• COVID-19
• Research softwareclose
• Other research productsclose
• Closed Access close

The incessant changes in all areas of economy, science, politics and society, with a greater acceleration in recent years, are affecting also the transport regulation, one of the most stable of all the branches of law, having in mind that one of its areas, the Maritime Law, has maintained almost unchanged over the centuries many of the institutes and figures that most characterize it, such as general average, salvage, limitation of the liability of the shipowner, the charterparty, the bill of lading, the role of the master and the crew. In a world in which phenomena such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the ever-increasing use of new technologies, despite being profoundly different from each other, have had and certainly do have a prominent role, operators in any sector find themselves having to face, often from one moment to the next, and therefore unexpectedly and in no time, a multiplicity of problems that are largely completely new, in order to avoid, or at least mitigate, the consequences of total or partial paralysis of their activities. Given the circumstances, legislators, national and international regulatory bodies and jurists are called upon to urgently reconsider and/or integrate the disciplines currently in force, both from the public and private aspects, taking into account the critical issues that are gradually emerging. Clearly, in a globalized context like the one we live in, characterized by a strong interconnection of activities and sectors with each other and where the interaction of multiple factors is inevitable, the panorama is of such complexity that, at the time being, no one is yet able to predict what future developments may be in detail, in the full awareness, however, that the playground is in constant becoming. The choice of the regulatory approach to be followed from time to time is far from easy, especially in the knowledge that on the one hand the evolution of legislation, geopolitics, technology and the behavior of operators on the relevant market are closely interconnected, and that on the other hand a not well shaped regulation could become an obstacle to the development of trade and, more generally, of global economy. New phenomena always give rise to unprecedented problems and, if it is not possible to give a full solution to them by means of the rules already in force, the legislators, making use of various forms of regulatory instruments, in terms both of quality and of extension of territorial effectiveness, should implement an evolution of the regulations, introducing new norms or modifying existing ones, also in light of the interests of the different stakeholders, often conflicting and variously declined, and of the practices that in some cases have been established and have remained constant and unchanged for a very long time. The multiplicity and multiformity of the problems that arise must not discourage, but rather act as a further stimulus: in such a tumultuous contingent situation, it is essential to maintain a certain order and an adequate methodological rigor in dealing with the individual problems, putting them into focus one by one, in order to then slowly expand the view and obtain an overall picture. In this perspective, the selected essays collected in this volume examine, in their dual scientific-academic and practical soul, both issues that arise as a result of the new phenomena mentioned above, and more “classic” topics of the matter, but analyzing them having regard to their most recent developments.

The Italian Conference on Theoretical Computer Science (ICTCS) is the annual conference of the Italian Chapter of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (IC-EATCS), The purpose of the meeting is to foster the cross-fertilization of ideas stemming from different areas of theoretical computer science. In particular, ICTCS provides an ideal environment where junior researchers and PhD students can meet senior researchers. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: agents, algorithms, argumentation, automata theory, complexity theory, computational logic, computational social choice, concurrency theory, cryptography, discrete mathematics, distributed computing, dynamical systems, formal methods, game theory, graph theory, knowledge representation, languages, model checking, process algebras, quantum computing, rewriting systems, security and trust, semantics, specification and verification, systems biology, theorem proving, type theory. The 22nd Italian Conference on Theoretical Computer Science (ICTCS 2021) has been hosted by the University of Bologna. Due to the worldwide evolution of COVID-19, it was held online on September 13–15, 2021. ICTCS 2021 received 38 submissions (25 regular papers and 13 communications), of which 28 were accepted for presentation at the conference and then published on http://ceurws.org/ (18 regular papers and 10 communications). Each submission was assessed by at least 3 reviewers, for a total of 69 reviewers (23 program committee members plus 46 additional reviewers) producing 114 reviews overall. The authors of the accepted contributions mostly came from Italy (16). Foreign contributions came from USA (2), India (2), Japan (1), Germany (1), Switzerland (1), and Algeria (1). 4 contributions are joint work between italian and foreign authors. ICTCS 2021 was attended by 68 people.

Finalizámos este capítulo, durante o mês de outubro de 2021, numa conjuntura bastante peculiar. Por um lado, Portugal, com as suas taxas de vacinação entre as mais altas do mundo, já praticamente eliminou todas as medidas restritivas adotadas durante os períodos da emergência pandémica. Há uma perceção difusa – embora não necessariamente exata – de que a pior fase da pandemia de covid-19 poderá já ter passado, pelo menos nos países do «Norte Global». Por outro lado, a seguir a um segundo verão caracterizado por enormes problemas no sector turístico, há a sensação de que os verdadeiros impactos socioeconómicos da pandemia estão por vir, dado o crescente domínio em Portugal de um modelo de economia dependente das dinâmicas do turismo, do imobiliário e da construção, resultante do tipo de recuperação económica adotado no pós-crise capitalista 2008-2009, com uma forte componente de investimento estrangeiro proveniente de fluxos internacionais de capital (Santos e Reis 2018). Em certo sentido, escrevemos num momento «entre crises»

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.

Persistent ill health after acute COVID-19—referred to as long COVID, the post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, or the post-COVID-19 condition—has emerged as a major concern. We undertook an international consensus exercise to identify research priorities with the aim of understanding the long-term effects of acute COVID-19, with a focus on people with pre-existing airways disease and the occurrence of new-onset airways disease and associated symptoms. 202 international experts were invited to submit a minimum of three research ideas. After a two-phase internal review process, a final list of 98 research topics was scored by 48 experts. Patients with pre-existing or post-COVID-19 airways disease contributed to the exercise by weighting selected criteria. The highest-ranked research idea focused on investigation of the relationship between prognostic scores at hospital admission and morbidity at 3 months and 12 months after hospital discharge in patients with and without pre-existing airways disease. High priority was also assigned to comparisons of the prevalence and severity of post-COVID-19 fatigue, sarcopenia, anxiety, depression, and risk of future cardiovascular complications in patients with and without pre-existing airways disease. Our approach has enabled development of a set of priorities that could inform future research studies and funding decisions. This prioritisation process could also be adapted to other, non-respiratory aspects of long COVID.

Background: Viral respiratory infections represent a significant burden of illness with high morbidity and mortality, which has been further magnified in recent years by the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Viruses including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A Virus (Flu-A), and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) utilize the nasopharynx for viral entry, replication and infection. The nasopharynx epithelial cell mucous membrane harbors a diverse community of bacteria, called the nasal microbiota (NM). Flu-A can modulate changes in the NM community and lead to pathobiont enrichment. Therefore, here we aim to investigate the NM of individuals with SARS-CoV-2, Flu-A and RSV infection, and identify correlates between the NM community and viral load (VL) and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). Methods: Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs were collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2, Flu-A, and RSV by validated real-time PCR (RT-PCR) assays. RNA extraction was performed using a Maxwell automatic nucleic acid extractor followed by 16S rRNA Illumina Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) library sample preparation for NGS on a MiSeq Sequencer. QIIME II, Microbiome Analyst and PRISM 9.0.0 were used for data analysis. Results: NP swabs from 118 SARS-CoV-2, 40 Flu-A, 26 RSV positive and 45 negative controls (NC) were included. An increase in alpha and beta bacterial diversity (p<0.001) was observed in the NM of SARS-CoV-2 patients and an enrichment in Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species and depletion of Bifidobacterium and Moraxella species compared to NC’s (p<0.001). Compared to Flu-A and RSV patients, SARS-CoV-2 positives showed enrichment in Streptococcus, and depletion in Haemophilus species (p<0.002). 73/118 SARS-CoV-2 specimens were further sequenced to identify VOC lineage and stratified by VL. No significance in bacterial richness, diversity, or abundance correlated to VL. Only a significant difference in beta diversity was observed between the alpha/delta and omicron cohorts (p<0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the NM community is different in individuals with respiratory illness and distinct between SARS-CoV-2, Flu-A and RSV infected individuals. This study also demonstrated that NM beta diversity was different between individuals with different SARS-CoV-2 lineages, suggesting virus-NM interplay that may be important in explaining differences in transmission potentials and pathogenesis between SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.

Attività del Coordinamento Teatro Carcere Emilia Romagna nel corso dell'annualità 2020 in sette Istituti penitenziari della Regione: laboratori, spettacoli in presenza e in streaming, attività con le scuole. Con il sostegno di Regione Emilia Romagna, Ministero della Giustizia, Chiesa Valdese. Con il patrocinio di PRAP - Provveditorato Regionale dell'Emilia Romagna e Marche, Dipartimento delle Arti - Unibo. Un progetto di: Con...tatto associazione di volontariato (Forlì), Lady Godiva Teatro associazione (Ravenna), Le mani parlanti coop. sociale (Parma), Teatro dei Venti APS (Modena), Teatro del Pratello coop. sociale (Bologna), Teatro Nucleo coop. (Ferrara). CONSULENZA SCIENTIFICA: CRISTINA VALENTI. PRESENTAZIONE di Cristina Valenti (consulente scientifico) : STANZE DI TEATRO IN CARCERE AL TEMPO DEL CORONAVIRUS. Dopo l’immediata e pressoché totale sospensione delle attività, in seguito al DPCM dell’8 marzo 2020, che ha introdotto le misure per il contrasto al Covid-19, i registi del Coordinamento Teatro Carcere Emilia Romagna si sono impegnati a dare continuità al progetto “Padri e figli”, inaugurato nel 2018, sperimentando modalità di lavoro del tutto anomale. Incontri in remoto, videolezioni, epistolari teatrali, prove a distanza supportate da collegamenti via tablet e anche da radio locali hanno sostituito, laddove possibile, i laboratori in presenza, a dimostrazione dell’importanza che il lavoro teatrale in carcere ha assunto non solo per gli artisti, ma anche per gli attori detenuti e per l’istituzione, consapevole del valore del progetto e delle sue ricadute. A Castelfranco Emilia e a Modena il regista Stefano Tè ha continuato a sviluppare la drammaturgia dello spettacolo Padri e Figli lavorando sul confronto con due testi guida, Le avventure di Pinocchio e i Vangeli, attraverso sessioni di prove che sono riprese in aprile da remoto (con l’ausilio di collegamenti video via tablet) e in agosto in presenza, per arrivare a proporre il lavoro in ottobre a Gombola, nell’Appennino modenese, al termine di un periodo in residenza. A Ferrara i registi Horacio Czertok e Marco Luciano hanno ripreso a lavorare a distanza in marzo, con il laboratorio in forma epistolare Esercizi di libertà, per ricominciare ad agosto l’attività in presenza con le prove dello spettacolo Album di famiglia, ispirato alla tragedia di Amleto e alle sue riscritture novecentesche. A Bologna il lavoro del regista Paolo Billi con le attrici della sezione femminile si è sviluppato a partire da marzo in un Epistolario teatrale a distanza. Una fitta corrispondenza via mail che ha prodotto un’ampia raccolta di materiali drammaturgici e azioni fisiche lavorando sul copione Figlie di Lear. Da aprile la simulazione virtuale delle sedute di prove ha dato vita alla rubrica Prove a distanza, in onda settimanalmente su Radio Fujico, e a dicembre l’esperienza è stata ospitata nella trasmissione Natale liberi dentro, sulle stesse frequenze e sul canale di Teletricolore. A Forlì la regista Sabina Spazzoli ha inaugurato un’attività di videolezioni portando avanti, a partire da aprile, il lavoro sulla Tempesta di Shakespeare, interrotto a febbraio e ripreso in presenza a giugno. Si è invece fermata l’attività di Eugenio Sideri a Ravenna, dove il gruppo che ha lavorato con il regista fino all’inverno 2019 ha subito avvicendamenti e trasferimenti, ancor prima di incontrare l’emergenza Coronavirus che ha causato la sospensione degli incontri. Le attività sono riprese a settembre 2020 con un nuovo gruppo, per poi essere nuovamente sospese a novembre per l’aggravarsi della situazione sanitaria. Allo stesso modo durante tutto il 2020 l’attività di Corrado Vecchi a Parma non si è potuta svolgere neppure a distanza, in quanto nelle settimane antecedenti al lockdown il gruppo degli attori era in fase di formazione. Assai limitate sono state le attività in presenza, circoscritte ai primissimi mesi dell’anno e, in alcuni casi, all’autunno. Fra di esse, i laboratori con i minori e i giovani adulti dei Servizi di Giustizia Minorile, che hanno dato luogo allo spettacolo Le orme dei figli, presentato a Bologna, nel cortile dell’IPM, fra agosto e settembre. Molti gli eventi annullati, di cui abbiamo voluto comunque conservare traccia nel calendario contenuto in questa brochure. Nonostante l’emergenza sanitaria, le Stanze di Teatro in Carcere, giunte alla decima edizione, hanno proseguito e approfondito il rapporto teatro-carcere-scuola con il progetto Il Teatro Carcere incontra gli istituti superiori dell’Emilia Romagna, un percorso online realizzato su piattaforma Zoom nei mesi di aprile e maggio per riflettere sulla condizione della detenzione e sul valore della cultura e del teatro come fattori di trasformazione e di crescita.

Higher education is constantly changing, both in relation to the characteristics of the different agents that constitute it (particularly teachers and students) and in relation to the particular experiences from this formative context. With the Covid-19 pandemic, new pedagogical challenges have emerged due to what were the emergency circumstances that we all experienced. Classrooms and teaching dynamics inevitably had to reinvent themselves, to get closer to the specific references and practices of distance teaching and learning. With this chapter, the authors present a plural set of experiences developed during their teaching experiences. Through reflection on these practices, five areas that were established as variables with special pedagogical value: i) availability of teachers and students; ii) programmatic content as a mean and not an end; iii) the centrality of interaction between peers; iv) the plurality of resources and perspectives and v) evaluation at the service of learning.

The investigation focuses on the identification of actions and strategies that hoteliers apply on their websites, to capture direct bookings versus their dependence on the OTA, to evaluate the importance and function of the websites of the 4- and 5-star hotels in Porto and Northern Portugal. Online distribution is a necessity for a hotel, either to reach the largest number of customers or to give visibility to the brand. Hotel websites, however, allow greater proximity and communication with the customer, potentiating hotels’ possibility to increase direct bookings. It is therefore necessary to understand which actions and strategies hoteliers must consider for capturing direct bookings. Thus, the main objective of the study is to identify the hoteliers’ dependence on the OTA and the consequent actions and strategies they apply on their websites to capture direct bookings. In the present investigation, the quantitative methodology was chosen, and the data collection instrument was a questionnaire survey, applied in a total universe of 150 hotels, 4- and 5-star hotels in the Region of Porto and Northern Portugal, where 55 responses were obtained. The data obtained were treated and analysed using the SPSS software. The results obtained confirm the existence of actions and strategies in hotels to capture direct reservations; hotels consider these strategies as an essential condition for increasing direct bookings. Limitations have arisen in the collection of questionnaires due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most hotels closed due to lack of customers and consequently, the sample for the present study is limited in the diversity of the typology of respondents. It is intended with this work to understand what actions and strategies hotels apply on the website, as well as to understand if hotels follow the new technological trends, in what the contact and communication with the client concerns.