scholarly journals Stien i endring? Om det godes paradoks

2021 ◽  
pp. 239-264
Author(s):  
Odd Inge Vistad
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Stone Surface ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Or Management ◽  
Mature Forest ◽  
Potential Losses ◽  
Ground Impact

The trail is the most important helping measure in friluftsliv (i.e. outdoor recreation or OR), mainly since walking in the neighborhood or local forest is the most frequent friluftsliv activity. Historically, trails were linear structures through the landscape to help people move from A to B for various purposes, and generally a trail was the result of systematic trampling along a preferred durable route. In OR, the activity and the experiences along the trail are often regarded as more important than moving from A to B. Preference studies in Norway have shown that a narrow, simple, dirt trail through an open, mature forest is the most attractive type of trail. Developed, graveled and broader trails are visually less attractive, likewise for wooden boardwalks. Today, new trails and restored trails seem to be systematically developed, broadened and hardened with gravel, wooden boardwalks or a stone surface. And there are many good reasons for this, like limiting erosion and ground impact, stimulating OR volume and thereby public health, helping disabled persons to access nature, building attractions for tourists, stimulating new activities (like biking), maintaining OR access in built-up areas, etc. A new “trail normality” is on the way, and I see (potential) losses: The friluftsliv culture and human–nature relation are changing, and a “graveled nature” is likely to be less attractive for children. Constant trail maintenance is needed, which takes the attention away from high quality friluftsliv landscape and replaces it with friluftsliv infrastructure. A heavy responsibility rests on the responsible OR management authorities in balancing various OR and trail measures.

scholarly journals Mask-Ematics: Modeling the Effects of Masks in COVID-19 Transmission in High-Risk Environments

Epidemiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226
Author(s):  
Anthony Morciglio ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Gerardo Chowell ◽  
James M. Hyman ◽  
Yi Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Moderate Quality ◽  
Epidemic Size

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented burden on public health and strained the worldwide economy. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has been predominantly driven by aerosol transmission, and scientific research supports the use of face masks to reduce transmission. However, a systematic and quantitative understanding of how face masks reduce disease transmission is still lacking. We used epidemic data from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to calibrate a transmission model in a high-risk setting and derive the reproductive number for the model. We explain how the terms in the reproductive number reflect the contributions of the different infectious states to the spread of the infection. We used that model to compare the infection spread within a homogeneously mixed population for different types of masks, the timing of mask policy, and compliance of wearing masks. Our results suggest substantial reductions in epidemic size and mortality rate provided by at least 75% of people wearing masks (robust for different mask types). We also evaluated the timing of the mask implementation. We illustrate how ample compliance with moderate-quality masks at the start of an epidemic attained similar mortality reductions to less compliance and the use of high-quality masks after the epidemic took off. We observed that a critical mass of 84% of the population wearing masks can completely stop the spread of the disease. These results highlight the significance of a large fraction of the population needing to wear face masks to effectively reduce the spread of the epidemic. The simulations show that early implementation of mask policy using moderate-quality masks is more effective than a later implementation with high-quality masks. These findings may inform public health mask-use policies for an infectious respiratory disease outbreak (such as one of COVID-19) in high-risk settings.

scholarly journals Evaluating the accuracy of Listeria monocytogenes assemblies from quasimetagenomic samples using long and short reads

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Commichaux ◽  
Kiran Javkar ◽  
Padmini Ramachandran ◽  
Niranjan Nagarajan ◽  
Denis Bertrand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Short Read ◽  
Short Reads ◽  
The Core ◽  
Long Reads ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Long Read ◽  
Core Genes

Abstract Background Whole genome sequencing of cultured pathogens is the state of the art public health response for the bioinformatic source tracking of illness outbreaks. Quasimetagenomics can substantially reduce the amount of culturing needed before a high quality genome can be recovered. Highly accurate short read data is analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms and multi-locus sequence types to differentiate strains but cannot span many genomic repeats, resulting in highly fragmented assemblies. Long reads can span repeats, resulting in much more contiguous assemblies, but have lower accuracy than short reads. Results We evaluated the accuracy of Listeria monocytogenes assemblies from enrichments (quasimetagenomes) of naturally-contaminated ice cream using long read (Oxford Nanopore) and short read (Illumina) sequencing data. Accuracy of ten assembly approaches, over a range of sequencing depths, was evaluated by comparing sequence similarity of genes in assemblies to a complete reference genome. Long read assemblies reconstructed a circularized genome as well as a 71 kbp plasmid after 24 h of enrichment; however, high error rates prevented high fidelity gene assembly, even at 150X depth of coverage. Short read assemblies accurately reconstructed the core genes after 28 h of enrichment but produced highly fragmented genomes. Hybrid approaches demonstrated promising results but had biases based upon the initial assembly strategy. Short read assemblies scaffolded with long reads accurately assembled the core genes after just 24 h of enrichment, but were highly fragmented. Long read assemblies polished with short reads reconstructed a circularized genome and plasmid and assembled all the genes after 24 h enrichment but with less fidelity for the core genes than the short read assemblies. Conclusion The integration of long and short read sequencing of quasimetagenomes expedited the reconstruction of a high quality pathogen genome compared to either platform alone. A new and more complete level of information about genome structure, gene order and mobile elements can be added to the public health response by incorporating long read analyses with the standard short read WGS outbreak response.

scholarly journals Working towards evidence-informed policy: Public health report Stockholm

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Bartelink ◽  
D Yacaman Mendez ◽  
A Lager
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Public Health Report ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Report ◽  
High Quality Evidence ◽  
Quality Evidence

Abstract Issue Public health problems and interventions are often addressed in sub-optimal ways by not prioritizing them based on the best available evidence. Description of the Problem The public health report 2019 for the Stockholm region aims to inform decision makers, politicians, and public health workers about the risk factors and diseases that account for the biggest part of the burden of disease with a clear focus on high quality evidence and communication of main messages. How did the public health report 2019 affect public health policy in the Stockholm region? Results The public health report 2019 influenced agenda setting, resource allocation and priority setting in the Stockholm region. Lessons We identified the following facilitating factors in the process, of which most also are supported in scientific literature, in chronological order: 1) understanding the policymaking context to be aware of windows of opportunity, 2) establishing relationships with relevant policymakers, engage with them routinely in the decision-making process, and being accessible for questions, 3) doing high-quality research by considering the latest scientific literature, multiple data sources and involving academic experts in the field, 4) communicating clear and relevant messages for generalists by translating research into easy-understandable texts and attractive figures, and 5) active dissemination of the report through multiple channels. In addition, the following barriers were identified: 1) the timeframe of the policymaking process was not in line with the research process, and 2) involving politicians in an early stage can potentially harm the objectivity of research in media messages. Key messages By focussing on major problems, high quality evidence and clear messages a public health report can contribute to more evidence-informed policy making. Engaging decision makers in the process of public health reporting is critical for the impact on agenda setting, resource allocation, and priority setting.

Outdoor Recreationists’ Perceptions of Risk, Agency Trust, and Visitor Capacities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Rice ◽  
Timothy Mateer ◽  
Peter Newman ◽  
Ben Lawhon ◽  
Nathan Reigner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Community Risk

For nearly a century in the United States, visitor capacities have served as a means of preserving resources and the visitor experience on public lands. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased interest in implementing visitor capacities that could potentially limit use on public lands, suggesting a need to understand public support for their use in a timely manner. Risk and trust have been used in previous research concerning support for natural resource and outdoor recreation decision-making. Research in this realm includes investigation at the intersection of outdoor recreation and public health, specific to chronic wasting disease. Following this previous research, this study utilizes the constructs of risk and trust to examine support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this theory-driven research relies on the cultural theory of risk and social trust theory. Using structural equation modeling and a sample of avid outdoor enthusiasts, we examine how well 1) perceived individual risk, 2) perceived community risk, 3) trust in public health agencies, and 4) trust in public land agencies predict support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use. An email-distributed online survey was available for 48 hours beginning on April 30, 2020—during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Measurement of perceived risk and trust followed previous research relating to outdoor recreation and public health. Results indicate that outdoor enthusiasts are concerned about their individual and community health and reported higher levels of trust in data coming directly from public health agencies as opposed to state or federal land management agencies. Additionally, perceived individual risk and perceived community risk were significant predictors of support for visitor capacities. These findings can be used to improve the effectiveness of messaging intended to connect perceived risk to the management of parks and protected areas, thus providing credibility to management actions implemented during the pandemic. Additional implications from this research include the need for additional research examining support for management actions that could potentially limit use on public lands, the multidimensionality of trust in outdoor recreation, and individual risk in frontcountry outdoor recreation settings.

Developing High Quality Public Health Services Across the Union That Are Equally Accessible to All

2018 ◽  
pp. 1924-1947
Author(s):  
Androutsou Lorena ◽  
Androutsou Foulvia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Member State ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Health

Health systems are facing greater demands and challenges. Access to all with high-quality standards has been a key challenge for the European health systems, however, they are engaged to take care of the rights of those in need. This article aims to identify public health areas and values. It offers many opportunities to help policy and decision makers to write “policy briefs” and to clearly outline the rationale for action. It will pursuit to enhance local capacities and skills to plan, implement, evaluate and sustain system improvements. There is a need both at Member State and European levels to support the public health services to shape the future of health and healthcare.

scholarly journals Estimation of Particulate Levels Using Deep Dehazing Network and Temporal Prior

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
SeHee Jung ◽  
SungMin Yang ◽  
Eunseok Lee ◽  
YongHak Lee ◽  
Jisun Ko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Predictive Model ◽  
Present Method ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Image Sequences ◽  
Particulate Matters ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Temporal Effects

Particulate matters (PM) have become one of the important pollutants that deteriorate public health. Since PM is ubiquitous in the atmosphere, it is closely related to life quality in many different ways. Thus, a system to accurately monitor PM in diverse environments is imperative. Previous studies using digital images have relied on individual atmospheric images, not benefiting from both spatial and temporal effects of image sequences. This weakness led to undermining predictive power. To address this drawback, we propose a predictive model using the deep dehazing cascaded CNN and temporal priors. The temporal prior accommodates instantaneous visual moves and estimates PM concentration from residuals between the original and dehazed images. The present method also provides, as by-product, high-quality dehazed image sequences superior to the nontemporal methods. The improvements are supported by various experiments under a range of simulation scenarios and assessments using standard metrics.

scholarly journals Moving equilibria in the public health care sector: A low-quality trap and a resolution

2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Kara
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Health Care Sector ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Care Institutions ◽  
High Welfare ◽  
Over Time

This paper demonstrates the existence, in a particular subset of the Turkish public health care sector, of equilibria moving towards a low-quality trap over time. The dynamics of the movement in question hinges, in part, on the socially necessary but demographically asymmetric burden, on some public health care institutions, of providing affordable health care to certain sections of the population. The paper formulates a policy option that could help the sector to escape the trap, moving the sector towards high quality-high welfare equilibria.

scholarly journals Know Your Epidemic, Strengthen Your Response: Developing a New HIV Surveillance Architecture to Guide HIV Resource Allocation and Target Decisions (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Rice ◽  
Travis Sanchez ◽  
Stefan Baral ◽  
Paul Mee ◽  
Keith Sabin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Hiv Surveillance ◽  
Hiv Epidemic ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Special Collection

UNSTRUCTURED To guide HIV prevention and treatment activities up to 2020, we need to generate and make better use of high quality HIV surveillance data. To highlight our surveillance needs, a special collection of papers in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance has been released under the title “Improving Global and National Responses to the HIV Epidemic Through High Quality HIV Surveillance Data.” We provide a summary of these papers and highlight methods for developing a new HIV surveillance architecture.

scholarly journals TREATMENT OF COLORECTAL CANCER COMPLICATED BY INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION USING THE METHOD OF «FAST-TRACK» RECOVERY

2015 ◽  
Vol 174 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. L. Denisenko ◽  
Yu. M. Gain
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Complex Treatment ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Fast Track Recovery

A medical trend which is currently gaining strength includes the complex treatment based on the concept of «fast-track» recovery in oncology. An application of modern high-tech approaches allowed minimizing the terms of treatment, shortening economic costs and getting the highest final results. It provides a high quality treatment. Given method could exclude an interim treatment stages, sufficiently reduces terms of general treatment and rehabilitation of patients and could succeed in high quality of life for the patients in short- and long-term period. The authors present the results of successful clinical surgery of 78 patients using this method in public health.

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