In early 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. As of March 2023, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reported over 829 thousand cases and over 9 thousand deaths. Due to the public health emergency, the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 genome was fully sequenced early on the pandemic course. Afterward, different viral variants emerged around the world. The variant prevalence fluctuates over time, with some strains presenting increased transmissibility, changes in disease severity, and decreased efficacy of containment measures. In this respect, genomic surveillance and timely data sharing to public repositories represent a tool to track and detect emerging changes that require addressing with public health measurements. However, the Kingdom's genome contribution to the GISAID database represents merely 0.27% of the reported cases. To address this gap, we incorporated whole genome sequencing and the available metadata, to track the circulating viral lineages and identify the variants of concern (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI) over 14 months, from December 2021 to January 2023. We sequenced 581 genomes using the MinION MK1C platform of Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and assigned the viral lineages, the data primarily derived from COVID-19-positive patients from the city of Jeddah. The VOC Omicron was the principal circulating variant in the country (~99%), which aligns with the global trend. Our report included the sublineages BA.2.75, BQ.1, CH.1.1, XBB, and XBB.1.5, which are under WHO monitoring. We also reported the VOC Delta and the recombinant strains XF, XZ, and XPB. Finally, to validate the use of ONT for genomic surveillance, we compared the data quality of 93 samples sequenced in both ONT MinION and Illumina NaovaSeq platforms. There was 90% correspondence in the Nextstrain clade assignment (84/93) and 78% correspondence in the Pangolin sublineage assignment (73/93). MinION offered a shorter turnaround time, while Illumina produced a consistently higher breadth of genome coverage. In conclusion, the continued viral evolution patterns are reflected in the Kingdom's variant prevalence, where only Omicron circulated by January 2023. Likewise, current Variants Under Monitoring (VUM) were already identified in KSA, highlighting the need for increased genomic surveillance.

Flashbulb memories are formed through widely shared events that have affected the culture and community. The “flash” in flashbulb memories refers to the specific details that individuals have developed in their memories. The presented research focuses on the specific event of college students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) hearing about university closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study sought to identify the variables that have affected the accuracy of flashbulb memories formation regarding the event of college students hearing about university closure because of the pandemic. The variables of the students’ relevance to the university, location, source of hearing about the university’s closure, and political group they belong to were investigated to determine if they affected the accuracy of the memories that were developed. An online survey was sent to students inquiring about the specifics and details that they remembered when finding out that the university was closed and was going to move to remote instruction. Participants included 226 college students who filled out the survey between February 3, 2021, and July 21, 2021. The survey included questions regarding the experiences of students when they learned about COVID-19 and university closure. Data revealed that a greater relevance to the event can cause a greater amount of rehearsal and recall of memories. The rehearsal and recall of memories are crucial variables to developing accurate flashbulb memories. This study contributes to the lack of research in flashbulb memories associated with pandemics. The study will be an addition to determining variables that have affected the accuracy of flashbulb memories.

Despite the devastating scope of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918, curiously few references to the flu exist in literature. Katherine Anne Porter offered one of modernism's only extensive fictional treatments of the pandemic in her short novel “Pale Horse, Pale Rider,” decades after her own near-death encounter with the flu. Porter was able to give voice to an experience that had traumatized others into silence by drawing on an early form of magical realism. Magical realism's ghosts—everyday presences rather than otherworldly beings to be feared—are of particular relevance to “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” since ghosts “haunt” Porter's semi-autobiographical Miranda throughout the story, acting as correctives to Miranda's (and Porter's) desire to isolate herself from the familial and regional heritage that burdens her with unwanted and often conflicting ideologies. Ultimately, in using magical realism to explore her sense of self and to articulate the alienating effects of her near-death experience, Porter is able to embrace her complicated heritage and her fractured past, reclaiming interconnectedness while maintaining her individuality.

The purpose of this study was to explore the resiliency of Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study explored the role social support (as an external factor of resilience) and self-efficacy (as an internal factor of resilience) played in the resilience of Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods design involving two phases: a quantitative and a qualitative phase. Participants in this study were 99 teachers in rural eastern Tennessee and some rural parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and New Mexico, who were Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three survey instruments were used to collect quantitative data. The Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale was used to measure self-efficacy, the Comprehensive Evaluation of Social Support (CESS) was used to measure the level of social support, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) was used to measure resilience. The survey was followed by qualitative interviews with 6 participants randomly selected from 23 participants in phase 1 of the study who agreed to participate in the interview. The results showed that social support (p = .036) and self-efficacy (p ≤ .001) impacted resilience in Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, self-efficacy was a better predictor of resilience in Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic than social support. There was no interaction effect of social support and self-efficacy on the resilience of Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = .078). Also, none of the six dimensions of social support used in this study (supervisor emotional, supervisor instrumental, coworker emotional, coworker instrumental, organizational emotional, and organizational instrumental) significantly predicted resilience in Head Start teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes that emerged from the teacher interview were acquisition of skills, families of children, increase in children’s challenging behavior, within-school support, outside-school support, and increase in confidence as a teacher. The limitations of the study and recommendations for practice and future research are included.

Bakgrund: Den kraftiga omorganiseringen som skedde inom hälso- och sjukvården på grund av covid-19 orsakade bland annat att operationspersonal förflyttades till andra avdelningar. Patienter som väntade på att genomgå elektiv operation drabbades då dessa ställdes in eller flyttades fram. Någon sammanställning av dessa patienters erfarenheter identifierades inte varpå en vetenskaplig kunskapslucka existerade. Syfte: Beskriva patienters erfarenheter av att få sin elektiva operation inställd eller framflyttad på grund av covid-19 pandemin. Metod: En integrativ litteraturöversikt med engelsk vetenskaplig litteratur som eftersöktes i databaserna PubMed, Scopus och CINAHL. Datan analyserades enligt en integrativ analysprocess som bestod av fyra steg. 13 artiklar inkluderades. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i tre huvudteman “Komplicerad tid där livet påverkas och influeras av acceptans”, “Informationen från sjukvården påverkar erfarenheten” och “Förvärrade symtom och oro för långsiktiga konsekvenser” med totalt nio underteman. Slutsats: Erfarenheterna som framkom påverkades av mängden adekvat kommunikation och information från hälso- och sjukvården samt om denna var direkt eller indirekt. Patienternas bakomliggande sjukdom eller tillstånd var även avgörande för erfarenheterna. Bibehållen kontakt med patienter under förseningen var primärt då föreliggande studie visade att detta kunde minska oro och förbättra erfarenheten. / Background: The major reorganization that took place in healthcare due to covid-19 caused, among other things, the transfer of operating personnel to other departments. Patients waiting to undergo elective operation were affected when these were canceled or postponed. No compilation of these patients’ experiences was identified, therefore a scientific knowledge gap existed. Aim: Describe patients experiences of having their elective operation canceled or postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic. Method: An integrative literature review with English science literature were searched for in PubMed, Scopus and CINAHL databases. The data was analyzed according to an integrative analysis process consisted of four steps. 13 articles were included. Result: The analysis resulted in three main themes: “Complicated time where life is affected and influenced by acceptance”, “Information from healthcare affects the experience” and “Deteriorated symptoms and concern for long-term consequences” with a total of nine sub-themes. Conclusion: The experiences that emerged were influenced by the amount of adequate communication and information from healthcare and whether this was direct or indirect. The patients’ underlying illness or condition was also decisive for the experiences. Maintaining contact with the patients during the delay was primary as the present study showed that this could reduce anxiety and improve the experience.

No description available.

[pt] Em razão da pandemia provocada pelo coronavírus SARS-CoV-2, em 2020, deu-se um aumento significativo no uso de mídias e plataformas digitais em todos os setores de atividade humana, com destaque para o uso de plataformas controladas pelas empresas conhecidas pela sigla GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple e Microsoft). Trata-se de empresas que, nos últimos anos, apresentam seus produtos e serviços com uma solução eficaz para problemas educacionais. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo examinar a expansão das empresas GAFAM na educação básica brasileira no ano de 2020, a partir de um estudo documental de cunho qualitativo. A dissertação traça um panorama das medidas tomadas pelas secretarias estaduais de educação durante a pandemia; analisa como se articularam as parcerias entre as secretarias e as empresas; identifica os atores envolvidos; e discute o conjunto de valores e ideias sustentam essa expansão. Para a análise e interpretação dos dados, realizou-se uma análise de conteúdo do tipo categorial temática. Os achados indicam que houve um fortalecimento das parcerias entre as secretarias e as empresas Google, Facebook e Microsoft, tendência que já estava em curso. Além disso, mostra a presença de outras iniciativas, a institucionalização dos produtos por meio de recomendações em documentos oficiais e, notadamente, uma ausência de debates públicos sobre a adoção desses serviços. Conclui que a infraestrutura oferecida por essas empresas está cada vez mais naturalizada, tornando urgente que se amplie a discussão sobre a apropriação e uso contínuo de dados produzidos em contextos educacionais. / [en] Due to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in 2020, there was a significant increase in the use of digital media and platforms in all sectors of human activity, with emphasis on the use of platforms controlled by companies known as GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft). These are companies that, in recent years, have been promoting their products and services as an effective solution to educational problems. This dissertation aims to examine the expansion of GAFAM companies in Brazilian compulsory education in 2020. Based on a qualitative documentary study, the dissertation maps the measures taken by the State Departments of Education during the pandemic, analyses how the partnerships between the secretariats and these companies were articulated, identifies the actors involved and discusses the set of values and ideas that have been sustaining this expansion. For data analysis, a thematic categorical content analysis was performed. Findings indicate that there was a strengthening of partnerships between the secretariats and Google, Facebook and Microsoft, a trend that was already underway. In addition, it shows the presence of other initiatives, the institutionalization of products through recommendations in official documents and, notably, an absence of public debates on the adoption of these services. It concludes that the infrastructure offered by these companies is increasingly naturalized, making it urgent to expand the discussion on the appropriation and continuous use of data produced in educational contexts

Bakgrund: Organisatoriskt engagemang är ett begrepp som på senaste tiden har fått större plats i både forskning och i praktiken. I samband med covid-19-pandemin och upprättade restriktioner införde många organisationer distansarbete i någon utsträckning. Tidigare forskning om distansarbetets påverkan på medarbetarnas organisatoriska engagemang är tvetydig och har till stor del utförts med premissen att arbetssättet varit en valmöjlighet. Vid distansarbete i samband med covid-19-pandemin uppstår därmed en ny kontext för organisatoriskt engagemang. Det finns därmed anledning att undersöka hur medarbetare upplever att distansarbete i samband med covid-19-pandemin har påverkat deras upplevelser av organisatoriskt engagemang. Syfte: Studien syftar till att ge ökad förståelse för vad distansarbete innebär för organisatoriskt engagemang ur ett medarbetarperspektiv i samband med covid-19-pandemin på arbetsplatser där medarbetares förutsättningar för att interagera fysiskt med kollegor har förändrats under covid-19-pandemin. Metod: Denna studie utgår från en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv. Studien antar en fallstudiedesign samt abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet är insamlat via semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex medarbetare från ett fallföretag. Slutsats: I studien framkommer det att medarbetarna upplever att flertalet aspekter har spelat in i hur deras organisatoriska engagemang har påverkats av distansarbete i samband med pandemin. Relationer är den aspekt som är mest framträdande i medarbetarnas utsagor, men även delaktighet, organisationskultur och organisationsstruktur har påverkat medarbetarnas organisatoriska engagemang. Medarbetarna upplever även att möjligheten till att arbeta på distans har en påverkan på deras organisatoriska engagemang och att denna påverkan har influerats av distansarbete i samband med pandemin. Aspekterna påverkar inte bara medarbetarnas organisatoriska engagemang enskilt utan är även i samspel med varandra. Ytterligare framgår det att interaktioner utgör en central del i samspelet mellan aspekterna. Studiens resultat visar på att helt ersätta fysiska interaktioner med digitala interaktioner har en negativ påverkan på medarbetarnas upplevelser av organisatoriskt engagemang vid distansarbete i samband med covid-19-pandemin. / Background: Organisational commitment is a concept that has gained popularity in both research and practice. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that followed many organisations applied teleworking to some extent. Previous research on the effects of teleworking on coworkers’ organisational commitment is ambiguous and has mainly been conducted with the condition that teleworking was optional. Teleworking during the pandemic created a new context for organisational commitment. Accordingly, there is reason to study how coworkers experience of teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their experiences of organisational commitment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain new insight on what teleworking has meant for organisational commitment from a coworker perspective in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in workplaces where the conditions for the coworkers to interact with their colleagues physically has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: The study draws on a qualitative research strategy and a phenomenological perspective. The study is a case study and has an abductive approach. The empirical evidence was obtained through semi-structured interviews with six coworkers from one case company. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a multitude of aspects have affected the coworkers’ experiences of their organisational commitment in the context of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relationships is the most prominent aspect in the coworkers’ statements, but participation, organisational culture and organisational structure have also affected the coworkers’ experiences of organisational commitment. The coworkers also experience that the opportunity to telework has an effect on their organisational commitment and that this effect has been influenced by teleworking during the pandemic. The aspects do not only affect the coworkers’ organisational commitment separately but are also interactive. The study found that the aspects mostly interact through the interactions between coworkers. Furthermore the study illustrates that entirely replacing physical interactions with digital interactions has a negative effect on the coworkers’ experiences of organisational commitment in the context of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trä har sedan länge varit ett av de viktigaste materialen vid husbyggnad i Sverige, mycket med tanke på den goda tillgång vi har på trävaror tack vare våra stora skogsytor. Men under 2020 och 2021 hände någonting på trämarknaden som gjorde att tillgången plötsligt inte var så stor längre, utan vi hamnade i en situation med brist i stället. Den här rapporten undersöker just den träbrist som uppstod 2020 och låg till grund för de stora prisökningar som upplevdes under åren 2020 och 2021. Vad var orsaken till dessa, och var någonstans i produktionskedjan uppstod problemen? För att ta reda på detta har undersökningsmetoden i rapporten bestått utav faktainsamling via de skrifter som redan publicerats, samt intervjuer med individer aktuella inom området. Det har intervjuats försäljningschefer på sågverk, säljare inom byggvaruhandelsektorn, samt personer verksamma i byggbolag. Intervjuer har skett i alla delar av marknadskedjan för att på så sätt kunna klargöra de olika aktörernas olika syn på problemet. Det resultat som rapporten presenterar är att coronapandemin var en starkt bidragande faktor till att efterfrågan på trävaror steg rekordartat. Många privatpersoner tvingades stanna hemma och tog då tillfället i akt att renovera och påbörja byggprojekt hemma. Även företag som drabbades hårt av pandemin och dess restriktioner, passade på att renovera och bygga om lokaler under tiden eftersom folk inte besökte dem på grund av restriktionerna. Denna kraftiga ökning i efterfrågan innebar ett stort tryck på sågverken som inte alls hann med att producera i den takt som de sålde. Detta resulterade i att sågverkens lager blev allt tunnare, och priserna steg allt mer. Rapporten beskriver även hur marknadsstrukturen för trävaror ser ut, och analyserar med hjälp av porters femkraftsmodell hur situationen ser ut. Slutsatserna blir då att marknaden är oerhört sårbar i och med den makt som sågverken sitter på, vilket blir speciellt märkbart under 2020 och 2021 då sågverken befann sig i en situation där allt de producerade blev sålt, och därmed kunde sätta vilka priser som helst. Vidare har trämarknaden en struktur som innebär att kunderna är låsta till sågverken och helt beroende av den prisnivå som de själva beslutar om. Sågverkens förhandlingssituation, brist på substitut till trä, brist på konkurrens av både befintliga och nya aktörer är alla faktorer som i allra högsta grad har påverkat och bidragit till den situation somupplevdes under åren 2020 och 2021. / Timber has been one of high importance when building houses in Sweden, due to the big supply generated by our large forest areas. But in 2020 and 2021we ended up in a situation with a shortage. This report examines the wood shortage that occurred in 2020 and was the foundation of the large price increases experienced in 2020 and 2021, causesand where problems arose in the supply chain? Previous findings was studied as well as interviews with individuals from the field, active in all parts of the market chain Findings state that the corona pandemic was a strong contributing factor to the record rise in demand for wood products resulting in s private and public projects to renovate and rebuild premises. This sharp increase in demand put pressure on the sawmills who were not able to produce at the rate they were selling. This resulted in prices rising more and more. The report also describes the market structure for wood products with Porter's five forces model. The market is extremely vulnerable due to the power that the sawmills have, accentuated by the situation in 2020 and 2021.

No description available.