scholarly journals Forecasting the SARS-CoV-2 effective reproduction number using bulk contact data from mobile phones

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sten Rüdiger ◽  
Stefan Konigorski ◽  
Jonathan Edelman ◽  
Detlef Zernick ◽  
Alexander Thieme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Contact Behavior ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Specific Contact ◽  
Contact Data ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

Over the last months, cases of SARS-CoV-2 surged repeatedly in many countries and could often be controlled with non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing. We analyzed de-identified GPS tracking data from 1.15 to 1.4 million cell phones in Germany per day between March-November 2020 to identify encounters between individuals and statistically evaluate large-scale contact behavior. Using graph sampling theory we estimated the contact index (CI), a metric for number and heterogeneity of contacts and found that the contact index, and not the total number of contacts, is an accurate predsictor for the effective reproduction number R. A high correlation between CI and R occurring more than two weeks later allows timely assessment of the social behavior well before the infections become detectable. The CI quantifies the role of superspreading and allows assigning risks to specific contact behavior. We provide a critical CI-value beyond which R is expected to rise above 1 and propose to use it to leverage the social distancing interventions for the coming months.

scholarly journals Predicting the SARS-CoV-2 effective reproduction number using bulk contact data from mobile phones

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (31) ◽  
pp. e2026731118
Author(s):  
Sten Rüdiger ◽  
Stefan Konigorski ◽  
Alexander Rakowski ◽  
Jonathan Antonio Edelman ◽  
Detlef Zernick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Contact Behavior ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Specific Contact ◽  
Contact Data ◽  
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions

Over the last months, cases of SARS-CoV-2 surged repeatedly in many countries but could often be controlled with nonpharmaceutical interventions including social distancing. We analyzed deidentified Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking data from 1.15 to 1.4 million cell phones in Germany per day between March and November 2020 to identify encounters between individuals and statistically evaluate contact behavior. Using graph sampling theory, we estimated the contact index (CX), a metric for number and heterogeneity of contacts. We found that CX, and not the total number of contacts, is an accurate predictor for the effective reproduction number R derived from case numbers. A high correlation between CX and R recorded more than 2 wk later allows assessment of social behavior well before changes in case numbers become detectable. By construction, the CX quantifies the role of superspreading and permits assigning risks to specific contact behavior. We provide a critical CX value beyond which R is expected to rise above 1 and propose to use that value to leverage the social-distancing interventions for the coming months.

Approaches to Supporting Local and Community Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liesel Mack Filgueiras ◽  
Andreia Rabetim ◽  
Isabel Aché Pillar
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Mining Company ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Partnership ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mining Investment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Corporate Social

Reflection about the role of community engagement and corporate social investment in Brazil, associated with the presence of a large economic enterprise, is the major stimulus of this chapter. It seeks to present how cross-sector governance can contribute to the social development of a city and how this process can be led by a partnership comprising a corporate foundation, government, and civil society. The concept of the public–private social partnership (PPSP) is explored: a strategy for building a series of inter-sectoral alliances aimed at promoting the sustainable development of territories where the company has large-scale enterprises, through joint efforts towards integrated long-term strategic planning, around a common agenda. To this end, the case of Canaã dos Carajás is introduced, a municipality in the State of Pará, in the Amazon region, where large-scale mining investment is being carried out by the mining company Vale SA.

scholarly journals Dataset on SARS-CoV-2 non-pharmaceutical interventions in Brazilian municipalities

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos ◽  
Darlan da Silva Candido ◽  
William Marciel de Souza ◽  
Lewis Buss ◽  
Sabrina L. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Municipal Level ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

AbstractBrazil has one of the fastest-growing COVID-19 epidemics worldwide. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been adopted at the municipal level with asynchronous actions taken across 5,568 municipalities and the Federal District. This paper systematises the fragmented information on NPIs reporting on a novel dataset with survey responses from 4,027 mayors, covering 72.3% of all municipalities in the country. This dataset responds to the urgency to track and share findings on fragmented policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantifying NPIs can help to assess the role of interventions in reducing transmission. We offer spatial and temporal details for a range of measures aimed at implementing social distancing and the dates when these measures were relaxed by local governments.

Disparity and Dynamics of Social Distancing Behaviors in Japan: An Investigation of mobile phone mobility data (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeyu Lyu ◽  
Hiroki Takikawa
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Over Time

BACKGROUND The availability of large-scale and fine-grained aggregated mobility data has allowed researchers to observe the dynamic of social distancing behaviors at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Despite the increasing attentions paid to this research agenda, limited studies have focused on the demographic factors related to mobility and the dynamics of social distancing behaviors has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assist in the design and implementation of public health policies by exploring the social distancing behaviors among various demographic groups over time. METHODS We combined several data sources, including mobile tracking data and geographical statistics, to estimate visiting population of entertainment venues across demographic groups, which can be considered as the proxy of social distancing behaviors. Then, we employed time series analyze methods to investigate how voluntary and policy-induced social distancing behaviors shift over time across demographic groups. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of social distancing behaviors and their dynamics across age groups. The population in the entertainment venues comprised mainly of individuals aged 20–40 years, while according to the dynamics of the mobility index and the policy-induced behavior, among the age groups, the extent of reduction of the frequency of visiting entertainment venues during the pandemic was generally the highest among younger individuals. Also, our results indicate the importance of implementing the social distancing policy promptly to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infection. However, it should be noticed that although the policy intervention during the second wave in Japan appeared to increase the awareness of the severity of the pandemic and concerns regarding COVID-19, its direct impact has been largely decreased could only last for a short time. CONCLUSIONS At the time we wrote this paper, in Japan, the number of daily confirmed cases was continuously increasing. Thus, this study provides a timely reference for decision makers about the current situation of policy-induced compliance behaviors. On the one hand, age-dependent disparity requires target mitigation strategies to increase the intention of elderly individuals to adopt mobility restriction behaviors. On the other hand, considering the decreasing impact of self-restriction recommendations, the government should employ policy interventions that limit the resurgence of cases, especially by imposing stronger, stricter social distancing interventions, as they are necessary to promote social distancing behaviors and mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. CLINICALTRIAL None

scholarly journals The Influence of COVID-19 on Indonesian Investment

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jeliastiva Jeliastiva ◽  
Farid Fachrurazi
Keyword(s):  
Economic System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Domestic Investment ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Almost All

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a serious impact on almost all countries in the world, including Indonesia. In response to this case, various policies began to emerge. Starting from the implementation of work from home, social distancing and physical distancing, until the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). overseas investors are busy focusing their finances on the needs of their respective countries to fight the virus. Domestic investment (PMDN) is also predicted to experience a slowdown. The social distancing policy resulted in the community not being able to run the economic system well, especially in the Indonesian investment sector so that the perokoniman namely investment in Indonesia decreased and there were some delays in investment by other countries in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Languages and Context Issues of ICTs for a New Role of Museums in the COVID-19 Era

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 3065-3080
Author(s):  
Antonella Lerario
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Real ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
People’S Daily ◽  
People's Daily

The rapid spread of the COVID pandemic is deeply changing people’s lives and upsetting consolidated models and lifestyles. The social distancing measures for the reduction of contagion have been heavily affecting people’s daily experiences, such as for example the public’s relationship with cultural resources. Museums, in particular, are paying the highest price for that, forced to find new forms for heritage fruition, thus representing an emblematic case. Taking its steps from the analysis of the pandemic’s effects on global museum heritage and of museums’ response, the article focuses then on ICTs’ role as communication languages between heritage and its audiences in the solutions adopted, and on their suitability to the changed context. Finally, reflections on structural and contextual aspects of the dialogue between cultural resources and their public, beyond strictly technological matters, are proposed, to highlight the real extent of the challenges facing the museum sector.

scholarly journals Acupressure: An Effective and Feasible Alternative Treatment for Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 216495612110580
Author(s):  
Juan Yang ◽  
Alex Do ◽  
Molly J Mallory ◽  
Dietlind L Wahner-Roedler ◽  
Tony Y Chon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Integrative Medicine ◽  
Alternative Treatment ◽  
Therapeutic Approach ◽  
Previous Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Feasible Alternative

Anxiety is highly reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of acupressure for anxiety is a common practice in integrative medicine, and previous literature has shown that acupressure can be an effective and feasible alternative treatment for decreasing anxiety. Given the social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears reasonable to assume that acupressure may be especially suited to treat anxiety under these circumstances. However, there has been relatively little reported use of acupressure for anxiety during the pandemic. This viewpoint aims to highlight the possible role of acupressure as a self-administered therapeutic approach for anxiety amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and to outline key areas for future research.

The social context and politics of large scale urban architecture: Investigating the design of Barcode, Oslo

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bengt Andersen ◽  
Per Gunnar Røe
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Urban Architecture ◽  
Class A ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transnational Companies ◽  
City Centres

The well-known and much investigated rise of urban entrepreneurial policies has fuelled a transformation of urban spaces and landscapes, and has led to changes in the social composition of city centres. This is the case for Oslo, Norway’s capital, where increasingly urban policies are designed to attract transnational companies and those in the creative class. A key strategy to achieve this has been to transform the city’s waterfront through spectacular architecture and urban design, as has taken place in other European cities. Transnational and local architects have been commissioned to design the Barcode, one of the most striking waterfront projects. This article investigates the role of architecture and architects in this process, because architects can be seen as influential generators of urban spaces and agents for social change, and because there is remarkably little published empirical research on this specific role of architects. It is argued that although there was an overall planning goal that the projects along the waterfront of Oslo should contribute to social sustainability, with the implication that planners and architects possessed information about the local urban context and used this knowledge, in practice this was not the case. It is demonstrated that the architects paid little attention to the social, cultural and economic contexts in their design process. Rather, the architects emphasized the creation of an exciting urban space and, in particular, designed spectacular architecture that would contribute to the merits of the firms involved. It is further argued that because of this the Barcode project will not contribute to the making of a just city.

Strange Birds: Ornithology and the Advent of the Collared Dove in Post-World War II Germany

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Lachmund
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Single Species ◽  
World War ◽  
Cultural Meanings ◽  
Asian Origin ◽  
Cultural Image ◽  
The Social

ArgumentIn this paper I study the engagement of German ornithologists with the Collared Dove, a bird species of Asian origin that spread massively throughout Central Europe in the 1940s and 1950s. Never before had the spread of a single species attracted so much attention from European ornithologists. Ornithologists were not only fascinated by the exotic origin of the bird, but even more so by the unprecedented rapidity of its expansion. As it is argued in the paper, the advent of the bird created an outstanding opportunity for ornithologists to study the process of biogeographic range expansion. The paper traces how knowledge on the dove's expansion took shape in the social, discursive, and material practices of a large-scale observation campaign of German ornithologists (both amateurs and academics). The paper also argues that ornithologists’ observation practices have contributed to the construction of a benevolent cultural image of the Collared Dove. This sets the case of the Collared Dove apart from many recent debates in which newly arriving species have been framed as a threat to biodiversity. The paper contributes both to a historical understanding of scientific fieldwork as well as of the role of scientific knowledge in the shaping of cultural meanings of animals.

scholarly journals A viral perspective on worldwide non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Philippe Rasigade ◽  
Anaïs Barray ◽  
Julie Teresa Shapiro ◽  
Charlène Coquisart ◽  
Yoann Vigouroux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Minimal Set ◽  
Genomic Divergence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

AbstractQuantifying the effectiveness of large-scale non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against COVID-19 is critical to adapting responses against future waves of the pandemic. Most studies of NPIs thus far have relied on epidemiological data. Here, we report the impact of NPIs on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, taking the perspective of the virus. We examined how variations through time and space of SARS-CoV-2 genomic divergence rates, which reflect variations of the epidemic reproduction number Rt, can be explained by NPIs and combinations thereof. Based on the analysis of 5,198 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 57 countries along with a detailed chronology of 9 non-pharmaceutical interventions during the early epidemic phase up to May 2020, we find that home containment (35% Rt reduction) and education lockdown (26%) had the strongest predicted effectiveness. To estimate the cumulative effect of NPIs, we modelled the probability of reducing Rt below 1, which is required to stop the epidemic, for various intervention combinations and initial Rt values. In these models, no intervention implemented alone was sufficient to stop the epidemic for Rt’s above 2 and all interventions combined were required for Rt’s above 3. Our approach can help inform decisions on the minimal set of NPIs required to control the epidemic depending on the current Rt value.

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