Search Results (3,518)

So far, a large number of studies have quantified the effect of COVID-19 lockdown measures on air quality in different countries worldwide. However, few studies have compared the influence of different approaches on the estimation results. The present study aimed to utilize a random forest machine learning approach as well as a difference-to-difference approach to explore the effect of lockdown policy on nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentration during COVID-19 outbreak period in mainland China. Datasets from 2017 to 2019 were adopted to establish the random forest models, which were then applied to predict the NO₂ concentrations in 2020, representing a scenario without the lockdown effect. The results showed that random forest models achieved remarkable predictive accuracy for predicting NO₂ concentrations, with index of agreement values ranging between 0.34 and 0.76. Compared with the modelled NO₂ concentrations, on average, the observed NO₂ concentrations decreased by approximately 16 µg/m³ in the lockdown period in 2020. The difference-to-difference approach tended to underestimate the influence of COVID-19 lockdown measures. Due to the improvement of NO₂ pollution, around 3722 non-accidental premature deaths were avoided in the studied population. The presented machine learning modelling framework has a great potential to be transferred to other short-term events with abrupt pollutant emission changes. Full article

This study assesses and quantifies the economic and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic during the period of business operation restrictions countrywide (lockdown measures). We examine the strategies adopted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reopen their business operations after lockdown measures had been relaxed or lifted. Data were collected in Rwanda from nearly 244 SMEs across the country, providing firsthand and reliable information on the effects of the pandemic on business performance, with a particular emphasis on wood-based enterprises. We used Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and multivariate linear regression methods to measure the pandemic’s effects on employment, sales, and tax payments among SMEs. The findings reveal that firms downsized employment by 36%, with significant deviations within different SME sizes. Small businesses were particularly affected by reduced sales levels due to the pandemic. Although there was an overall reduction in tax payments during the crisis, medium-sized enterprises experienced a more significant decrease in taxes paid to the government by 74.6%. Additionally, regression findings affirm that the COVID-19 effects on SMEs were manifested in reduced sales across all categories of SMEs, reduced employment, and a reduced amount of taxes paid to the government, which further translate to reduced economic performance during COVID-19 period. Furthermore, SME owners utilised various coping mechanisms during the reopening phase, including a reliance on savings and selling assets. The analysis recommends establishing medium-term financing mechanisms and providing technical support for SMEs to ensure a steady and sustainable recovery from the pandemic’s effects, as well as enhancing their resilience to future socio-economic shocks. Full article

The pandemic lockdown of the year 2020 has been generally accompanied by an improvement in the air quality. Here, we report data on the effects of lockdown limitations on the air quality in the metropolitan area of Naples (Italy) by following the evolution of main atmospheric pollutants over a five-year period and comparing their concentrations in the pandemic year 2020 with the previous (2018 and 2019) and following (2021 and 2022) two years. In particular, NO₂ and PM10 concentrations registered by representative air quality sampling station network and the columnar features of the aerosol characterized by a sun-photometer are considered. To avoid the possible influence of Saharan dust transport, which generally affects the observational area, the analysis has been limited to the days free from such events. Our findings evidence a tendency towards pre-pandemic conditions, notwithstanding some differences related to partial and temporary restrictions imposed even in the year 2021. For both near-surface NO₂ and PM, the observations confirm a significant reduction induced by the lockdown in 2020, besides the seasonal changes, and a gradual tendency towards more typical values in the following years. Also, the columnar aerosol data clearly highlight a gradual recovery of typical conditions in 2021 and 2022, confirming a peculiar effect of the pandemic lockdown of the year 2020 on the atmospheric aerosol characteristics that evidences a striking predominance of the fine component. Full article

The digitalization of the global landscape of electricity consumption, combined with the impact of the pandemic and the implementation of lockdown measures, has required the development of a precise forecast of energy consumption to optimize the management of energy resources, particularly in pandemic contexts. To address this, this research introduces a novel forecasting model, the robust multivariate multilayered long- and short-term memory model with knowledge injection ($\mathtt{Robust}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{mv}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{M}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{LSTM}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{CI}$), to improve the accuracy of forecasting models under uncertain conditions. This innovative model extends the capabilities of $\mathtt{mv}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{M}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{LSTM}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{CI}$ by incorporating an additional branch to extract energy consumption from adversarial noise. The experiment results show that $\mathtt{Robust}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{mv}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{M}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{LSTM}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{CI}$ demonstrates substantial improvements over $\mathtt{mv}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{M}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{LSTM}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{CI}$ and other models with adversarial training: multivariate multilayered long short-term memory (adv-M-LSTM), long short-term memory (adv-LSTM), bidirectional long short-term memory (adv-Bi-LSTM), and linear regression (adv-LR). The maximum noise level from the adversarial examples is 0.005. On average, across three datasets, the proposed model improves about 24.01% in mean percentage absolute error (MPAE), 18.43% in normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), and 8.53% in $R^2$ over $\mathtt{mv}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{M}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{LSTM}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{CI}$. In addition, the proposed model outperforms “adv-” models with MPAE improvements ranging from 35.74% to 89.80% across the datasets. In terms of NRMSE, improvements range from 36.76% to 80.00%. Furthermore, $\mathtt{Robust}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{mv}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{M}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{LSTM}\mathit{\text{-}}\mathtt{CI}$ achieves remarkable improvements in the $R^2$ score, ranging from 17.35% to 119.63%. The results indicate that the proposed model enhances overall accuracy while effectively mitigating the potential reduction in accuracy often associated with adversarial training models. By incorporating adversarial noise and COVID-19 case data, the proposed model demonstrates improved accuracy and robustness in forecasting energy consumption under uncertain conditions. This enhanced predictive capability will enable energy managers and policymakers to better anticipate and respond to fluctuations in energy demand during pandemics, ensuring more resilient and efficient energy systems. Full article

People with lower incomes often live in homes with poor thermal properties, making it difficult for them to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. This vulnerability is closely related to the quality and maintenance of housing, which negatively affects indoor environmental comfort, especially in terms of energy usage, having an impact on health and well-being. Studying energy poverty from a qualitative perspective allows us to delve deeper into the experience of these people. A qualitative study was carried out through a case study of women in a situation of household vulnerability and energy poverty. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five women-led households and two key informants before and after the COVID-19 confinement, in one of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods of Madrid. Unveiling the complexity of this topic, three categories were identified: household composition and economic resources, perception and proposals for household improvements, and household health and well-being. Furthermore, the results suggest that reliance on inefficient solutions such as electric radiators or butane-cylinder heaters for space heating in winter (more affordable in the short term, but unsustainable in the long one) shows evidence of energy precariousness, which, together with other poor housing conditions and users’ behaviours, impact clearly on health, generating or worsening chronic diseases. Research in vulnerable populations requires interventions beyond visibility, supported by key informants. Social workers and educators are essential to improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable people; however, they need social policies and adequate intervention plans and strategies to support and make their efforts effective. Full article

The global air transportation system continues to be greatly impacted by operational changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. As air traffic management (ATM) focuses on balancing system capacity with demand, many facets of ATM and system operations more broadly were subjected to dramatic changes that deviate from pre-pandemic procedures. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when air travel became one of the first transport modes to be impacted by lockdown procedures and travel restrictions, a geographically diverse cohort of researchers began investigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on air navigation service providers, airline and airport operations, on-time performance, as well as airline network structure, connectivity, crew scheduling, and service impacts due to pilot and crew shortages. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of this aforementioned body of research literature published during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of aviation, specifically as it relates to air traffic management and air traffic control. We first organize the reviewed literature into three broad categories: strategic air traffic management and response, air traffic control and airport operational changes, and air traffic system resilience. Then, we highlight the main takeaways from each category. We emphasize specific findings that describe how various aspects of the air transportation systems could be improved in the domestic and global airline industry post-COVID. Lastly, we identify specific changes in operational procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest future industry trends as informed by the literature. We anticipate this review article to be of interest to a broad swath of aviation industry and intercity transportation audiences. Full article

Educational buildings tend to fail in the contagion containment of airborne infectious diseases because of the high number of children, for several hours a day, inside enclosed environments that often have inadequate indoor air quality (IAQ) conditions. This study aimed to assess indoor environmental quality and test the effectiveness of portable air cleaners (PACs) in alleviating airborne particle levels in schools of Central–Southern Spain during the period of reopening after the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To accomplish this, three sampling campaigns were organized from September to December 2020 to consistently monitor temperature and relative humidity, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter in nineteen classrooms (seven school buildings). Results showed that although the recommendation of maintaining the windows open throughout the day seemed to be effective in promoting, in general, proper ventilation conditions (based on CO₂ levels). For the colder campaigns, this practice caused notorious thermal comfort impairment. In addition, a great number of the surveyed classrooms presented levels of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, attributable to outdoor and indoor sources, which exceeded the current WHO guideline values. Moreover, considering the practice of having the windows opened, the installation of 1 unit of PACs per classroom was insufficient to ensure a reduction in particle concentration to safe levels. Importantly, it was also found that children of different ages at different education levels can be exposed to significantly different environmental conditions in their classrooms; thus, the corrective measures to employ in each individual educational setting should reflect the features and needs of the target space/building. Full article

Despite the ending of social distancing and post-pandemic return to normal activities, the impacts of COVID-19 on urban mobility persist, particularly with regard to public transport. Consequently, this study looks into the post-pandemic changes in travel patterns, seeking to comprehend the effects on the municipalities and suggest helpful measures geared to achieving more sustainable patterns following the lockdown isolation. The chosen case study is the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study was divided into four distinct phases, namely understanding the problems, choosing the study area, field research and making recommendations based not only on the literature but on consultation with operators and experts. The methodological process involves the analysis of data from the field research, to assess any changes in patterns that may have been identified. The results show the changes in the means of travel, with emphasis on a preference for app-based transport services, to the detriment of sustainable transport. The study also shows the challenges facing public transport and the relationship between the choice of travel means and the socioeconomic profile of the passenger. Full article

Introduction: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in India face additional health inequities compared to their male peers, as gender norms constrain agency for prevention and self-care. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns deepened health inequities and often worsened mental health, but the impacts on agency are unclear. This exploratory sequential mixed methods paper examined mental health and COVID-19 elements that exacerbated or mitigated adverse consequences for AGYW in low-income communities in Mumbai. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with AGYW (aged 15–25 years; N = 60) and adults (parents, healthcare providers, community-based organization representative; N = 30). We administered a structured survey to AGYW (N = 150) to assess health concerns, depression and anxiety symptoms (using the PHQ-8 and GAD-7 scales), and experiences during COVID-19. We analyzed qualitative data using the constant comparative approach in Atlas.ti, and quantitative data using R and SPSS. Results: Qualitative data revealed that AGYW faced stressors and had limited agency during lockdowns due to limited access to education, financial insecurity, and community violence. Quantitative data indicated that limited agency in the context of COVID-19 was significantly associated with depression and anxiety. Financial resources to address COVID-19 created new employment and leadership opportunities for AGYW to become COVID educators and preschool teachers; participation in these opportunities was associated with less anxiety. Discussion: Pandemic stress was difficult for low-income AGYW in Mumbai. Mitigating programs for COVID-19 control helped address acute needs and enable capabilities. Exploring similar themes among a broader population of youth can help design strategies and opportunities for young people in low-income communities during health emergencies. Full article

Background: This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate whether prior engagement in a physical exercise program correlated with enhanced perceptions of quality-of-life components among older adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Methods: The cohort comprised elderly individuals (aged ≥ 65 years) who had previously partaken in a 12-week randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a mixed aerobic–anaerobic, moderate-intensity exercise program. Participants’ health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form Health Survey-12 item (SF-12) at the beginning of the initial trial and, again, one year later during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the exercise group, 44 participants were included, while the control group consisted of 49 participants, with computer-based, double-blind randomization conducted in Cagliari, Italy. The differences in scores for each SF-12 item between the two groups from T0 to T1 were compared using one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni corrections. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed on average by age (exercise group vs. control group 72.20 ± 4.78 vs. 72.91 ± 4.77; F = 0.513, p = 0.476). A decrease from T0 to T1 towards a better score on the SF-12 was observed in the exercise group compared to the control group in item 1 (F = 67.463, p < 0.0001); in item 5 (F = 4.319, p = 0.041); item 8 (F = 4.269, p = 0.041); item 9 (F = 10.761, p = 0.001); item 10 (F = 170.433, p < 0.001); and item 11 (F = 4.075, p = 0.046). Conclusions: The results suggest that participation in a moderate physical exercise program one year prior may have equipped older adults with better coping mechanisms to navigate the stress and isolation imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown, as reflected by their enhanced scores on quality-of-life components pertaining to mental well-being. Exercise may confer a protective effect against the adverse psychological impacts of stressful events like the pandemic, even among older adults with chronic conditions. This study underscores the potential benefits of exercise interventions for promoting quality of life and preventing mood disorders in the elderly population. Full article

In this paper, we draw upon a study exploring how COVID-19 and social isolation impacted young people’s (aged 13–18) experiences of online sexual and gendered risks and harms in England during nationwide lockdowns and upon their return to school. We explore the complexities, tensions and ambiguities in youth navigating algorithmised feeds on social media apps such as TikTok and content featuring idealised cis-gendered, heterosexualised feminine and masculine embodiment. Young people repeatedly witness hateful and abusive comments that are algorithmically boosted. We argue that this toxic content normalises online hate in the form of body shaming and sexual shaming, developing the concept of the postdigital to analyse the offline, affective, embodied and material dimensions of online harm, harassment and abuse. We also explore young people’s direct experiences of receiving harmful comments, including girls’ and gender and sexuality-diverse youth’s experiences of body and sexual shaming, as well as boys’ experiences of fat shaming; which, in many instances, we argue must be classified as forms of image-based abuse. Using our postdigital lens, we argue that the ways heteronormative, cis-gendered masculine and feminine embodiment are policed online shapes behaviour and norms in young people’s everyday lives, including in and around school, and that better understanding and support around these issues is urgently needed. Full article

Objective: The aim of this analysis was to assess glycemic control before and during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Data from 64 (main analysis) and 80 (sensitivity analysis) people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) were investigated retrospectively. The baseline characteristics were collected from electronic medical records. The data were examined over three periods of three months each: from 16th of March 2019 until 16th of June 2019 (pre-pandemic), from 1st of December 2019 until 29th of February 2020 (pre-lockdown) and from 16th of March 2020 until 16th of June 2020 (lockdown 2020), representing the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first Austrian-wide lockdown. Results: For the main analysis, 64 individuals with T1D (22 female, 42 male), who had a mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of 58.5 mmol/mol (51.0 to 69.3 mmol/mol) and a mean diabetes duration 13.5 years (5.5 to 22.0 years) were included in the analysis. The time in range (TIR_{[70–180mg/dL]}) was the highest percentage of measures within all three studied phases, but the lockdown 2020 phase delivered the best data in all these cases. Concerning the time below range (TBR_[<70mg/dL]) and the time above range (TAR_[>180mg/dL]), the lockdown 2020 phase also had the best values. Regarding the sensitivity analysis, 80 individuals with T1D (26 female, 54 male), who had a mean HbA1c of 57.5 mmol/mol (51.0 to 69.3 mmol/mol) and a mean diabetes duration of 12.5 years (5.5 to 20.7 years), were included. The TIR_{[70–180mg/dL]} was also the highest percentage of measures within all three studied phases, with the lockdown 2020 phase also delivering the best data in all these cases. The TBR_[<70mg/dL] and the TAR_[>180mg/dL] underscored the data in the main analysis. Conclusion: Superior glycemic control, based on all parameters analyzed, was achieved during the first Austrian-wide lockdown compared to prior periods, which might be a result of reduced daily exertion or more time spent focusing on glycemic management. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vulvar cancer (VC) comprises a small fraction of female neoplasms with notable high-incidence clusters among German regions. Despite a proposed impact of nationwide lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on oncological diseases, the effect on VC staging and tumor characteristics remains yet to be resolved; therefore, analyzing pathological data from patients with squamous cell VC pre-, during, and post-COVID in a high-incidence region may offer insights into potential epidemiological and clinical trends. Methods: We identified a total of 90 patients who were diagnosed at the Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Saarland, between 2018 and 2023, and defined three distinct cohorts: a pre-COVID cohort (2018–2019), a COVID cohort (2020–2021), and a post-COVID cohort (2022–2023). Histomorphological data were collected from the individual patient reports and statistically analyzed using Fisher’s exact test or the Kruskal–Wallis test. Results: Although we found no statistically significant differences in age, T-stage, perineural infiltration, blood vessel infiltration, resection status, grading, or resection margin between our three cohorts, surprisingly, we determined a greater extent of lymphovascular infiltration (Fisher’s exact test; p = 0.041), as well as deeper tumor infiltration depth (Kruskal–Wallis test; p < 0.001) before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we did not identify any soft indications of abnormalities in patient care within our center (unchanged status of the resection margins across all three cohorts). Conclusions: Our results clearly do not support a negative affection of clinical or pathobiological characteristics of VC during or after the pandemic. However, final assessments regarding the pandemic’s effect on VC require additional study approaches in various regions, preferably with future extended timeframes of a longer follow-up. Full article

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a change in the concept of teaching with the introduction of online lectures and “distance learning.” The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the confidence and both theoretical and practical knowledge of dental students regarding the courses in conservative dentistry and endodontics. (2) Methods: The study was conducted using an originally created online questionnaire consisting of 30 questions that the students used to make a subjective assessment of their confidence in performing both endodontic and conservative procedures using numerical scales. They were divided into two groups, a non-COVID group of students, who attended classes before the outbreak of the pandemic, and a COVID group, whose classes were suspended due to the lockdown. The data were processed in the SPSS statistic 25 program, with statistical significance p < 0.05. (3) Results: The comparison of the self-assessment of 96 students from the COVID group and 91 students from the non-COVID group revealed significant results. Compared with the COVID group, the non-COVID students felt more confident in the application of anesthesia in both the maxilla and mandible, in the initial treatment of patients in pain, as well as in all the steps of the endodontic treatment. Both groups felt equally confident in diagnostic and conservative procedures, and the level of theoretical knowledge acquired in the courses. (4) Conclusions: Changes in teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic had an unfavorable effect on students’ self-confidence in performing routine dental interventions, especially in the endodontic field. The lack of confidence in the COVID group regarding the anesthetic and endodontic procedures appears due to their inability to do any of these procedures during the COVID period; we organized summer practical school under the supervision of teachers, and they gained the necessary knowledge and self-confidence for these procedures. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a complex situation that requires a balance between control measures like lockdowns and easing restrictions. Control measures can limit the spread of the virus but can also cause economic and social issues. Easing restrictions can support economic recovery but may increase the risk of virus transmission. Mathematical approaches can help address these trade-offs by modeling the interactions between factors such as virus transmission rates, public health interventions, and economic and social impacts. A study using a susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model with modified discrete time was conducted to determine the cost of handling COVID-19. The results showed that, without government intervention, the number of patients rejected by health facilities and the cost of handling a pandemic increased significantly. Lockdown intervention provided the least number of rejected patients compared to social distancing, but the costs of handling the pandemic in the lockdown scenario remained higher than those of social distancing. This research demonstrates that mathematical approaches can help identify critical junctures in a pandemic, such as limited health system capacity or high transmission rates, that require rapid response and appropriate action. By using mathematical analysis, decision-makers can develop more effective and responsive strategies, considering the various factors involved in the virus’s spread and its impact on society and the economy. Full article