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The topic of this issue is Russia’s Arctic Policy. Firstly, Nurlan Aliyev gives an overview of Russia’s Arctic Policy through 2035; secondly, Svetlana Badina describes the diversity of Russia’s Arctic cities; thirdly, Leah Silinsky lays out the broad dimensions of Russia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and then shows how these policies affected developments in the Arctic. Das Thema dieser Ausgabe ist Russlands Arktis-Politik. Als Erstes gibt Nurlan Alijew einen Überblick über Russlands Arktispolitik bis 2035; Als Zweites beschreibt Swetlana Badina die Vielfalt der arktischen Städte Russlands; Als Drittes legt Leah Silinsky die grossen Dimensionen der russischen Reaktion auf die COVID-19-Pandemie dar und zeigt dann, wie diese Politik die Entwicklungen in der Arktis beeinflusst hat. ISSN:1863-0421

As part of the research project Apprenticeship Pulse, this fact sheet provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basic vocational education in Switzerland in March 2022 and compares these results with those of earlier surveys, in particular with those of the previous month (February 2022) and a year ago (March 2021).

Viruses that emerged in the past decades, such as arboviruses and SARS-coronaviruses, are increasingly recognized as potential risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. On the fetal side, arboviruses have proved their ability to cross the placental barrier, at different stages of pregnancy, and have been associated with fetal losses, fetal malformations (Zika, West Nile, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses) and adverse neonatal outcomes (Dengue and Chikungunya viruses). The SARS-COV-2 has also be associated with rare maternal-fetal transmission and placental affection leading to fetal losses. More common viruses, like cytomegalovirus, are also well-known causes of fetal and childhood sequelae, and recent research on its prognosis factors and in-utero treatment may be welcome. On the maternal side, SARS-COV-2 might compromise maternal health, as well as Dengue viruses have been associated with high risks of adverse obstetrical outcomes, including maternal death, pre-eclampsia or post-partum hemorrhage. Thus, research on the maternal physiopathology would also be welcome. In this Special Issue of Viruses, we aim for original researchs, reviews and commentaries that contribute to an improved understanding of viral infection of placenta and fetal cells, or that report on the maternal and fetal outcomes after an emerging viral infection during pregnancy.

As part of the research project Apprenticeship Pulse, this fact sheet provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basic vocational education in Switzerland in April 2022 and compares these results with those of earlier surveys, in particular with those of the previous month (March 2022) and a year ago (April 2021).

What are the perceptions of community groups toward preserving their health and wellbeing during a COVID-19 outbreak? Both rural, urban, camp, open and conflict settings will be included. Recognising that different locations may have been exposed to COVID-19 in its early phase, it will continue to explore within each setting throughout the outbreak period. So far, the following sites are to be included: Nigeria: Anka and Benue IDP camps (Pilot) Jordan: Syrian refugee Zaatari camp Iraq: Syrian and Iraqi refugee camp(s) Sierra Leone: Tonkolili project (Pilot) Malaysia: Penang Rohingya refugees : Myanmar Pauktaw camp, Rakhine state Bangladesh:Cox Bazaar camps and Kamrangirchar peri-urban slum Ethiopia Gambella camp Democratic Republic of Congo: South Kivu (Fizi and Kimbi-Lulenge health zones) Further sites may be submitted to ERB during the outbreak.

The purpose of this research is to understand how organizational identification and fear of Covid-19 influence individuals’ attitudes, trust, and intention to carpool. For this study, 299 participants completed an online questionnaire in which we assessed their organizational identification, fear of Covid-19, perceived risks, attitude, trust, and intention to carpool. Results show that the relationship between individuals and their organization is an effective lever to promote carpooling. Our results confirm that individuals’ trust level and attitude strongly determine carpooling intention. The results highlight a negative relationship between perceived risks and attitude, as well as trust; Covid-19 is also identified as an antecedent to perceived risks. Organizations implementing carpooling solutions should focus on developing organizational identification and address fears associated with Covid-19.

In 2017, the project group called ‘Teaching methods of the future’ was formed with ten members from four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Fribourg, Switzerland. These HEIs are diverse, applied universities, focusing on health, social work, engineering, and business, respectively. The group’s objectives were to: 1) Identify future teaching methods, 2) gather evidence from students and faculty, 3) support the members of the schools in their effort to change their teaching methods toward interactive, interdisciplinary, ethical and efficient learning experiences 4) draft innovative pedagogical projects for implementing digital programs in the future and honouring the best with a teaching award. The purpose was to gauge the preparedness and potential for launching online HEI programs by 2025. In this context, a survey of 2,485 students was launched at the end of 2018. The survey included questions on student perceived self-efficacy to learn (i.e., students’ study strategies and practices), the students’ learning environment (i.e., their places of study in order to be able to adapt, for example, the infrastructure, courses or course materials), and student perceptions toward technology (i.e., specific tools proposed by the HEIs for the specific programs). The initial results from the 663 completed surveys showed that, for self-efficacy to learn, students seek resources beyond the ‘expected’ course work to improve their learning experience such as extra readings on topics not covered in the course (53%), recommended readings by the faculty (49%), Internet research (47%), and asking the faculty for further information (53%). In response to the question on their preferred environment, students pre-COVID-19 expressed the need for more study spaces with large tables, extended opening hours for libraries and labs, and a place to relax between courses. Their most significant concern was the amount of paper waste for course materials and assignments; in fact, 59% preferred receiving course documents online. Regarding technology pre-COVID-19, the students found the platform, Moodle, ‘very useful’ (53%, particularly for downloading course documents (35%) and uploading assignments (20%). While the majority of HEI students used technology such as smartphones and tablets to find supplementary information (59%), more than 10% used these same devices to do other tasks during, but unrelated to, the course. When HEIs in Switzerland switched to emergency remote teaching in March 2020, the project group’s initial findings were imperative to create effective learning environments that embraced technology and relied upon students’ self-efficacy in the learning process. The COVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst for embracing change to traditional education and moving forward well ahead of schedule. This paper shows how four HEIs in Switzerland immediately applied the project’s findings before the project itself was complete. Further, this paper provides guidelines for HEIs to move beyond traditional education based on preconceived notions of how individuals learn in prescribed places and using existing methods (curriculum, resources, technology) to the changing role and identity of the teacher, learner and contexts and collaboration in the online setting where new learning opportunities have emerged during COVID-19 and will continue in the future. The future has come quicker than imagined; HEIs must evolve to offer exceptional education in exceptional times.

This research note investigates the stock market reactions of international hospitality firms to COVID-19’s pandemic announcement by the World Health Organization. In line with the behavioral finance literature, the findings indicate that, in the short term, investors overestimated the risks underlying asset-heavy firms because of information uncertainty. Firms pursuing an asset-light (AL) strategy are associated to significantly less negative cumulative abnormal returns in the 4 days following the announcement, especially firms following an AL strategy that reduces significantly the operating leverage. However, this difference vanishes after 5 trading days, meaning that investors revised their expectations. This research note suggests that the cost structure of AL firms matters in reducing information uncertainty and sheds light on the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on the hospitality industry. It also provides useful information to board members, financial analysts, and companies’ top managers when evaluating whether and how to pursue an AL strategy, and the potential consequences of it.

Public trust in health information is essential to ensure that preventative strategies to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 are accepted and followed. This study explored the way Swiss people accessed and consumed news and information about the coronavirus from different channels, and the role media plays in public trust during the pandemic. Based on a study of 442 randomly assigned participants in French-speaking regions, we examined the following four questions: (1) What are the news sources and platforms and how are they used? (2) How does the public rate the trustworthiness of these sources and platforms? (3) To what extent does the public perceive that these sources and platforms are provided inaccurate information? (4) What roles do these sources and platforms play in the pandemic? Implications are discussed in the conclusion based on our findings.

Neonatal COVID-19 is rare and mainly results from postnatal transmission. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), however, can infect the placenta and compromise its function. We present two cases of decreased fetal movements and abnormal fetal heart rhythm 5 days after mild maternal COVID-19, requiring emergency caesarean section at 29 + 3 and 32 + 1 weeks of gestation, and leading to brain injury. Placental examination revealed extensive and multifocal chronic intervillositis, with intense cytoplasmic positivity for SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody and SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-qPCR. Vertical transmission was confirmed in one case, and both neonates developed extensive cystic peri-ventricular leukomalacia.