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COVID-19 pandemic responses affected atmospheric composition and climate. These effects depend on the background emissions, climate, and season in which they occur. Although using multiple scenarios is common in explorations of long-term climate change, they are rarely used to explore atmospheric composition or climate changes in response to transient emission perturbations on the scale of COVID-19 lockdowns. We used the ModelE Earth system model to evaluate how atmospheric and climate impacts depend on the decade and season in which lockdowns occurred. Global COVID-19-related anomalies in aerosols and trace gases differed by up to an order of magnitude or more when comparing lockdowns in 1980, 2008, 2020, and 2051. Regional atmospheric composition anomalies tended to be largest when emissions were near a historical peak: 1980 in Europe and temperate North America, 2008 or 2020 in eastern Asia, and 2051 in south Asia. Regional aerosol direct effect anomalies were almost always less than 0.1 W m( -2) during the first pandemic year, but over 0.1 W m (-2) in Europe and exceeded 0.2 W m(-2) in Europe and temperate North America in 1980, generally changing in tandem with regional emissions. In contrast, direct effect anomalies in Asia were positive in 1980 and negative in 2008, suggesting they may be primarily determined by exogenous emission anomalies. Shifting COVID-19 onset in 2020 by 3, 6, or 9 months also altered atmospheric composition on the order of 2%-25% globally. In all scenarios, changes in surface temperature or precipitation appeared unrelated to local atmospheric compositional changes.
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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that explains structural responses to external organizational shocks. The authors illustrate framework dynamics with one district's secondary schools' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The conceptual framework imagines structure as emergent, dynamic and responsive to external pressures, as the authors posited in an earlier publication. From an open systems perspective, the authors focus on restructuring for more effective sensemaking and bridging and buffering. Findings: The framework in this paper shows promise for its descriptive power. Interview participants' recollections of their responses to COVID-19 revealed an emergent structure and displayed evidence of crisis management, sensemaking and bridging and buffering. Research limitations/implications: The intent of this article, consistent with the special issue, is to propose a set of concepts that, together, shed new light on how researchers and leaders might think about structural adaptations to external influences. The conceptual framework shows promise, but has yet to be put to the test with systematic empirical research. Practical implications: The conceptual framework the authors develop here may serve to guide empirical research that expands knowledge of how school and district structures adapt to external influences. Viewing structure as supportive of adaptation to changing circumstances also informs preparation for and practice of education leadership. Originality/value: Capturing school and district leaders' recollections shortly after their schools' return to in-person learning is rare in the literature, and examining their reactions from an open systems perspective sheds new light on leadership under stress. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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In 1958, Petr Tovstik graduated with honors from the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics and soon after completed his PhD concerned with vibrations of helical springs. Graph On 30 December 2020, an outstanding scientist, Professor Petr E. Tovstik died as result of Covid-19. P.E. Tovstik was born on 28 December 1935 in Leningrad (Saint-Petersburg) in the family of a Lecturer in Classics and an astronomer. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Mathematics & Mechanics of Solids is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
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Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been crucial for controlling COVID-19. They are complemented by voluntary health-protective behavior, building a complex interplay between risk perception, behavior, and disease spread. We studied how voluntary health-protective behavior and vaccination willingness impact the long-term dynamics. We analyzed how different levels of mandatory NPIs determine how individuals use their leeway for voluntary actions. If mandatory NPIs are too weak, COVID-19 incidence will surge, implying high morbidity and mortality before individuals react;if they are too strong, one expects a rebound wave once restrictions are lifted, challenging the transition to endemicity. Conversely, moderate mandatory NPIs give individuals time and room to adapt their level of caution, mitigating disease spread effectively. When complemented with high vaccination rates, this also offers a robust way to limit the impacts of the Omicron variant of concern. Altogether, our work highlights the importance of appropriate mandatory NPIs to maximise the impact of individual voluntary actions in pandemic control. Copyright © 2022 Dönges, Wagner, Contreras, Iftekhar, Bauer, Mohr, Dehning, Calero Valdez, Kretzschmar, Mäs, Nagel and Priesemann.
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As engineering and technology continue to evolve, so should the use of such innovations in engineering pedagogy. Standard course learning modules have not often utilized technology to assist in learning of engineering principles and concepts;that is, until the COVID-19 pandemic required teachers and students to use technology more frequently in a virtual teaching/learning environment. Therefore, it is even more critical now that engineering pedagogy be adapted to incorporate technology in the classroom to enhance student learning of complex engineering concepts. In this study, a team of Civil Engineering professors has set out to incorporate technology into their classrooms to help students gain a stronger understanding of the fundamental building blocks of Civil Engineering. A series of comprehensive educational video and simulation-based learning modules were created for the Civil Engineering subdisciplines of environmental, geotechnical, transportation, and structural engineering. The development and implementation of such technology-based learning modules offer new opportunities to teach students the complex concepts of Civil Engineering through visual means. The efficacy of the learning modules were evaluated through student assessment surveys for: (1) the appropriateness of the module in aiding the introduction of course content, (2) the effectiveness of the module in enhancing student understanding of course content, and (3) the overall perception of students of the module. Implementation of the modules into the classroom has shown that students responded positively to the modules, referencing the modules as both engaging and comprehensive in aiding their understanding of course content. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
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The Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department at Midsized Northeastern University was awarded The National Science Foundation's Revolutionizing Engineering and computer science Departments (RED) grant in 2016 with the hopes of allowing engineering programs to improve the inclusion of minorities over the course of five years. The CEE Department used this opportunity to create a research group called Revolutionizing Engineering Diversity (RevED) that focuses on all underrepresented and underserved groups. The researchers used the grant to help change admissions as well as incorporate inclusive pedagogical practices. Currently, RevED is in the fifth year of the grant and has since spread out to utilize the Engineering Education Department and the Faculty Development Center to help broaden the impact of the grant to other students outside of the CEE Department. The RevED researchers were successful in helping develop a certification program for faculty and staff members to participate in. While there have been positive developments, the research group had to look at the effects of COVID-19 on the lives of students. RevED has utilized data regarding the impacts of the pandemic and will be looking to further develop insight on student experiences. While the poster will feature information on the changing student demographics and student perception of the climate of diversity, the impact of the pandemic will also be shown to see how students are affected and how to better address the needs of underrepresented and underserved students. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
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We examined daily level-3 satellite retrievals of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CO, Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) SO2 and NO2, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) over eastern China to understand how COVID-19 lockdowns affected atmospheric composition. Changes in 2020 were strongly dependent on the choice of background period since 2005 and whether trends in atmospheric composition were accounted for. Over central east China during the 23 January-8 April lockdown window, CO in 2020 was between 3 % and 12 % lower than average depending on the background period. The 2020 CO was not consistently less than expected from trends beginning between 2005 and 2016 and ending in 2019 but was 3 %-4 % lower than the background mean during the 2017-2019 period when CO changes had flattened Similarly for AOD, 2020 was between 14 % and 30 % lower than averages beginning in 2005 and 14 %-17 % lower compared to different background means beginning in 2016. NO2 in 2020 was between 30 % and 43 % lower than the mean over different background periods and between 17 % and 33 % lower than what would be expected for trends beginning later than 2011. Relative to the 2016-2019 period when NO2 had flattened, 2020 was 30 %-33 % lower. Over southern China, 2020 NO2 was between 23 % and 27 % lower than different background means beginning in 2013, the beginning of a period of persistently lower NO2. CO over southern China was significantly higher in 2020 than what would be expected, which we suggest was partly because of an active fire season in neighboring countries. Over central east and southern China, 2020 SO2 was higher than expected, but this depended strongly on how daily regional values were calculated from individual retrievals and reflects background values approaching the retrieval detection limit. Future work over China, or other regions, needs to take into account the sensitivity of differences in 2020 to different background periods and trends in order to separate the effects of COVID-19 on air quality from previously occurring changes or from variability in other sources.
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Background/Aims: So far detailed insights into the nursing staff's COVID-19 symptoms, testing, and results are missing. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the setting and regional differences in the occurrence of COVID-19 among nursing staff, analysing symptoms, testing, and their respective results. Methods: We used an online survey to conduct this cross-sectional study among Austrian nursing staff in different settings between May 12 and July 13, 2020. This article follows the STROBE statement. The survey includes demographic data, including age, professional qualification, e.g., nurse, nurse aid, and in which federal state and setting the participants work. In addition, we asked for COVID-19 symptoms and (result of the) testing. We used descriptive statistics as well as bivariate analysis to calculate the differences. Results: Nearly every sixth nurse reported experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. We found statistically significant differences between the settings and the federal provinces for the reported COVID-19 symptoms, but not the test results. In total, 1.6% of the participating nurses were tested for COVID-19, of which all were positive for COVID-19. Conclusions: In the future during a pandemic, health care staff should be comprehensively tested in all settings. Our results showed that shifting the perspectives from critical/acute settings to other settings, such as nursing homes, is needed. © 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.
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INTRODUCTION: Neurological complications of COVID-19, including delirium, are emerging in the adult population but have not been well described in pediatrics. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the cases of 2 adolescent males, ages 16 and 17, who presented with delirium secondary to an acute COVID-19 infection in the fall of 2020 at Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The foundation of our treatment strategy was the triad of alpha-2 agonists (clonidine, dexmedetomidine, guanfacine), antipsychotic agents (quetiapine, haloperidol, olanzapine), and melatonin. Discharge planning required involvement from inpatient psychiatry, case management, social work, and the family. Both patients showed improvement after several weeks. DISCUSSION: We believe these are the first reported cases of COVID-19-associated delirium in children outside of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). CONCLUSION: Pediatric COVID-19 delirium is a new manifestation of the COVID-19 disease. Treatment guidelines are emerging and lessons regarding therapies and discharge considerations are described in these 2 unique cases.