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The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 is a global threat, causing high mortality, especially in the elderly. The main symptoms and the primary cause of death are related to interstitial pneumonia. Viral entry also into myocardial cells mainly via the angiotensin converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) receptor and excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, however, also make the heart susceptible to injury. In addition to the immediate damage caused by the acute inflammatory response, the heart may also suffer from long-term consequences of COVID-19, potentially causing a post-pandemic increase in cardiac complications. Although the main cause of cardiac damage in COVID-19 remains coagulopathy with micro- (and to a lesser extent macro-) vascular occlusion, open questions remain about other possible modalities of cardiac dysfunction, such as direct infection of myocardial cells, effects of cytokines storm, and mechanisms related to enhanced coagulopathy. In this opinion paper, we focus on these lesser appreciated possibilities and propose experimental approaches that could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular bases of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients. We first discuss approaches to characterize cardiac damage caused by possible direct viral infection of cardiac cells, followed by formulating hypotheses on how to reproduce and investigate the hyperinflammatory and pro-thrombotic conditions observed in the heart of COVID-19 patients using experimental in vitro systems. Finally, we elaborate on strategies to discover novel pathology biomarkers using omics platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The National Institutes of Health (NIH) mobilized more than $4 billion in extramural funding for the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessing the research output from this effort is crucial to understanding how the scientific community leveraged federal funding and responded to this public health crisis. Methods NIH-funded COVID-19 grants awarded between January 2020 and December 2021 were identified from NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results using the "COVID-19 Response" filter. PubMed identifications of publications under these grants were collected and the NIH iCite tool was used to determine citation counts and focus (eg, clinical, animal). iCite and the NIH's LitCOVID database were used to identify publications directly related to COVID-19. Publication titles and Medical Subject Heading terms were used as inputs to a machine learning–based model built to identify common topics/themes within the publications. Results and Conclusions We evaluated 2401 grants that resulted in 14 654 publications. The majority of these papers were published in peer-reviewed journals, though 483 were published to preprint servers. In total, 2764 (19%) papers were directly related to COVID-19 and generated 252 029 citations. These papers were mostly clinically focused (62%), followed by cell/molecular (32%), and animal focused (6%). Roughly 60% of preprint publications were cell/molecular-focused, compared with 26% of nonpreprint publications. The machine learning–based model identified the top 3 research topics to be clinical trials and outcomes research (8.5% of papers), coronavirus-related heart and lung damage (7.3%), and COVID-19 transmission/epidemiology (7.2%). This study provides key insights regarding how researchers leveraged federal funding to study the COVID-19 pandemic during its initial phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has revolutionized the practice of ambulatory medicine, triggering rapid dissemination of digital healthcare modalities, including synchronous video visits. However, social determinants of health, such as age, race, income, and others, predict readiness for telemedicine and individuals who are not able to connect virtually may become lost to care. This is particularly relevant to the practice of infectious diseases (ID) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) medicine, as we care for high proportions of individuals whose health outcomes are affected by such factors. Furthermore, delivering high-quality clinical care in ID and HIV practice necessitates discussion of sensitive topics, which is challenging over video without proper preparation. We describe the "digital divide," emphasize the relevance to ID and HIV practice, underscore the need to study the issue and develop interventions to mitigate its impact, and provide suggestions for optimizing telemedicine in ID and HIV clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments globally deployed various non-pharmacological public health measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. lockdowns and suspension of transportation, amongst others); some of these measures had an influence on society's mental health. Specific mental health policies were therefore implemented to mitigate the potential mental health impact of the pandemic. We aimed to explore the implementation of mental health regulations adopted by the Peruvian health system by focusing on the care services at Community Mental Health Centres (CMHCs), based on the experiences of health workers. We conducted a phenomenological qualitative study to understand the implementation of mental health policies launched in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were obtained from a document review of 15 national policy measures implemented during the pandemic (March 2020 to September 2021), and 20 interviews with health workers from CMHCs (September 2021 to February 2022). The analysis was conducted using thematic content analysis. Most implemented policies adapted CMHC care services to a virtual modality during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, various challenges and barriers were evidenced in the process, which prevented effective adaptation of services. Workers perceived that ineffective telemedicine use was attributed to a gap in access to technology at the CMHCs and also by users, ranging from limited access to technological devices to a lack of technological skills. Further, although mental health promotion and prevention policies targeting the community were proposed, CMHC staff reported temporary interruption of these services during the first wave. The disparity between what is stated in the regulations and the experiences of health workers is evident. Policies that focus on mental health need to provide practical and flexible methods taking into consideration both the needs of CMHCs and socio-cultural characteristics that may affect their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative is to reduce new infections in the United States by 90% by 2030. Success will require fundamentally changing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and care delivery to engage more persons with HIV and at risk of HIV in treatment. While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reduced in-person visits to care facilities and led to concern about interruptions in care, it also accelerated growth of alternative options, bolstered by additional funding support. These included the use of telehealth, medication delivery to the home, and increased flexibility facilitating access to Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program services. While the outcomes of these programs must be studied, many have improved accessibility during the pandemic. As the pandemic wanes, long-term policy changes are needed to preserve these options for those who benefit from them. These new care paradigms may provide a roadmap for progress for those with other chronic health issues as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented healthcare emergency causing mortality and illness across the world. Although primarily affecting the lungs, the SARS-CoV-2 virus also affects the cardiovascular system. In addition to cardiac effects, e.g. myocarditis, arrhythmias, and myocardial damage, the vasculature is affected in COVID-19, both directly by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and indirectly as a result of a systemic inflammatory cytokine storm. This includes the role of the vascular endothelium in the recruitment of inflammatory leucocytes where they contribute to tissue damage and cytokine release, which are key drivers of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in disseminated intravascular coagulation, and cardiovascular complications in COVID-19. There is also evidence linking endothelial cells (ECs) to SARS-CoV-2 infection including: (i) the expression and function of its receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the vasculature; (ii) the prevalence of a Kawasaki disease-like syndrome (vasculitis) in COVID-19; and (iii) evidence of EC infection with SARS-CoV-2 in patients with fatal COVID-19. Here, the Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology together with the Council of Basic Cardiovascular Science of the European Society of Cardiology provide a Position Statement on the importance of the endothelium in the underlying pathophysiology behind the clinical presentation in COVID-19 and identify key questions for future research to address. We propose that endothelial biomarkers and tests of function (e.g. flow-mediated dilatation) should be evaluated for their usefulness in the risk stratification of COVID-19 patients. A better understanding of the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on endothelial biology in both the micro- and macrovasculature is required, and endothelial function testing should be considered in the follow-up of convalescent COVID-19 patients for early detection of long-term cardiovascular complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neither study, in the prior for HT ht , incorporates foreseeable effects such as step changes following interventions, the impact of improved testing on track-and-trace measures, or the expected decline in HT ht due to susceptible depletion. Both studies infer a time-varying reproduction number HT ht from summary data by constructing hierarchical Bayesian frameworks embodying HT ht as an intrinsic parameter. [Extracted from the article]

Background During the first epidemic wave, COVID-19 surveillance focused on quantifying the magnitude and the escalation of a growing global health crisis. The scientific community first assessed risk through basic indicators, such as the number of cases or rates of new cases and deaths, and later began using other direct impact indicators to conduct more detailed analyses. We aimed at synthesizing the scientific community's contribution to assessing the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population health through indicators reported in research papers. Methods We conducted a rapid scoping review to identify and describe health indicators included in articles published between January 2020 and June 2021, using one strategy to search PubMed, EMBASE and WHO COVID-19 databases. Sixteen experts from European public health institutions screened papers and retrieved indicator characteristics. We also asked in an online survey how the health indicators were added to and used in policy documents in Europe. Results After reviewing 3891 records, we selected a final sample of 67 articles and 233 indicators. We identified 52 (22.3%) morbidity indicators from 33 articles, 105 severity indicators (45.1%, 27 articles) and 68 mortality indicators (29.2%, 51). Respondents from 22 countries completed 31 questionnaires, and the majority reported morbidity indicators (29, 93.5%), followed by mortality indicators (26, 83.9%). Conclusions The indicators collated here might be useful to assess the impact of future pandemics. Therefore, their measurement should be standardized to allow for comparisons between settings, countries and different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution lies in directly fitting spatially explicit epidemic models to incidence data, with the advantage of providing a flexible framework to incorporate spatio-temporal information at all scales. The two papers presenting methods for estimating local effective reproduction numbers, I R i SB I it i sb , are based on the renewal equation method applied to UK Local Authority Districts (LADs; Teh et al. and Mishra et al.). Spatial correlation of I R i SB I it i sb has the further advantage of pooling information from neighbouring LADs, allowing estimates for low-incidence LADs to be informed via spatial proximity. [Extracted from the article]

We are witnessing an unparalleled pandemic caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Current data show that SARS-CoV-2 results in mild flu-like symptoms in the majority of healthy and young patients affected. Nevertheless, the severity of COVID-19 respiratory syndrome and the risk of adverse or catastrophic outcomes are increased in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD)—by definition—have underlying cardiovascular disease. Many patients with ACHD are also afflicted with residual haemodynamic lesions such as valve dysfunction, diminished ventricular function, arrhythmias or cyanosis, have extracardiac comorbidities, and face additional challenges regarding pregnancy. Currently, there are emerging data of the effect of COVID-19 on ACHD patients, but many aspects, especially risk stratification and treatment considerations, remain unclear. In this article, we aim to discuss the broad impact of COVID-19 on ACHD patients, focusing specifically on pathophysiology, risk stratification for work, self-isolation, hospitalization, impact on pregnancy, psychosocial health, and longer-term implications for the provision of ACHD care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author examines the articles published by various scientific journals about the COVID-19 pandemic to determine whether the appropriate topics are being tackled. Also cited are the countries with the highest number of published articles about the pandemic including the U.S., China, and Italy, as well as the recommended topics for the articles like the virus's genetic sequence, the origin of the virus, and whether asymptomatic patients can spread the virus.

Peer-reviewed journals provide an invaluable but inadequate vehicle for scientific communication. Preprints are now an essential complement to peer-reviewed publications. Eschewing preprints will slow scientific progress and reduce the public health impact of epidemiologic research. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted long-standing limitations of the peer-review process. Preprint servers, such as bioRxiv and medRxiv, served as crucial venues to rapidly disseminate research and provide detailed backup to sound-bite science that is often communicated through the popular press or social media. The major criticisms of preprints arise from an unjustified optimism about peer review. Peer review provides highly imperfect sorting and curation of research and only modest improvements in research conduct or presentation for most individual papers. The advantages of peer review come at the expense of months to years of delay in sharing research methods or results. For time-sensitive evidence, these delays can lead to important missteps and ill-advised policies. Even with research that is not intrinsically urgent, preprints expedite debate, expand engagement, and accelerate progress. The risk that poor-quality papers will have undue influence because they are posted on a preprint server is low. If epidemiology aims to deliver evidence relevant for public health, we need to embrace strategic uses of preprint servers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyse why an understanding of the global 'non-system', in which we now live, took so long to arrive after the Bretton Woods system collapsed in 1971. We first describe how knowledge of how an inflation-targeting regime would operate—what we call 'Taylor-rule macroeconomics'—was only gradually created during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. We then describe how, subsequent to this, an awareness emerged, also gradually, of how the international non-system might work, depending, as it does, on Taylor-rule macroeconomics being already in place. We then discuss the Great Moderation, making clear that a well-functioning global non-system would require not just inflation targeting and floating exchange rates in each country, but also adequate fiscal discipline, and a satisfactory form of financial regulation. We describe how a well-functioning version of this global non-system would actually fit together. We then discuss how this non-system has responded to two enormous challenges of the last 15 years, namely the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid pandemic. This discussion of what has happened in the recent past provides the background to a discussion, in the companion paper by Subacchi and Vines in this issue of the Oxford Review of Economic Policy , of the challenges that the global non-system will face in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These results contribute to our understanding of voting behaviour and suggest that a stricter crises management policy may mobilize citizens and increase their support to incumbent politicians. The first paper uses an experimental design to study European citizens' support for European Union (EU) budgetary assistance programmes. In this issue, there are four papers, each tackling a policy-relevant topic using an original methodology. [Extracted from the article]

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted financial markets and the real economy worldwide. These extraordinary events prompted large monetary and fiscal policy interventions. Recognizing the unusual nature of the shock, the academic community has produced an impressive amount of research during the last year. Macro-finance models have been extended to analyze the impact of epidemics. Empirical papers study the origins and consequences of the disruptions and the impact of policy interventions. New research evaluates the ongoing financial fragility and its relation to previous episodes and regulations. This special issue contains early contributions to this important and rapidly developing literature. 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the importance of estimating the generation time for COVID-19, it is regrettable that too little attention has been paid to the challenging problem of designing data collection directly targeting the generation time in different strata. As explained in Parag et al. and several other speakers in the meeting, the probability distribution of the generation time, that is the time between infection of a primary case and infection of secondary cases, is a crucial piece of epidemiological information for understanding the dynamics of any infectious disease, which is needed in much of the modelling work, for example for deriving R SB t sb and for linking R SB t sb to the growth rate. (2020) Estimation of incubation period and generation time based on observed length-biased epidemic cohort with censoring for COVID-19 outbreak in China. [Extracted from the article]

A correction is presented to the article "ANZCA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) Best Free Paper Award Session Abstracts" published in November 29, 2022 issue.

Following the onset of COVID-19, research production in economics and finance (measured by the posting of working papers) increased by 29 |$\%$|⁠. Production increases were widespread across geographies, job titles, departments, and ages with larger increases in top departments and for people under the age of 35. Men and women both experienced production increases with the exception of women between the age of 35 and 49, who experienced no production gains despite large increases for men in the same age group. COVID-19 increased reliance on past coauthorship networks, with larger production gains for authors that are more central to the network. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background COVID-19 is the most rapidly expanding coronavirus outbreak in the past 2 decades. To provide a swift response to a novel outbreak, prior knowledge from similar outbreaks is essential. Results Here, we study the volume of research conducted on previous coronavirus outbreaks, specifically SARS and MERS, relative to other infectious diseases by analyzing >35 million articles from the past 20 years. Our results demonstrate that previous coronavirus outbreaks have been understudied compared with other viruses. We also show that the research volume of emerging infectious diseases is very high after an outbreak and decreases drastically upon the containment of the disease. This can yield inadequate research and limited investment in gaining a full understanding of novel coronavirus management and prevention. Conclusions Independent of the outcome of the current COVID-19 outbreak, we believe that measures should be taken to encourage sustained research in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between March and August 2020, S&P and Moody's downgraded approximately 25 |$\%$| of collateral feeding into CLOs and only 2 |$\%$| of tranche values, with rating actions concentrating in junior tranches. Both S&P and Moody's modeling indicate that the impacts should have been considerably larger, especially for higher-rated tranches. Neither changes in correlation nor the accumulation of pre-COVID-19 protective cushions can explain the downgrade asymmetry on upper tranches. Instead, CLO managers repositioned their collateral pools to dampen the negative credit shock and rating agencies incorporated qualitative adjustments in their CLO ratings. Important potential policy and market implications from these findings are discussed. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical waiting lists have risen dramatically across the UK as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The effective use of operating theatres by optimal scheduling could help mitigate this, but this requires accurate case duration predictions. Current standards for predicting the duration of surgery are inaccurate. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers the potential for greater accuracy in predicting surgical case duration. This study aimed to investigate whether there is evidence to support that AI is more accurate than current industry standards at predicting surgical case duration, with a secondary aim of analysing whether the implementation of the models used produced efficiency savings. Method: PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE libraries were searched through to July 2023 to identify appropriate articles. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and the Arksey and O'Malley framework were followed. Study quality was assessed using a modified version of the reporting guidelines for surgical AI papers by Farrow et al. Algorithm performance was reported using evaluation metrics. Results: The search identified 2593 articles: 14 were suitable for inclusion and 13 reported on the accuracy of AI algorithms against industry standards, with seven demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in prediction accuracy (P < 0.05). The larger studies demonstrated the superiority of neural networks over other machine learning techniques. Efficiency savings were identified in a RCT. Significant methodological limitations were identified across most studies. Conclusion: The studies suggest that machine learning and deep learning models are more accurate at predicting the duration of surgery; however, further research is required to determine the best way to implement this technology. Waiting lists for elective surgeries are rising in the UK. We conducted a scoping review with the aim to understand if artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the utilization of operating theatre resources through improved scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The COVID-19 pandemic demanded quick exchanges between experts and institutions supporting governments to provide evidence-based information in response to the crisis. Initially, there was no regular cross-country forum in the field of population health. This paper describes the set-up and benefits of implementing such a forum. Methods A group of public health practitioners from academia, national public health institutes and ministries of health decided in April 2020 to meet bi-monthly to discuss a vast array of population health topics in a structured format called a Rapid Exchange Forum (REF). An ad-hoc mailing group was established to collect responses to questions brought forward in the forum from at least five countries within 24 h. This endeavour, which evolved as network of networks was awarded an EU grant in autumn 2020 and was called PHIRI (Population Health Information Research Infrastructure). Results Responses from up to 31 countries were compiled and shared immediately via the European Health Information Portal. This exchange was complemented by special REFs that focused on the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination, for example. By July 2023, 54 REFs had taken place with topics going beyond COVID-19. Conclusion The REF demonstrated its value for quick yet evidence-based cross-country exchange in times of crisis and was highly appreciated by countries and European Commission. It demonstrated its sustainability even after the acute crisis by expanding the topics covered and managing to continue exchange with the aim of capacity building and mutual learning, making it a true EU response and coordination mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many survey programs switched to self-administered modes of data collection, often offering respondents both web-based and paper-based questionnaires. However, there is little guidance as to when to offer which mode, especially when the aim is to recruit participants for a panel survey. This study examines the effectiveness of different mode-sequence designs by analyzing an experiment implemented in the recruitment wave of the German panel study "Family Research and Demographic Analysis." We randomly assigned 108,256 individuals aged 18–49 years to one of three mode-sequence-design conditions: concurrent, web-first including a paper-based questionnaire with the second reminder (web-first-2), and web-first including a paper-based questionnaire with the third reminder (web-first-3). A fourth, simulated group did not receive a paper-based questionnaire (web-only). We analyzed how different mode-sequence designs affected outcome rates, sample composition, response distributions, data quality, share of paper-based questionnaires, postage costs, number of postal mailings in the recruitment wave, and participation in the first regular wave. Our results show no differences in response distributions and small differences in sample composition across the four mode-sequence designs. As the web-first-2 and simulated web-only designs yielded comparatively good response and recruitment rates at reasonable costs, we recommend their use when surveying adults between 18 and 49 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on interview data and published court judgment reports to reveal first-hand accounts of illegal transactions involving protected wildlife and how criminals collaborate with one another. This research finds that wildlife supply is controlled by a small number of key suppliers. Further, trust is embedded in the criminals' relationship based on kinship and friendship ties, while individuals' ethnicity and reputation also facilitate collaboration. These arrangements shape the criminal networks that exploit protected wildlife. This paper suggests further research into online trading of protected wildlife products, the presence of women in the illegal wildlife trade and the impact of COVID-19 on the criminal networks supplying wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proportion of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients require kidney replacement therapy to maintain clinical stability. Home dialysis therapies offer convenience, autonomy and potential quality of life improvements, all of which were heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the superiority of specific modalities remains uncertain, patient choice and informed decision-making remain crucial. Missed opportunities for home therapies arise from systemic, programmatic and patient-level barriers. This paper introduces the integrated care model which prioritizes the safe and effective uptake of home therapies while also emphasizing patient-centered care, informed decision-making, and comprehensive support. The integrated care framework addresses challenges in patient identification, assessment, eligibility determination, education and modality transitions. Special considerations for urgent dialysis starts are discussed, acknowledging the unique barriers faced by this population. Continuous quality improvement is emphasized, with the understanding that local challenges may require tailored solutions. Overall, the integrated care model aims to create a seamless and beneficial transition to home dialysis therapies, promoting flexibility and improved quality of life for ESKD patients globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standing at a crossroads, where ongoing 'slowbalisation' coincides with new forces such as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, heightened geopolitical tensions, the emergence of disruptive technologies and the increasing urgency of addressing environmental challenges, many important questions remain unsolved regarding the nature and impact of the current economic globalisation. This special issue on 'Globalisation in Reverse? Reconfiguring the Geographies of Value Chains and Production Networks' aims at showcasing recent work that seeks to contribute to, and advance, the debates on economic globalisation and the reconfiguration of global value chains and production networks. This introductory article has three objectives: first, based on a broad literature review, we aim to identify four key forces, as well as the fundamental relatively stable capitalist logics contributing to the complex reconfiguration of global economic activities. Second, we will position the papers included in this special issue against the four main forces identified and discuss the contributions of each article to capture some emerging cross-paper patterns among them. Finally, we outline the contours of a research agenda that suggests promising avenues for further investigation of the phenomenon of value chain and production network reconfigurations in times of uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has struck businesses across the globe with unprecedented impacts. The world economy has been hit hard and firms have experienced a myriad of challenges, but these challenges have been heterogeneous across firms. This paper examines one important dimension of this heterogeneity: the differential effect of the pandemic on women-led and men-led businesses. The paper exploits a unique sample of close to 40,000 mainly formal businesses from 49 countries covering the months between April and September 2020. The findings show that women-led micro-businesses, women-led businesses in the hospitality industry, and women-led businesses in countries more severely affected by the COVID-19 shock were disproportionately hit compared with businesses led by men. At the same time, women-led micro-firms were markedly more likely to report increasing the use of digital platforms, but less likely to invest in software, equipment, or digital solutions. Finally, the findings also show that women-led businesses were less likely to have received some form of public support although they have been hit harder in some domains. In a crisis of the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence tracing the impact of the shock in a timely fashion is desperately needed to help inform the design of policy interventions. This real-time glimpse into women-led businesses fills this need for robust and policy-relevant evidence, and due to the large country coverage of the data, it is possible to identify patterns that extend beyond any one country, region, or sector, but at the cost of some granularity for testing more complex economic theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various topics within the issue, including social work in natural- and human-induced disasters, the public health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and disaster management practices.

Background: Lynch syndrome is a hereditary cancer disease resulting in an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Herein, findings are reported from an emergency clinical service implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic utilizing faecal immunochemical testing ('FIT') in Lynch syndrome patients to prioritize colonoscopy while endoscopy services were limited. Methods: An emergency service protocol was designed to improve colonoscopic surveillance access throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in England for people with Lynch syndrome when services were extremely restricted (1 March 2020 to 31 March 2021) and promoted by the English National Health Service. Requests for faecal immunochemical testing from participating centres were sent to the National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening South of England Hub and a faecal immunochemical testing kit, faecal immunochemical testing instructions, paper-based survey, and pre-paid return envelope were sent to patients. Reports with faecal haemoglobin results were returned electronically for clinical action. Risk stratification for colonoscopy was as follows: faecal haemoglobin less than 10 µg of haemoglobin/g of faeces (µg/g)—scheduled within 6–12 weeks; and faecal haemoglobin greater than or equal to 10 µg/g—triaged via an urgent suspected cancer clinical pathway. Primary outcomes of interest included the identification of highest-risk Lynch syndrome patients and determining the impact of faecal immunochemical testing in risk-stratified colonoscopic surveillance. Results: Fifteen centres participated from June 2020 to March 2021. Uptake was 68.8 per cent amongst 558 patients invited. For 339 eligible participants analysed, 279 (82.3 per cent) had faecal haemoglobin less than 10 µg/g and 60 (17.7 per cent) had faecal haemoglobin greater than or equal to 10 µg/g. In the latter group, the diagnostic accuracy of faecal immunochemical testing was 65.9 per cent and escalation to colonoscopy was facilitated (median 49 versus 122 days, χ2 = 0.0003, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Faecal immunochemical testing demonstrated clinical value for Lynch syndrome patients requiring colorectal cancer surveillance during the pandemic in this descriptive report of an emergency COVID-19 response service. Further longitudinal investigation on faecal immunochemical testing efficacy in Lynch syndrome is warranted and will be examined under the 'FIT for Lynch' study (ISRCTN15740250). This was an emergency service protocol designed to improve access to colonoscopy using faecal immunochemical testing for risk-stratified triage during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with Lynch syndrome when endoscopy services were extremely limited. Requests for faecal immunochemical testing for eligible Lynch syndrome patients were made by participating National Health Service Trusts, which triggered the sending of a faecal immunochemical testing kit, faecal immunochemical testing instructions, a paper-based survey, and pre-paid return envelope from the National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening South of England Hub in Surrey to said patients, and risk stratification for colonoscopy was as follows: faecal haemoglobin less than 10 µg/g—schedule colonoscopy within 6–12 weeks; and faecal haemoglobin greater than or equal to 10 µg/g—triage via an urgent suspected cancer clinical pathway. For 339 participants analysed, 279 (82.3 per cent) had faecal haemoglobin less than 10 µg/g and 60 (177.0 per cent) met criteria for urgent triage (faecal haemoglobin greater than or equal to 10 µg/g), with escalation to colonoscopy facilitated in the latter group of patients, with a median wait of 49 days (versus 122 days for f-Hb less than 10), demonstrating the clinical value of faecal immunochemical testing for patients with Lynch syndrome requiring colorectal cancer surveillance during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empathy that is apparent within this paper is, I suspect, a key driver for so many involved in Covid-19 analysis to add the value (analytical or otherwise) in these difficult times. Lessons can be learned for the future and Zhao shares his thoughts on how statisticians can better contribute to these important events. Having read these papers by such distinguished colleagues I believe the strength of this work is in the complement, what we can learn from the combination pulled together. [Extracted from the article]

A lack of timely financing for purchases of vaccines and other health products impeded the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on analysis of contract signature and delivery dates in Covid-19 vaccine advance purchase agreements, this paper finds that 60–75 per cent of the delay in vaccine deliveries to low- and middle-income countries is attributable to their signing purchase agreements later than high-income countries, which placed them further behind in the delivery line. A pandemic Advance Commitment Facility with access to a credit line on day-zero of the next pandemic could allow low- and middle-income countries to secure orders earlier, ensuring a much faster and equitable global response than during Covid-19. The paper outlines four options for a financier to absorb some or all of the risk associated with the credit line and discusses how the credit would complement other proposals to strengthen the financing architecture for pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically influenced urban mobility patterns. This paper explores the impact of the pandemic on the travel patterns and flow structure of bike-sharing, in Wuhan, China. We find that during the pandemic, bike-sharing became a major mode of transport and helped for the travel to hospitals. In post-pandemic Wuhan, more cycling neighbourhoods emerged in suburban areas, and the percentage of bike-sharing ridership in denser areas tends to decrease, especially in workplaces, indicating there is a decentralised trend of bike-sharing flow structure. These findings imply that bike-sharing plays a significant role in promoting urban resilience, and are helpful to build bike-friendly cities and communities in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction notice related to conducting clinical trials in heart failure during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, is presented that was appeared in 2020 issue of the periodical.

This paper summarizes some of the major inequalities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses avenues for policy intervention over the medium and long runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to understand and narrate the experiences of Shivashaktis, a gender transgressive community from Southern India, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shivashaktis' gender transgressions and embodied ritual power allow them to intercede between the human and the divine. This secures them religious sanction and legitimacy and offers a source of income for them. They are engaged in several livelihood practices that are associated with ritual practices such as performing oracles, laggams (deity marriages), joggu, etc. Their embeddedness in heterosexual family structures, however, hinder their access to benefits that are allocated for the transgender community through the state and non-state policy programmes. During the pandemic, with the state-announced lockdown across the nation, and particularly in Telangana, Shivashaktis were pushed further into precarity, burdened by economic, psychological and community disruptions. Within this context, the paper critically engages with the impact of COVID-19 that brought the entire relational world of the gender transgressive Shivashaktis to collapse rigorously, affecting their livelihood and sense of being and belonging in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is it possible to develop a robust crisis management response in a system where governance is characterized by coercive power and adversarial bargaining rather than the diversity, inclusion, and openness highlighted by extant scholarship as conducive factors for robustness? Using two instances of crisis in the European Union—the Eurozone crisis (2010‒2015) and COVID-19 pandemic (2020‒2022)—the paper argues that how actors reinterpret existing rules and institutions offers an important source of robustness in crisis management. Based on the employment of a disaggregation of robustness into degrees of robustness, as well as the concepts of ideational and institutional power, we show how actors can counter the coercive power of dominant coalitions and open up for rule adaptation through reinterpretations of existing rules that, at least in the short term, can solidify the functioning of existing institutions faced by turbulence. In the context of the Eurozone crisis, ideational and institutional power thus enabled a moderately robust response without treaty reform. In the case of the pandemic, it was possible to convince (particularly German) policymakers of the need to employ new ideas about common debt. This meant less need to employ ideational and institutional power by other actors, leading to significantly more effective crisis management than in the Eurozone crisis, what the paper terms maximal robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in promoting a healthy world population as a generative and robust idea within health policy. The WHO's health credo transcends national boundaries to promote health globally. It is embedded in norms, values, and standards promulgated by the organization and contributes in shaping the health responses of national governments. Ideational robustness refers to the ability of the WHO to adapt its health credo to changing contexts and circumstances, thus promoting the legitimacy of an international health order. Disturbances, including the Covid-19 pandemic, test the credo's robustness, forcing the WHO to constantly work at reframing ideas to adapt to political forces and competing logics that structure the field of international health. Empirically, the paper is based on an historical analysis of the evolution of the health credo of the WHO since its inception. Qualitative content analysis of secondary sources, such as policy documents, explores how ideational work performed by WHO leaders impacts on the organization's position and legitimacy. Ideational robustness appears to be largely influenced by leadership vision, preexisting organizational structure, and the political economy of international health. Ideational robustness appears as a powerful yet insufficient ingredient of policy success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper asks: 'What can we learn from COVID-19 pandemic about effective use of scientific and technical information (STI) in policymaking and how might the lessons be put to use?' The paper employs the political rhetoric of 'follow the science' as a lens for examining contemporary concerns in the use of STI, including (1) 'Breadth of Science Products', the necessity of a broader concept of STI that includes by-products science, (2) 'Science Dynamism', emphasizing the uncertainty and impeachability of science, (3) 'STI Urgency' suggesting that STI use during widespread calamities differs from more routine applications, and (4) 'Hyper-politicization of Science', arguing that a step-change in the contentiousness of politics affects uses and misuses of STI. The paper concludes with a discussion, STI Curation, as a possible ingredient to improving effective use. With more attention to credibility and trust of STI and to the institutional legitimacy of curators, it should prove possible to improve the effective use of STI in public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct text-based measures of the primary concerns listed firms associated with the spread of COVID-19 and other epidemic diseases. We identify which firms perceive to lose or gain from a given epidemic and textually decompose the epidemic's effect on the firm's demand and supply. We find that the effects of COVID-19 manifest as a simultaneous shock to demand and supply, with both shocks affecting firms' market valuations in equal measure on average. By contrast, demand-related impacts appear more important in accounting for the observed collapse in firm-level investment during the COVID-19 crisis. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the design of stress tests that provide information about aggregate and idiosyncratic risk in banks' portfolios and impose contingent capital requirements. In the optimal static test, an adverse scenario fails all weak and some strong banks, limiting the stigma of failure. Sequential tests outperform static tests. Under natural conditions, the optimal sequential test consists of a precautionary recapitalization, followed by a scenario that fails only weak banks, similar to TARP in 2008, followed by SCAP in 2009. Our results also shed light on the Federal Reserve's decision to test the banks twice in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an intelligent ecosystem that can continuously monitor patients' health conditions, whether at home, at work or during recreational activities, by leveraging a creative blend of wearable medical devices, intelligent agents (IA) and complex event processing (CEP). With the help of a smart application, linking wearable devices and the power of IA and CEP, patients will be constantly and actively supervised during their daily activities. This can even save their lives in case they experience sudden or gradual problems. Thanks to our system, patients with chronic illnesses that are not serious but potentially unstable will no longer overburden first aid services. This is also helpful in containing the spread of COVID-19. Specifically, in this paper, we focus on automatic monitoring of vital parameters, electrocardiogram analysis and psoriasis detection. Experimental results conducted on real patients show how promising our approach is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rehabilitation scheduling process consists of planning rehabilitation physiotherapy sessions for patients, by assigning proper operators to them in a certain time slot of a given day, taking into account several requirements and optimizations, e.g. patient's preferences and operator's work balancing. Being able to efficiently solve such problem is of upmost importance, in particular as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that significantly increased rehabilitation's needs. The problem has been recently successfully solved via a two-phase solution based on answer set programming (ASP). In this paper, we focus on the problem of rescheduling the rehabilitation sessions, which comes into play when the original schedule cannot be implemented, for reasons that involve the unavailability of operators and/or the absence of patients. We provide rescheduling solutions based on ASP for both phases, considering different scenarios. Results of experiments performed on real benchmarks, provided by ICS Maugeri, show that also the rescheduling problem can be solved in a satisfactory way. Finally, we present a web application that supports the usage of our solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the Covid recession, and aggressive monetary tightening in the US accompanying the post-Covid recovery, are likely to cause a sovereign debt overhang in emerging market economies—i.e. debt which is unlikely to be fully repaid. A sovereign debt reconstruction mechanism (SDRM) seems necessary to avoid widespread disorderly debt write-downs. We discuss a range of procedures that are available, building upon Anne Krueger's proposal for an SDRM in 2002 (Krueger, 2002 a , b). At that time Krugman (1988) had already argued that any SDRM should incentivize debtors so that they put in effort to clear their debts (a Krugman contract). Menzies (2004) went further than this to show that these effects should be further sharpened, creating what he called 'hyper-incentive effects' (a Menzies contract). The International Monetary Fund has argued that risk-sharing between debtors and creditors will also be important (IMF, 2020). But we show that risk-sharing will—in general—pull in the opposite direction to incentive effects, and we doubt the extent to which the IMF has recognized this trade-off. Finally, we argue that collective action clauses (CACs) increase the probability of achieving any agreement, whatever it might be. They will help avoid the alternative of disorderly debt write-downs, outcomes which will deliver neither incentive effects nor risk-sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JEG is privileged to receive over 450 submissions each year, far more than can be published, meaning that we can # TheAuthor(s)(2021).PublishedbyOxfordUniversityPress.Allrightsreserved.Forpermissions,pleaseemail:journals.permissions@oup.com Journal of Economic Geography 21 (2021) pp. 165-168 doi: 10.1093/jeg/lbab006 Advance Access Publication 28 February 2021 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/joeg/article/21/2/165/6154335 by 81695661, OUP on 09 April 2021 consistently select papers of the highest quality within our field. Reflecting this trend, JEG no longer has a book review editor. Neil M. Coe *, Simona Iammarino **, William R. Kerr***, Eleonora Patacchini**** and Fre 'de 'ric Robert-Nicoud***** *Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, 1 Arts Link, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117570 **Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, UK ***Harvard Business School, Rock Center 212, Boston, MA 02163, USA ****Department of Economics, Cornell University, Uris Hall, 109 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853-2501, USA *****Geneva School of Economics and Management, University of Geneva, CH-1211, Geneve 4, Switzerland 2021 sees the Journal of Economic Geography (JEG) enter its third decade of publication, offering an apposite moment to briefly reflect upon its evolution and trajectory. [Extracted from the article]