Impact of COVID-19 on listed European electricity companies: a comparative analysis of investment in renewable and traditional electricity

PurposeThe authors analyze the impact of COVID-19 on listed European electricity companies and differentiate between renewable and traditional electricity, to show the heterogenous characteristics of electricity subsectors and the differences between renewable and traditional electricity.Design/methodology/approachUsing the event study method, the authors calculate the cumulative average abnormal returns (ARs) before and after the World Health Organization pandemic announcement and the declaration of national lockdowns in Europe.FindingsThe results show that while the European electricity sector was overall negatively impacted by the COVID-19 announcement, this impact was larger for renewable companies due to their riskier investment profile. Moreover, after the national lockdowns came into effect, the recovery in the financial markets return was smaller for the latter.Research limitations/implicationsThere may be variables to be included in the model to analyze possible differences between companies and countries, as well as alternative econometric models. Limited to the data, the authors did not investigate the different impact of the economic policy uncertainty from various countries inside or outside the EU.Practical implicationsThe results have important implications for both investors and policymakers since the heterogenous characteristics of electricity subsectors. This heterogeneity prompts different investor reactions, which are necessary to know and to understand.Originality/valueAs far as the authors know, this is the first study that analyses the effect of COVID-19 in heterogeneity profile of both types of electricity, renewable and traditional.

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Clinical and ultrasound findings before and after praziquantel treatment among Venezuelan schistosomiasis patients

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical ◽

10.1590/s0037-86822007000500003 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 505-511 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Raiza Ruiz-Guevara ◽

Belkisyolé Alarcón de Noya ◽

Sharon Kay Valero ◽

Pablo Lecuna ◽

Miguel Garassini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abdominal Ultrasound ◽

Clinical Findings ◽

Control Measures ◽

World Health ◽

Periportal Fibrosis ◽

Praziquantel Treatment ◽

Before And After ◽

Complete Reversal ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abdominal ultrasound can be a useful tool for diagnosing periportal fibrosis related to Schistosoma mansoni infection, and also for planning and monitoring the evolution of hepatic morbidity following control measures. We evaluated the standardized ultrasound methodology proposed by the World Health Organization for detecting periportal fibrosis and portal hypertension, among patients from an endemic area in Venezuela, and the impact of praziquantel treatment 3-5 years later. After chemotherapy, complete reversal of periportal lesions was observed in 28.2% of the cases and progression of the disease in 5.1%. Improvement in the hepatic disease started with a reduction in the periportal thickening followed by a decrease in the size of the left hepatic lobe, spleen and mesenteric and spleen veins. Ultrasound confirmed the clinical findings after chemotherapy among the patients with reversal of the disease. However, in patients with more advanced disease, these findings were contradictory. There was no correlation between evolution of the disease seen on ultrasound and age, intensity of infection or serological findings.

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The impact of kids save lives program on knowledge and skills of Greek students, subgroup analysis on recognition of cardiac arrest

European Heart Journal Acute Cardiovascular Care ◽

10.1093/ehjacc/zuab020.179 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

C Parisis ◽

A Bouletis ◽

K Chatzidimitriou ◽

D-D Palla ◽

P Makri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

World Health Organization ◽

Subgroup Analysis ◽

Life Support ◽

World Health ◽

Theoretical Knowledge ◽

Practical Skills ◽

Before And After ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The World Health Organization endorsed the ‘Kids Save Lives’ project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality. The first chain of survival concerns the recognition of cardiac arrest with chin lift and head tilt manoeuvre of the victim and the feel- look- listen approach. Purpose Τo evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, as far the recognition of cardiac arrest is concerned in Greek secondary school students before and after the "Kids Save Lives" program. Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly’s region. A total of 4922 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated on the "Kids save Lives" program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. A 12-point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the "kid saves lives" program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced ERC Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructors. The knowledge of the recognition of cardiac arrest is investigated in this subgroup analysis Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding the recognition of cardiac arrest, with the percentage of correct answers being 58,3% and 96,1%,before and after the course respectively (p < 0.001). In the practical part of the program, almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% perform chin lift manoeuvre and recognize cardiac arrest. Conclusions The overall results reveal that the "Kids Save Lives" program can play a important role in improving the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills of Greek students towards towards the recognition of cardiac arrest and indicate the necessity of implementation in a greater scale nationwide.

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Tax evasion and public governance before and after the European “big bang”: a red flag for policymakers

Journal of Financial Crime ◽

10.1108/jfc-04-2020-0064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed Emadeldin Yamen ◽

Hounaida Mersni ◽

Abdulhadi Ramadan

Keyword(s):

Tax Evasion ◽

Eu Enlargement ◽

Public Governance ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

Before And After ◽

Governance Quality ◽

Evasion Behavior ◽

The Impact ◽

The Eu

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of public governance quality on tax evasion levels in old (pre-2004) and new (post-2004) European Union (EU) members before and after the 2004 EU-enlargement. Design/methodology/approach This study uses panel data of 28 EU countries over the period 1996-2015. Tax evasion is measured using an updated version of the shadow economy size based on the light intensity, as calculated by (Medina and Schneider, 2018). The World Bank’s worldwide governance indicators are used as a measure of public governance. Findings The results indicate that new EU members have higher tax evasion levels compared to the old ones before and after the 2004 EU enlargement. The findings also report that the public governance quality is superior in old members throughout the 1996-2015 period. Furthermore, the authors found that after the EU enlargement, tax evasion levels decreased in both EU groups; however, the authors noticed an improvement in the public governance quality in new members and a deterioration in old ones. Additional analysis confirms the impact of public governance quality as an effective tool for reducing tax evasion behavior in both EU groups before and after the EU enlargement. Practical implications The findings are potentially useful for EU policymakers in identifying the most effective tools that can minimize tax evasion levels in EU countries. Additionally, the results are alarming as they show the negative consequences of the EU enlargement in old EU members. Thus, policymakers should consider them when setting their rules and regulations to reduce the significant differences between both EU groups to prevent member states from potentially exiting the EU. Originality/value To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that examines the tax evasion behavior and public governance quality in the EU before and after the EU enlargement.

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Multilaboratory Comparison of Pneumococcal Multiplex Immunoassays Used in Immunosurveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae across Europe

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00455-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bob Meek ◽

Nina Ekström ◽

Bjørn Kantsø ◽

Rachael Almond ◽

Jamie Findlow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Immune Surveillance ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Multiplex Assay ◽

World Health ◽

Content Type ◽

The Impact ◽

The Eu

ABSTRACT Surveillance studies are required to estimate the impact of pneumococcal vaccination in both children and the elderly across Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends use of enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) as standard methods for immune surveillance of pneumococcal antibodies. However, as levels of antibodies to multiple serotypes are monitored in thousands of samples, a need for a less laborious and more flexible method has evolved. Fluorescent-bead-based multiplex immunoassays (MIAs) are suitable for this purpose. An increasing number of public health and diagnostic laboratories use MIAs, although the method is not standardized and no international quality assessment scheme exists. The EU Pneumo Multiplex Assay Consortium was initiated in 2013 to advance harmonization of MIAs and to create an international quality assessment scheme. In a multilaboratory comparison organized by the consortium, agreement among nine laboratories that used their own optimized MIA was assessed on a panel of 15 reference sera for 13 pneumococcal serotypes with the new WHO standard 007sp. Agreement was assessed in terms of assay accuracy, reproducibility, repeatability, precision, and bias. The results indicate that the evaluated MIAs are robust and reproducible for measurement of vaccine-induced antibody responses. However, some serotype-specific variability in the results was observed in comparisons of polysaccharides from different sources and of different conjugation methods, especially for serotype 4. On the basis of the results, the consortium has contributed to the harmonization of MIA protocols to improve reliability of immune surveillance of Streptococcus pneumoniae. IMPORTANCE Serology of Streptococcus pneumoniae is challenging due to existence of multiple clinically relevant serotypes and the introduction of multivalent vaccines in national immunization programs. Multiplex immunoassays (MIAs) are applied as high-throughput cost-effective methods for serosurveillance, and yet laboratories use their own protocols. The aims of this study were to assess the agreement of results generated by MIAs in different laboratories within the EU Pneumo Multiplex Assay Consortium, to analyze factors contributing to differences in outcome, and to create a harmonized protocol. The study demonstrated good agreement of results of MIAs performed by laboratories using controlled assays for determination of levels of vaccine-induced pneumococcal antibodies. The EU Pneumo Multiplex Assay Consortium is open to everyone working in public health services, and it aims to facilitate efforts by participants to run and maintain a cost-effective, reproducible, high-quality MIA platform.

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Regulating non-financial reporting: evidence from European firms’ environmental, social and governance disclosures and earnings risk

Meditari Accountancy Research ◽

10.1108/medar-11-2020-1086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Arif ◽

Christohper Gan ◽

Muhammad Nadeem

Keyword(s):

Financial Reporting ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Content Type ◽

Eu Directive ◽

Before And After ◽

The Difference ◽

Earnings Risk ◽

The Impact ◽

The Eu

Purpose Motivated by the enactment of non-financial reporting regulations by the European Parliament, this paper aims to investigate the impact of European Union (EU) directive 2014/95/EU on the quantity of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures by the S&P Europe 350 index firms. This study also investigates whether the implementation of the non-financial information (NFI) reporting regulations influences the association between ESG disclosures and firms’ earnings risk. Design/methodology/approach To measure the impact of mandatory regulations on the quantity of ESG disclosures, this study estimates the average treatment effects using a propensity weighted sample. Then this study uses the difference-in-differences method to estimate the differences in the association between ESG disclosures and earning risk before and after implementation of the EU directive. Findings The results show a significant positive impact of the EU directive on the quantity of ESG disclosures for the sample European public-interest entities, which indicates that the mandatory NFI reporting requirements could boost the availability of increasingly demanded ESG related information. The enhanced association between the ESG disclosures and firms’ earnings risk during the post-directive period reveals that mandating NFI reporting also increases the quality of ESG disclosures. Originality/value Using the legitimacy and decision-usefulness theories, this study provides novel evidence concerning the impact of the EU directive on the quantity and quality of ESG disclosures.

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Effect of Repeated Freeze–Thaw Cycles on Influenza Virus Antibodies

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9030267 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 267

Author(s):

Alessandro Torelli ◽

Elena Gianchecchi ◽

Martina Monti ◽

Pietro Piu ◽

Irene Barneschi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

World Health ◽

Who Guidelines ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Freeze Thaw ◽

Before And After ◽

The Stability ◽

Health Organization ◽

Internal Procedures ◽

The Impact

Background: Vaccine effectiveness relies on various serological tests, whose aim is the measurement of antibody titer in serum samples collected during clinical trials before and after vaccination. Among the serological assays required by the regulatory authorities to grant influenza vaccine release there are: Hemagglutination inhibition (HAI), microneutralization (MN), and Single Radial Hemolysis (SRH). Although antibodies are regarded to be relatively stable, limited evidences on the effect of multiple freeze–thaw cycles on the stability of antibodies in frozen serum samples are available so far. In view of this, the present paper aimed to evaluate the impact of multiple freeze–thaw cycles on influenza antibody stability, performing HAI, MN and SRH assays. Methods: Ten serum samples were divided into 14 aliquots each, stored at −20 °C and taken through a total of 14 freeze–thaw cycles to assess influenza antibody stability. Each assay measurement was carried out following internal procedures based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Results: No statistically significant effect of 14 freeze–thaw cycles on antibody stability, measured through three different assays, was observed. Conclusions: Collectively, these data demonstrated that specific influenza antibody present in serum samples are stable up to 14 freeze–thaw cycles.

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The impact of kids save lives program on Knowledge, skills and attitude of Greek students. Final results from 2 years of implementation

European Heart Journal Acute Cardiovascular Care ◽

10.1093/ehjacc/zuab020.175 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

C Parisis ◽

A Bouletis ◽

K Chatzidimitriou ◽

DD Palla ◽

P Makri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽

World Health Organization ◽

Basic Life Support ◽

Life Support ◽

World Health ◽

Theoretical Knowledge ◽

Before And After ◽

Bystander Cpr ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The Kids Save Lives initiative, endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2015, is teaching school children worldwide about the importance of CPR and how to perform it. In Greece this project is a suggestion of Ministry of Education to schools. Purpose Τo evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, willingness to perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and active skills of Greek secondary school students on the subject of Basic life Support before and after a "Kids Save Lives" program. Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly’s region. A total of 5092 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated on the "Kids save Lives" program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. A 12 point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after completing the "kid saves lives" program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced ERC Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructors. Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with the percentage of correct answers being 48,4% and 82,8%,before and after the course respectively (p < 0.001). The participants willingness to perform bystander CPR significantly increased after the completion of the course (93,7% before to 97,4% after, p < 0.001). Almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% performed chin lift maneuver and recognized cardiac arrest. More than 90% of the students performed chest compressions with the correct rate and placing their hands on the center of the chest (90,1% and 93.4%, respectively), whereas only 76.1% of the participants achieved the desired compression depth of 5 to 6 cm. Conclusions The overall results strongly recommend that the "Kids Save Lives" program can boost prospects for bystander CPR and indicate the necessity of implementation in a greater scale nationwide.

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The impact of kids save lives program on recognition of cardiac arrest and comparison between first and second year of implementation

European Heart Journal Acute Cardiovascular Care ◽

10.1093/ehjacc/zuab020.180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

C Parisis ◽

A Bouletis ◽

TH Triantafyllou ◽

K Chatzidimitriou ◽

D-D Palla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

World Health Organization ◽

World Health ◽

Theoretical Knowledge ◽

Practical Skills ◽

Before And After ◽

Second Year ◽

One Year ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The World Health Organization endorsed the ‘Kids Save Lives’ project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality. The first chain of survival concerns the recognition of cardiac arrest with chin lift and head tilt manoeuvre of the victim and the feel- look- listen approach. Purpose Τo evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, as far the recognition of cardiac arrest is concerned in Greek secondary school students before and after the "Kids Save Lives" program and before and after the second year of implementation Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly’s region. A total of 4922 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated initially on the "Kids save Lives" program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. 683 of them followed again the same program one year later A 12-point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the "kid saves lives" program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced ERC Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructors. The knowledge of the recognition of cardiac arrest is investigated in this subgroup analysis Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding the recognition of cardiac arrest, with the percentage of correct answers being 58,3% and 96,1%,before and after the course respectively for the first year (p < 0.001). One year later, students answered correct at 83,3% (p < 0,001) before the course and 96,1% after. In the practical part of the program, almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% perform chin lift manoeuvre and recognize cardiac arrest. The same results were observed in the second year. Conclusions The overall results reveal that the "Kids Save Lives" program can play a important role in improving the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills of Greek students towards the recognition of cardiac arrest and also indicate that this program should take place for at least 2 years in a row in order to help students maintain their knowledge.

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Behavioral and societal drivers of an obesogenic environment worldwide

Nutrition & Food Science ◽

10.1108/nfs-04-2014-0036 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 229-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eduardo Botti Abbade ◽

Homero Dewes

Keyword(s):

United Nations ◽

Reference Model ◽

Developing Economies ◽

National Income ◽

Nutritional Intake ◽

World Health ◽

Obesogenic Environment ◽

Content Type ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to present an ecological study that analyzed the impact of societal and behavioral factors on the obesogenic situation worldwide. The societal variables included urbanization, motorization and educational and economic developments, while the behavioral variables consisted of nutritional intake and insufficient physical activity (IPA). Design/methodology/approach – This investigation was based on official data concerning 99 countries, in the first part of the reference model, and 92 countries, in the second part. The constructs were measured through urban population (per cent), energy/protein/fat supply, expected years of schooling, gross domestic product and gross national income per capita, vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, average body mass index and IPA level of the populations. Data, obtained through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank and United Nations, were analyzed mainly through descriptive, factor and multiple regression analyses. Findings – The results suggested that nutritional supply/intake, IPA and educational-level impact significantly and positively on the obesogenic situation (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, urbanization significantly affects the IPA (p < 0.01). Evidence also suggested that economic development impacts negatively on obesogenic severity (p < 0.01). Originality/value – Developing economies might face severe obesogenic problems in the future, given their limited access to healthy food and their growing urbanization; thus, nutritional intake should not be seen as the main antecedent of the obesogenic environment. This paper provides comprehensive information to policymakers and researchers interested in the severity of the global obesogenic environment.

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The impact of kids save lives program on knowledge of students after the first and second year of implementation in Thessaly region of greece

European Heart Journal Acute Cardiovascular Care ◽

10.1093/ehjacc/zuab020.176 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

C Parisis ◽

A Bouletis ◽

K Chatzidimitriou ◽

D-D Palla ◽

E Papa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽

World Health Organization ◽

Life Support ◽

World Health ◽

Theoretical Knowledge ◽

Before And After ◽

Second Year ◽

One Year ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The World Health Organization endorsed the ‘Kids Save Lives’ project in 2015 in order to reduce mortality, while in countries, where children were taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in schools, have higher rates of bystander CPR and higher survival rates. In Greece, this project is a suggestion from Ministry of Education to schools. Purpose Τo evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge of secondary school students on the subject of Basic life Support before and after a "Kids Save Lives" program and to compare the results after the first and second year of implementation. Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools. A total of 691 students participated on the "Kids save Lives" program in both academic periods according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. A 12-point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after the "kids saves lives" program. The same program was performed one year later and the same questionnaire was given to students in order to fill it again before and just after the course Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with the percentage of correct answers being 48,4% and 82,8%,before and after the first year course respectively (p < 0.001). One year later, students retain a big part of their knowledge before the course (64,1% correct answers), and also improve their performance (87,5% correct answers, p < 0,001) after the course. Conclusions The overall results strongly depict the benefits of "Kids Save Lives" program by improving the theoretical knowledge. The course should performed for at least 2 years in order to attain optimal results of theoretical knowledge. Further research is needed to identify the times a student must follow the program to maximize its effectiveness

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