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This thesis explores the phenomenon of secular transformative tourism on the Camino de Santiago, identifying catalysts that facilitate the experience. As primary motivations for walking the Camino have shifted from religious and spiritual towards secular, this research corroborates that many modern pilgrims seek transformation rather than transcendence. Four main themes of catalysts were observed: communitas, liminality, physical elements, and Spanish elements. The catalysts identified allow individuals to address explicit issues in their lives and tap into unrealized potential for transformation. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals need to re-establish their physical, mental, and emotional health. For tourism organizations looking to enhance transformative experiences, the elements of motivation, catalyst, and transformation within this study may be incorporated into activities and events. Based on a sample of 15 Canadian participants, this study identified 25 catalysts that link motivations to walk the Camino with the transformations experienced by participants. Overall, this study offers a way forward for the emerging field of transformative tourism by providing insights into the importance catalysts have in facilitating transformative experiences for individuals seeking transformation and for tourism organizations wishing to create an environment that is conducive to transformation for their guests.

After two years of fiscal stress during 2019-20 and 2020-21, state finances in India improved in 2021-22 with the recovery of the Indian economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, based on analysis of the Revised Estimate and Provisional Estimate (based on the Monthly Key Indicator Database of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India) of 2022-23, we find that states again faced fiscal shock in 2022-23. Given the experience of revenue mobilisation and expenditure management in 2022-23, states adopt a cautious approach in setting the Budget Estimates for 2023-24. This paper presents a consolidated assessment of the Indian state finances of 18 major and 9 minor Indian states with a focus on the state budget of 2023-24. To understand the process of recovery from the fiscal stress of 2019-21, we compare the performance of major and minor states between the pre- and post-pandemic periods. In addition to consolidated assessment of state finances, state-specific assessments of deficits (revenue as well as fiscal) are also presented in the paper.

Food insecurity has risen amid economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Food companies’ productivity dynamics can be driven by intangible assets, financing, economies of scale, lifecycle, and technological convergence. We confront this by studying productivity drivers for detailed food manufacturing industries using cross-country firm-level panel data. The results show that intangible assets nonlinearly and heterogeneously affect productivity growth, and countries with fewer product market regulations demonstrate higher productivity benefits from asset intangibility. Intangible assets do not play a major role for start-up companies, while technological convergence drives productivity growth as they learn new technology in the food markets. Regarding the industrial differences, the bakery sector benefits the most from asset intangibility because of its brand images. Financing is particularly important for the meat/fish and dairy sectors, where capital equipment is necessary, and leverage effects are larger for countries with more access to financial institutions. Economies of scale are a vital productivity enhancer in the grain and starch sector for lowering fixed costs. Industrial policies to (i) raise the quality of intangible assets, (ii) promote financial access, and (iii) utilize scale economies are critical for improving the productivity of food manufacturers.

The impact of COVID-19 on the working lives of professionals has been of much interest. Within social work, the pandemic increased workload demands, whilst the way in which work was done shifted significantly. This article uses data gathered from newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) who began their working lives during the pandemic. These first years in practice are viewed as an extension to social workers’ formal education and as a vital stage in their professional development. Survey (n = 124) and interview (n = 12) data were gathered from NQSWs across Scotland. Findings were considered through Giddens’ lens of ontological security, to explore NQSW transitions during a context of pandemic disruption and its impacts on NQSWs’ confidence and competence, as well as their sense of self and identity. Consistent with other studies, respondents were most impacted by home working and the associated isolation and separation from colleagues, particularly when engaged in emotionally charged work. Findings uncovered a trichotomy of experience, with variation in the quality and availability of some formal supports—induction, training and learning and development—and informal support. Implications for practice include a need to focus on how we support and nurture NQSWs at such a critical stage in their professional socialisation.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the economy, with some sectors suffering significant setbacks while others demonstrated resilience. This comprehensive dissertation analyzes the pandemic's effects on sectors, countries, investor expectations, financial support intensity, company characteristics, and stock market performance. Certain sectors, such as transportation, lodging, travel, and entertainment, experienced severe negative impacts that persisted even two years after the pandemic, resulting in declining cumulative risk-adjusted returns. Conversely, financially resilient sectors like F&B sales, electronics, and pharmaceuticals performed exceptionally well, generating cumulative riskadjusted returns ranging from 40% to 50%. Stock price reactions to resilience varied across countries. In Germany, investors responded negatively to aid announcements for more resilient companies, whereas in Greece, the reaction was positive. Except for specific countries' market value of equity and book-to-market ratio, firm-level variables had minimal impact on cumulative returns. Financial aid varied according to company characteristics. Smaller companies received more aid, while value-oriented companies received less aid compared to growth companies. Aid intensity affected profitability, cash balance, and debt. Aided firms recorded positive returns within 10-22 days of the aid announcement. The impact of financial support varied at different stages of the pandemic. Initially, higher intensity and equity support were associated with lower cumulative returns, reflecting investor pessimism. However, as the pandemic progressed, this effect reversed, suggesting an increasing recognition of the value of financial support under acute market conditions. Disclaimer: AI (Chatgpt) was used for word shortness and correctness under supervision of my advisor. Prompt conversation is available upon request. Esta dissertação analisa o impacto do apoio financeiro no desempenho do mercado de ações durante a pandemia de COVID-19. Os resultados mostram diferenças entre os setores, com os setores mais resilientes apresentando melhor desempenho. A intensidade do apoio financeiro está relacionada com as características da empresa, sendo que as empresas mais pequenas recebem mais apoio. As características das existências e os alfas da intensidade do auxílio também são examinados, destacando a influência dos fatores de mercado, dimensão e fase de crescimento nas relações observadas. A análise de curto prazo mostra retornos anormais positivos após o anúncio do suporte financeiro, com duração de 10 a 22 dias. As variáveis no nível da empresa também afetam esses retornos. Na análise de longo prazo, o suporte financeiro afeta o desempenho da empresa ao influenciar as perceções dos investidores e a importância das reservas de caixa em tempos de crise. As políticas governamentais também fortalecem a resiliência corporativa e moldam as expectativas dos investidores. O estimador de Callaway e Santana (2021) examina as tendências de pré-tratamento e o impacto da assistência financeira no valor da empresa. Os resultados mostram um efeito transitório da ajuda financeira. O trabalho contribui para o entendimento da dinâmica entre assistência financeira, resiliência empresarial e resultados de mercado durante a pandemia de COVID-19.

This systematic review examines the changes in consumer behaviour patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries. The review investigates the impact of the pandemic on purchasing patterns, the shift towards online shopping, altered preferences for essential goods and services, changes in brand loyalty, and the implications for businesses and policymakers. The review follows a structured methodology, including literature search, study selection, data extraction, synthesis, quality assessment, and data interpretation. The findings reveal significant shifts in consumer behaviour across developing countries, such as reduced spending on non-essential goods, increased reliance on online shopping platforms, preferences for local and domestic products, and challenges to brand loyalty. The implications for businesses include the need to adapt strategies to meet changing consumer needs, while policymakers should consider implementing policy interventions to support businesses and promote digital literacy. This systematic review provides valuable insights for decision-making and strategic planning in the post-pandemic period, offering guidance for businesses and policymakers in developing countries worldwide.

Podcast theme: Student ExperienceTheme episode: 6Contributors:- Sean Dynes, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast- Matthew Taylor, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast- Dr Dan Corbett, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University BelfastSummary:In this special episode of PharmaCast, we're joined by two of our MPharm Class of 2023, Sean Dynes and Matthew Taylor, who in addition to receiving their MPharm degrees this summer, have also contributed to their degree programme in a range of ways, academically and socially. In this episode of the podcast, you'll hear about the experience that Sean and Matthew have had during their time on the course, from the challenges of COVID-19 to how the course has helped them as they embark on their careers in Pharmacy.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has emerged as a serious threat to human health worldwide. The effective disinfection of surfaces contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 may help prevent its spread. The aim of this study is to determine the duration required for viral RNA elimination by 222 nm far ultraviolet light using RT-qPCR as a tool. This study investigated the effect of 222 nm UVC irradiation on SARS-CoV-2 RNA in an in vitro experiment. The results showed that the copy number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA did not change even after 300 s of 222 nm UVC irradiation at 0.1 mW/cm2, but extending the exposure to more than 600 s reduced the number of copies of SARS-CoV-2 virus significantly. However, to fully validate the results and enhance the robustness of the findings, it is crucial to increase the number of samples analyzed in future experiments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) did not have the opportunity to provide high-quality and standard healthcare services. Research conducted during the pandemic has revealed widespread mental health problems among HCWs. Moral distress was noted as one of the critical issues that limited the performance of HCWs in providing quality care. The purpose of this scoping review was to create an overview of HCWs’ moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review was conducted according to the Arksey and O’Malley framework. A systematic literature search was performed in five database systems: Medline/PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, ProQuest, and the Cochrane Library, according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Relevant article titles and abstracts were retrieved. The final review included 16 publications identifying the moral distress of HCWs during the pandemic. In total, five themes characterizing the moral distress of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified: (1) a level of moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) risk factors for moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic; (3) moral and ethical dilemmas during the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) harm caused by moral distress to HCWs; and (5) intervention methods for reducing moral distress. The pandemic turned a health emergency into a mental health emergency for HCWs. publishersversion Peer reviewed