Happiness Index: A Neural Network Model of American Cities\u27 Happiness

This study uses the World Happiness Index and WalletHub’s rankings of US cities’ happiness levels as a benchmark and comparison of demographic, statistical, and economic data. From this, a Happiness Index will be created to decide which major American metropolitan city is happiest, along with the creation of a numerical ranking. This data will be used to analyze the most important factors that contribute to the overall happiness rating. The information gathered will then be used to rank major cities- Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York- from different regions of the United States based on the happiness of their inhabitants

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subscription Video-On-Demand Services

Globally, the video streaming services market is valued at over $42 billion and is projected to grow significantly (Grandview Research, 2019). With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which placed much of the United States into lockdown throughout 2020, video streaming platforms have seen shifts in their performances. In this study, we explore the changes in the financial outcomes and competitive landscape of the SVOD industry correlated to the virus outbreak. We report on four prominent platforms, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+, to display the workings of their market. We compiled data related to these streaming services’ revenue, market share, subscriber count, and original content success, from before and during the outbreak (2018 to 2020). Our results demonstrate that COVID-19 has catalyzed growth in the already expanding SVOD market. In terms of our four indicators, each observed service has experienced consistent growth in almost every respect. Overall, all four services encompass most of the market share in the SVOD industry. We find that two services, Disney+ and Netflix, have outperformed their competition after COVID-19’s eruption and maintained dominance in terms of market share

A household-based survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices towards dengue fever among local urban communities in Taiz Governorate, Yemen

BACKGROUND: Yemen has witnessed several dengue fever outbreaks coincident with the social unrest and war in the country. The aim of the present study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of at-risk urban populations residing in Taiz, southwest of Yemen. In addition, factors possibly associated with poor preventive practices were investigated. METHODS: A household-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted in three urban districts encompassing 383 households. Data on the socio-demographic characteristics and KAPs of the participating household heads were collected using a pre-designed, structured questionnaire. The association of socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes of the population with poor preventive practices against dengue fever was then analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: More than 90.0 % of respondent household heads had correct knowledge about fever, headache and joint pain as common signs and symptoms of dengue fever. Moreover, muscular pain and bleeding were perceived by more than 80.0 % of the respondents as being associated with dengue fever; however, only 65.0 % of the respondents reported skin rash as a sign of dengue fever. More than 95.0 % of respondents agreed about the seriousness and possible transmission of dengue fever; however, negative attitudes regarding the facts of being at risk of the disease and that the infection is preventable were expressed by 15.0 % of respondents. Despite the good level of knowledge and attitudes of the respondent population, poor preventive practices were common. Bivariate analysis identified poor knowledge of dengue signs and symptoms (OR = 2.1, 95 % CI = 1.24–3.68; P = 0.005) and its vector (OR = 2.1, 95 % CI = 1.14–3.84; P = 0.016) as factors significantly associated with poor preventive practices. However, multivariable analysis showed that poor knowledge of the vector is an independent predictor of poor preventive practices of the population (adjusted OR = 2.1, 95 % CI = 1.14–3.84; P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The majority of people in urban communities of Taiz have a clear understanding of most signs/symptoms of dengue fever as well as positive attitudes towards the seriousness and possible transmissibility of dengue fever. However, negative attitudes regarding their perception of the risk and possible prevention of the infection are prevailing among a small proportion of the population and need to be targeted by educational campaigns. It appears that the good level of the population knowledge of the signs/symptoms of dengue fever and the factors contributing to the spread and control of its vectors did not translate into good practices