Intra-urban vulnerability gap towards urban resilience in Covid19 pandemic (case of Surakarta greater urban, Indonesia)

Urban areas have interaction characteristics that favor the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The lifestyle of urban communities with higher close contact influences the speed of the spread of Covid19, which makes cities play an important role in the transmission of Covid19. Surgo Ventures' Covid19 Community Vulnerability Index variable is used to analyze the community vulnerability in Surakarta Greater Urban. Statistics from government agencies were used to collect data on population, heterogeneity, housing conditions, health care systems, and environmental risks, which were then analyzed in the sub-district spatial unit. The findings show a close correlation between the aggregate value of the Covid19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) and the rate of spread of Covid19 both in the city center and the urban fringe. However, the variable with the strongest correlation in the urban area differs from the variable in the urban fringe area. Furthermore, there are differences in vulnerability in urban communities. This demonstrates the need for different Covid19 handling strategies in different communities, despite the fact that they are all part of the same urban service system. The identification of these determinants may subsequently contribute to the design of cities that are better prepared for future pandemics.

Leverage points to address climate change risk in destinations

Transformational system change is required to respond to the current climate emergency and the COVID-19 induced structural break presents an opportunity to progress such change. While the tourism industry accepts the need for change, how this may look like remains unclear. This article contributes to identifying pathways by presenting critical reflections on the research process and findings from a three-year research project on reducing climate change risk in Vanuatu. The approach is anchored in systems thinking and draws on the concept of leverage points. Seven points are identified for intervening in the tourism system to reduce climate change risk and achieve varying levels of systemic change. Each is explored in the context of Vanuatu before its broader relevance is discussed. The findings highlight the importance of engaging with deeper influences of risk and unsustainable system outcomes. This has implications for how decision-makers approach crisis management and what ‘tourism recovery' means, especially when considering that system resilience might stand in the way of more profound transformational change required to address long-term risks.Alternate :中文摘要为了应对当前的气候突发事件, 需要进行转变性的制度变革。新型冠状肺炎引发的结构性突破为推动这种变化提供了机会。虽然旅游业接受了有必要进行改变, 但这可能会变成什么样子仍然是未知数。该文通过对一项为期三年的关于减少瓦努阿图气候变化风险研究项目过程和结果的批判性反思, 提出对气候变化进行转变性制度变革的路径。本文方法以系统思维为基础, 并借鉴杠杆点的概念, 提出对旅游系统进行干预的七个要点, 以减少气候变化风险, 实现不同程度的系统性变化。每个要点都是先在瓦努阿图的范围内进行探讨, 然后再讨论其更广泛的启发意义。研究结果强调应对风险和不可持续系统的更深层次影响因素的重要性。该研究结果对决策者如何处理危机管理和理解"旅游业复苏”的意义有启发, 尤其当决策者考虑到系统的弹性可能会阻碍解决长远风险所需要的更深远的转变性变革。

Monitoring of the Surfactants in Surface Waters in Slovakia and the Possible Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Presence

In order to keep the home and occupational environment clean and non-infectious, the consumption of cleaners and disinfectants, including cosmetics, is increasing. Excessive use of these products results in their accumulation in the aquatic environment. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are unable to effectively remove the emergent pollutants, including personal care products. This article is focused on the monitoring of the presence of personal care products in surface waters in two river basins in the Slovak Republic, in terms of the surfactant content. Ecotoxicological evaluation of the selected samples from the monitored river basins was performed by an acute toxicity test using the test organism Daphnia magna. The monitoring results indicate the presence of personal care products in the aquatic environment which poses an ecological and environmental risk. Monitoring in the Hron and Nitra river basins confirmed contamination with the surfactants, to which the measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed. The content of the surfactants in personal care products is significant, and their impact on the aquatic environment is not sufficiently monitored.

Predicted Environmental Risk Assessment of Antimicrobials with Increased Consumption in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic; The Groundwork for the Forthcoming Water Quality Survey.

The environmental release of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals is an imminent threat due to ecological impacts and microbial resistance phenomena. The recent COVID-19 outbreak will likely lead to greater loads of antimicrobials in the environment. Thus, identifying the most used antimicrobials likely to pose environmental risks would be valuable. For that, the ambulatory and hospital consumption patterns of antimicrobials in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) were compared with those of 2019. A predicted risk assessment screening approach based on exposure and hazard in the surface water was conducted, combining consumption, excretion rates, and ecotoxicological/microbiological endpoints in five different regions of Portugal. Among the 22 selected substances, only rifaximin and atovaquone demonstrated predicted potential ecotoxicological risks for aquatic organisms. Flucloxacillin, piperacillin, tazobactam, meropenem, ceftriaxone, fosfomycin, and metronidazole showed the most significant potential for antibiotic resistance in all analysed regions. Regarding the current screening approach and the lack of environmental data, it is advisable to consider rifaximin and atovaquone in subsequent water quality surveys. These results might support the forthcoming monitorisation of surface water quality in a post-pandemic survey.

No Excess of Mortality from Lung Cancer during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Area at Environmental Risk: Results of an Explorative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures associated with it placed enormous pressure on health facilities and may have caused delays in the treatment of other diseases, leading to increases in mortality compared to the expected rates. Areas with high levels of air pollution already have a high risk of death from cancer, so we aimed to evaluate the possible indirect effects of the pandemic on mortality from lung cancer compared to the pre-pandemic period in the province of Taranto, a polluted site of national interest for environmental risk in the south of Italy. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective observational study on lung cancer data (ICD-10: C34) from the Registry of Mortality (ReMo) for municipalities in Taranto Province over the period of 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2021. Seasonal exponential smoothing, Holt-Winters additive, Holt-Winters multiplicative, and auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models were used to forecast the number of deaths during the pandemic period. Data were standardized by sex and age via an indirect method and shown as monthly mortality rates (MRs), standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and adjusted mortality rates (AMRs). RESULTS: In Taranto Province, 3108 deaths from lung cancer were recorded between 2011 and 2021. In the province of Taranto, almost all of the adjusted monthly mortality rates during the pandemic were within the confidence interval of the predicted rates, with the exception of significant excesses in March (+1.82, 95% CI 0.11-3.08) and August 2020 (+2.09, 95% CI 0.20-3.44). In the municipality of Taranto, the only significant excess rate was in August 2020 (+3.51, 95% CI 0.33-6.69). However, in total, in 2020 and 2021, the excess deaths from lung cancer were not significant both for the province of Taranto (+30 (95% CI -77; +106) for 2020 and +28 (95% CI -130; +133) for 2021) and for the municipality of Taranto alone (+14 (95% CI -47; +74) for 2020 and -2 (95% CI -86; +76) for 2021). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that there was no excess mortality from lung cancer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Taranto. The strategies applied by the local oncological services during the pandemic were probably effective in minimizing the possible interruption of cancer treatment. Strategies for accessing care in future health emergencies should take into account the results of continuous monitoring of disease trends.

Microorganisms in Pathogenesis and Management of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system with astrocytopathy characteristics. Antibodies against aquaporin-4 water channels which are mainly located in astrocyte podocytes play an important role in NMOSD pathogenesis. Like other autoimmune disorders, it seems that both genetic and environmental factors are involved in NMOSD risk, but the role of environmental risk factors is more significant. Infections are known to be an effective factor not only in the incidence but also in the exacerbation of autoimmune diseases. In this chapter, the roles of microorganisms in two categories of viruses and bacteria in the pathogenesis and management of NMOSD patients are discussed. In this regard the relation between infection with tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori, Epstein-Barr virus, SARS-CoV-2, varicella-zoster virus, dengue virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus 2 and Zika virus, as well as gut microbiome and NMOSD occurrence are mentioned. On the other hand, susceptibility of NMOSD patients for developing infectious diseases due to receiving immunosuppressive drugs and the role of infection in NMOSD attack and disease exacerbation are outlined. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention of colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer remains the fourth most common malignancy in Korea, and has been ranked as the third leading cause of cancer deaths in 2020. This study aims to describe the epidemiologic status of colorectal cancer in Korea, and provide basic data for effective primary and secondary prevention methods by summarizing risk factors and screening tools. Current Concepts: Although colorectal cancer incidence and mortality have decreased in recent years in Korea, it still poses a significant public health burden. From the early 1990s until the mid-2000s, the 5-year relative survival of patients with colorectal cancer in Korea continuously increased. This can be attributed to the successful introduction of the government-led screening program;development of improved surgical techniques, anticancer drugs, and adjuvant treatment;and advances medical resources and infrastructure along with economic growth. However, since the late 2000s, the improvement in survival has stagnated. The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has reduced hospital visits and screenings, which is assumed to cause delays in diagnosis, leading to a worse prognosis in the patients. To overcome these obstacles, it is essential to explore modifiable environmental risk factors and appropriate screening test methods in Korea. Discussion and Conclusion(s): Primary prevention through risk factor modification and secondary prevention using suitable screening programs can reduce the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer.Copyright © Korean Medical Association.

Dynamic relationship between green bonds and major financial asset markets from the perspective of climate change

In recent years, changes in the climate environment have caused a considerable impact on the economy and finance, especially after the signing of the Paris Agreement decided to prevent the further increase in the earth's temperature and smoothly transformed into a low-carbon society, various markets have been affected to varying degrees, and at the same time, green bonds as an emerging environmental protection tool have sprung up and become the focus of many investors and researchers. The emergence and rise of eco-friendly investment opportunities such as green bonds is bound to have an impact on other markets, but little research has been done on their dynamic correlation with the U.S. stock market, crude oil and gold markets, especially in our current period of COVID-19 tensions, it is necessary to explore the dynamics between markets and the risk aversion of green bonds to climate change. In this paper, we study the dynamic correlation between three green investment vehicles (S&P Green Bond, China Green Bond, and Climate Bond) and three major markets, and explore whether the linkage between each market will be affected by economic risks and climate change risks by adding climate risk proxy indicators and economic policy uncertainties. This is not only of guiding significance for investors who are eco-friendly to judge the effectiveness of asset allocation and hedging in investment decisions, but also has certain reference for policymakers and market participants who want to achieve green investment, which will help the market to maintain a stable and smooth transition to a low-carbon economy in the event of pressure.

Reducing personal climate risk to reduce personal climate anxiety

Climate anxiety, reflecting concerns about the negative impacts of climate change, is growing. Planning and action on individual specific climate risks could be a way to reduce personal climate anxiety.

Why Nature needs to stand up for science and evidence

When participants were then prompted to read information from different sources about vaccine efficacy against new COVID-19 variants, Trump supporters who had been shown the summary of Nature's editorial were less likely to trust Nature's information on COVID-19, and also reported more mistrust in US scientists. Trump had laid waste to science and scientific institutions at home on issues from COVID-19 to climate change, and had gutted environmental regulations even in the face of increasing climate risk. When individuals seeking office have a track record of causing harm, when they are transparently dismissive of facts and integrity, when they threaten scholarly autonomy, and when they are disdainful of cooperation and consensus, it becomes important to speak up.

Differences and similarities of occupational risk factors for COVID-19 across waves of the pandemic;extended follow-up of the COVICAT cohort

IntroductionDuring the first pandemic lockdown in Spain certain workers have been at increased risk of COVID-19. Results from published studies are heterogeneous, possibly due to differences in public health interventions, availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), virulence of variants of concern, population-wide immunity or methodological issues.MethodsThe COVICAT study (IEC approved) pooled ongoing population-based cohort studies from Catalonia. Occupational analyses of COVICAT were restricted to working age and included 8,422 participants, of which 3,563 were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during the first wave;study participants were re-contacted in mid-2021. Participants responded to a web-based or telephone survey including questions on socio-demographics, pre-pandemic health, behavioural and environmental risk factors. Occupational questions covered mode of work, job title, PPE, and mode of commuting. COVID-19 cases were defined by self-reported symptoms or hospitalisation and SARS CoV-2 seropositivity. Association of type of work, job titles and job-exposure matrix (JEM) with COVID-19 was assed using log-binomial models adjusted for potential confounders, such as age, sex, education, deprivation index, population density and survey type. Analyses for the extended follow-up were stratified by pandemic waves.ResultsThe relative risk (RR) for COVID-19 for working at the usual workplace compared to telework was 1.83 (95% CI: 1.41, 2.38), and 1.63 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.52) among the serology study participants. The RR by job title was increased for all health care workers and highest for personal health care workers in health services (6.19;3.71, 10.33);PPE was associated with a stronger protective effect by increasing protection level. Using public transport for commuting was associated with a 50% increase in COVID risk. Results for the extended follow-up will be presented.ConclusionsThe extended follow-up of the COVICAT cohort provides data to illuminate occupational risk factors for COVID-19 infection over time, which may contribute to explain heterogeneities across countries.

Combined Impact of Omicron Vaccination and Environmental Risk Exposure: A Thailand Case Study.

This research aimed to determine the levels of COVID-19 booster dose vaccinations in Thai populations in areas with environmental risk exposure during the Omicron outbreak. Five of twenty provinces in Thailand were selected by assessing environmental risk exposure for study settings. A total of 1038 people were interviewed by a structured questionnaire. The predicting factors of COVID-19 booster dose vaccinations were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. The results showed that 69.4% (95% CI 66.5-72.1) of the population was vaccinated with COVID-19 booster doses. Multiple logistics regression revealed that the female gender (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.11-2.00), all age groups from 38 to 60 years old, all education levels of at least secondary school, high income (AOR 1.16, 95% CI 1.15-2.24), populations having experience with COVID-19 infection (AOR 2.27, 95% CI 2.05-3.76), knowledge of vaccine (AOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.11-2.83), and trusting attitude (AOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.32-2.36) were factors among those more likely to take COVID-19 booster dose vaccinations in high-environmental-risk-exposure areas. Therefore, an effective booster dose campaign with education programs to increase attitudes toward booster vaccinations should be implemented for the resilience of COVID-19 prevention and control.

Epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention of colorectal cancer

Background: Colorectal cancer remains the fourth most common malignancy in Korea, and has been ranked as the third leading cause of cancer deaths in 2020. This study aims to describe the epidemiologic status of colorectal cancer in Korea, and provide basic data for effective primary and secondary prevention methods by summarizing risk factors and screening tools. Current Concepts: Although colorectal cancer incidence and mortality have decreased in recent years in Korea, it still poses a significant public health burden. From the early 1990s until the mid-2000s, the 5-year relative survival of patients with colorectal cancer in Korea continuously increased. This can be attributed to the successful introduction of the government-led screening program;development of improved surgical techniques, anticancer drugs, and adjuvant treatment;and advances medical resources and infrastructure along with economic growth. However, since the late 2000s, the improvement in survival has stagnated. The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has reduced hospital visits and screenings, which is assumed to cause delays in diagnosis, leading to a worse prognosis in the patients. To overcome these obstacles, it is essential to explore modifiable environmental risk factors and appropriate screening test methods in Korea. Discussion and Conclusion: Primary prevention through risk factor modification and secondary prevention using suitable screening programs can reduce the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer.

Bioaerosol dispersion and environmental risk simulation: Method and a case study for a biopharmaceutical plant of Gansu province, China.

Pathogenic bacteria pose a great threat to global public health from environmental and public health perspectives, especially regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. As a result, the increased risk of pathogenic bioaerosol exposure imposes a considerable health burden and raises specific concerns about the layout and location of vaccine manufacturers. This study proposed a grid computing method based on the CALPUFF modelling system and population-based environmental risks to reduce bioaerosol-related potential risks. We previously used the CALPUFF model to quantify the diffusion level, the spatial distribution of emissions, and potential environmental risks of bioaerosol leakage in Gansu province's Zhongmu Lanzhou biopharmaceutical plant from July 24, 2019, to August 20, 2019. By combining it with publicly available test data, the credibility was confirmed. Based on our previous research, the CALPUFF model application combined with the environmental population-based environmental risks in two scenarios: the layout and site selection, was explored by using the leakage accident of Zhongmu Lanzhou biopharmaceutical plant of Gansu province as a case study. Our results showed that the site selection method of scenario 2 coupled with the buffer area was more reasonable than scenario 1, and the final layout site selection point of scenario 2 was grid 157 as the optimal layout point. The simulation results demonstrated agreement with the actual survey. Our findings could assist global bioaerosol manufacturers in developing appropriate layout and site selection strategies to reduce bioaerosol-related potential environmental risks.

A Case-Control Study Investigating Household, Community, and Clinical Risk Factors Associated with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) after SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Background. Risk factors for MIS-C, a rare but serious hyperinflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, remain unclear. We evaluated household, clinical, and environmental risk factors potentially associated with MIS-C. Methods. This investigation included MIS-C cases hospitalized in 14 US pediatric hospitals in 2021. Outpatient controls were frequency-matched to case-patients by age group and site and had a positive SARS-CoV-2 viral test within 3 months of the admission of their matched MIS-C case (Figure 1). We conducted telephone surveys with caregivers and evaluated potential risk factors using mixed effects multivariable logistic regression, including site as a random effect. We queried regarding exposures within the month before hospitalization for MIS-C cases or the month after a positive COVID-19 test for controls. Enrollment scheme for MIS-C case-patients and SARS-CoV-2-positive outpatient controls. MIS-C case-patients were identified through hospital electronic medical records, while two outpatient controls per case were identified through registries of outpatient SARS-CoV-2 testing logs at facilities affiliated with that medical center. Caregivers of outpatient controls were interviewed at least four weeks after their positive test to ensure they did not develop MIS-C after their infection. Results. We compared 275 MIS-C case-patients with 494 outpatient SARS-CoV-2-positive controls. Race, ethnicity and social vulnerability indices were similar. MIS-C was more likely among persons who resided in households with >1 resident per room (aOR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.2), attended a large (>=10 people) event with little to no mask-wearing (aOR=2.2, 95% CI: 1.4-3.5), used public transportation (aOR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.1), attended school >2 days per week with little to no mask wearing (aOR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.0-4.4), or had a household member test positive for COVID-19 (aOR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.3). MIS-C was less likely among children with comorbidities (aOR=0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9) and in those who had >1 positive SARS-CoV-2 test at least 1 month apart (aOR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.6). MIS-C was not associated with a medical history of recurrent infections or family history of underlying rheumatologic disease. Conclusion. Household crowding, limited masking at large indoor events or schools and use of public transportation were associated with increased likelihood of developing MIS-C after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In contrast, decreased likelihood of MIS-C was associated with having >1 SARS-CoV-2 positive test separated by at least a month. Our data suggest that additional studies are needed to determine if viral load, and/or recurrent infections in the month prior to MIS-C contribute to MIS-C risk. Medical and family history were not associated with MIS-C in our analysis.

Biological age and environmental risk factors for dementia and stroke: Molecular mechanisms.

Since the development of antibiotics and vaccination, as well as major improvements in public hygiene, the main risk factors for morbidity and mortality are age and chronic exposure to environmental factors, both of which can interact with genetic predispositions. As the average age of the population increases, the prevalence and costs of chronic diseases, especially neurological conditions, are rapidly increasing. The deleterious effects of age and environmental risk factors, develop chronically over relatively long periods of time, in contrast to the relatively rapid deleterious effects of infectious diseases or accidents. Of particular interest is the hypothesis that the deleterious effects of environmental factors may be mediated by acceleration of biological age. This hypothesis is supported by evidence that dietary restriction, which universally delays age-related diseases, also ameliorates deleterious effects of environmental factors. Conversely, both age and environmental risk factors are associated with the accumulation of somatic mutations in mitotic cells and epigenetic modifications that are a measure of "biological age", a better predictor of age-related morbidity and mortality than chronological age. Here we review evidence that environmental risk factors such as smoking and air pollution may also drive neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's Disease, by the acceleration of biological age, mediated by cumulative and persistent epigenetic effects as well as somatic mutations. Elucidation of such mechanisms could plausibly allow the development of interventions which delay deleterious effects of both aging and environmental risk factors.

Co-exposure to urban particulate matter and aircraft noise adversely impacts the cerebro-pulmonary-cardiovascular axis in mice.

Worldwide, up to 8.8 million excess deaths/year have been attributed to air pollution, mainly due to the exposure to fine particulate matter (PM). Traffic-related noise is an additional contributor to global mortality and morbidity. Both health risk factors substantially contribute to cardiovascular, metabolic and neuropsychiatric sequelae. Studies on the combined exposure are rare and urgently needed because of frequent co-occurrence of both risk factors in urban and industrial settings. To study the synergistic effects of PM and noise, we used an exposure system equipped with aerosol generator and loud-speakers, where C57BL/6 mice were acutely exposed for 3d to either ambient PM (NIST particles) and/or noise (aircraft landing and take-off events). The combination of both stressors caused endothelial dysfunction, increased blood pressure, oxidative stress and inflammation. An additive impairment of endothelial function was observed in isolated aortic rings and even more pronounced in cerebral and retinal arterioles. The increase in oxidative stress and inflammation markers together with RNA sequencing data indicate that noise particularly affects the brain and PM the lungs. The combination of both stressors has additive adverse effects on the cardiovascular system that are based on PM-induced systemic inflammation and noise-triggered stress hormone signaling. We demonstrate an additive upregulation of ACE-2 in the lung, suggesting that there may be an increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infection. The data warrant further mechanistic studies to characterize the propagation of primary target tissue damage (lung, brain) to remote organs such as aorta and heart by combined noise and PM exposure.

Communicating landslide risks during the COVID-19 pandemic: A baseline study for PHIVOLCS-Dynaslope stakeholders

Dynaslope Project, a government-funded program implemented by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), develops and deploys an early warning system (EWS) for deep-seated landslides. It uses landslide sensor technology and community involvement in its EWS implementation in 50 sites all over the country. As the pandemic altered people’s modes of communication, it is important to understand how these changes relate to communicating landslide early warning information (LEWI). This research answered: How can the Dynaslope Project effectively communicate landslide risk during the COVID-19 pandemic? Specifically, it a) identified their preferred communication channels and tools during the pandemic, b) enumerated the stakeholders’ perceived participation and communication barriers, and c) measured the degree of trust of the stakeholders in the Project, the LEWI it released, and other key messages. This research was guided by the Actor-Network Theory and the concept of co-orientation which posited that, instead of a single entity defining a network or a system, it was the interactions between people, objects, and institutions that created a collective network and continuously negotiated a coherent understanding. The study employed a descriptive quantitative methodology. It used stratified random sampling to select the participants. Among the major findings include the stakeholders’ preference for offline communication like SMS and calls, the presence of communication and participation barriers including weak or no phone reception and limited access to up-to-date communication devices and the internet, and a high level of trust in the Dynaslope Project because it was implemented by a science-based national agency PHIVOLCS.

Protection or Peril of Following the Crowd in a Pandemic-Concurrent Flood Evacuation

The decisions of whether and how to evacuate during a climate disaster are influenced by a wide range of factors, including emergency messaging, social influences, and sociodemographics. Further complexity is introduced when multiple hazards occur simultaneously, such as a flood evacuation taking place amid a viral pandemic that requires physical distancing. Such multihazard events can necessitate a nuanced navigation of competing decision-making strategies wherein a desire to follow peers is weighed against contagion risks. To better understand these trade-offs, we distributed an online survey during a COVID-19 pandemic surge in July 2020 to 600 individuals in three midwestern and three southern states in the United States with high risk of flooding. In this paper, we estimate a random parameter discrete choice model in both preference space and willingness-to-pay space. The results of our model show that the directionality and magnitude of the influence of peers’ choices of whether and how to evacuate vary widely across respondents. Overall, the decision of whether to evacuate is positively impacted by peer behavior, while the decision of how to evacuate (i.e., ride-type selection) is negatively impacted by peer influence. Furthermore, an increase in flood threat level lessens the magnitude of peer impacts. In terms of the COVID-19 pandemic impacts, respondents who perceive it to be a major health risk are more reluctant to evacuate, but this effect is mitigated by increased flood threat level. These findings have important implications for the design of tailored emergency messaging strategies and the role of shared rides in multihazard evacuations. Specifically, emphasizing or deemphasizing the severity of each threat in a multihazard scenario may assist in: (1) encouraging a reprioritization of competing risk perceptions;and (2) magnifying or neutralizing the impacts of social influence, thereby (3) nudging evacuation decision-making toward a desired outcome.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Quarantine on Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disability: A Longitudinal Study.

The impact of the pandemic is being very significant psychologically, especially for people who were already vulnerable in these aspects, such as adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID). A longitudinal analysis of motor aspects such as balance and gait, executive functions in daily life, severity of symptoms characteristic of autism, and degree of subjective well-being was performed in 53 adults with ASD and ID. A repeated measures ANOVA was performed and three measures were taken, the first in December 2019, the second in March 2020, and the last in July 2020. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in balance on the latter measure, along with a deterioration in well-being and ASD symptoms in the period of seclusion and an improvement in executive functions after seclusion.