scholarly journals One threat, different answers: the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cornea donation and donor selection across Europe

2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-317938
Author(s):  
Gilles Thuret ◽  
Emilie Courrier ◽  
Sylvain Poinard ◽  
Philippe Gain ◽  
Marc Baud'Huin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corneal Transplantation ◽  
Donor Selection ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Donor Pool ◽  
Eye Banking ◽  
Eye Banks ◽  
Selection Algorithms ◽  
Pandemic Severity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

ObjectivesTo assess to which extent the COVID-19 pandemic affected corneal transplantation by virtue of donor selection algorithms in different European countries.DesignSurvey.Setting110 eye banks in 26 European countries.Participants64 eye banks covering 95% of European corneal transplantation activity.InterventionsA questionnaire listing the number of corneas procured and distributed from February to May 2018–2020 was circulated to eye banks.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the number of corneal procurements. Additional outcomes were national algorithms for donor selection, classified according to their stringency (donors with COVID-19 history, suspected for COVID-19, asymptomatic, PCR testing) and the pandemic severity in each country. We calculated Spearman’s correlation coefficient to determine, two by two, the relationship between the 3-month decline in eye banking activity (procurement), the stringency of donor selection algorithm and the grading of pandemic severity (cases and deaths). A partial correlation was run to determine the relationship between decline and stringency while controlling for pandemic severity.ResultsProcurements decreased by 38%, 68% and 41%, respectively, in March, April and May 2020 compared with the mean of the previous 2 years, while grafts decreased, respectively, by 28%, 68% and 56% corresponding to 3866 untreated patients in 3 months. Significant disparities between countries and the decrease in activity correlated with stringency in donor selection independent of pandemic severity.ConclusionsOur data demonstrate significant differences between countries regarding donor screening algorithms based on precautionary principles and, consequently, a decrease in the donor pool, already constrained by a long list of contraindications. Fundamental studies are needed to determine the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by corneal transplantation and guide evidence-based recommendations for donor selection to justify their substantial medical and economic impact.

Cinematic Entertainment

2021 ◽  
pp. 557-582
Author(s):  
Maite Soto-Sanfiel
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Cultural Study ◽  
Uses And Gratifications ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Study ◽  
Global Increase ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Despite claims that “cinema is dead” or that it only interests nostalgic old-timers, statistics indicate a global increase in theater attendance. Not only is moviegoing still one of the favorite forms of entertainment, but it especially appeals to young people. Moreover, communication research seems to have neglected cinema, but the relationship between modern-day teenagers and the silver screen needs to be observed. This chapter reports the results of a cross-cultural study based on the uses and gratifications paradigm with youngsters from eight European countries. It presents their cinematographic uses and consumption, their motivations for going to the movies, and their preferences and conceptions regarding different movie traditions. The study also performs cross-cultural contrasts to reveal more about the impact of regional, national, and global forces on the psychological relationship between today’s teenagers and cinema.

Government failures and non-performing loans in European countries: a spatial approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdinando Ofria ◽  
Massimo Mucciardi
Keyword(s):  
Public Debt ◽  
Geographically Weighted Regression ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Weighted Regression ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Ols Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Eu

PurposeThe purpose is to analyze the spatially varying impacts of corruption and public debt as % of GDP (proxies of government failures) on non-performing loans (NPLs) in European countries; comparing two periods: one prior to the crisis of 2007 and another one after that. The authors first modeled the NPLs with an ordinary lest square (OLS) regression and found clear evidence of spatial instability in the distribution of the residuals. As a second step, the authors utilized the geographically weighted regression (GWR) to explore regional variations in the relationship between NPLs and the proxies of “Government failures”.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first modeled the NPL with an OLS regression and found clear evidence of spatial instability in the distribution of the residuals. As a second step, the author utilized the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) (Fotheringham et al., 2002) to explore regional variations in the relationship between NPLs and proxies of “Government failures” (corruption and public debt as % of GDP).FindingsThe results confirm that corruption and public debt as % of GDP, after the crisis of 2007, have affected significantly on NPLs of the EU countries and the following countries neighboring the EU: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, and Turkey.Originality/valueIn a spatial prospective, unprecedented in the literature, this research focused on the impact of corruption and public debt as % of GDP on NPLs in European countries. The positive correlation, as expected, between public debt and NPLs highlights that fiscal problems in Eurozone countries have led to an important rise of problem loans. The impact of institutional corruption on NPLs reports that the higher the corruption, the higher is the level of NPLs.

Fungal infection after keratoplasty and the role of antifungal supplementation to storage solution: a review

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (8) ◽  
pp. 1036-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarika Thareja ◽  
Regis Kowalski ◽  
Roheena Kamyar ◽  
Deepinder Dhaliwal ◽  
Bennie H Jeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Infection ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Corneal Transplantation ◽  
Eye Banking ◽  
Eye Banks ◽  
Corneal Toxicity ◽  
Randomised Control Trials ◽  
Corneal Storage ◽  
Storage Solution

Fungal infection after corneal transplantation is a rare, yet potentially devastating, postoperative complication and has become a growing concern for the transplant surgeon and eye banking community. The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) has reported an increasing trend in the rate of postkeratoplasty fungal infections and a reversal in the previously documented predominance of bacterial over fungal infections. Additionally, several studies have confirmed a high correlation between positive corneoscleral donor rim fungal cultures and postoperative infections. Optisol GS (Bausch & Lomb, Irvine, California, USA), the most extensively used corneal storage solution in US eye banks, does not currently contain any antifungal supplementation. Although large randomised control trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of routine antifungal supplementation to corneal storage solution are lacking, several investigative studies have assessed the role of antifungal agents in reducing fungal contamination of donor corneas without causing undue corneal toxicity. This review will present the current epidemiology of postkeratoplasty fungal infections and evidence for obtaining routine fungal rim cultures and antifungal supplementation of storage solution.

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL DEA METHOD FOR ASSESSING PRODUCTIVITY OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa CHODAKOWSKA ◽  
Joanicjusz NAZARKO
Keyword(s):  
European Countries ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Dea Method ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Tobit Regression Model

The article presents the concept of environmental efficiency analysis based on the method of Data Envelopment Analysis in the case of the existence of desirable and undesirable results. Theoretical considerations are illustrated by a case study of European countries and evaluation of productivity taking into account not only economic growth but also effects which are undesirable and impossible to eliminate entirely, such as the impact on the environment. The differences in the results are explained by the relationship between policies aiming at supporting research and development with the use of the Tobit regression model. The added value of this work is to propose an integration of environmental DEA method with the concept of technological competitors. The possibility of applying the concept of DEA to technological competition was presented in the form of classification and benchmarking of the European countries. It is concluded that European countries are highly diversified in regard to the efficiency of environmental performance.

scholarly journals The Impact of US Military Spending on Public Debt in Europe (1992–2013): A Note

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Caruso ◽  
Marco Di Domizio
Keyword(s):  
Public Debt ◽  
Military Spending ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Panel Estimation ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis paper investigates the relationship between the US military spending and public debt in a panel of European countries in the period 1992–2013. Under the established evidence of the interdependence between US and European military spending, we exploited a dynamic panel estimation. Findings show that the debt of European countries is: (1) positively associated with US military spending; (2) negatively associated with average military burden of other European countries.

scholarly journals A Cross-Cultural Study of Distress during COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Protective and Risk Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7261
Author(s):  
Ankica Kosic ◽  
Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović ◽  
Nebojša Petrović
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Cultural Study ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cross Cultural Study ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Previous studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in different countries found an increase in anxiety, stress, and an exacerbation of previous mental health problems. This research investigated some of the protective and risk factors of distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, among which were the perception of receiving social support from family members and friends, and a chronic tendency to worry. The study was conducted in three European countries: Italy, Serbia, and Romania. A total of 1100 participants (Italy n = 491; Serbia n = 297; Romania n = 312) responded to a questionnaire. Results from this study show that distress during the COVID-19 pandemic is higher for people who are chronic worriers and those who have higher levels of fear of COVID-19. More specifically, it is confirmed that a chronic tendency to worry exacerbates the relationship between fear and distress: it is stronger for people who have a greater tendency to worry.

scholarly journals The impact of globalization on the characteristics of European countries’ tax systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 60 (206) ◽  
pp. 117-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stevan Lukovic
Keyword(s):  
National Economy ◽  
International Competition ◽  
European Countries ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Economic Background ◽  
Tax Systems ◽  
National Tax ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

In the international literature, a great number of studies have sought to determine the relationship between the characteristics of the national tax systems and globalization. Most of the research was conducted to prove the impact of the tax system on the competitiveness of the national economy, in order to give a clear recommendation for how economic and fiscal policy should create a stimulating economic background and enable greater involvement of the national economy in international flows. However, the process can be viewed from the reverse perspective, in the sense that the process of globalization and international competition can shape the characteristics of national tax systems. This paper aims to determine by empirical evidence the impact of the process of globalization and international competition on the characteristics of taxation in observed European countries.

Diplomas

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Bovens ◽  
Anchrit Wille
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Educational Expansion ◽  
Critical Juncture ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Life sometimes imitates art. Written in the 1950s as science fiction, Michael Young’s The rise of the meritocracy has turned out to be surprisingly realistic in hindsight. Many Western European countries underwent major educational transformations in the second half of the past century, which have strongly enhanced the meritocratic nature of society. First, we describe the relationship between education and meritocracy and how we classify educational levels. Second, we describe how the enormous educational expansion in the second half of the twentieth century has constituted a critical juncture for the rise of new social and political divides. The chapter documents how the number of well-educated citizens has risen spectacularly in the past decades, and it explores competing claims with respect to the impact of this educational revolution.

scholarly journals The effect of diet on the physical and mental development of children: views of parents and teachers in four European countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 122 (s1) ◽  
pp. S31-S39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Egan ◽  
Heather Gage ◽  
Peter Williams ◽  
Brigitte Brands ◽  
Eszter Györei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Mental Development ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Mental Performance ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Physical Health Outcomes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lower Educational Attainment

AbstractAlthough the impact of diet on physical health is an important public health issue, less attention has been devoted to the relationship between nutrition and children’s mental development. The views of parents and teachers about the extent to which diet affects physical and mental development of children were compared in four European countries. An online questionnaire (developed in English and translated) was circulated through a market research agency. Participants were parents or teachers of children aged 4–10 years without learning or behavioural issues. Questionnaires were returned by 1606 parents (401 in England, Germany and Hungary; 403 in Spain) and 403 teachers (100 in each country, except for 103 in Hungary). Teachers were older than parents (35·3 % v. 18·3 % over 45 years; P<0·001) and less likely to smoke (15·9 % v. 26·3 %, P<0·001). There was no difference between the proportions of parents and teachers who felt that a child’s physical development depended very much/extremely (v. moderately/slightly/not at all) on diet (overall 79·8 %). Lower proportions of both groups thought that mental development was very much/extremely influenced by diet (67·4 %). In the regression modelling, believing that physical and mental performance was greatly influenced by diet was significantly and positively associated with living in Hungary, scoring higher on a measure of General Health Interest and (parents only) level of education attained. Differences existed among countries in most views. Lower levels of awareness of the importance of diet for brain development and cognition (compared with physical health outcomes) indicate the potential for educating consumers, especially parents with lower educational attainment.

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