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The high demand and acute timeliness that characterizes instant delivery entail the challenges of high labor costs and an increase in courier traffic accidents. Autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) may serve as a key solution, with their attendant reduced labor input and higher efficiency. Customers play a key role in the successful implementation of ADVs on a large scale. However, understanding the factors that affect customers' intentions to use ADVs is still limited. Compared to autonomous driving, ADV customers are ultimately not the real users, who only are served by ADVs during the last leg of a trip. On account of this, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) may not be well-fitted for explaining the dynamics involved in ADV adoption. Within the context of ADVs, our study identified influencing factors that have not been captured by prior studies. This study incorporates infection risk, use experience, and social awkwardness into the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory to explore customers' intentions to use ADVs. Data from 691 survey respondents were collected to validate the research design. The results demonstrate that compatibility, social influence, infection risk, green image, social awkwardness, and use experience all have a significantly positive impact on customers' intentions to adopt ADV services, while complexity and perceived risk both exhibited a negative impact. But no effect could be found for relative advantage, which may be because of the fact that customers only need ADVs to meet their delivery demand. This study contributes to understanding customers' adoption intentions toward ADVs, informing policymakers in formulating ADV regulations and standards, and promoting the large-scale application of ADVs in instant delivery services.
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Atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) is one of the most important pollutants for human health, and road transport could be a major anthropogenic source of it. Several research studies have shown the impact of roads on the air quality in urban areas, but the relationship between road and rail networks and ambient PM10 concentrations has not been well studied, especially in suburban and rural landscapes. In this study, we examined the link between the spatial characteristics of each road type (motorway, primary road, secondary road, and railway) and the annual average PM10 concentration. We used the European 2931 air quality (AQ) station dataset, which is classified into urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. Our results show that in urban and rural landscapes, the spatial characteristics (the density of the road network and its distance from the AQ monitoring points) have a significant statistical relationship with PM10 concentrations. According to our findings from AQ monitoring sites within the urban landscape, there is a significant negative relationship between the annual average PM10 concentration and the density of the railway network. This result can be explained by the driving wind generated by railway trains (mainly electric trains). Among the road network types, all road types in the urban landscape, only motorways in the suburban landscape, and only residential roads in the rural landscape have a significant positive statistical relationship with the PM10 values at the AQ monitoring points. Our results show that in the suburban zones, which represent the rural–urban fringe, motorways have a strong influence on PM-related air pollution. In the suburban areas, the speed of vehicles changes frequently near motorways and intersections, so higher traffic-related PM10 emission levels can be expected in these areas. The findings of this study can be used to decrease transportation-related environmental conflicts related to the air quality in urban, urban–rural fringe, and rural (agricultural) landscapes.
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To date, research regarding the changes of the sulfur and nitrogen rates in Wuhan during the summer is limited. In this study, we analyzed the air quality in Wuhan, China, using water-soluble ion, gaseous precursor, and weather data. A Spearman correlation analysis was then performed to investigate the temporal changes in air quality characteristics and their driving factors to provide a reference for air pollution control in Wuhan. The results indicate that SO2 in the atmosphere at Wuhan undergoes secondary conversion and photo-oxidation, and the conversion degree of SO2 is higher than that of NO2. During the summers of 2016 and 2017, secondary inorganic atmospheric pollution was more severe than during other years. The fewest oxidation days occurred in summer 2020 (11 days), followed by the summers of 2017 and 2014 (25 and 27 days, respectively). During the study period, ion neutralization was the strongest in summer 2015 and the weakest in August 2020. The aerosols in Wuhan were mostly acidic and NH4+ was an important neutralizing component. The neutralization factors of all cations showed little change in 2015. K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ level changes were the highest in 2017 and 2020. At low temperature, high humidity, and low wind speed conditions, SO2 and NO2 were more easily converted into SO42− and NO3−.
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AimsTo present a case of a previously well child with rapidly progressing idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) requiring a lumboperitoneal shunt after a Covid-19 infection.MethodsA fifteen-year-old girl presented to the Children’s Emergency Department on 23th October 2021 with a history of headaches (temporal, periorbital and occipital) and reduced visual acuity. These started following a Covid-19 infection on 30th September. She was reviewed by ophthalmology in view of deteriorating visual acuity (right eye>left eye). Bilateral papilloedema and haemorrhages were noted on examination. Her visual acuity was 6/24 unaided in the right eye and 6/7.5 unaided in the left eye. During the admission her visual acuity deteriorated to 6/36 pinhole in the right eye and 6/12 pinhole in the left eye. In the right eye she lost colour vision and developed a relative afferent pupillary defect. She received acetazolamide and intravenous methylprednisolone before being transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital neurosurgical ward for a lumboperitoneal shunt.There has been a significant improvement since surgery. On 22nd November there was resolving papilloedema and haemorrhages. She had normalised colour vision and resolution of the afferent pupillary reflex. Her visual acuity was 0.275 in the right eye and 0.100 in the left eye (LogMAR). However, persistent deficits could have significant consequences such as the ability to obtain a driving licence.ResultsAn MRI showed bilateral papilloedema of the optic discs. An MRV showed narrowing of the bilateral traverse sinuses with gradual tapering suggestive of high intracranial pressure. Raised intracranial pressures were confirmed by lumbar puncture on two separate occasions. The pressures were beyond the limit of the manometer used (34cm H2O).ConclusionShe had two well recognised risk factors;female gender and increased BMI so is within the high-risk group. However, she had no pathognomonic signs/symptoms of IIH or Ophthalmic complaints before COVID-19, meaning this was a rapidly progressing case that coincided with a Covid-19 infection.It is not possible to declare a cause and effect relationship in this case, but there is some emerging reports of Covid-19 positive patients with refractory headaches having isolated raised intracranial pressures within the adult population.1 2The Covid-19 pandemic has also precipitated indirect consequences. Weight gain as a result of lockdown was reported, which increased her risk of IIH.ReferencesSilva MTT, Lima MA, Torezani G, et al. Isolated intracranial hypertension associated with COVID-19. Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1452-1458. doi:10.1177/0333102420965963Ilhan B, Cokal BG, Mungan Y. Intracranial hypertension and visual loss following COVID-19: A case report. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021;69(6):1625-1627. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_342_21
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Speed read Genomics has been crucial in COVID-19 response, driving research But many poor countries lack access to the technology First WHO Science Council report makes recommendations to address barriers The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent call to accelerate access to genomics, especially in resource-poor countries, in a report that examines technology gaps and opportunities. Genomics is the branch of science that uses methods from biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology to understand and use biological information in DNA and RNA to benefit medicine and public health — but the technology can also be used in agricultural research. While genomics technology is driving some of the most ground-breaking research in medical science, including COVID-19 vaccine research and development, its full potential is yet to be realised globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to the WHO Science Council’s inaugural report.
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Over the last three decades, traffic crashes have been one of the leading causes of fatalities and economic losses in the U.S.;compared with other age groups, this is especially concerning for the youth population (those aged between 16 and 24), mostly due to their inexperience, greater inattentiveness, and riskier behavior while driving. This research intends to investigate this issue around selected Florida university campuses. We employed three methods: (1) a comparative assessment for three selected counties using both planar Euclidean Distance and Roadway Network Distance-based Kernel Density Estimation methods to determine high-risk crash locations, (2) a crash density ratio difference approach to compare the maxima-normalized crash densities for the youth population and those victims that are 25 and up, and (3) a logistic regression approach to identify the statistically significant factors contributing to young-driver-involved crashes. The developed GIS maps illustrate the difference in spatial patterns of young-driver crash densities compared to those for other age groups. The statistical findings also reveal that intersections around university areas appear to be significantly problematic for youth populations, regardless of the differences in the general perspective of the characteristics of the selected counties. Moreover, the speed limit countermeasures around universities could not effectively prevent young-driver crash occurrences. Hence, the results of this study can provide valuable insights to transportation agencies in terms of pinpointing the high-risk locations around universities, assessing the effectiveness of existing safety countermeasures, and developing more reliable plans with a focus on the youth population.