Circulation and Climate Variability in the Czech Republic between 1961 and 2020: A Comparison of Changes for Two “Normal” Periods

Thirty-year periods are treated in climatology as spans with relatively representative and stable climatic patterns, which can be used for calculating climate normals. Annual and seasonal series of circulation types were used to compare two 30-year sub-periods, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020, the second one being strongly influenced by recent global warming. This analysis was conducted according to the objective classification of circulation types and the climatic characteristics of sunshine duration, temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind speed as calculated for the territory of the Czech Republic during the 1961–2020 period. For both sub-periods, their statistical characteristics were calculated, and the statistical significance of differences between them was evaluated. There was a statistically significant increase in the annual frequencies of anticyclonic circulation types and a significant decrease in cyclonic circulation types during 1991–2020 compared with 1961–1990. Generally, in both 30-year periods, significant differences in means, variability, characteristics of distribution, density functions, and linear trends appear for all climatic variables analysed except precipitation. This indicates that the recent 30-year “normal” period of 1991–2020, known to be influenced more by recent climate change, is by its climatic characteristics unrepresentative of the stable climatic patterns of previous 30-year periods.

Shift of radiotherapy use during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic? An analysis of German inpatient data

Objective To assess the change in inpatient radiotherapy related to COVID-19 lockdown measures during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Methods We included cases hospitalized between January 1 and August 31, 2018–2020, with a primary ICD-10 diagnosis of C00–C13, C32 (head and neck cancer, HNC) and C53 (cervical cancer, CC). Data collection was conducted within the Medical Informatics Initiative. Outcomes were fractions and admissions. Controlling for decreasing hospital admissions during holidays, calendar weeks of 2018/2019 were aligned to Easter 2020. A lockdown period (LP; 16/03/2020–02/08/2020) and a return-to-normal period (RNP; 04/05/2020–02/08/2020) were defined. The study sample comprised a control (admission 2018/19) and study cohort (admission 2020). We computed weekly incidence and IR ratios from generalized linear mixed models. Results We included 9365 (CC: 2040, HNC: 7325) inpatient hospital admissions from 14 German university hospitals. For CC, fractions decreased by 19.97% in 2020 compared to 2018/19 in the LP. In the RNP the reduction was 28.57% (p < 0.001 for both periods). LP fractions for HNC increased by 10.38% (RNP: 9.27%; p < 0.001 for both periods). Admissions for CC decreased in both periods (LP: 10.2%, RNP: 22.14%), whereas for HNC, admissions increased (LP: 2.25%, RNP: 1.96%) in 2020. Within LP, for CC, radiotherapy admissions without brachytherapy were reduced by 23.92%, whereas surgery-related admissions increased by 20.48%. For HNC, admissions with radiotherapy increased by 13.84%, while surgery-related admissions decreased by 11.28% in the same period. Conclusion Related to the COVID-19 lockdown in an inpatient setting, radiotherapy for HNC treatment became a more frequently applied modality, while admissions of CC cases decreased.

Pola Pergerakan Orang di Masa Pandemi dengan Pendekatan Eksploratif di Wilayah Kepulauan Bangka Belitung

COVID-19 has spread around the world and has given a huge impact on people's lives. One of the changes in the COVID-19 condition is the travel pattern of people. Travel patterns can be explained in terms of the flow of vehicles, passengers, and people's mobility from the origin and destination zones within a certain area and period. On the other hand, it is known that travel patterns are an essential factor in solving transportation problems. The change of travel pattern data is needed for transportation planners and policymakers in providing safe transportation during the pandemic. In addition, data on travel patterns also play an important role in determining travel restrictions in an area to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This study tries to analyze travel patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic through an exploratory approach by taking a case study in the Bangka Belitung Province. The results of this study show that the mobility was dominated by intra-island trips during the pandemic, both within Bangka Island and Belitung Island. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of people made changes to their routine's mobility. More than 50% of people did not return to their original travel patterns even though the pandemic conditions had entered the New Normal period. The most influential factor which makes people change their mobility is to take precautions from COVID-19.

Knowledge and Attitude of Mothers About Care of New Birth In The New Normal Era

Background: Caring for a newborn is a challenge for parents, especially in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Concerns about transmission from parents, family and medical personnel as well as limited information and delays in various activities in basic community services can lead to low quality and ability of mothers to care for babies. Objectives: This study aims to describe the knowledge and attitudes of mothers in the care of newborns in the new normal. Methods: This research is descriptive analytic research using observational method. The population in this study were mothers aged 0-28 days who live in the work area of ​​Posyandu Jayalaksana RW 03 Village 3-4 Ulu Palembang with a sample of 44 people, data collection using questionnaires for assessment variables and attitudes using a Likert scale with a range of 1- 5 which consists of favorable and unfavorable statements. Univariate data analysis to assess the characteristics and frequency distribution of variables Results: Knowledge is strongly influenced by age, education and occupation. most of the respondents have a fairly good knowledge of 61.4% and have a good attitude that is 59.1% in caring for newborns during the new normal period. Conclusion: Good knowledge causes the right attitude and behavior in the care of newborns, it takes the cooperation of parents, families and health workers so that the success of caring for babies in the new normal is more optimal.

STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES ON ONLINE LEARNING IN THE NEW NORMAL PERIOD OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This study aims to investigate the students' preferences on online learning systems in the new normal period of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study used descriptive qualitative research and adopted a survey method to collect the quantitative data from 95 students in two universities related to students experiences on learning classes, devices and mediums, learning environment, material format and comprehension, resources, time management, peers and lecturer communication, and limitation and benefit of online learning. This study also highlights the lecturer's effort to overcome the general obstacles amid the online learning process. The use of various formats of learning materials is effective for students who face poor internet access in remote areas. Moreover, feedback is vital for both lecturer and students in maintaining the engagement of communication. Finally, the results of this study provide essential information in understanding the effectiveness of online learning particularly amid the new normal period from the university setting.

Quasi-Z-Source Inverters in Renewable Power Systems Modeling

This paper is devoted to in-detail demonstrationand description of the overall functionality and deailed processes in every component of quasi-z-source voltage inverter. Expressions for currents and voltages on all elements of the circuit in standard and "shoot-trough" modes are provided. These ratios demonstrate one of the main technological advantages of the quasi-z-source topology: which is the possibility of the voltage reduction on one of the capacitor that forms the quasi-z-circuitry that led to the overall size and weight reduction of the resulting device and additional reliability increase. Matlab calculations,that are provided in the practical part of the article,fully confirmed the theoretical dependencies. At the same time, obtained practical results of the simulation demonstrated the main advantage of the quasi-impedance topology - the ability to provide a continuous current of the input source without zero pauses. That is additionally confirmed by a graphical representation of transients and the spectrum of the output voltage of the inverter. As the second topic of the article, the problem of the control system operating principle selection was discussed. As it was determined in the process of the previous research and practical modeling of the quasi-z-source inverter, providing a switching of the inverter valves on the frequency that equal to the frequency of the desired output voltage, which for the most of the world’s electrical power systems is equal to 50-60 Hz, is leading to a size and mass increase of the quasi-z-source circuitry, according to its design ratios. Additionally, such component are either not represented in the modern electronic components lineup or providing sufficient energy losses that in some design cases could neglect the voltage boost effect of the quasi-z-source circuitry implementation. To overcome discovered limitations, several PWM control methods were suggested. All of them could be divided into two groups: classic and vector PWM methods. Classic methods are based on combination of the basic PWM modulation techniques that are widely used in conventional full-bridge invertors with the insertion of the “shoot-trough” state activation mode. A model of the control system for the classical approach is offered. It is shown that the method of simple control of the state of "breakdown" is based on the placement of time intervals of the inverter in the state of "breakdown" within the normal period of operation of the bridge inverter. The only difference between the models is the inclusion of an additional constant signal exceeding the amplitude of which the carrier leads to the activation of the “shoot-trough” state.In conclusion the discussion on topic of the classic control methods implementation in up-to-date designs and possibility of its combination with a different modern approaches aimed on a quasi-z-source topology parameters modification are provided.

Empowering mothers in increasing family resilience in the new normal era

The new normal is a type of attitude and act of adjusting to the occurrence of certain conditions or events. Because the general public still lacks knowledge and has misconceptions about the new normal, they do not follow procedures such as wearing masks, washing hands, and physical distancing. The main objective of the service activity is to empower mothers to increase family resilience in the new normal period by increasing mothers' knowledge about Covid-19 prevention. The method of providing educational activities via WhatsApp groups. The activity took place in the Anyelir Posyandu's work area at the Dempo Health Center between August and September 2020. There was an increase in mother's knowledge at the end of the activity after being given education in the form of videos with the theme of new normal life and the discussion process.

The Impact of the Rupiah/Dollar Exchange Rate, Inflation Against the SBI Interest Rate During the New Normal Period

The Covid 19 pandemic has changed the order of Indonesian society and even the world; to prevent the spread of this virus, a new lifestyle or "New normal" is implemented, in which people can still do activities outside the home while adhering to health protocols. As a result of the economic sector's pandemic condition, the rupiah exchange rate against the dollar fell, as did inflation and interest rate values. The goal of this research is to determine the impact of the Rupiah exchange rate, inflation, and interest rates during the New Normal Period. The New Normal period, as we know, begins in early June 2020, so researchers plan to collect data from June 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The information used is skunder data. This study used saturated sampling or a census sample, which is a technique for determining "samples where all members of the population are used as samples." The research method used is quantitative research. The test is a multiple linear regression analysis that begins with a traditional assumption test that includes a normality test and a multicollinearity test. The findings revealed that during the New Normal period, the rupiah/dollar exchange rate had a positive and significant effect on SBI interest rates. During the New Normal period, inflation has a positive and significant impact on SBI interest rates. During the New Normal, the Exchange/Dollar Rate and the Inflation Rate both have a positive effect on the SBI Interest Rate.

Examining a model of tourist loyalty in homestay tourism village balkondes Borobudur area in the new normal period

<p>Tourism business is affected by Pandemic Covid-19. Tourist loyalty was proven as an important key for the recovery of tourism business, including homestays in tourism villages. Therefore, this study aims to examine the model of tourist loyalty in homestays tourism village Balkondes Borobudur area in the new normal period. The quantitative study was conducted by developing a questionnaire to get primary data from 100 respondents who have stayed in a homestay tourism village Balkondes Borobudur area in the new normal period more than once as samples. Data were analyzed by Structural Equation Model (SEM) with AMOS, and Sobel Test to examine the mediation effect. The results show that service quality and image has a positive and significant effect on tourist satisfaction, tourist trust, and tourist loyalty. Moreover, tourist satisfaction and tourist trust proved that these variables mediate the relationship between service quality and tourist loyalty, and between image and tourist loyalty. The results have implications for the homestay tourism village manager to improve the quality of services based on health protocols and CHSE, communicate a positive image to guests through a marketing communication mix, to increase guest satisfaction and trust. Thus, it is hoped that the guests who have stayed will become loyal guests so that the business can survive and be sustainable. This study extends the literature related to the implementation of the tourist loyalty model in the hospitality and tourism industry, especially homestays in tourism villages.</p>

Evaluating Recent and Future Climatic Suitability for the Cultivation of Norway Spruce in the Czech Republic in Comparison with Observed Tree Cover Loss between 2001 and 2020

The high portion of secondary Norway spruce in Central European forests constitutes a major problem because a significant part of these forests is moving further away from their original bioclimatic envelope. The precise evaluation and prediction of climatic suitability are needed for the implementation of forest adaptation strategies. We evaluated climatic suitability for the cultivation of Norway spruce in the Czech Republic forests, making use of the Random Forest combined learning statistical method. The evaluation presented was based on a comparison with the climatic normal period 1961–1990; change analysis was carried out for the period 1991–2014 and projected for 2021–2040 and 2041–2060. We found that suitable conditions for Norway spruce will remain only in 11.3% by area of Czech forests in the period 2041–2060 vs. 46.0% in the period 1961–1990. We also compared tree cover loss data (using Global Forest Watch) from 2001 to 2020 with statistics on salvage logging. In the period, the cover loss affected 19.5% of the area with more than 30% Norway spruce. The relationships between relative tree cover loss and the percentage of salvage logging caused by insects were conclusive and statistically significant.