scholarly journals The Use of Zipline Drones Technology for COVID-19 Samples Transportation in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-71
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Lamptey ◽  
Dorcas Serwaa
Keyword(s):  
African Country ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Processing Industry ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Military

Drone technology has had many general applications in the military, agriculture, data processing industry, security and the health sector. The emergence the novel coronavirus pandemic has increase its revolution in the healthcare industry. Ghana, a western African country, was the first country to programme and deploy automated drones to shuttle medical supplies and samples of suspected COVID-19 patients. By this approach, Ghana was able to respond timely to the pandemic and quickly saved the lives of the general population. This paper presents a narrative study on the use of Zipline drones for transporting samples of suspected COVID-19 patients, the challenges and potential barriers encountered.

scholarly journals Multi-Objective Optimization of Integrated Civilian-Military Scheduling of Medical Supplies for Epidemic Prevention and Control

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Hai-Feng Ling ◽  
Zheng-Lian Su ◽  
Xun-Lin Jiang ◽  
Yu-Jun Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Problem Instances ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
And Control ◽  
Minimum Ratio

In a large-scale epidemic, such as the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), there is huge demand for a variety of medical supplies, such as medical masks, ventilators, and sickbeds. Resources from civilian medical services are often not sufficient for fully satisfying all of these demands. Resources from military medical services, which are normally reserved for military use, can be an effective supplement to these demands. In this paper, we formulate a problem of integrated civilian-military scheduling of medical supplies for epidemic prevention and control, the aim of which is to simultaneously maximize the overall satisfaction rate of the medical supplies and minimize the total scheduling cost, while keeping a minimum ratio of medical supplies reservation for military use. We propose a multi-objective water wave optimization (WWO) algorithm in order to efficiently solve this problem. Computational results on a set of problem instances constructed based on real COVID-19 data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

scholarly journals Sharing experience from Chinese General Practitioners to International colleagues on how to tackle COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanzhu Zhu ◽  
Donald Li
Keyword(s):  
Family Medicine ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health System ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The Family ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

China was the first country where the novel coronavirus appeared. General Practitioners (GPs) in China are at the forefront of tackling the spread of the virus. While the health sector in China has been under scrutiny globally, many articles have been disseminated within the country about the response. GPs in China are keen to share their experiences with GP colleagues, as other countries go through similar experiences. The hope is that by sharing our experiences, our international colleagues can benefit from what worked well and what went less well. Coronavirus started spreading from Wuhan in Hubei Province in late 2019. As in many parts of China, Wuhan is a hospital-oriented health service, as the family medicine system is not yet fully implemented. The surge of patients to hospitals quickly overwhelmed the health system in Wuhan and surrounding towns and cities, as patients sought testing and treatment, and in the process helped to spread the virus more quickly. The experience has put the spotlight on the ineffectiveness of hospitals as the first port of call for this and other types of virus.

scholarly journals COVID-19–Related Rumor Content, Transmission, and Clarification Strategies in China: Descriptive Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peishan Ning ◽  
Peixia Cheng ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Ming Zheng ◽  
David C Schwebel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

BACKGROUND Given the permeation of social media throughout society, rumors spread faster than ever before, which significantly complicates government responses to public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the characteristics and propagation of rumors during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in China and evaluated the effectiveness of health authorities’ release of correction announcements. METHODS We retrieved rumors widely circulating on social media in China during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed the effectiveness of official government clarifications and popular science articles refuting those rumors. RESULTS We show that the number of rumors related to the COVID-19 pandemic fluctuated widely in China between December 1, 2019 and April 15, 2020. Rumors mainly occurred in 3 provinces: Hubei, Zhejiang, and Guangxi. Personal social media accounts constituted the major source of media reports of the 4 most widely distributed rumors (the novel coronavirus can be prevented with “Shuanghuanglian”: 7648/10,664, 71.7%; the novel coronavirus is the SARS coronavirus: 14,696/15,902, 92.4%; medical supplies intended for assisting Hubei were detained by the local government: 3911/3943, 99.2%; asymptomatically infected persons were regarded as diagnosed COVID-19 patients with symptoms in official counts: 322/323, 99.7%). The number of rumors circulating was positively associated with the severity of the COVID-19 epidemic (ρ=0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.93). The release of correction articles was associated with a substantial decrease in the proportion of rumor reports compared to accurate reports. The proportions of negative sentiments appearing among comments by citizens in response to media articles disseminating rumors and disseminating correct information differ insignificantly (both correct reports: χ<sub>1</sub><sup>2</sup>=0.315, <i>P</i>=.58; both rumors: χ<sub>1</sub><sup>2</sup>=0.025, <i>P</i>=.88; first rumor and last correct report: χ<sub>1</sub><sup>2</sup>=1.287, <i>P</i>=.26; first correct report and last rumor: χ<sub>1</sub><sup>2</sup>=0.033, <i>P</i>=.86). CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the importance and urgency of monitoring and correcting false or misleading reports on websites and personal social media accounts. The circulation of rumors can influence public health, and government bodies should establish guidelines to monitor and mitigate the negative impact of such rumors.

scholarly journals The Economic Impact of COVID-19 from a Global Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-75
Author(s):  
Alam Khan ◽  
Nadeem Khan ◽  
Muhammad Shafiq
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Travel And Tourism ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The world has been waging a fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since December 2019. The current coronavirus crisis is a catastrophe affecting billions of families worldwide. So far, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc across the globe: by slowing down economic growth; decreasing global trade; hurting health sector; increasing unemployment and underemployment; reducing FDI and hurting the tourism sector. This study investigates the economic costs of COVID-19. By using descriptive analysis, this study shows that the major economic variables, such as economic growth, global trade, health sector, unemployment and underemployment, foreign direct investment and travel and tourism sector have significantly affected by COVID-19.

The Perpetuation of Gender Norms and White Hegemonic Patriarchy in the South African Defence Force as Represented in André van der Merwe’s Moffie (2006)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Nolen Fortuin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Novel ◽  
White Family ◽  
White Children ◽  
White Masculinity ◽  
Party Government ◽  
Compulsory Military Service ◽  
The Military

With the institution of compulsory military service in South Africa in 1948 the National Party government effected a tool well shaped for the construction of hegemonic masculinities. Through this, and other structures like schools and families, white children were shaped into submissive abiding citizens. Due to the brutal nature of a militarised society, gender roles become strictly defined and perpetuated. As such, white men’s time served on the border also “toughened” them up and shaped them into hegemonic copies of each other, ready to enforce patriarchal and racist ideologies. In this article, I look at how the novel Moffie by André Carl van der Merwe (2006) illustrates hegemonic white masculinity in South Africa and how it has long been strictly regulated to perpetuate the well-being of the white family as representative of the capitalist state. I discuss the novel by looking at the ways in which the narrator is marked by service in the military, which functions as a socialising agent, but as importantly by the looming threat of the application of the term “moffie” to himself, by self or others.  

Comparative docking of SARS-CoV-2 receptors antagonists from repurposing drugs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micael Davi Lima de Oliveira ◽  
Kelson Mota Teixeira de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Lung Cells ◽  
The Novel ◽  
High Modulation ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Viral Receptors ◽  
Theoretical Results

According to the World Health Organisation, until 16 June, 2020, the number of confirmed and notified cases of COVID-19 has already exceeded 7.9 million with approximately 434 thousand deaths worldwide. This research aimed to find repurposing antagonists, that may inhibit the activity of the main protease (Mpro) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as partially modulate the ACE2 receptors largely found in lung cells, and reduce viral replication by inhibiting Nsp12 RNA polymerase. Docking molecular simulations were performed among a total of 60 structures, most of all, published in the literature against the novel coronavirus. The theoretical results indicated that, in comparative terms, paritaprevir, ivermectin, ledipasvir, and simeprevir, are among the most theoretical promising drugs in remission of symptoms from the disease. Furthermore, also corroborate indinavir to the high modulation in viral receptors. The second group of promising drugs includes remdesivir and azithromycin. The repurposing drugs HCQ and chloroquine were not effective in comparative terms to other drugs, as monotherapies, against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SARS-COV2 virus and Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 977-982
Author(s):  
Mohamed J. Saadh ◽  
Bashar Haj Rashid M ◽  
Roa’a Matar ◽  
Sajeda Riyad Aldibs ◽  
Hala Sbaih ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Fatal Disease ◽  
Mild Disease ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

SARS-COV2 virus causes Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and represents the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. The novel coronavirus (2019) was discovered in 2019 in Wuhan, the market of the wet animal, China with viral pneumonia cases and is life-threatening. Today, WHO announces COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. COVID-19 is likely to be zoonotic. It is transmitted from bats as intermediary animals to human. Also, the virus is transmitted from human to human who is in close contact with others. The computerized tomographic chest scan is usually abnormal even in those with no symptoms or mild disease. Treatment is nearly supportive; the role of antiviral agents is yet to be established. The SARS-COV2 virus spreads faster than its two ancestors, the SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but has lower fatality. In this article, we aimed to summarize the transmission, symptoms, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine to control the spread of this fatal disease.

Coronavirus: Towards controlling of the pandemic - Indian scenario

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 462-468
Author(s):  
Latika kothari ◽  
Sanskruti Wadatkar ◽  
Roshni Taori ◽  
Pavan Bajaj ◽  
Diksha Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Control Measures ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The Social ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable infection caused by the novel coronavirus resulting in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV). It was recognized to be a health crisis for the general population of international concern on 30th January 2020 and conceded as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. India is taking various measures to fight this invisible enemy by adopting different strategies and policies. To stop the COVID-19 from spreading, the Home Affairs Ministry and the health ministry, of India, has issued the nCoV 19 guidelines on travel. Screening for COVID-19 by asking questions about any symptoms, recent travel history, and exposure. India has been trying to get testing kits available. The government of India has enforced various laws like the social distancing, Janata curfew, strict lockdowns, screening door to door to control the spread of novel coronavirus. In this pandemic, innovative medical treatments are being explored, and a proper vaccine is being hunted to deal with the situation. Infection control measures are necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading and to help control the current situation. Thus, this review illustrates and explains the criteria provided by the government of India to the awareness of the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Association and treatment of diabetes in patients affected by Covid-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1198-1201
Author(s):  
Syed Yasir Afaque
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The World ◽  
Treatment Of Diabetes ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
Composite Outcomes ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

In December 2019, a unique coronavirus infection, SARS-CoV-2, was first identified in the province of Wuhan in China. Since then, it spread rapidly all over the world and has been responsible for a large number of morbidity and mortality among humans. According to a latest study, Diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, Hypertension etc. are being considered important risk factors for the development of this infection and is also associated with unfavorable outcomes in these patients. There is little evidence concerning the trail back of these patients possibly because of a small number of participants and people who experienced primary composite outcomes (such as admission in the ICU, usage of machine-driven ventilation or even fatality of these patients). Until now, there are no academic findings that have proven independent prognostic value of diabetes on death in the novel Coronavirus patients. However, there are several conjectures linking Diabetes with the impact as well as progression of COVID-19 in these patients. The aim of this review is to acknowledge about the association amongst Diabetes and the novel Coronavirus and the result of the infection in such patients.

The role and relationship of mindreading and social attunement in HRI – position statements of interdisciplinary researchers. Workshop HRI'20

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Wykowska ◽  
Jairo Pérez-Osorio ◽  
Stefan Kopp
Keyword(s):  
Mental States ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Artificial Agents ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This booklet is a collection of the position statements accepted for the HRI’20 conference workshop “Social Cognition for HRI: Exploring the relationship between mindreading and social attunement in human-robot interaction” (Wykowska, Perez-Osorio &amp; Kopp, 2020). Unfortunately, due to the rapid unfolding of the novel coronavirus at the beginning of the present year, the conference and consequently our workshop, were canceled. On the light of these events, we decided to put together the positions statements accepted for the workshop. The contributions collected in these pages highlight the role of attribution of mental states to artificial agents in human-robot interaction, and precisely the quality and presence of social attunement mechanisms that are known to make human interaction smooth, efficient, and robust. These papers also accentuate the importance of the multidisciplinary approach to advance the understanding of the factors and the consequences of social interactions with artificial agents.

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