Transition from physical to online shopping alternatives due to the COVID-19 pandemic - A case study of Italy and Sweden.

Using 530 responses from an online questionnaire, this study aims to investigate the transition from physical to online shopping alternatives during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic at the individual level. The focus areas of the study are Sweden and Italy, two European countries that implemented contrasting prevention measures. This study analyses the impacts of the pandemic on the transition to online shopping activities, and identifies who among the respondents changed their shopping behaviour the most and how; and what the different shopping strategies are and who adopted them. Multivariate statistical analyses, including linear and binary logistic regressions and multinomial logit models, were used to analyse the dataset. In the analysis, the dataset was split between Italy and Sweden to take into account the contrasting prevention measures and the different social and economic backgrounds of the two countries; the results of this study confirm and highlight these differences. Moreover, the socio-demographic and household structures of the respondents were found to influence the amount and the direction of change in shopping behaviour during the first wave of the pandemic. The study also indicates some policies that can be implemented and/or further strengthened to increase the resilience of citizens in facing pandemics and to derive benefit from the behavioural changes that took place during the first wave of the pandemic.

Antimicrobial effects of bacterial binding to a dialkylcarbamoyl chloride-coated wound dressing: an in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: Wound dressings that inactivate or sequestrate microorganisms, such as those with a hydrophobic, bacteria-binding dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC) surface, can reduce the risk of clinical infections. This 'passive' bioburden control, avoiding bacterial cell wall disruption with associated release of bacterial endotoxins aggravating inflammation, is advantageous in hard-to-heal wounds. Hence, the full scope of DACC dressings, including the potential impact of higher inoculum densities, increased protein load and different pH on antibacterial activity, needs to be evaluated. METHOD: The Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) L 1902 challenge test was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the DACC-coated dressing against several World Health Organization (WHO)-prioritised wound pathogens (e.g., meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, microorganisms with extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and Acinetobacter baumannii), the effect of repeated bacterial challenge in an adverse wound environment, and antimicrobial performance at wound-related pH. RESULTS: High antibacterial activity of the DACC-coated dressing against the WHO-prioritised bacteria strains by its irreversible binding and inhibition of growth of bound bacteria was confirmed using JIS L 1902. At increased inoculation densities, compared to standard conditions, the DACC-coated dressing still achieved strong-to-significant antibacterial effects. Augmenting the media protein content also affected antibacterial performance; a 0.5-1 log reduction in antibacterial activity was observed upon addition of 10% fetal calf serum. The pH did not influence antibacterial performance. The DACC-coated dressing also sustained antibacterial activity over subsequent reinfection steps. CONCLUSION: It can be assumed that the DACC-coated dressing exerts beneficial effects in controlling the wound bioburden, reducing the overall demand placed on antibiotics, without using antimicrobial substances.

Significant and rapid reduction of free endotoxin using a dialkylcarbamoyl chloride-coated wound dressing.

OBJECTIVE: Endotoxin causes inflammation and can impair wound healing. Conventional methods that reduce bioburden in wounds by killing microorganisms using antibiotics, topical antimicrobials or antimicrobial dressings may induce endotoxin release from Gram-negative bacteria. Another approach is to reduce bioburden by adsorbing microorganisms, without killing them, using dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC)-coated wound dressings. This study evaluated the endotoxin-binding ability of a DACC-coated wound dressing (Sorbact Compress, Abigo Medical AB, Sweden) in vitro, including its effect on the level of natural endotoxin released from Gram-negative bacteria. METHOD: Different concentrations of purified Pseudomonas aeruginosa endotoxin and a DACC-coated dressing were incubated at 37°C for various durations. After incubation, the dressing was removed and endotoxin concentration in the solution was quantified using a Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. The DACC-coated dressing was also incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells for one hour at 37°C. After incubation, the dressing and bacterial cells were removed and shed endotoxin remaining in the solution was quantified. RESULTS: Overnight incubation of the DACC-coated wound dressing with various concentrations of purified Pseudomonas aeruginosa endotoxin (96-11000 EU/ml) consistently and significantly reduced levels of free endotoxin by 93-99% (p<0.0001). A significant endotoxin reduction of 39% (p<0.001) was observed after five minutes. The DACC-coated dressing incubated with clinically relevant Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells also reduced shed endotoxin by >99.95% (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this study, we showed that a DACC-coated wound dressing efficiently and rapidly binds both purified and shed endotoxin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro. This ability to remove both endotoxin and bacterial cells could promote the wound healing process.

Impacts of changes in environmental exposures and health behaviours due to the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular and mental health: A comparison of Barcelona, Vienna, and Stockholm.

Responses to COVID-19 altered environmental exposures and health behaviours associated with non-communicable diseases. We aimed to (1) quantify changes in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), noise, physical activity, and greenspace visits associated with COVID-19 policies in the spring of 2020 in Barcelona (Spain), Vienna (Austria), and Stockholm (Sweden), and (2) estimated the number of additional and prevented diagnoses of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, depression, and anxiety based on these changes. We calculated differences in NO2, noise, physical activity, and greenspace visits between pre-pandemic (baseline) and pandemic (counterfactual) levels. With two counterfactual scenarios, we distinguished between Acute Period (March 15th - April 26th, 2020) and Deconfinement Period (May 2nd - June 30th, 2020) assuming counterfactual scenarios were extended for 12 months. Relative risks for each exposure difference were estimated with exposure-risk functions. In the Acute Period, reductions in NO2 (range of change from -16.9 µg/m3 to -1.1 µg/m3), noise (from -5 dB(A) to -2 dB(A)), physical activity (from -659 MET*min/wk to -183 MET*min/wk) and greenspace visits (from -20.2 h/m to 1.1 h/m) were largest in Barcelona and smallest in Stockholm. In the Deconfinement Period, NO2 (from -13.9 µg/m3 to -3.1 µg/m3), noise (from -3 dB(A) to -1 dB(A)), and physical activity levels (from -524 MET*min/wk to -83 MET*min/wk) remained below pre-pandemic levels in all cities. Greatest impacts were caused by physical activity reductions. If physical activity levels in Barcelona remained at Acute Period levels, increases in annual diagnoses for MI (mean: 572 (95% CI: 224, 943)), stroke (585 (6, 1156)), depression (7903 (5202, 10,936)), and anxiety (16,677 (926, 27,002)) would be anticipated. To decrease cardiovascular and mental health impacts, reductions in NO2 and noise from the first COVID-19 surge should be sustained, but without reducing physical activity. Focusing on cities' connectivity that promotes active transportation and reduces motor vehicle use assists in achieving this goal.

The trade-off behaviours between virtual and physical activities during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Introduction: The first wave of COVID-19 pandemic period has drastically changed people's lives all over the world. To cope with the disruption, digital solutions have become more popular. However, the ability to adopt digitalised alternatives is different across socio-economic and socio-demographic groups. Objective: This study investigates how individuals have changed their activity-travel patterns and internet usage during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic period, and which of these changes may be kept. Methods: An empirical data collection was deployed through online forms. 781 responses from different countries (Italy, Sweden, India and others) have been collected, and a series of multivariate analyses was carried out. Two linear regression models are presented, related to the change of travel activities and internet usage, before and during the pandemic period. Furthermore, a binary regression model is used to examine the likelihood of the respondents to adopt and keep their behaviours beyond the pandemic period. Results: The results show that the possibility to change the behaviour matter. External restrictions and personal characteristics are the driving factors of the reduction in ones' daily trips. However, the estimation results do not show a strong correlation between the countries' restriction policy and the respondents' likelihood to adopt the new and online-based behaviours for any of the activities after the restriction period. Conclusion: The acceptance and long-term adoption of the online alternatives for activities are correlated with the respondents' personality and socio-demographic group, highlighting the importance of promoting alternatives as a part of longer-term behavioural and lifestyle changes.

Expression of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins under Stress Encountered during Food Production and Preservation.

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is the most prevalent cause of food-borne intoxications worldwide. Consumption of enterotoxins preformed in food causes violent vomiting and can be fatal in children and the elderly. While being repressed by competing bacteria in most matrices, Staphylococcus aureus benefits from crucial competitive advantages in foods with high osmolarity or low pH. During recent years, the long-standing belief in the feasibility of assessing SFP risk based on colony-forming units of S. aureus present in food products has been disproven. Instead, researchers and food business operators are acutely aware of the imminent threat arising from unforeseeable enterotoxin production under stress conditions. This paradigm shift led to a variety of new publications enabling an improved understanding of enterotoxin expression under stress conditions encountered in food. The wealth of data provided by these studies is extremely diverse, as it is based on different methodological approaches, staphylococcal strains, stressors, and enterotoxins. Therefore, in this review, we aggregated and critically evaluated the complex findings of these studies, to provide readers with a current overview of the state of research in the field.

Reduced Enterotoxin D Formation on Boiled Ham in Staphylococcus Aureus Δagr Mutant.

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is a common cause of foodborne illness worldwide, and enterotoxin D (SED) is one of the most frequent Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins associated with it. It has been reported that the expression and formation of SED in S. aureus is regulated by the quorum sensing Agr system. In this study, the effect of agr deletion on sed expression in S. aureus grown on boiled ham was investigated. Growth, sed mRNA and SED protein levels in an S. aureus wild type strain and its isogenic Δagr mutant were monitored for 14 days at 22 °C. The results showed that although deletion of the agr gene did not affect the growth rate or maximum cell density of S. aureus on boiled ham, it had a pronounced effect on SED formation during the first 5 days of incubation. The SED concentration was not reflected in the amount of preceding sed transcripts, suggesting that sed transcription levels may not always reflect SED formation. The expression of RNAIII transcript, the regulatory signal of the Agr system, was also monitored. Similar transcription patterns were observed for RNAIII and sed. Surprisingly, in the Δagr mutant, sed expression was comparable to that in the wild type strain, and was thus unaffected by deletion of the Agr system. These results demonstrate that the Agr system appears to only partially affect SED formation, even in a real food environment.

The promises of big data and small data for travel behavior (aka human mobility) analysis.

The last decade has witnessed very active development in two broad, but separate fields, both involving understanding and modeling of how individuals move in time and space (hereafter called "travel behavior analysis" or "human mobility analysis"). One field comprises transportation researchers who have been working in the field for decades and the other involves new comers from a wide range of disciplines, but primarily computer scientists and physicists. Researchers in these two fields work with different datasets, apply different methodologies, and answer different but overlapping questions. It is our view that there is much, hidden synergy between the two fields that needs to be brought out. It is thus the purpose of this paper to introduce datasets, concepts, knowledge and methods used in these two fields, and most importantly raise cross-discipline ideas for conversations and collaborations between the two. It is our hope that this paper will stimulate many future cross-cutting studies that involve researchers from both fields.

Prophage-Encoded Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A: Regulation of Production in Staphylococcus aureus Strains Representing Different Sea Regions.

The present study investigates the nature of the link between the staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) gene and the lifecycle of Siphoviridae bacteriophages, including the origin of strain variation regarding SEA production after prophage induction. Five strains representing three different genetic lines of the sea region were studied under optimal and prophage-induced growth conditions and the Siphoviridae lifecycle was followed through the phage replicative form copies and transcripts of the lysogenic repressor, cro. The role of SOS response on prophage induction was addressed through recA transcription in a recA-disruption mutant. Prophage induction was found to increase the abundance of the phage replicative form, the sea gene copies and transcripts and enhance SEA production. Sequence analysis of the sea regions revealed that observed strain variances were related to strain capacity for prophage induction, rather than sequence differences in the sea region. The impact of SOS response activation on the phage lifecycle was demonstrated by the absence of phage replicative form copies in the recA-disruption mutant after prophage induction. From this study it emerges that all aspects of SEA-producing strain, the Siphoviridae phage and the food environment must be considered when evaluating SEA-related hazards.

Reasons underlying behaviour of motorcyclists disregarding traffic regulations in urban areas of Indonesia.

Over the last decade, motorcycle use has been rapidly increasing in Indonesia as have violations of traffic rules committed by motorcyclists. This study aims to explore the impacts of motorcyclists' attitudes, habits, preferences, and travel patterns on their behaviour in disregarding traffic regulations in three cities in Indonesia. The theory of planned behaviour and structural equation modelling are employed to explore these relationships. Consistent with results from previous studies in developed countries, an individual's beliefs and attitudes, social norms and perceived behaviour control significantly influence behaviour in disregarding traffic rules. Young adults and students are found to be more likely to frequently violate traffic regulations. However, unlike previous findings from developed countries, in Indonesia, males are less likely to disregard traffic rules than females. Overall, pushing the motorcycle through a (very) narrow gap, speeding, driving recklessly, and overtaking on the wrong side are the most frequent traffic violations that make up repetitive violation behaviour among urban motorcyclists in Indonesia. The results highlight the need to revisit Indonesian National Traffic Law traffic violation classification and penalties and separate violations that are likely to cause fatal results, thus requiring tougher law enforcement, from violations that are unlikely to have fatal consequences.

Public attitudes towards motorcyclists' safety: a qualitative study from the United Kingdom.

The aim of the reported research was to examine the perceptions of road user safety amongst different road users and examine the link between attitudes, empathy and skill in motorcycle safety behaviour. Motorcyclists were perceived by the study participants, members of the public at four different locations at the UK (including motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists), as a group be at a high risk of accidents on the road. This was due to perceived behavioural characteristics of motorcyclists--who were viewed as 'thrill seekers'--as well as observed behaviours on the road. This, coupled with the physical vulnerability and excessive speeds, meant that motorbike driving was considered by the study participants as the least safe form of road use. There was broad agreement that motorcycling was dangerous as a whole, but not all motorcyclists were necessarily risky riders. The issue of 'competitive space' emerged between car drivers and motorcyclists in particular and it was suggested that there was a lack of mutual awareness and considerations between the two groups. Generally, greatest empathy comes from drivers who are motorcyclists themselves. Engineering, education, enforcement interventions were investigated. These were aimed at two main areas: normalising safer driving behaviours for motorcyclists and increasing awareness of bikes for motorists--particularly in relation to reducing speed limits at urban junctions. Finally, the idea of risk mapping and reduced speed limits on rural roads was seen as potentially effective--particularly as certain motorcyclists highlighted that they changed their riding behaviours by increasing speed and taking greater risks on these roads.

Pedestrians' behaviour in cross walks: the effects of fear of falling and age.

Pedestrians are exposed to risks when crossing roads in urban areas. The crossing behaviour of pedestrians was studied as a factor contributing to their exposure to risks on the road and to their involvement in road accidents. This work explores two specific aspects of crossing behaviour: crossing speed and head pitches-the proportion of time pedestrians point their heads down (rather than towards the traffic) when crossing a road. The last one is used as an indicator of the (lack of) attention to cross-traffic. We also explored the possible effect of fear of falling (FOF) among pedestrians, as it might be associated with slow walking, less attention to cross traffic, and more attention to the pavement and their footsteps. This paper reports on a field study that combined an observatory technique with short survey. 203 pedestrians in two sites (signalised and unsignalised crosswalks) were video recorded while crossing the road. The FOF of pedestrians and other measures of pedestrian behaviour at crosswalks were revealed by means of questionnaire. Age and gender had the most significant effects on crossing speed, and FOF had a significant effect on the proportion of downward head pitches during crossing.