ABSTRACT
Purpose Due to increased health concerns, restaurant customers rely more on credible cues that indirectly represent health-related credence quality. To comprehensively understand the dynamics between credence cues and restaurant delivery with different infection risks, this study aims to investigate changes in cue utilization during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Data on delivery sales, brand and review rating between 2019 and the first half of 2020 were obtained from Meituan. Fixed-effects estimation was used to investigate 579,858 restaurant observations across 338 cities in China. Findings Health concerns significantly increased the use of restaurant delivery and the increased delivery sales remained steady even after infection risk was reduced. However, cue utilization in restaurant delivery substantially changed depending on inflection risk. In the pandemic-spreading period, the sales effect of the brand increased while that of review rating decreased. The decreased effect of review rating was recovered in the pandemic-flattening period, whereas the abnormal brand effect continued only when branded restaurants had a high rating. Research limitations/implications The findings demonstrate the selective and contextual nature of cue utilization in the restaurant delivery setting. These characteristics are also manifested in a health crisis from a credence cue perspective. Practical implications The findings demonstrate the selective and contextual nature of cue utilization in the restaurant delivery setting. These characteristics are also manifested in a health crisis from a credence cue perspective. Further, this study re-conceptualizes credence quality and cues, considering their roles in risk management. The findings help develop risk management strategies based on customers' usage patterns of credence cues in health crises. Originality/value The dynamics between credence cues and restaurant delivery has not been comprehensively investigated, especially when infection risk changes. This study delivers theoretical and practical contributions about how to use credence cues in the restaurant business amid health crises.
ABSTRACT
Liaocheng represents one of the most serious polluted cities in Northern China. To investigate the impact of residential heating activities on atmospheric particles, the chemical composition, size distribution, and evolution process of single particles collected during the wintertime of 2019 were investigated using a single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS). The results showed that the concentrations of four air pollutants including PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and CO during the heating period were 1.1-1.2 times higher than those before the heating period largely due to the increase of pollutant emissions from coal combustion, while O-3 concentration during the heating period decreased by 40.2%. The mass spectra and unscaled size distributions of single particles suggested that the particles had undergone a significant aging process during the whole observation period. The acidity of single particles was calculated by the relative acidity ratio (R-ra), which increased from 36.1 +/- 13.9 before the heating period to 64.8 +/- 43.9 during the heating period, implying that the single particles were more acidic and less aged during the heating period, mainly due to the enhanced formation of sulfate and nitrate and the decreased O-3 concentration during the heating period. Moreover, R-ra decreased from clean days to polluted days before and during the heating period, suggesting that the atmospheric particles in polluted days were less acidic and more aged. The percentage of elemental carbon (EC) particles increased by 13.6% and 11.5% from clean days to polluted days before and during the heating period, respectively, suggesting the significant contribution of EC particles to the polluted days. Source identification results showed that single particles before the heating period were mostly derived from secondary inorganic source (26.5%) and vehicle exhaust (21.4%), whereas those during the heating period were largely from coal combustion (24.0%) and secondary inorganic source (21.4%).
ABSTRACT
Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has attracted worldwide attention due to its high infectivity and pathogenicity. Objective: The purpose of this study is to develop drugs with therapeutic potentials for COVID-19. Methods: we selected the crystal structure of 3CL pm to perform virtual screening against natural products in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). Then, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was carried out to explore the binding mode between compounds and 3CL pro. Results and Discussion: A total of 6 candidates with good theoretical binding affinity to 3CL pm were identified. The binding mode after MD shows that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction play an important role in the binding process. Finally, based on the free binding energy analysis, the candidate natural product Gypenoside LXXV may bind to 3CL pm with high binding affinity. Conclusion: The natural product Gypenoside LXXV may have good potential anti-SARS-COV-2 activity.
ABSTRACT
To explore the feasibility and organizational efficiency of applying ridesharing to commutes during public health emergencies, this study analyzed the public's willingness and perception of the exposure risks of different travel modes based on an online questionnaire for passenger travel preferences during COVID-19. The survey shows that approximately 71% of both car owners and car-free groups have a high willingness to share rides with people from the same company. 60% of car owners are happy to offer rideshare services, while 73% of car-free employees show a willingness to join a carpool. Utilizing ridesharing in company is feasible and available, with proper demand and foundation. A study on the driving factors behind ridesharing based on a questionnaire and binary logit model shows that a traveler's subjective perception of travel mode risk has a significant influence on the rideshare choice. Considering the travel mode preferences of groups during COVID-19, this paper proposes the principles of mutual benefit, reassurance, shared appointments, shared ridership control, and requirements for levels of service based on the health management of the rideshare commuting mode. Through simulations of carpooling in different scenarios, the expected efficiency of the mode was analyzed. Compared to the "N to N" pairing in commercial ridesharing, the "N to 1" pairing in the commuting rideshare mode organized by the company greatly improved the efficiency. For different rates of car ownership, there generally exists a proper staff size, usually not large, corresponding to an optimum pairing rate. The pairing rate in distributed residences is lower than that in concentrated residences. When the car ownership rate reaches 65%, the pairing rate can be high in both distributed and concentrated residences. During public health emergencies, exploring urban transportation innovations to solve commuting mobility needs as well as risk management and control will provide a reference for resilient urban governance. © 2020, Editorial Department of China Journal of Highway and Transport. All right reserved.