ABSTRACT
The importance of crude oil volatility and geopolitical risk for stock pricing is well known in both developed and emerging economies, but is relatively understudied in major oil-exporting countries at the sectoral level of stock indices and under various market conditions. Using daily data on eight Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stock sector indices over the period February 2010–30 June 2022, we capture the effect of two global risk factors, namely oil implied volatility and geopolitical risk, on stock returns and volatility while accounting for bull/bear markets and low/high volatility regimes. The analysis indicates the following results. Firstly, the effect of oil implied volatility is stronger than that of geopolitical risk, notably for Consumer Discretionary and Staples. Secondly, the effect on both returns and volatility is generally positive during bull markets, but it is stronger for volatility;the response of the returns of Energy, Materials, Industrials, and Financials is negative in bear markets and positive during bull markets. Thirdly, the effect of oil implied volatility on stock sector volatility is slightly higher during the COVID-19 outbreak for some cases and is prominent during bull markets. Our findings matter for the predictability of GCC stock sector returns and volatility and for the design of hedging strategies under various market states. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only resulted in millions of deaths but, together with the strategies imposed to contain the spread of the disease, it has had significant psychological and social effects. This paper considers these effects in residents of the USA, the country that has reported the highest number of deaths from COVID-19. Between April and May, 2020, responses were obtained to an on-line survey, which included asking participants, recruited by snowball sampling, to describe their worst experience of the pandemic. The responses of 741 participants, primarily female and Caucasian, were subjected to a thematic content analysis which used a primarily deductive approach in which these responses were viewed in terms of transitions in construing. The transition themes identified were anxiety;threat;loss of role;sadness;contempt;and stress. Various subthemes were also identified. The study provided further evidence of the utility of a personal construct framework in conceptualizing experiences associated with illness and the risk of this. Implications of its findings are considered at both an individual and a societal level. © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
ABSTRACT
Background. Healthcare workers are at high risk of Covid-19 (C19) infection and received priority for C19 vaccinations. Therefore, we conducted a serosurvey to determine anti-C19 antibodies and evidence of C19 infection in health care employees who did or did not have direct contact with patients. Methods. 49 participants provided finger stick blood samples collected onto filter papers and tested for antibodies to C19 using Bio-Plex Pro Human SARS-CoV-2 IgG reagents. Antibodies to C19 nucleocapsid (N), receptor-binding domain (RBD), spike 1 (S1), and spike 2 (S2) were measured. Samples were collected 8 to 11 months after C19 vaccines were made available. Results. All participants received two doses of Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna RNA-based C19 vaccines, and all showed serological evidence of antibodies to C19 RBD, S1, and S2. Antibodies to N, considered a marker of C19 infection, were detected in 16 individuals, of whom 10 reported having a PCR documented C19 infections. 6 individuals had evidence of C19 infection of which they were not aware. Antibody levels were notably higher following infection and for not infected participants following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination. There was a 20% higher infection rate in participants with direct patient contact. Conclusion. This vaccinated population had significant rates of strong antibody responses to C19 infection and a notable rate of C19 infections, most notable in those providing direct patient care.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major disruption to colleges and universities, with many institutions cancelling in-person learning and moving to completely online instruction for a time. Since the pandemic began, institutions of higher education have utilized varying degrees of face-to-face, hybrid and online instruction. These changes have impacted both students and faculty in science and engineering fields. Traditional science and engineering students have had to adapt quickly to new, and largely unwelcome, means of learning. In addition, faculty have had to abruptly alter their teaching to adjust to changes in teaching formats imposed by the pandemic. Using a web-based survey of engineering and computer science programs in US and Canadian universities, this paper studies the challenges introduced to STEM education due to the COVID-19 pandemic from students' perspectives. The survey was administered in face-to-face, hybrid and completely online classes to study students' perceptions and attitudes as well as challenges related to changes in teaching formats during the pandemic. Furthermore, this study assesses students' perceptions about the future of teaching in a post COVID-19 environment. Results of this study provide insights into both current and future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on engineering and computer science education. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the evolution of a first-year engineering mechanics course, Solid Mechanics I, over the two iterations that it has been flipped. It discusses the teaching strategies that have and haven't worked when delivering the course in both an online and hybrid approach. These include recommended durations for lecture videos, types of assessments, grade distributions, etc. Flipping the classroom was a result of the forced transition online due to Covid-19. To best support the students in the unprecedented times, the instructor opted to combine components from both asynchronous and synchronous teaching styles. Asynchronous lecture videos were accompanied by synchronous class time where the instructor clarified concepts, demonstrated real-life applications, solved higher-level problems, and implemented group activities. A combination of these active learning strategies was the key to structuring the course to keep the students engaged despite being online for all, or part, of the term as delivered in Fall 2020 and Fall 2021, respectively. In the Fall 2020 iteration, the course was delivered fully online to roughly 325 students in civil, environmental, geological, and architectural engineering. Since then, the course had been improved and adjusted in response to the students' feedback collected from an end-of-term survey. Approximately 270 students were enrolled in the course in the subsequent Fall 2021 term which took a hybrid approach as Covid-19 restrictions began to lighten. With students being able to learn in-person again, the course had shifted to emphasize student-to-student and student-to-instructor interactions. Feedback became immediate, allowing for the course to be molded to the students' satisfaction as the term progressed. Changes between the two years have been documented in the paper along with recommendations for future adaptations. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022
ABSTRACT
Each year, second-year University of Waterloo Civil Engineering students participate in a bridge design project referred to as CivE Design Days. This two-day event was created to enhance student learning by promoting a friendly, mildly competitive, and student-led environment where second-year course concepts are applied to a comprehensive design activity. The project is split into four stages: preliminary design, bridge construction, bridge testing, and project reflection. The preliminary stage required students to apply their knowledge in highway design to propose a preliminary road between two locations which must cross a wide river. Students must draw from their mechanics courses to propose a bridge design that will support the traffic crossing the river. In the bridge construction and testing stages, students must demonstrate communication skills as they work together to build a scaled bridge model. After testing, students are asked to reflect on their designs and identify areas of improvement. Historically, all stages of the project were completed by in-person student teams, working in a design shop. In 2020, obstacles arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made gathering students for in-person events impossible. As a result, an online version of the CivE Design Days was developed with the primary goal being to achieve the same learning objectives in the online environment. In 2021, subsequent changes were made and a hybrid version of the design project was introduced, with in-person and remote participants working together and in parallel to accomplish project objectives. This paper discusses challenges encountered and methods used to manage them through the transition of the project activities from in-person to remote, and then subsequently to a hybrid format. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022
ABSTRACT
Background. Obesity is linked to increased risk of complications and is reported to be the most common underlying condition for severely ill SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. Therefore, we aim further to explore the clinical outcomes of obese children with COVID-19. Methods. Data were from the Pediatric COVID-19 Case Registry, which includes any patient < 21 years of age diagnosed with COVID-19 at 170 instructions across the United States. A total of 778 COVID-19 positive non-immunocompromised hospitalized patients aged 24 months or older were included. Patients were assigned as obese or non-obese based on BMI as reported from medical records referenced to CDC BMI by gender and age classification (https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/ clinical-charts.htm). Results. Patients meeting inclusion criteria included 56% not obese and 44% obese. Compared to matched US population, obese children and adolescents appeared in this database at a rate of 2.3 times their frequency in the population. Obese patients were more likely to be Hispanic and older, symptomatic, have abnormal radiological findings, and require oxygen and ICU admission. Mortality, in this analysis, was similar across the groups. Demographic and clinical characteristics. NS: Not significant ∗within seven days of COVID diagnosis ∗∗∗mild: no need for supplemental oxygen;moderate: need for supplemental oxygen and severe: need for mechanical ventilation. Conclusion. The incidence of obesity in hospitalized COVID children is higher than that of the general population (34% vs. 19%), highlighting obesity as an important risk factor for hospitalization associated with SARS-CoV-2 infected. Therefore, obese children and adolescents with COVID should be prioritized for COVID immunization and managed aggressively, given their significant COVID morbidity.
ABSTRACT
The first Architectural Engineering (AE) class at the University of Waterloo (UW) began in fall of 2018. The compulsory co-op work experience, architectural studio component each semester, and collaboration with the UW School of Architecture are features of the program that make it unique in North America, just to name a few. In order to provide an introduction at the beginning of the school year that would adequately capture the essence of the program, a tried-and-true hands-on engineering project model at UW called 'Design Days' was adapted for the AE program. In 2018, the inaugural two-day design-build project called 'AE Design Days' was held wherein first-year students worked in groups to design a piece, or set, of furniture that enhanced an assigned site in a UW Engineering building. The objectives of the project were to provide an 'ice-breaking' opportunity between students, as well as with the faculty;introduce the students to the AE program content, especially as it relates to the design process;provide opportunities for the students to work with their hands building models;and, to allow for the course instructors to gauge the skillset and prior knowledge of the incoming students [1]. Following the success of the first AE Design Days event, the same project model was implemented in 2019, with minor modifications to improve the event logistics and student experience. This paper discusses the planning and implementation of the most recent edition of the event held in 2020 and the dramatic overhaul required as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to online/remote learning. With new constraints and potential opportunities associated with the online learning platform, the event saw its overall intent and structure shift to prime the students for working online in an AE context, and to provide a vessel to introduce students to the program and build new relationships, since these efforts are crucial at the start of the program, and do not come as naturally when online. The event drew a large crowd, with nearly 100% of the 124 students participating and dozens of volunteers coming from various groups (students, faculty, and industry), and was shown to be well-received by the results of surveys. The paper concludes with a reflection of the perceived successes and challenges of the event. Also, recommendations are discussed in the context of the virtual event platform, which can be extended to general AE online learning. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021