The COVID-19 pandemic provides an important opportunity to understand how parenting stress during social crisis may predict child feeding practices and perceptions of child mealtime behaviors. The objective of the present study was to explore whether parents’ perceived increases in and overall levels of parenting stress during the pandemic were associated with controlling feeding practices and perceptions of child eating behaviors. Parents (n = 284) of 4–6-year-old children completed a cross-sectional online survey between March and April 2020. The survey assessed parents’ perceived change in parenting stress during the onset of the pandemic and levels of parenting stress during the pandemic (via the Parenting Stress Scale), as well as child feeding practices (via the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire), and children’s eating behaviors (via the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire). Ordinal linear regressions were used examine whether changes in and levels of parenting stress predicted use of controlling or responsive feeding practices and parents’ perceptions of child eating behaviors. The majority (63.7%, n = 181) of parents indicated their family was moderately or extremely emotionally affected by the pandemic and 56.7% (n = 161) indicated pandemic-related precautions had been moderately or extremely challenging. Perceived increases in parenting stress during the onset of the pandemic were associated with more frequent use of food as a reward (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.04 – 1.26) and for emotional regulation (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04 – 1.23), as well as low child food responsiveness (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.84 – 0.99) and lower odds of slow eating (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.84 – 1.00). Higher overall levels of parenting stress were associated with more frequent use of food as a reward (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02 – 1.08) and for emotional regulation (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03 – 1.08) but also with use of pressuring feeding practices (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01 – 1.06) and encouraging a balanced diet less frequently (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01 – 1.06). Higher overall levels of parenting stress were associated with greater child food fussiness (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02 – 1.08), low enjoyment of food (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02 – 1.07), and low satiety responsiveness (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93 – 0.98). During the COVID-19 pandemic, increases in and high levels of parenting stress predicted parents’ use of food for emotion and behavioral regulation, but also with various domains of children’s eating behaviors. Results highlight the need for targeted efforts to support families during social crisis.

In this study, we have delved deeply into the European food industry's response to the altered reality during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through qualitative interviews with six business leaders from different parts of the sector, combined with a comprehensive literature review, we have strived to enhance the understanding of the organizational changes and strategic solutions that the industry has employed to navigate the crisis. The challenges we observed included disruptions in the supplychain, stress among employees due to illness and work-related pressure, as well as shifting sales and market patterns. Despite these difficulties, the companies managed to adapt by restructuring their organizations and leadership styles, which mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic. Some of the most significant lessons included the importance of having a flexible and adaptable organizational structure, and the necessity to develop effective communication strategies and leadership methods during uncertain times. The results of our study also point out that there is a need to integrate social aspects into food production and distribution. This would increase companies' resilience and ability to maintain operations in an increasingly uncertain global context. We found that the pandemic has contributed to increasing the importance of local production and consumption, strengthening the role of digital technology in streamlining communication and workflows, and focusing more on companies' sustainability initiatives and responsibilities. To further utilize these insights, we propose future research focusing on tracking companies' adaptations over time, comparing different industries and regions, and examining how the implementation of changes is related to the achievement of sustainability goals. We also underscore that both quantitative and qualitative research methods should be used to gain adeeper understanding of the processes driven by crises like the pandemic. In summary, our study shows that, despite the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, food producers in Europe have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and reshape their organizations and business models. The main lesson is that flexibility, communication, and rapid adaptation are crucial in handling crises and ensuring a sustainable and resilient food industry. This insight can assist policymakers and industry leaders in formulating more effective strategies and guidelines to promote a more sustainable and resilient organization.

Bakgrund: Den palliativa vårdens förhållningssätt vilar på grunderna att lindra fysiskt och psykiskt lidande samt främja god livskvalitet, när sjukdominte längre går att bota. Under covid-19-pandemin skapades barriärer i form av social distansering, personlig skyddsutrustning och rädsla för smitta, vilket påverkade möjligheterna för sjuksköterskor inom den palliativa vården att ge patientnära vård. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att ge palliativ vård under covid-19-pandemin. Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats, baserad på 10 vetenskapliga artiklar. Artiklarna som inkluderades i resultatet kvalitetsgranskades, bearbetades och sammanfattades. Resultat: Efter analys av samtliga artiklar identifierades tre huvudkategorier utifrån artiklarnas resultat: upplevelser av förändrad kommunikation, upplevelser av etiska och moraliska dilemman samt upplevelser av organisatoriska förändringar. Huvudkategorierna kompletterades med nio underkategorier. Konklusion: Resultatet belyser att sjuksköterskor inom den palliativa vården upplevde begränsningar i sitt yrkesutförande till följd av covid-19-pandemin genom försvårande möjligheter att vårda patienter i enlighet med den palliativa vårdens värdegrund. / Background: The palliative care approach rests on the foundation of alleviating suffering, physically and mentally and promoting a good quality of life, at times when disease no longer can be cured. During the COVID-19 pandemic, barriers were created in the form of social distancing, personal protective equipment and fear of being infected. This affected the ability of palliative care nurses to provide patient-centered care. Aim: The aim was to illustrate nurses’ experiences of providing palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study was a general literature study with an inductive approach, based on 10 scientific articles. The articles included in the result were quality reviewed, processed and summarized. Result: Analysis of the articles identified three main categories based on the result of the articles: experiences of altered communication, experiences of ethical and moral dilemmas and experiences of organizational changes. The main categories were supplemented with nine subcategories. Conclusion:The results illustrate that palliative care nurses experienced limitations in their professional performance as a result if the COVID-19 pandemic due to obstacles that made it harder for them to care for patients in accordance with the values of palliative care.

Uppsatsens syffte är att undersöka hur pandemin har påverkat utvecklingen av poppulära fjälorter, specifikt Åre och Funnäsfjällen, samt hur rörelse- och flyttmönster har sett ut på dessa orter till föld av pandemin.

The covid-19 pandemic had a big impact on the whole world, and a great deal of research was directed at the subject. Earlier research has foremost been directed at the covid-19 pandemic as a crisis, the management of the crisis and vaccinations. The effects of the pandemic, primarily from the perspective of street-level bureaucrats, is a relatively unexplored subject. The discretion of street-level bureaucrats in healthcare in the district of Kalmar is explored in this paper, together with the question and explanation of if and how the discretion has changed. The problems are mostly focused on how the changes are experienced in the post-pandemic timeline, how the discretion is affected and what might be the cause to the changes in discretion. The problems are studied based on Lipsky´s theory of street-level bureaucrats with the support from Jönsson´s theory of discretion. The theories have also been used for the development of the interview questions, that in turn have been used to collect the empirical data for this study. Semi structured interviews were used to collect the empirical data in physical interviews with doctors and nurses who work in district Kalmar. The result of the interviews has since been analyzed with qualitative text analysis with the support of the aforementioned theories. The result and the analysis showed a change in the cornerstones of the street-level bureaucrats’ framework according to Jönsson´s theory. The changes in district Kalmar during the pandemic can still be seen in the post-pandemic timeline in several ways. Therefore, a change in the street-level bureaucrats’ discretion can be seen and explained. Street-level bureaucrats have had an increase in knowledge and developed coping mechanisms, simplifications, and routines for the before uncertain situations, which in turn have resulted in a more comfortable street-level bureaucrat with changed discretion. Further research may show how these changes and effects can be seen in the future and other districts, which can contribute to the scientific gap that this study has shown about the remaining effects in the post-pandemic timeline.

This thesis examines the changes and effects the covid-19 pandemic had on the Church of Sweden within the diocese of Karlstad. The thesis is based on semi-structured interviews with eight vicars within the diocese of Karlstad. The data from the interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis. The thesis theoretical origin is derived from institutional theory, and new institutionalism. According to these theories, organisations evolve in response to the expectations and pressures exerted by society. The covid-19 pandemic affected the entire society including religious communities, among them the Church of Sweden. Many issues occurred during the pandemic and the restriction regarding the number of participants at social gatherings resulted in solutions such as booking systems and more frequent services where the vicar stood outside the church counting the participants. The thesis also presents how all parishes in question underwent some form of digitalisation and how seven out of eight parishes offered digital services. The changes that occurred in the parishes are in accordance with both theories. Lastly the thesis demonstrates the range of how these changes were maintained when the covid-19 pandemic subsided, and the restrictions were lifted. Some parishes still use digital services but at a much lower sequence since the demand for digital services decreased severely. Digital meetings are still in use but other than that how the changes maintained varied within the parishes. The opportunity to offer and suggest livestreaming a funeral if a family member is illwould never have happened before the pandemic and the parishes all agree that the knowledge, experiences, and attitudes that the pandemic brought on have come to stay and that they are ready for the next crisis.

No / As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, manually enhanced ad-hoc solutions have helped the physical space designers and decision makers to cope with the dynamic nature of space planning. Due to the unpredictable nature by which the pandemic is unfolding, the standard operating procedures also change, and the protocols for physical interaction require continuous reconsideration. Consequently, the development of an appropriate technological solution to address the current challenge of reconfiguring common physical environments with prescribed physical distancing measures is much needed. To do this, we propose a design optimization methodology which takes the dimensions, as well as the constraints and other necessary requirements of a given physical space to yield optimal redesign solutions on the go. The methodology we propose here utilizes the solution to the well-known mathematical circle packing problem, which we define as a constrained mathematical optimization problem. The resulting optimization problem is solved subject to a given set of parameters and constraints – corresponding to the requirements on the social distancing criteria between people and the imposed constraints on the physical spaces such as the position of doors, windows, walkways and the variables related to the indoor airflow pattern. Thus, given the dimensions of a physical space and other essential requirements, the solution resulting from the automated optimization algorithm can suggest an optimal set of redesign solutions from which a user can pick the most feasible option. We demonstrate our automated optimal design methodology by way of a number of practical examples, and we discuss how this framework can be further taken forward as a design platform that can be implemented practically. / University of Bradford's COVID-19 Response Fund, the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (Computer Science National Program) under grant #TIN2017-89275-Rof the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion and European Funds (AEI/FEDER, UE)

This study aimed to characterize and assess the subjective impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic on symptom severity and psychosocial experiences of youth with chronic tic disorders (CTD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and co-occurring tic and OCD (Tics+OCD) through the use of Likert scales and validated measures. Children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 and their parents were asked to complete an online survey from July 2020 to April 2021. Overall, youth in the study reported negative pandemic-related impact on several domains, particularly after-school activities, relationships with friends, and family and community gatherings. Though limited by the small sample size of the group, youth with OCD appeared to report more negative impact compared to the other diagnostic subgroups. The median screen use for youth in this study was 3-8 hours a day; youth who reported >8 hours of screen time per day on weekends trended towards a 13x greater odds of depression compared to those with <8 hours per day although not statistically significant. If future public health emergencies were to ensue, supports aimed at helping these particularly vulnerable youth navigate the impact of those restrictions would be welcome and important to their mental health and general well-being.

For most students, playing video games is a popular, enjoyable activity to do in their leisure time. While many people play video games for fun, some do develop problems associated with their play. Excessive engagement in video game play can lead to significant impairment and clinically significant levels of harm. However, there are several important gaps in the research literature which limit understanding of potential harm. First, little is known about the gaming behavior of students, ranging from middle-school to graduate school, specifically as it relates to their reasons for playing video games and their time spent playing. Second, concerns regarding the readability of measures of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) have been identified in past research that informed the creation of an enhanced literacy assessment of IGD. Third, given the novel COVID-19 pandemic significantly altering day-to-day life and directly decreasing the amount of time individuals were able to spend outside their home, it was not yet known how gaming behavior may have been fundamentally altered. Via a three-study design, the current project addressed gaps in the literature regarding video game use of students, established the reliability and validity of a measure of IGD with enhanced literacy, and provided summative data regarding perceptions of distance learning and potential changes in gaming behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic of Covid-19 the restrictions changed the abilities of gatherings, so also for the members of the Church of Sweden, and questions arose from spokesperson of the Church of Sweden on the behalf of the members regarding injustice or discredit of the right of freedom of religion. This thesis handles how the restrictions affected the Church of Sweden, if there was any discredit for the freedom of religion and if people in Sweden found other alternatives during the pandemic to express spiritual life outdoors when there were limitations indoors for gatherings. My main source of material has been Kyrkans tidning (The Church’s Paper), a newspaper for the Church of Sweden, with articles involving the Archbishop Antje Jackelén. In the thesis are both qualitative and quantitate methods used, an inductive document analysis combined with a manual content analysis with the codewords experiential, social, economic, and political, concepts from a theory of religion and politics. The inference in this thesis is that there has been an injustice committed against members of the Church of Sweden, with reference to some of the restrictions settled by the Public Health Agency. Even though the Church of Sweden and the Sweden’s Christian Council might not agree, the comparison made between the articles, the United Declarations of Human Rights, other convents, and the definitions of religions there was no indication that the freedom of religion was illegally affected in Sweden during the pandemic of Covid-19.