practice.

IT-индустрия как фактор развития креативной экономики Республики Крым

The creative economy is built on the IT industry, science, innovation, the Internet as a new technological infrastructure for the economy, knowledge, and intellectual activity. In the Russian Federation, creative industries are rapidly developing. Our country has accumulated vast experience in the innovative transformation of territorial entities, taking into account the existing cultural resource. This direction is followed not only by the regions of post-industrial development but also by other federal entities of the Russian Federation, including the Republic of Crimea. The creative industries are shaped not only by basic activities that form their core but by related activities that have a huge impact on them or are directly dependent on creative industries. One of the key objectives of the Strategy for Social and Economic Development of the Region Until 2030, as part of the creation of a new cultural space, is the formation of creative industry cluster. Currently, in the Republic of Crimea, IT industry products became less accessible due to the sanctions imposed not only against the Russian Federation but also against the region. Another problem hindering the development of the information technology market is insufficient information for population about the possibility of obtaining digital services, what determines the specific features of consumer behavior in the IT technologies environment. Attempts to introduce and spread new digital technologies are not always successful. For example, digital literacy of the population, provision of ICT organizations, creative environment also determine the existing differences. The development of the IT industry in the Republic of Crimea will help level the negative effects of the economic crisis both at the federal and regional levels, creating a multiplier effect on a number of dependent industries.

Trends, Impacts, and Cost of Catastrophic and Frequent Wildfires in the Sagebrush Biome

Fire regimes in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems have been greatly altered across the western United States. Broad-scale invasion of non-native annual grasses, climate change, and human activities have accelerated wildfire cycles, increased fire size and severity, and lengthened fire seasons in many sagebrush ecosystems to the point that current wildfire-management practices and postfire restoration efforts cannot keep pace to ameliorate the ecological consequences of sagebrush ecosystem loss. The greatest impact of uncharacteristically frequent fire is the transition from native sagebrush-perennial grass communities to invasive, non-native, annual grasslands that are highly flammable. These community transitions are often permanent, owing to the low probability of reestablishing native perennial plants in non-native annual grass−dominated communities. Moreover, these grasses can form extensive and continuous fine fuel loads that promote more frequent fire and the continued expansion of invasive, non-native annuals. More frequent, larger, and severe wildfires necessitate greater resources for fire-prevention, fire-suppression, and postfire restoration activities, while decreasing critical ecosystem services, economic and recreational opportunities, and cultural traditions. Increased flexibility and better prioritization of management activities based on ecological needs, including commitment to long-term prefire and postfire management, are needed to achieve notable reductions in uncharacteristic wildfire activity and associated negative impacts. Collaboration and partnerships across jurisdictional boundaries, agencies, and disciplines can improve consistency in sagebrush-management approaches and thereby contribute to this effort. Here, we provide a synthesis on sagebrush wildfire trends and the impacts of uncharacteristic fire regimes on sagebrush plant communities, dependent wildlife species, fire-suppression costs, and ecosystem services. We also provide an overview of wildland fire coordination efforts among federal, state, and tribal entities.

PAYMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES: A FURTHER ANALYSIS TO A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE BRAZILIAN AND ARGENTINE PERSPECTIVES

Payment for Environmental Services (PES) can be defined as a monetary/non-monetary compensation mechanism (provider-receiver principle) by the supply of environmental services. This work identified and analysed Brazilian and Argentine PES’s case studies under a national perspective but also under an eventual and future River Plate watershed. Brazilian projects can be considered unique due their special conditions and the environmental goals of the various Federative Entities, mainly the case of Sao Paulo state. In Argentina, by contrast, and despite improvements in PES projects through county and federal government initiatives. Finally, it was suggested some aspects that could be utilized, such as “parameters”, to promote social, economic, and environmental standardization in conjunction with regional PES projects that require international cooperation.

“They're just trying to survive”: The relationship between social vulnerability, informal housing, and environmental risks in Loíza, Puerto Rico, USA

Socially vulnerable households across the earth tend to live in informal settlements, which also are likely to be in areas that might experience flooding. Given that since the 1980s there have been more frequent and devastating hurricanes, this study asks what is the relationship between informal housing, social vulnerability, and environmental hazards in the context of a US territory? Although most research on this topic has concentrated in the Global South, there are no studies within the US disaster management system on these environmental justice topics—primarily because housing informality is heavily under studied in the US and the Global North. With the purpose of understanding the connection we conducted qualitative analysis using 30 interviews with stakeholders working on different facets of disaster recovery and mitigation in Loíza, Puerto Rico, a US territory. Loíza is a low-income Afro-Caribbean town along the coast, where about half of the homes are located within the 100-year FEMA flood maps. The findings suggest that changes need to be made regarding how local and federal government entities approach informal housing when providing assistance after the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria. It is also important for planners and other decision makers to educate communities and provide recovery funding after a major disaster so that long-term risks could be reduce without displacing the local population.

Green Persona vs Reality

Green Persona vs Reality

Up and over: Consequences of raising the United States-Mexico border wall height.

San Diego County's geographic location lends a unique demographic of migrant patients injured by falls at the United States-Mexico border. To prevent migrant crossings, a 2017 Executive Order allocated funds to increase the southern California border wall height from 10 ft to 30 ft, which was completed in December 2019. We hypothesized that the elevated border wall height is associated with increased major trauma, resource utilization, and health care costs. Retrospective trauma registry review of border wall falls was performed by the two Level I trauma centers that admit border fall patients from the southern California border from January 2016 to June 2022. Patients were assigned to either "pre-2020" or "post-2020" subgroups based upon timing of completion of the heightened border wall. Total number of admissions, operating room utilization, hospital charges, and hospital costs were compared. Injuries from border wall falls grew 967% from 2016 to 2021 (39 vs. 377 admissions); this percentage is expected to be supplanted in 2022. When comparing the two subgroups, operating room utilization (175 vs. 734 total operations) and median hospital charges per patient ($95,229 vs. $168,795) have risen dramatically over the same time period. Hospital costs increased 636% in the post-2020 subgroup ($11,351,216 versus $72,172,123). The majority (97%) of these patients are uninsured at admission, with costs largely subsidized by federal government entities (57%) or through state Medicaid enrollment postadmission (31%). The increased height of the United States-Mexico border wall has resulted in record numbers of injured migrant patients, placing novel financial and resource burdens on already stressed trauma systems. To address this public health crisis, legislators and health care providers must conduct collaborative, apolitical discussions regarding the border wall's efficacy as a means of deterrence and its impact on traumatic injury and disability. Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.