Government Measures Research Articles

Mapping Population Distribution with High Spatiotemporal Resolution in Beijing Using Baidu Heat Map Data

Population distribution data with high spatiotemporal resolution are of significant value and fundamental to many application areas, such as public health, urban planning, environmental change, and disaster management. However, such data are still not widely available due to the limited knowledge of complex human activity patterns. The emergence of location-based service big data provides additional opportunities to solve this problem. In this study, we integrated ambient population data, nighttime light data, and building volume data; innovatively proposed a spatial downscaling framework for Baidu heat map data during work time and sleep time; and mapped the population distribution with high spatiotemporal resolution (i.e., hourly, 100 m) in Beijing. Finally, we validated the generated population distribution maps with high spatiotemporal resolution using the highest-quality validation data (i.e., mobile signaling data). The relevant results indicate that our proposed spatial downscaling framework for both work time and sleep time has high accuracy, that the distribution of the population in Beijing on a regular weekday shows “centripetal centralization at daytime, centrifugal dispersion at night” spatiotemporal variation characteristics, that the interaction between the purpose of residents’ activities and the spatial functional differences leads to the spatiotemporal evolution of the population distribution, and that China’s “surgical control and dynamic zero COVID-19” epidemic policy was strongly implemented. In addition, our proposed spatial downscaling framework can be transferred to other regions, which is of value for governmental emergency measures and for studies about human risks to environmental issues.

Knowledge toward COVID-19 in children among undergraduate students at the beginning of COVID-19 era.

To describe the level of knowledge of undergraduate students in Jordan toward COVID-19 in children in respect of the clinical signs of the disease, modes of transmission, protection measures against the disease and satisfaction with governmental measures. A cross-section was utilized in this study. An online survey questionnaire was utilized in this research study. All undergraduate students in Jordan were able to take part. The size of the sample was 799. Knowledge toward COVID-19 among children was used to assess the participants' knowledge about COVID-19. The findings indicate that the students had a good understanding of the clinical signs, mode of transmission and protection measures and were satisfied with governmental measures. According to the students' responses, the resource they used the most was social media followed by news channels. Our study also found that medical specialty students had more knowledge toward COVID-19 than non-medical.

Governmental Anti-Covid Measures Effectiveness Detection

We present a retrospective analysis of Czech anti-covid governmental measures’ effectiveness for an unusually long three years of observation. Numerous Czech government restrictive measures illustrate this analysis applied to three years of COVID-19 data from the first three COVID-19 cases detected on 1st March 2020 till March 2023. It illustrates the course from the dramatic combat of unknown illness to resignation to country-wide measures and placing COVID-19 into a category of common nuisances. Our analysis uses the derived adaptive recursive Bayesian stochastic multidimensional Covid model-based prediction of nine essential publicly available COVID-19 data series. The COVID-19 model enables us to differentiate between effective measures and solely nuisance or antagonistic provisions and their correct or wrong timing. Our COVID model allows us to predict vital covid statistics such as the number of hospitalized, deaths, or symptomatic individuals, which can serve for daily control of anti-covid measures and the necessary precautions and formulate recommendations to control future pandemics.

Machine Learning Techniques for Sentiment Analysis of COVID-19-Related Twitter Data

On Twitter, COVID-19 is a highly discussed topic. People worldwide have used Twitter to express their viewpoints and feelings during the pandemic. Previous research has focused on particular topics such as the public’s sentiment during the lockdown, their opinion on governmental measures, or their stance towards COVID-19 vaccines. However, until today, there is no comprehensive overview that presents possible areas of application for sentiment analysis of COVID-19 Twitter data. Therefore, this study reveals how sentiment analysis can provide relevant insights for managing the pandemic by applying a behavioral and social science lens. In this context, our systematic literature review focuses on machine learning-based sentiment analysis techniques and compares the best-performing classification algorithms for COVID-19-related Twitter data. We performed a search in five databases, which are: IEEE Xplore DL, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, ACM DL, and AIS Electronic Library. This search resulted in 40 papers published between October 2019 and January 2022 that used sentiment analysis to evaluate the public opinion on COVID-19-related topics, which we further investigated. Our research indicates that the best performing models in terms of accuracy are ensemble models that comprise various machine learning classifiers. Especially BERT and RoBERTa models provide the most promising results when fine-tuned on Twitter data. Our study aims to combine machine learning-based sentiment analysis and insights from social and behavioral science to provide decision-makers and public health experts with guidance on the application of sentiment analysis in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

Regulatory aspects and measures of the Emergency Care Network: a game of disputes between the public and private interests

The study analyzes regulatory aspects and measures as social production in the Emergency Care Network (RUE) of two health regions. This is a multiple case study of qualitative character, performed via 61 interviews with public administrators, users, and health services managers. The analysis had as theoretical reference the Theory of Social Production. We identified professional, lay, clientelistic, and governmental regulatory measures, in the systemic aspects, of the services and of access. The main results point to regulatory flows produced by movements of various social actors, with emphasis on the action of representatives of hospital service providers, especially private ones, characterizing the proposal of another regime: market regulation. We emphasize the limits and powers of arrangements, such as hospital and the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) regulation centers, the internal hospital regulation centers, and the use of WhatsApp. Health regulation in RUE consists of complex, contradictory, and conflicting social processes, whose flows are produced at the limit between the public and private interests.

Relationship between the government implemented protective measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the pandemic and the understanding of religious evidence in Muslim community: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has swept across the Middle East has ignited religious tensions. Although the implementation of effective preventive measures is the best way to control the spread of COVID-19, in such countries as Saudi Arabia, these restrictions have sometimes been viewed as violations of religious practice. The present study explores the reasons for ignoring the authorities' recommendations, and the inability of the authorities to create a sense of inclusion in the protective measures they introduce against the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in Saudi Arabia and data were collected from 922 participants. The questionnaire contained 17 questions on personal characteristics, compliance with governmental protective measures, and participants' understanding of religious evidence. The SPSS was used for data analysis. Categorical data was presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between people's compliance to the protective measures and their understanding of religious evidence. The age of the study participants ranged between 17 to 68 years with a mean age of 43.9 (±12.69) years. About half of the participants reported always complying to Mosque precautions (49.9%) and keeping distance (53.7%). However, only 34.3% participants always maintained social distancing while visiting relatives; about 25.2% often kept a social distance. We found that an adequate understanding of religious principles was significantly associated with accepted overall commitment, and inadequate understanding was significantly associated with lack of commitment. An adequate understanding of religious principles was significantly associated with a positive attitude toward future commitment and inadequate understanding was significantly associated with a negative attitude. We recommend that the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia solicits the support of religious scholars to give a proper explanation of the religious evidence and eliminate misconceptions to promote compliance with the protective measures.

A Comparative Study of Governmental and Societal Measures to Prevent Neocrown Pneumonia in Various Countries—Taking China, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States as Examples

A Comparative Study of Governmental and Societal Measures to Prevent Neocrown Pneumonia in Various Countries—Taking China, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States as Examples

COVID-19 pandemic fatigue among well-educated egyptian population: Cross-sectional study.

The study explores the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic fatigue among well-educated Egyptians measured in terms of their level of adherence toward COVID-19 protective measures along 20 months since the beginning of the pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2021, using an online questionnaire for well-educated Egyptians in different governorates. A total of 888 participants completed the questionnaire, their mean age was 39 ± 7.2 years and 60% of them were females. There was a strong association between the presence of either behavioral risk factors or chronic conditions and % of infection. The main sources of COVID-19 information were social media, followed by the Egyptian Ministry of health and population and WHO websites. A pandemic fatigue was observed after nearly 7 to 10 months from the pandemic emergence. The participant's age, previous COVID-19 infection, and occupation status were significant predictors for adherence to COVID-19 protective measures. The participants claimed that difficulty in remaining at home, feeling uncomfortable with face masks, the high cost of protective supplies, absence of governmental enforcement, and forgetfulness are the most perceptive barriers hindering their adherence to COVID-19 protective measures. They suggested some strategies for better adherence and reduced pandemic fatigue that includes: the implementation of governmental enforcement measures, including penalties for nonwearing masks, educational health programs, and availability of free protective supplies at the workplace. Pandemic fatigue was observed after 7 to 10 months from the pandemic emergence even though the high education level of the participants.

Эволюция гражданского чинопроизводства в Российской империи в XVIII—XIX веках

The author studies governmental measures to regulate the sphere of promotion in rank in the Russian Empire analyzing new data obtained from unpublished documents of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). Documents demonstrate the role of the Table of Ranks of Peter I and its influence on the development of civil ranks in the Russian Empire. The issues of uncontrolled growth of the bureaucracy and abuse of civil ranks for the rapid career advancement of civil servants are seen to be essential for the XIX century. The article attempts at answering the question why the government failed to abolish civil ranks throughout the entire 19th century. In addition, the article explores possible alternative ways of reforming the system of civil ranks that could be adopted by the government of the Russian Empire.

Event Study Design for Modeling Early Relaxation in Turkish Public with COVID-19 Vaccine.

Vaccination is crucial to fighting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. A large body of literature investigates the effect of the initiation of the COVID-19 vaccination in case numbers in Turkey, including the resistance and willingness to taking the vaccine. The effect of early relaxation in the Turkish public with the initiation of vaccination on new daily cases is unknown. This study performs an event study analysis to explore the pre-relaxation effect of vaccination on the Turkish public by using daily data of new cases, stringency index, and residential mobility. Two events are comparatively defined as the vaccination of the health personnel (Event 1) and the citizens age 65 and over (Event 2). The initial dates of these events are January 13 and February 12, 2021, respectively. The length of the estimation window is determined as 14 days for the 2 events. To represent only the early stages of the vaccination, the study period ends on April 12, 2021. Thus, whereas the event window of Event 1 includes 90 observations, Event 2 covers 60 observations. While average values of residential mobility, stringency index, and daily numbers of cases are 15.36, 71.03, and 11 978.93 in the estimation window for Event 1, these averages are 8.89, 70.88, and 17 303.20 in the event window. For Event 2, the same average values are 9.14, 69.38, and 7 664.93 in the estimation window and 8.25, 71.12, and 22 319.10 in the event window. When 14-day abnormal growth rates of the daily number of cases for Event 1 and Event 2 are compared, it is observed that Event 1 has negative growth rates initially and reaches a 7.59% growth at most. On the other hand, Event 2 starts with a 1.11% growth rate, and having a steady increase, it reaches a 23.70% growth in the last 14 days of the study period. The preliminary result shows that, despite taking more strict governmental measures, while residential mobility decreases, the daily number of COVID-19 cases increases in the early stages of vaccination compared to short pre-periods of it. This indicates that the initiation of vaccination leads to early behavioral relaxation in public. Moreover, the effect of Event 2 on the case numbers is more significant and immediate, compared to that of Event 1, which may be linked to the characteristic of the Turkish culture being more sensitive to the older adult population.

AIR POLLUTION IN SKOPJE: PRACTICE AND AWARENESS IN THE SCOPE OF HOUSEHOLD HEATING

Air pollution is a concern which poses threat to human health and likewise greatly impacts the ecosystem and the environment. By its broader definition, the air pollution is described as increase in the rate of harmful gases and particles in the atmosphere. Given that the city of Skopje is on the top of the list of most polluted cities in Europe the aim of this study is to analyze the air pollution in Skopje, particularly focusing the attention on the household heating as one of the major sources of ambient air pollution in the city. A survey on 242 households was conducted in order to obtain information about the ways of residential heating and the willingness of households to use more environmentally friendly heating technologies. The survey was carried out on the territory of the city of Skopje, as it is the most polluted city in the country. The governmental measures for air pollution abatement in Skopje were reviewed as well. The results show that most of the households although aware about the emission of harmful particles into air when combusting firewood in old traditional stoves, they still use firewood as it is the cheapest mode of heating. The previous is of particular importance and decisive for the low-income households. It was also observed that the respondents were familiar with the possibility for using wood pellets, as more environmentally heating mode, but there was a lack of information concerning the possibility of governmental subsidizing for replacement of the existing firewood with more modern wood pellets system. The households that have already started to use wood pellets instead firewood, have increased monthly costs (10 - 15%), but nevertheless they still recommend the use of pellets and pellet stoves due to the efficiency of heating, maintenance, cleanliness, and less pollution of air on the long run. Summarizing, the choice of heating with firewood is more due to the lower monthly incomes and rational cost planning of the households, and less to the lack of awareness of citizens for utilizing more efficient and more environmentally friendly heating technologies.

Analysis Regarding the Implementation of the Circular Economy in Romania

The transition to the circular economy is a basic principle of the policy of the European Union, it is the chance for a cleaner world, an ideal world with “zero waste”. This document analyzes the implementation degree of circular economy in Romania through 10 monitoring indicators defined by European Commission in ”Measuring progress towards the circular economy in the European Union—Key indicators for a monitoring framework”, released in January 2018. In order to understand the paper, it was considered necessary to define the indicators with reference to the targets proposed by the European Union. The analysis of the stage of implementation of the circular economy in Romania was made by using the data published by Eurostat. Methodologically, a comparative study was carried out between the level of implementation of circular economy indicators in Romania and the EU and the position occupied by Romania among the member states was identified for each of these 10 circular economy monitoring criteria. Each indicator is analyzed and the causes and motivations that led to the obtaining of the mentioned values are identified. The results of the study show that Romania is in the upper part of the hierarchy for certain indicators, contributing to the achievement of EU targets. It also identifies the causes that delay performance in others, indicating future solutions, necessary to be adopted to remedy the situation. Implementing the circular economy requires long-term vision, political determination and consistency, and, last but not least, funding. In these directions, governmental measures must be taken to increase performance at the national level. In conclusion with an economy that is not sufficiently strong, and affected as it is by the current crises, Romania is moving forward on the path of transitioning to a circular economy.

Health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait.

With the rapid transmission of COVID-19 globally, countries have implemented strict governmental measures and social distancing rules that aimed to minimize the spread of the virus. School closures, quarantine orders, and social isolation, coupled with a surge in family stress and lack of peer interactions, are probable causes of mental health complications and psychological symptoms faced by children. This study aims at comparing the HRQoL of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and affected by COVID-19 infection (personal or familial) and those who were not affected by COVID-19. A random sample was selected from children and adolescents diagnosed with T1D at the six major governmental diabetes centers in Kuwait. To measure HRQoL, parent-proxy and self-reports from the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQLTM) 3.0 Diabetes Module were used. A sample of 455 children and adolescents with T1D diabetes (44.6% male participants and 41.98% affected by COVID-19 infection) was studied. The total score of the HRQoL self-reports was significantly higher compared with parent-proxy reports (79.06 ± 15.19 vs. 73.79 ± 15.17, p < 0.01). Children reported significantly higher HRQoL scores in the "treatment I" domain and "worry" domain and lower scores in the "diabetes" symptoms domain, compared with their parents' reports (p < 0.01). In the COVID-19-affected group, a major difference was noticed between the total scores of children and parent-proxy reports (77.04 ± 15.81 vs. 72.80±14.90, p = 0.047). The affected children reported significantly lower scores in "diabetes" symptoms (59.50) (p < 0.01) and higher scores in the "treatment I" domain (81.43) than their parent-proxy reports (72.05) (p < 0.01). This is the first report on the health-related quality of life of children with T1D in Kuwait during the COVID-19 era. Parents' or caregivers' experience of caring for their children was negative, as they worried, and reported poorer HRQoL compared with their children's perceptions. There is a need to empower healthcare professionals to support parents and caregivers of children with chronic diseases such as T1D in promoting self-management, enhancing physical and psychological wellbeing, treatment adherence, and continuous health education during pandemics of any kind.

The Effect of Covid-19 on the Stock Market of the Travel And Leisure Industry: Evidence from the United States

This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of the US travel and leisure stock, using daily data sets from December 31, 2019 to December 2, 2020. Applying the multifactor model, which is an extension of the capital asset pricing model, the study examines how governmental announcements and policy measures to contain the pandemic situation impact the stock prices, controlling for confirmed cases, growth rates, and death rates owing to the pandemic. Further, to reduce the potential bias in heterogeneity, crucial macroeconomic regressors such as oil prices, exchange rates, and a volatility index are included. The study obtains a heterogeneous impact across quantiles. Government stringency measures negatively impact the travel and leisure stock prices, while the announcement of economic support programs positively impacts the stocks, particularly at the high-end quantiles. We advocate that the introduction of asset-light and fee-based strategies will enable the firms to overcome the adverse implications of the pandemic in the long run. This study offers major insights for protecting and developing the recovery of the travel and leisure stock market by considering the importance of government interventions and their effective implementation.

Anti-Impf-Bewegung und Verschwörungsnarrative in der Tschechischen Republik

The author deals with the use of conspiracy narratives by actors of the anti-vax movement in the Czech Republic during the Covid-19 pandemic in the years 2020–2022. The general development of the pandemic and the governmental measures are described, and the milestones of the anti-vax movement are identified. Conspiracy narratives are categorized in relation to traditional or new issues and to the national or global scope. Specific attention is paid to the anti-Semitic conspiracy narratives interconnected with part of the anti-Vax movement. Various kinds of conspiracy narratives were used in the Czech Republic, and they mobilized the anti-vax movement; however, its political results and impact on elections were limited.

Digitalization impacts the COVID-19 pandemic and the stringency of government measures

COVID-19 poses a significant burden to populations worldwide. Although the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation, little is known about the influence of digitalization on pandemic developments. Therefore, this country-level study aims to explore the impact of pre-pandemic digital adoption on COVID-19 outcomes and government measures. Using the Digital Adoption Index (DAI), we examined the association between countries' digital preparedness levels and COVID-19 cases, deaths, and stringency indices (SI) of government measures until March 2021. Gradient Tree Boosting based algorithm pinpointed essential features related to COVID-19 trends, such as digital adoption, populations' smoker fraction, age, and poverty. Subsequently, regression analyses indicated that higher DAI was associated with significant declines in new cases (β = − 362.25/pm; p < 0.001) and attributed deaths (β = − 5.53/pm; p < 0.001) months after the peak. When plotting DAI against the SI normalized for the starting day, countries with higher DAI adopted slightly more stringent government measures (β = 4.86; p < 0.01). Finally, a scoping review identified 70 publications providing valuable arguments for our findings. Countries with higher DAI before the pandemic show a positive trend in handling the pandemic and facilitate the implementation of more decisive governmental measures. Further distribution of digital adoption may have the potential to attenuate the impact of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Illegal wildlife trade in two special economic zones in Laos: Underground–open-sale fluctuations in the Golden Triangle borderlands

The Laos borders with China, Myanmar, and Thailand have been identified as vulnerable hubs for illegal wildlife trade. In particular, some special economic zones (SEZs) in Laos are linked to illegal wildlife products, including tiger bones, rhino horn, and ivory for sale. SEZs are zones granted more free market-oriented economic policies and flexible governmental measures. In this study, we conducted on-site observations to identify high-valued wildlife, including (parts of) tigers, rhinos, bears, and pangolins in 2 of the 13 SEZs—the Golden Triangle and Boten SEZs—and conducted semistructured interviews with anonymous participants in 2017 and 2019. The trend regarding illegal wildlife trade in these SEZs seems to fluctuate. In the Golden Triangle SEZ, we found that the illegal trade in wildlife is present but occurs more covertly than previously observed; the trade transformed underground to online social media. In Boten SEZ, we found a decrease in bear bile products and an increase in the volume of tiger products openly for sale. Informants explained that the decrease of openly sold wildlife in the Golden Triangle SEZ has been influenced by media and political attention as well as inspections from local authorities, while in Boten SEZ, illegal wildlife traders diversified into tiger products, due to the decline in bear bile products and the reduction in the opportunity to obtain them.

Exploring the Market Requirements for Smart and Traditional Ageing Housing Units: A Mixed Methods Approach

The world’s population is getting older these days. Frailty, a gerontologic health condition associated with ageing, has serious consequences. One crucial remedy for the elderly population is the development of ageing-in-place infrastructures. To better understand the market requirements for ageing housing units, the causes of downsizing and the governmental measures to ameliorate the situation, face-to-face in-depth individual and focus group interviews were conducted in this study. Elderly residents of two significant ageing-in-place institutions in Hong Kong, along with their caregivers, were interviewed. The method of methodological triangulation was used to combine interviews, records, and communication tools to increase the reliability and trustworthiness of the findings. The provision of facilities for the elderly has successfully established a pathway for creating and making housing spaces available to families who need larger homes, while the elderly typically downsize from larger homes and relieve their financial needs. It is also found that a digital divide exists; some respondents suggested that they do not know about computers and do not use smart facilities in their homes.

Changes in structure and function of social networks of independently living middle-aged and older adults in diverse sociodemographic subgroups during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study

BackgroundSocial networks, i.e., all social relationships that people have, contribute to well-being and health. Governmental measures against COVID-19 were explicitly aimed to decrease physical social contact. We evaluated ego-centric social network structure and function, and changes therein, among various sociodemographic subgroups before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsIndependently living Dutch adults aged 40 years and older participating in the SaNAE longitudinal cohort study filled in online questionnaires in 2019 and 2020. Changes in network size (network structure) and social supporters (network function) were assessed. Associations with risk for changes (versus stable) were assessed for sociodemographic subgroups (sex, age, educational level, and urbanization level) using multivariable regression analyses, adjusted for confounders.ResultsOf 3,344 respondents 55% were men with a mean age of 65 years (age range 41–95 in 2020). In all assessed sociodemographic subgroups, decreases were observed in mean network size (total population: 11.4 to 9.8), the number of emotional supporters (7.2 to 6.1), and practical supporters (2.2 to 1.8), and an increase in the number of informational supporters (4.1 to 4.7). In all subgroups, the networks changed to being more family oriented. Some individuals increased their network size or number of supporters; they were more often women, higher-educated, or living in rural areas.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic impacted social networks of people aged 40 years and older, as they increased informational support and reduced the number of their social relationships, mainly in terms of emotional and practical supporters. Notably, some individuals did not show such unfavorable trends and managed to reorganize their networks to attribute social support roles more centrally.

Reasserting the Principle of Legality in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Note on the Decision U-I-79/21 of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia

In a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Slovenian Government adopted numerous measures that were substantively similar to those, adopted in other states. The scope and intensity of those measures significantly affected the principle of the separation of powers and the protection of human rights. In this context, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia adopted Decision U-I-79/21, which marked the contours for the review of legality and constitutionality of the Governmental measures in subsequent cases. The key message of the Decision was the demand for the strict observance of the principle of legality when adopting measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which interfere with human rights. This article explains the context of the Decision and presents key arguments from the Decision and the concurring and dissenting opinions as well as the response of the expert community.