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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.

Increased levels of student anxiety were observed following the transition from open-book assessments during COVID-19 lockdowns, back to in-person proctored examinations. The incorporation of crib sheets (“cheat sheets”) as a resource during closed-book exams was proposed to assist with student learning and reduce anxiety. Although the use of crib sheets is not a novel concept, understanding its relevance as a pedogeological technique is of great importance to students and instructors who have come through the educational system in a tumultuous time. Our study is focused on investigating the positive and potential negative effects of crib sheets on anxiety levels and learning strategies from student and instructor perspectives; this research is pertinent to informing teaching and learning practices regarding crib sheets. Student post-exam reflections and semi-structured interviews with the instructors were analyzed for qualitative data. Additionally, quantitative data was collected from 7-point Likert Scale questions, crib card organization scoring, and exam performance. Preliminary data demonstrates a decrease in reported test-taking anxiety and an increased implementation of different learning strategies. Through this mixed methods design, data analysis will identify themes in the diverse outlooks and effects of crib sheets and investigate correlations between crib sheet organizational strategies and learning outcomes. The findings will contribute to the body of research that guides teaching and learning applications of crib sheets in higher education. This research was approved by our institutional research ethics board.

Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic increased negative affect and feelings of loneliness among university students. Objective: Given that identifying as a member of a social group, like a university student, serves as a protective factor against diminished well-being, we examined whether students’ social identity might offer a “social cure” during COVID-related remote learning. Participants: 356 students from a large, public university that was fully remote in 2021. Results: Students with a stronger social identity as a member of their university reported lower loneliness and greater positive affect balance during remote learning. Social identification was also associated with greater academic motivation, whereas two well-established predictors of positive student outcomes – perceived social support and academic performance – were not. Nonetheless, academic performance, but not social identification, predicted lower general stress and COVID-related worry. Conclusions: social identity may be a potential social cure for university students who are learning remotely.

Protein expression from stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) clones is an established but time-consuming method for manufacturing therapeutic recombinant proteins. The use of faster, alternative approaches, such as non-clonal stable pools, has been restricted due to lower productivity and longstanding regulatory guidelines. Recently, the performance of stable pools has improved dramatically, making them a viable option for quickly producing drug substance for GLP-toxicology and early-phase clinical trials in scenarios such as pandemics that demand rapid production timelines. Compared to stable CHO clones which can take several months to generate and characterize, stable pool development can be completed in only a few weeks. Here, we compared the productivity and product quality of trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein ectodomains produced from stable CHO pools or clones. Using a set of biophysical and biochemical assays we show that product quality is very similar and that CHO pools demonstrate sufficient productivity to generate vaccine candidates for early clinical trials. Based on these data, we propose that regulatory guidelines should be updated to permit production of early clinical trial material from CHO pools to enable more rapid and cost-effective clinical evaluation of potentially life-saving vaccines.

The research provides a deeper understanding of the varied in-person teaching experiences of elementary school teachers in the post-COVID Era. Under this main objective, it explored the teaching styles, views, and attitude of elementary school teachers towards teaching post-COVID-19. It also explores the technological transformation undergone by the teachers and the most preferred teaching modes (face-to-face, online, and blended) used by elementary school teachers in India after returning to the classroom, post-COVID-19. A mixed-method research approach was used to answer the research questions. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework and Bandura self-efficacy theory were used as conceptual frameworks in the research. The TPACK framework emphasizes the development of pedagogical practices in educators with the use of technological tools and Bandura's self-efficacy theory helps to study the teaching preparation and experiences of elementary school teachers after COVID-19. Research findings revealed that the majority of elementary school teachers have adopted varied teaching styles, and have an overall positive view and attitude towards teaching in the post-pandemic world. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in the overall teaching style, views, and attitude of elementary school teachers in terms of demographic data such as age, gender, educational qualifications, work experience, and experience with ICT. Hence, gender as a variable does not affect the teaching style of elementary school teachers in the post-COVID Era. As well, it was revealed that half of the teachers prefer a blended mode of teaching, and remaining teachers preferred face-to-face teaching post-pandemic. Lastly, the teachers expressed that they attended various professional development training to improve their knowledge of technology, provided to them by their institution and the government of India. The overall teaching experience of elementary teachers post-COVID-19 is positive, but they are experiencing a few challenges such as increased workload and stress. This research provides insight into real-time teaching experiences of elementary teachers after the pandemic. Keywords: Post COVID-19, teacher experiences, digital technology, teaching modes, views and attitude towards teaching, teaching style, technological enhancement.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules and the provision of necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results demonstrated that participation in the course led to decreased levels of perceived stress for students and increased levels of resilience. Students who took the course reported that it provided emotional support, aided them in finding a healthy work-life balance and that ultimately, they felt the course broadened their perspective and helped them be more aware of positive coping mechanisms.

L’allocation des ressources en soins intensifs et le triage des patients ont fait l’objet d’une grande attention pendant la pandémie de COVID-19, mais il y a peu de conseils concernant les aspects éthiques de l’allocation des ressources et de la priorisation des patients dans des circonstances "normales" pour les systèmes de soins de santé canadiens. Les listes d’attente chirurgicales, qui ont été globalement exacerbées par la pandémie de COVID-19, sont l’un des contextes dans lesquels des décisions d’allocation et de priorisation sont nécessaires. Dans cet article, nous détaillons le processus utilisé pour développer un cadre éthique afin de soutenir la priorisation des opérations chirurgicales non urgentes à l’Hôpital pour enfants malades de Toronto, un hôpital pédiatrique tertiaire. Notre objectif était de fournir des conseils pour les aspects les plus valorisants de l’établissement des priorités, en particulier lorsque l’urgence clinique n’est pas suffisante pour dicter la priorité à elle seule. Dans cette optique, nous nous sommes efforcés de prendre en compte les aspects familiaux, relationnels et d’équité. Dans le cadre des efforts concertés de notre institution pour traiter de manière éthique et efficace notre retard en matière de chirurgie, un groupe de travail sur l’éthique a été formé, composé de cliniciens de la chirurgie, de l’anesthésie, des soins intensifs, d’un bioéthicien de l’hôpital, d’un conseiller parental et d’un chercheur en bioéthique de l’université. Un processus d’équilibre réflexif a été utilisé pour développer un cadre éthique. À cette fin, la même méthodologie a été utilisée pour créer un support pour la priorisation des patients qui identifie les facteurs cliniquement et moralement pertinents pour la priorisation parmi les cas chirurgicaux médicalement similaires, avec un objectif substantiel étant d’identifier et de corriger les inégalités en matière de santé dans la priorisation chirurgicale, dans la mesure où cela est possible. Bien que d’autres étapes soient nécessaires pour valider plusieurs aspects du cadre, notre recherche suggère qu’un cadre éthique fondé sur les réalités pratiques des opérations hospitalières apporte la cohérence, la transparence et le soutien nécessaire aux décisions qui sont souvent laissées aux cliniciens individuels, ainsi qu’une occasion de réfléchir à la présence d’inégalités en matière de santé dans tous les domaines de la prestation de soins de santé. The allocation of critical care resources and triaging patients garnered a great deal of attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is a paucity of guidance regarding the ethical aspects of resource allocation and patient prioritization in ‘normal’ circumstances for Canadian healthcare systems. One context where allocation and prioritization decisions are required are surgical waitlists, which have been globally exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we detail the process used to develop an ethics framework to support prioritization for elective surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, a tertiary pediatric hospital. Our goal was to provide guidance for the more value-laden aspects of prioritization, particularly when clinical urgency alone is insufficient to dictate priority. With this goal in mind, we worked to capture familial, relational, and equity considerations. As part of our institution’s concerted efforts to ethically and effectively address our surgical backlog, an ethics working group was formed comprising clinicians from surgery, anesthesiology, intensive care, a hospital bioethicist, a parent advisor, and an academic bioethics researcher. A reflective equilibrium process was used to develop an ethics framework. To this end, the same methodology was used to create a support for patient prioritization that identifies clinically and morally relevant factors for prioritization among medically similar surgical cases, with a substantive goal being to identify and redress health inequities in surgical prioritization, inasmuch as this is possible. While further steps are needed to validate several aspects of the framework, our research suggests that an ethics framework grounded in the practical realities of hospital operations provides consistency, transparency, and needed support for decisions that are often left to individual clinicians, as well as an opportunity to reflect upon the presence of health inequities in all domains of healthcare delivery.