Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-, in art'

This study investigates the resilience of coffee cooperatives and producer organizations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and explores their adaptations to the context in relation to their livelihood capitals. The changes to their operations are analyzed through the contexts of shocks, trends and stresses and how they perceived these threats. The topic of research is relevant given the economic and social importance of cooperatives in these communities and potential impacts to their operations during COVID-19, which is likely to have long-term impacts locally and within the global setting.There is a lack of consensus regarding the classification of cooperatives as resilient organizations, with much of the previous research focusing on financial crisis or natural disasters. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented event on a global scale with far-reaching impacts into social, economic and political spheres, and examining these effects is still a developing realm within academic research. The relationship of coffee producers and their organizations within the global commodity chains renders such organizations particularly vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 and government policy interventions. Investigating how coffee cooperatives in Honduras have been operating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic assesses their potential capacity for resilience by examining how they have been impacted and the manners in which they have overcome these challenges. This further allows for increased understanding of cooperative resilience and ways in which cooperatives’ capital have the potential to impact their resilience.This research follows an abductive qualitative case study and utilizes semi-structured interviews from various coffee cooperatives and organizations in Honduras as primary sources with existing literature as secondary sources. The interviews were conducted remotely. The findings include accounts from cooperatives and producer organizations, which focus primarily on coffee production, in addition to reports from a privately owned coffee production enterprise and a cooperative member. The Vulnerability Context and Asset Pentagon, components of the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Framework as described by the Department for International Development, were used to analyze the data, along with variables to assess organizational resilience. The study finds that investments to organizations’ human and social capital were prioritized and heavily relied upon during this crisis and the more established organizations had a larger range of resources from which to draw upon. Nevertheless, by continuing to develop and expand on human and social capital, cooperative organizations can increase their capacity for resilience.

The global tourism and hospitality industry has benefitted from years of consecutive growth over recent times. However, the health crisis of Covid-19 in 2020 wiped trillions in USD off the industry’s economy taking it back to 1990 levels. Travel restrictions have been implemented across 100% of the world’s destinations at some point since the start of the pandemic, leaving many tourism organisations fighting for economic survival. The impacts to both the demand (travellers) and supply (hotels) to tourism destinations and organisations has resulted in loss of revenue and jobs globally, impacting individuals, families, tourism organisations and countries. With little or no tourism demand, the hospitality industry has been one of the biggest sectors impacted by Covid-19, with hotels bearing the brunt of the economic impacts. This paper looks to discuss if the economic impacts of crises in hotels can be limited by implementing certain strategies or crisis management techniques (CMTs). The paper contributes to the tourism and hospitality industry’s knowledge of crises and the impacts on 4-star hotels specifically, comparing two destinations in Europe, London and Stockholm, to identify if CMTs can be implemented to limit the economic impacts for future crises. This in turn will allow hotel senior managers (HSMs) to implement CMTs to reduce the economic impacts of crises in their hotels. Research is gathered from academic sources, media outlets and primary sources, offering a holistic analysis of Covid-19’s economic impacts in hotels, looking past just financial impacts but wider. A cross comparison of city hotels looks to assess differences in CMTs, gathering primary research and data from HSMs who are in the middle of the crisis and its impacts. Results determine that crises impact destinations differently and thus CMTs will alter depending upon the crisis impacts to a specific hotel or destination. However, there are many strategies that can be implemented to reduce the economic impacts, with the empirical results alluding to many successful CMTs, although these must be relevant and specific to the crisis, hotel and destination.

Aim and research questions: This study investigates how the corona pandemic COVID-19 has been noticed and presented in the news reporting of a Danish newspaper and a Swedish newspaper in their digital news feed. The study is based on the following questions: ● What discursive themes can be identified in Danish and Swedish news reporting on COVID-19 in 2020? ● What are linguistic features used in the headline of the articles in Danish and Swedishnews media? ● How can the Danish and Swedish media reports on COVID-19 be explained by discourse analysis and theoretical framework? Method and material: The study has used a qualitative method with a critical discourse analysis that uses Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional analysis model to analyze a total of 48 articles from Aftonbladet and Kristeligt Dagblad. Main result: The study results show an overview of how news media reporting from Aftonbladet and Kristeligt Dagblad shapes the COVID-19 pandemic with four discursive themes: infection, information, restriction, and immunity. They shaped the discourses onCOVID-19 through a critical perspective in relation to the actions of politicians and authorities and their handling. Linguistic features are used to construct our society during the pandemic to capture readers' attention through the headlines. These have been in the form of metaphorical and charged words that reflect either negative or positive emotional reactions. It also highlights that the media has an influence on how things look; they can consciously or unconsciously make us feel a certain way. As a result, people perceive things differently and can sometimes misunderstand information.

Inom elitidrott beskrivs motivation som något essentiellt för att idrottare ska orka träna och göra det som krävs för att försöka bli bäst i världen. Motivation kan undersökas med hjälp av Self-determination theory där tre grundbehov: autonomi, tillhörighet och kompetens, måste vara uppfyllda för att en inre självbestämmande motivation ska kunna uppnås. Syftet med denna studie var att ta reda på hur elitidrottares motivation förändrades under våren och sommaren 2020 när Covid-19 pandemin satte idrottsvärlden på paus med inställda tävlingar och ett uppskjutet OS. Sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med individuella elitidrottare genomfördes och analyserades med en teoristyrd tematisk analys. Studien kom fram till att elitidrottarna upplevde att deras grundbehov inom motivation påverkades, både positivt och negativt, av Covid-19 pandemin. Studien bidrar till ökad förståelse för elitidrottares behov under pandemin och inom vilka områden de behöver extra stöd.
In elite sports, motivation is described as an essential factor an athlete must have to undergo training and to do what is required to become the world’s best. Motivation can be examined using the Self-determination theory, where three basic needs: autonomy, relatedness and competence must be fulfilled to achieve intrinsic self-determined motivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how motivation of elite athletes changed during the spring and summer 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic put the sports world on paus with cancelled competitions and the postponement of the Olympics. Seven semi-structured interviews with elite athletes, competing in individual sports, were conducted, and analysed with a theoretical thematic analysis. This study concluded that the basic needs in motivation of elite athletes were experienced to be both positively and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to an increased understanding of the needs of elite athletes during the pandemic and in which areas they need extra support.

Although COVID-19 has undoubtedly altered the lives of most human beings, one could argue that the education of children with special needs has been drastically affected. Measures taken by governments and consequences of the pandemic per se have changed the notion of traditional education shifting it to a virtual plane. A total of 6 articles extracted from different databases were included in this systematic review. The aim was to explore the literature on special education and the development of children with special educational needs in relation to the barriers and facilitators they have encountered in coping with the pandemic. Findings show a significant difference between the number of facilitators and barriers found. The high number of barriers in the environment, activities and participation and mental functions, gives an overview of the obstacles that children with special educational needs have faced during the pandemic. Most of the barriers encountered appeared to be interrelated and have reshaped the way education is understood. To address this problem and try to overcome the challenges they pose, efforts must be made at higher levels of society, such as policies, laws, or government support, to ensure the proper development of children.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teacher perception of changes in the instructional delivery and learning opportunities via technology during and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 until May 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected educational organizations. School closures in March 2020 forced teachers to change their instructional delivery from an in-person platform to a virtual platform. This disruption to the delivery of instruction with the use of technology changed the way teachers plan for learning, delivery content, present learning activities, and assessment. The urgency required teachers to develop new strategies and experiment with adaptations to their traditional instructional delivery. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of teachers as they adapted their instruction to a new platform. The theoretical framework used was change theory. The research was accomplished by interviewing 11 core-content classroom teachers from different school systems. Participants described their experiences and approach to the challenges faced while teaching during the uncertainty of the pandemic. The participants in the study described factors that influenced changes in their use of technology and how the different platforms changed the way they used technology for instructional delivery. The researcher used the Change Theory Framework to code responses and identify the internal and external factors that influenced the changes.

The covid-19-pandemic spread across the entire world during 2020 and the hospital counselors’ workplace has during this time been in the centre of pandemic management. The aim of this study has been to investigate how hospital counselors in Sweden experience and manage their health and work during the covid-19-pandemic between January and October 2020. Eight hospital counselors have been studied using semi-structured interviews which were thematically sorted and analyzed based on Antonovsky's theory Sense of Coherence. The results showed that the counselors have experienced a different work situation with new routines such as supporting patients over the phone or while wearing personal protective equipment. The counselors have had to deal with increased patient mortality and more complicated cases that have challenged them emotionally and physically. As a consequence this has involved increased fatigue, muscle tension, worry and anxiety. At the same time, they have felt that they lacked the necessary staffing and work equipment to meet the increased demands. They have handled this by adding more importance to the collegial support and making sure to get a break from information about the pandemic in their spare time.

Between March 11, 2020 and May of 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) counted over 100 million cases of COVID-19, resulting in three million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2021). In order to examine the effects of art-making on social and psychological well-being, seven graduate students from the Marital and Family Art Therapy Program at LMU conducted the following study utilizing a qualitative, arts-based research approach through collaborative autoethnography (CAE). The research question — What are the effects of personal art-making on well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? — was posed by the seven graduate student authors. The data revealed that pandemic-time art-making impacted well-being through three primary avenues: by acting as a means to cope, to adapt, and to process. Each of our emerging themes highlighted the use of art-making as a tool, and each theme described this phenomenon in a unique and pointed way. First, our art-making impacted our well-being during the pandemic by serving as a tool to cope with the stressors of the pandemic by minimizing, banishing, or making them tolerable. Going one step further than coping, art-making also served as a tool for adapting. It acted as the mediating force between the pandemic’s external impacts and our ensuing internal experiences. Finally, art-making impacted well-being throughout the pandemic by serving as a tool to process corporeal experiences, emotional experiences, and other personal realities. In order to build upon our findings, we propose future research on the impacts of personal art-making on wellness through collaborative autoethnography by participant-researchers representing diverse cultures within their social and environmental contexts.

Sveriges regering införde år 2020 ett statligt hyresrabattsstöd för ekonomiskt utsatta branscher som avsåg årets andra kvartal, och infördes som en snabb åtgärd för att begränsa oron som pandemikrisen medförde på marknaden. Stödet har kritiserats av både lokalhyresgäster och fastighetsägare. Frågan har varit kontroversiell med blandade åsikter om hur fördelningen av statens subventioner ska konstrueras för att uppnå bästa resultat i rådande situation.Syftet med studien är att belysa hur den statligt subventionerade hyresrabatten under coronapandemin har använts i praktiken. För att besvara studiens olika frågeställningar och för att uppnå syftet med studien, har en kvalitativ forskningsmetod använts. Avsikten med den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun är att förstå det utforskade ämnet ur de intervjuade fastighetsbolagens perspektiv och erfarenhet.Resultatet visar på att de främsta grunderna till varför bolagen tilldelat hyresrabatt till sina hyresgäster, har grundats i att fungera som en hjälpande hand och samtidigt undvika vakanser genom att värna om relationen mellan bolag och kund. Hyresrabatten har medfört en ekonomisk fördel för både fastighetsägare och hyresgäster där majoriteten av hyresgästerna har kunnat fortsatt bedriva sin verksamhet. För fastighetsägarna har det inneburit minimerade ombyggnadskostnader för att anpassa lokaler till nya hyresgäster. Det har framförts kritik mot själva upplägget av hyresrabattstödet, den administrativa delen har varit mycket invecklad och komplicerad. Man har dels fått agera som mellanhand och som ensam bransch behövt axla ansvaret, men även inneha rollen av en vågmästare vad avser tilldelning av hyresrabattstödet.
The Swedish government introduced a state rent rebate support for vulnerable industries in the first quarter of 2020, as a quick solution to dampen market turmoil. The support has been criticized by both tenants and property owners. It has been a controversial issue with various opinions on how the distribution of state subsidies should be constructed to best fit the current situation.The study is based on examining the state subsidized rent rebate that was distributed to the most affected industries. The purpose of the study is to clarify how the state-subsidized rent rebate during the corona pandemic has been used in practice.To answer the study's questions and to achieve the purpose of the study, a qualitative research method has been used. The purpose of the qualitative research interview is to understand the topic explored from the interviewee's own perspective and experience.The results show that the main reasons to why a rent discount was given to tenants, was to act as a helping hand to those most effected by the pandemic, but also to avoid vacancies. The rent discount resulted in a clear financial advantage for both the property owners and the tenants, where the majority of the tenants have been able to continue their business. The property owners have avoided high renovation costs to adapt premises for new tenants.Criticism has been leveled at the very structure of the rent rebate support, as the administrative part was complicated. The propery owners have partly been acting as an intermediary and solely shoulder the responsibility in terms of allocating the rent rebate.

När coronapandemin slog till våren 2020 var kemiundervisningen på gymnasieskolorna i Sverige planerad huvudsakligen som närundervisning och få skolor och lärare var förberedda på den snabbt beslutade omställningen till fjärrundervisning. Under vår VFU-period under vårterminen 2021 uppstod en unik chans att undersöka hur ett antal erfarna kemilärare ställde om och hanterade denna speciella situation av undervisning med förutsättningar som ständigt ändrades med kort varsel beroende på smittoläget i Sverige. Lärarna blev tvungna att använda digitala verktyg i sin kemiundervisning under perioderna när eleverna inte fick komma till skolan utan satt hemma framför sina datorer. Syftet med denna studie var att utifrån ett lärar- och elevperspektiv undersöka pandemins effekter på kemiundervisningen på gymnasiet som bedrivits i en hybrid delvis på distans, delvis i klassrummet samt ibland till och med båda samtidigt. En huvudsakligen kvalitativ undersökning har genomförts med data från semistrukturerade intervjuer av kemilärare på gymnasiet samt från elevenkäter som analyserades med tematisk analys. Analysresultatet pekar på att lärarna själva medger att de haft stora utmaningar med fjärrundervisningen som de upplever inte gett samma lärande som närundervisning. Trots denna försvårande omständighet upplevde lärarna att de generellt lyckades nå kursmålen tack vare ständiga omplaneringar, merarbete och med extrastöd till eleverna åstadkomma ett lärande i kemi i slutet på läsåret på ungefär samma nivå som tidigare år med enbart närundervisning. Elevernas uppfattning var att det var svårare att lära sig under distansperioderna vilket medförde stora tapp i motivation och de gav uttryck för att de hade föredragit att få vara mer i skolans lokaler för att lära sig mer av eget laborerande och kunna interagera lättare och mer med både lärare och klasskamrater.
A mainly qualitative survey was conducted using insights from semi-structured interviews of high school chemistry teachers and thematically-analyzed student surveys. The teachers admitted there were major challenges with using online methodologies and tools for education that had not provided the same level of learning as the traditional classroom environment. Despite the aggravating circumstances disrupting their classes, the teachers managed to generally achieve the course goals. However, it required continuous planning, additional time and extra support for them to help students reach the course goals at the same levels as previous years. The students perceived this initial period of remote learning to be more difficult which led toa reduction in motivation. They claimed that lab work was more conducive at school where they could interact more easily and engage with teachers and fellow classmates.

This research qualitatively explores the impacts of the Helen B. Landgarten Art therapy Clinic’s transition to art therapy telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this research was to explore the efficacy of interventions and the clinical themes that emerged as a result of telehealth art therapy services delivered to marginalized communities through the Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic. Data that was collected includes anonymous surveys from administrators, teachers, and caregivers of those receiving services and facilitators of services, semi-structured interviews with administrators, teachers, and caregivers of those receiving services, as well as a focus group with facilitators of services. Through the analysis of data several findings suggest that art therapy telehealth can provide a safe space for engagement in mental health and be more accessible to marginalized communities. These findings potentially open new doors for further inquiry into art therapy telehealth.

This research project aims to explore the relationship between art-making and wellbeing in professional artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involves 14 respondents who were invited to complete a Qualtrics survey as well as a process of arts-based inquiry. Researchers analyzed participants’ survey and art responses using an iterative collaborative process to identify emergent themes. These themes included a non-optional and internally-located drive to create; positive emotional, social, and physiological impacts associated with art-making and art-sharing; and, positive impacts on art practice associated with the pandemic. These findings emphasized the unique strengths and challenges associated with the professional artist identity.

En el 2020 la economía mundial, incluida la peruana, ha sufrido una recesión, por efectos de la aparición del COVID-19. Para mitigar la propagación del virus, el Gobierno peruano decretó diferentes normas, las cuales buscan detener el avance de personas contagiadas por el mencionado virus. Por esta situación surge la motivación de poder explicar si existe un impacto debido a la reciente legislación y su repercusión en las empresas. Para llevar a cabo lo descrito anteriormente, se realizará un trabajo de investigación cuyo alcance es explicativo, de diseño no experimental transversal y una metodología mixta. Por lo tanto, la presente investigación explicará la aplicación del Decreto Supremo 044-2020-PCM y su impacto financiero en el sector comercio - confitería en el Mercado Ciudad de Dios en 2020. Una vez realizadas las pruebas de campo, los resultados concluyen que existe un impacto negativo por la normativa decretada por el Gobierno en este contexto de pandemia, en ingresos, durante el periodo investigado; en gastos, debido al cumplimiento de los protocolos de seguridad; en rotación de inventarios, evidenciado en una mayor desvalorización de inventarios; y en rentabilidad, la cual tuvo una reducción en sus ganancias.
In 2020 the world economy has suffered a recession, including Peru, due to the appearance of COVID-19. To mitigate the spread of the virus, the State decreed different regulations, which seek to stop the advance of people infected by the virus. Due to this situation, the motivation arises to be able to explain whether there is an impact from recent legislation and its repercussion on companies. To carry out the situation mentioned before, a research work will be carried out whose scope is explanatory, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design and a mixed methodology. Therefore, this research will explain the application of Supreme Decree 044-2020-PCM and its financial impact on the commerce sector - confectionery sector in the “Mercado Ciudad de Dios” in 2020. Once the field tests were carried out, it was concluded that there is a negative impact of regulations on income, during the investigated period; in expenses, due to compliance with security protocols; in inventory turnover, evidenced in a greater devaluation of inventories; and in profitability, which had a reduction in its profits.
Tesis

Thus far the research on how schools have managed the sudden transition to distance education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has mainly focused on the experiences of teachers, and the voices of school librarians have gone unexplored. This study aims to explore the transition to distance education from the perspectives of secondary school librarians in Sweden. The study focuses on how this transition affected school librarians’ working practices and the factors that impacted their abilities to rebuild their usual activities and services in new formats. This study uses an infrastructural perspective to analyse the school library as a part of the wider school infrastructure, and considers the enforced transition to distance education as a kind of infrastructural ‘breakdown’. School libraries are treated as multifaceted infrastructures with material, structural and relational/cultural factors which all may contribute to their success. Through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 14 librarians at 12 secondary schools in Sweden, I identified four themes in the ways informants talked about the transition process:  1.     Most well-established practices, relationships and collaborations could be adapted.  2.     The library room had social functions that could not be fully rebuilt online. 3.     Systematic integration, strong relationships and a culture of library use contributed to successful transitions. 4.     Work to make libraries more accessible and visible became more important. This is a two years master's thesis in Library and Information Science.
Hittills har forskningen om hur skolor har hanterat den plötsliga övergången till distansundervisning på grund av COVID-19-pandemin fokuserat till största delen på lärares erfarenheter, och skolbibliotekariers röster har inte utforskats. Denna studie syftar till att utforska övergången till distansundervisning utifrån svenska skolbibliotekariers perspektiv. Studien fokuserar på hur denna process påverkade skolbibliotekariers arbetspraktiker, och de faktorer som påverkade deras förmåga att återskapa sina vanliga verksamheter i nya format.  Studien använder ett infrastrukturellt perspektiv för att analysera skolbiblioteket som en del av en bredare skolinfrastruktur, och betraktar den påtvingade övergången till distansundervisning som ett slags “infrastrukturellt sammanbrott”. Skolbibliotek behandlas som mångfasetterade infrastrukturer, med materiella, strukturella och relationella/kulturella faktorer som alla kan bidra till deras framgång. Genom tematisk analys av semi-strukturerade intervjuer med 14 bibliotekarier på 12 gymnasieskolor i Sverige identifierade jag fyra teman i hur informanterna pratade om övergångsprocessen:  1. De mest väletablerade praktikerna, relationerna och samarbetena kunde anpassas. 2. Biblioteksrummet hade sociala funktioner som inte helt kunde återskapas på nätet. 3. Systematisk integrering, starka relationer och en kultur av biblioteksanvändning bidrog till framgångsrika övergångar. 4. Arbetet för att göra biblioteken mer tillgängliga och synliga blev viktigare.

In times of social distancing and restrictions, ecclesiological challenges arise for the church as a room that under normal circumstances gather people for services. When the church cannot be used the way it is intended to, it raises questions about the functions of the room. The new corona virus pandemic is a crisis that challenges our perception of the church buildings’ functions and aspects. This thesis is a case study that took place in the Cathedral of Stockholm, also called Storkyrkan, during Holy week and Easter. The purpose of this thesis is to study what ecclesiological implications this new reality has on how co-workers and visitors make use of the room. Through observation of the room and interviews of visitors and co-workers I identify five aspects of Storkyrkan that characterize what functions a church building can have during a crisis. The study finds that through the circumstantial changes of the usage of the room, the materiality of it is amplified. It also shows that many types of people visit and use the room in various ways. They are all connected as a collective in a network through the words, artifacts, music, and practises that are a part of this space. Instead of closing due to the pandemic, Storkyrkan was an open room which generated possibilities for people to use it. In times of social distancing, when people are encouraged to stay away from each other, the church brought people together, though in a much smaller number. This happened both in the physical room and in the virtual room online. These are all sources of lived ecclesiology, which is understood through people’s lives and actions.

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, large parts of Sweden's higher education, together with the rest of the world, needed to drasticallymake a switch to distance learning. This involved the use of new technology and video conferencing tools such as Zoom to reduce the virtual distance and get closer to each other without having to be close physically. Umeå University has also had to undergo this drastic transformation of their activities, with lectures, seminars and examinations which all had to suddenly be kept at a distance to reduce the spread of infection. This study consists of a quantitative survey which just over 600 teachers at Umeå University responded to, where their responses show that overall,they’ve had negative experiences where their workload has increased, job satisfaction has decreased and the interaction between the teachers and theirstudents has suffered. At the same time, they respond very positively about the quality of their digital tools and that they’re easy to use. Judging by the results and the answers of the survey, it can also be seen that even though teachers have been quick to adapt to the new distance-based reality, their way of teaching has notadapted in the same way which prevents full utilization of distance-basedtechnologies. All in all, it can be stated that the majority of those who responded to the survey give a picture that teachers prefer to keep their education in classrooms or lecture halls, to have a better interaction between teachers and students.

Contexte : Cette thèse se concentre sur les essais cliniques au Liban, un sujet peu exploré jusqu'à présent. La conduite d'essais cliniques reste indispensable pour faire progresser la recherche scientifique. Ces trois dernières années, le Liban a été confronté à une série de crises majeures, notamment la crise socio-économique, la pandémie de Covid-19 et l'explosion du port de Beyrouth en août 2020. Il est probable que les essais cliniques aient été significativement impactés par ces événements en raison de la détérioration du système de santé. Dans ce contexte, ce travail examine les enjeux éthiques entourant les essais cliniques au Liban, en mettant l'accent sur les perspectives des médecins, acteurs clés de ces essais, dans un environnement socio-économique, juridique et politique complexe. Méthode : Dans le but de compléter l'analyse exploratoire de la littérature, qui s'est avérée insuffisante pour répondre à notre question de recherche, nous avons opté pour une étude qualitative basée sur des entretiens dirigés. Cette méthode permet d'explorer la problématique en évaluant les représentations des médecins quant à la possibilité de réaliser encore des essais cliniques, en particulier face aux enjeux éthiques, dans le contexte actuel de crise. Grâce à cette approche, les motivations et les préoccupations des médecins pourront être mieux comprises. Résultats : Dans le contexte de la crise économique, politique et sanitaire au Liban, les médecins ont adopté des attitudes mitigées vis-à-vis des essais cliniques. Certains médecins restent intéressés par les essais cliniques ; ils les voient comme une opportunité d'accéder à des traitements innovants pour leurs patients et de contribuer à l'avancement de la recherche médicale malgré les défis auxquels ils sont confrontés. D'autres, cependant, sont préoccupés par les difficultés liées à la conduite des essais cliniques dans un environnement instable, avec des ressources limitées et une pénurie de médicaments et de matériel. En outre, la charge de travail accrue et le stress émotionnel liés à l'insécurité financière, la pandémie de Covid-19 et l'explosion du port de Beyrouth semblent contribuer à un manque de motivation chez les médecins. De plus, l'émigration de médecins qualifiés a rendu difficile la conduite des essais. Selon plusieurs médecins de l'étude, la corruption et l'instabilité politico-économique, ont également conduit à des préoccupations émergentes et une méfiance quant aux conditions de sécurité et d'éthique dans lesquelles les essais sont menés. Discussion : Au Liban, malgré les différentes crises qui ont secoué le pays ces trois dernières années, les essais cliniques sont encore possibles. Cependant, en état de crise, les essais cliniques présentent de nouveaux enjeux éthiques tels que la pertinence des sujets de recherche, la sécurité des participants à l'étude, la qualité de leur information et de leur consentement libre et éclairé, ainsi que l'équité dans leur recrutement. La pression économique sur les établissements de recherche et les chercheurs peut aboutir à une négligence des aspects éthiques de la recherche, telle qu'une supervision inadéquate. La priorisation des essais cliniques dans le contexte de la crise sanitaire peut également entraîner des conflits d'intérêts entre la nécessité de répondre aux besoins urgents de la population et l'évaluation rigoureuse des risques et des avantages de ces essais. Les enjeux éthiques de la recherche clinique au Liban en état de crise nécessitent donc une attention particulière et une application appropriée de la régulation pour assurer la sécurité et le respect des droits des participants. Il convient de noter que les priorités changent en période de crise, et que les besoins en termes d'accès aux soins de base peuvent être plus urgents que les besoins en recherche clinique. Dans ces circonstances, il peut être difficile de trouver un équilibre entre les priorités concurrentes
Context: This thesis focuses on clinical trials in Lebanon, a topic that has been little explored until now. Conducting clinical trials remains essential for advancing scientific research. Over the past three years, Lebanon has faced a series of major crises, including the socio-economic crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the explosion at the port of Beirut in August 2020. It is likely that clinical trials have been significantly impacted by these events due to the deterioration of the healthcare system. In this context, this work examines the ethical issues surrounding clinical trials in Lebanon, with a focus on the perspectives of physicians, key actors in these trials, in a complex socio-economic, legal, and political environment. Method: In order to supplement the exploratory analysis of the literature, which proved insufficient to answer our research question, we opted for a qualitative study based on directed interviews. This method allows us to explore the problem by evaluating the representations of physicians regarding the possibility of still conducting clinical trials, particularly in the face of ethical issues, in the current crisis context. Through this approach, the motivations and concerns of physicians can be better understood. Results: In the context of the economic, political, and health crisis in Lebanon, physicians have adopted mixed attitudes towards clinical trials. Some physicians remain interested in clinical trials; they see them as an opportunity to access innovative treatments for their patients and to contribute to the advancement of medical research despite the challenges they face. Others, however, are concerned about the difficulties associated with conducting clinical trials in an unstable environment, with limited resources and a shortage of drugs and medical equipment. In addition, the increased workload and emotional stress associated with financial insecurity, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the explosion at the port of Beirut appear to contribute to a lack of motivation among physicians. Moreover, the emigration of qualified physicians has made it difficult to conduct trials. According to several physicians in the study, corruption and political-economic instability have also led to emerging concerns and mistrust regarding the safety and ethical conditions under which trials are conducted. Discussion: In Lebanon, despite the various crises that have shaken the country over the past three years, clinical trials are still possible. However, in a state of crisis, clinical trials present new ethical issues such as the relevance of research subjects, the safety of study participants, the quality of their information and free and informed consent, as well as equity in their recruitment. Economic pressure on research institutions and researchers can result in neglect of ethical aspects of research, such as inadequate supervision and poor personnel training. The prioritization of clinical trials in the context of the health crisis can also lead to conflicts of interest between the need to respond to the urgent needs of the population and the rigorous evaluation of the risks and benefits of these trials. The ethical issues of clinical research in Lebanon in a state of crisis therefore require special attention and appropriate regulatory enforcement to ensure the safety and respect for the rights of participants. It should be noted that priorities change in times of crisis, and that the need for access to basic healthcare may be more urgent than the need for clinical research. In these circumstances, it can be difficult to find a balance between competing priorities

Trabalho Final do Mestrado Integrado em Medicina apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina
RESUMO:Introdução: A hipertensão arterial (HTA) relaciona-se com um aumento do risco de doenças cardiovasculares e renais, sendo o principal contribuidor para morte precoce em 2015. O acompanhamento adequado de quem dela sofre implica medidas terapêutica, não farmacológicas e farmacológicas, a serem efetivamente seguidas no ambiente de Medicina Geral e Familiar.A plataforma Bilhete de Identidade dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários (BI-CSP) recolhe dados nacionais desgregáveis até ao nível da unidade de saúde de indicadores contratualizados, dentre eles a “proporção de hipertensos, com acompanhamento adequado”. Objetivo: Estudar a progressão do indicador 2013.025.01 FL “proporção de hipertensos, com acompanhamento adequado” ao longo dos meses abril, maio e junho dos anos 2017, 2018, 2019 e 2020, em Portugal, no todo nacional e por ARS. Métodos: Num estudo observacional transversal foram aleatorizados metade mais um dos ACeS das ARS Norte, Centro e LVT e todos os ACeS das ARS Alentejo e Algarve e colhidos os dados de abril, maio e junho de 2017, 2018, 2019 e 2020 da plataforma BI-CSP, relativos ao indicador 2013.025.01 FL. Efetuou-se o cálculo da dinâmica de crescimento para os intervalos de 2017 a 2019, 2017 a 2020 e do intervalo de 2017 a 2019 para 2020, no todo nacional e por ARS.Resultados: A nível nacional verificou-se uma dinâmica de crescimento de +20,03 entre 2017 e 2019, de -0,06 entre 2017 e 2020 e de -0,18 entre a média do triénio 2017-2019 e o ano de 2020. A nível regional, entre 2017 e 2019, verificavam-se dinâmicas de crescimento positivas. A dinâmica de crescimento entre 2017 e 2019 teve variações negativas distintas, mais marcada para a ARS do Norte (-27,33) e positiva ainda para a do Algarve (+55,78).Conclusão: De acordo com os objetivos definidos para este artigo, concluímos que, de 2017 a 2019, houve uma progressão positiva no acompanhamento dos doentes hipertensos nos CSP. Com a situação pandémica, o cenário inverteu-se. Estes resultados revelam que a implementação de medidas para continuar a cuidar destes doentes cumprindo as regras para combater a pandemia foram insuficientes. É, então, importantíssimo que se planeiem e criem estratégias para adaptação a novas realidades inesperadas, que permitam a manutenção do correto acompanhamento dos doentes hipertensos.
Introduction: Arterial hypertension (hypertension) is significantly related to an increased risk of cardiovascular and renal diseases, being the main contributor to early death in 2015. Adequate monitoring of those who suffer from it implies non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapeutic measures to be effectively followed in the General Practice environment.The Primary Health Care Identity Card (BI-CSP) platform collects national data that are disaggregated up to the level of the health unit of contractual indicators, among them the “proportion of hypertensive patients, with adequate monitoring”.Objective: To study the progression of the indicator 2013.025.01 FL "proportion of hypertensive patients, with adequate monitoring" over the months April, May and June of the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, in Portugal, in the whole national and by Regional Health Administration.Methods: In a cross-sectional observational study, half plus one of the ACeS of the ARS Norte, Centro and LVT and all the ACeS of the ARS Alentejo and Algarve were randomized and the data for April, May and June 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 from the BI-CSP platform were collected., relating to the 2013.025.01 FL indicator. The growth dynamics were calculated for the ranges from 2017 to 2019, 2017 to 2020 and the range from 2017 to 2019 to 2020, nationwide and by ARS.Results: At national level, there was a growth dynamic of +20.03 between 2017 and 2019, of -0.06 between 2017 and 2020 and of -0.18 between the average of the 2017-2019 three-year period and the year 2020.At the regional level, between 2017 and 2019 there were positive growth dynamics. The growth dynamics between 2017 and 2020 had distinct negative variations, more marked for the North (-27.33) and still positive for Algarve (+55.78).Conclusion: According to the objectives defined for this article, we concluded that, from 2017 to 2019, there was a positive progression in the monitoring of hypertensive patients in PHC. With the pandemic situation, the scenario was reversed. These results reveal that the implementation of measures to continue caring for these patients while complying with the rules to combat the pandemic was insufficient. It is, therefore, extremely important to plan and create strategies to adapt to new unexpected realities, which allow the correct monitoring of hypertensive patients to be maintained.

With the help of sermon manuscripts from the time of the Spanish flu, held within the Church of Sweden, new light is shed on sermons held in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The comparison shows, among other things, that a shift has been made in how God is portrayed. It also points to some challenging questions about suffering, hope and the role of eternity in preaching today.

This Work Project provides emphasis on recent changes of trends within B2B marketing, focusing on Events as a marketing communication tool, at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic and digitalization are rapidly sweeping the globe. In order to evaluate how these changes affected B2B Events, which issues, challenges, and benefits B2B marketers are experiencing, and which are the perspectives of the digital version of this marketing, a qualitative research method with quantitative elements in the form of expert interviews was applied. The results show that marketers are considering Events as one of themost valuable marketing tools, and despite certain disadvantages of digital Events, they are planning to continue using it in a half –on –half proportion to live ones, applying a Hybrid model. Additionally, expert interviews revealed the growing interest to the content marketing (Social Media and Podcasts) through B2B marketers, which could be the basis for further research.

A disseminação do novo coronavírus originou o primeiro adiamento da história dos Jogos Olímpicos, com impacto físico e psicológico em todos os envolvidos, especialmente atletas. Torna-se então essencial compreender como os atletas percecionaram e lidaram com a crise pandémica. A presente dissertação teve como objetivo explorar as experiências dos atletas olímpicos e paralímpicos portugueses, através das suas perceções e emoções (estudo I), bem como as estratégias de coping utilizadas (estudo II) para gerir o impacto do confinamento e do adiamento dos Jogos Olímpicos. Através de uma metodologia qualitativa, realizou-se uma entrevista semiestruturada online para recolher os dados de 15 atletas (M = 29,9 ± 5,5 anos) de ambos os sexos (nmasculino = 9), incluindo 13 olímpicos e 2 paralímpicos, de várias modalidades. Foi realizada uma análise de conteúdo para analisar os resultados de cada um dos estudos. Os resultados indicam que os participantes têm múltiplas perceções relativamente ao adiamento dos Jogos Olímpicos, à sua vida pessoal e social, às condições físicas e de saúde e ao desporto em geral, incluindo treino e competição. Surgiram emoções com tonalidade negativa e positiva, com maior expressão das primeiras, especialmente ansiedade. A palavra mais usada para descrever a experiência foi adaptabilidade. As estratégias de coping mais utilizadas enquadram-se numa abordagem de aproximação e de avaliação, com menor referência do estilo de evitamento. Ajustar aos constrangimentos, ver um lado positivo numa situação negativa, negociar/comprometer e aceitar foram as estratégias mais referidas na nossa amostra. Os resultados salientam a natureza dinâmica, individual e complexa da experiência dos atletas numa oportunidade única para explorar este evento global através dos olhos dos atletas, utilizando o conhecimento para ajudar outros atletas e agentes desportivos a prevenir e lidar com outras situações stressantes. É importante desenvolver planos de intervenção orientados para a promoção de competências pessoais, sociais e de adaptação em todos os atletas, desde a formação, bem como programas de formação de treinadores e outros agentes desportivos.
For the first time in history, the Olympic Games were postponed due to the dissemination of the new coronavirus, causing a physical and psychological impact on all involved, especially athletes. Within this context, it is essential to understand how Olympic and Paralympic athletes perceived and are dealt with this crisis. The current dissertation aimed to explore the experience of Portuguese Olympic and Paralympic athletes, through their perceptions and emotions (study I), as well as the coping strategies used to manage the impact of the lockdown and of the postponement of the Olympic Games 2020 (study II). Using a qualitative methodology, data were collected through semi-structured online interviews with 15 athletes (M = 29,9 ± 5,5 years) from both sexes (nmale = 9), including 13 Olympic athletes and two Paralympic athletes of various sports. A content analysis was performed in each study. Overall, our studies revealed that participants had multiple perceptions regarding the Olympic Games, their social and personal life, their physical and health conditions, and sports related areas, both on training and competition. Emotions referred comprise negative-toned and positive-toned. The negative-toned emotions were more expressive in the results, especially anxiety. The most used word to describe this event was adaptability. Athletes revealed to have used more coping strategies included in the appraisal-focused and approach coping styles, whereas the avoidance coping style was the least used. Adjusting to the constraints, looking for the positive side of negative events, negotiation, and acceptance revealed to be the most used coping strategies within this sample. The results reassure the individual, dynamic, and complex nature of athletes' experience. This one-time event created the opportunity to study the situation from the athletes' points of view. Findings can now be used to help other athletes and sports agents to prevent and deal with other stressful situations. These results highlight the importance of developing interventions directed at promoting coping strategies and social and personal competences in all athletes, regardless of their level of competition, as well as programmes that create awareness within other sports agents.

This paper employs the 2020pandemiccrisis as an empirical setting to analyze how venture capitalists investments react under financing constraints. In particular, this paper examines how the amount per round received by a start up from venture capital funds is affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and if there are particular sectors that are benefitting from the situation. The empirical findings show that in 2020 the average amount per round raised is higher than it was in the past years and that VCs have preferred to invest more money for younger new ventures belonging to Information Technology and Medical/Health/Life Science sectors.

COVID-19-pandemic: the crisis was not only a challenge for the forms of preaching but also its content. What could and should be said? How can people be comforted and strengthened without preaching weak and banal ‘good news’? And again and again the question: How can we speak of God amid a worldwide crisis? For Societas Homiletica it became clear quite soon that the Budapest Conference would have to be postponed (and – God willing – we will meet in Budapest from August 12 to 17, 2022!). But our International Secretary, Prof. Dr. Theo Pleizier, came up with the idea of organizing an Online Conference on “Preaching in Time of Crisis.” The International Board of Societas Homiletica supported this idea, and on August 10–12, 2020, the first Online Conference in the history of Societas Homiletica ‘took place.’ We are glad and honored to present five outstanding papers delivered at the Online Conference in this Special Volume of our International Journal of Homiletics, two from Europe and three from North America (Canada and the USA). Clara Nystrand from Lund (Sweden) compares sermons delivered in Sweden in the time of the Spanish flu 1918 with sermons delivered in the first phase of the Corona pandemic. Especially the way preachers talk about God and his:her actions differs – showing theological shifts in the past 100 years and asking questions about preaching today. André Verweij, pastor and researcher in the Netherlands, analyzes five Easter sermons delivered in the Netherlands during the first wave of the Covid-19-pandemic and discovers a lamenting mode in preaching, which steers away from interpreting the pandemic’s possible ‘meaning’ or ‘message.’ Joseph H. Clarke and David Csinos from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Canada, show how fruitful dialogue between psychotherapy and homiletics can be. They offer insight into “Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy” (ISTDP) and – knowing that preaching is not psychotherapy – present fruitful aspects of a conversation with this school and practice of psychotherapy for homiletics, especially in times of crisis. David M. Stark, teaching and doing homiletical research at the University of the South in Sewanee (USA), speaks about a dual pandemic of COVID-19 and systemic racism. By exploring sermons from a high-church tradition to a virtual congregation Stark suggests to speak about Eucharistic Preaching thus connecting the sermon to its surrounding liturgy. The paper develops this notion further and discovers Eucharistic embodiment as a perspective for preaching and homiletics. In the final article, Edgar “Trey” Clark III from Fuller Theology Seminary in Pasadena (USA), examines protests in support of “Black Lives Matter” and sees these protests as a form of Spirit-inspired proclamation – connecting lament and celebration, particularity and universality, word and deed. Obviously, the COVID-19-pandemic changed not only the forms and media of preaching, but also its contents – and will have an impact also in the time ‘after’ the pandemic.:Editorial .............................................................................................................................................................. iii Preaching in Times of Pestilence – 1918 and 2020 Clara Nystrand ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Preaching in a Lamenting Mode: Easter Lockdown Sermons in the Netherlands André Verweij ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Steer into the Storm: Dynamic Psychotherapy for Preaching in Anxious Times Joseph H. Clarke and David M. Csinos ................................................................................................. 23 Eucharistic Preaching as Early Response to a Dual Pandemic David M. Stark ................................................................................................................................................ 33 Protest as Preaching: The Pneumatic Proclamation of Black Lives Matter Edgar “Trey” Clark III ................................................................................................................................. 43

COVID-19-pandemic: the crisis was not only a challenge for the forms of preaching but also its content. What could and should be said? How can people be comforted and strengthened without preaching weak and banal ‘good news’? And again and again the question: How can we speak of God amid a worldwide crisis? For Societas Homiletica it became clear quite soon that the Budapest Conference would have to be postponed (and – God willing – we will meet in Budapest from August 12 to 17, 2022!). But our International Secretary, Prof. Dr. Theo Pleizier, came up with the idea of organizing an Online Conference on “Preaching in Time of Crisis.” The International Board of Societas Homiletica supported this idea, and on August 10–12, 2020, the first Online Conference in the history of Societas Homiletica ‘took place.’ We are glad and honored to present five outstanding papers delivered at the Online Conference in this Special Volume of our International Journal of Homiletics, two from Europe and three from North America (Canada and the USA). Clara Nystrand from Lund (Sweden) compares sermons delivered in Sweden in the time of the Spanish flu 1918 with sermons delivered in the first phase of the Corona pandemic. André Verweij, pastor and researcher in the Netherlands, analyzes five Easter sermons delivered in the Netherlands during the first wave of the Covid-19-pandemic and discovers a lamenting mode in preaching, which steers away from interpreting the pandemic’s possible ‘meaning’ or ‘message.’ Joseph H. Clarke and David Csinos from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Canada, show how fruitful dialogue between psychotherapy and homiletics can be. David M. Stark, teaching and doing homiletical research at the University of the South in Sewanee (USA), speaks about a dual pandemic of COVID-19 and systemic racism. In the final article, Edgar “Trey” Clark III from Fuller Theology Seminary in Pasadena (USA), examines protests in support of “Black Lives Matter” and sees these protests as a form of Spirit-inspired proclamation – connecting lament and celebration, particularity and universality, word and deed. Obviously, the COVID-19-pandemic changed not only the forms and media of preaching, but also its contents – and will have an impact also in the time ‘after’ the pandemic.:Editorial .............................................................................................................................................................. iii Preaching in Times of Pestilence – 1918 and 2020 Clara Nystrand ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Preaching in a Lamenting Mode: Easter Lockdown Sermons in the Netherlands André Verweij ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Steer into the Storm: Dynamic Psychotherapy for Preaching in Anxious Times Joseph H. Clarke and David M. Csinos ................................................................................................. 23 Eucharistic Preaching as Early Response to a Dual Pandemic David M. Stark ................................................................................................................................................ 33 Protest as Preaching: The Pneumatic Proclamation of Black Lives Matter Edgar “Trey” Clark III ................................................................................................................................. 43

COVID-19-pandemic: the crisis was not only a challenge for the forms of preaching but also its content. What could and should be said? How can people be comforted and strengthened without preaching weak and banal ‘good news’? And again and again the question: How can we speak of God amid a worldwide crisis? For Societas Homiletica it became clear quite soon that the Budapest Conference would have to be postponed (and – God willing – we will meet in Budapest from August 12 to 17, 2022!). But our International Secretary, Prof. Dr. Theo Pleizier, came up with the idea of organizing an Online Conference on “Preaching in Time of Crisis.” The International Board of Societas Homiletica supported this idea, and on August 10–12, 2020, the first Online Conference in the history of Societas Homiletica ‘took place.’ We are glad and honored to present five outstanding papers delivered at the Online Conference in this Special Volume of our International Journal of Homiletics, two from Europe and three from North America (Canada and the USA). Clara Nystrand from Lund (Sweden) compares sermons delivered in Sweden in the time of the Spanish flu 1918 with sermons delivered in the first phase of the Corona pandemic. André Verweij, pastor and researcher in the Netherlands, analyzes five Easter sermons delivered in the Netherlands during the first wave of the Covid-19-pandemic and discovers a lamenting mode in preaching, which steers away from interpreting the pandemic’s possible ‘meaning’ or ‘message.’ Joseph H. Clarke and David Csinos from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Canada, show how fruitful dialogue between psychotherapy and homiletics can be. David M. Stark, teaching and doing homiletical research at the University of the South in Sewanee (USA), speaks about a dual pandemic of COVID-19 and systemic racism. In the final article, Edgar “Trey” Clark III from Fuller Theology Seminary in Pasadena (USA), examines protests in support of “Black Lives Matter” and sees these protests as a form of Spirit-inspired proclamation – connecting lament and celebration, particularity and universality, word and deed. Obviously, the COVID-19-pandemic changed not only the forms and media of preaching, but also its contents – and will have an impact also in the time ‘after’ the pandemic.

A pandemia, causada pelo novo coronavírus, trouxe consigo várias complicações na execução dos contratos, especialmente no domínio dos contratos privados, em que se inserem os contratos de utilização de loja em espaço comercial. É nossa intenção qualificar e enquadrar o encerramento compulsivo dos centros comerciais, bem como as suas repercussões no cumprimento do programa contratual deste tipo de contratos, num dos institutos clássicos do nosso Código Civil, capaz de solucionar estas perturbações. Procuraremos, com o presente trabalho, responder ainda à questão de saber se o art. 168.º-A, n.º 5 da Lei n.º 27-A/2020 tem, de facto, eficácia retroativa, em que moldes e, por fim, se a mesma é admissível no nosso ordenamento jurídico.
The pandemic, caused by the new coronavirus, brought with it several complications in the execution of contracts, especially in the field of private contracts, which includes contracts for the use of shop on commercial premises. It is our intention to qualify and frame the compulsory closure of shopping centers, as well as their repercussions on the fulfillment of the contractual program of this type of contracts, in one of the classic institutes of our Civil Code, capable of solving these disturbances. With this dissertation, we will also try to answer the question of whether art. 168.º-A, n.º 5 of Law n.º 27-A / 2020 has, in fact, retroactive efficacy, in what ways, and, finally, if it is admissible in our legal system.

The phenomenon of educational inequality on access to physical resources in the Highveld Ridge East Circuit of Mpumalanga was investigated in the study. Since the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic had affected education on a global scale, South Africa included, it became necessary to incorporate this new development into the emerging design that unfolded. The study explored the impact of access to physical resources in three public schools. The aim of the investigation was to ascertain how educational disparities on access to physical resources manifested at the chosen research sites, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative research approach was utilised comprising of a multiple case study design. The study reported how the principal and deputy principals viewed educational inequality on access to physical resources from a management perspective, while educators provided insight on the effect of this phenomenon on the teaching and learning process. Observations, individual interviews involving the principal and deputy principals as participants, and focus group interviews involving the teachers, as well as the scrutiny of relevant official documents provided the empirical data for this investigation. All research participants were purposively selected, as a full staff complement was unavailable at the research sites during the pandemic. The results that emerged from the study indicated that educational inequality was prevalent in these public schools. The dearth of resources, and in some instances basic essential resources, had a marked impact on the management as well as the teachers and students at these schools. A significant point to consider was how ill-equipped the public schools in this area were to deal with education during a global pandemic. The backlog of the inequities on access to physical resources needed to be addressed as a matter of dire urgency if the country had any hope of salvaging the education process even at the most basic level. The recommendations in the conclusion of the study are desperate pleas for help in assisting the country, especially the previously marginalised, to move forward in the worst of times.
Educational Management and Leadership
M. Ed. (Education Management)