Continuous Research Activities Research Articles

Road traffic noise prediction model "ASJ RTN-Model 2023" proposed by the Acoustical Society of Japan - Part 1: Framework of the calculation model

The Acoustical Society of Japan (ASJ) has had the Research Committee on Road Traffic Noise to develop a prediction model for road traffic noise for more than 50 years. As a result of the continuous research activities, a new version of model, "ASJ RTN-Model 2023", was published in this April. It is an upgrade version of the previous model, "ASJ RTN-Model 2018", proposed in 2019. In developing the latest version, existing knowledge was widely taken into account, in particular, the sound power levels of road vehicles under acceleration running conditions and calculation methods for sound propagation were improved in wide range. This new model is introduced in three papers with the same main title in this congress. In this paper, the framework of the model, the general procedure of prediction calculation, and the outlines of sound emissions and the calculation equations of sound propagation are presented.

Materials modelling in the University of Limpopo.

This article provides insights into building research capacity in computational modelling of materials at the University of Limpopo (UL), formerly University of the North, in South Africa, through a collaboration with a consortium of universities in the United Kingdom (UK) through the support of the National Research Foundation (NRF), formerly the Foundation for Research and Development, and the Royal Society (RS). A background that led to the choice of building research capacity at historically disadvantaged universities in South Africa, including the UL, is given. The modus operandi of the collaboration between the UL and several UK universities on computational modelling of materials is outlined, together with the scientific highlights that were achieved in themes of minerals, energy storage and alloy development. The capacity built in terms of human capital and institutions set up is shared, which is followed by a discussion of the continuing research activities after the formal NRF-RS collaboration ceased with more alignment to industrial applications with national and international support. We conclude by highlighting the success of the project in capacity-building and consolidating the Materials Modelling Centre with developments of high-performance computing in South Africa and the African continent. We comment on the lessons learned regarding successful capacity-building programmes.

Where are they and how do they perform? Measuring long-term career outcomes of public health doctoral recipients.

Doctoral recipients of public health play pivotal roles in the support and leadership of the public health industry and academic research. We conducted this study to assess and track the long-term career outcomes of public health PhDs (PHPhD). We linked data from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients to the Survey of Earned Doctorates and tracked the long-term career outcomes and job placements of PHPhD from 2001 to 2017. Logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models were used to model career outcomes and behavioral characteristics. PHPhD specializing in biometrics and biostatistics had the highest annual income. In all, 59.5% of PHPhD chose academia to likely continue research activities. However, 11.1% of PHPhD shifted job sectors from academia to industry or government 10years postgraduation. Persistent disparities across racial and gender groups were observed in job outcomes such as salary, working hours and job satisfaction. These results provide instructive insights PHPhD can use for long-term career planning. Public health program administrators, employers and stakeholders may use the results to address labor outcome disparities in race and gender.

The Innovation Landscape After the Covid-19 Crisis and During the Energy Crisis

Abstract The aim of this paper is finding an answer to a question how the current crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in the energy sector have affected research and development and innovation? It seems likely that the COVID-19 crisis caused financial weakness for many actors, having the most significant impact on the willingness or ability of smaller firms to support R&D and innovation. However, where firms are able to sustain these investments, they will be more likely to survive, grow more strongly, and have higher profitability. A big challenge that companies face is energy changes. While the post-pandemic effects were slowly brought under control by enterprises, the energy crisis poses new challenges to companies. And here the most important challenge is not just financing, but sometimes a complete change in the line of products offered, by moving away from traditional energy sources based on oil and gas. The subjects of the analysis are companies in Poland engaged in continuous research and development activities and implementing innovations. This research was conducted by the Ayming Institute in several editions, starting in 2020, and the surveyed companies belonged to seven identified sectors: Chemical and Civil Engineering, IT & Telecoms, Energy & Biotech, Automotive & Industrial, Consumer Goods & Manufacturing, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals and Finance & Capital.

Consenting in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic

Consenting in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic

Research recruitment and consent methods in a pandemic: a qualitative study of COVID-19 patients’ perspectives

BackgroundVirtual data collection methods and consent procedures adopted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic enabled continued research activities, but also introduced concerns about equity, inclusivity, representation, and privacy. Recent studies have explored these issues from institutional and researcher perspectives, but there is a need to explore patient perspectives and preferences. This study aims to explore COVID-19 patients’ perspectives about research recruitment and consent for research studies about COVID-19.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory qualitative focus group and interview study among British Columbian adults who self-identified as having had COVID-19. We recruited participants through personal contacts, social media, and REACH BC, an online platform that connects researchers and patients in British Columbia. We analyzed transcripts inductively and developed thematic summaries of each coding element.ResultsOf the 22 individuals recruited, 16 attended a focus group or interview. We found that autonomy and the feasibility of participation, attitudes toward research about COVID-19, and privacy concerns are key factors that influence participants’ willingness to participate in research. We also found that participants preferred remote and virtual approaches for contact, consent, and delivery of research on COVID-19.ConclusionsIndividuals who had COVID-19 are motivated to participate in research studies and value autonomy in their decision to participate, but researchers must be sensitive and considerate toward patient preferences and concerns, particularly as researchers adopt virtual recruitment and data collection methods. Such awareness may increase research participation and engagement.

Decentralized study of COVID Vaccine Antibody Response (STOPCoV): Results of a participant satisfaction survey.

The Covid-19 pandemic required many clinical trials to adopt a decentralized framework to continue research activities during lock down restrictions. The STOPCoV study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines in those aged 70 and above compared to those aged 30-50 years of age. In this sub-study we aimed to determine participant satisfaction for the decentralized processes, accessing the study website and collecting and submitting study specimens. The satisfaction survey was based on a Likert scale developed by a team of three investigators. Overall, there were 42 questions for respondents to answer. The invitation to participate with a link to the survey was emailed to 1253 active participants near the mid-way point of the main STOPCoV trial (April 2022). The results were collated and answers were compared between the two age cohorts. Overall, 70% (83% older, 54% younger cohort, no difference by sex) responded to the survey. The overall feedback was positive with over 90% of respondents answering that the website was easy to use. Despite the age gap, both the older cohort and younger cohort reported ease of performing study activities through a personal electronic device. Only 30% of the participants had previously participated in a clinical trial, however over 90% agreed that they would be willing to participate in future clinical research. Some difficulties were noted in refreshing the browser whenever updates to the website were made. The feedback attained will be used to improve current processes and procedures of the STOPCoV trial as well as share learning experiences to inform future fully decentralized research studies.

Problems Encountered in the Implementation of the Citizen’s Charter: The Case of 4th District, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Stakeholders’ feedback is one contributing factor in the attainment of an organization’s objectives. It clearly identifies strengths and weaknesses and other corrective measures to improve the implementation of public policies and programs. The study delved into the problems encountered in the implementation of the Citizen’s Charter and recommendations for the improvement of its implementation in the 4th District, Camarines Sur, Philippines. Using thematic analysis, three themes were generated from forty-five (45) interviewees composed of frontline service providers and users from the Local Treasury, Business Permit and Licensing Office, and Engineering Office of LGUs Tigaon, Goa, and Lagonoy, Camarines Sur. These themes are 1) Knowledge/Attitude, 2) Clarity of procedures/flow of transactions, and 3) Structural barriers. Specifically, the findings revealed that service users are not aware of the Citizen’s Charter, lack understanding of its purpose and procedures, the procedures in the Citizen’s Charter are not followed during actual transactions, there are delays in the flow of transactions, problems in the queuing system, and structural designs hamper the clearness of instructions from the frontline service providers. The study recommends that LGUs, CSC, and other line agencies sternly monitor the Citizen’s Charter implementation vis-à-vis, conduct awareness programs and capacity building, implement procedural innovations, address structural barriers, and conduct continuous research and extension activities of academic and field practitioners.

Fairness and COVID: Conducting research during the crisis

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic forced Principal Investigators (PIs) to make rapid and unprecedented decisions about ongoing research projects and research teams. Confronted with vague or shifting guidance from institutional administrators and public health officials, PIs nonetheless had to decide whether their projects were “essential,” who could conduct on-site “essential” research, how to continue research activities by remote means if possible, and how to safely and effectively manage personnel during the crisis. Based on both narrative comments from a federally sponsored survey of over a thousand NIH- and NSF-funded PIs and their personnel, as well as follow-up interviews with over 60 survey participants, this study examines various ways PI and institutional decisions raised issues of procedural and distributive fairness. These fairness issues include the challenge of treating research personnel fairly in light of their disparate personal circumstances and inconsistent enforcement of COVID-19-related directives. Our findings highlight aspects of fairness and equitability that all PIs and research administrators should keep in mind for when future research disruptions occur.

PRELIMINARY CORE PREPARATION FOR SPECIAL CORE ANALYSIS-GUIDELINES

The application of core analysis to provide data for reservoir evaluation is not a new science but has seen continued research activity over along period. Core analysis is complex containing many stages between the reservoir and the final measurements and interpretation. To ensure the data produced is valid, every step along this phase must be handled with equal attention. Recently developed techniques of measuring certain special core analysis of rock formation are being perfected. The objective of this paper is to provide information that will be of practical value to geologists and engineers involved with preliminary core preparation program. Following is a guideline for preliminary special core preparation. The step by step outline presented below is a suggested guideline and, most certainly, modifications and or changes may be made. However, this guideline has been found to be very successful for laboratory works.

Hail and Farewell

It is a great honor to take over as Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology from my longtime friend, ISHNE colleague, and collaborator Wojciech Zareba, MD, PhD. Having inherited the editorship from Arthur Moss, Wojciech has worked tirelessly for 11 years to strengthen the Annals. In this time, Wojciech has successfully delivered this journal through a period of great upheaval in publishing, leaving it stronger than ever. In 2021 alone, downloads increased by over 35%, outstripping Wiley's other cardiovascular journals which grew by 21.5%. This spectacular record reflects the quality of the manuscripts that were submitted, but ultimately the person in charge must accept the blame for failure or, in this case, the credit for success. Wojciech accomplished this while continuing research activities at the University of Rochester, serving as Principal Investigator in numerous NIH and industry funded trials, and publishing at a furious pace. This September, I had the pleasure of seeing him installed as the inaugural David Mortara Endowed Professor of Cardiology at the University of Rochester, the highest academic honor that can be bestowed. His will be a tough act to follow. No less important to the success of the Annals has been Grazyna Zareba, PhD, who has acted as Managing Editor for over a decade. Grazyna has been responsible for shepherding every manuscript through the stages of publication, and the readers of the Annals owe her a debt of gratitude. I look forward to working closely with three superb associate editors. Yi-Gang Li, MD, is professor of medicine and Director of Cardiology at Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Dr. Li is an electrophysiologist who serves as Vice President of the Chinese Heart Rhythm Society, and is a very busy and productive investigator in the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other rhythm disorders. Craig Dobson, MD, is the Director, Cardiac Clinical Operations, University of Pittsburgh Children's Hospital, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We have worked closely for 15 years. Craig is an expert in inherited cardiac diseases, and as a pediatric cardiologist brings a unique perspective. Noninvasive techniques for the diagnosis and follow up of congenital heart disease are pivotal in pediatric cardiology, and I believe the Annals will benefit from his experience, expertise, and perspective. In addition, Dr. Dobson is a retired US Army officer who has seen service in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he practiced medicine under the worst conceivable circumstances. Mori Krantz, MD, is also a non-electrophysiologist who nevertheless has spent tremendous energy improving our understanding of the impact of drugs and disease on the surface electrocardiogram. As a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado, Mori has dedicated himself to the use of electrocardiography to prevent sudden death in traditionally underserved populations such as those with anorexia nervosa and opioid use disorder. He advises the US Food and Drug Administration and other agencies charged with protecting consumers from off-target effects of new pharmaceuticals. Mori and I have worked together for 15 years, and I am delighted he will be adding his expertise to Annals. I am grateful to the Board of Trustees of the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology for their confidence in me as I take on this new adventure. The Annals is the official journal of ISHNE, the society founded by cardiology legends Harold Kennedy, Peter Cohn, Dan Tzivoni, Arthur Moss, Antoni Bayés de Luna, Vincentz Hombach, Shlomo Stern, and Heinz Weber. My heartfelt thanks go to ISHNE president Takanori Ikeda and president-elect Vassilios Vassilikos. I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. Finally, I look forward to working with our publishers, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (known as Wiley). The publication of the Annals depends on an international collaboration of authors, editors, and publishers. Please join me in congratulating our outgoing editorial team, Wojciech and Grazyna Zareba!

Prediction models for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research activities of Japanese nursing researchers using deep learning.

This study aimed to construct and evaluate prediction models using deep learning to explore the impact of attributes and lifestyle factors on research activities of nursing researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary data analysis was conducted from a cross-sectional online survey by the Japanese Society of Nursing Science at the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1089 respondents from nursing faculties were divided into a training dataset and a test dataset. We constructed two prediction models with the training dataset using artificial intelligence (AI) predictive analysis tools; motivation and time were used as predictor items for negative impact on research activities. Predictive factors were attributes, lifestyle, and predictor items for each other. The models' accuracy and internal validity were evaluated using an ordinal logistic regression analysis to assess goodness-of-fit; the test dataset was used to assess external validity. Predicted contributions by each factor were also calculated. The models' accuracy and goodness-of-fit were good. The prediction contribution analysis showed that no increase inresearch motivation and lack of increase inresearch time strongly influenced each other. Other factors that negatively influenced research motivation and research time were residing outside the special alert area and lecturer position and living with partner/spouseand associate professor position, respectively. Deep learning is a research method enabling early prediction of unexpected events, suggesting new applicability in nursing science. To continue research activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and future contingencies, the research environment needs to be improved, workload corrected by position, and considered in terms of work-life balance.

Art Teaching-learning Guidance Plan for the Studio Habits of Mind in Studio Thinking

포스트 코로나 시대 이후 우리는 지식 자체보다 학생들의 삶에서 역량을 키울 수 있는 교육에 더 관심을 두고 있다. 또한 지식의 상대성과 다양성으로 미술 교과의 통합적 인지 기능이 강조되고 있다. 이러한 맥락에서 지금도 연구되고 전 세계로의 프로젝트 연구 확장 및 홍보를 거듭하고 있는 하버드 대학교의 프로젝트 제로는 미국의 많은 교육 기관 및 해외 기관들과도 연계하여 범세계적 연구 활동을 지속하고 있는 연구로 현장의 교육적 활용에 주목할 필요가 있다. 프로젝트 제로 팀이 진행 하고 있는 다양한 프로젝트 중 미술 실기 수업 방법의 하나인 스튜디오 씽킹(Studio Thinking)의 다양한 수업 사례를 살펴본 후 사고 습관 중심의 교사 발문을 교육 현장에 맞게 재구성하였다. 이를 기반으로 미술적 잠재력을 지닌 6학년 미술 영재원 학생을 대상으로 3주에 걸친 프로젝트 학습을 실행하였다. 이는 스튜디오 씽킹의 8가지 사고 습관(Studio habits of mind)중심의 미술 실기 수업을 통해 굿맨이 말하는 인지주의적 측면의 사고력을 확장하고자 했다. 즉 미술 실기와 사고 습관을 유기적으로 연계하고 구체화하는 과정에서 영재 학생들의 사고력 확장 가능성을 확인하고 스튜디오 씽킹 사고 습관 중심 지도의 연구기반을 마련하고자 한다.Since the post-corona era, we are more interested in education that can develop competencies in the lives of students rather than knowledge. In addition, the relativity and diversity of knowledge emphasize the integrated cognitive function of art subjects. Harvard University's Project Zero, which is still being researched in this context and is expanding and publicizing project research around the world, collaborates with many educational institutions and overseas institutions in the United States to create a global Continuing research activities. It is necessary to pay attention to the educational use in the field. After examining various classes of Studio Thinking, which is one of the art practical class methods, among the various projects being promoted by the Project Zero, we reconfigured the teacher's questions centered on Studio habits according to Elementary School. Based on this, a 3-week project study was carried out for 6th grade art gifted students with artistic potential. Through studio habits-centered art practical classes, this is an attempt to expand the cognitive side of Goodman's ability to think. In other words, In linking practical art and Studio habits, we will confirm the possibility of expanding the thinking power of gifted students and try to establish a research base for studio habits of mind centered instruction.

Current and Future Trends In Mobile Device Forensics

The contemporary nature of Mobile Devices has brought about evolution process making computational algorithm and networking capabilities to keep up to pace with its constantly growing workload requirements in it usage. This has allowed devices such as smartphones, tablets, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to perform increasingly complex activities making it more efficient enough to replace the traditional options like desktop computers and notebooks. However, due to their portability and size, these devices are more prone to theft, to become compromised, or to be exploited for attacks and other malicious activity. The need for investigation of the aforementioned incidents resulted in the creation of the Mobile Forensics (MF) discipline. MF, a sub-domain of digital forensics, is specialized in extracting and processing evidence from mobile devices in such a way that attacking entities and actions are identified and traced. Apart from the MF being used for extraction and processing evidence from mobile devices, the MF has recently expanded its scope to encompass the organized and advanced evidence representation and analysis of future malicious entity behavior. The activity of mobile device in crime also falls under the classification of cybercrime as sophisticated devices such as smartphones can be used by hackers on the move. Nonetheless, data acquisition still remains its focus. While the field is under continuous research activity, new concepts such as the involvement of Cloud Computing in the MF ecosystem and the evolution of enterprise mobile solutions – particularly Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – bring new opportunities and issues to the discipline. The current paper presents the research conducted with the MF ecosystem during the last 7 years (Konstantia Barmpatsalou, Tiago Cruz, Edmundo Monteiro, and Paulo Simoes. 2018. Current and Future Trends in Mobile Device Forensics), identifies the gaps, and highlights the impact or implication in different jurisdiction. There is a need to have well defined research programmes to constantly search into the behaviors and flaws of institution on cyber safety and challenges that behalf governance on decision making. Keywords: Mobile Forensics, Cybersecurity, Device Management, smartphones, Politics, Trust BOOK Chapter ǀ Research Nexus in IT, Law, Cyber Security & Forensics. Open Access. Distributed Free Citation: (2022): Current and Future Trends In Mobile Device Forensics Book Chapter Series on Research Nexus in IT, Law, Cyber Security & Forensics. Pp 215-220 www.isteams.net/ITlawbookchapter2022. dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/CRP-BK3-P35

No Pain No Gain - Quest for Academic and Research Excellence

No pain in academic and research endeavours, no gain in university rankings. Let us look at the gain first. Any university worth its salt has a high caliber faculty who are experts in their fields of study and are effective teachers or mentors to their students. Their effectiveness in teaching are mostly informed by their continuing research activities and strong academic performance of students. As more faculty publish their studies, the higher the probability of citations. Reputation and university rankings elevate with academic and research excellence of its faculty and students. Improved university rankings are likely to translate into opportunities for larger international research collaborations and funding. As more resources become available for research, higher is the chance to participate in ground-breaking studies.

Research Trend Analysis in Liberal Arts Education －A Systematic Review of the Literature

This study was conducted with the aim of comprehensively examining the research results of liberal arts education in Korea and deriving research tasks to be implemented for the revitalization of liberal arts education in the future. To this end, a total of 1,491 papers from 2011 to 2021(all of which used“liberal arts”as their theme) were used for analysis and were analyzed by an analysis framework prepared by a researcher, The research results of liberal arts education are as follows: Liberal arts education research has grown significantly over the past 10 years, and the Content Method(63.3%) has been studied the most as a research topic. Among these content methods, 612 Basic Education studies (54.2%) ranked the highest in terms of topics studied, followed by 546 in Communication Education (89.2%) and 37 in Cognitive Education(6.0%). The most common topic of study concerning the subject of literacy education was 149 in Physical Experiences (48.4%), followed by Personality 86 (27.9%) and Career 21 (6.8%). The most frequent research regarding support operation was Quality Control with 358 (67.8%), followed by 143 (27.1%) in Teaching and Learning. In order for liberal arts education research to develop further, continuous joint research activities, with various academic societies and associations in the field of liberal arts education, are required. In addition, follow-up studies involving various topics, such as research on new topics of liberal arts education pertaining to character and career, research on the professors themselves teaching liberal arts education, and performance management research to review the effectiveness of liberal arts education, should be conducted.

PRELIMINARY CORE PREPARATION FOR SPECIAL CORE ANALYSIS-GUIDELINES

The application of core analysis to provide data for reservoir evaluation is not a new science but has seen continued research activity over along period. Core analysis is complex containing many stages between the reservoir and the final measurements and interpretation. To ensure the data produced is valid, every step along this phase must be handled with equal attention. Recently developed techniques of measuring certain special core analysis of rock formation are being perfected. The objective of this paper is to provide information that will be of practical value to geologists and engineers involved with preliminary core preparation program. Following is a guideline for preliminary special core preparation. The step by step outline presented below is a suggested guideline and, most certainly, modifications and or changes may be made. However, this guideline has been found to be very successful for laboratory works.

Practical strategies for qualitative inquiry in a virtual world.

The aim of this article is to provide practical strategies for maintaining methodological rigour in executing a virtual qualitative study. Strategies are based on evidence from existing research about virtual qualitative methods and on the strategies used by the authors to convert a planned in-person qualitative, grounded theory study to an entirely virtual grounded theory study during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study began in-person in September 2019 and was converted to virtual in March 2020. Virtual data collection was completed in September 2020. This article provides a case exemplar of virtual adaptations made to a study underway when the pandemic rendered all in-person research impractical and potentially dangerous. The strategies discussed are based on our own experiences and the supporting theoretical assumptions of qualitative research, specifically grounded theory methods. Nursing scholars conducting qualitative inquiry may find these strategies helpful in continuing research activities during periods of limited access to the phenomena or persons of interest. Furthermore, these strategies allow nursing scholars to conduct rigorous, in-depth research without geographical limitations, providing greater possibilities for international collaborations and cross-institution research. Despite novel challenges, methodological adaptations that are carefully planned and purposeful allow qualitative and non-qualitative scholars to continue research activities in a fully virtual manner. This case exemplar and discussion provide practical strategies for qualitative scholars to consider while planning new studies or converting an in-person study to a virtual one. Despite the in-person nature of in-depth qualitative inquiry, a historic pandemic and a changing research environment require qualitative researchers to adapt to virtual methods while still conducting high quality, methodologically rigorous research. Qualitative scholars can use the strategies presented here to continue rigorous qualitative inquiry despite limited access to phenomena or persons.

Survey of the Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons Globally.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic required rapid, global health care shifts to prioritize urgent or pandemic-related care and minimize transmission. Little is known about impacts on pediatric orthopaedic surgeons during this time. We aimed to investigate COVID-19-related changes in practice, training, and research among pediatric orthopaedic surgeons globally. An online survey was administered to orthopaedic surgeons with interest in pediatrics in April 2020 and a follow-up was administered in February 2021. The surveys captured demographics and surgeons' self-reported experiences during the pandemic. Participants were recruited from web media and available email lists of orthopaedic societies over a 2-month period. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze results, stratified by the severity of local COVID-19-related measures. A total of 460 responses from 45 countries were collected for initial survey. Of these, 358 (78.5%) respondents reported lockdown measures in their region at time of survey. Most (n=337, 94.4%) reported pausing all elective procedures. Surgeons reported a reduction in the average number of surgeries per week, from 6.89 (SD=4.61) prepandemic to 1.25 (SD=2.26) at time of survey (mean difference=5.64; 95% confidence interval=5.19, 6.10). Average number of elective outpatient appointments per week decreased from 67.89 (SD=45.78) prepandemic to 11.79 (SD=15.83) at time of survey (mean difference=56.10, 95% confidence interval=5.61, 60.58). In total, 177 (39.4%) surgeons reported using virtual modes of outpatient appointments for the first time. Of 290 surgeons with trainees, 223 (84.5%) reported implementation of systems to continue training such as webinars or virtual rounds. Of 192 respondents with research, 149 (82.8%) reported continuing research activities during the pandemic with most reporting either cessation (n=75, 64.15%), or reduction (n=25, 29.9%) in participant recruitment. A total of 111 responses from 28 countries were collected during follow-up. Surgeons described policy and circumstantial changes that facilitated resumption of clinical work. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related counter measures have had significant impacts on pediatric orthopaedic practice and increased uptake of technology to provide care continuity. Rigorous epidemiological studies are needed to assess impacts of delayed and virtual care on patient outcomes.

The retirement experiences of women academics: a qualitative, descriptive study

ABSTRACT Retirement is now considered a process rather than a single event. Pathways to retirement are evolving and the retirement experiences of academics are becoming increasingly relevant given the aging academic workforce in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Academic retirement studies highlight that most academics continue to work in retirement. However, gender tends to be overlooked. Based on semi-structured interviews with eleven retired women academics, ranging in age from 64 to 73 years of age, who were employed in the Republic of Ireland, this article explores the impact of retirement on their daily lives and their personal and professional relationships. Following thematic analysis, four main themes were identified: (i) the impact of retirement on identity, (ii) the freedom of retirement, (iii) striving for health and wellbeing and (iv) the value of ongoing professional relationships in retirement. The majority of women continued to engage in meaningful work (paid or unpaid) which was central to their daily lives and identity following retirement. Three academics, in senior roles, who had long uninterrupted careers and who had strong research track records experienced dissatisfaction with mandatory retirement yet were able to continue research activities in retirement. Those with less research activity were more likely to retire early and describe the impact of stress and fatigue upon their health. Together, the findings illustrate that women academic’s retirement pathways are heterogeneous. The findings have implications for the academic profession, human resource and retirement planning professionals.