scholarly journals Organic Beekeeping Practices in Romania: Status and Perspectives towards a Sustainable Development

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 281
Author(s):  
Cristina Bianca Pocol ◽  
Peter Šedík ◽  
Ioan Sebastian Brumă ◽  
Antonio Amuza ◽  
Aurica Chirsanova

Romanian beekeeping faces a lot of challenges nowadays due to the problems related to climate change, the use of pesticides in agriculture, but also to the pandemic crisis. In this context, organic beekeeping represents an important alternative to traditional apicultural practices. The purpose of the study was to present the current situation of organic beekeeping in Romania, but also to identify some aspects related to sustainability. The research methodology was based on secondary and primary data. An online survey was conducted in 2020 on a sample of 433 Romanian beekeepers. The main findings showed that the majority of participants were aware of organic principles and were familiar with the concept of sustainability in beekeeping. However, only a small percentage of beekeepers were certified in the organic system. The evaluation of the concept of sustainability showed that the most important factor for the surveyed beekeepers was the environmental aspect, followed by the economic and social components. The pandemic crisis has negatively impacted the beekeepers’ activities due to travel restrictions and the limited access to the apiaries. If, in economic terms, they were affected by the sales drop in the first months of the crisis, there were also some positive effects such as the increase in demand for health-related products.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Taghi Heydari ◽  
Leila Zarei ◽  
Ahmad Kalateh Sadati ◽  
Najmeh Moradi ◽  
Maryam Akbari ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The COVID-19 outbreak is a global pandemic, during which the community preventive and protective behaviors play a crucial role in the containment and control of infection. This study was designed to contribute to the existing knowledge on how risk communication (RC) and risk perception (RP) affect protective and preventive behaviors (PPB) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods The required data were extracted from a national online survey of Iranian adults aged 15 and older during March 15–19, 2020 (n=3213). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. Results The study findings reveal that RC has direct and indirect positive effects on PB. Furthermore, this study also provides new evidence indicating that RP mediates the relationship between RC and PB and there is a two-way relationship between RC and RP. These interactions may have impact on risk communication strategies which should be adopted during this pandemic. Conclusion The study findings have remarkable implications for informing future communications as well as interventions during this ongoing outbreak and subsequent national risk events.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 297
Author(s):  
Ya-Chin Yeh ◽  
I-Hua Chen ◽  
Daniel K. Ahorsu ◽  
Nai-Ying Ko ◽  
Kuan-Lin Chen ◽  
...  

The impacts of novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on human life continue to be serious. To control the spread of COVID-19, the production of effective vaccines is likely to be one of the best solutions. However, vaccination hesitancy may decrease individuals’ willingness to get vaccinated. The Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (DrVac-COVID19S) was recently developed to help healthcare professionals and researchers better understand vaccination acceptance. The present study examined whether DrVac-COVID19S is measurement invariant across different subgroups (Taiwanese vs. mainland Chinese university students; males vs. females; and health-related program majors vs. non-health-related program majors). Taiwanese (n = 761; mean age = 25.51 years; standard deviation (SD) = 6.42; 63.5% females) and mainland Chinese university students (n = 3145; mean age = 20.72 years; SD = 2.06; 50.2% females) were recruited using an online survey between 5 January and 21 February 2021. Factor structure and measurement invariance of the two DrVac-COVID19S scales (nine-item and 12-item) were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The findings indicated that the DrVac-COVID19S had a four-factor structure and was measurement invariant across the subgroups. The DrVac-COVID19S’s four-factor structure was supported by the CFA results is a practical and valid instrument to quickly capture university students’ willingness to get COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, the DrVac-COVID19S can be used to compare university students’ underlying reasons to get COVID-19 vaccination among different subgroups.


Author(s):  
Minjung Lee ◽  
Myoungsoon You

Avoidance of healthcare utilization among the general population during pandemic outbreaks has been observed and it can lead to a negative impact on population health. The object of this study is to examine the influence of socio-demographic and health-related factors on the avoidance of healthcare utilization during the global outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020. Data were collected through an online survey four weeks after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed the first case in South Korea; 1000 subjects were included in the analysis. The logit model for regression was used to analyze the associations between sociodemographic and health-related factors regarding the avoidance of healthcare utilization. Among the participants, 73.2% avoided healthcare utilization, and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of healthcare avoidance between groups with (72.0%) and without (74.9%) an underlying disease. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income level, and residential area) were related to healthcare avoidance. Among the investigated influencing factors, residential areas highly affected by COVID-19 (i.e., Daegu/Gyeoungbuk region) had the most significant effect on healthcare avoidance. This study found a high prevalence of healthcare avoidance among the general population who under-utilized healthcare resources during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the results reveal that not all societal groups share the burden of healthcare avoidance equally, with it disproportionately affecting those with certain sociodemographic characteristics. This study can inform healthcare under-utilization patterns during emerging infectious disease outbreaks and provide information to public health emergency management for implementing strategies necessary to improve the preparedness of the healthcare system.


2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110240
Author(s):  
Alexander JAM van Deursen ◽  
Jan AGM van Dijk

Cognitive intelligence is rarely discussed in the context of digital inequality for practical and normative reasons: substantial difficulties around measurements and the fact that it cannot (easily) be changed. In the current contribution, cognitive intelligence is studied in relation to resources and appropriation theory which explains digital inequality as a process of four successive phases of Internet access: motivational, material, skills, and usage. For the measurement of cognitive intelligence, we build on considerable efforts devoted to developing alternatives to cumbersome intelligence quotient (IQ) tests of intelligence. We conducted a two-wave online survey in the Netherlands, resulting in a sample of 1733 respondents. The importance of IQ was confirmed with direct positive effects on education, economic, social, and cultural resources, and on Internet attitude and skills. The results reveal several details that can enhance our understanding of the specific mechanisms through which IQ and education operate in digital inequalities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Dyah Rahmawati Hizbaron ◽  
Dina Ruslanjari ◽  
Djati Mardiatno

Since Indonesia reported its first case of COVID-19 in the capital, Jakarta, in early March of 2020, the pandemic has affected 102,051,000 lives. In the second week of the month, the government mandated all sectors to take necessary actions to curb the spread. The research set out to evaluate how the disaster emergency response was carried out amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (SRY). The research employs qualitative observation of adaptive governance variables, i.e., infrastructure availability, information, conflict mechanism, regulation, and adaptation. The research analyzed primary data collected from focus group discussions with key persons at the Local Disaster Management Agency, Local Development Planning Agency, and Disaster Risk Reduction Platform responsible for the crisis and included an online survey to validate data. The research revealed that the SRY had exhibited adaptive governance to the COVID-19 pandemic, as apparent by, among others, open-access spatial and non-spatial data, extensive combined uses of both types of data, and prompt active engagement of communities in the enforcement of new rules and regulations mandated by national and provincial governments. Furthermore, during emergency responses to COVID-19, the stakeholders provided infrastructure and information, dealt with conflicts in multiple spatial units, encouraged adaptations, and formulated emergent rules and regulations. For further research, we encourage qualitative analysis to confront other types of natural disaster for the research area.


Author(s):  
Ana J. Cañas-Lerma ◽  
M. Elena Cuartero-Castañer ◽  
Guido Mascialino ◽  
Paula Hidalgo-Andrade

Empathy plays a fundamental role in health related occupations. In this study, we analysed empathy levels in professionals (117) and students (170) from various healthcare fields in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used in an online survey. The results show high levels of empathy in both groups, influenced by age and gender. The students presented higher levels of personal distress, and their age was negatively correlated to empathy. Additionally, professionals working in physical health scored higher levels of personal distress compared to those in the field of emotional health. COVID-19 has placed social health systems in great stress. Despite this, the personal capacities for empathy of both students and health professionals have not been diminished.


OTO Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2473974X2110014
Author(s):  
Jordan Grauer ◽  
Amir Aaron Hakimi ◽  
Sonya Malekzadeh

The 2020-2021 otolaryngology residency application cycle has been immensely distorted by travel restrictions mandated in response to coronavirus disease 2019, limiting opportunities for applicants to meet and rotate with programs of interest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate otolaryngology applicants’ preferences toward the content and format of virtual residency information sessions. An anonymous online survey was developed to gauge applicants’ virtual exposure to otolaryngology programs and investigate their preferences during virtual sessions. Almost all respondents attended at least 1 virtual information session (89%). Respondents felt that the most important aspects of these sessions were meeting residents, learning about operative volume, and meeting faculty. The majority (85%) preferred these sessions last no longer than 2 hours. Participants preferred virtual sessions to include breakout sessions with participant video/microphone on. These findings have implications for future virtual resident recruitment strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric W. Liguori ◽  
Christoph Winkler ◽  
Lee J. Zane ◽  
Jeff Muldoon ◽  
Doan Winkel

PurposeThis paper explores community college entrepreneurship education's near-instantaneous transition to online course delivery following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were obtained from 92 community college entrepreneurship faculty via online survey in late March of 2020, right at the time faculty were required to transition their courses to an online mode of delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurship Education Project.FindingsWhile the majority of community college entrepreneurship educators have taught online previously, many were not familiar with exemplar education technology tools and applications, demonstrating an opportunity for continued professional development. To deliver courses online, educators primarily relied on pre-recorded lectures and using Zoom as the technology platform of choice. Last, there were significant faculty concerns about their ability to effectively create an “experiential” classroom virtually for students to learn and practice entrepreneurship.Originality/valueThis is the first paper investigating how community college entrepreneurship educators responded to one of the most disruptive events to ever impact entrepreneurship education (viz. the COVID-19 pandemic). More broadly, this is also one of very few studies exploring both (1) community college entrepreneurship education and (2) how unexpected crises (e.g. natural disasters, pandemics) impact educational environments.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 214-231
Author(s):  
Ilze Rūse

The article analyzes the activity of non-governmental actors in Latvia in advocating their interests on national and European Union legislative proposals. The findings draw on primary data gained from 122 responses from interest organizations in Latvia in an online survey. Despite the large number of societal actors (thirteen thousand registered organizations), the interest group population in Latvia consists of small and financially underequipped NGOs. Their lobbying activities are characterized by predominantly influencing domestic authorities, that is, national route strategies, although there is some variation across the types of interest groups.


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