Flexible work arrangements and gender differences in research during the COVID-19 period in Zimbabwean higher learning institutions

This study sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19-induced flexible work arrangements (FWAs) on gender differences in research outputs during COVID-19. A mixed research methodology was used, focusing on higher learning institutions in Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling was applied to select 250 researchers from the 21 registered universities in Zimbabwe. The study's findings revealed that institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe did not provide the necessary affordances to enable both male and female academics to work from home effectively. The study also established that FWAs were preferred and appreciated by both male and female academics. However, whilst both male and female academics performed their teaching responsibilities without incident, unlike males, females struggled to find time for research, thus affecting professional growth and development negatively for female academics. Cultural traditions were found to subordinate females to domestic and caregiving responsibilities unrelated to their professions. The findings raise questions on the feasibility of the much-recommended FWAs for future work on female academics' research careers. Thus, without the necessary systems and processes to support female researchers, FWAs can only widen the gender gap in research outputs. This study contributes to the Zimbabwean higher learning institutions' perspective on how FWAs' policies and practices could be re-configured to assist female researchers in enhancing their research outputs as well as their career growth.

Considering Bio/Pharma Reformulation Strategies

[...]of the significant cost of development, companies seek to recoup finances through data exclusivity and patent protection of intellectual property, such as the drug product's formulation. Bio/pharma companies reformulate existing therapies for a whole host of reasons, such as treating underserved or neglected disease areas, improving patient adherence (particularly for target patient groups, such as paediatrics), reducing the potential of drug abuse, and providing alternative options in crisis situations-as has been apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pentamidine is an anti-infective agent that can be used to treat an earlier stage of the disease;however, it is unable to penetrate the blood-brain barrier sufficiently to treat the secondary stage of HAT. [...]it was hypothesized that a combined pentamidine-Pluronic formulation may be a suitable approach to provide patients with a single therapeutic option for treatment of all stages of HAT. [...]it was concluded that the pharmacokinetic data attained supports the use of safety and tolerability data from the conventional risperidone formulation for further testing of VAL401 (4).

Building Research Capacity in Primary Care Practices That Serve Predominantly Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations

In this commentary, we report on lessons learned over 2 years (2020-2022) from conducting primary care research through a novel alliance of an ACO consisting of independent practices, a health plan, and several academic researchers, with the support of a private foundation. Am J Manag Care. 2023;29(6):In Press _____ Takeaway Points The process of collaborating on research was mutually beneficial for a network of independent practices and a group of academic researchers. * The process benefited the practices by facilitating more precise thinking about quality improvement, motivating the staff, and enabling readiness for health system change. * The process benefited the researchers by illuminating nuances of clinical and organizational workflow and revealing the practices' in-depth understanding of the communities they serve. * If practices have more federally funded opportunities to consistently participate in research, it could help speed greater adoption of payment reform models to promote health equity at the state and national levels. _____ A 2021 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, Implementing High-Quality Primary Care, has called out the persistent "neglect of basic primary care research" in the United States.1 A 2020 study by the RAND Corporation found that primary care research represents only 1% of all federally funded projects (including projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], and the Veterans Health Administration).2 However, innovation in primary care is central to advancing health care delivery. Leaders in health care innovation recently called for CMS to test a proposal for primary care payment reform in accountable care organizations (ACOs) composed of independent practices (ie, practices not owned by hospitals).3 By innovating in independent practices, these leaders argued that CMS would provide incentives for those practices to stay independent, thereby potentially decreasing the vertical market consolidation that contributes to rising health care costs.3 Yet these same practices may have less experience with the kind of systematic innovation that leads to generalizable insights, because what little funding is available for primary care research is mostly awarded to large academic medical centers.1 AHRQ's practice-based research networks have not fully addressed this gap, as they have struggled to find infrastructure and maintain funding.1 In this commentary, we report on the lessons we learned over 2 years (2020-2022) from conducting primary care research through a novel alliance of an ACO consisting of independent practices, a health plan, and several academic researchers, with the support of a private foundation. [...]ACPNY found that experience with research facilitates innovation and readiness for health system change (lesson 1C).

Automatic Sleep Staging Using BiRNN with Data Augmentation and Label Redirection

Sleep staging has always been a hot topic in the field of sleep medicine, and it is the cornerstone of research on sleep problems. At present, sleep staging heavily relies on manual interpretation, which is a time-consuming and laborious task with subjective interpretation factors. In this paper, we propose an automatic sleep stage classification model based on the Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Network (BiRNN) with data bundling augmentation and label redirection for accurate sleep staging. Through extensive analysis, we discovered that the incorrect classification labels are primarily concentrated in the transition and nonrapid eye movement stage I (N1). Therefore, our model utilizes a sliding window input to enhance data bundling and an attention mechanism to improve feature enhancement after label redirection. This approach focuses on mining latent features during the N1 and transition periods, which can further improve the network model's classification performance. We evaluated on multiple public datasets and achieved an overall accuracy rate of 87.3%, with the highest accuracy rate reaching 93.5%. Additionally, the network model's macro F1 score reached 82.5%. Finally, we used the optimal network model to study the impact of different EEG channels on the accuracy of each sleep stage.

Innovative Digital Practices and Globalization in Higher Education. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development (AHEPD) Book Series

We are moving toward a future in which digital practices are becoming more ubiquitous. Also, there is evidence to suggest that innovative digital practices are changing the face of 21st-century learning environments. Critical to 21st-century teaching and learning success is continued emphasis on learner preferences, shaped by innovative digital technology-driven learning environments alongside teacher awareness, knowledge, and preparedness to deliver high-impact instruction using active learning pedagogies. Thus, the purposeful and selective use of digital learning tools in higher education and the incorporation of appropriate active learning pedagogies are pivotal to enhancing and supporting meaningful student learning. "Innovative Digital Practices and Globalization in Higher Education" explores innovative digital practices to enhance academic performance for digital learners and prepare qualified graduates who are competent to work in an increasingly global digital workplace. Global competence has become an essential part of higher education and professional development. As such, it is the responsibility of higher education institutions to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to compete in the digital and global market. Covering topics such as design thinking, international students, and digital teaching innovation, this premier reference source is an essential resource for pre-service and in-service teachers, educational technologists, instructional designers, faculty, administrators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Handbook of Research on Language Teacher Identity. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development (AHEPD) Book Series

In today's educational world, it is crucial for language teachers to continuously evolve in order to best serve language learners. Further study on the best practices and challenges in the language classroom is crucial to ensure instructors continue to grow as educators. The "Handbook of Research on Language Teacher Identity" addresses new developments in the field of language education affected by evolving learning environments and the shift from traditional teaching and assessment practices to the digital-age teaching, learning, and assessment. Ideal for industry professionals, administrators, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students, this book aims to raise awareness regarding reflective practice and continuous professional development of educators, collaborative teaching and learning, innovative ways to foster critical (digital) literacy, student-centered instruction and assessment, development of authentic teaching materials and engaging classroom activities, teaching and assessment tools and strategies, cultivation of digital citizenship, and inclusive learning environments.

The Effects of the Pandemic on the Research Output and Strategies of Early Career Researchers and Doctoral Candidates

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken research in higher education in unexpected ways (OECD, 2021). While it sped up the transition to online and virtual modes of learning within the academe, it also generated significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression among university-based researchers (Chirikov et al., 2020). Higher education institutions adopted widespread changes in teaching loads and research policy at break-neck speed, often to the dismay of early career researchers and doctoral candidates. This chapter investigates the impact of the global health crisis on the research output and strategies of early career researchers and doctoral candidates at universities around the world. It reviews the literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research output and strategies. The chapter also incorporates recent findings from the author's research project, which investigates the long-term impact of the pandemic on academic writing strategies and output among doctoral candidates (following on from results previously published in Cahusac de Caux (2021)). © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Clustering Public Utility Bus Passenger's Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Utilization of Machine Learning with Metaheuristic Algorithm

Public utility bus (PUB) systems and passenger behaviors drastically changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed the clustered behavior of 505 PUB passengers using feature selection, K-means clustering, and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The wrapper method was seen to be the best among the six feature selection techniques through recursive feature selection with a 90% training set and a 10% testing set. It was revealed that this technique produced 26 optimal feature subsets. These features were then fed into K-means clustering and PSO to find PUB passengers' clusters. The algorithm was tested using 12 different parameter settings to find the best outcome. As a result, the optimal parameter combination produced 23 clusters. Utilizing the Pareto analysis, the study only considered the vital clusters. Specifically, five vital clusters were found to have comprehensive similarities in demographics and feature responses. The PUB stakeholders could use the cluster findings as a benchmark to improve the current system.

Cultures of Play: Actors, Affordances and Arenas

The principles of EECERA focus on providing a relevant and rigorous academic forum in Europe;facilitating collaboration and cooperation between European researchers and other researchers around the world;encouraging clear articulation and communication links between research, practice, and policy;and offering interaction, development, and support to those interested in early childhood education. The conference aimed to answer the following questions: * In what ways do cultures shape play in early childhood across time and space? * How is play sculpted by its actors, affordances, and arenas? * In light of the recent global pandemic and other disruptions to daily life, how does play feature in research, teaching, and experience? In addition to these thought-provoking keynote addresses, researchers and practitioners engaged in special interest group presentations in the following areas: birth to three, children from refugee or migrant backgrounds, digital childhoods, multimodality and STEM, disability studies and inclusive education in the early years, gender balance, holistic wellbeing, mathematics birth to 8 years, multilingual childhoods, outdoor play and learning, participatory pedagogy and praxeological research, professionalism in early childhood education and care, rethinking play, sustainability in early childhood education, transforming assessment evaluation and documentation in early childhood pedagogy, transitions, working with parents and families, and young children's perspectives.

Navigating students' mental health in the wake of COVID-19: Using public health crises to inform research and practice

This book highlights the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health needs of children and adolescents in order to shed light on future practice and reform needed to better deal with the aftermath of such devastating events. The book identifies the conditions during any public health crisis that heighten the mental health needs of children and adolescents and suggests the reforms of mental health services needed to better meet the needs during pandemics and public health crises. It will be of equal use to both students and researchers in the fields of mental health, well-being, and education as well as teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, and practitioners working in schools and communities to address students' mental health needs. The book will help readers better understand how and why COVID-19 was a negative influence on students' mental health and unpack how best to deal with the aftermath of pandemic. This research-focused series consist of titles that consider key issues affecting young people's mental health and well-being, exploring preventative measures, promoting positive behavior, and sharing research to develop effective and efficient treatment. The book was written at a time when the whole of humanity has been under the influence of coronavirus pandemic. The impact of this global crisis has increased stress and anxiety levels for everyone, but especially for children and their families, which has highlighted the importance of supporting and facilitating the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. The authors of the chapters help us better understand the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and adolescents, the nature and international scope of the problem, what can be done to mitigate the pandemic's ill effects, what we need to know more about, and how we might best prepare for future crises in public health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Clarifying Organizational Generativity: A Future Forming Perspective for OD Practitioners and Researchers

As the catastrophic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have made clear, both the practice and research of organizational development (OD) urgently need alternative pathways to the future. Organizational generativity (OG) offers one such promising alternative. While much of OD practice and research are focused on enabling organizations to better prepare for an unknown future, OG accommodates new ways for organizations to proactively create their own future. As a nascent field of inquiry, however, research on OG is underdeveloped and characterized by a lack of clarity. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the construct of organizational generativity to be more actionable by OD practitioners, researchers, and managers alike. Using grounded theory, we review and critique the literature on generativity, from the "ancestral" writers in psychology to current OD authors. Through successive rounds of inquiry, we reveal the syntax, the semantics, and the inherent processual nature of organizational generativity. We then derive a conceptual framework describing seven manifestations of generative organizational processes: relational, transformational, disruptive, future-focused, idea-giving, actionable, and procreative. Finally, we discuss implications for OD practice and opportunities for future research.

Long-course chemoradiation may improve organ preservation rates in rectal cancer

Researchers compared organ preservation rates - defined as alive, total mesorectal excision-free and having no evidence of disease in the pelvis - among 332 patients with rectal cancer (median age, 57 years;62.1% men) who underwent short-course (n = 76) vs. long-course (n = 256) chemoradiation total neoadjuvant therapy. Patient and tumor characteristics appeared similar between the groups, with no significant differences in high-risk features, and most patients (81.6%) had clinical stage III disease. Results showed 2-year OS rates of 95% with long-course vs. 92% with short-course chemoradiation, DFS rates of 78% vs. 70%, and distant recurrence rates of 20% vs. 21%. [...]researchers observed a 2-year organ preservation rate of 40% (95% CI, 35-47) with long-course vs. 29% (95% CI, 20-42) with short-course chemoradiation and, among those managed with a watch-and-wait approach, 88% (95% CI, 81-94) with long-course and 67% (95% CI, 51-87) with short-course chemoradiation.

Ethical and mental health considerations for research into trade and trafficking of natural resources

Arguably, researching the trade and trafficking of natural resources, such as wildlife crime, environmental crime, trafficking of natural commodities, unregulated and unreported fishing, factory farming, human–wildlife conflict, to name a few examples, involves all four areas of threat. [...]research can be extremely emotionally taxing for both the researcher and research participants. [...]it offers the researcher an opportunity to think through potentially "risky”, dangerous, harmful, and ethically compromising fieldwork situations, while reflecting on their own positionality and protection of themselves, research participants, and data. [...]they are required to fill out risk assessments and complete specialized training for hostile environments. With increasing use of qualitative research methods within the wildlife trafficking research field, coupled with the growing importance of human–wildlife interactions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this disparity in ethical regulations needs imminent addressing. [...]with the current emphasis on ‘decoloniality', an ethical review process could ensure that parachute social science is avoided, and equity and sustainable collaboration between stakeholders are foregrounded in the research.

Procurement system for resilient supply chain amid the COVID-19 pandemic: systematic literature review

PurposeThis study aims to provide a rich learning opportunity from COVID-19 crisis for making resilient supply chain by adopting new strategies for the procurement system.Design/methodology/approachThe systematic literature review has been conducted from the year 2012 to 2022 with the objective of developing procurement system for resilient supply chain. Fifty-four research papers are selected for this study.FindingsThe study exhibits that procurement function makes a significant contribution in creating supply chain resilience in the time of COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 emergency has enforced companies to operate in new ways to face supply chain disruptions. The new strategies and actions appropriate for resilient procurement system have been identified.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to the papers that were indexed in the Scopus database. It has also been limited to the procurement function and supply chain resilience.Practical implicationsThis research highlights strategies for supply chain resilience to improve the business performance in COVID-19 or similar types of crisis.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper is to identify the strategies and new practices followed in procurement function to improve the supply chain resilience. This study suggests directions for future research on the integration of procurement and manufacturing for making resilience in the supply chain.

Thematic content analysis of lockdown and domestic violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa

South Africa has been battling the scourge of the COVID-19 Pandemic which has negatively affected many individuals and families. The South African government imposed a national lockdown to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the lockdown also brought more challenges such as increased violence cases. Against this background, this study sought to analyse the COVID-19 lockdown and domestic violence in South Africa. A non-empirical research design was used where documents from search engines such as Google scholar, EBSCOhost and ProQuest were sampled and reviewed using keywords and phrases related to COVID-19, lockdown and domestic violence to filter relevant data, restricted to 2002-2022. The inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to analyze the collected data. Findings reveal that the South African Lockdown has contributed to the rise of domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results further indicate that victims of domestic violence face psychosocial challenges due to domestic violence. Programs that are aimed at creating awareness and empowering victims of domestic violence are recommended by this study. It is further recommended that policies protecting citizens against domestic violence be reviewed and strengthened.

Can everyone hear me? Reflections on the use of global online workshops for promoting inclusive knowledge generation

Online research methods have risen in popularity over recent decades, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. We conducted five online workshops capturing the experiences of participatory health researchers in relation to power, as part of a collaborative project to develop global knowledge systems on power in participatory health research. These workshops included predominantly academic researchers working in 24 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Here, we reflect on the opportunities, limitations, and key considerations of using online workshops for knowledge generation and shared learning. The online workshop approach offers the potential for cross-continental knowledge exchange and for the amplification of global South voices. However, this study highlights the need for deeper exploration of power dynamics exposed by online platform use, particularly the ‘digital divide' between academic partners and community co-researchers. Further research is needed to better understand the role of online platforms in generating more inclusive knowledge systems.

Research in brief

A nasal monoclonal antibody Investigations following a pilot trial of foralumab, the nasal monoclonal antibody a monoclonal antibody develop for inflammatory conditions and now repurposed for COVID-19, revealed decreased inflammatory markers and the same gene expression modulation seen in patients with multiple sclerosis. A subsequent gene expression analysis found changes in gene expression patterns (including NKG7, TGF beB1 and GIMAP7) involved with the anti-inflammatory effects of the drug, not only in COVID-19 patients, but also in a patient with multiple sclerosis, meaning the drug may be used for several diseases. For more on COVID-19 drug resistance see Sci Adv 2023;published online March 29. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ade8778 For more on the new target for COVID-19 drugs see eLife 2023;published online March 21. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.83710 For more on the nasal monoclonal antibody see Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2023;published online March 7. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220272120 For more on antibodies for yellow fever see Sci Transl Med 2023;published online March 29. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.ade5795 For more on a new drug for mpox see J Med Virol 2023;published online March 10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28652 For more on the transmission of bacterial vaginosis see Cell Rep Med 2023;published online March 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.100981 For more on endolysin see J Invest Dermatol 2023;published online March 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2023.01.039

Co-producing rapid research: Strengths and challenges from a lived experience perspective.

The Lived Experience Researchers (LERs) of the Mental Health Policy Research Unit (MHPRU) reflect on the experience of conducting rapid co-produced research, particularly during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this perspective article, we introduce requirements for co-production applying the 4Pi Framework, reflect on specific characteristics of co-production in rapid research, discuss strengths and challenges for involvement of LERs in rapid research, and lastly provide recommendations to achieve meaningful involvement. Incorporating meaningful co-production is an augmentation to any research project, with several benefits to the research, to the team, and to individual researchers. Particularly in the case of rapid research, that aims for efficient translation of knowledge into practice, involvement of experts by experience will be key. The work conducted by the MHPRU LERs presented in this paper demonstrates the viability, value, and potential of this way of working.

Challenge of Brazilian health researchers in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario.

Advances in Brazilian science made the country reach the 13th position in the world scientific production, and, in 2020, o Brazil was responsible for 2.39% of the world scientific production, reaching the 11th position among the countries that most published about COVID-19. The aim of this study was to contribute to and reflect on the issue of health researchers and graduate students in the scenario of COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic highlighted the importance of science in the outcome of public policies and the fragility of the research system in Brazil, where the workforce is mainly composed of graduate students, who often do not have ideal working conditions and are not included in the response plans to global public health emergencies. This text brings a reflection and a questioning on the role of health researchers and graduate students and reinforces the importance of discussing the work of researchers/scientists in a period of great uncertainty in society.

Os avanços na ciência brasileira alcançaram a 13ª posição na produção científica mundial, e, em 2020, o Brasil foi responsável por 2,39% da produção científica mundial, alcançando a 11a posição entre os países que mais publicaram sobre a COVID-19. O objetivo deste trabalho foi contribuir e refletir sobre o debate dos pesquisadores e pós-graduandos da área de saúde no cenário pandêmico da COVID-19. A pandemia da COVID-19 evidenciou a importância da ciência no desfecho de políticas públicas e a fragilidade do sistema de pesquisa no Brasil, em que a maior força de trabalho se concentra em pós-graduandos, que muitas vezes não possuem condições ideais de trabalho e não estão inseridos nos planos de resposta às emergências globais de saúde pública. Este texto traz uma reflexão e problematização sobre o papel dos pesquisadores e pós-graduandos em saúde e reforça a importância de discutir a atuação de pesquisadores/cientistas em um período de grandes incertezas na sociedade.

Adaptation of logistics companies to operation under the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the problem of companies adapting to operate under restrictions more acute. Logistics companies were the special focus of researchers because of the specifics of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article aims to determine the features of the management of logistics companies to adapt them against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The methodological background of the analysis is the analysis of financial ratios - Total Revenue Growth;Capital Expenditure Growth;Working Capital Growth;Debt/ Equity ratio;Equity/Total Assets, as well as the case method - a description of the business situation of the company in the sample of JD Logistics, which have successfully adapted to changes against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of the financial statements of the surveyed companies revealed several trends in their financial management during the pandemic - a decline in net income from sales after the pandemic;an increase of capital investments in 2019-2021;reduction of working capital growth rates after 2019;growth of the debt-to-equity ratio after the beginning of the pandemic;maintaining the equity to assets ratio at a stable level in 2019-2021. A set of factors influencing the exogenous and endogenous environment is identified in support of the logistics companies adaptation programme under the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions by the following blocks: "government action and regulatory policy";"support of the company's operation";"company finance";"customer relations";"relations with suppliers". Prospects for further research involve studying financial and market factors influencing the practice of adaptation of logistics companies in a pandemic, as well as studying the problem of adaptation of companies in the post-crisis phase after the COVID-19 pandemic.