scholarly journals COVID-19: A Crisis and a Tragedy—What’s Next?

2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-137
Author(s):  
Andrea Vicini
Keyword(s):  
Theological Ethics ◽  
Social Reforms ◽  
Political Dynamics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Language Choices ◽  
Sustainable Future ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Ethical Choices ◽  
The Impact

Reflecting on the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, theological ethics examines political dynamics, focuses on those affected, discusses hard ethical choices, comments on religious engagements, considers language choices, reflects on the impact on ordinary lives, and ponders what should follow after controlling the infection. Learning from the past and the present, looking forward requires targeted engagements aimed at promoting health, a critical rethinking of human progress, a renewed solidarity accompanied by social reforms, and a sustainable future.

scholarly journals The familiar places we dream about: Pokémon GO and nostalgia during a global pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwyneth Peaty ◽  
Tama Leaver
Keyword(s):  
The Past ◽  
Additional Layer ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
The World ◽  
Pokémon Go ◽  
Restricted Mobility ◽  
Societal Trauma ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Player Experiences

This article explores the impact of COVID-19 on the developers and players of Pokémon GO through the lens of nostalgia. Focusing on the game as a nostalgic text that works to remediate physical and social spaces, we examine how gameplay has changed in response to players’ restricted mobility and isolation during the 2020 global pandemic. The release of Pokémon GO in 2016 was a watershed moment in the development of mobile augmented reality games. Building on a popular culture franchise familiar to many, it fused cutting-edge technology with memories of the past. Previous studies suggest playing Pokémon GO is associated with dreamlike nostalgia for childhood adventures. But these experiences were intimately linked with physical movement, proximity to others, and the exploration of outdoor spaces. Confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, once free-roaming players are now being encouraged to embrace isolated, sedentary play. There is an additional layer of nostalgia in operation as players and developers alike reminisce about socializing and playing in the world outside the home. This article therefore explores how Pokémon GO mediates player experiences and unpacks its role in negotiating both memory and contemporary societal trauma.

scholarly journals The familiar places we dream about: Pokémon GO and nostalgia during a global pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-143
Author(s):  
Gwyneth Peaty ◽  
Tama Leaver
Keyword(s):  
The Past ◽  
Additional Layer ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
The World ◽  
Pokémon Go ◽  
Restricted Mobility ◽  
Societal Trauma ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Player Experiences

This article explores the impact of COVID-19 on the developers and players of Pokémon GO through the lens of nostalgia. Focusing on the game as a nostalgic text that works to remediate physical and social spaces, we examine how gameplay has changed in response to players’ restricted mobility and isolation during the 2020 global pandemic. The release of Pokémon GO in 2016 was a watershed moment in the development of mobile augmented reality games. Building on a popular culture franchise familiar to many, it fused cutting-edge technology with memories of the past. Previous studies suggest playing Pokémon GO is associated with dreamlike nostalgia for childhood adventures. But these experiences were intimately linked with physical movement, proximity to others, and the exploration of outdoor spaces. Confined to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, once free-roaming players are now being encouraged to embrace isolated, sedentary play. There is an additional layer of nostalgia in operation as players and developers alike reminisce about socializing and playing in the world outside the home. This article therefore explores how Pokémon GO mediates player experiences and unpacks its role in negotiating both memory and contemporary societal trauma.

scholarly journals Budgetary responses to a global pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 949-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Poljašević ◽  
Josipa Grbavac ◽  
Dragan Mikerević
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The International Monetary Fund

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to show the impact of the pandemic on the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as a developing country. It also aims to give an answer as to how BiH politicians used budgetary measures to respond to the pandemic and what key economic factors influenced the design of those measures.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted detailed analyses of budgets at level of central government, as well as other publicly available documents of relevant governments bodies, international statistics and media reports up to the end of June 2020.FindingsDecline of economic activity and a number of budgetary measures adopted by central BiH authorities under the influence of characteristics of BiH economy, characteristics of public finance and available source of funding, resulted in less government revenues and sizable government expenditures to assist the economy and public health system. The fiscal stability achieved over the past years and low level of debt allowed BiH authorities to build a deficit into the rebalanced budget. Most of the deficit was covered with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance and in part also through internal borrowing and with surpluses/ deferral revenues from the previous year.Research limitations/implicationsAt this point, it is impossible to predict what kind of impact the pandemic-related crisis will have on BiH public finances and whether further economic interventions will be needed.Originality/valueThis paper shows the measures that developing country governments dependent on external funding sources can take in times of crisis and what their impact is on the budget.

scholarly journals Afterimages

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 76-86
Author(s):  
Madeleine Snowdon
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
New Faculty ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Initial Exploration

Afterimages is a series of artwork I developed after becoming involved in the Then & Now: Arts at Warwick project from initial exploration of the Modern Record Centre’s archive. The construction of the new Faculty of the Arts building is the central focus for my work, which is interested in the impact that communities have on their spaces and vice versa. This article aims to discuss and analyse the concepts presented in Afterimages and the process of creating the work. This includes the methodological influences of psychogeography, the architectural theories of Léon Krier, and the contextualisation of the work amid the global pandemic. Following the events of the past six months, much of the student experience of Warwick has moved online. In light of this, this article also seeks to reflect upon how this shift in community has impacted elements of the artwork and its investigation into the built environment. 

scholarly journals Physical Activity Among Predominantly White Middle-Aged and Older US Adults During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Results From a National Longitudinal Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney P. Joseph ◽  
Keenan A. Pituch ◽  
M. Aaron Guest ◽  
Molly Maxfield ◽  
Allie Peckham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
General Health ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Past ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Us ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Background: The first COVID-19 case in the US was diagnosed late January 2020. In the subsequent months, cases grew exponentially. By March 2020, SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19) was a global pandemic and the US declared a national emergency. To mitigate transmission, federal guidelines were established for social and physical distancing. These events disrupted daily routines of individuals around the world, including Americans. The impact of the pandemic on PA patterns of Americans is largely unknown, especially among those at greater risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess levels of PA over time during the pandemic among US adults aged >50 years.Methods: Data were collected as part of a web-based, longitudinal, 3-wave study examining health and well-being among adults aged > 50. PA data were collected at Waves 2 and 3 using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). At Wave 2 (conducted mid-May to early June, 2020), participants completed the IPAQ-SF twice, once in reference to a typical 7-day period before the pandemic, and again in reference to the past 7 days. At Wave 3 (conducted mid-June to early July 2020), participants completed the IPAQ-SF once, with reference to the past 7 days. Potential predictors of PA change were collected using items from previously established surveys and included demographic characteristics, pre-pandemic PA levels, perceived COVID-19 threat, self-rated general health, and number of chronic disease conditions.Results: Respondents (N = 589) had a mean age of 63 ± 7.39 years and were mostly female (88%) and non-Hispanic White (96%). Mean MET-min/week across the three time-referents were 2,904 (pre-pandemic), 1,682 (Wave 2 past 7-days), and 2,001 (Wave 3 past 7-days), with PA declining between the first and second time referents (d = −0.45, p < 0.001) and remaining below pre-pandemic levels at the third (d = −0.34, p < 0.001). Changes over time were predicted by pre-pandemic PA and self-rated general health (p's < .05).Conclusions: Effective strategies are needed to promote safe and socially-distanced PA among adults aged >50 years until the risk of contracting COVID-19 subsides. In the post-pandemic era, PA programming will be imperative to address pandemic-associated declines in PA.

Fluorescent potentiometric dyes for membrane-potential imaging

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 166-167
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Loew
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Quantitative Imaging ◽  
Optical Recording ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
The Past ◽  
Excitable Systems ◽  
Major Application ◽  
The Impact

A major application of potentiometric dyes has been the multisite optical recording of electrical activity in excitable systems. After being championed by L.B. Cohen and his colleagues for the past 20 years, the impact of this technology is rapidly being felt and is spreading to an increasing number of neuroscience laboratories. A second class of experiments involves using dyes to image membrane potential distributions in single cells by digital imaging microscopy - a major focus of this lab. These studies usually do not require the temporal resolution of multisite optical recording, being primarily focussed on slow cell biological processes, and therefore can achieve much higher spatial resolution. We have developed 2 methods for quantitative imaging of membrane potential. One method uses dual wavelength imaging of membrane-staining dyes and the other uses quantitative 3D imaging of a fluorescent lipophilic cation; the dyes used in each case were synthesized for this purpose in this laboratory.

Perceived Burden of Informal Caregivers of a Chronically Ill Older Family Member

GeroPsych ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmar Gräßel ◽  
Raffaela Adabbo
Keyword(s):  
Family Member ◽  
Informal Caregiver ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Stress Model ◽  
The Past ◽  
Perceived Burden ◽  
Hypothetical Construct ◽  
Care Situation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Further Development

The burden of caregivers has been intensively researched for the past 30 years and has resulted in a multitude of individual findings. This review illustrates the significance of the hypothetical construct of perceived burden for the further development and design of the homecare situation. Following explanations regarding the term informal caregiver, we derive the construct burden from its conceptual association with the transactional stress model of Lazarus and Folkman. Once the extent and characteristics of burden have been set forth, we then present the impact of perceived burden as the care situation. The question of predictors of burden will lead into the last section from which implications can be derived for homecare and relief of caregivers.

Soziale Disziplinierung im flexiblen Kapitalismus

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (136) ◽  
pp. 339-356
Author(s):  
Tobias Wölfle ◽  
Oliver Schöller
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Capitalist Development ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Municipal Level

Under the term “Hilfe zur Arbeit” (aid for work) the federal law of social welfare subsumes all kinds of labour disciplining instruments. First, the paper shows the historical connection of welfare and labour disciplining mechanisms in the context of different periods within capitalist development. In a second step, against the background of historical experiences, we will analyse the trends of “Hilfe zur Arbeit” during the past two decades. It will be shown that by the rise of unemployment, the impact of labour disciplining aspects of “Hilfe zur Arbeit” has increased both on the federal and on the municipal level. For this reason the leverage of the liberal paradigm would take place even in the core of social rights.

Regulatory and sustainability initiatives lead to improved polyaminopolyamide epichlorohydrin (PAE) wet-strength resins and paper products

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (09) ◽  
pp. 519-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Crisp ◽  
Richard Riehle
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Wet Strength ◽  
The Past ◽  
Consumer Safety ◽  
Federal Institute ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
The Impact

Polyaminopolyamide-epichlorohydrin (PAE) resins are the predominant commercial products used to manufacture wet-strengthened paper products for grades requiring wet-strength permanence. Since their development in the late 1950s, the first generation (G1) resins have proven to be one of the most cost-effective technologies available to provide wet strength to paper. Throughout the past three decades, regulatory directives and sustainability initiatives from various organizations have driven the development of cleaner and safer PAE resins and paper products. Early efforts in this area focused on improving worker safety and reducing the impact of PAE resins on the environment. These efforts led to the development of resins containing significantly reduced levels of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), potentially carcinogenic byproducts formed during the manufacturing process of PAE resins. As the levels of these byproducts decreased, the environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) profile of PAE resins and paper products improved. Recent initiatives from major retailers are focusing on product ingredient transparency and quality, thus encouraging the development of safer product formulations while maintaining performance. PAE resin research over the past 20 years has been directed toward regulatory requirements to improve consumer safety and minimize exposure to potentially carcinogenic materials found in various paper products. One of the best known regulatory requirements is the recommendations of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), which defines the levels of 1,3-DCP and 3-MCPD that can be extracted by water from various food contact grades of paper. These criteria led to the development of third generation (G3) products that contain very low levels of 1,3-DCP (typically <10 parts per million in the as-received/delivered resin). This paper outlines the PAE resin chemical contributors to adsorbable organic halogens and 3-MCPD in paper and provides recommendations for the use of each PAE resin product generation (G1, G1.5, G2, G2.5, and G3).

Overseas Development Administration. A Guide to Social Analysis for Projects in Developing Countries. London: HMSO. 1995. viii+248 pages. Hardbound. £18.95.

1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-190
Author(s):  
Mir Annice Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Social Analysis ◽  
Economic Perspective ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overseas Development

This book, hereinafter referred to as the Guide, has been developed for those social analysts (e.g., anthropologists, sociologists, and human geographers) who have had little or no practical experience in applying their knowledge as development practitioners. In the past, development projects would be analysed from a narrow financial and economic perspective. But with the evolution of thinking on development, this narrow financial and economic aspect has now been broadened to include the impact on society as the very meaning of development has now come to symbolise social change. Thus, development is not restricted only to plans and figures; the human environment in its entirety is now considered for analysis while designing and implementing development projects.

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