Principal Perspectives on School Staffing Struggles: Finding from the 2022 Learn Together Survey. American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A827-14

In this report, a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) public school principals were asked about their experiences with covering classrooms and hiring staff. In the spring of the 2021-2022 school year, which coincided with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) omicron variant surge, most principals struggled to keep classrooms consistently staffed and many reported that hiring had become more challenging since the previous school year. Principals indicated that a lack of substitute teachers -- not an increase in open teaching positions -- was the main reason for classroom coverage shortages. In addition to day-to-day coverage issues, most principals reported that teacher vacancies were on the rise. Most of these principals believed that vacancies had grown more difficult to fill than in the prior school year, largely because of declining applicant counts. Principals' preferences when hiring teachers lend further insight into potential drivers of hiring challenges. A large majority of principals expressed strong preferences for like-minded teachers whose mindsets aligned with the vision and culture of the schools. Few principals prioritized the diversity of the educator workforce at their schools.

The ideological, theoretical, and socio-economic context of critical HRD: A foundational introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce and overview the theoretical bases which inform a critical understanding of the ways in which social, political, and economic ideologies shape policy, practice, and experience. The chapter is designed around the fundamental notion that: 'All employees should have access to and control on their developmental experiences and these opportunities should be available across a range of levels in the organization. Programs should not only challenge the performative bias of the organization but also help its members achieve success on their own terms'. (Bierema, Human Resource Development Review 8:91, 2009), as well as the central notion that to move forward meaningfully in the contemporary context, Critical Human Resource Development (CHRD) needs to further return to its humanistic origins as a scholarly mechanism of problematizing performativity, stimulating further critical ideologies for challenging 'truth', which, in turn, may stimulate renewed pragmatic orientation while maintaining critical integrity in the field. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

The effect of the emergency shift to virtual instruction on student team dynamics

In spite of the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors who used team-based pedagogies shifted them online rather than suspending them entirely, but with limited time and resources. To examine the difference in team dynamics and outcomes for courses in Spring 2019 and Spring 2020 of over 1500 first-year engineering students per semester, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and random forests method were used. Results show that students reported less improvement in team-member effectiveness, lower psychological safety, and less satisfaction in the semester with the emergency transition. However, students also reported lower conflict. The most important factor predicting project grades shifted from 'Interacting with teammates' to 'Having relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities' amid the emergency shift, accompanied by a reduction in team interdependence. In spite of the collection of data during an emergency transition, the foundation of face-to-face interaction before moving to virtual cooperation represents a useful contribution to research that has focused exclusively on virtual learning circumstances.

Economy and diversity of aquaculture production in Bulgaria: status and trends

Aquaculture production in Bulgaria has increased over the last decade, reaching 16 442 tonnes in 2019. Fish production has doubled in comparison with 2007, while that of mussels has increased tenfold. The Bulgarian contribution to EU aquaculture production has been increasing significantly in both volume and value over the years, making up 1.15% of the volume and 1.0% of the value of EU production in 2019. Freshwater aquaculture accounts for 78% of total production. Common carp dominates with about 29.4% (4836 t), followed by rainbow trout with 29.2% (4820 t) in 2019. The cultivation of sturgeon species and caviar production are among the most dynamically developing aquaculture segments. Mariculture in the Black Sea has increased in recent years, with the production of Mediterranean mussel reaching 2932 tonnes in 2019. An average of 405 farms operated during the period 2010-2019. Four regions (Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Burgas and Montana) account for 50% of the total fish production. Pond aquaculture is the dominant technology used in Bulgaria, and it serves as the basis for numerous other activities, including management of fish stocks in various water bodies mainly for recreational fishing. Approximately 35 net-cage farms currently operate in bigger dams. Recirculating fish farms output made up only 0.15% of the total amount of aquaculture for the period 2010-2019. The aquaculture sector exhibited difficulties in recovering from the financial crisis of 2007-2008, manifested by a slow growth for the period 2010-2014. From 2015 to 2019 there has been a significant growth, manifested in a sharp increase of total revenue and profitability, especially among the larger enterprises in the sector, as well as an increase in the number of employees, and the labour productivity. As a result, in 2019 the registered total revenue per enterprise and total revenue per employee were more than double the respective figures for 2010. The profits of larger enterprises increased more than three times on average, but smaller entities, micro-enterprises with less than 5 employees, operated at the border line between profit and loss. The COVID-19 crisis could have lasting consequences. Despite EUR 1.2 million direct payments in the sector in 2020, there has been a significant drop in the export of aquaculture products. Consumption of fish and other aquaculture products remains low compared to those in the other EU countries.

Overcoming Vaccine Development Challenges

According to recent market research, the vaccines market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 14.7% for the forecast period of 2020-2026 (1), the growth of which has been accelerated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Durability of glass vials at very low temperatures and permeability of plastic vials has complicated the packaging decisions as well." Since the beginning of the pandemic, the bio/pharma industry has been under pressure to produce stable formulations for effective vaccines in accelerated timescales, Blouet asserts. [...]the drive for a COVID-19 vaccine has occurred during a period of increased basic scientific understanding, such as in genomics and structural biology, supporting a new wave of vaccine development and production, she says. According to Phadnis, in addition to single-use technologies, automation for high throughput and robust analytical assays are necessary for rapid turnover during development and manufacturing of vaccines.

Legal Education and Legal Profession During and Beyond COVID-19 Building Bonds Between Academia and Practice

Professor Suzanne Rab, professor of commercial law and practising international barrister and mediator offers a unique perspective on the challenges of digitisation and legal education in a post-COVID-19 world. Operating at the conflation of academia and practice Professor Rab explores the following themes using a blend of case study experience from the UK and from a comparative perspective: (1) the future of legal education in changing times;(2) the practitioner perspective and the digitised courtroom;(3) the academic experience and lived in experiences through COVID-19;(4) the role of online learning;(5) the implications for continuing legal education;(6) blended approaches to executive learning;(7) the impact on specific legal practices areas;(8) diversity and accessibility;(9) new world approaches to assessment of performance;and (10) humanising our legal education for the digital generation. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

The Determinants of Positive Food Procurement Practices in COVID-19 Affected Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Chiredzi Zimbabwe

The coronavirus pandemic has led to diminished income, which threatens nutrition security. Cash transfer programs increase the resilience of poor and vulnerable households by giving them an improved ability to obtain food and healthcare, which lead to nutrition security. However, the provision of cash does not necessarily translate to ideal behaviours, such as procuring nutritious foods. This study investigated the determinants of procurement of legumes and animal source foods amongst potential beneficiaries of a cash transfer project. We conducted a barrier analysis study in Chiredzi, Zimbabwe. Structured interviews were administered to 90 purposively sampled respondents (45 doers and 45 non-doers). The study investigated the four most common behavioural determinants, perceived self-efficacy, perceived social norms, perceived positive consequences and perceived negative consequences. Non-doers were 1.89 times more likely to state that receiving social assistance would make it easier to procure legumes and animal source foods for household consumption. Non-doers were 2.05 times more likely to state that the ability to barter their own possessions for legumes and animal source foods would make it easier to purchase the items for household consumption. Doers were 4.5 times more likely to report that relish comprising of animal source foods or legumes and pulses was tastier than other relishes. Doers were 12 times more likely to report that most people approve of purchasing animal source foods and legumes for household consumption. Doers were 3.23 times more likely to identify friends and relatives as the members of the community that approved of this behaviour. We identified three determinants of the procurement of legumes and animal-source foods, namely, perceived self-efficacy, social norms and perceived positive consequences. Cash transfer projects provide a first step to achieving nutrition security in the new normal but must be delivered with a context-specific behaviour change intervention. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Genetics and Biological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2

The year 2020 will be marked in history as being the year of the coronavirus global pandemic. Having already passed 1 year since the outbreak of COVID-19, we are yet to establish effective antiviral treatments that are specific for this disease particularly given the strong focus on the design and development of preventative vaccines. The biological and structural characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 will no doubt provide important information that can be harnessed into anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies to hopefully limit virus-driven morbidity, mortality and dissemination throughout the population. In this chapter, we will provide detail on the SARS-CoV-2 genome and discuss the importance of key encoded proteins essential for this virus to cause such mass global chaos. We will also discuss the diversity of SARS-CoV-2 variants that have so far emerged and their divergence from other coronaviruses. Understanding these important aspects of SARS-CoV-2 will help guide us in our current fight against this devastating disease. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Diversity in medical publications: a cross-sectional evaluation of COVID- 19 vaccine research

Objective: Representing diverse perspectives in medical publications is of great importance. We assessed diversity among investigators, study participants, authors and tweeters of recent publications on COVID-19 vaccine trials, a topic likely to have significant global implications. Research design and methods: Primary publications reporting on COVID vaccine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified via PubMed (n=302 hits, 23 September 2022). The 100 articles with the greatest impact (Altmetric score) were selected for evaluation. National affiliation of authors and investigators, and demographics of participants were collected. Geographic locations of Tweets mentioning the publications were collected via Altmetric. Result(s): In our preliminary analysis, as expected, selected publications most frequently appeared in top-tier journals, e.g. New England Journal of Medicine (n=24) and Lancet (n=19), and had high Altmetric scores (median 886, range 30-29,153). Articles included authors from mean 2.2 countries, most frequently the USA (n=43 articles), the UK (n=31) and China (n=23). Investigators' locations were often not reported, but most frequent were the UK (n=2711 investigators), USA (n=1029) and South Africa (n=269). There was a gender balance among participants across the studies (mean 49.4% female). The most frequent ethnic groups were white, Hispanic and Asian. Tweets mentioning the publications most commonly came from the USA (8.1%), the UK (3.1%) and Japan (2.9%). Conclusion(s): Despite COVID-19 being a global health emergency, most authors, investigators and readers of high impact COVID-19 vaccine RCT publications were from a small group of countries, with some notable exceptions. Numerous studies did not report the geographic location of investigators or participant ethnicity. Consistent and transparent reporting would support the drive towards greater diversity and representation in medical research.

Strategies for Developing a Culturally Inclusive Online Learning Environment During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australian Universities: A Case Study

This chapter presents a qualitative case study in Australian universities on the effective strategies for creating a culturally inclusive online learning environment with the use of IT governance. While examining the online learning experiences of the university students, the researchers identified features in synchronous and asynchronous online learning platforms, such as language support and meaningful and structured online activities, are the effective strategies to cater for the learning needs of the linguistically and culturally diverse students and let their voices be heard. The findings of this study are useful for university management, teaching and learning unit, and IT resources auditing and steering committees to utilise IT resources to attain the learning goals of university students and the organisational goals of the universities in maintaining academic excellence and embracing cultural diversity. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

'Brexit put us in the Fridge, Covid in the Freezer': The Impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on UK Freelance Dance Artists

This article investigates how Covid-19 and Brexit have impacted the practices, finances and wellbeing of UK dance professionals, drawing on first-hand data collected in early 2021 from interviews, questionnaires and a panel discussion. The testimonies of freelance practitioners from different backgrounds, as well as key stakeholders from national institutions and organisations employing or otherwise interacting with freelancers, present bottom-up insights from the scene. Our research project more specifically explored the ramifications of the pandemic and Brexit, and the impact of these crises on the diversity of the UK dance scene (broadly construed). The voices and findings presented are framed by a discussion of the economic and political infrastructure of the so-called 'creative industries' in the country, with particular attention to the freelance creative labour model, risk and precarity. The article concludes by proposing a politics of small resistive steps which might help to mitigate these challenges, working from within the dance ecosystem. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Dance Research is the property of Edinburgh University Press 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.)

5 Ways DCTs Can Positively Impact Trial Diversity

The problem became so concerning that FDA expanded its guidelines for enhancing the diversity of clinical trial populations.3 Despite recent and profound medical and technological advances, there is limited evidence of these changes moving the needle toward more equitable clinical trial recruitment or improved health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. According to data compiled by Shonda Anderson-Williams, healthcare and life sciences digital transformation leader at Microsoft, diverse companies outperform the competition by 35%. The key to change is meeting people where they are. [...]any organization looking to make inroads with new populations must first acknowledge the historical facts that got us where we are, and then work to move past it. 4. Center the human Factor in decentralized trials Relying on digital technology to the exclusion of human interaction misses out on the texture of relationships and the very foundation of trustbuilding-a critical component of effectively en gaging communities of color who may often carry justifiable baggage.

Socio-economic and clinical drivers of COVID-19 mortality: An empirical analysis of the supply-side and demand-side moderators

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everyday life globally, with severe consequences in several countries and regions. A key concern related to the COVID-19 pandemic is the wide variation in mortality across nations and sub-national locations such as states and counties. Anecdotal evidence, as well as evidence from CDC, indicates that the risk of spread as well as the risk of mortality from the pandemic is higher for regions with a population characterized by disadvantaged economic (income) and racial (underserved communities) and demographic profiles (age). Multiple studies have indicated that the most crucial step toward reducing mortality is expanding critical care capacity through procuring personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators and training critical care frontline employees. It is projected that with exponential growth in the pandemic spread, many regions would fall short of critical care capacity, increasing mortality.Furthermore, the pandemic has imposed high levels of constraints on resource availability, even in developed nations. Under resource constraints in critical care delivery, mitigation strategies need to account for the variation in observed cases and the disparity in mortality across locations. In my dissertation, I make a concerted effort to contribute toward understanding the sources of variation in mortality and propose a framework that enables pandemic preparedness and mitigation strategies that encapsulate the spatial and temporal variation in risk of mortality from COVID-19. The mitigation strategies are divided into supply-side and demand-side moderators of mortality. Accordingly, I focus on two mitigation strategies: (i) ICU capacity as a supply-side moderator and (ii) Vaccination coverage as a demand-side moderator. The overarching objective of my dissertation is to understand the role of supply-side and demand-side moderators of mortality, independently and jointly, of the association between socio-economic, demographic (henceforth referred to as social), and clinical risk factors and COVID-19 mortality. Much of the epidemiological literature on COVID-19 has focused on reducing the spread. However, the ultimate goal is to reduce mortality. There is a necessity in both practice and academic literature to understand actionable policies that can reduce mortality in general and spatial variation of mortality in specific. This dissertation research primarily leverages empirical methodology combining matching procedures with fixed effect modeling of panel data to test the hypothesized relationships of interest. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Disability, workplace inclusion and organizational citizenship behavior: an exploratory study of the legal profession

PurposeMany workers with disabilities face cultures of exclusion in the workplace, which can affect their participation in decisions, workplace engagement, job attitudes and performance. The authors explore a key indicator of engagement—perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)—as it relates to disability and other marginalized identities in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online survey, legal professionals answered questions about their workplace experiences. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multivariate regression analysis with progressive adjustment was used to investigate the effect of demographic and organizational factors on perceptions of OCB.FindingsThe authors find that employees with disabilities have lower perceptions of OCB, both before and after controlling for other personal and job variables. The disability gap is cut nearly in half, however, when controlling for workplace culture measures of co-worker support and the presence of an effective diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy. Disability does not appear to interact with gender, race/ethnicity and LGBTQ + status in affecting perceptions of OCB.Originality/valueThe results point to the workplace barriers faced by people with disabilities that affect their perceptions of engagement, and the potential for supportive cultures to change these perceptions.

Figs in Morocco: Diversity patterns, valorization pathways and value chain resilience

Morocco is one of the most important fig (Ficus carica L.) diversity hotspots globally, where its cultivation is ancestral. This large diversity, alongside its valorization, has gone unheeded for many reasons, some of which have to do with ancient agricultural strategies besides the lack of exhaustive studies. Although being the third worldwide fig producer, Moroccan fig remains less competitive in the international market because of the poorly structured value chain and the lack of efficient marketing strategies. The current chapter aims to assess the fig genetic and chemotypic diversity hosted in Moroccan agroecosystems and the nutritional values of this typical seasonal fruit alongside its positive effects on human health. A particular interest is also given to examining the potential and emerging valorization pathways of fig and its bioproducts. This chapter also provides a critical analysis of fig value chain and market structure, focusing on the sector resilience towards various chocks. The latter, including the recent socioeconomic crisis provoked by COVID-19, is a challenging endeavor since the sector is poorly organized, making it more vulnerable to global changes. This may impact the local population, mainly where this crop constitutes the main income source. Through this chapter, a holistic view of fig diversity and valorization patterns, along with its value chain resilience to a wide range of factors and conditions, explores solutions to the benefit of policy makers, industry, and end-users. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

Racial Diversity In Covid-19 Clinical Trails: A Mixed Quantitative And Qualitative Review

Introduction: Historically, clinical trial patient populations have lacked adequate diversity while studies have shown that differences exist in the biological response of different ethnicities to various healthcare interventions. Minority populations have suffered higher rates of Covid-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. It is vital that Covid-19 treatment research is appropriately diverse. This paper aims to define the demographic characteristics of COVID-19 therapeutic clinical trials to date. Method(s): A literature search initially returned 117 unique publications, 67 of which met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Main variables of interest were reporting of demographic data, percent white, Black, and Asian, and type of study. Statistical analysis was carried out via Stata software. Result(s): Among analyzed studies, 74.63% reported demographics. The demographic representation was 78.87%, 12.27% and 8.86% for white, Black, and Asian populations. Among vaccine related studies, the representation for Black, Asian, and Hispanic individuals was 5.01%, 6.40%, and 13.71%. A qualitative analysis of outlier studies with high (>30%) Black populations revealed that none were vaccine related, 1/3 were in hospitalized patients, and none were related to pharmacologic interventions. Of the studies with low levels (<2%) of Black patients, 4/6 were vaccine related, none were in hospitalized patients, and all were related to pharmacologic interventions. Conclusion(s): This analysis reveals concerning trends in therapeutic clinical trial enrollment to date. In the context of yet another health insult that disproportionately affects minority populations, America's scientific community is not doing enough to produce equitable scientific evidence on Covid-19 treatment.

The Potential of the Parasite Fauna as an Indicator of Ecosystem Health in the Anthropized Environments of Mexico

The loss of habitat and biodiversity, together with global climate change due to human activities, has a negative effect on the composition and structure of important animal communities, with parasites being among the most impacted. This has severe consequences for the functioning of ecosystems and human health, as has become abundantly clear during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Parasites are relevant for the biodiversity of ecosystems, but they have not been given the necessary recognition in the vast majority of current ecological studies. It is estimated that a comprehensive study of parasites could increase the species richness of the communities at a global level by more than 50% in relation to current data. For many parasites to exist, the environmental conditions and the specific intermediate and definitive hosts must be present to complete their life cycles. Because of these close, obligate interactions, they can be considered as sentinel species of ecosystem health, reflecting on the presence and diversity of multiple species of their intermediate and definitive hosts. Mexico has a long history of parasitological studies but has only been able to cover 20% of the vertebrate species registered for the country. This lack of information creates a serious limitation on the development of future preventive strategies to deal with possible zoonoses, mainly in the transition zones between natural rural-urban environments. As a megadiverse country, what can we find out there regarding Mexico's parasites?. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Societal drivers of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is caused by and exacerbates social and health inequalities. Human and animal antimicrobial use is contributing as much as societal failures to dispose of and manage our waste and respect our environment. A multisector, multidisciplinary approach is required to resolve these issues.Copyright © ERS 2023.

Holes at the Bottom of the Boat: Disrupting Performative Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts in Libraries in the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic

This article seeks to understand the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the effectiveness of library-based equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. In the early days of the pandemic, libraries closed their doors and pivoted to digital services and programs, resources often inaccessible to BIPOC and low-income users. Since reopening, libraries have found that the lack of diversity in their ranks and information curation is compromising their ability to actualize the equity, diversity, and inclusion goals—objectives that are critical to closing the socioeconomic gaps that the pandemic has only widened. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Library Administration is the property of Taylor & Francis 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.)