A literature review of the main factors influencing the e-commerce and last-mile delivery projects during COVID-19 pandemic

Humanity has faced many pandemics throughout its history with COVID-19 pandemic being the most recent. Each pandemic requires the implementation of a series of restrictions and measures to reform local societies or even society on a global scale. Scientific and technological innovations have ensured the survival of mankind and consequently the establishment of new habits and trends. One of these reforms concerns the transport of goods and in particular urban logistics and last-mile delivery. Despite the increasing use of e-commerce, the average amount of money spent per month and per buyer has decreased; in times of uncertainty, people prefer to postpone big purchases and focus more on everyday products. These purchases have generated an increase in demand for the transport of goods and put significant pressure on the supply chain. For this reason, actions have been developed to improve logistics, in particular last-mile delivery, with the introduction of environmentally friendly and small vehicles, among others. In order to be able to trace the evolution of the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and logistics spatially and temporally, the manuscript focused as a first step on the analysis of the literature entered in the main databases dedicated to scientific publications, returning some 2,227 indexed articles from 2000 to 2021.

The search was conducted using keywords and iterations between them. The results emphasised the need to adapt business activities to the changing situation by anticipating people's needs, creating e-commerce sites capable of accompanying customers in this delicate phase. The results obtained were analysed from a statistical point of view, laying the foundations for future investigative steps in the field of last-mile logistics and the proper planning of loading and unloading spaces for goods in urban areas.

Monitoring speed variation and pedestrian crossing distraction in Enna (Sicily) during different pandemic phases

The growing phenomenon of teleworking and the recent covid-19 pandemic have caused the volumes of pedestrians who routinely cross the city to change since March 2020. This change may have resulted in further damage to the health of pedestrians due to limited activity. Some recent studies point to slight changes in walking speed and stride length compared to changes in the number of steps, these changes were consistently seen during the state of emergency, they showed that people tried to walk faster in their outdoor walking. For the safety of pedestrians, it is necessary to analyse not only the change in speed when crossing but also the potential factors influencing it. These factors include user-related variables (gender, age, weight) and variables related to potential distractors such as smartphone use or walking in groups. The results of measurements made during the pandemic period (4 different phases) in pedestrian traffic in the zebra crossing area are also presented. The research was conducted in a zebra crossing area located in a small town in Sicily (Enna) frequently used by workers, students and elderly people. The results showed that during the first and second pandemic phases (May to October 2021) there were significant changes in the way of moving and the speed of pedestrians at crossings. The same crossings were also examined in the late autumn of 2021 (third and fourth pandemic phases) and the data show further changes in pedestrian behaviour. The data collected can help to improve safety in the area of pedestrian crossings through infrastructural actions or educational programmes and campaigns, especially among vulnerable groups of pedestrians.

Residents’ acceptance for night deliveries policy in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece

As humanity straggles to absorb the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, city logistics is one of the transport sectors that has been affected. The restriction measures applied, and the regional lockdowns had put significant pressure on the supply chain but also on the last mile delivery. City logistics stand before a crossroad with important challenges lying ahead and difficult decisions to be made. The transformation of the city logistics sector is inevitable as more and more countries join an alliance against climate change. In this framework, the present paper presents an enquiry concerning the residents’ acceptance at the city of Thessaloniki, Greece on the possible implementation of night deliveries. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted and the analysis of the collected data is presented revealing that the residents are aware of night deliveries’ occurring problems as well as their willingness to accept the implementation of such policy if all necessary precautions and measures are applied.

Psychosocial Barriers of Public Transport Use and Social Exclusion among Older Adults: Empirical Evidence from Lahore, Pakistan

Transport planning and public health have been intertwined historically. The health impact of public transport services, such as social exclusion, is a widely discussed research topic. Social exclusion is a paramount concern for older adults' health in the wake of emerging global challenges. However, there remains a significant research gap on how psychosocial barriers faced by older adults in using public transport services influence the social exclusion behavior. The present research provides empirical evidence and shows the impact of certain psychosocial barriers of public transportation on older adults' social exclusion. A total of 243 Pakistani older adults (aged 60-89 years old) voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants provided self-reports on their psychosocial barriers (including perceived norms, attitude, personal ability, habits, neighborhood social constraints, and intention) and the corresponding social exclusion. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized for the data analysis. The structural path model supported the significant associations between psychosocial barriers and social exclusion. Except for perceived descriptive norms, all other psychosocial barriers predicted older adults' social exclusion. The research portrays the significance of the psychosocial factors to examine social exclusion and offers practical implications for urban and transport planners. The concerned policymakers can use the research findings to develop age-sensitive, socially sustainable, and healthy cities.

Chemical and ecotoxicological properties of three bio-oils from pyrolysis of biomasses

In view of the potential use of pyrolysis-based technologies, it is crucial to understand the environmental hazards of pyrolysis-derived products, in particular bio-oils. Here, three bio-oils were produced from fast pyrolysis of pine wood and intermediate pyrolysis of corn stalk and poultry litter. They were fully characterized by chemical analysis and tested for their biodegradability and their ecotoxicity on the crustacean Daphnia magna and the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata. These tests were chosen as required by the European REACH regulation. These three bio-oils were biodegradable, with 40-60% of biodegradation after 28 days, and had EC50 values above 100mgL(-1) for the crustacean and above 10mgL(-1) for the alga, showing low toxicity to the aquatic life. The toxic unit approach was applied to verify whether the observed toxicity could be predicted from the data available for the substances detected in the bio-oils. The predicted values largely underestimated the experimental values.

Metal-contaminated soil remediation by means of paper mill sludges addition: chemical and ecotoxicological evaluation

Metal pollution of soils is a great environmental problem. The major risks due to metal pollution of soil consist of leaching to groundwater and potential toxicity to plants and/or animals. The objective of this study is to evaluate by means of chemical and ecotoxicological approach the effects of paper mill sludge addition on the mobile metal fraction of polluted metal soils. The study was carried out on acidic soil derived from mining activities and thus polluted with heavy metals, and on two paper mill sludges having different chemical features. The results obtained by leaching experiments showed that the addition of a paper mill sludge, consisting mainly of carbonates, silicates and organic matter, to a heavy-metal polluted soil produces a decrease of available metal forms. The carbonate content seems to play a key role in the chemical stabilisation of metals and consequently in a decrease of toxicity of soil. The leached solutions have a non-toxic effect. The mild remediation by addition of sludge has moreover a lasting effect.

Assessing degradation capability of aerobic indigenous microflora in PAH-contaminated brackish sediments

A study was conducted to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) distribution and microbial population changes in brackish sediments from an Italian lagoon included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. The presence and level of PAH-degrading bacteria were estimated by the most probable number (MPN) enumeration technique, whereas degradation capability towards target compounds was checked against loss of spiked PAHs (Phenanthrene, Anthracene and Fluoranthene) in MPN tubes after incubation in optimal conditions. Chemical analyses and microbiological counts suggested a potential for PAHs biodegradation by natural occurring populations of sediment microorganisms, thus indicating an "optimal range" in sediment PAHs concentrations, outside of which the natural selection of the indigenous microflora did not occur. The MPN procedure here described, provided an effective and reliable way to simultaneously determine microbial population densities and subsequent confirmation of the biodegradation capability of sediment indigenous microflora when exposed to laboratory and environmental concentrations of PAHs.

Effect of sediment turbidity and color on light output measurement for Microtox Basic Solid-Phase Test

In this work, sediment samples collected from several Spanish harbours were tested with two toxicity procedures, designed for solid samples: the Microtox Basic Solid-Phase Test (BSPT) and a modified procedure of the previous test protocol (mBSPT). According to the BSPT procedure, after initial light readings, pure bacteria were exposed to sediment suspension dilutions and light production was directly measured on suspended sediments without any further manipulation. As measurements are likely to be affected by sediment turbidity and color, a variation in initial light measurement has been here suggested, in order to consider the sample effect at all time readings during the test. Firstly, when sediment suspensions at different concentrations were added to bacteria suspension, immediately the initial light output drastically decayed by more than 50% in signal difference, resulting in a false inhibition, as effect of sample turbidity/color. This effect was more evident at high EC50 values, when slightly or not toxic samples were assessed. Secondly, the comparison of the EC50 obtained with both procedures, demonstrated that the mBSPT produced higher EC50 values (less toxic) than those obtained with the standard procedure. The mBSPT procedure resulted rapid and effective and it could be applied simultaneously with BSPT, in order to better evaluate the toxicity.

Optimisation of a microbial bioassay for contaminated soil monitoring: bacterial inoculum standardisation and comparison with Microtox assay

This work represents the first step to set up a toxicity testing procedure and to evaluate the sensitivity of the test microorganism to several classes of environmental pollutants. First, three different techniques were employed to standardise the microbial inoculum, then two different toxicity assessment protocols have been compared: Microtox and a dehydrogenase (DHase) activity inhibition test. The main goal was the optimisation of a microbial bioassay based on the dehydrogenase activity (DHase) inhibition in Pseudomonas fluorescens bacterial strain ATCC 13525. Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) was used as electron acceptor and its reduction produces Triphenyl formazane (TPF). The P. fluorescens DHase inhibition bioassay was investigated for being a reliable and rapid method for assessing toxicity. The optimisation of the operating conditions resulted in a repeatable bioassay. Then, P. fluorescens and Vibrio fischeri sensitivity were firstly compared by testing Zn++, one of the reference compounds for Microtox test. In addition, other compounds (Ni++, Cd++, Cu++, phenol) were also tested with both bioassays. A high statistical significance of data was obtained with the logistic curve. The present work has demonstrated that P. fluorescens is as sensitive as Microtox culture (V. fischeri), for some of the metal ions. With reference to organic compounds, the lower sensitivity of P. fluorescens to phenol makes its use difficult in organic polluted samples.

Pilot plant study of the microbial flora in a diesel fuel contaminated soil

This study focused on the impact of a recent soil pollution of diesel fuel on a site and its indigenous microbial flora. A pilot plant (0.5 m3) was set up and filled with a soil (about 700 kg), artificially and uniformly polluted with diesel fuel (7 g/kg). This plant was then chemically and biologically monitored during the whole experiment (about two years). During the monitoring, a morphological change of the microbial colonies was observed. This was probably due to the acclimation phenomena to the pollution. With batch kinetic studies (10 ml) and increasing the selective pressure of the pollutant, it was possible to select and isolate a microbial consortium and a single strain that developed the ability to use different diesel fuel fractions as carbon sources. GC-MS analytical techniques were used. Results showed that different fractions were degraded at different times. In the batch system, in 7 days, the microbial consortium degraded some aromatic hydrocarbons. The isolate strain, in 20 days, degraded linear hydrocarbons. After a two years acclimation, it was possible to obtain, from a pilot plant, a microbial consortium and a strain able to degrade diesel fuel, for a future bioremediation in situ process.

Body dysmorphic disorder: a preliminary evaluation of treatment and maintenance using exposure with response prevention

In recent investigations, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has been shown to share common etiological and symptom presentation to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). When treating BDD, there have been some investigations suggesting that exposure with response prevention is effective in alleviating symptoms. Ten patients diagnosed with BDD participated in a study examining the effects of treatment and maintenance using exposure with response prevention. They received a standard behavior therapy protocol which consisted of exposure in vivo and in imagery, with response prevention. Symptom severity, depression, anxiety, and avoidance were assessed weekly during treatment. Following treatment, a 6-month maintenance program was instituted for five patients, with the other five serving as controls. Patients in the maintenance program were assessed bi-weekly with all measures and a 6-month follow-up was conducted. Patients improved for measures of avoidance, BDD symptoms, depression and anxiety when using exposure with response prevention. Although all patients remained symptom free at follow-up, those in the maintenance program continued to improve. Based on these results, BDD appears to be amenable to exposure with response prevention treatment. Additional treatment gains can be obtained when structured maintenance programs are implemented.

A quantitative test (HCMV-hybrid-capture(TM)) to detect human cytomegalovirus DNA in the blood of immunocompromised patients compared with antigenemia and polymerase chain reaction

A quantitative assay is necessary to differentiate between low and high Cytomegalovirus load in the blood, a high load frequently being correlated with clinical disease. A new method for the quantitative determination of viral DNA (HCMV-hybrid-capture) was compared with antigenemia and PCR. Hybrid-capture proved to be a simple and rapid method for the quantitative determination of viral load in the blood. It is less sensitive than PCR and antigenemia, but seems to correlate with clinical symptoms as well as the antigenemia test and better than non quantitative PCR.