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Session on the sense of coherence and COVID-19 Sessió sobre el sentit de coherència i COVID-19 6358.mp4 6358.mp3

The Schengen Area is one of the pillars of the European project. But it has been affected by several difficulties: the serious consequences of the global economic and financial crisis (2008-2018), growing concerns over external migratory pressure and the question of enlargement, fears of social dumping and, since March 2020, the COVID-19 crisis. Identifying these obstacles is vital so that pragmatic solutions can be found without jeopardising the founding principle.

ispartof: pages:S305-S306 ispartof: SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK vol:13 pages:S305-S306 status: published

ispartof: pages:S1004-S1005 ispartof: GASTROENTEROLOGY vol:162 issue:7 pages:S1004-S1005 status: published

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation, but with substantial regional differences in the speed of this transformation. In this paper we show that the COVID-19 pandemic favors the prepared region: regions with a high quality entrepreneurial ecosystem seem to be more adaptive in the sense of revealing a more rapid digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper we analyzed this spatially uneven digital transformation with data on (1) startups (new retail web shops) and (2) established firms (new entrants on the largest e-commerce platform in the Netherlands) in the 40 city regions of the Netherlands.

Relationships between causes and their effects take a central role in various scientific and societal questions. Does the new COVID-19 vaccine protect better against hospitalization than the old version? How doese a cancer cell react to exposure to a certain chemical? What genetic properties cause a plant to be more resistant against drought? What will inflation in the Netherlands go down if the European Central Bank increases the interest rate? These are all examples of causal questions, which are about predicting the consequences of certain actions as accurately as possible. Traditionally, scientists try to answer causal questions by means of a combination of data and mathematical models. Given the recent impressive successes of deep learning, and the exploding availability of data, one might be led to believe that modelling and even conducting experiments is becoming redundant (as long as sufficient data is available). In my inaugural lecture, I explain why causal models as well as experimental research will nevertheless remain necessary to provide reliable answers to causal questions.

Abstract accepted for presentation at the annual BELMAS conference. Whilst the abstract will be accessible in the Conference's programme book, it will not be presented due to COVID-19 measures and the corresponding cancelation of the 2020 conference. ispartof: BELMAS 2020 location:De Vere Horwood Estate, Milton Keynes, UK date:3 Jul - 5 Jul 2020 status: published

Insight into the epidemiology of perinatal medication use during the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. Therefore, a cross-sectional study using an anonymous web survey was performed in Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom (UK) to investigate the prevalence and type of medications used by pregnant and breast-feeding women during the first pandemic wave. Factors associated with medication use were estimated by logistic regression. In total, 8378 women participated (i.e., 3666 pregnant and 4712 breastfeeding women). Most responses were collected in Norway (34%) and The Netherlands (28%), followed by Switzerland (19%), Ireland (17%) and UK (2%). Participants were more often professionally active and more often had a higher educational level compared to the general birthing population in each country. Overall, approximately 60% of women reported having used at least 1 medication in the preceding 3 months. Daily and occasional use was reported by 34% and 42% of pregnant and 29% and 44% of breastfeeding women. The most prevalent ATC (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical) categories were the nervous system, the respiratory system, the alimentary tract/metabolism, and the musculo-skeletal system. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, antacids, and cetirizine were the most frequently used medications. The rate of antibacterial use was lower than previously reported. Having a chronic illness, country, maternal age, SARS-CoV-2 testing, professional status and time since delivery were associated with medication use. In conclusion, perinatal medication use was highly prevalent during the first pandemic wave, underlining the importance of maintaining counseling efforts on medication use, even in times of disrupted healthcare services and/or limited resources.

Although the idea of Europe dates back to ancient times and was crystallised in the Enlightenment, the plan for European unification emerged in the second half of the 20th century as a consequence of an economic process based on a single market and a single currency. European integration is therefore a recent chapter in the history of Europe, one which has been written before our very eyes, but it remains fragmented into disparate national histories. In the 21st century, those writing the history of Europe find themselves confronted with a threefold challenge: they must meet the demands of the digital age, adjust to the paradigm shift within the historical discipline and navigate the geopolitical upheavals that the continent has been experiencing since 1989 (the fall of communism; the enlargement of the European Union; the many crises the EU has faced, including Brexit; the divide between institutions and citizens; the socio-economic consequences of the global crisis, including the COVID-19 health crisis; the new nature of transatlantic relations, etc.).

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation, but with substantial regional differences in the speed of this transformation. In this paper we show that the COVID-19 pandemic favors the prepared region: regions with a high quality entrepreneurial ecosystem seem to be more adaptive in the sense of revealing a more rapid digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper we analyzed this spatially uneven digital transformation with data on (1) startups (new retail web shops) and (2) established firms (new entrants on the largest e-commerce platform in the Netherlands) in the 40 city regions of the Netherlands.