Evolution of COVID-19 Health Disparities in Arizona

Objective: COVID-19 burdens are disproportionally high in underserved and vulnerable groups in Arizona. As the pandemic progresses, it is unclear if the disparities have evolved. In this study, we aim to elicit the dynamic landscape of COVID-19 disparities at the community level and identify newly emerged vulnerable subpopulations. Materials and Methods: We compiled biweekly COVID-19 case counts of 274 zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Arizona from October 21, 2020, to November 25, 2021, during which the COVID-19 growth rate has changed significantly. Within each growth period, we detected health disparities by testing associations between the growth rate of COVID-19 cases in a ZCTA and the population composition of race/ethnicity, income, employment, and age. We then compared the associations between periods to discover temporal patterns of health disparities. Results: High percentage of Latinx or Black residents, high poverty rate, and young median age were risk factors of high cumulative COVID-19 case counts in a ZCTA. However, the impact of these factors on the growth rate of new COVID-19 cases varied. While high percentage of Black residents and young median age remained as risk factors of fast COVID-19 growth rate, high poverty rate became a protective factor. The association between the percentage of Latinx residents and the COVID-19 growth rate converted from positive to negative during summer 2021. The unemployment rate emerged as a new risk factor of fast COVID-19 growth rate after September 2021. Based on these findings, we identified 37 ZCTAs that are highly vulnerable to fast escalation of COVID-19 cases. Discussion and Conclusion: As the pandemic progresses, disadvantaged communities continue suffering from escalated risk of COVID-19 infection. But the vulnerabilities have evolved. While the disparities related to Latinx ethnicity improved gradually, those related to Black ethnicity and young communities aggravated. The struggle of financially disadvantaged communities continued, although the burden had shifted from those living under the poverty line to those with a high unemployment rate. It is necessary to adjust current resource allocations and design and deploy new interventions to address emerging needs.

Food Security Level of Fisherman Household in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia

The condition of fishermen’s households that are less food secure can be triggered by poverty. As a developing country, Indonesia still has a fairly high poverty rate of 34.96 million people, of which 63.47% are people living in coastal areas. According to the Food Consumption Survey of Lampung in 2017, 2018, and 2019 conducted by the Food Security Agency of Lampung Province, it is known that the amount and level of energy consumption of fishery households in Bandar Lampung City has decreased from 1,815.1 kcal/cap/day or by 93, 1% in 2017 to 1,666.4 kcal/cap/year or 84.0% in 2018, and decreased again to 1,568.0 kcal/cap/day or 75.1% in 2019. This study aims to analyze the level of food security of fishermen’s households in and the level of energy and protein adequacy of fishermen’s households in Teluk Betung Selatan District. This research was conducted in Teluk Betung Selatan District, Bandar Lampung. The research was conducted on March to July 2021. The sample of fishermen in this study was 50 fishermen from 1,207 fishermen in Teluk Betung Selatan District. Sampling was done by simple random method. The results of this study are (1) the food security of fishermen’s households in Teluk Betung Selatan District is mostly in the food security category (78%), while the remaining 22% are in the food insecurity category; (2) the level of energy adequacy of fishermen’s households in Teluk Betung Selatan District is mostly in the poor category (52%), but the level of protein adequacy is mostly.

The Role of Digital Consumer Protection in Mediating the Effect of Mobile Money usage towards Financial Inclusion: an Evidence from Buleleng, Indonesia

The current utilization of digital services especially in finance sector among the productive age communities is increasing. Mobile money utilization and the implementation of a digitalization system in the financial sector are expected to increase financial inclusion. By increasing financial inclusion, the poverty rate is also expected to be reduced. Buleleng Regency is one of regency in Bali Province, Indonesia which has a high poverty rate. It is necessary to increase financial inclusion through mobile money usage. However, it is also necessary to increase consumer protection to support this digitalization. This research aims to determine the effect of mobile money usage on financial inclusion with digital consumer protection as a mediator in productive age communities in Buleleng Regency, Bali, Indonesia. The population of this research consists of 439,400 people from productive age group in Buleleng Regency, Bali, Indonesia. This research used a non-probability sampling technique with the total of 477 samples. This research applies the Sobel test, Baron and Kenny’s mediation analysis, and the PROCESS method by Hayes. The results of this study show that digital consumer protection partially mediates the effect of the mobile money usage on financial inclusion in Buleleng Regency, Bali, Indonesia. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested to regulators and related agencies in Indonesia to show more attention about the safety factors of mobile money users by strengthening consumer protection in terms of both regulation and the system reliability. Furthermore, it is also necessary to develop education programs on how to manage finance properly by using mobile money in order to improve people’s welfare.

PERAN BAITUL MAL SEBAGAI PENGHIM PERAN BAITUL MAL SEBAGAI PENGHIMPUN DANA ZAKAT DALAM MENANGGULANGI KEMISKINAN DI KOTA LANGSA

Aceh is one of the provinces with a high poverty rate and is also a region with a high poverty rate in Sumatra, including Langsa City. Therefore, one of the efforts to alleviate poverty in Langsa City is by utilizing zakat funds managed by the Baitul Mal Institute, which will later be distributed to the poor in Langsa City. This study aims to identify the role of the Baitul Mal Institution in alleviating poverty and improving the welfare of the people of Langsa City. From the research results, it is concluded that the distribution of zakat funds to the poor is still ineffective and still not on target so that people still do not feel prosperity.

Poverty of the Elderly in Korea

Korea’s elderly poverty rate remains very high. The fact that a society long governed by the Confucian idea of respect for the elderly has a high elderly poverty rate is ironic. This paper reveals the causes of the exceptionally high poverty rate of the elderly in Korea. Significant reductions in the birth rate and the rapid aging of the population have fueled reductions in private transfers from adult children to elderly parents. Efforts to strengthen the public transfer system have not kept pace with reductions in private transfers in relieving elderly poverty. Korea’s experience provides policy implications to developing countries.

COVID-19: Where are the Nigerian social workers?

The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has brought untold hardship across the globe. Developed nations have taken relatively commendable actions to quell its impact on livelihood and most have also included social workers in the frontline due to their expertise in working with vulnerable populations. Same cannot be said of developing nations particularly Nigeria who hurriedly copied the measures adopted by the developed nations without carefully considering her peculiarities. Given Nigeria’s high poverty rate prior to and even higher during the pandemic as well as the few available resources, it is important that Nigerian social workers should be called upon as frontline workers with regards to the welfare of the vulnerable and the psychosocial well-being of infected persons and their families. Instead, Nigeria has totally ignored the importance of social workers and palliatives have been stolen by those tasked with distribution while the psychosocial well-being of affected persons has been left to fate.

Bioprospecting of Nitrogenous Heterocyclic Scaffolds with Potential Action for Neglected Parasitosis: A Review

Neglected parasitic diseases are a group of infections currently considered as a worldwide concern. This fact can be attributed to the migration of these diseases to developed and developing countries, associated with therapeutic insufficiency resulted from the low investment in the research and development of new drugs. In order to overcome this situation, bioprospecting supports medicinal chemistry in the identification of new scaffolds with therapeutically appropriate physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Among them, we highlight the nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds, as they are secondary metabolites of many natural products with potential biological activity. The objective of this work was to review studies within a 10-year timeframe (2009- 2019), focusing on the pharmacological application of nitrogen bioprospectives (pyrrole, pyridine, indole, quinoline, acridine, and their respective derivatives) against neglected parasitic infections (malaria, leishmania, trypanosomiases, and schistosomiasis), and their application as a template for semi-synthesis or total synthesis of potential antiparasitic agents. In our studies, it was observed that among the selected articles, there was a higher focus on the attempt to identify and obtain novel antimalarial compounds, in a way that an extensive amount of studies involving all heterocyclic nitrogen nuclei were found. On the other hand, the parasites with the lowest number of publications up until the present date have been trypanosomiasis, especially those caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, and schistosomiasis, where some heterocyclics have not even been cited in recent years. Thus, we conclude that despite the great biodiversity on the planet, little attention has been given to certain neglected tropical diseases, especially those that reach countries with a high poverty rate.

Strategi Pengembangan Wakaf Produktif untuk Kesejahteraan Umat

The Strategy Of Productive Waqf Management For General Welfare (Case Study On Nadzir Of Malang Islamic University Foundation). The purpose of this research is to find out the strategy of productive waqf management for general welfare that conducted by The Nadzir of Universitas Islam Malang Foundation. Malang City still has a quite high poverty rate that is 4,6%. Waqf is an instrumen in islamic economy that can solve poverty beside zakat. The development of waqf in Malang City is increased every year plus there are many waqf asset that spreaded in all sub-district in Malang City. The Nadzir of Universitas Islam Malang Foundation that domiciled in Malang City was given funds by Kementrian Agama with waqf fund agreement. The purpose of that waqf fund is as the example on productive waqf management. The Nadzir of Universitas Islam Malang Foundation has succeed in developing eleven VIP Rooms in UNISMA Hospital. 70% from the outcomes of that management, are used to development and management of the VIP Rooms and used to develop a minimarket that spreaded in several regions. 20% from the outcomes of productive waqf management was channeled to the 40 mauquf alaih periodically. Abstrak. Strategi Pengelolaan Wakaf Produktif untuk Kesejahteraan Umat (Studi Kasus di Nadzir Yayasan Universitas Islam Malang). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui strategi pengelolaan wakaf produktif untuk kesejahteraan umat yang dilakukan oleh Nadzir Yayasan Universitas Islam Malang. Kota Malang masih memiliki tingkat kemiskinan yang cukup tinggi yaitu sebesar 4,6 %. Wakaf merupakan salah satu instrumen dalam ekonomi islam yang mampu mengatasi kemiskinan selain zakat. Perkembangan wakaf di Kota Malang semakin meningkat tiap tahunnya ditambah banyak aset wakaf yang tersebar di seluruh kecamatan di Kota Malang. Nadzir Yayasan Universitas Islam Malang yang berkedudukan di Kota Malang diberi dana oleh Kementrian Agama dengan akad dana wakaf. Tujuan dari dana wakaf tersebut adalah sebagai percontohan dalam pengelolaan wakaf secara produktif. Nadzir Yayasan Universitas Islam Malang telah berhasil membangun Ruang VIP di Rumah Sakit UNISMA sebanyak 11 kamar, 70% dari hasil pengelolaan tersebut digunakan untuk pengembangan dan pengelolaan Ruang VIP serta digunakan untuk membangun minimarket yang tersebar di beberapa daerah. 20% hasil pengelolaan wakaf produktif disalurkan kepada sekitar 40 mauquf alaih secara periodik.

Level of Entrepreneurial Success Among Women in the Agribusiness

Entrepreneurship has been identified as an important component of economic growth. Very high poverty rate and lack of job opportunity cleared the way for many unemployed young people, which include women, to enter small business units. In this study, the Business Success Index (ESI) was created to assess the success rate of women in agribusiness and the informants were categorized into four classes of very higher success, moderate success, average success and lower success.

INOVASI PENYALURAN DANA ZAKAT PADA PROGRAM PEMBERDAYAAN DI LEMBAGA AMIL ZAKAT

Zakat is intended to empowering the mustahik and improving their living standard. For this reason, the Islamic economic system through zakat is believed as one of solution to overcome social gap and inequalities. Qualitative descriptive research is used to reveal Zakat Law Number 23 of 2011 drafting as Law Number 38 of 1999 replacement; and al-Maqashid al-Shari'ah as analysis approach. The high poverty rate, the great potential of zakat, and the responsibility of the State promote the “productive zakat” in form of scholarships, venture capital, and other forms are inevitably, while distributing the fund to the eight asnaf as stated in Al Qur'an Surah At-Taubah verse 60.Abstrak: Sistem ekonomi Islam melalui zakat merupakan solusi untuk menanggulangi kesen­jangan sosial yang akan berakibat pada kecemburuan sosial, konflik sosial, bahkan sampai revolusi sosial. Pengelolaan zakat yang baik mendistribusikan dana zakat tidak bersifat konsumtif tetapi secara produktif baik dimensi ekonomi, pendidikan, bahkan sarana sosial lainnya sehingga mustahik mampu mengembangkan dana zakat yang diteri­­ma guna meningkatkan taraf kehidupannya. Penelitian deskriptif kualitatif diguna­kan untuk mengungkapkan kejadian atau fakta proses pembuatan undang-undang nomor 23 tahun 2011 sebagai perubahan dari undang-undang nomor 38 tahun 1999. Sedangkan untuk menganalisis digunakan pendekatan al-Maqashid al-Syari’ah. Angka kemiskinan yang tinggi dan potensi zakat yang besar serta tanggungjawab Negara dalam hal itu menjadikan pengelolaan zakat secara produktif seperti dalam bentuk beasiswa, permodalan, pemberian alat-alat produksi dan sebagainya adalah hal yang niscaya dengan tetap mendistribusikannya tidak keluar dari delapan asnaf yang tertuang dalam Al-quran surat At-Taubah ayat 60.