ABSTRACT
Consumerism during the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by impulsive buying. Using the theoretical lens of uncertainty avoidance and ego-depletion to identify the mediating mechanisms and moderating factors for online impulse buying, we surveyed young consumers across two relevant periods for high consumerism—the week preceding the 2021 Chinese Spring Festival (Study 1;February 4–9, 2021, n = 1495) and the weeks during and after the festival (Study 2;February 12 to March 2, 2021, n = 923). Perception of COVID-19 variant uncertainty was both directly and indirectly (via online shopping trust) positively associated with online impulse buying. COVID-19 burnout was consistently indirectly associated with online impulse buying via self-regulation and self-appraised impulsivity but inconsistently directly associated. Self-regulation was surprisingly positively associated with online impulse buying, possibly reflecting evidence of already depleted resources from prolonged regulatory exertion among high self-regulators. Self-appraised impulsivity negatively interacted with perception of COVID-19 variant uncertainty, suggesting that as trait impulsivity increases, individuals are less incentivized by peripheral drivers of online impulse buying.
ABSTRACT
Quantifying the shock to the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult. Although this shock is easily linked to financial markets as a sort of monetary shock, few studies have been done on its effect on the real economy. This study takes a particular economic perspective, focusing on electricity uses in various sectors of the economy. We propose a novel method for comparing electricity use in 2019Q1 and 2020Q1, based on which we derive the degree of the real shock to some important economic sectors from COVID-19. In our theoretical framework, demand for energy and its influencing factors are related to the total scale of the economy, i.e., the gross domestic product. Using suitable empirical methods, we obtain certain marginal effects and then calculate the corresponding ratio as the real shock from COVID-19. The ratio between these marginal effects reveals the need for a balance between stocks and the corresponding differences in the economy. In our cases, the electricity use in various economic sectors plays a role in both stocks and the differences. We find that, although manufacturing and consumption are affected, the services are more vulnerable to the shock from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings offer implications for policymakers.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the CT and clinical features of 2019 novel coronavirus (NCP) pneumonia.@*Methods@#Chest CT and clinical data of confirmed 103 patients with 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in January 2020, retrospectively. According to diagnosis and treatment of NCP infected pneumonia (trial version 5), all the patients were classified into mild(n=58), severe (n=36) and very severe (n=9) type, and their clinical findings, laboratory examination and CT finding were analyzed. CT features included lesions’ distribution, location, size, shape, edge, number, density, percentage of pneumonia lesions of the whole lung and extra-pulmonary manifestations. The CT features of different clinical subtypes were compared using χ2test or Fisher's exact probability. Comparisons between the percentage of pneumonic lesions to total lung volume were computed by using analysis of variance (normal distribution) or Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test (non-normal distribution).@*Results@#In terms of clinical manifestations, the patients with severe NCP were more common in elderly men, with a median age of 65 years. Fever was the first symptom in 49 (84%) of 58 patients with NCP, and fever was the first symptom in both severe and critical NCP patients. The incidence of cough in severe (25 / 36, 69%) and critical (6 /9, 67%) NCP patients was higher than that in general (20 /58, 34%). All critical patients have dyspnea. In terms of CT findings, common NCP showed double lung (40/58,71%) multiple (40 / 58,69%) ground glass (31/58,52%) or mixed (25 / 58,43%) lesions (56 / 58,97%); severe and critical NCP showed double lung lesions, heavy NCP mainly showed multiple (34 / 36,96%) patches (33 / 36,92%) mixed density lesions (26 / 36,72%); 9 severe NCP lesions were more than 3 cm Mixed density lesions. The percentage of pneumonia focus in the whole lung volume: the common type (12.5% ± 6.1%) was significantly lower than the severe type (25.9% ± 10.7%) and the critical type (47.2% ± 19.2%) NCP, the difference was statistically significant (P values were < 0.001 and 0.002 respectively), and the severe type NCP was also significantly lower than the critical type (P = 0.032).@*Conclusions@#CT and clinical features of different clinical types of NCP pneumonia are different. Chest CT findings have unique characteristic, which can not only make early diagnosis, but also evaluate its clinical course and severity.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new viral respiratory disease and whether pregnant women are at increased risk of infection is unknown. Viral pneumonia is an important indirect cause of maternal death. Little is known about the effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during pregnancy. Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in pregnancy and their newborn infant, and we sought to explored whether the SARS-CoV-2 can be intrauterine vertically transmitted. Study Design: The study was a case series study conducted in the obstetric ward of Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of science and technology, Wuhan, China. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological profiles of the SARS-CoV-2 infection case series. A systematic testing procedure for SARS-CoV-2 infection using oropharyngeal swab, placenta tissue, vaginal mucus, and breast milk of mothers. and oropharyngeal swab, umbilical cord blood, and serum of newborns was conducted. Results: We have conducted the most thorough virological assessment to date, and we include a longer clinical observation in mother-infant dyads during hospitalization. The clinical course and outcomes of three pregnant women who acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection late pregnancy are described in mother-infant dyads. Two had caesarean delivery in their third trimester. All patients showed an uneventful perinatal course, and a successful outcome. No infants became infected by vertical transmission or during delivery. Conclusion: No evidence to suggest the potential risk of intrauterine vertical transmission in the case series and further in-depth study is needed. Both the pregnancy woman and infant showed fewer adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.