Yes / This qualitative study was designed to understand the impact of social distancing measures on people with dementia and carers living in the community in England and Wales during a period of social restrictions before the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out. We conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with people with dementia aged 50-88 years, living alone or with a partner, and 10 carers aged 61-78 years, all living with the person with dementia. Three of the interviews were with dyads. Participants were recruited during November and December 2020. We used framework analysis to identify themes and elicit suggestions for potential solutions. We identified three interrelated themes. People with dementia experienced a fear of decline in capabilities or mood and attempted to mitigate this. Carers noticed changes in the person with dementia and increased caring responsibilities, and for some, a change in the relationship. Subsequently, reduced confidence in capabilities to navigate a new and hostile environment created a cyclical dilemma of re-engaging where an inability to access usual activities made things worse. People with dementia and carers experienced neglect and being alone in their struggle, alongside feeling socially excluded during the pandemic, and there was little optimism associated with the upcoming vaccine programme. People found their own solutions to reduce the effects of isolation by keeping busy and being socially active, and practising skills deemed to help reduce the progression of dementia. This and some limited local public initiatives for the general public facilitated feelings of social inclusion. This study adds understanding to existing evidence about the longer-term experience of social isolation several months into the pandemic. It highlights the importance of health and community groups and suggests how services can find ways to support, include, and interact with people with dementia and carers during and after social restrictions. / Economic and Social Research Council. Grant Numbers: ES/V004964/1, L001853, V004964. National Institute for Health and Care Research. Grant Number: ES/L001853/2. Department of Health. UK Research and Innovation. Health and Care Research Wales

The purpose of this research was to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of adjunct faculty. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unparalleled disruption around the globe. Challenges that were faced in higher education included health and safety protocols, social distancing, emergency remote teaching, and closing campuses while trying to maintain quality of the education and perceived value for the student. Adjunct faculty play a significant role in higher education, teaching and supporting academic programs. Given the reliance on the use of adjunct faculty and recognizing the link between job satisfaction and performance, the experiences of adjunct faculty should be taken under consideration by higher education policymakers. The purpose of this narrative analysis study was to understand how the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the experiences of adjunct faculty related to institutional supports and student relationships, as well as desire to persist teaching as adjunct faculty. The findings of the study revealed the following themes: adjunct faculty as trusted professionals, prior experience and technical support, disinclination to integrate technology into teaching, lacking student interactions during the pandemic, student camera usage, fair compensation for adjunct faculty, adjunct faculty commitment and dedication, and teaching practices adopted following the pandemic.

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic demanded a strong and firm state response in order to curb the unprecedented, multilevel crisis caused by the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The arrival of the virus in the EU in early 2020, including the terrible Italian first-wave outbreak, incited the primacy of health and life over any other right or freedom. Although understandable, this scenario raised concerns over the possibility of instrumentalization of the pandemic by the populist governments, given the affinity between the rise of populism discourse and practices in the event, or narrative, of crisis. With consideration of the conditions of the rule of law in the European Union, the quasi-autocracies of Poland and Hungary become interesting research objects. The present work describes these countries' measures and analyses their legality and compliance to the rule of law, together with considerations to the impact of said measures upon these countries' democratic institutions. Furthermore, the same operation will be performed for the Italian scenario, which leads to a comparison to be made between the three countries' pandemic managements, and, ultimately, a comparison between the Central-Eastern European populism and Western European populism. Due to the novelty of the subject, there is a lack of work on the...

The purpose of this study is to understand the short- and long term implications of the Covid-19 virus on the city center and what is done to revitalize it to a more attractive and available place. This case study is done on Umeå city center, where the municipality is going through a massive transformation and plans to increase its population size from 130 000 to 200 000 by 2050. That is a 50% population increase over a 30-year period, this also entails doubling the amount of constructing on a yearly basis. With the municipality focusing on densification of its cities, with a particular focus on the city center since they want to build a dense and vibrant city where everything is within a 5 km distance radius. The case study is done with a qualitative method using semi structural interviews. The observations made from the interview are compared to previous scientific studies, documents and theories made by urban planners and culture geographers. They include Jane Jacobs, Richard Florida and previous work on the correlation between urbanization and spread of infection as well as studies on people’s preferences on where to live, either being in or outside the city perimeter.  To gather empirical information a selection of people in suitable positions were interviewed. The results from the interviews and document shows that the city center has not been affected by the Covid-19 virus on a macro level. There has however been a wide impact on the microgeographic level, where stores and restaurant have been highly affected by the restrictions imposed. People have also seen their daily lives affected which has changed their routines and behavior in consumption and movement. There has been little change in the planning process or vision for the city center expect that there has been a greater emphasis on cooperation between businesses and the municipality.

Pandemiberedskap är central ur ett säkerhets- och folkhälsoperspektiv. Uppsatsens fokus ligger på existentiell riskuppfattning i Folkhälsomyndighetens pandemiberedskapsplaner från 2019 och 2023. För analysen detta används ett perspektiv som utvecklats av en medicinsk antropolog vid namn Christos Lynteris. På engelska kallar han perspektivet för pandemic imaginary som grovt översatt till svenska blir pandemiska imaginär. Syftet är att undersöka hur riskuppfattningen för närvarande är konstruerad och hur den har förändrats från 2019 till 2023, åren för COVID-19-pandemin. Denna studie kommer inte att undersöka processerna bakom riskuppfattningen, utan enbart hur riskstrukturen ser ut och hur den har förändrats. Studien undersöker hur konceptet hot och värden har förskjutits både i direkta termer som det presenteras i beredskapsplanerna för pandemier och från ett perspektiv av pandemiska imaginär som hjälper till att förklara hur vissa metanarrativ har förskjutits från en mer existentiellt inriktad riskuppfattning 2019 till ett mindre existentiellt inriktat perspektiv 2023. Detta görs genom en kvalitativ systematisk och diskursiv läsning av beredskapsplanerna med fokus på teorin om pandemiska imaginär och riskuppfattning. Resultaten visade en förskjutning från en lågt existentiellt inriktad hotbild 2019 till en ännu lägre existentiellt inriktad hotbild 2023, som kort sagt kan sägas skapa en bild av pandemihotet som icke-existentiellt hotande och likartat till den omfattning som COVID-19 och de influensapandemier som har varit de senaste århundradets pandemier. Det visade också en förskjutning mot ett ökad fokus på individuell frihet och framställde motåtgärderna som tas mot pandemin som ett av de mest centrala hoten i ett pandemiscenario, det vill säga att röra sig bort från död och sjukdom som huvudkaraktär av en pandemi till att en pandemi är en kris och en orsak till samhällsstörning som drabbar individen. Denna uppsats är skriven på engelska.

This thesis looks at Shakespearean performance at the Stratford Festival of Canada during its 2021 outdoor ‘pandemic’ season. It argues that the dominant pre-pandemic ‘show must go on’ ethos, that puts institutional well-being ahead of actor well-being, persisted during the pandemic season, even as the Festival implemented painstaking anti-racist and anti-oppressive initiatives. Alongside this argument, the thesis interrogates the ethics around the use of actor testimony in scholarship and attempts to ethically expand its focus from pure Shakespearean performance to include actor statements on institutional practices and policy. Extensive interviews with the 2021 casts of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and R+J are, to this end, at the heart of the study. The paper follows Bridget Escolme’s instruction to use actor testimony dialogically and places these interviews in conversation with contemporary Shakespearean performance theory around labour, disability, diversity, pandemic Shakespeare, the nature of the ‘Shakespearean actor’ in Western culture, and, most importantly, with actor testimony from other sources and the auto-ethnography of the author, a Stratford actor himself. Concentrating on testimony around Zoom, masking, and social distancing during the rehearsal process, the thesis reveals the emotional, physical and financial difficulties the actors took on in order for the show to go on at the Stratford Festival during the Covid-19 pandemic.

An influenza is an illness annually affecting 5-15 percent of the world population. During the influenza pandemy 40-50 percent of world population can be affected and millions of people can die.The measures resulting from the pandemic plans help to limit the influenza virus spreading, to reduce morbidity and mortality. In April 2009 the first cases of the flue pandemic caused by Pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 virus occurred on the American continent, in the Czech Republic there was the first case registered in May, in the Pilsen region in July. Based on these facts I decided to assess the pandemic plans at the level of the Pilsen region and to analyse the course of the pandemy in the Pilsen region too. Having studied the Pandemic plan of the Pilsen region and the Pandemic plan of the Regional Hygiene Station of the Pilsen Region I got to the conclusion that in case of the pandemy caused by the highly virulent tribe of the influenza it would not be possible to use up the pandemic plans efficiently. The disadvantages concern mainly the way of the distribution of the pandemic vaccine and antivirotics. The other disadvantage is the absence of a parenteral form of antivirotics. A bad awarness of the inhabitants also came out effecting mass rejection of vaccination by the pandemic vaccine and preventative taking antivirotics. The analyse of the course of the pandemy in the Pilsen region proved that at many patients with the flue pandemic there was present a risky factor of more serious course of the influenza in the anamnesis. If these patients had been vaccinated by the pandemic vaccine they had been entitled for, they could have been protected against this illness, for some of them the vaccination might have meant life-saving. It was also proved that originally the pandemic tribe of Pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 virus became the causer of the common seasonal influenza in the season of 2010-2011.

In the thesis there are chronologically processed data about incidence of influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 from its first incidence in spring 2009 in Mexico until the official end of the 6th phase of pandemic announced by the WHO in august 2010. These data were collected by means of secondary analysis. The thesis is focused on the Region of South Bohemia from the first proved incidence of Pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 here. The data necessary to meet the objectives of the work and to answer the research questions were collected in cooperation with the Regional Hygienic Station of the South Bohemia in České Budějovice. 3 deaths were analysed in the context of incidence of Pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 in the Region of South Bohemia and anti-epidemic measures were assessed. Differences in 121 people with Pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 in the Region of South Bohemia from the point of view of age and sex were described. In 52 people with the flu from the Region of South Bohemia ?traveller? history was recorded (these people were infected during their stays abroad) and most of them had stayed in Germany. Indicators of morbidity (ARI) in the Region of South Bohemia and in the whole Czech Republic were also processed and then graphically compared.

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic caused serious concerns worldwide due to the novel biological feature of the virus strain, and the high morbidity rate for youth. The urban scale is crucial for analyzing the pandemic in metropolitan areas such as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Canada because of its large population. The challenge of exploring the spatial dynamics of H1N1 is exaggerated by data scarcity and the absence of an immediately applicable methodology at such a scale. In this study, a stepwise methodology is developed, and a retrospective spatial statistical analysis is conducted using the methodology to estimate the spatial dynamics of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in the GTA when the data scarcity exists. The global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses are carried out through the use of multiple spatial analysis tools to confirm the existence and significance of spatial clustering effects. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) implemented in Statistical Analysis System (SAS) is used to estimate the area-specific spatial dynamics. The GLMM is configured to a spatial model that incorporates an Intrinsic Gaussian Conditionally Autoregressive (ICAR) model, and a non-spatial model respectively. Comparing the results of spatial and non-spatial configurations of the GLMM suggests that the spatial GLMM, which incorporates the ICAR model, proves a better predictability. This indicates that the methodology developed in this study can be applied to epidemiology studies to analyze the spatial dynamics in similar scenarios. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2012-10-30 17:41:28.445

Teachers are often in contact with children whose family members are affected or infected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic, or children themselves who are affected or infected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Often, it is teachers themselves who are suffering due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. School training and tertiary training are one of the most important components, which need a lot of attention in a developing country. Teachers play a very important role in developing the youth’s thoughts. School training is often negatively impacted due to absenteeism of teachers, negative attitudes of teachers and the time wasted to replace teachers who are negatively impacted by the HIV and AIDS pandemic or who take medical discharge. Teachers often don’t know how to handle the impact of the HIV and AIDS pandemic and they are also unaware of resources available in this regard. The REds-programme is a support programme designed for teachers who are affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The aim of the REds-programme is to provide teachers with support so that they will be able to handle the impact of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The focus is specifically on teachers, as they don’t live or work in isolation. Teachers form part of communities and school units whom are directly impacted by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The REds-programme was vi implemented in 2004. This programme is thus running, tested and still in the process of testing, for the past six years. Article 1 consists of the following: The nature and content of the REds-programme. The group work process, as well as a discussion of each group work session. Article 2 consists of the following: An evaluation of the REds-programme by means of the qualitative and quantitative results obtained. From the results, it is clear that the REds-programme is a very effective programme from which life orientation teachers can benefit. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012