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The CASP project’s aim was to develop a University of Bath (UoB) Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Faculty wide Policy Lab (PL) initiative to approach policy issues using innovative design orientated methods.The UoB is also committed to engaging locally to ensure maximum benefits of their research can be shared and applied to local community issues and activities. Building on the small number of existing PL models in UK public policy settings, the project sought to enhance these new approaches in two key ways:• first by building capacity and capability through the Centre for the Analysis ofSocial Policy (CASP) in the HSS which would have a regional and local basis; and• second by involving service users by experience (including carers) in the PLsessions, which has not been a feature of initiatives such as the UK CabinetOffice PL programme.Policy Labs (PLs) were planned for three administrative areas within the West of England Combined Authorities Area (WECA). These are Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Bristol and South Gloucestershire (S Gloucestershire). A final Regional PL was held for the whole WECA area to discuss feedback from the local PLs and future plans. The topic for the PLs was Healthy Ageing (subsequently retitled to Healthy Later Living) which also ties in well with the UoB Healthy Later Living campaign and network.The process of building the PL team, designing the events and developing the networks and contacts to support the events was established and the first PL for BaNES was held in March 2020. The findings from this event assisted the project to enhance the understanding of best practice on PLs, and lessons learned from the first event were included in planning for the next two PLs for Bristol and S Gloucestershire. These two PLs were held in March 2021 since the intervention of the COVID-19 (Covid) pandemic prevented the project from delivering all events as planned in 2020. The Covid pandemic has had a significant impact for carers and older people and the second two PLs have addressed the issues raised by the pandemic in relation to healthy later living.The project was funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) programme through the UoB. Full description of the process and issues from the PLs are described in more comprehensive reports submitted to the UoB, which include details of the presentations and discussions for the PLs. This document provides a summary of the key findings and conclusions of the PLs, including a critique of the PL process used in the project. And how it might be taken forward.

The overall aim of this chapter is to provoke reflection that perhaps how we engaged our students in learning was already evolving in reaction to new generational learning needs and a positive aspect of COVID19 was that it acted to catalyse changes across higher education practices. Research will outline how the ‘new norm’ within Higher Education should focus on how to engage students and the requirement to embrace the changing dynamics of student engagement and support requirements, given the wide range of challenges students face in a complex and uncertain world. The chapter focusses on this and that to encourage high learning engagement, strong support mechanisms need to be in place. It also outlines that this interaction and support requires high emotional intelligence and inclusive pedagogies to be interwoven into the fabric of teaching. The chapter concludes that whilst COVID19 meant wide scale change for HEIs that the best practices should create the ‘new norm’ in curriculum design and is an era where HE professionals should be proud of the legacy they leave.

Abstract Background There is strong observational evidence that respirators are highly effective in protecting the users from being infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), but the evidence for SARS-CoV-2 during daily work is limited. This study utilized a subset of healthcare workers’ temporary use of a new brand respirator with frequent defects when caring for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients to assess the protective effect of regular respirators against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods We retrospectively followed 463 participants wearing a regular respirator and 168 wearing the new brand respirator day-by-day when caring for COVID-19 patients until testing polymerase chain reaction positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 27th December 2020 and 14th January 2021. Results We observed seven and eight incident SARS-CoV-2-infected cases. This corresponded with daily infection rates of 0.2 and 0.5%, an incidence rate ratio of 0.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1; 1.0], and an incidence rate difference of 0.3% (95% CI −0.1; 0.8) when comparing a regular with the new brand respirator. Discussion We regard the new brand respirator a sham intervention, and this study thus provides further evidence for the protective effect of respirators when exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Background Since its emergence in November 2021 in southern Africa, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant of concern (VOC) has rapidly spread across the world. There remain many unanswered questions about Omicron – in particular, in relation to its severity and the extent to which existing vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19.Methods Using the Scotland-wide Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID19 (EAVE II) platform, which comprises of linked primary care, vaccination, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), sequencing, hospitalisation and mortality data on 5.4 million (99% of the population), we undertook a cohort analysis with a nested test negative design incident casecontrol study covering the period November 1 to December 19, 2021 to provide initial estimates of Omicron severity and vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic disease. We used S gene status as a surrogate for Delta and Omicron VOCs, with S gene positive status indicating Delta whereas S gene negative indicated Omicron. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, vaccination status and clinical risk factors. Generalised additive logistic regression modelling with spline terms for age and sex were used to estimate VE relative to ≥25 weeks post second vaccine dose.Findings The first case of Omicron confirmed by viral sequencing was recorded in Scotland on November 23, 2021, By December 19, 2021, there were 23,840 S gene negative cases. These S gene negative cases were predominantly in the age group 20-39 (11,732; 49.2%). The proportion of S gene negative cases that were possible reinfections was more than 10 times that of S gene positive (7.6%versus 0.7%). There were 15 hospital admissions in those S gene negative giving an adjusted observed/expected ratio of 0.32 (95% CI 0.19, 0.52). The third/booster vaccine dose was associated with a 57% (95% CI 55, 60) reduction in the risk of symptomatic S gene negative symptomatic infection relative to ≥25 weeks post second dose.Interpretation These early national data suggest that Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation when compared to Delta. Whilst offering the greatest protection against Delta, the third/booster dose of vaccination offers substantial additional protection against the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 for Omicron when compared to ≥25 weeks post second vaccine dose.

A multi-site randomized controlled feasibility study using a parallel design was conducted to determine the feasibility of the trial design and to provide preliminary evidence for whether the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) has an effect on depression, anxiety, stress, and mental wellbeing in persons with depression. Participants (N = 14) with depression were randomly allocated to either receive a series of 10 biweekly individual GIM sessions or a waitlist period followed a series of group GIM sessions. Participants completed the Inventory of Depressive Symptomotology–Self-Report; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales; and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale at pretest, midpoint, posttest, and 6-week followup. After onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment was terminated early and sessions were shifted to telehealth. Results indicate that the design is feasible with minor adjustments, and that the GIM condition had high safety, tolerability, and acceptability. Treatment outcome analyses are also reported.

The green transition of the food sector involves a change towards a healthier and more sustainable food production and consumption. This transition will require a coordinated effort of all actors in the food chain, not least food producers and consumers, such that food producers develop healthier and more sustainable products that correspond to consumer demands and wants. Consumer wants are changing, with demands for health, sustainability and authenticity supplementing the classical quality parameters like taste, convenience and functionality. However, consumers’ perception of health and sustainability may not be congruent with the understanding of producers, and the marketing of products positioned in terms of health and sustainability requires well-designed and credible communication. In addition, the way in which people are creating meals is changing, not least funnelled by the COVID-19 crisis, which has led many people to rediscover home cooking. Building on insights on these ongoing developments, this presentation will cover ways in which these trends can be exploited to create value for consumers in innovative ways, and what this implies for the olive oil sector. Questions of information and credibility will receive special attention, closing with views on the role of olive oil sector in the green transition.

The new market environment due to the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the performance of global SMEs. It is necessary for them to adapt their marketing strategy to the situation in order to increase their competitiveness in the global market. Since the beginning of the pandemic, SMEs have had to react to these circumstances and, as a result, the number of secondary sources related to this topic has increased. Data is obtained based on research of secondary sources, which are systematically and critically reviewed and compared. The aim is to provide an overview of current trends and to identify potential areas for further research on SMEs' approach to marketing strategy and its transformation due to threats and opportunities arising from the external environment. The findings give us a direction for further research and shows potential critical areas for SMEs competitiveness in the global marketplace.