While operating in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, child care professionals (CCPs) implemented and enforced COVID-induced public health practices and protocols (PHPPs), some of which have resulted in new challenges and risks to CCP’s health and safety. However, the experiences of CCPs have been underreported in Canada despite the sector's large footprint in the Canadian economy and the reality that many other essential service sectors rely on child care to function. This research seeks to understand which COVID-induced public health practices and protocols were present in Canadian child care programs, how these PHPPs were perceived by CCPs, and the factors that contributed to impacts that were experienced by CCPs. The data came from a national, web-based survey (English/French), that yielded 1610 responses primarily from CCPs working at licenced child care programs within the Canadian Child Care Federation’s email database and social media pages between June – August 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CPPs implemented and enforced PHPPs and some PHPPs may have resulted in new challenges and risks to CCP’s health and safety. Fomite-based PHPPs, including surface cleaning (99.7%), handwashing with soap (97.4%), and using sanitizer (96.0%), were more commonly reported than airborne-based PHPPs such as masking (93.0%), opening windows (55.9%), using an HVAC system (19.8%). A quarter of CCPs reported using devices that Health Canada either did not recommend or were not widely approved for use against COVID-19. CCPs reported challenges with PHPP implementation, notably not feeling well equipped or trained to use disinfecting and sanitizing products (74.8%), experiencing physical difficulties (74.3%), not having sufficient funds (65.2%), the need for more staff to make working during the pandemic easier (62.9%) and need better guidance from public health officials (61.5%). CCPs were more concerned about a child in their care catching COVID-19 (87.2%) than they were for personally catching the virus (75.6%). Roughly 90% of CCPs experienced stress and other mental health challenges (SMC) and 26.6% reported being less interested in continuing to work in the sector. Four logistic regression models were constructed to determine the factors associated with CCPs’ concerns with personally contracting COVID-19, a child in their care personally contracting COVID-19, as well as factors associated with increased SMC and finally factors associated with less interest in continuing to work in the sector. Independent variables related to demographic characteristics of CCPs and child care programs, PHPPs challenges, and other outcomes from survey questions were identified through bivariate analysis and subsequently entered into a series of multivariate logistical regression models using a backward stepwise algorithm. Several variables were significant in each model and only the most significant are reported here. CCPs were roughly 10 times more likely to report concern over contracting COVID-19 if they perceived the virus as a serious health threat (OR 9.9, 95% CI 6.1-16.0) and were approximately twice as likely to report concern if they reported insufficient funds for PHPP implementation (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.4) (R2 =0.212). Similarly, the most significant factor associated with CCPs’ concern for children contracting COVID-19 was if the CCP perceived the virus as a serious health threat (OR 6.3, 95% CI 3.7-10.8) (R2 =0.141). The two independent variables significantly affecting SMC (R2 = .163) were having a pre-existing health condition (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.6-3.6) and the need for additional staff (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5-3.3). Finally, CCPs were over seven times more likely to report being less interested in working in the child care sector if they had experienced SMC (OR 7.4, 95% CI 3.2 12.0) and were almost twice as likely to report being less interested if they reported being not well training and equipped to use disinfecting and sanitizing products as to not pose a risk to human health (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3-2.2) (R2 = .148). The findings underscore the multifaceted challenges CCPs faced and the paramount importance of workplace preparedness, contributing to a knowledge gap in current literature, particularly within a Canadian context. This study suggests that by addressing the dissemination of information (including guidance and training), CCPs will experience less SMC and be more likely to be interested in continuing to work in the sector. Moreover, investing in support (e.g., mental health support, financial compensation, more staff) for CCPs who have experienced SMC will improve not only the health of the professional but also the sustainability of the sector.

This thesis aims to describe the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and other seasonal respiratory viruses (SRV) in the Ottawa region and determine if there are demographic or occupational risk factors associated with viral infection. This was accomplished in three articles: a rapid review of the literature evaluating SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in transit users, an account of SRV activity in Ottawa, Ontario from August, 2018 to January, 2022, and an analysis of coronavirus (CoV) incidence and prevalence in several at risk groups. Results indicated a reduction in SRV incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with the introduction of non-pharmaceutical public health measures. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence indicative of natural infection was not greater in population groups hypothesized to be at greater risk of infection, such as transit users and those exposed to children. Lower socioeconomic status and racial or ethnic minority were consistently associated with higher SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence. SRVs are expected to resurge and co-circulate with SARS-CoV-2. Results from this thesis suggest those of ethnic minority, low income or immunocompromised individuals may at greater risk.

Bakgrund: Covid-19 (Sars-Cov-2) är en smittsam sjukdom som sedan slutet av 2019 spreds över hela världen. Viruset har globalt orsakat en hög arbetsbelastning för hälso- och sjukvården och inte minst för sjuksköterskorna. Långvarig exponering för hög arbetsbelastning kan leda till en rad olika ohälsotillstånd. Brister i arbetsledningen samt sociala aspekter kan även leda till ogynnsamma konsekvenser för individen. Arbetsrelaterad stress är ett stort hälsoproblem. Sjuksköterskor har en ökad risk för att utveckla stress om de upplever sig ha en bristande förmåga att möta de arbetskrav som ställs. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelse av arbetssituationen samt stress vid Covid-19. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med 10 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Analys och bearbetning av samlad information resulterade i tre kategorier. Kategorierna var; Ovisshet, Påverkad hälsa och Otrygg arbetsmiljö. Sammanfattning: Slutsatsen av översikten är att pandemin har orsakat en ökad arbetsbelastning på sjukhusen och skapat en arbetsmiljö full av stressorer, detta har lett till att sjuksköterskor har upplevt stress. Under den nuvarande pandemin är det viktig att tänka på hur man kan minska stress hos sjuksköterskor. I en framtida arbetsmiljön sjukhusets arbetsmiljö anpassas efter sjukvårdspersonalens, både till nuvarande och framtida behov. Under denna pandemi observerades det att brist på kunskap om Covid-19 har lett till oklarhet och oro. Detta samt arbetsbelastning på sjukhuset har resulterat i stress.

Chinese business leaders suffered from the crisis of COVID-19 and the Double Reduction Policy, and used various strategies and learning practices to survive the crisis. The purpose of this modified exploratory multicase study was to explore how leaders in the Chinese tutoring industry made sense of the crisis of the Pandemic and the Double Reduction Policy and learned to think strategically in a time of crisis. The study not only uncovered how Chinese business leaders used different strategies to deal with a crisis and learned to think strategically while adapting to the new environment but also brought implications and insights to business leaders about effective strategies and learning practices to cultivate strategic thinking in a complex and fast-changing world. The study addressed the following four research questions: 1.How did the business leaders in tutoring companies make sense of the complexities of the crisis of COVID-19 and the Double Reduction Policy? 2.What strategies, if any, did the business leaders develop to deal with the crisis? 3.In what ways, if at all, did the business leaders learn to think strategically while dealing with challenges? 4.What other factors helped or hindered the business leaders’ learning to think strategically in a time of crisis? Qualitative semi-structured interviews (critical incident interviews included), surveys, and a focus group discussion were used to collect data from 15 Chinese business leaders from the tutoring industry. The study generated four findings: Finding 1: The crisis negatively impacted the participants and their companies at different levels, but it also served as a valuable learning opportunity for their long-term development. Finding 2: The participants developed strategies to deal with the crisis at personal, organizational, and social levels. Finding 3: The participants learned to think strategically from direct experiences, indirect experiences, and two thinking processes—systems thinking and metaphorical thinking. Finding 4: Policies and relationships were two outstanding factors that hindered or helped their learning to think strategically. These findings indicated that (1) unprecedented crises like COVID-19 and the Double Reduction Policy can bring people benefits and valuable insights, (2) business leaders can develop critical strategies by combining their own and others' experiences and strategic insights into dealing with crises, (3) business leaders can use informal learning practices and deliberately use them to cultivate their strategic thinking, and (4) business leaders need to combine learning and action for cultivating strategic thinking capabilities. Lastly, business leaders should consider the influence of policies and relationships in their strategy formulation and learning process.

Performance anxiety affects individuals across many fields, from sports to medicine to music. Research in the area of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) has been of particular importance to instrumental and vocal soloists and ensemble members for several decades. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many musicians have been required to change the format and location of their performances. These adjustments, as well as musicians' existing unique characteristics and life experiences, may have impacted their experience of MPA. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors on MPA. Participants (N = 251) were recruited online via the Prolific platform, and completed an online survey containing demographic questions, a COVID impacts survey, and measures of individual characteristics (TIPI, NCS-18), mentorship experience (MFQ-9), retrospective state MPA in both 2020 and 2022 (CSAI-2R), and trait MPA (K-MPAI-R). A hierarchical regression was performed to explore if gender, age, musical experience (i.e., number of genres and instruments performed), extraversion, COVID impacts (general and musical), mentorship experience, and cognitive style predicted severity of trait MPA. Age, number of musical instruments performed, and extraversion were found to be significant predictors of trait MPA. Ultimately, this research has aimed to contextualize MPA within a national landscape significantly transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Durant la première vague de la pandémie de la COVID-19, plus de huit mille personnes sont décédées au Canada après avoir contracté le virus. Dans le but de diminuer cette hausse de mortalité, plusieurs restrictions ont été mises en place par les instances gouvernementales canadiennes pour réduire l'impact de la pandémie sur le système de santé et aplatir la courbe de contagion. En plus de limiter la propagation du virus, ces mesures sanitaires, combinées à la surmortalité causée par la pandémie ont conduit à une diminution aux soins de santé accessibles, une réduction du système de soutien, une précarité financière et des changements majeurs dans les rituels funéraires. C'est dans ce climat anxiogène et futur incertain que des milliers de Canadiens et Canadiennes ont vécu leur deuil. Le but de cette étude qualitative d'analyse de contenu est de comprendre les expériences de deuil survenues au Canada durant la première vague de la pandémie de la COVID-19, à la lumière de ces changements survenus au cours de cette période. L'échantillon est constitué de 128 publications médiatiques canadiennes tirées de la banque de données du Projet Mon Récit COVID par une méthode non probabiliste par choix raisonné. L'analyse des données a été effectuée par codage manuel à l'aide de l'analyse thématique en six étapes de Braun et Clarke. Ceci dans le but d'amener une meilleure compréhension de ces vécus partagés dans les médias à large tirage. C'est dans cette optique qu'elles ont été aussi abordées en utilisant le prisme de la théorie de la reconstruction du sens de Gillies et Neimeyer (2006). Finalement, 6 thèmes et 5 sous thèmes ont émergé de l'analyse thématique soit, le contexte de la pandémie, les émotions et sentiments négatifs, l'altération du processus de deuil, la surmortalité, l'héroïsation des professionnels de la santé et les actions entreprises. Le contexte de la pandémie a été divisé en cinq sous catégories. Ainsi, une analyse des articles de journaux publiés durant la première vague de la pandémie de la COVID-19 nous permet d'avoir une meilleure compréhension des expériences de deuil pandémiques canadiennes. De plus, une lumière a jailli sur plusieurs autres problèmes prépandémiques qui se sont empirés par la présence du coronavirus, tel que le manque de préparation des infirmiers et des infirmières dans l'accompagnement des familles endeuillées ou les capacités d'adaptations inadaptées utilisées par les professionnels de la santé face à leur propre deuil. Ainsi, les résultats obtenus dans cette étude nous incitent à repenser à notre approche de soutien, améliorer la formation et la pratique infirmière afin de fournir des soins de qualité optimale aux familles endeuillées et de réduire la fatigue de compassion et la détresse morale chez les travailleurs de la santé, tout ceci dans le but de réduire la courbe de deuils compliqués prédite par la littérature sur la pandémie de COVID-19.

Beyond the four canonical nucleosides as primary building blocks of RNA, posttranscriptional modifications give rise to the epitranscriptome as a second layer of genetic information. In eukaryotic mRNA, the most abundant posttranscriptional modification is N6-methyladenosine (m6A), which is involved in the regulation of cellular processes. Throughout this thesis, the concept of atomic mutagenesis was employed to gain novel mechanistic insights into the substrate recognition by human m6A reader proteins as well as in the oxidative m6A demethylation by human demethylase enzymes. Non-natural m6A atomic mutants featuring distinct steric and electronic properties were synthesized and incorporated into RNA oligonucleotides. Fluorescence anisotropy measurements using these modified oligonucleotides revealed the impact of the atomic mutagenesis on the molecular recognition by the human m6A readers YTHDF2, YTHDC1 and YTHDC2 and allowed to draw conclusions about structural prerequisites for substrate recognition. Furthermore, substrate recognition and demethylation mechanism of the human m6A demethylase enzymes FTO and ALKBH5 were analyzed by HPLC-MS and PAGE-based assays using the modified oligonucleotides synthesized in this work. Modified nucleosides not only expand the genetic alphabet, but are also extensively researched as drug candidates. In this thesis, the antiviral mechanism of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug remdesivir was investigated, which causes delayed stalling of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Novel remdesivir phosphoramidite building blocks were synthesized and used to construct defined RNA-RdRp complexes for subsequent studies by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). It was found that the 1'-cyano substituent causes Rem to act as a steric barrier of RdRp translocation. Since this translocation barrier can eventually be overcome by the polymerase, novel derivatives of Rem with potentially improved antiviral properties were designed. / Über die vier kanonischen Nukleoside als primäre RNA-Bausteine hinausgehend bauen posttranskriptionelle Modifikationen eine zweite Informationsebene, das Epitranskriptom, auf. Die häufigste posttranskriptionelle Modifikation in eukaryotischer mRNA ist N6-Methyladenosin (m6A), welches in die Regulierung zellulärer Prozesse involviert ist. In dieser Arbeit wurde das Konzept der atomaren Mutagenese genutzt, um neue Einblicke in die Erkennung von m6A durch menschliche m6A-bindende Proteine sowie in die oxidative Demethylierung von m6A durch menschliche Demethylase-Enzyme zu gewinnen. Es wurden nicht natürlich vorkommende m6A Atommutanten mit unterschiedlichen elektronischen und sterischen Eigenschaften synthetisiert und in RNA-Oligonukleotide eingebaut. Durch Fluoreszenzanisotropie-Messungen mit diesen Oligonukleotiden wurde der Einfluss der Atommutagenese auf die molekulare Erkennung durch die menschlichen m6A-bindenden Proteine YTHDF2, YTHDC1 und YTHDC2 untersucht. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse ließen Rückschlüsse auf die strukturellen Voraussetzungen für die Erkennung eines Substrates zu. Weiterhin wurden die in dieser Arbeit synthetisierten modifizierten Oligonukleotide zur Untersuchung von Substraterkennung und Demethylierungs-Mechanismus der menschlichen m6A-Demethylasen FTO und ALKBH5 mittels HPLC-MS- und PAGE-basierter Analysen verwendet. Modifizierte Nukleoside dienen nicht nur zur Erweiterung des genetischen Alphabets, sondern werden auch als potentielle Wirkstoff-Kandidaten erforscht. In dieser Arbeit wurde der antivirale Wirkmechanismus des Anti-SARS-CoV-2-Wirkstoffes Remdesivir untersucht, der eine verzögerte Blockade der viralen RNA-abhängigen RNA-Polymerase (RdRp) bewirkt. Neuartige Remdesivir Phosphoramidit-Bausteine wurden synthetisiert und genutzt, um RNA-RdRp-Komplexe mit definierter Struktur zu konstruieren, welche anschließend mittels Cryoelektronenmikroskopie (Cryo-EM) untersucht wurden. Es wurde herausgefunden, dass der 1'-Cyano-Substituent dazu führt, dass Rem als sterische Blockade der RdRp-Translokation agiert. Da diese Tranlokationsbarriere von der Polymerase überwunden werden kann, wurden neuartige Rem-Derivate mit potentiell verbesserten antiviralen Eigenschaften entworfen.

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Bakgrund: Stillasittande under längre perioder associeras med smärta i bland annat ländrygg. Med covid-19 pandemin blev hemarbete ett faktum och all kommunikation var tvungen att ske via en dator. Detta bidrog till att stillasittandet ökade drastiskt och forskning har visat på att detta var en bidragande faktor till uppkomsten av muskuloskeletala smärtor. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att kartlägga muskuloskeletal smärta vid hemarbete under covid-19 pandemin avseende kön, ålder och antal suttna timmar. Metod: En enkät utformades i Google Forms som därefter publicerades på författarnas facebookprofiler samt skickades ut till ett företag. Respondenterna var 46 stycken fördelat på 31 kvinnor, 14 män och 1 “annat”. Enkäten var öppen i 4 veckor. Efter avslutad svarstid sammanställdes och analyserades datan i ett valt analysprogram. Resultat: Kvinnor och mäns medelvärde på Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) skilde sig ytterst lite. Det framkom att det inte var någon skillnad mellan antalet suttna timmar på en arbetsdag hos män och kvinnor. 14 deltagare hade tidigare skador som påverkade dem. Personer mellan 18-40 år hade högre medelvärde på NRS än personerna i åldersgruppen 41-64 år. Konklusion: Resultatet gav en indikation på att personer upplevt smärta vid hemarbetet på grund av covid-19. Dock finns ett behov av att utföra fler studier kring korrelationen mellan kön och smärta samt hur hemarbete påverkar de olika åldersgrupperna. Dessa studier bör ha ett större deltagarantal.

This thesis examines health promotion discourse in Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore what it means to be a responsible citizen. Using press releases/special statements and tweets from January 2020 to November 2022 from city officials and city departments in Ottawa, this thesis employed critical discourse analysis (CDA) to explore potential changes in health promotion discourse and meaning-making, asking how citizenship was remade in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings support claims that health is increasingly neoliberalized, with a greater emphasis placed on individual health as a condition of responsible citizenship. This increased neoliberalization ultimately shifts our attention away from state responsibilities vis-à-vis citizens, and in this case, the neglected role of local governments in managing health crises.