scholarly journals Accuracy and Timeliness of Knowledge Dissemination on COVID-19 Among People in Rural and Remote Regions of China at the Early Stage of Outbreak

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Zhou ◽  
Leshui He ◽  
Xuanhua Nie ◽  
Taoketaohu Wuri ◽  
Jinhai Piao ◽  
...  

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread throughout China in January 2020. To contain the virus outbreak, the Chinese government took extraordinary measures in terms of public policy, wherein accurate and timely dissemination of information plays a crucial role. Despite all of the efforts toward studying this health emergency, little is known about the effectiveness of public policies that support health communication during such a crisis to disseminate knowledge for self-protection. Particularly, we focus on the accuracy and timeliness of knowledge dissemination on COVID-19 among people in remote regions—a topic largely omitted in existing research. In February 2020, at the early-stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, a questionnaire survey was carried out. In total, 8,520 participants from seven less economically developed provinces situated in the borderlands of China with large ethnic minority groups responded. We analyzed the data through poisson regression and logistic regression analyses. We found that (1) people in remote regions of China obtained accurate information on COVID-19. Further, they were able to take appropriate measures to protect themselves. (2) Result from both descriptive analysis and multivariable regression analysis revealed that there is no large difference in the accuracy of information among groups. (3) Older, less educated, and rural respondents received information with a significant delay, whereas highly educated, younger, urban residents and those who obtained information through online media were more likely to have received the news of the outbreak sooner and to be up to date on the information. This research provides evidence that disadvantage people in remote regions obtained accurate and essential information required to act in an appropriate manner in responses to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, they obtained knowledge on COVID-19 at a slower pace than other people; thus, further improvement in the timely dissemination of information among disadvantage people in remote regions is warranted.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3428
Author(s):  
Nahikari Irastorza ◽  
Pieter Bevelander

In a globalised world with an increasing division of labour, the competition for highly skilled individuals—regardless of their origin—is growing, as is the value of such individuals for national economies. Yet the majority of studies analysing the economic integration of immigrants shows that those who are highly skilled also have substantial hurdles to overcome: their employment rates and salaries are lower and they face a higher education-to-occupation mismatch compared to highly skilled natives. This paper contributes to the paucity of studies on the employment patterns of highly skilled immigrants to Sweden by providing an overview of the socio-demographic characteristics, labour-market participation and occupational mobility of highly educated migrants in Sweden. Based on a statistical analysis of register data, we compare their employment rates, salaries and occupational skill level and mobility to those of immigrants with lower education and with natives. The descriptive analysis of the data shows that, while highly skilled immigrants perform better than those with a lower educational level, they never catch up with their native counterparts. Our regression analyses confirm these patterns for highly skilled migrants. Furthermore, we find that reasons for migration matter for highly skilled migrants’ employment outcomes, with labour migrants having better employment rates, income and qualification-matched employment than family reunion migrants and refugees.


Author(s):  
Jianhong Ye ◽  
Daoge Wang ◽  
Hua Zhang ◽  
Hong Yang

Carsharing as a service has been growing rapidly worldwide. Its expansion has drawn wide attention in the research community with regard to the underlying driving factors and user characteristics. Despite these extensive investigations, there are still limited studies focusing on the examination of users using carsharing as a commuting mode. The answers to questions such as what kind of people would like to use carsharing for commuting and why they frequently use carsharing to commute are not clear. To enrich our understanding of these problems, this paper aims to investigate carsharing commuters in a mega city. Specifically, it intends to integrate the actual user order data with survey data from 1,920 participants to uncover the characteristics of carsharing commuters. Data from the Evcard carsharing systems in Shanghai were explicitly analyzed. Through descriptive analysis and logistic regression models, the characteristics and critical factors that affect the choice of carsharing as a commuting mode were captured. The results show that: 1. carsharing commuters mostly live or work in suburban areas in which public transport accessibility is limited; 2. carsharing commuters are more likely to be highly educated, in a higher income bracket, and older than other carsharing members; 3. high-frequency carsharing commuters own a reduced number of private cars; and 4. those high-frequency carsharing commuters with higher income are less sensitive to the carsharing costs caused by congestion. The findings in the study offer some insights into carsharing commuters and provide some supportive information for considering policies in developing carsharing systems in urban areas.


Author(s):  
David O'Brien

The Uyghur (alternatively spelled Uighur) are the largest and titular ethnic group living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a vast area in northwestern China of over 1.6 million sq. km. According to the 2010 census Uyghurs make up 45.21 percent of the population of Xinjiang, numbering 8,345,622 people. The Han, the largest ethnic group in China, make up 40.58 percent in the region with 7,489,919. A Turkic-speaking largely Muslim ethnic group, the Uyghurs traditionally inhabited a series of oases around the Taklamakan desert. Their complex origin is evidenced by a rich cultural history that can be traced back to various groups that emerged across the steppes of Mongolia and Central Asia. Uyghur communities are also found in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, with significant diaspora groups in Australia, the United States, Germany, and Turkey. In the first half of the 20th century, Uyghurs briefly declared two short-lived East Turkestan Republics in 1933 and again in 1944, but the region was brought under the complete control of the Chinese state after the Communist Party (CCP) came to power in 1949. Within China they are considered one of the fifty-five officially recognized ethnic minority groups, who, along with the Han who constitute 92 percent of the population, make up the Chinese nation or Zhonghua Minzu中华民族. However, for many Uyghurs the name “Xinjiang,” which literally translates as “New Territory,” indicates that their homeland is a colony of China, and they prefer the term “East Turkestan.” Nevertheless, many scholars use Xinjiang as a natural term even when they are critical of the position of the Communist Party. In this article both terms are used. In the early years of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Uyghurs numbered about 80 percent of the population of Xinjiang, but large-scale government-sponsored migration has seen the number of Han in the region rise to almost the same as that of the Uyghur. This has led to an increase in ethnic tensions often caused by competition for scarce resources and a perception that the ruling Communist Party favors the Han. In 2009, a major outbreak of violence in the capital Ürümchi saw hundreds die and many more imprisoned. The years 2013 and 2014 were also crucial turning points with deadly attacks on passengers in train stations in Kunming and Yunnan, bombings in Ürümchi, and a suicide attack in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, all blamed on Uyghur terrorists. Since then the Chinese government has introduced a harsh regime of security clampdowns and mass surveillance, which has significantly increased from 2017 and which, by some accounts, has seen over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities imprisoned without trial in “reeducation” camps. The Chinese government insist these camps form part of an education and vocational training program designed to improve the lives of Uyghurs and root out “wrong thinking.” Many Uyghurs believe it is part of a long-term project of assimilation of Uyghur identity and culture.


Author(s):  
Félix Essiben ◽  
Pascal Foumane ◽  
Esther JNU Meka ◽  
Michèle Tchakounté ◽  
Julius Sama Dohbit ◽  
...  

Background: Breast cancer is today a global health problem. With 1,671,149 new cases diagnosed in 2012, it is the most common female cancer in the world and accounts for 11.9% of all cancers and it affects more people than prostate cancer. In 2008, The United States statistics showed that, for all cancer that affect women before 40 years, more than 40% of them concerned the breast. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical, histopathological and therapeutic aspects of breast cancer in women under 40 years of age in Yaoundé.Methods: This was a retrospective study with data collected from 192 medical case files of women treated over a period of 12 years, from January 2004 to December 2015 at the Yaounde General Hospital and the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. Microsoft Epi Info version 3.4.5 and SPSS version 20.0 softwares were used for data analysis.Results: From 2004 to 2015, 1489 cases of breast cancer were treated in both hospitals. Of these, 462 women were less than 40 years old, representing a proportion of 31.0%. The mean age at diagnosis was 33.5±5.0 years and 17.7% of women had a family history of breast cancer. The average time before an initial consultation was 6.7±6.6 months.  Most cases were classified as T4 (46.1%). The most common histological type was ductal carcinoma (87.4%). Grades SBR II and SBR III were predominant (76.4%). Axillary dissection (64.4%) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (43.9%) were the main therapeutic modalities. The overall survival rate at 5 years was 51.2%. Five-year survival rates with no local recurrence and no metastatic occurrence were 35.8% and 43.2% respectively.Conclusions: Breast cancer largely affects women under the age of 40 and is often discovered late, at an advanced stage. The prognosis appears poor. Only screening could facilitate diagnosis at an early stage of the disease for better outcomes.


1986 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1345-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dell K. Allen ◽  
W. Van Twelves

The importance of computer-aided design (CAD) has not been fully appreciated as it relates to computer integrated manufacturing (CIM). The CAD product definition model can provide essential information for many down-stream production, estimating, tooling, and quality assurance functions in the CIM environment. However, the product definition model may be inaccurate or incomplete, thus causing incomplete communication with possible scrap, re-work, and missed production deadlines. Other problems are related to the fact that many of our expert designers are retiring and taking their expertise with them. Merely being able to make 2D or 3D drawings on a CAD workstation does not make its operator a designer. A knowledge of production processes, tolerances, surface finish, and material selection is needed to supplement a designers knowledge of user needs, product functional requirements, operating conditions, cost, quality, and reliability targets. One of the most promising methods for providing timely and accurate information to the designer on an “as-needed” basis is through the use of expert design systems. Such systems promise to bridge the knowledge gap between CAD and CAM and help to incorporate these functions into the overall CIM environment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 327
Author(s):  
Budi Purwanto ◽  
Salahudin Rafi ◽  
Hentje Pongoh

The purpose of this study is to assess the human resources sectors of transport, telecom­munications and tourism in a global perspective. This study is a literature study with descriptive analysis method to describe the existing problems and provide recommenda­tions to anticipate the world’s rapidly growing trend. The results show that the increasing mastery of foreign languages and technology has become an absolute requirement that Indonesian human resources can compete on a global level. However, the state, business, and society must work together in forming a mental attitude, promote an understanding of the religion, and raise the nation ideology since early stage so that it can minimize the negative impacts of globalization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 468-479
Author(s):  
Helen Woodley

Purpose This study aims to reflect upon the first wave of training of Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs), a new National Health Service role to provide support for Children and Young People (CYP) with low and moderate mental health needs in education settings in England. The study specifically focusses on the training for EMHPs in relation to their support for CYP who identify themselves as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME), refugees or from the traveller community. Design/methodology/approach A brief review of the policy and literature on the role and remit of EMHPs was undertaken, including an exploration of the current status of BAME, refugee and traveller community CYP in schools in England. The review was then related to the specific experience of the author within the context of teaching EMHP trainees in a higher educational setting and evaluated as developing outcomes in low-intensity school-based practice. Findings There are benefits for trainee EMHPs to have an understanding of the minority groups of CYP attending schools in the area their Mental Health Support Team (MHST) covers. There are benefits for the MHST to form relationships with minority groups at an early stage in the MHST formation. Adapting the EMHP curriculum at a local level to include specific training on the needs of minority groups supports the development of relationships between schools and the communities they engage with locally. Ongoing training should be provided by services focussing on the specific needs of minority groups in their MHST area. Originality/value Involving minority groups in education in the formation of MHST and the training of EMHPs may improve outcomes in developing therapeutic relationships with CYP. Developing engagement practices in MHSTs with higher education providers, begins the process early in the experience of EMHP trainees, providing a safe environment in which to develop engagement skills.


2021 ◽  
pp. 336-353
Author(s):  
Susan M. Walcott

Science parks were envisioned as an economic development institution from their inception, designed to provide employment that is particularly geared toward a highly educated labor force. Funds generally come from government sources at the early stage. The intention of science park development is to jump-start businesses that could benefit from research generated by a nearby university or research institution. This chapter reviews the development of science parks and high-technology zones in China with a focus on their impact on regional and national innovation. Discussion includes the industrial and technological focus of such zones, the relevance of specialization, and issues of effective implementation.


Author(s):  
Weiyuan Zhang ◽  
Guozhen Jiang ◽  
Jian Niu

With advances in information and communication technology (ICT), Web-based education has become an increasingly popular instructional mode all over the world. In recent years, the Chinese government has authorized a total of 45 universities to offer Web-based educational programs. One is China Central Radio and Television University, the Open University in China. The other 44 universities are all leading conventional universities. This case study is intended to provide a descriptive analysis of Web-based educational practices at the 44 leading conventional universities, by focusing on the current state of Web-based education in China and its discernible trends for the future. It is hoped this analysis of Web-based educational efforts in China will provide some insight for other countries.


Author(s):  
Gustavo Morales-Alonso ◽  
Guzmán A. Vila ◽  
Isaac Lemus-Aguilar ◽  
Antonio Hidalgo

Purpose Entrepreneurship is the basis of economic development but is somehow limited by the lack of access to financing sources, especially in the crucial moments of start-up early-stage development. For crossing the so-called “valley of death,” start-ups need to access informal finance sources, such as business angels. This study aims at defining the profile of business angels and comparing it with the existing literature. Design/methodology/approach A novel methodology for sampling the business angles population has been used, which extracts data from online social media networks. This allows taking a closer look at informal sources of entrepreneurial finance. A total of 500 real business angels, acting worldwide, from the LinkedIn and Crunchbase databases has been retrieved for this study. Findings Results point out that younger investors seem to be entering the entrepreneurial informal finance market. They are mainly males between 40 and 50 years of age, with a previous entrepreneurial record, and more highly educated than previously stated. They tend to have studies from Business Administration and Economics, although they prefer to invest in the ICT sector. Originality/value Besides the novel data retrieval technique for analyzing the informal sources of finance, the originality of the work lies in updating the archetype for business angels.


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