Public health concerns were prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding rising cases of anxiety and depression among adults. U.S. healthcare providers were especially affected by the unrelenting demands on their time and service. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) provided patient care during the pandemic to meet the increasing need for mental health services as people began experiencing mood disturbances such as anxiety, depression, and grief. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceived effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of PMHNPs. A qualitative design using the interpretive description method allows researchers to use pre-existing knowledge to inform their research and actively participate in knowledge synthesis, focusing on variations in data. Individual interviews with 18 PMHNPs were conducted via video teleconferencing, and their data were evaluated and interpreted for meaning. After a thorough analysis of the interview transcripts, nine themes were identified: adaptive coping, improved access, support, self-care, work strain, complications, maladaptive coping, pandemic strain, and polarization. This study illuminated the challenges PMHNPs faced during the pandemic and the strategies they employed to cope with difficulties and will inform future research and practice in mental health care.

Yes / Background The first UK wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 placed unprecedented stress on community pharmacy. Various policies and initiatives were announced during this period to support community pharmacy to continue to perform in a manner that prioritised patient safety. However, little is understood about how these policies and initiatives were implemented by staff working in community pharmacy, and the system adaptions and responses that were initiated to maintain patient safety. Objective The study aimed to investigate how staff working in UK community pharmacy during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 responded and adapted to system stressors to maintain patient safety. Methods We adopted a qualitative interview approach, underpinned by Resilient Healthcare theory, with interview data collected between July 2020 and January 2021. Data were synthesised and analysed using Framework Analysis. Results 23 community pharmacy staff from England and Scotland were interviewed. We identified five themes supported by between two and six sub-themes: 1. Covid-19, an impending threat to the system. 2. Patient safety stressors during the first waves of Covid-19. 3. Altering the system, responding to system stressors. 4. Monitoring and adjusting. 5. Learning for the future. Conclusion Privileging the accounts of community pharmacy staff working on the frontline during the pandemic illuminated how responses and adaptions were developed and deployed, how continual monitoring occurred, and the factors that supported or hindered system resilience. The key learning derived from this study can serve to shorten the gap between ‘work as imagined’ and ‘work as done’, and in doing so, support the future resilience performance of community pharmacy during future outbreaks of Covid-19 or similar events. / This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (NIHR Yorkshire and Humber PSTRC).

<p dir="ltr">People spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where they are exposed to a wide variety of particle- and gas-phase air pollutants. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the chemical disinfection of high-touch surfaces in occupational workplaces and residential buildings. The use of chemical disinfectants may introduce more pollutants into the indoor environment. These intensive disinfection activities may lead to high human exposure to the released VOC mixtures and potentially adverse effects on the health of disinfection workers and occupants. Thus, it is critical to characterize the VOC mixtures and estimate human exposure during the building disinfection events with various disinfectant products and different disinfection cases and exposure scenarios. This dissertation aims to (1.) evaluate and characterize the VOC emissions during the building disinfections; (2.) assess the low-cost sensor performance to measure VOCs via the PTR-TOF-MS during building disinfections; (3.) compare the VOC measurements and human exposure between breathing zone and bulk air experiment setups; (4.) evaluate the impact of indoor emissions on human exposure during different usage cases of building disinfection.</p><p dir="ltr">To achieve these objectives, this thesis presents three studies based on a field experiment campaign conducted at the Purdue Zero Energy Design Guidance for Engineer (zEDGE) Tiny House in the fall of 2020. First, this thesis presents a study to evaluate the real-time performance of PID in sensing indoor VOC mixtures during building disinfection events through co-location measurements with a PTR-TOF-MS during spray-based disinfectants. The measurements demonstrated that the PID was successful in identifying VOC emission events during the application of the disinfectants. Thus, PIDs may be suitable for integration with building automation systems for ventilation control. The PID response was less than the PTR-TOF-MS response, suggesting that the PID could more efficiently detect many components of the emitted VOC mixtures. Detailed correlation analysis between the PID and PTR-TOF-MS responses provides a basis for improving the reliability of PIDs in estimating VOC concentrations through the application of product-specific correction factors.</p><p dir="ltr">Secondly, this thesis conducts an experimental case study to demonstrate the application of PTR-TOF-MS for mobile breathing zone (BZ) monitoring of VOCs in workplace environments during disinfection activities. Worker inhalation exposure to VOCs was evaluated by attaching the PTR-TOF-MS sampling line to the researcher’s BZ while the disinfection activity was carried out throughout the building. The results show significant spatiotemporal variations in VOC concentrations can occur in the worker’s BZ during multi-surface disinfection events. The application of high-resolution monitoring techniques, such as PTR-TOF-MS, is needed to advance the characterization of worker exposures and develop appropriate mitigation strategies for volatile disinfectant chemicals.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Lastly, this thesis provides a comprehensive evaluation study on human exposure to VOCs during PAA-based building disinfection events via real-time measurement and disinfection event modeling. The results revealed that PAA-based surface disinfection can lead to an excessive increase in PAA concentrations. BZ experiments demonstrated a spatiotemporal variation in PAA concentrations. The missing mass inhaled measured by the PAA monitor indicated that the human inhalation exposure identified by BZ experiments may be much higher than in bulk air (BA) experiments; thus, a mobile measurement in their breathing zones can better understand the occupants’ exposure to PAA during a building disinfection event. The disinfection event modeling indicated that PAA-based building disinfection may lead to excessive human exposure when using high dilution ratios and/or turning off mechanical ventilation. Such exposure could potentially leave a severe or even irreversible effect on occupant health. These findings suggested that a disinfection protection plan/protocol is necessary for workers, ensuring a required dilution for a disinfectant solution and enough ventilation rate for a safe PAA disinfection event. For the general public who may have difficulties developing professional disinfection procedures, pre-diluted disinfection products with a warning of turning on ventilation could be a more suitable alternative for PAA-based disinfection.</p>

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic mandated closures of thousands of schools across the United States. Students dependent upon the support, guidance, and community of their schools became disconnected from these resources while encountering the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study represents a time capsule of the school community of one Los Angeles County public middle school from March 16 to May 28, 2020. Semi-structured interviews of school staff and parents grounded the study’s analysis. Public documents and participant researcher protocol responses collaborated the participants’ narratives. Results provide a snapshot of the school community before emergency mandated COVID-19 closure, participants’ recollections of the school community during the closure, and their reflections and reactions to the closures. Data analysis utilized a conceptual framework developed to capture e-school community access and engagement. Outcomes from this study illustrate the need for additional supports for student mental health, investment in universal access to reliable internet service, and the importance of physical school outreach during times of crisis.

Yes / The incidence of mental health problems is increasing in the United Kingdom and may be associated with lower dietary quality. Food expenditure is a marker of food insecurity with potential implications for mental health. This analysis considers data collected as part of the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Survey (UKHLS), also known as ‘Understanding Society’ (2009-2021) (N=388,944) to determine the extent to which food expenditure within and outside the household, is associated with mental health, whilst controlling for demographic factors. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) for which responses were on a 4-point scale and reverse-scored so that a higher score represented more favourable mental health. Household food expenditure and food expenditure outside the home were the outcomes. Controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors, fixed-effects models indicated that better mental health was associated with greater household food expenditure and with greater food expenditure outside the home and that this association persisted post-lockdown. Among those on lower incomes better mental health was associated with lower food expenditure. When people who identified as white and non-white were modelled separately, better mental health was associated with lower food expenditure within and beyond the household only in those who identified as white. These findings imply that the mental health of people residing in the UK, particularly those on lower incomes and those who identify as white, may benefit from spending less of the household budget on food. In achieving United Nations General Assembly (2012) Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty, hunger and in promoting mental health, policies are needed to render food more affordable and to reduce other aspects of expenditure that impact upon food budgeting.

Yes / This study adopts a theory of reasoned action approach to understand consumers’ mask wearing when shopping in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated mask wearing while shopping as a prosocial consumption behaviour whereby self-oriented benefits and others-oriented benefits are added as proposed drivers of attitudes and perceived social norms. Empirical evidence from a survey in France and Germany confirms a strong effect of social norms on mask-wearing intentions. Moreover, altruistic benefits predict mask-wearing intentions, with attitude and subjective norms as mediators. In contrast, self-expression benefits of mask wearing only influence perceived social norms and not attitudes; this effect differs between the countries. Our findings guide scholars, policy makers and practitioners to steer consumers’ mask wearing as a prosocial behaviour. / Received support from central internationalization funds of Universität Hamburg.

Yes / This article examines local non-governmental organizations (LNGOs) approaches to women's empowerment amid crisis and the implications for decolonizing women's empowerment praxis. The article draws on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and decolonial critique of development praxis to analyse LNGOs approach to women's empowerment. The study relied on snowballing to select twenty-six LNGOs operating in northern Ghana for in-depth interviews. Our study found that LNGOs deploy local and international frameworks on women's rights and combine these with indigenous knowledge principles and economic empowerment. Yet there are tensions between negotiating culturally appropriate approaches and meeting the interests of philanthro-capitalist donor agencies. The LNGOs are dependent on Western donors for financial resources and have become more vulnerable due to Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath as funding for women's empowerment work continues to dwindle. LNGOs have modified their interventions to address specific needs of beneficiaries arising from the consequences of the crises. This study enriches understandings of the specific vulnerabilities of LNGOs in northern Ghana, resource-scarce and semi-arid settings across the global South. For women's empowerment to achieve meaningful results, especially during and after crisis, activism needs to be centred on indigenous knowledge. This is central to building the resilience of LNGOs and women beneficiaries to effectively position themselves to absorb the shocks that attend crisis and to cope more effectively with it.

The purpose of this study was to understand how secondary mathematics teachers in underserved communities learned to teach online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used three different methods of data collection: surveys, critical incident questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. The survey sample consisted of 51 participants, with 20 of those participants opting to complete the critical incident questionnaire in addition to the survey. 39 of the 51 survey participants volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews. The researcher conducted approximately 18 hours of interviews with 20 of these volunteer participants. The findings were analyzed using inductive and deductive coding techniques, as well as within and cross case analysis to identify trends and themes across participant data. Teachers learned to teach their respective secondary math content in an online setting during the pandemic through a mostly self-directed, trial-and-error process with some support from colleagues. Teachers were given limited guidance and direction as to how to approach facilitating their content online from school administrators and district leaders. Teachers and students in underserved communities faced many barriers in the transition from in-person to online instruction during the pandemic, including limited access to the necessary tools and technology to fully engage with online learning content, a lack of adult supervision in home learning environments, and a lack of experience with online learning for both teachers and students alike. In addition to these barriers, teachers and students endured extreme personal stress throughout the pandemic, stress that may have been exacerbated by the scarcity of resources available to schools in underserved communities. Teachers were able to find some success in translating their specific math content areas and practices to an online setting. Through personal research and experimentation, teachers discovered online tools and learning platforms that empowered them to engage in the transition. The ability for teachers to teach effectively, however, was limited by low student attendance rates and low rates of student engagement and participation throughout the pandemic in underserved communities. In addition to these challenges, teachers were unable to translate specific secondary math content standards and units to the online setting, and in some cases, were forced to completely remove these topics from their curriculum during the unit. The combination of these challenges may have led to the gaps in student learning that emerged throughout the pandemic, particularly among underserved communities. Recommendations included for current and prospective teachers to gain experience with specific online tools and platforms that may have applications to both in-person and online teaching, for school administrators and district leaders to develop more detailed emergency plans and support systems for teachers in the event of a future crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, and for teacher preparation programs to include at least one course in the curricula devoted to training candidates on how to teach and use online tools and learning platforms.

Yes / This study contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between oil market shocks and the green bond market by investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their dynamic correlation. We first decompose the oil market shocks into components using a time-frequency framework. Then, we combine wavelet decomposition and quantile coherence and causality methods to discuss changes during the COVID-19 era. We observe positive effects of both supply-driven and demand-driven oil shocks on the green bond market at most quantile levels. However, supply-driven oil price changes play a major role. The results also indicate that long-term changes have a greater impact than short-term changes on the connection between oil and green bond markets. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of the causal relationship, as we observed no relationship under extreme market conditions during the pandemic era. We argue that the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have left investors focusing on the short-term substitution between oil and green bond markets. / This research was supported by the Major Projects of the National Natural Science Fund of China [NO. 71991483], the Natural Science Fund of Hunan Province [NO. 2022JJ40647] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Central South University [NO. 2022ZZTS0353].

With 3.5 million Chinese language speakers in the U.S. as reported by Zeigler & Camarota (2019), the dynamics of retaining, diminishing, or enhancing Chinese language proficiency within American society have been a focal point of research (Liang, 2020; Liao & Larke, 2008; Zhang, 2010). This phenomenon, when viewed through a wider historical and social lens, mirrors the experiences of other minority languages and communities facing language attrition and cultural assimilation. Notably, there is a notable gap in literature that celebrates the dedication, endeavors, and optimism towards the preservation, growth, or resurgence of the Chinese language. This gap contributes to reinforcing the dominance of the English language, the normalization of monolingualism, and Eurocentric perspectives. Additionally, research exploring how the evolution of the Chinese language interacts with the identity formation of second-generation Chinese American children—especially against the backdrop of China's rising global influence and the surge in anti-Asian/Chinese sentiment during and post-COVID-19—remains insufficient. The purpose of this study is to document and explore how a group of Chinese immigrant families with first-generation parents and second-generation children experience the maintenance and development of Chinese language in the U.S. and how they perceive the meaning of their effort and commitment, particularly in light of China's growing global presence and the increase in anti-Asian/Chinese sentiment amid and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Bringing together Chinese Heritage Language development theory (He, 2006) and AsianCrit framework (Museus & Iftikar, 2013) and inspired by translanguaging (García & Wei, 2015; Wei, 2018) and multimodality lenses (Kress, 2010), this study used ethnographic and multimodal approaches. Especially, innovative, child-friendly methods were adopted for including even the youngest members of the group in my study. The study concludes by highlighting the significant impact of the Let's Chinese workshops, an informal, parent-led Chinese heritage program, on the curriculum and pedagogical approaches related to Chinese language, culture, and identity construction. It also showcases the diverse strategies employed by first-generation parents in their efforts to maintain and develop Chinese heritage language, their thoughts on the interplay between language, identity, and resistance to racial discrimination, and how the ideology of monolingualism influences their views and approaches. Additionally, the research sheds light on the active role of second-generation children in navigating their heritage language and culture learning, underscoring their agency in shaping their identity understanding and construction.