European Average Research Articles

Has the pandemic made us more digitally literate?

Digital literacy has been included in the set of the eight key competences, which are necessary to enjoy life to the full in the twenty-first century. According to the previous studies, women tend to possess lower digital competence than men; the older the person, the lower the level of digital literacy. To date, Polish citizens in general have worse skills than the European average. This may lead to people being socially excluded and vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, especially in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires them to work, study and shop using the Internet. The study concerned Polish women who work at universities, as scientists and teachers. Their perceived level of their digital literacy has been studied in the broad campaign, along with their awareness of the cybersecurity matters. Then, the collected results were processed with an association rules mining algorithm, uncovering the factors related to the shifts in them.

The influence on fish and seafood consumption, and the attitudes and reasons for its consumption in the Croatian population

Fish makes an important part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been scientifically proven to help preserve human health by protecting against major chronic and inflammatory diseases. Eating fish and seafood is very important, not only for its proven health benefits but also for its positive impact on the environment. Due to many fish and seafood significant positive effects on human health, this study aimed to investigate the socio-demographic factors associated with the consumption of fish and seafood in the population of Primorsko-goranska County in Croatia. Another aim was to determine people's attitudes, choices, and reasons for the consumption of fish and seafood. Self-reported data from 2,910 participants were used. According to the European dietary recommendations for fish consumption, the participants were divided into two groups; the very low to low fish consumption group and the moderate to high fish consumption group, in order to examine the differences in socio-demographic and lifestyle variables, and their attitudes, opinions, and reasons for fish and seafood consumption. More fish and seafood were consumed by women, the elderly, the more educated, non-smokers, and more physically active participants. Age, the highest level of education, and a diet even moderately adherent to the Mediterranean diet was found to significantly increase the likelihood of recommended fish consumption. Participants considered the best reasons to consume more fish lower prices, buy much more locally produced fishery products, and prefer to eat wild-caught fish rather than farmed fish. The study has found a slight increase in fish consumption, although still lower than the European average. It also showed significant socio-demographic associations, also the reasons and attitudes toward higher fish and seafood consumption of the Croatian population. The obtained research data are valuable for planning future public health programs in Croatia aimed at greater consumption of fish and seafood, as well as their promotion as an important part of a sustainable diet.

All Work Intensity is Not Created Equal: Effort Motives and Well-Being at a Grocery Chain

Prior research has documented that in contexts in which work intensity is high, employee well-being varies with the extent to which different jobs afford discretion on how and when to carry out the work. We move beyond the job characteristic of discretion and argue in this paper that in high-intensity contexts, employee well-being also varies with employees’ motives for working intensively. Specifically, introducing self-determination theory to the domain of work intensity, we predict that job satisfaction is higher, and quit intentions are lower, when intensive work is motivated by explicit or implicit incentives rather than job demands, and by intrinsic reasons rather than explicit or implicit incentives. Original data from a Greek grocery chain – a setting in which work intensity is well above the European average – generate corroborative evidence. Our inferences are generally robust to adjustments for a rich set of individual, job, and workplace characteristics, and once instrumenting the motives for intensive work. We conclude that well-being in high-intensity work settings varies with employee motives independently from the job characteristic of discretion.

Zombie Firms during and after Crisis

The phenomenon of zombie firms is gaining the attention of economists across different countries of the world; the increased interest is particularly evident after periods of economic crises. In our study, we focus on the development of zombie firms in the period before and after the 2008 crisis within two different economies, i.e., Germany and the Czech Republic, to provide insight into how different conditions and the overall economic context affect the fact that companies are more prone to becoming zombie firms. We implemented a difference-in-differences regression model to estimate the treatment effect by comparing the change (difference) in the differences in observed outcomes between these two countries. The data were obtained from two databases—the database Albertina by Bisnode a.s. providing financial statements of enterprises in the Czech Republic, and the database provided by Creditreform AG, which includes annual report data for a large sample of German companies. The dataset of German enterprises included 1,444,698 observations, i.e., 338,923 firms, and the dataset of Czech enterprises included 2,139,462 observations, i.e., 523,542 firms, both across the years 2000–2016, i.e., the data sample covered the period before and after the 2008 crisis. The different development of the share of zombie firms after the great financial crisis between Germany and the Czech Republic was proven as statistically significant. The findings confirm Germany is a country with a more stable economy and with a significantly lower risk of zombie firms’ persistence, while the Czech Republic is at the level of the European average in terms of zombie share. The results also suggest an influence of post-crisis monetary policy on companies and the possible link between low interest rates and a growing share of zombies.

Bystanders' cardiopulmonary resuscitation involvement in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest events and educational status regarding basic life support measures and automated external defibrillator usage among residents in Canton Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aim To investigate bystanders' CPR involvement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) events, their current knowledge regarding OHCA and BLS measures, their willingness to learn BLS measures with the usage of AEDs, as well as current practices. Methods This cross-sectional study included: data regarding all OHCA events treated at the Emergency Medical Service of Canton Sarajevo between January 2015 and December 2019, and an online anonymous questionnaire that examined knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding basic life support (BLS) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Results A total of 328 (24.0 %) of 1362 OHCA events achieved the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). OHCA incidence was 62/100.000 inhabitants per year. Male gender (p=0.043) and younger age (p<0.001) were significantly associated with obtaining ROSC. Only 44 (3.2%) OHCA events were assisted by bystanders, who were mostly medical professionals 38 (86.4%), followed by close family members 6 (13.6%). There was no report of AED usage. BLS and AED knowledge test score was in the range 12.0-89.8% with generally poor knowledge. Our residents agreed that BLS measurements are essential, 1604 (86.7 %) and that BLS should be a part of their curriculum, 1678 (90.7 %). Conclusion The prevalence of OHCA events in Bosnia and Herzegovina is similar to the region; ROSC among OHCA events was lower than European average, but among highest in the region. There was an extremely low rate of bystander engagement and no AEDs usage. Governmental institutions and health agencies should intervene to increase population knowledge thus increasing OHCA survival rate.

A Chip Shop in Poznań: My Unlikely Year in Poland

A Chip Shop in Poznań: My Unlikely Year in Poland

The Prevalence of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus in Hungary-A Geographically Representative, Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The estimated age-standardized incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer in Hungary are substantially higher than the European average. In many countries, human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is the first-line method of cervical cancer screening in women >30 years. According to the European guidelines, evidence-based improvement of a national prevention strategy requires the monitoring of representative data. Methods: ThinPrep cervical samples were collected over a period of 8 months at 84 sampling sites, including 4,000 eligible samples with valid laboratory results from the screening target population of females aged 25–65 years, with addresses in the representative geographic area (19 counties and four major settlement types). Genotyping of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) was performed using the Confidence HPV-X (Neumann Diagnostics) and Linear Array HPV Genotyping (Roche) tests. Demographic data were collected using a questionnaire, enabling the analysis of hrHPV genotype distribution by age, geography, education, and HPV vaccination. Results: Overall, 446 samples were hrHPV-positive, showing a prevalence of 11.15% (9.73% age-representative), similar to the world average, higher than the European average, and lower than the Eastern-European average. After age standardization, no significant geographic differences were found, except for low hrHPV prevalence in villages (p = 0.036) and in those with elementary education (p = 0.013). Following genotypes 16 and 31, in order of frequency, certain non-vaccine hrHPV genotypes (HPV51, 66, 56) showed unexpectedly higher prevalence than international data. Conclusion: Our study provides the first geographically representative genotype-specific hrHPV prevalence baseline database in Hungary to support policy-making efforts. Significant correlations with demographic data have transferable conclusions.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Unmet Healthcare Needs in People Aged Over 50 in Portugal

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of healthcare appointments and to lower demand, which generated unmet healthcare needs. The aim of this study was to evaluate their prevalence and distribution in Portugal. Data came from the "Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe". Between June and August 2020, 1118 Portuguese individuals aged 50 or over were inquired about unmet healthcare needs due to: i) fear of getting infected; ii) cancellation by the doctor/healthcare services; iii) unsuccessful consultation request. The analysis of the prevalence of unmet needs was complemented by the calculation of the concentration indices as a function of the variables: income, education and health status. About 60% of respondents reported at least one unmet need, which was almost twice the European average. Motive ii) cancellation by the doctor/healthcare services was the most frequent. The prevalence of unmet needs differed depending on income level and health status. The indices evidence the concentration of unmet needs in individuals with the worst health status, although for the reason fear of infection the concentration occurred in those with higher levels of income and education. Our study showed a high prevalence of unmet needs and their concentration in individuals with worse health status. Given the association between unmet needs and the subsequent deterioration of health, these results should raise concerns about the near future.

Thoracic surgery in Slovenia.

Slovenia is a small country in the Southeastern part of Europe with a Gross Domestic Product slightly below the European average. There are eleven board-certified thoracic surgeons and four residents, dealing with roughly 2,500 thoracic cases per year. Thoracic Surgery in Slovenia is a challenging surgical specialty covering a wide range of problems such as lung cancer and other thoracic cancers, diseases of the esophagus, airway surgery, interventional endoscopy, pediatric thoracic surgery, lung transplantation, and even some nonthoracic problems such as surgery of the thyroid and parathyroid. Slovenian patients certainly enjoy the privilege of having free access to almost everything contemporary thoracic surgery can offer, including the most complex and least invasive procedures. In 2008 Slovenia was the first country in South-eastern Europe to adopt video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to treat lung cancer and other malignant diseases. It has also played an essential role in spreading the technique to neighboring countries. Slovenia also has a very successful lung transplantation program. On the other hand, most of the infrastructure is outdated, with both university hospitals built in the 1970s unable to provide a very comfortable hospital stay or increase their operating room capacities to meet the increased demand, thus waiting times for procedures of lesser priority, such as laparoscopic fundoplication and thyroidectomy became unacceptably long.

Characterising an abandoned phosphogypsum deposit by combining radiological, geophysical, geochemical, and statistical techniques

Phosphoric fertiliser has enormously contributed to agriculture; however, it generates five tonnes of phosphogypsum per ton of phosphoric acid synthesised. Phosphogypsum houses heavy metals and long-lived radioactive elements that represents an environmental issue requiring remediation. This paper presents a methodology for characterising phosphogypsum deposits using geophysical, geochemical, and statistical tools. Gamma-ray probes determined the abnormal radioactive zones within the phosphogypsum deposits while electrical resistivity tomography provided the geometry and distribution of the phosphogypsum deposits. Chemical results confirmed the high presence of heavy metals in the waste determining chromium as the most concentrated metal. Radiological measures indicate that the effective ambient dose equivalent average in the study area surface is approximately 8.5 times higher than the average for Europe. While at 1.0 m depth, in the phosphogypsum layer, the ambient dose equivalent average surpasses approximately 27 times the European average. Statistical correlation analysis supports that the radiation increases due to the uranium presence. This methodology might reduce time and cost avoiding the use of expensive traditional methods, and it is exportable to any deposit.

Assessment of road traffic accidents and the severity of its consequences in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the situation with road traffic accidents, mortality and injuries remains generally difficult. Relatively positive trends in traffic provision in the first half of the last decade are rapidly giving way to negative trends at the end of 2020. Ambitious of United Nations reduction target during 2011-2020 years 50% of road traffic mortality and serious injuries by UN Member States partially completed. Ukraine is no exception. According to the Patrol Police of Ukraine, during this period, the total number of deaths consequently of traffic accidents decreased by 26.7%, and those seriously injured by 15.5%. However, according to the World Health Organization, only the member states of the European Union have achieved the greatest progress in reducing deaths and serious injuries from road traffic accidents by one fourth, while in the post-soviet countries a decrease of only one tenth fixed. Based on official data, in Ukraine there are on average 8-8.5 deaths consequently of traffic accidents per 100,000 people. However, according to experts from the World Health Organization, the death rate from road traffic accidents is more than 13 people per 100 thousand of the population, which is 150% more than the European average (5 people per 100 thousand). A difference has been established in the data of state bodies regarding the level of mortality consequently of road traffic accidents. The conclusion is made about the shortcomings of the system of registration and accounting of road accidents used to hide the real number of deaths consequently of road accidents. The underestimation of mortality rates is carried out by not taking into account in the statistics those who died a month after the accidents, as well as by assigning those who died consequently of road traffic accidents to the total number of people who died as a result of traffic accidents.

Economic sustainable development goals: Assessments and perspectives in Europe

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a shared blueprint to support countries in their pursuit of reconciling economic growth with sustainability. This study considers 35 indicators related to the economic SDGs (SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 11 and SDG 12) considering available data from 27 European countries in order to identify an aggregate value of sustainability in accordance with the multicriteria analysis. The results obtained make it possible to draw up a ranking in which Sweden comes out on top, ahead of Denmark. Denmark, along with Austria, are the only two countries to perform better than the European average in all 5 SDGs analyzed. In general, northern and western countries outperform other considered countries. The obtained multicriteria aggregate sustainability indicator shows a good linear fit with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. However, Luxembourg and Ireland behave as outliers, showing a high GDP level misaligned from the multicriteria aggregate sustainability indicator. A distinguished characteristic of these countries is the very attractive taxation system, which, as it seems, has succeeded in prompting economic growth yet failing in reconciling it with sustainability objectives. These findings open up to reflections in which growth drivers should be aligned with sustainability targets.

Risk factors for completed suicide in young people and middle-aged adults: Population forensic study

IntroductionSuicide is a major public health problem. The objective of this study is to analyse the demographic, clinical, and toxicological characteristics and the mechanisms of suicide in young people and middle-aged adults. MethodRetrospective population study of completed suicide in subjects aged 14–55 who were subjected to a forensic autopsy in Bizkaia between 2016 and 2018. Results272 suicides were recorded. The global incidence was 7.8/100.00 inhabitants/year. 127 were 14–55 years old. The rate was 3 times higher in men and increased with age. In 72%, some clinical risk factor was collected, mainly mental disorders (59%): mood disorders (23%), substance abuse (20.5%), and psychotic disorders (14%). 38% of addicts had another mental disorder. Physical illness (23%) and suicide attempt (20.5%) were also relevant factors. 41% were positive for alcohol and/or illicit drugs: ethanol (22%), cannabis (16%), cocaine (11%), and amphetamine (8%). This percentage was 79% in substance addicts. Substance abuse disorders (25% vs. 6.5%; P = 0.03) and presence of alcohol and/or drugs (49% vs. 16%; P = 0.001) were more prevalent in men. The most commonly used methods were fall from heights (35%) and hanging (31%). ConclusionsThe incidence of suicide in Bizkaia is lower than the European average. Suicide is a complex problem associated with demographic and clinical factors (mainly depressive and substance abuse disorders) and recent use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Prospective multidisciplinary and multicenter researches are required in order to identify risk factors and to guide preventive measures.

Pharmacogenetic distinction of the Croatian population from the European average

AimTo compare the Croatian and European population in terms of allele frequencies of clinically relevant polymorphisms in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) genes.MethodsIn 429 Croatian participants, we genotyped 27 loci in 20 ADME genes. The obtained frequencies were merged with the published frequencies for the Croatian population by sample size weighting. The study sample obtained in this way was compared with the average data for the European population from the gnomAD database.ResultsVariant allele frequencies in the Croatian population were higher in three and lower in two polymorphisms (Benjamini-Hochberg-corrected P values: 0.0027 for CYP2B6*4 rs2279343, CYP2C9*2 rs1799853, and VKORC1 rs9923231; 0.0297 for GSTP1 rs1695; 0.0455 for CYP2A6 rs1801272) compared with the European population. The most marked difference was observed for CYP2B6*4 (9.3% in Europe vs 24.3% in Croatia). The most clinically relevant findings were higher variant allele frequencies in two polymorphisms related to lower warfarin requirements: VKORC1*2 (34.9% in Europe vs 40.1% in Croatia) and CYP2C9*2 (12.3% in Europe vs 14.7% in Croatia). This indicates that three-quarters of Croatian people have at least one variant allele at these loci. Variants in genes GSTP1 and CYP2A6 were significantly less frequently observed in Croatia.ConclusionsCroatian population has a higher bleeding and over-anticoagulation risk, which is why we recommend the prescription of lower doses of anticoagulation drugs such as warfarin and acenocoumarol. Lower phenytoin, and higher bupropion and efavirenz doses are also recommended in the Croatian population.

THE CHALLENGE OF BANKING SERVICES DEVELOPMENT – GIVING ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Lately, the global banking services industry has faced numerous challenges: the digitalization, increased competition, the instability of monetary and foreign exchange markets, and the volatility of exchange rates. However, at present, banks are facing the greatest challenge of all that is, placing the customers at the centre of business and the systematic follow-up of customer satisfaction. The present paper aims at assessing the influence of a series of determinants and socio-demographic factors on customer satisfaction with banking services in Romania, using the probit and logit models. The research focused on the Romanian banking market due to its distinctiveness within the European context – performance indicators above the European average during the past five years and a concentration level that discloses a significant growth potential. The results of the two models employed revealed similar results, with the most influential variables on customer satisfaction being convenience, e-banking, quality, and revenues.

Factores de riesgo del suicidio consumado en los jóvenes y los adultos de mediana edad: estudio poblacional forense

IntroductionSuicide is a major public health problem. The objective of this study is to analyze the demographic, clinical and toxicological characteristics and the mechanisms of suicide in young people and middle-aged adults. MethodRetrospective population study of completed suicide in subjects aged 14-55 who were subjected to a forensic autopsy in Bizkaia between 2016-2018. Results272 suicides were recorded. The global incidence was 7.8/100.00 inhabitants/year. 127 were 14-55 years old. The rate was 3 times higher in men and increased with age. In 72%, some clinical risk factor was collected, mainly mental disorders (59%): mood disorders (23%), substance abuse (20.5%) and psychotic disorders (14%). 38% of addicts had another mental disorder. Physical illness (23%) and suicide attempt (20.5%) were also relevant factors. 41% were positive for alcohol and/or illicit drugs: ethanol (22%), cannabis (16%), cocaine (11%) and amphetamine (8%). This percentage was 79% in substance addicts. Substance abuse disorders (25% vs. 6.5%; p = 0.03) and presence of alcohol and/or drugs (49% vs. 16%; p = 0.001) were more prevalent in men. The most commonly used methods were fall from heights (35%) and hanging (31%). ConclusionsThe incidence of suicide in Bizkaia is lower than the European average. Suicide is a complex problem associated with demographic and clinical factors (mainly depressive and substance abuse disorders) and recent use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Prospective multidisciplinary and multicenter researches are required in order to identify risk factors and to guide preventive measures.

Il Milione. The first 14 years of ERC funding to human past studies (SH6): an Italian perspective

This article addresses European Research Council (ERC) grants in the Archaeology and History panel (SH6). The study was conducted by considering the first two cycles of ERC funding (2007-2020). We introduce to eligibility criteria and evaluation process involved in ERC calls. We show the results of the analysis in terms of most awarded ‘countries’ per call (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant), the profiles of researchers and the main research subjects of 360 granted funding. The inquire is extended to a systematic analysis regarding the profile of scientific members of the commissions (480 scholars) employed to evaluate the proposals. The outcome is that Italian institutions underperforming compared to other major European countries; the success rate of ‘Italian’ proposals is lower than the European average; young Italian researchers very rarely obtain Starting Grants. This is, we believe, partly due to some policies currently still in place – even if no longer sustainable - in Italian universities. There is some correlation between most awarded institutions (by country) and most employed panelists. In the final part, we show the main trending topics of ERC projects.

Measuring Spatial Distribution in the Banking System in Hungary

Over the past decade, due in part to the global economic crisis, a significant part of the bank branches have been closed in the European banking system, but in Hungary this proportion has been significantly higher than the European average. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to explore what aspects of commercial banks are taken into account when deciding where to be present within bank branches. This will also reveal the spatial dimension of public access to financial services. The present study seeks to answer the question of which socio-economic factors and in what form they affect the spatial structure of bank branches. The settlement-level examination can also provide additional indication of which settlements may be affected by further bank branch closures. Linear regression based on Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) parameter estimation was used to explore the factors influencing the location of bank branches. In addition, the possible clustering of bank branches was observed, i.e., whether spatial autocorrelation was present at certain stages of the analysis. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) was also estimated in the present study. Based on the results of the research, the resident population, the proportion of enterprises per capita, the average income, the number of neighbouring bank branches and the type of settlement all proved to be significant factors that may encourage decision-makers to establish a bank branch.

Assessing the circularity performance in a European cross-country comparison

Reuse and recycling are two of the most important strategies involved in the practical implementation of the circular economy (CE). Even if several indices have been defined to quantify the performance of waste management, none of them has integrated a mix of waste streams such as waste from electrical and electronic equipment, end-of-life vehicles, and municipal solid waste. The present paper proposes a new Waste Circularity Index (WCI) generated by a weighted average, with weights established through pairwise comparison using the analytic hierarchy process methodology. Nine indices (three for each waste stream) are combined, and three measurement logics are adopted. Results show that the 28 European Member States (MSs) can be clustered into six groups, with a reference to the European average. Denmark emerges as the best performer within the 2014–2018 timeframe. In addition, there are also contradicting results about certain waste streams in western MSs.

IMPLEMENTATION AND APPLICATION OF GDPR IN ROMANIAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Today, in Europe, more than 250 million people use the internet every day, both to visit social networking sites or platforms and to make purchases, bank transactions or tax returns in electronic format. The multitude of online activities carried out imposed a regulation of the circulation of personal data. According to Eurostat data, 85% of Romanians offer their personal data online, without thinking about the consequences, as opposed to 20%, which is the European average. We are therefore a vulnerable people, despite the fact that personal data trafficking has become a common practice in recent years. However, data security does not only target the virtual environment, but also the physical one. Thus, many public or private institutions and companies that take over and process personal data have to comply with the new Regulation. Of all the personal data processing institutions, we will direct our research to the educational units in Romania, as the situation is much more sensitive, considering the data subject – the minor. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the consequences of applying the GDPR one year after implementation, in pre-university education units in the country.