Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Research Articles

Culinary Practical Online Class: A Development of Study Method amid COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to develop learning methods in online culinary practice classes using MOOC (Massive Open Online Class). This research is descriptive exploratory with qualitative methods to find out stakeholders' weaknesses, strengths, and expectations for an effective MOOC design in online culinary practice classes. Stakeholders consist of students, permanent lecturers, part-time lecturers, and experts spread across all regencies/cities in East Java and other regions in Indonesia. The study results concluded that the MOOC design was able to meet the expectations of stakeholders, namely that practicum classes could be delivered effectively even though the duration was less than the classes before the new normal era. An effective MOOC means that all components must be planned holistically for both lecturers and students, but lecturers are also obliged to complete the teaching components before learning begins. Starting with determining the theme as a focus, then designing teaching methods supported by giving assignments, assessments, and feedback. This component must have a conducive learning atmosphere, which requires full cooperation and trust between lecturers and students. The overall MOOC plan should be visualized and communicated regularly from the first week of learning.
 Keywords: Online, Blended Learning, Project-Based Learning, Practical, Culinary

An Empirical Investigation to Understand the Issues of Distributed Software Testing amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Generally, software developers make errors during the distributed software development process; therefore, software testing delay is a significant concern. Some of the software mistakes are minor, but others may be costly or harmful. Since things can still go wrong—individuals encounter mistakes from time to time—there is a need to double-check any software we develop in a distributed environment. The current global pandemic, COVID-19, has exacerbated and generated new challenges for IT organizations. Many issues exist for distributed software testing that prevent the achievement of successful and timely risk reduction when several of the mechanisms on which testing is based are disrupted. The environment surrounding COVID-19 is quickly evolving on a daily basis. Moreover, the pandemic has exposed or helped to develop flaws in production systems, which obstruct software test completion. Although some of these issues were urgent and needed to be evaluated early during the distributed software development process, this paper attempts to capture the details that represent the current pandemic reality in the software testing process. We used a Fuzzy TOPSIS-based multiple-criteria decision-making approach to evaluate the distributed software testing challenges. The statistical findings show that data insecurity is the biggest challenge for successful distributed software testing.

Factors Affecting Educators’ Psychological Wellbeing Amid Covid-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Approach

Aims and Scope | Author Guidelines | Current Issue | Archive | Indexing | Editorial Board | Contact Us Volume 5 | Issue 4 | 2022 Title: Factors Affecting Educators’ Psychological Wellbeing Amid Covid-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Approach Author(S): Sultan Rehman Sherief* and Shabina Rehman Corresponding Author Affiliation*: Management & Science University, Malaysia Abstract: Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically transformed the traditional … Continue reading "Journal of International Business and Management (JIBM)"

Relationship between sleep duration and quality and mental health before and during COVID-19 pandemic: Results of population-based studies in Brazil

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and quality and mental health before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsData from two population-based cross-sectional studies conducted in 2019 and 2020 with adults in Criciúma, Southern Brazil. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen major depressive episodes, while the perceived stress scale was used to assess perceived stress. Sleep was evaluated through self-reported duration and quality. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between sleep and mental health disorders. ResultsA total of 820 (in 2019) and 863 subjects (in 2020) were assessed. Sleep quality presented significant associations with depression and stress in both years, and the magnitude of the association with depression increased amid COVID-19 pandemic. In individuals with poor/very poor sleep quality, the risk of depression in 2019 was 2.14 (95%IC 1.48;3.09) higher when compared to those with good/very good sleep quality. This risk increased to 2.26 (95%IC 1.49;3.40) in 2020. The risk of stress was 1.90 (95%IC 1.42;2.55) in 2019 and 1.66 (95%IC1.34;2.07) in 2020. The sleep duration was not associated with mental health disorders in the adjusted analyses. ConclusionThe results provide important evidence that sleep quality can influence mental health of adults. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have had a considerable impact on this association.

Framing the Image of Madrasah amid Covid-19 Pandemic: The Principal’s Roles

This study aims to reveal the strategy of Madrasah Principal in improving the image of a Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) in Manggarai Ruteng during the current Covid 19 pandemic. This research uses a qualitative approach with the type of case study. Data collecting use interview, observation, and documentation techniques. While the data analysis technique, the researchers use an interactive analysis model consisting of four interrelated components: data collection, data simplification, data exposure, drawing and submitting conclusions. The results showed that: (1) the strategy of the principal of the madrasa in building the image was carried out in three stages, (a) studying various strengths and weaknesses of the Madrasah, (b) improving the internal condition of the Madrasah both in terms of physical and non-physical aspects, and (c) to promote and introduce Madrasah to the public. (2) The strategy of the principal in improving the image of the Madrasah is through two steps, (a) internal step to strengthen the Madrasah and (b) external Madrasah to show the Madrasah to the community. (3) the impact that arises from the image: (a) Realizing quality Madrasah that can meet the educational needs of the community, (b) Improving the quality of public education, (c) A religious community culture is the main driving force for Madrasah to become a centre for religious activities, and (d) Increase public confidence in the existence of Madrasah with evidence that the number of students increases every year.

Antimicrobial consumption in hospitalised COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionDespite COVID-19 being a viral illness, antibiotic use has been more prevalent. In addition, co-infection (3.5%) and secondary infection (14.3%) were relatively low in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. A major concern is the increased risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to inappropriate antibiotic consumption (1).AimThis review aims to evaluate antimicrobial consumption (excluding repurposed drugs such as remdesivir) in hospitals and determine the prevalence of COVID-19 patients who received antibiotic therapy using meta-analysis.MethodsThe review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines (2). The two investigators independently developed and applied eligibility criteria to examine original articles. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they met the following criteria: (i) original research studies with a minimum sample of 50 patients; (ii) focussed on antibiotic consumption (AMC); (iii) patients with COVID-19 or consumption amid COVID-19 pandemic; (iv) any age group or gender; and (v) reported in the English language. The included articles were retrieved from MEDLINE, CINAHL, WHO COVID-19 databases, including studies published in EMBASE, Scopus, WHO-COVID, and LILACS between December 2019 to July 2021. The modified version of Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to measure biases in included studies after the consensus by both authors. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence or proportion of AMC among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.ResultsA total of 34 studies conducted among hospitalised COVID-19 patients were included. The extracted studies presented AMC in defined daily doses (DDD) or frequency and percentages. Azithromycin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic in almost all studies. The meta-analysis that examined overall AMC using data from 25 studies (17 studies from high income countries and eight from low-middle income countires) revealed 69% (95% CI:63%-74%) of hospitalized COVID-19 received at least one course of antibiotics. The sub-group analysis of studies from high income countries (HICs) revealed 59% (95% CI: 51%-66%) consumed antibiotics compared with 89% (95% CI: 82% to 94%) among hospitalised COVID-19 patients in low-middle income countries (LMICs).ConclusionThis review highlights the trend of antibiotic consumption in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. A significant rise in antibiotic consumption was observed in LMICs and increased antibiotic consumption in the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in HIC. The review outcomes emphasised the importance of rational and judicious use of antimicrobial therapy as well as to strenghting the antimicrobial stewardship policies and activities, particularly during a global pandemic. The limitation of the review undertaken was not identified incidence of co-infection and don’t include studies on reported AMC in immunocompromised patients.References(1) Rawson TM, Ming D, Ahmad R, Moore LSP, Holmes AH. Antimicrobial use, drug-resistant infections and COVID-19. Nature reviews Microbiology. 2020;18(8):409-10.(2) Beller EM, Glasziou PP, Altman DG, Hopewell S, Bastian H, Chalmers I, et al. PRISMA for s: Reporting Systematic Reviews in Journal and Conference s. PLOS Medicine. 2013;10(4):e1001419.

Water quality index of Yamuna River in Delhi regiondue to community lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has created a panic situation to the whole world because of its rapid contagious expansion in human beings. Social lockdown has been imposed throughout world including India to decrease the number of infections in public as no vaccine is available for its cure (at that time). During lockdown, the water quality of river Yamuna got improved as the entire commercial premises and industries were shut down. This paper presents the improvement of Yamuna river water quality in terms of DO, BOD, COD, pH, conductivity and suspended solids during first phase of lockdown (3 weeks) started from March 24th 2020 to April 14th, 2020 on the basis of data available on the website of CPCB, India. pH values were examined in the range from 7.1 to 8.7 (pre-lockdown) and it was decreased in a range of 7.2 -7.8 (post-lockdown). Similarly, 57% conductivity reduction in river water and 34% TSS reduction in drain water were recorded in postlockdown time. On an average of 62% BOD and 60% COD load of river Yamuna has been reduced in just three weeks of lockdown time period.

Emergence of Curbside Pickup : Consumers’ Usage Intention Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Emergence of Curbside Pickup : Consumers’ Usage Intention Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Office Technology and Change Management amid Covid-19 Pandemic Study of Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria

Office technology has not only improved the efficiency of office work but changes the nature of office work in general. Office Technology is the use of electronic devices to increase performance in workplace, the development of office systems raises several issues for the organization. Invention of modern Office systems have the potential to bring about profound changes in organization, this changes, if not well managed will affect the aims and objectives of the organization. This paper detailed and focused on The challenges in advancement in Office Technology and the changes involved in organization, how changes in technology are managed for efficiency in an organization, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, using Ikorodu Local Government as a case study. The study used descriptive statistics which include tables, percentages, and graph. Questionnaires were used as the major research instruments. Three hundred (300 ) questionnaires were distributed among workers in Ikorodu Local Government and Two Hundred (200) were returned, hence, the study population. Two main research questions were formulated to guide the study, relevant Technology and change Management theories were used in this study. Data collected were presented in frequency tables and percentages, graphical representation were made to analyze. Discussions were made to each table and figure. It was deduced from this study that the pandemic era has led to advancement in technology in office system, hence, change is inevitable in office scenario. Based on the findings, this study recommended among other things that, Change in organization should be gradual and there should be training and retraining of office workers that involves in the use of sophisticated office equipment to be able to cope with changes technology bring in the workplace Keyword: Automation, Organization, Change, Management, Worker Journal Reference Format: Lawal, A., Damisola, O. Adewumi & Idiake, C.O. (2022): Office Technology and Change Management amid Covid-19 Pandemic Study of Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria. Social Informatics, Business, Politics, L:aw, Environmental Sciences & Technology Journal. Vol. 8, No. 1 Pp 9-18 Article DOI No - dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/SIJ/V8N1P2. www.isteams/socialinformaticsjournal

Relationship between Spirituality, Nature Connectedness, and Burnout of Schoolteachers during Online Classes amid Covid-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Gender

The substantial changes in the workplace caused by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions have contributed to teacher burnout. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the relationships between spirituality, connectedness to nature, and burnout in schoolteachers, as well as to investigate the mediating part of spirituality in the relationship between connectedness to nature and burnout, and the moderating role of gender. This study was conducted using a quantitative method, with a sample size of 123 schoolteachers in Malaysia. Data analysis using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that schoolteachers who had a strong connection to nature were less likely to experience burnout. Spirituality acted as a buffer in the relationship between connection to nature and burnout. The results also differed according to gender for the nature connectedness-burnout relationship. Going forward, the findings of this study offer practitioners better insights about the importance of selected factors, including nature concreteness and spirituality as a promising avenue for reducing burnout among schoolteachers during online classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE EVENT

The COVID-19 pandemic has immobilized almost the entire world today. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has also incapacitated all aspects of world life including education, community, employment and many more. Tourism and hospitality is one of the industries which seriously affected amid COVID-19 pandemic. It is undeniable that education is highly impacted within the industry amid COVID-19 and affects the future graduates’ employability. This study investigates issues and challenges of Malaysian tourism and hospitality education amid COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured interview was conducted through telephone involving 11 tourism and hospitality educators to identify issues and challenges faced within the academic institutions amid COVID-19 pandemic. The number of respondents is considered appropriate for a preliminary study to understand the event before proceeding with further study. The respondents were asked three major questions; (i) issues faced amid COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) challenges and (iii) recommendations for further action in dealing with the issues and challenges. The findings revealed that the critical issues faced within tourism and hospitality education during the pandemic are impacts toward internships and delivery of teaching and learning. The COVID-19 pandemic also brings about challenges in terms of unemployment and requirement of new skills for graduates’ employability. Further, three skills are needed by the tourism and hospitality graduates amid COVID-19 namely technology skills, soft skills and entrepreneurial skills. In conclusion, the findings suggest the need to reform Malaysia tourism and hospitality education as digital education. This study is considered as a preliminary study involving only few educators to identify issues and challenges of tourism and hospitality education amid COVID-19 pandemic, hence the findings cannot be generalized to the whole academic institutions offering the courses. Future study is recommended to be undertaken using more number of respondents representing the academic institutions in Malaysia.

First-Year Student Experience – Using Digital Media for Teaching and Learning amid COVID-19 Pandemic at a Rural-Based Campus

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) brought higher education institutions globally to a standstill as lockdown restrictions were instituted to curb the spread of the virus. Many institutions were obligated to transform from face-to-face to virtual teaching and learning digitally. This move made digital media become a driving force for virtual learning. Students who have never used digital media for learning had to switch overnight to virtual learning; this transit placed them at a disadvantage. This paper examined the first-year students' experience on the use of digital media for learning and other disparities faced during the urgent transit to digital transformation. A qualitative observation approach was first used to gather information from a few respondents. In the quantitative approach, questionnaires were used to gather valuable feedback from respondents. A convenience sampling method was necessary due to lockdown restrictions. The paper was conceptualized using a Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) and Two-way Communication Model (TCM). The findings revealed that first-year students experienced challenges such as lack of access to computers, data, and poor network connectivity. The findings also revealed a user problem on computers and Moodle that was essential for virtual learning. This paper recommends various plausible solutions to be explored by higher education sectors in assisting first-year students to transit to digital learning and close the digital divide gap.

Changing tourists’ preferences in the hotel industry amid COVID-19 pandemic

在 COVID-19 大流行期间改变游客对酒店业的偏好研究目的COVID-19 大流行使国际酒店业陷入停顿。虽然有一些复苏的早期迹象, 但对于这个行业的长期复苏, 还需要分析游客不断变化的偏好。此外, 针对不同类型的游客, 需要进行更细致和深入的研究来分析每种游客类型的偏好。设计/方法/方法该研究通过比较分析 COVID-19 之前和当前 COVID-19 阶段, 重点关注游客不断变化的偏好。该研究从 TripAdvisor 提取在线数据, 并通过应用隐含狄利克雷分布 (LDA) 确定主题。研究结果该研究的调查结果通过进行主题分析证实了不同类型游客在 COVID-19 大流行期间偏好的变化。大流行阶段出现了新主题, 为游客在当前 COVID-19 阶段不断变化的偏好提供了更多见解。该研究还发现, COVID-19之前阶段的特定主导主题被当前 COVID-19 阶段的新主题所取代。研究原创性/价值该研究首次比较了 COVID-19 之前和当前 COVID-19 阶段的主题, 从而为酒店管理者在大流行期间赢回游客的信心提供了应该考虑的新主题。研究发现在当前的 COVID-19 大流行中不同游客类型的偏好的变化是该研究的新贡献。

Understanding Residents' Physical Activity Intention and Behavior Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

Proper and regular physical activity (PA) plays an important role in improving people’s health. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has posed a serious threat to individual health, residents’ PA has aroused deep concern. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study examines the impact of residents’ PA intention and behavior in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a sample of 961 residents in Wuhan in China using a questionnaire survey. The results show that residents’ PA intention and behavior have been affected significantly by residents’ PA attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on both residents’ PA intention and behavior. In addition, there were gender and region differences in this impact. The findings are of great significance in promoting residents’ PA intention and PA behavior, which are of positive significance to the development of residents’ physical and mental health in the period of global serious health crisis.

University Students’ Perspectives on Lecturer’s Digital Class Organization in Teaching ESP amid Covid-19 Pandemic

This study aims to investigate students’ perspectives on digital classroom organization implemented during online learning in teaching ESP in the context of higher education level at Garut Technology of Institute. To evaluate the organization of digital class utilization in language learning and determine the barriers and opportunities during the process, a mixed-method design with a close-ended questionnaire and an open-ended questionnaire was employed to reveal the students’ perspectives. 90 informatics engineering students studying English for Specific Purposes (ESP) were recruited in this study. The findings revealed that the students positively argued that their lecturer is capable of organizing and implementing various digital platforms during online learning. Most of the students are still motivated and engaged in learning even though it is conducted virtually. Besides, the platforms used by the lecturer synchronously and asynchronously are deemed to be effectively able to replace the face-to-face offline media since it keeps the lecturer and students interacting with one another. Some of the barriers come from the stability of internet access, students’ data, available devices, and particular technical issues. The implications suggest that both lecturers and students should prepare to adopt the digital classroom since it will be the new direction in language teaching.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Media Literacy Skills Curriculum: An Action Research Study

The literature highlights the significance of media literacy instruction in pre-service teacher education period, but there are few attempts to develop and implement curricula to this end. This action research study aimed to report the steps to adapt ‘the media literacy skills curriculum design’ for pre-service teachers, which was developed for face-to-face education environments, to an online learning management system in line with emergency remote teaching amid Covid-19 pandemic, and report the results of curriculum evaluation. The study adopted ‘The Curriculum Development through Action Research Model’. The participants were pre-service teachers at an education faculty of a state university in Turkey. The quantitative data were collected through Media Literacy Skills Scale and qualitative data were collected using several forms, rubrics, and reflection tools. The study revealed that the implementation of the media literacy skills curriculum had a strong positive effect on pre-service teachers’ levels of media literacy skills. The study also revealed changes in pre-service teachers’ perceptions of media and media literacy, interactions with media, as well as certain areas for curriculum development in terms of contents, teaching-learning experiences, and assessment components of the curriculum. The study discusses the results and offers implications for media literacy education in pre-service teacher education.

Essentialities of ratifying CED in Thailand: Human Rights amid Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the ratification of several internal laws, reforms, and amendments, especially in developing countries such as Thailand, resulting in limited human rights for the populations. There is a unique violation of human rights inclusive of the right to life, the right not to be tortured, the right to liberty and safety of persons which are very important to international and civil society. This research explores the enforcement measures of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED). Thailand is currently in the process of ratifying its membership in CED. This ratification process will contribute towards Thailand for holding an important position to fulfill its obligations as a State Party member of this Convention. Thailand has been drafting internal laws and regulations to be consistent with the CED to recognize and protect lawful human rights. People must not be forced to disappear because such action is a serious criminal offence that must be punished appropriately under the CED. In addition, the injured persons shall be treated fairly and equally in accordance with the objectives and purpose of CED, and the Member of Parliament (MP) shall legislate and support the enactment in accordance with the Convention's obligations. In accordance with international mechanisms, these measures will further enhance the promotion and protection of Thailand's human rights. Therefore, Thailand should complete the ratification process at the earliest to develop more efficient domestic legal measures and mechanisms. Similarly, ratification would be consistent with Article 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will contribute to security and enhance a peaceful society by providing access to justice to all people in Thailand. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2022-SPER-05 Full Text: PDF

Restraining SARS-CoV-2 in histopathology laboratory amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical laboratory personnel encounter diverse health and workplace-related hazards leading to severe health challenges including the ravaging SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is the causal agent of COVID-19. It was first announced in Wuhan, China in December 2019 but started to spread globally by late January 2020. COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global spreading poses additional danger to healthcare personnel particularly the laboratorians. Other health practitioners may engage patients by observing social / physical distancing, but how laboratory staff observe or apply same rule to infectious samples remain a notable question. Activities of laboratorians result in repeated exposure at close interactions to patient's samples including SARS-CoV-2 infected specimens, which make them susceptible to COVID-19. Therefore, it is imperative to review mitigating measures in restraining possible exposure and spreading of SARS-CoV-2 in the best interest of laboratory staff and pathologists. It is against this backdrop that this paper intends to update readers on measures to restrain SARS-CoV-2 invasion in histopathology laboratory and deduce precautionary measures for observation by healthcare providers in COVID-19 era. Also discussed, is health hazards associated with histopathology laboratory with the objective of encouraging safety consciousness and safe laboratory practices in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.

Variation in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), NO2 and Tropospheric Ozone Column during the Lockdown Period Amid COVID-19 Pandemic over India

With the emergence of COVID-19 in late December 2019 in China and its exponential spread around the globe, on 11th March 2020 WHO declared it global pandemic. The first case of novel coronavirus in India was reported on 30th January 2020 in Kerala state of India. India is currently experiencing the worst situation amid COVID-19 pandemic with its 3rd position having the highest number of confirmed cases amongst the countries around the world with huge social and economic losses. Many studies reported that there is an improvement in air quality around different parts of the world due to cessation of vehicular, industrial and anthropogenic activities. The present study highlights the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on air quality over India during the lockdown period amid COVID-19 pandemic. Results revealed the significant decline in NO2 and aerosol optical depth (AOD) all around in India except for ozone. There has been a considerable decline in air pollution because of restricted activities during COVID-19 pandemic over India. Meteorological factors may not be directly related to the number of outbreaks. Although the COVID-19 lockdown has a negative impact on economic aspects but it has a positive impact on air quality. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the lives of millions and having numerous global implications made humans believe that nothing will be normal as earlier. The study may help authorities and policy makers on taking specific measures for the pandemic it can be helpful in future to frame policies to reduce air pollution by policy makers.

The Resilience of Baitul Maal Watamwil (BMT) Amid Disruption and COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara

The Resilience of Baitul Maal Watamwil (BMT) Amid Disruption and COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara