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Policies are supposedly made such that their implementation for present growth does not hamper future development. However, it has been challenging to effectively implement some policy decisions based on stakeholders' reactions to their sustainability in the air cargo industry. This paper examined the factors affecting air cargo policy decisions and their implementation in Nigeria by employing the quantitative research method and conducting a survey of stakeholders by random sampling at the Lagos International Airport through a well-designed research questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Before estimating the PLS-SEM model, latent factors were constructed using EFA. The results reveal that the factors affecting the air cargo policy decisions and implementation include the policy formulation process, stakeholders' interests and commitment, policy goals and implementation, and corruption and governance. The results imply that fundamental public policy issues prevail in Nigeria's air cargo sector development programs. This study provides insight into the reasons behind opposition to implementing certain air cargo policy decisions in Nigeria. It offers directions for addressing the problems of poor policy decisions that do not guarantee future development. In practice, the study advocates the all-inclusive stakeholders' involvement in Nigeria's policy formulation process for the air cargo industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Crypto Regime in India: A Confused Policy With the advancement of financial technology, cryptocurrencies have gained much traction globally. Their largely unregulated and decentralized nature has made them controversial and a topic of hot debate in most countries. Governments and financial institutions across the globe have recognized the significance of the new asset class in the markets and have observed the upsurge in exchanges in mainstream society. Its ever-increasing popularity has pushed governments to deliberate and implement policy decisions for their regulation. Currently, there exists no uniform international law pertaining to the regulation of cryptocurrency despite its cross-border trade. While some countries have affirmed its legality, others have remained silent or have imposed a ban. India has witnessed some interesting developments in its legislative, executive and judicial domains. From the imposition of a ban on services that facilitate the trade of virtual currencies to its subsequent retraction by the judiciary, the Indian spectators are left guessing the government's next move. While a Draft Bill calling for the ban on cryptocurrency trading sits dormant in the Indian Parliament, crypto users continue to pay a hefty 30% tax on the profits from the sale or exchange of any crypto assets since its imposition in the Union Budget of 2022-2023. The legality of the cryptocurrency itself remains unsettled, and the country awaits a governmental policy decision on the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical essay gathers reflections from three publications by Jürgen Habermas from the 1960s that can contribute to the study of the public communication of science. We use these ideas to create a graphical representation that summarizes a desirable dynamic for practice while considering information flows that pass through politicized universities, the social life-world and the context of political decisions. This essay considers the inclusion of the public in the scientific agenda and in policy decisions related to that agenda. A concept of public communication of dialogical science—now widely advocated but still difficult to operationalize—is present in the German philosopher’s thinking in books published more than 50 years ago.

An efficient and safe vaccine is expected to allow people to return to normal life as soon as possible. However, vaccines for new diseases are likely to be in short supply during the initial deployment due to narrow production capacity and logistics. There is an urgent need to optimize the allocation of limited vaccines to improve the population effectiveness of vaccination. Existing studies mostly address a single epidemiological landscape. The robustness of the effectiveness of other proposed strategies is difficult to guarantee under other landscapes. In this study, a novel vaccination allocation model based on spatio-temporal heterogeneity of epidemiological landscapes is proposed. This model was combined with optimization algorithms to determine the near-optimal spatio-temporal allocation for vaccines with different effectiveness and coverage. We fully simulated the epidemiological landscapes during vaccination, and then minimized objective functions independently under various epidemiological landscapes and degrees of viral transmission. We find that if all subregions are in the middle or late stages of the pandemic, the difference between the effectiveness of the near-optimal and pro-rata strategies is very small in most cases. In contrast, under other epidemiological landscapes, when minimizing deaths, the optimizer tends to allocate the remaining doses to sub-regions with relatively higher risk and expected coverage after covering the elderly. While to minimize symptomatic infections, allocating vaccines first to the higher-risk sub-regions is near-optimal. This means that the pro-rata allocation is a good option when the subregions are all in the middle to late stages of the pandemic. Moreover, we suggest that if all subregions are in the period of rapid virus transmission, vaccines should be administered to older adults in all subregions simultaneously, while when the epidemiological dynamics of the subregions are significantly different, priority can be given to older adults in subregions that are still in the early stages of the pandemic. After covering the elderly in the region, high-risk sub-regions can be prioritized.

Human well-being depends on the Earth’s natural system. While there is awareness of the impact of human activities on the environment, the reverse – nature’s role in human well-being – is usually not as clear. For decision makers and people to recognize the role of nature in human well-being, we need scientific evidence and ways to monitor trends that will ensure environmental policies are well designed and on track for long-term sustainability. We present a participative process to relate nature to human well-being and identify the important contributions from nature to different aspects of well-being. Our process is irrespective of classification systems for nature’s contributions and can use either ecosystem services or nature’s contributions to people (ES/NCP) concepts. Two criteria, impact and substitutability, have been used to rank the importance of the ES/NCP for well-being. We applied our approach in New Zealand, where the government has pioneered a well-being framework to measure wealth beyond GDP. The framework defines current well-being based on twelve domains, with intergenerational well-being dependent on four capitals (social, built, human and natural capital). By using a participative process, we designed a process to identify the important ES/NCP and well-being relationships. Our results showed that regulating ES/NCP contributed to the six broader categories of well-being, with non-material ES/NCP contributing to health, social relations, material well-being, and environmental quality categories. Material ES/NCP, such as food, energy, and timber, contributed mainly to material well-being, with small contributions to social relations and environmental quality well-being categories. This process can raise awareness and help stakeholders recognize the value of nature-based solutions for human well-being. It provides a structured approach to underpin fit-for-purpose indicators for monitoring and reporting the relationship between nature and well-being, target policy initiatives and identify potential trade-offs, and prioritize investment decisions across multiple outcomes.

Cloud operating system (Cloud OS) is the heart of cloud management platform that takes control of various cloud resources. Therefore, it attracts numerous attacks, especially unauthorized access. Many existing works adopt role-based access control (RBAC) model for Cloud OS access control and token-based approaches as user credentials of sessions or transactions between users and cloud, but they fail to resist privilege abuse caused by RBAC policy rules tampering or token hijacking. To addresses this challenging problem, we propose a secure access control framework suitable for resource-centric Cloud OS. For one thing, we propose a new authorization model with cryptographically protected RBAC policy rules. To solve the policy decision problem caused by encrypted policy rules in this model, an approach is developed to transform it into permission searching problem and we further propose a policy decision scheme based on this. For another thing, we achieve user token unlinkability and token-replay-attack resistance by introducing randomization mechanism and leveraging one-show token technique. A proof of concept implementation has been developed and the proposed scheme is proven secure and efficient by security analysis and the performance evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate and timely infectious disease surveillance is pivotal for effective public health responses. An important component of this is the disease surveillance tools used. Understanding views and experiences of users is crucial for informing policy decisions and ensuring the seamless functioning of surveillance systems., Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess the user perceptions of 3 disease surveillance tools used in Côte d'Ivoire, namely, MAGPI, District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), and Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), the latter was implemented in 2021 within a pilot scheme., Methods: We conducted interviews and a web-based survey distributed to users of the 3 surveillance tools. The survey assessed users' views of the surveillance tools' usefulness, ease of use, feelings toward the tool, conditions that may influence the use, and other characteristics. The descriptive analysis compared responses from SORMAS, MAGPI, and DHIS2 users, providing a comprehensive evaluation of their experiences., Results: Among the 159 respondents who actively use one of the systems, MAGPI was the most widely used surveillance tool among respondents (n=127, 79.9%), followed by DHIS2 (n=108, 67.9%), and SORMAS (n=25, 15.7%). In terms of users' perceptions, SORMAS, despite its limited implementation, emerged as a tool that allows for data analysis and had the most comprehensive set of functionalities. DHIS2 was appreciated for its frequency of report provision, although users reported occasional IT system failures. MAGPI was recognized for its ease of use but was reported to lack certain functionalities offered by the other surveillance systems., Conclusions: This study offers valuable insights into the perceptions of disease surveillance tools users in Côte d'Ivoire. While all systems were positively regarded, each exhibited strengths and weaknesses addressing different needs and functionalities. Policy makers and health officials can use these findings to enhance existing tools or consider a unified approach for infectious disease surveillance systems. Understanding users' perspectives allows them to optimize the choice of surveillance tools, ultimately strengthening public health responses in Côte d'Ivoire and potentially serving as a model for other countries facing similar decisions in their health care systems., (© Marta S Palmeirim, Clarisse A Houngbedji, Tanja Barth-Jaeggi, Jean-Pierre Y Kouamé, Aboubakar Krouman, Daouda Coulibaly, Kaspar Wyss. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (https://publichealth.jmir.org).)

Background: The online offer of commercial genetic tests, also called direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC-GTs), enables citizens to gain insight into their health and disease risk based on their genetic profiles. DTC-GT offers often consist of a combination of services or aspects, including advertisements, information, DNA analysis, and medical or lifestyle advice. The risks and benefits of DTC-GT services have been debated and studied extensively, but instruments that assess DTC-GT services and aid policy are lacking. This leads to uncertainty among policy makers, law enforcers, and regulators on how to ensure and balance both public safety and autonomy and about the responsibilities these 3 parties have toward the public., Objective: This study aimed to develop a framework that outlines aspects of DTC-GTs that lead to policy issues and to help provide policy guidance regarding DTC-GT services., Methods: We performed 3 steps: (1) an integrative literature review to identify risks and benefits of DTC-GT services for consumers and society in Embase and Medline (January 2014-June 2022), (2) structuring benefits and risks in different steps of the consumer journey, and (3) development of a checklist for policy guidance., Results: Potential risks and benefits of DTC-GT services were mapped from 134 papers and structured into 6 phases. In summary, these phases were called the consumer journey: (1) exposure, (2) pretest information, (3) DNA analysis, (4) data management, (5) posttest information, and (6) individual and societal impact. The checklist for evaluation of DTC-GT services consisted of 8 themes, covering 38 items that may raise policy issues in DTC-GT services. The themes included the following aspects: general service content, validity and quality assurance, potential data and privacy risks, scientific evidence and robustness, and quality of the provided information., Conclusions: Both the consumer journey and the checklist break the DTC-GT offer down into key aspects that may impact and compromise individual and public health, safety, and autonomy. This framework helps policy makers, regulators, and law enforcers develop methods to interpret, assess, and act in the DTC-GT service market., (©Suzanne Maria Onstwedder, Marleen Elizabeth Jansen, Martina Cornelia Cornel, Tessel Rigter. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 17.07.2024.)

Background: In 2020, the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Ontario, Canada, introduced a virtual urgent care (VUC) pilot program to provide alternative access to urgent care services and reduce the need for in-person emergency department (ED) visits for patients with low acuity health concerns., Objective: This study aims to compare the 30-day costs associated with VUC and in-person ED encounters from an MoH perspective., Methods: Using administrative data from Ontario (the most populous province of Canada), a population-based, matched cohort study of Ontarians who used VUC services from December 2020 to September 2021 was conducted. As it was expected that VUC and in-person ED users would be different, two cohorts of VUC users were defined: (1) those who were promptly referred to an ED by a VUC provider and subsequently presented to an ED within 72 hours (these patients were matched to in-person ED users with any discharge disposition) and (2) those seen by a VUC provider with no referral to an in-person ED (these patients were matched to patients who presented in-person to the ED and were discharged home by the ED physician). Bootstrap techniques were used to compare the 30-day mean costs of VUC (operational costs to set up the VUC program plus health care expenditures) versus in-person ED care (health care expenditures) from an MoH perspective. All costs are expressed in Canadian dollars (a currency exchange rate of CAD $1=US $0.76 is applicable)., Results: We matched 2129 patients who presented to an ED within 72 hours of VUC referral and 14,179 patients seen by a VUC provider without a referral to an ED. Our matched populations represented 99% (2129/2150) of eligible VUC patients referred to the ED by their VUC provider and 98% (14,179/14,498) of eligible VUC patients not referred to the ED by their VUC provider. Compared to matched in-person ED patients, 30-day costs per patient were significantly higher for the cohort of VUC patients who presented to an ED within 72 hours of VUC referral ($2805 vs $2299; difference of $506, 95% CI $139-$885) and significantly lower for the VUC cohort of patients who did not require ED referral ($907 vs $1270; difference of $362, 95% CI 284-$446). Overall, the absolute 30-day costs associated with the 2 VUC cohorts were $18.9 million (ie, $6.0 million + $12.9 million) versus $22.9 million ($4.9 million + $18.0 million) for the 2 in-person ED cohorts., Conclusions: This costing evaluation supports the use of VUC as most complaints were addressed without referral to ED. Future research should evaluate targeted applications of VUC (eg, VUC models led by nurse practitioners or physician assistants with support from ED physicians) to inform future resource allocation and policy decisions., (©Jean-Eric Tarride, Justin N Hall, Shawn Mondoux, Katie N Dainty, Joy McCarron, J Michael Paterson, Lesley Plumptre, Emily Borgundvaag, Howard Ovens, Shelley L McLeod. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 15.07.2024.)

This theoretical essay explores three publications by Jürgen Habermas from the 1960s. The author deals with the critique of science, the production of knowledge and universities democratization. The objective was to extract from them clipings of reflections that can contribute to the studies of public communication of science. We consolidated the considerations into a graphic representation that summarizes the factors to be considered when thinking about the practice of science communication in society: the importance of considering the three interests that drive the production of knowledge - technical, practical and emancipatory, of promoting self-reflection of sciences in politicized and democratized universities, and the mediation of society in the interaction between science and politics, to subsidize decision-making based on social interests. We argue that the basis for a public communication idea of dialogical science - now widely defended - emerged in the German philosopher’s thinking in books published more than 50 years ago. However, that was not his central motivation at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telemedicine offers a multitude of potential advantages, such as enhanced health care accessibility, cost reduction, and improved patient outcomes. The significance of telemedicine has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, as it plays a crucial role in maintaining uninterrupted care while minimizing the risk of viral exposure. However, the adoption and implementation of telemedicine have been relatively sluggish in certain areas. Assessing the level of interest in telemedicine can provide valuable insights into areas that require enhancement., Objective: The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the level of public and research interest in telemedicine from 2017 to 2022 and also consider any potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: Google Trends data were retrieved using the search topics "telemedicine" or "e-health" to assess public interest, geographic distribution, and trends through a joinpoint regression analysis. Bibliographic data from Scopus were used to chart publications referencing the terms "telemedicine" or "eHealth" (in the title, abstract, and keywords) in terms of scientific production, key countries, and prominent keywords, as well as collaboration and co-occurrence networks., Results: Worldwide, telemedicine generated higher mean public interest (relative search volume=26.3%) compared to eHealth (relative search volume=17.6%). Interest in telemedicine remained stable until January 2020, experienced a sudden surge (monthly percent change=95.7%) peaking in April 2020, followed by a decline (monthly percent change=-22.7%) until August 2020, and then returned to stability. A similar trend was noted in the public interest regarding eHealth. Chile, Australia, Canada, and the United States had the greatest public interest in telemedicine. In these countries, moderate to strong correlations were evident between Google Trends and COVID-19 data (ie, new cases, new deaths, and hospitalized patients). Examining 19,539 original medical articles in the Scopus database unveiled a substantial rise in telemedicine-related publications, showing a total increase of 201.5% from 2017 to 2022 and an average annual growth rate of 24.7%. The most significant surge occurred between 2019 and 2020. Notably, the majority of the publications originated from a single country, with 20.8% involving international coauthorships. As the most productive country, the United States led a cluster that included Canada and Australia as well. European, Asian, and Latin American countries made up the remaining 3 clusters. The co-occurrence network categorized prevalent keywords into 2 clusters, the first cluster primarily focused on applying eHealth, mobile health (mHealth), or digital health to noncommunicable or chronic diseases; the second cluster was centered around the application of telemedicine and telehealth within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic., Conclusions: Our analysis of search and bibliographic data over time and across regions allows us to gauge the interest in this topic, offer evidence regarding potential applications, and pinpoint areas for additional research and awareness-raising initiatives., (©Andrea Maugeri, Martina Barchitta, Guido Basile, Antonella Agodi. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 16.05.2024.)

Background: Legislative provisions in Thailand's National Health Security Act 2002 mandate annual public hearings for providers, beneficiaries and other stakeholders in order to improve the performance of the Universal Health Coverage Scheme (UCS). Objective: This study aims to explore the annual public hearing process, evaluate its effectiveness and propose recommendations for improvement. Method: In‐depth interviews were conducted with 29 key informants from various stakeholder groups involved in annual public hearings. Results: The evaluation showed that the public hearings fully met the criteria of influence over policy decision and partially met the criteria of appropriate participation approach and social learning. However, there are rooms for improvement on public hearing's inclusiveness and representativeness of participants, adequacy of information and transparency. Conclusions: Three recommendations were proposed a) informing stakeholders in advance of the agenda and hearing process to enable their active participation; b) identifying experienced facilitators to navigate the discussions across stakeholders with different or conflicting interests, in order to reach consensus and prioritize recommendations; and c) communicating policy and management responses as a result of public hearings to all stakeholders in a timely manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In South Korea, a bill requesting the implementation of graphic health warning labels (GHWLs) on tobacco products was adopted at the Assembly Plenary Session on 29 May 2015, and the law was implemented on 23 December 2016. During the period, a plan of the technical details of GHWLs, such as the making of graphic warnings, was examined by the Regulatory Reform Committee (RRC). This study aims to investigate what the media reported over that period and whether the RRC’s policy decisions changed. Methods We conducted a content analysis of online media reports from the first legislative examination (22 April 2016) to the re-examination (13 May 2016). We coded 150 news reports according to two types (news and opinions) and three slants in terms of being in favor of or opposed to the initially government’s implementation plan of GHWLs: positive, negative, and neutral. Results At the first legislative examination, some committee members recommended placing pictorial warnings at the bottom of a cigarette pack as opposed to the plan. Initially, the media reported the results of the committee decisions neutrally. However, over time, positive news and opinions on tobacco control policy and support for positioning the GHWLs at the top of packages increased before the committee carried out the re-examination. Only 15 (10.0%) news reports adopted a negative slant, while the reports with positive (n=101; 67.3%) and neutral slants (n=34; 22.7%) comprised the majority. At the re-examination, the committee withdrew their earlier recommendation to position the GHWLs at the bottom of cigarette packs, finally deciding that the pictorial warnings should be located at the top of the packs, as per the original government’s plan. Conclusions The friendly media coverage of the tobacco control policy suggests that the media would be a major factor in the policymakers’ decision. Because the media play an important role in defining social issues in the policy-decision process, garnering support from the media is important in the tobacco control legislative process.

The judiciary has excelled in the international and national scene, reaching role of great importance, thus creating opposition to the legislative and executive powers. The center of gravity of the sovereign power of the state moves toward the judiciary, that happens to have a more active role and controlling of the others powers, but also appears as a great defender of social and fundamental rights causes, seeking to make an effective constitution. Its great public notoriety has attracted great distrust of various sectors of society, especially by the two powers that have an increasing interference. Arises, therefore, a speech that the judiciary would be reversing into a big and uncontrollable power, increasing the suspicion that now it would be living in a real dictatorship of the judiciary through judicial activism. There is a growing concern with the expansion of activism and the role of the judiciary. The purpose of this work is to conceptualize and approach the judicial activism and the state of exception to search and reveal if there is any similarity, to then draw up a possible answer to the concern of forming a dictatorship of the judiciary. The state of exception is one of the rule of law paradoxes, while activism is a political manifestation of the judiciary. The similarity between the institutes appears as appalling in a dynamic expansion of political power of a state institution exercising judicial function, putting in check who would be the sovereign in a rule of law and democratic state.

Abstract Backyard production systems (BPS) that involve poultry are a good way to improve food security and poverty alleviation. Few studies have been carried out to quantify the contribution of poultry production to these households and the constraints they might face if a priority animal disease enters these systems. This study aims to characterize the poultry-rearing BPS in central Chile and to identify socio-economic factors associated to households' consumption of poultry. Data was collected from 384 BPS through a face-to-face semi-structured questionnaire. Value chain framework associated with BPS poultry rearing and cash flow analysis of BPS was done to identify the inputs/outputs of the system and to know the profitability of the system. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify the BPS and household factors associated to poultry consumption. The results of this study suggest that BPS in central Chile have biosecurity deficiencies such as: lack of confinement, lack of veterinary assistance and incorrect handling of dead animals. Cash flow analysis indicated that 62% of the BPS had a positive balance from production. Distance to closest market and per capita income were factors associated to poultry value to farmers. Different factors were significant predictors of household poultry consumption. Positive predictors of consumption were identified as: (i) older owners, (ii) higher transportation price to closest market, (iii) larger flock size (iv) birds raised by women and (v) owning a car. On the contrary, (i) higher per capita income and (ii) bigger household size predicted a reduction in consumption. The results indicate the importance of BPS to low-income families and those living in remote areas while also highlighting the vulnerability of these systems to disease risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the main forms of interaction between government institutions and the representatives of the expert community, as well as the preconditions for civil responsibility. The study, conducted in the period 2013-2018, includes 125 semi-structured interviews with experts from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian regions, the major part of whom held managing positions in government bodies at federal or regional level, or were employed in academic work at universities, or by non-governmental organizations. Ten focus group discussions were also conducted in the course of this research. The analysis of the interview texts was made using Werner J. Patzelt's category scheme of content analysis and the QDAMinerLight program. Along with two previously known models of interaction between experts and governmental structures - the linear autonomic model and the model of virtuous reason, two new models are proposed. One is the paid result model, according to which remuneration may consist not only in money but also in the increased symbolic capital of the researcher employed to perform expertise. The other is the initiative expertise model, where projects for policy decisions are designed without the participation of governmental structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous growth in population and consumption, the intensity of competition for land, water and energy and the overexploitation of the ecosystem have all affected Africa's ability to sustain its food security and natural resources. In recent years, many promising agricultural development initiatives were unable to provide sustainable solutions to agricultural challenges in most parts of Africa, including Ghana, as a result of policy failures. The agricultural sector is a complex system and requires a holistic approach to deal with the root causes of challenges. This research therefore uses systems thinking tools, including causal loop diagrams and Bayesian belief network modelling, to develop new structural systems models whereby stakeholders can determine the components and interactions between the structure, conduct and performance (SCP) of the agricultural sector in Ghana, by using the first five steps of the Evolutionary Learning Laboratory. The results illustrate how the SCP elements interact together to influence the survival and growth of the agricultural sector. The study identifies that stakeholders adopt several strategies to survive and compete, which lead to overexploitation of the ecosystem. The results from the Bayesian belief network models indicate that the implementation of systemically determined interventions, policies and strategies could significantly improve the probability of business survival and growth from 58.8 to 73%. Also, the chances of improving the SCP could be increased from 39, 28.3 and 36.4 to 80.1, 55.9 and 62.4%, respectively, and these may vary based on the conditional probability tables. This paper contributes to the systemic approach to SCP, in that improvements to production and allocative efficiency may usher in a greater potential for improving food security, supporting the ecosystem and further strengthening agricultural sustainability. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]