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This repository contains the Python and R codes used for the paper titled: Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis of COVID-19 exit strategies in an individual-based transmission model.

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 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.

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.

The EU is facing a severe mental health crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, with insufficient treatment options exacerbating the situation. Access to mental health services is inadequate in many EU countries, contributing to high levels of neuropsychiatric problems. It is therefore crucial to prioritize mental health by investing in comprehensive accessible and cost-effective healthcare. Prioritizing the wellbeing of EU citizens is essential for building resilience and a healthier future, thus respecting the principles of dignity, equality, and the right to health.

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.

Medical imaging as method to assess the longitudinal process of a SARS-CoV-2 infection in non-human primates is commonly used in research settings. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is also regularly used to determine the local virus production and immune effects of SARS-CoV-2 in the lower respiratory tract. However, the potential interference of those two diagnostic modalities with each other is unknown in non-human primates. The current study investigated the effect and duration of BAL on computed tomography (CT) in both healthy and experimentally SARS-CoV-2-infected female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). In addition, the effect of subsequent BALs was reviewed. Thorax CTs and BALs were obtained from four healthy animals and 11 experimentally SARS-CoV-2-infected animals. From all animals, CTs were obtained just before BAL, and 24 hours post-BAL. Additionally, from the healthy animals, CTs immediately after and four hours post-BAL were obtained. Thorax CTs were evaluated for alterations in lung density, measured in Hounsfield units, and a visual semi-quantitative scoring system. An increase in the lung density was observed on the immediately post-BAL CT but resolved within 24 hours in the healthy animals. In the infected animals, a significant difference in both the lung density and CT score was still found 24 hours after BAL. Furthermore, the differences between timepoints in CT score were increased for the second BAL. These results indicate that the effect of BAL on infected lungs is not completed within the first 24 hours. Therefore, it is of importance to acknowledge the interference between BAL and CT in rhesus macaques.