245 research outputs found

    Statistical physics of vaccination

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    Historically, infectious diseases caused considerable damage to human societies, and they continue to do so today. To help reduce their impact, mathematical models of disease transmission have been studied to help understand disease dynamics and inform prevention strategies. Vaccination–one of the most important preventive measures of modern times–is of great interest both theoretically and empirically. And in contrast to traditional approaches, recent research increasingly explores the pivotal implications of individual behavior and heterogeneous contact patterns in populations. Our report reviews the developmental arc of theoretical epidemiology with emphasis on vaccination, as it led from classical models assuming homogeneously mixing (mean-field) populations and ignoring human behavior, to recent models that account for behavioral feedback and/or population spatial/social structure. Many of the methods used originated in statistical physics, such as lattice and network models, and their associated analytical frameworks. Similarly, the feedback loop between vaccinating behavior and disease propagation forms a coupled nonlinear system with analogs in physics. We also review the new paradigm of digital epidemiology, wherein sources of digital data such as online social media are mined for high-resolution information on epidemiologically relevant individual behavior. Armed with the tools and concepts of statistical physics, and further assisted by new sources of digital data, models that capture nonlinear interactions between behavior and disease dynamics offer a novel way of modeling real-world phenomena, and can help improve health outcomes. We conclude the review by discussing open problems in the field and promising directions for future research

    The development of AIDS policy in Thailand: the factors influencing the policy development process from 1984 to 1993

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    Master of ArtsCenter for Southeast Asian StudiesUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149091/1/013850105.pd

    Information Communication Technology for Crisis Management and Shared Situational Awareness: Social Media Public Health Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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    This comprehensive study analyzes the role of social media, specifically Facebook, in crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted through a longitudinal netnography approach, the research scrutinizes the communication strategies of Australian public health agencies from 2019 to 2020 and their impact on shared situational awareness (SSA). Drawing on the Seppänen et al. (2013) model for crisis communication, the study looks at three key aspects - link content (information), link type (communication), and link quality (trust) - and evaluates how they influence SSA during a crisis. The application of Chaos Theory further enhances the research's depth by identifying patterns and transformations in Facebook communications before and after the COVID-19 disruption. The study reveals that the pandemic significantly disrupted typical health communication strategies, leading to new emergent patterns, and it also underscores the critical role of secondary communication and emotional factors in the public's decision to share crisis information. Moreover, it identifies issues such as misinformation and inconsistency in messaging as significant obstacles to the public's trust in official health communications, ultimately impeding the creation of adequate SSA. The research emphasizes the need to develop consistent, clear, and reliable messaging strategies for effective crisis communication. The findings expand existing knowledge on social media utilization in crisis communication, offering valuable insights to enhance public health agencies' communication strategies, thereby aiding in the creation of trusted SSA. Unlike prior studies focusing on crisis response teams, this research concentrates on shared situational awareness among the general public, providing practical recommendations to improve social media crisis communication for more effective response and management in a health crisis

    Safe Quality Food Certification and Producing Safe and Quality Food Products

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    The food sector accounts for 1ofevery1 of every 6 in the U.S. economy, with more than $700 billion in revenue every year. However, incidents of food safety and substandard quality continue to rise. Consumers are beginning to mistrust and have lower confidence in the food supply chain. Food manufacturers need to address this issue to remain profitable. One approach includes the introduction of food policy programs that allow for independent auditing and certifications such as the Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification. The SQF certification was established as a rigorous and credible benchmark for food handlers to enforce food safety and quality standards. The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to evaluate the perceived usefulness of the SQF certification to food manufacturers. Guided by the theory of diffusion of innovation, data collection for this study included 35 stakeholder semistructured interviews and a review of 5 publicly available documents for triangulation. Thematic analysis of the transcripts was performed to generate answers to the research questions. Study findings revealed that if properly implemented, the SQF certification is a credible and robust GFSI scheme that provides effective guidelines for food production. Findings also revealed 2 opportunities for improvement. Participants noted that training programs for SQF practitioners and auditors should be improved, likewise more commitment and involvement of facility management should be required. The findings may contribute to social change by providing food producers with strategies to minimize food production failures. With the perceived benefits of the SQF certification, other food producers who have not adopted this scheme can benefit from this holistic certification to enhance their food production network

    Public Health in Asia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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    Every nation in Asia has dealt with COVID-19 differently and with varying levels of success in the absence of clear and effective leadership from the WHO. As a result, the WHO’s role in Asia as a global health organization is coming under increasing pressure. As its credibility is slowly being eroded by public displays of incompetence and negligence, it has also become an arena of contestation. Moreover, while the pandemic continues to undermine the future of global health governance as a whole, the highly interdependent economies in Asia have exposed the speed with which pandemics can spread, as intensive regional travel and business connections have caused every area in the region to be hit hard. The migrant labor necessary to sustain globalized economies has been strained and the security of international workers is now more precarious than ever, as millions have been left stranded, seen their entry blocked, or have limited access to health services. This volume provides an accessible framework for the understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia, with a specific emphasis on global governance in health and labor

    Biosecurity (NIAS Books and Special Publications SP1-2008)

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    We Can Still Feed Ourselves: Food Sovereignty, Aid, Sickness, and Health in Eastern Kentucky

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    Over forty percent of eastern Kentucky residents are classified as obese. From a biomedical perspective, obesity is linked to a range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure and is caused by particular lifestyle behaviors that lead to an increase in calorie consumption and decrease in calorie expenditure. However, these links – individual behavior leads to obesity which leads to chronic disease - do not take into account a wide range of personal, social, environmental, political, and economic conditions. In addition to the assumptions of what it means to become and be obese, Kentucky is regularly ranked among the unhealthiest states in the country. In other words, assumptions are made about how people live based on their bodies as well as their geographical location. This project explores some basic questions that form the bedrock of these assumptions. I discuss three food aid programs that developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring and summer of 2020. Participants received boxes of (mostly processed) foods and expressed both gratitude and frustration. Standardized, shelf stable food, after all, is not the most nutrient dense and often contains one or more allergens. Boxes provided food during a time of fear and uncertainty but undercut the agency of families to determine their own food needs. Next, I dive into the metabolic and anthropometric data collected over three years (2017-2019) from twenty-five participants in a fruit and vegetable walking program. Positive patterns emerged from the data, specifically concerning measures related to diabetes and heart disease. Biology is influenced by cultural products, such as access to medical care and a living wage. To contextualize the walking program and its suggestive but limited findings, I present key concerns from walking program participants and other members of the community. Then I present another factor that contributes to health and disease – disordered eating. Disordered eating is a non-standardized term and phenomenon that affectively moves between bodies. Through a combination of a validated survey (the Eating Attitudes Test) and in-depth interviews, I explore what disordered eating is, how it affects individuals and those around them, and from the various cultural and relational places it emerges. Finally, this project contests the narrative of absence that often overshadows nutritional studies of eastern Kentucky, specifically when it comes to food. Through interviews and farm visits, I paint an alternative portrait of eastern Kentucky as overflowing with gardens and fresh produce in order to encourage a turn towards food sovereignty in program development and implementation

    Faculty Of Education UNHI

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    Faculty Of Education UNH

    Hysteria, Greed, and the Public Purse: The Litigation Impacting a Local Governmental Agency

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    This research is a case study of the litigation in progress by hundreds of St. Bernard Parish families against the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and Browning Ferris Industries (BFI). The families are suing for personal and property damages sustained as a result of the poor operation and maintenance of the East Bank Sewerage Treatment Plant (EBSTP) and the Crescent Acres Landfill. The purpose of the study will be to examine the consequences, links, and process of interaction among three key units of analysis: the plaintiffs, their lawyers, and one of the major defendants in the litigation, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans; and, three basic concepts related to each study group: the hysteria of the neighborhood, the greed of the lawyers, and the vulnerability of the public sector to litigation. I postulate that the plaintiffs\u27 lawyers, originally retained to assist the neighborhood in their fight for closure of the landfill, became motivated by greed to expand the neighborhood fight and bring it to a more lucrative conclusion. By engaging their trust, the lawyers were able to organize the neighborhood and plant the seeds for mass psychogenic illness and neighborhood hysteria. The resulting litigation illustrates the vulnerability of the public sector to contrived litigation and the concomitant consequences to John Q. Citizen and the public purse. This research will contribute to our understanding of the concepts of greed and hysteria, will provide much needed insight on public service agency vulnerability, and will offer solutions to the problems encountered by public service agencies in providing legally mandated services
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