Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Residential Municipal Waste Streams, Anne Kluthe

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Through interviews, this exploratory analytive study researched how COVID-19, and especially the first lockdown of 2020, changed residential municipal waste streams, specifically in terms of items, tonnage, and workplace practices. The most common items were an influx in PPE, specifically face masks, and an increase in cardboard. There was also some evidence of paper from “deep cleaning” projects and construction debris from backyard pool installation and bathroom renovation. The total change in waste varied from area to area. Norfolk and the surrounding area had a stagnant amount of waste during the pandemic, Omaha and the rest of Douglas County saw …

Use Of Equity-Informed Social Media Covid-19 Risk Communication Tools: A Scoping Review Protocol, Anita Kothari, Nedra Peter, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan

Publications

INTRODUCTION: Health agencies and community organisations play a crucial role in disseminating information to the public about COVID-19 risks and events, providing instructions on how to change behaviour to mitigate those risks, motivating compliance with health directives and addressing false information. Social media platforms are a critical tool in risk communication, providing a medium for rapid transmission of messages as well as providing the opportunity for engagement and immediate feedback. Access to health information, services and support are especially important for marginalised and underserved ('equity-deserving') populations who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. This scoping review aims to review the breadth …

Implementation Of The Texas Community-Engaged Statewide Consortium For The Prevention Of Covid-19, Erika L Thompson, Bettina M Beech, Robert L Ferrer, Lorna H Mcneil, Jasmine J Opusunju, Rebecca A Seguin-Fowler, Emily E Spence, Luis Torres-Hostos, Christopher I Amos, Palak Desai, Jamboor K Vishwanatha

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities aims to conduct community-engaged research and outreach. This paper describes the Texas CEAL Consortium's activities in the first year and evaluates progress. The Texas CEAL Consortium comprised seven projects. To evaluate the Texas CEAL Consortium's progress, we used components of the RE-AIM Framework. Evaluation included estimating the number of people reached for data collection and education activities (reach), individual project goals and progress (effectiveness), partnerships established and partner engagement (adoption), and outreach and education activities (implementation). During the one-year period, focus groups were conducted with 172 people and surveys with 2107 people …

Health Communications Trial With A Resistant Population To Increase Public Health Compliance During A Pandemic, Alison Amoroso, Carlos A. O. Pavao, Russel E. Luke, Jennifer Mccoy, Sean Richey, Shenandoah Evans

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Georgia has among the worst rates of COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates in the nation. Many identifying as politically conservative resist public health mitigation measures, similar to populations in other politically conservative geographical areas. There are limited peer-reviewed public health communications designed for this population. We aimed to determine if an intervention using a fear appeal approach with efficacy during a pandemic can positively affect knowledge, attitude, perception, and/or behavior (KAP) in Georgia with this population.

Methods: We delivered online video stimuli tailored to the geocultural characteristics of the target population. designed to stimulate fear, encourage efficacy, and counter …

Delivering Instruction During The Pandemic: Insights For Special Education Administrators And Teacher Preparation Programs, Sarah Semon Ph.D., Khalid M. Abu-Alghayth Ph.D., Zorka Karanxha Ph.D., Nicholas Catania Ph.D.

International Journal for Research in Education

This study examined considerations for delivering online instruction and related services to students with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to uncover teachers’ reflections about their experiences with online learning for students with disabilities as a response to COVID-19. We used an online open-ended survey to collect reflections from practicing teachers, who were graduates of a special education program at a university in Florida. Our findings highlighted challenges and unanticipated benefits of online service delivery. We discussed how administrators should streamline instructional-delivery platforms and procedures for teachers, students, and families. We recommended ensuring that Individualized Education Planning (IEP) teams …

Social Media Practices Of School Administrators: The Time Is Now, Heather Bowman, Michelle Giles, Amy Orange, John Decman, Jana M. Willis

School Leadership Review

The educational disruption caused by COVID-19 increased awareness of the value of organizational resiliency/sustainability and the critical need for administrators to provide timely communication among all stakeholders. If preparation programs are to provide administrators with the skills and knowledge to effectively use social media as a communication tool, we must explore the practices and perceptions of school administrators’ use of social media to communicate with stakeholders and to identify their recommended social media communication practices. The Social Media as a Tool to Effectively Communicate with Stakeholders Survey and interviews were used for data collection. Findings are focused on comfort levels, …

Summit: An Integrative Approach For Better Transcriptomic Data Imputation Improves Causal Gene Identification, Zichen Zhang, Ye Eun Bae, Jonathan R Bradley, Lang Wu, Chong Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Genes with moderate to low expression heritability may explain a large proportion of complex trait etiology, but such genes cannot be sufficiently captured in conventional transcriptome-wide association studies (TWASs), partly due to the relatively small available reference datasets for developing expression genetic prediction models to capture the moderate to low genetically regulated components of gene expression. Here, we introduce a method, the Summary-level Unified Method for Modeling Integrated Transcriptome (SUMMIT), to improve the expression prediction model accuracy and the power of TWAS by using a large expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) summary-level dataset. We apply SUMMIT to the eQTL summary-level …

Personal Factors Influencing Us Travelers’ Sentiments Toward Travel Policies To Cuba, Carol Kline, Whitney Knollenberg, Bynum Boley, Evan Jordan

Journal of Tourism Insights

The United States and Cuba have navigated a strained political and economic relationship over the past sixty years; the tone of the relationship is in flux according to Cuban and US leadership, and most recently, COVID-19. Anticipating US travelers’ sentiments towards access to Cuba is more crucial now because of resulting policies playing out within the intersection of the shifting dynamics of the virus and the tumultuous political climate within the US. This study identified the personal factors that influence US travelers’ sentiment towards the US trade embargo and travel restrictions to Cuba. Results reveal that respondents with higher educational …

A Comprehensive Update On Cido: The Community-Based Coronavirus Infectious Disease Ontology, Yongqun He, Hong Yu, Anthony Huffman, Asiyah Yu Lin, Darren A Natale, John Beverley, Ling Zheng, Yehoshua Perl, Zhigang Wang, Yingtong Liu, Edison Ong, Yang Wang, Philip Huang, Long Tran, Jinyang Du, Zalan Shah, Easheta Shah, Roshan Desai, Hsin-Hui Huang, Yujia Tian, Eric Merrell, William D Duncan, Sivaram Arabandi, Lynn M Schriml, Jie Zheng, Anna Maria Masci, Liwei Wang, Hongfang Liu, Fatima Zohra Smaili, Robert Hoehndorf, Zoë May Pendlington, Paola Roncaglia, Xianwei Ye, Jiangan Xie, Yi-Wei Tang, Xiaolin Yang, Suyuan Peng, Luxia Zhang, Luonan Chen, Junguk Hur, Gilbert S Omenn, Brian Athey, Barry Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The current COVID-19 pandemic and the previous SARS/MERS outbreaks of 2003 and 2012 have resulted in a series of major global public health crises. We argue that in the interest of developing effective and safe vaccines and drugs and to better understand coronaviruses and associated disease mechenisms it is necessary to integrate the large and exponentially growing body of heterogeneous coronavirus data. Ontologies play an important role in standard-based knowledge and data representation, integration, sharing, and analysis. Accordingly, we initiated the development of the community-based Coronavirus Infectious Disease Ontology (CIDO) in early 2020.

RESULTS: As an Open Biomedical Ontology …

Understanding The Interconnection Between Public Health And Political Behaviors In A Politically Polarized Context: The Impact Of Race, Political Attitudes, And Policy Factors On The Us Covid-19 Pandemic Response., Florent Nkouaga

Political Science ETDs

This dissertation evaluates the interconnection between health and political behaviors in a polarized context such as the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled the current political polarization and the structural health disparities among racial communities. Using the system theory delineated by David Easton, this dissertation demonstrates that health attitudes and behaviors in the electorate can influence voting behaviors, as was the case with the 2020 US presidential election. An evaluation of the 2021 African American COVID-19 Vaccine Polls (AACVP), and the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Postelection Survey (CMPS) demonstrates that factors such as public health compliance, trust in federal health institutions, …

Translingual And Translational Practices As Rhetorical Care Technologies In Covid-19 Recovery, Soyeon Lee

Journal of Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization

Drawing from an ethnographic study with Korean-speaking language minority communities in an urban metropolitan area in the United Sates, this study illuminates how multilingual transnational community workers and members cope with disaster recovery–specific technologies in the aftermath of COVID-19. Networking studies on language and cultural differences and studies on care rhetorics in feminist science and technology studies, this study examines how language minorities enact translingual and translational activities as care practices. By attending to racial, linguistic, and cultural differences and unequal power structures, this study identifies four emerging findings: 1) developing translingual attunements; 2) cultivating transmodal attunements; 3) producing translational …

The Communicative And Affective Labor Of Public Pandemic Diaries: The Case Of Fang Fang’S Wuhan Diary, Chen Chen

Journal of Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization

This article studies the immaterial labor of Fang Fang’s Wuhan diary about the Wuhan COVID-19 lockdown time period, Jan 23 to Apr 8, 2020 (her diary ran from Jan 25 to Mar 24). Guided by social justice-informed, critically contextualized methodology, this analysis examines how the rhetoric of Fang Fang’s diary as tactical communication contributed to enacting social justice during the Wuhan lockdown by recognizing, revealing and rejecting oppressions people experienced both due to the challenges of the pandemic outbreak and the government’s inadequate and problematic responses. In doing so, Fang Fang uses her own positionality and privilege to challenge problematic …

Association Of Mrna Vaccination With Clinical And Virologic Features Of Covid-19 Among Us Essential And Frontline Workers, The Heroes-Recover Network, Mark G Thompson, Sarang K Yoon, Allison L Naleway, Jennifer Meece, Thomas P Fabrizio, Alberto J Caban-Martinez, Jefferey L Burgess, Manjusha Gaglani, Lauren E W Olsho, Allen Bateman, Jessica Lundgren, Lauren Grant, Andrew L Phillips, Holly C Groom, Elisha Stefanski, Natasha Schaefer Solle, Katherine Ellingson, Karen Lutrick, Kayan Dunnigan, Meredith G Wesley, Kyley Guenther, Angela Hunt, Josephine Mak, Kurt T Hegmann, Jennifer L Kuntz, Adam Bissonnette, James Hollister, Spencer Rose, Tyler C Morrill, Karley Respet, Ashley L Fowlkes, Matthew S Thiese, Patrick Rivers, Meghan K Herring, Marilyn J Odean, Young M Yoo, Matthew Brunner, Edward J Bedrick, Deanna E Fleary, John T Jones, Jenna Praggastis, James Romine, Monica Dickerson, Sana M Khan, Julie Mayo Lamberte, Shawn Beitel, Richard J Webby, Harmony L Tyner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Data on the epidemiology of mild to moderately severe COVID-19 are needed to inform public health guidance.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations between 2 or 3 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and attenuation of symptoms and viral RNA load across SARS-CoV-2 viral lineages.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective cohort study of essential and frontline workers in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Utah with COVID-19 infection confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing and lineage classified by whole genome sequencing of specimens self-collected weekly and at COVID-19 illness symptom onset. This analysis was conducted among 1199 participants with SARS-CoV-2 …

The Influence Of Course Format, Student Characteristics, And Perceived Teacher Communication And Behavior On Instructional Outcomes Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elizabeth E. Graham, Heather L. Walter, Tang Tang

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Two studies examined instructional format (intact vs. hybrid and remote vs. online), classroom climate, student characteristics (engagement and communication apprehension), perceived teacher communication and behavior (teacher competence, clarity, caring), and their influence on instructional outcomes, including cognitive learning, communication satisfaction, and intent to persist in college pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. The findings highlight the important role teacher characteristics (caring, clarity, competence) played in instructional outcomes. This study also revealed that high levels of engagement signals students’ willingness to participate in the learning process. Students are a driving force in their own cognitive learning, communication satisfaction, and intent to persist …

Online Learning In A “Fancy Prison”: The Impact Of Covid-19 On The International Student Academic Experience While Living In A Quarantine Hotel, Kristen Foltz Esq., Lacey C. Brown Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring 2020 academic semester resulted in many international undergraduate students evacuating the United States to return to their home countries. Some faced government-mandated quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel upon their entry into the country which overlapped with the end of the spring semester or start of summer term. Interviewers conducted qualitative interviews on Zoom with international students enrolled at American universities regarding their experiences with online learning while in isolation. This extreme environment had negative implications for their psychological well-being as well as their ability to self-motivate. Researchers formulated best …

The U.S. Travel Health Pharmacists’ Role In A Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Era, Keri Hurley-Kim, Karina Babish, Eva Chen, Alexis Diaz, Nathan Hahn, Derek Evans, Sheila M. Seed, Karl Hess

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Many countries have enforced strict regulations on travel since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic in December 2019. However, with the development of several vaccines and tests to help identify it, international travel has mostly resumed in the United States (US). Community pharmacists have long been highly accessible to the public and are capable of providing travel health services and are in an optimal position to provide COVID-19 patient care services to those who are now starting to travel again. Objectives: (1) To discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the practice of travel health and …

“Khi Mô Về?” (When Will You Go Home?) Evocative Autoethnography On Death, Impermanence, And Time-Space Extension, Kien Nguyen-Trung

The Qualitative Report

This article is motivated by my personal wish to pay tribute to my beloved grandfather, who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic while I was stranded in Australia. Relying on an evocative autoethnography of a grandson, a father, a PhD candidate and graduate, and a researcher, and in reference to the concepts of place-making theories such as time-space expansion, I tried to embrace my experience of grief and loss as well as to make sense of my feelings of distance, impermanence, and death during this chaotic period. The story I will tell below chronicles my emotional and spiritual journey from …

Occupational Characteristics Associated With Sars-Cov-2 Infection In The Uk Biobank During August-November 2020: A Cohort Study, Elizabeth L Yanik, Bradley A Evanoff, Ann Marie Dale, Yinjiao Ma, Karen E Walker-Bone

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Occupational exposures may play a key role in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection risk. We used a job-exposure matrix linked to the UK Biobank to measure occupational characteristics and estimate associations with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.

METHODS: People reporting job titles at their baseline interview in England who were < 65 years of age in 2020 were included. Healthcare workers were excluded because of differential access to testing. Jobs were linked to the US Occupational Information Network (O*NET) job exposure matrix. O*NET-based scores were examined for occupational physical proximity, exposure to diseases/infection, working outdoors exposed to weather, and working outdoors under cover (score range = 1-5). Jobs were classified as remote work using two algorithms. SARS-CoV-2 test results were evaluated between August 5th-November 10th, 2020, when the UK was released from lockdown. Cox regression was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs), accounting for age, sex, race, education, neighborhood deprivation, assessment center, household size, and income.

RESULTS: We included 115,451 people with job titles, of whom 1746 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. A one-point increase in physical proximity score was associated with 1.14 times higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 (95%CI = 1.05-1.24). A one-point increase in the exposure to diseases/infections score was associated with 1.09 …

Role Of Social Work In Responding To Urgent Social Needs For Senior Citizens -Field Study, N. Yousif, E. Youssef, M. Aboraya

Information Sciences Letters

Social work plays a vital role in containing the corona crisis that has affected millions of people during the last years. This study aims to identify how social work services respond to the urgent social needs of senior citizens. The descriptive-analytical approach was adopted with 50 social workers who work at senior citizens centers at Ajman & Al Sharjah Emirates. The study results reveal modifications in senior citizens’ policies and strategic partnerships. Introduction of new high technology instruments for implementing online social work interventions. Health Care mobile unit was suspended, and more emphasis is placed on using sustainable and high-quality …

Cybersecurity Awareness In African Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study Of Sudan, M. E. Eltahir, O. S. Ahmed

Information Sciences Letters

The crisis caused by the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has imposed a swift and profound change on teaching and learning methods. Consequently, most higher education institutions around the world, including African higher education institutions, have moved from face-to-face teaching to online learning and teaching, which has made the use of the internet by university students necessary and obligatory regardless of the risks associated with unsafe use. This quick move to online teaching and learning has exposed African universities to a greater risk of cybercrime. This prompted the researchers to investigate the cybersecurity awareness levels among undergraduate students at …

Factors Related To Performance Problems Of Distance Education Among Primary School Pupils Under Covid-19 And Confrontation Mechanisms (A Field Study), B. K. Alenzi

Information Sciences Letters

The present research paper aims to identify the factors related to performance problems of distance education among primary school pupils under COVID-19 and their confrontation mechanisms. It adopted the descriptive analytical method and applied a questionnaire to collect data. The population of the search covered all primary school teachers numbered (13364) in (487) primary public schools in Riyadh, whereas the sample included (695) teachers in public schools in Riyadh. The results showed that the high effect size of the problems-related social factors scored (4.18), the high effect size of the problems-related economic factors scored (4.09), the high effect size of …

Video Encryption Technique Based On Hybrid Chaotic Maps And Multi- Operation Keys, Mohamed. Heshmat

Information Sciences Letters

During these critical times of the pandemic, a reliable and fast encryption technique for encrypting medical data for patients is a critical topic to consider. This epidemic forced governments and health care organizations to observe patients of COVID-19. The idea of encryption video is gaining in popularity, because of the growing use of communication technology like video conferencing to conclude corporate meetings and presentations. Video data sent back and forth between sender and recipient must also use the unsecured communication medium available, the internet. This paper proposed a way to encrypt video by using hybrid schemes, which used the advantage …

The Relationship Between Social Variables Related To Parents And The Academic Achievement Of Their Children During Corona Virus: A Case Study, Osman Sirajeldeen Ahmed, Elsayed Abdalrahman

Information Sciences Letters

This research paper aims to identify the relationship between the social variables related to parents and impact on the academic achievement of their children’s after the transition from school education to home schooling during the COVID-19 epidemic. These social variables that the study focused on are gender, age, educational level and work status. To achieve this goal, a random sample of 88 families was selected in the Emirate of Fujairah, with the use of questionnaire and interview tools to collect data. The research provides scientific knowledge about the state of home- schooling during corona virus by studying a case study …

Towards A Model For Citizens’ Acceptance Of E-Payment Systems For Public Sector Services In Jordan: Evidence From Crisis Era, Abeer F. Alkhwaldi, Asem S. Al Eshoush

Information Sciences Letters

E-payment systems (EPS) are an attractive trend in electronic services nowadays, and the public sector is not an exception. Earlier studies on e-payment services acceptance have paid attention to the use of web/mobile services during traditional common circumstances. However, given the distinguishing characteristics of the crisis-era (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic) and how this could lead to new business models based on online services and applications, more studies of EPS for e-government services, in particular, are warranted. This study explored an important issue related to the factors affecting citizens acceptance of E-payment systems for public sector services in the Jordanian context in …

Toward A Conceptual Model For Citizens’ Adoption Of Smart Mobile Government Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Jordan, Abeer F. Alkhwaldi, Raghda T. Al-Ajaleen

Information Sciences Letters

With the accelerated evolution of smart mobile applications, more government organizations are putting forth efforts to motivate their citizens to utilize mobile government (m-gov) applications and services. Accordingly, the citizens’ perspective is vital to improve the applications and promote their engagement in the public services. The current study explored an important issue related to the factors affecting citizens adoption of smart m-gov services in the Jordanian context in order to develop a conceptual framework. Previous research on e-government adoption has paid attention to traditional web-based services. Yet, given the distinguishing characteristics of mobile technology and its application, more study of …

Toward A Conceptual Model For Citizens’ Adoption Of Smart Mobile Government Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Jordan, Abeer F. Alkhwaldi, Raghda T. Al-Ajaleen

Information Sciences Letters

With the accelerated evolution of smart mobile applications, more government organizations are putting forth efforts to motivate their citizens to utilize mobile government (m-gov) applications and services. Accordingly, the citizens’ perspective is vital to improve the applications and promote their engagement in the public services. The current study explored an important issue related to the factors affecting citizens adoption of smart m-gov services in the Jordanian context in order to develop a conceptual framework. Previous research on e-government adoption has paid attention to traditional web-based services. Yet, given the distinguishing characteristics of mobile technology and its application, more study of …

Empty Apologies: Canada’S Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls Crisis, Clementine D. Sherman

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis is a human rights crisis that demands swift and concrete action from the Canadian government. Indigenous women and girls in the United States and Canada are disproportionately affected by violence due to racist, white supremacist, colonialist values ingrained in society and the federal government. This paper looks into the findings of Canada’s 2016 National Inquiry into the MMIWG crisis and determines the progress that the Canadian government has made toward ending the crisis. The paper concludes that the Canadian government has used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse for delayed …

Respiratory Virus Surveillance Among Children With Acute Respiratory Illnesses - New Vaccine Surveillance Network, United States, 2016-2021, Ariana Perez, Joana Y Lively, Aaron Curns, Geoffrey A Weinberg, Natasha B Halasa, Mary Allen Staat, Peter G Szilagyi, Laura S Stewart, Monica M Mcneal, Benjamin Clopper, Yingtao Zhou, Brett L Whitaker, Elizabeth Lemasters, Elizabeth Harker, Janet A Englund, Eileen J Klein, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Christopher J Harrison, Julie A Boom, Leila C Sahni, Marian G Michaels, John V Williams, Gayle E Langley, Susan I Gerber, Angela Campbell, Aron J Hall, Brian Rha, Meredith Mcmorrow

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) is a prospective, active, population-based surveillance platform that enrolls children with acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) at seven pediatric medical centers. ARIs are caused by respiratory viruses including influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), and most recently SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), which result in morbidity among infants and young children (1-6). NVSN estimates the incidence of pathogen-specific pediatric ARIs and collects clinical data (e.g., underlying medical conditions and vaccination status) to assess risk factors for severe disease and calculate influenza and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Current NVSN …

Respiratory Virus Surveillance Among Children With Acute Respiratory Illnesses - New Vaccine Surveillance Network, United States, 2016-2021., Ariana Perez, Joana Y. Lively, Aaron Curns, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, Natasha B. Halasa, Mary Allen Staat, Peter G. Szilagyi, Laura S. Stewart, Monica M. Mcneal, Benjamin Clopper, Yingtao Zhou, Brett L. Whitaker, Elizabeth Lemasters, Elizabeth Harker, Janet A. Englund, Eileen J. Klein, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Christopher J. Harrison, Julie A. Boom, Leila C. Sahni, Marian G. Michaels, John V. Williams, Gayle E. Langley, Susan I. Gerber, Angela Campbell, Aron J. Hall, Brian Rha, Meredith Mcmorrow, New Vaccine Surveillance Network Collaborators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) is a prospective, active, population-based surveillance platform that enrolls children with acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) at seven pediatric medical centers. ARIs are caused by respiratory viruses including influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), and most recently SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), which result in morbidity among infants and young children (1-6). NVSN estimates the incidence of pathogen-specific pediatric ARIs and collects clinical data (e.g., underlying medical conditions and vaccination status) to assess risk factors for severe disease and calculate influenza and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Current NVSN …

Shifting Geopolitics: Reimagining Globalization And Spatial Representation In The Post Covid-19 Era, Victoria H. Bergström

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

Abstract: Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the utilisation of maps has been at the forefront. Maps have informed policymakers, governments, and citizens of the distribution and spread of the disease. Although these maps have been used for various purposes, from border closures to curfews, there is an inherent danger in this widespread usage. Aside from the intricacy of these spatial representations, these widely distributed representations encourage isolationism and the reconception of borders in an increasingly globalised world. Furthermore, new connectivities through digital means have created a potential solution to international exchanges amidst physical limitations. Nevertheless, elitism prevents the …