Post-pandemic World Research Articles

Exosomal Vesicles: A Therapeutic Strategy Against Severe Sars-Cov-2 in Multiple Myeloma Patients

During the early phase of the pandemic, studies revealed that COVID-19 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) had significantly higher hospitalization rates (56%), with 20% requiring critical care and 18% facing an increased risk of mortality. MM patients undergoing anticancer therapy showed a 55% higher risk of mortality when infected with COVID-19. Even in the post-pandemic world, MM patients remain at heightened risk for breakthrough infections and severe SARS-CoV-2 due to their immunocompromised status, necessitating hospitalization. While both active and remission MM patients exhibited worse outcomes than COVID-19 patients without cancer, limited research exists to elucidate the underlying causes. In this study, we aimed to (1) develop a model elucidating the pathogenesis and interplay between MM and severe SARS-CoV-2, and (2) explain the efficacy and therapeutic potential of Exosomal Vesicles (EVs) as an intervention against severe SARS-CoV-2, supported by clinical evidence. Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers multi-organ dysfunction through IL-6 mediated inflammation. Concurrently, malignancies like multiple myeloma cause apoptosis via hypoxia-induced metabolic changes, also involving IL-6. Within the tumor microenvironment, IL-6 propagates inflammation, tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis, while inhibiting apoptosis. In MM, IL-6 serves as a survival factor, impeding apoptosis in myeloma cells and reshaping the bone marrow's tumor microenvironment, resulting in disease progression. In this model, infection with severe SARS-CoV-2 exacerbates the pro-inflammatory state in MM patients due to increased IL-6 production, stimulating increased complement and acute phase reactant production, ultimately resulting in severe systemic injury ( Figure 1). Given the virus's complexity, therapeutic options against severe SARS-CoV-2 remain limited, especially in the immunocompromised. However, EVs have shown promising therapeutic efficacy in severe SARS-CoV-2 cases, acting as both SARS-CoV-2 entry neutralizers and immunomodulators. Their capacity to deliver therapeutic cargo enhances the immune response and associated therapeutic interventions in immunocompromised individuals, while promoting angiogenesis and tissue repair. This multi-faceted therapeutic approach enables EVs to target various points in the severe SARS-CoV-2 pathway, neutralizing viral replication and mitigating systemic injury ( Figure 1). Clinically, EVs have demonstrated an impressive overall survival rate of over 90% in severe SARS-CoV-2 patients aged 18 or older, persisting for at least six months after treatment. In conclusion, EVs have proven to be safe and well-tolerated in severe COVID-19 patients, leading to improved survival rates. The unique biology of EVs allows them to effectively target disease pathogenesis at multiple steps, mitigating direct injury, suppressing IL-6, and reducing systemic inflammation, while promoting tissue repair. Moreover, their potential to work individually or synergistically with other therapeutic interventions makes them valuable in countering the virus's heterogeneity and mutational adaptations. Notably, EVs exhibit limited drug interactions and side-effects, making them a viable approach to combat SARS-CoV-2 without disrupting the treatment regimens of MM patients.

Faculty perception of online education: considerations for the post-pandemic world

In the post-COVID era, academic institutions adapted curricula, utilizing aspects of the online delivery in full or partially. Consequently, this research focuses on identifying the factors that influence faculty perceptions of effective online delivery in higher education and comparing them with students’ perceptions. The study involves semi-structured interviews with 15 faculty members at a renowned university to gain insights into their online teaching experiences during the pandemic. Additionally, 51 faculty members participated in a survey using the Relative Importance Index (RII) method to determine the most significant practices impacting online delivery. The results indicate that the most concerning factor for faculty during online delivery is facilitating students’ engagement and interactions in class, with an RII of 0.94. Controlling academic dishonesty during assessments receives a relatively lower concern with an RII of 0.67. Making lectures interactive is identified as the most challenging practice for faculty. Comparing the findings with students’ perceptions based on previous studies, both groups emphasize the significance of effective communication, interaction, and the use of technology. Faculty prioritize the delivery and organization of lectures, while students focus on engagement and interactive elements. Faculty value organization and relevance in assignments, while students emphasize instructor qualities and responsiveness.

Possibilities of the COVID-19 pandemic context for statistics education: some reflections

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide epidemiological event in which is demonstrated the power of information, science, mathematics, and statistics to understand policies and impacts on citizen’s behavior and public health. People’s access to statistical information related to pandemic demanded the mobilization of technical knowledge and their experiences and contextual knowledge. Also, to critically analyze the dissemination of inaccurate or wrong data and the proliferation of misinformation, the general population needs to develop statistical literacy, which will enable them to identify and avoid being influenced by misleading statistical data. The health crisis resulting from the pandemic is adding to other urgent problems that afflict humanity. In this challenging context, it seems important to rethink the role of mathematics education and statistical education. This paper aims to reflect on statistics education based on the guidelines of the curriculum and teachers’ engagement in implementing projects that involve cross-cutting contemporary themes, can make people more supportive and aware of their role in the post-pandemic world.

Navigating Love in a Post-Pandemic World: Understanding Young Adults' Views on Short- and Long-Term Romantic Relationships.

The uncertain future due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the technological advancements may have altered young adults' experiences of romantic relationships. It is unclear whether individuals will continue to prefer traditional long-term romantic relationships (LTRR) or opt for short-term ones (STRR). This research describes how young adults in Malaysia perceive LTRR and STRR. Using the structured approach of the theory of social representations, data were collected from 512 participants; 238 (46.48%) male; Mage 21.75; majority were heterosexual and students, and analyzed using prototypical analysis to reveal high consensus elements. Five observations were made: (1) females prioritize "love" in both STRR and LTRR, while males prioritize "love" only in LTRR; (2) females prioritize "marriage" in LTRR, while males prioritize "trust," "comfort," and "stability." Males do not consider "marriage" as part of a LTRR; (3) both males and females view STRR positively, while LTRR are viewed more practically; (4) "sex" is a core element in STRR but is absent in LTRR; (5) males differentiate between STRR and LTRR with no overlapping elements. These findings provide insight into the social representations of romantic relationships among young adults in Malaysia and suggest future directions for research in the field.

Stressors and Silver Linings during COVID-19: Implications for Supporting Families with Young Children in a Post-Pandemic World.

To better understand impacts of the COVID-19pandemic and resulting economic and social disruptions on families, we analyzed qualitative data capturing perspectives from parents of young children. This study analyzes interviews of parents of children aged 1-3.5 years at enrollment, recruited from four primary care systems serving mainly lower-income Hispanic families in Los Angeles, California. Interviews were conducted over 15 months beginning September 2020. Analyses focused on the open-ended question: Please describe in your own words how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected you and your family. We used iterative, multi-step processes to identify emergent qualitative themes. A total of 460 parent responses were collected and coded. Key themes and subthemes were tested for interrater reliability, with Kappa ranging from 0.74 to 0.91. Thematic analysis revealed two groups of responses, one emphasizing stress and one emphasizing "silver linings." Parents cited a range of stressors, from fear of COVID-19 to social isolation. Those emphasizing "silver linings" also referenced formal or informal supports - especially government/community assistance programs and childcare access - that enabled stronger family ties and positive lifestyle modifications. Experiences of families with young children during COVID-19 were not uniform. Economic stability and reliable childcare may be critical mediators of family stress. Results affirm that the pandemic's impacts were distributed through channels largely built on, and possibly exacerbating, existing disparities. For lower-income families with young children, funding for public and private programs that target economic stability and childcare assistance may merit prioritization in future socio-economic disruptions.

Working from home, active travel, health and wellbeing: Legacies of a pandemic

While many studies have explored the impact of COVID-19 and/or working from home (WFH) on the transport network and modal choice, relatively few have looked at the implications of WFH through the lens of physical activity (PA) and the role of active travel moving forward. Drawing from a survey of 1,165 Sydney (Australia) workers conducted in late 2020, after restrictions from the first COVID-19 wave were significantly eased across Australia, we explore the impact of the pandemic on perceived changes in WFH, active travel, physical health, and wellbeing. We identify three distinct segments of the population with differing active travel, PA and quality of life (QoL) outcomes: (1) ‘Active but Anxious’ (22%) – younger, higher income, largest increase in WFH, sitting relatively more, largest relative decrease in active commuting, increased relative PA and largest proportion who are physically active; (2) ‘Less Change, Less Worry’ (38%) – older and male, least change in WFH, least relative change in active commuting, sitting relatively less, largely sufficient PA, highest QoL; (3) ‘Stressed and Sedentary’ (40%) – average age, lower income, largest loss of paid work, highest levels of sitting, lowest PA and QoL. Given WFH remains a prevalent component of the travel activity matrix, we consider the implications of these heterogeneous outcomes for individuals, employers and policy-makers charged with shaping active travel policy and planning in a post-pandemic world.

Second-language writing anxiety and its correlates: A challenge to sustainable education in a post-pandemic world

Second-language writing anxiety and its correlates: A challenge to sustainable education in a post-pandemic world

The Nightingale Court Experiment: Lessons for Access to Justice in a Post-Pandemic World

The Nightingale Court Experiment: Lessons for Access to Justice in a Post-Pandemic World

Transformable architecture: An alternative for human communication in a post-pandemic world

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, people's lifestyles have been significantly changed. In a post-epidemic era, some of the existing social problems are magnified by the changes in lifestyle. Temporary isolation at home becomes commonplace and continuously makes people think more carefully and deeply about their houses' functionality, safety, and comfort. In addition, the emotional impact of the epidemic has also forced people to get more security and happiness from the outside environment. By summarizing the problems of the existing buildings during the epidemic, this paper collects and studies different types and characteristics of movable architecture to conclude how these transformable designs can help people deal with the problems exposed in functional space and mental needs arising from the epidemic era. The results of different transformable architecture techniques on spatial boundaries are summarized from transformable or movable buildings. The combination and penetration of transformable architecture with different scales of space are used as the entry point to propose that movable architecture can promote communication and exchange between people. The core value of movable architecture is to break the inherent boundary of architectural space and make more connections between the inside and outside space. Thus, it lays the foundation for having more face-to-face communication between people.

Semi-supervised, Neural Network based approaches to face mask and anomaly detection in surveillance networks

In the post-pandemic world, surveillance cameras play a key aspect when it comes to detecting various kinds of security risks. These can range from burglars entering a premises to an individual wearing or not wearing a mask where convention dictates one way versus the other. We are proposing a system that would allow the autonomous detection of these security risks with minimal human intervention. We propose using Multi-task Cascaded Convolutional Neural Networks as the face detector, followed by a Gabor image feature extractor, and the Kernel-based Online Anomaly Detection algorithm for detecting and identifying potential risks in real-time. We have tested our proposed framework on five different datasets comprising two datasets from public online repositories, one publicly available dataset from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and two from real-life settings. We compared our results to the Viola Jones legacy face detector, and with two other anomaly detection algorithms based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Autoencoder scheme. Our proposed framework has yielded high detection rates with low false alarm rates, in addition to being adaptive, portable, and requiring minimal infrastructure.

Exploring the Dynamics and Implications of Remote Work during and post-COVID-19: A Qualitative Analysis

This qualitative study scrutinizes the profound dynamics and implications of remote work during and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the lived experiences of seven practitioners and researchers across diverse industries, the research unearths the multifaceted advantages, challenges, and peculiarities linked with remote work. Furthermore, the study investigates the interplay of various personality types with remote work and explores potential optimization methods for a post-pandemic world. This research, therefore, offers context-specific perspectives on remote work, thereby enriching academic discourse and providing guidance for future policy-making and successful remote work strategy implementation. The central aim of this research is to highlight the variations in remote work adoption across sectors, to investigate the relationship between diverse personality types and remote work, and to disclose the inherent benefits and drawbacks through practitioners' and researchers' experiences. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative methodology, featuring in-depth interviews with participants who have transitioned to remote work during and after the pandemic, is utilized. This study is anticipated to result in a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of remote work. This understanding could assist organizations and individuals in making informed decisions about remote work arrangements. The research also strives to contribute to academic conversations surrounding work formats during and beyond the pandemic, proposing innovative strategies to foster creativity and self-improvement amid challenging circumstances. In conclusion, this research aims to guide organizational decision-making and policy formulation through its detailed exploration of the realities and prospective future scenarios of remote work. It also seeks to provide individuals with a comprehensive understanding of remote work dynamics, supplemented with effective navigation strategies.

Looking Back in Order to Move Forward: Lessons from COVID-19 for Teacher Education

This article provides critical perspectives on education technology integration in a teacher education context in a post-pandemic world. The authors—two early career teachers, one in a pre-school and one in an elementary school, and two elementary teacher education faculty members at a mid-sized public university—use the U.S. Department of Education’s 2016 guiding principles for educational technology in teacher education for analysis. The commentary evolves directly from and reflects the authors’ collective experience across the P-20 spectrum in education technology, with close attention paid to what was learned during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent pivot to remote learning in spring 2020, which altered the teacher education landscape in significant ways. This article makes curricular and pedagogical suggestions for P-20 educators and concludes with recommendations for future research at the intersection of technology integration and teacher education.

Psychopathology of the Situation in Gestalt Therapy: A Field-Oriented Approach (2023) Edited by Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb and Pietro Andrea Cavaleri. Routledge. ISBN: 9781032322025

Reviewed by the founder and former co-director of Gestalt Therapy Brisbane, Psychopathology of the Situation in Gestalt Therapy: A Field-Oriented Approach (2023) addresses the suffering experienced by people in a post-pandemic world. Representing the work of the Italian Gestalt Institute, this book is applicable to all psychotherapists. It is written in two parts. The first part advances an exciting, relational gestalt therapy theory that can inform modern practice. The second part offers in 11 chapters case studies and theoretical discussions to working with clients in difficult clinical situations. Moving beyond the intra-psychic to a holistic, embodied perspective, this collection of works by experienced practitioners and researchers blends practical applications with theories encompassing neuroscience, identity, diversity, reciprocity, aesthetics, anthropology, phenomenology, and sociology.

Creating inclusive educational spaces: assessing assessment in a post-pandemic world

ABSTRACT This article traces the shutdown of large-scale assessment in two countries – the United States and Denmark – as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These two countries, which have complicated histories with large-scale assessment and inclusion of diverse students, were forced to adjust their testing agendas during 2020. This article seeks to explore what divergent and convergent pathways Denmark and the United States could take in regard to large-scale assessment, particularly in regard to educational inclusion and diversity. Large-scale assessment regimes at once delimit the imaginary of inclusion and actively promote segregation and ability-based tracking, but at the same time represent a space for conceptual inclusion in educational achievement. Given these complexities, we provide policy scenarios on assessments in a post-pandemic world that could hold the potential of transcending the paradoxes presented by the alignment of the elitist educational agendas of assessments on the one hand, and the agenda of inclusion on the other hand. To do so, we chronicle this recent history and then evaluate four future scenarios for the two countries through the lens of educational values and complex systems theory.

Working from Home vs. In-office post-COVID-19

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has swiftly and drastically transformed our daily lives, including our perception of working-from-home (WFH) practices. Even in a post-pandemic world, employees have shown an ardent desire to retain the benefits of the novel pandemic-induced remote work experience, which challenges managers to reintegrate them into the conventional office setting. This paper aims to assess the advantages and disadvantages of home and office work environments from the viewpoints of employees and employers to identify the optimal future scenario that maximises the benefits to all parties involved. Although our understanding of the optimal balance between remote and office work is limited, the future of work will involve a hybrid approach, combining remote and in-office work. The transition to such an arrangement demands time, creativity, trust, and various other factors from the parties. It also calls for serious mindset shifts and up/reskilling efforts. The review ends with a consideration of future scenarios and industry implications of adopting hybrid work.

Management, mathematics, and management-mathematics: strengthening the link in a turbulent post-pandemic world

Management, mathematics, and management-mathematics: strengthening the link in a turbulent post-pandemic world

5.I. Round table: Governing private sector engagement: opportunities & challenges in public health policy & practice

Abstract Health systems all over the world rely on a mix of public and private inputs in the financing and provision of health services and products, with varying degrees of involvement of the private sector. The importance of private sector engagement was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when governments had to work with the private sector to meet the demand of health services and products. Private actors were engaged or worked in partnership with the public health system to supply rapid and often innovative solutions to strengthen some existing services and develop new ones. In tandem, various governance challenges such as the lack of transparency, inefficiencies, and potential corruption - undermining effective health system performance were also experienced. This workshop aims to shed light on the learnings from private sector engagement (both positive and negative) during the pandemic, discuss the relevant issues shaping the governance of private sector engagement in public health, and the policy and practice implications in the post-pandemic world. Session plan: Opening/welcome by Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Director, Division of Health Systems and Public Policy, WHO Regional Office for Europe (5 mins) - Tentative Brief reflection on the Importance of governing private sector engagement - opportunities and challenges in public health policy and practice by Gabriele Pastorino Technical Officer, WHO Regional Office for Europe (5 mins) Technical overview: key messages from the joint WHO EURO/European Observatory policy brief on lessons learnt from private sector engagement during COVID-19 by Anna Maresso, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (5 mins) - Tentative Roundtable discussion with panelists on key learnings on private sector engagement during COVID-19. (40 minutes) Panelist representing Policy, Academia, and Practice would be engaged in a roundtable discussion, answering questions to shed more light on this topic. This would be followed by interactive Q& A with the audience. Proposed questions: -what we have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic on engaging with the private sector (common challenges and opportunities) -examples of successful engagements and innovative collaborations that were maintained after the pandemic or scaled up relevant issues shaping the governance of private sector engagement in public health, and the policy and practice implications in the post-pandemic world. Key take-home messages from the session by Dr Naomi Limaro Nathan, Consultant, WHO Regional Office for Europe. (5 mins) Closing remarks Key learning outcomes: • To enable an increased awareness of the opportunities and challenges of governing private sector engagement in public health policy and practice in the post-pandemic world. •To build momentum for public health stakeholders to engage in the discourse and contribute to strengthening the governance of private sector engagement. Key messages • The pandemic experience has provided an opportunity for learnings - both good and bad to enable strengthened governance for private sector engagement. • Engaging with the private sector in a post-pandemic world is vital to addressing health system needs and achieving UHC.

Entrepreneuring for regenerative tourism. Doing business differently in Tasmania’s regional hospitality industry

Regenerative tourism has gained ground during the pandemic crisis as a set of practices and processes that have the potential to refashion the industry. Based on a co-created ethnographic case study focussing on a local restaurant in a popular tourism region in Tasmania, this study raises the question as to what business strategies offer opportunities for regenerative practices to materialise and mitigate concomitant challenges in a post-pandemic world. Drawing attention to the social dimension of entrepreneurship, this study highlights the significance of local embeddedness for tourism businesses to successfully transition to regenerative practices. Conceptually, this investigation is guided by the notion of ‘entrepreneuring’, which denotes an emancipatory process where economic activities are largely motivated by an orientation towards social change and the desire to make a difference in the world. Implementing regenerative practices requires entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo and do things differently, such as drawing on social networks instead of financial resources, altering discourses and mindsets and, ultimately, pushing for innovation and transformative change. The implications of this paradigm shift for operators in the tourism and hospitality sector need to be prioritized in future tourism research.

A Descriptive Study of Work-life Integration on Full-time Employees Implementing Flexible Working Arrangements

Flexibility in the workplace is one of the big changes we have seen in the post-pandemic world of work. Unfortunately, this new system is still poorly understood. As suggested by the spillover theory, one of the consequences is that the boundary between work and personal life will be a blur. Hence, the exploration of this issue is essential to be explored to help organisations to implement favourable policies accordingly. The aim of this study is to explore work-life integration (WLI) on full time employees implementing flexible working arrangement (FWA). This study utilised a quantitative approach, in which an online questionnaire using the Work-Life Boundary Enactment Scale was sent to 122 full-time employees, aged 21-50 years old, who are actively implementing FWA. Work-life integration levels were evaluated by age groups, genders, length of FWA implantation, work from office frequency. Among 122 respondents, 109 were eligible for data processing. Overall, the result indicated that the level of WLI for full-time employees implementing FWA was average (M=4.14). Though it is worth noting that the work-to-life segmentation (M=4.55) is higher than life-to-work (M= 3.73). Furthermore, we found that for work-to-life segmentation was higher for Gen Y, employees who have been implementing FWA for > 1 year, and who go into work for <1 day, 2 days, 4 days per week. On the other hand, the significant findings we found in the other segmentation was that Gen X and employees who had WFO frequency for 1 day/week had low Life to Work levels. These results are hoped to give organisations a better understanding on employee’s WLI to more effectively implement FWA.

Action leadership

Abstract: Given the economic and social reality that MSMEs are experiencing in the post-pandemic world, it is necessary to have a new style of leaders who can solve new organizational problems, for which a new leadership model was generated that integrates previous theories. Three independent leadership theories were mixed to develop a multidimensional model that could facilitate a better leadership assessment aiming to analyze the most important characteristics that employees seek in a leader. Data from 384 MSMEs employees was collected to analyze 31 combined items from three instruments to assess transformational, authentic, and learning leadership. This data was analyzed for validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes, resulting in a new model that could help researchers to collect reliable data that could be analyzed using the lens of this new model that receives the name of "action leadership". This new multidimensional model will facilitate the development of better working environments in MSMEs, guiding the efforts of their leaders to be able to fulfil the needs of their employees and their expectations about how their leaders solve the challenges.
 Keywords: Action Leadership; Transformational leadership; MSME´s
 
 JEL codes: M10, M12