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Abstract Background Platform-based fast delivery is developing rapidly in many cities across the world, especially in the food sector. Yet knowledge about the characteristics and the activity patterns of delivery couriers is scarce, especially in terms of their mobility behavior. Methodology Based on two questionnaire surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021 with 300 and 500 couriers respectively, this article analyses the profiles, motivations and mobility patterns of couriers working in Paris (France), with a focus on the impacts of the pandemic. Results First, the analysis of the profiles and motivations of couriers reveals that platform-based delivery is largely a temporary activity performed by young males of foreign origin, and undertaken as a student job or an entry to the labor market. Second, data on mobility patterns confirm that platform-based delivery is a dangerous activity with a high risk of road accidents. Moreover, many couriers break the law in order to increase their income by using motorized two-wheelers that are not legally permitted in France. We also show the use of shared bikes, which seems to be a great support tool for couriers who are starting work in this sector or have a problem with their own bikes. Third, the pandemic prompted many students to become platform-based delivery couriers in order to compensate for the lack of student jobs. It also worsened the working conditions of the majority of platform-based couriers. These findings raise new urban policy challenges and also new avenues for research in terms of topics and methods.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been studied for several decades to understand and determine their mechanism and interaction within the matrix into which they are introduced. This study aimed to determine the spatial distribution of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) in a dairy matrix and to decipher its behaviour towards milk components, especially fat globules. Two strains of this widely studied bacterium with expected probiotic effects were used: LGG WT with pili on the cell surface and its pili-depleted mutant—LGG ΔspaCBA—in order to determine the involvement of these filamentous proteins. In this work, it was shown that LGG ΔspaCBA was able to limit creaming with a greater impact than the wild-type counterpart. Moreover, confocal imaging evidenced a preferential microbial distribution as aggregates for LGG WT, while the pili-depleted strain tended to be homogenously distributed and found as individual chains. The observed differences in creaming are attributed to the indirect implication of SpaCBA pili. Indeed, the bacteria-to-bacteria interaction surpassed the bacteria-to-matrix interaction, reducing the bacterial surface exposed to raw milk. Conversely, LGG ΔspaCBA may form a physical barrier responsible for preventing milk fat globules from rising to the surface.

Social innovation brings together solidarity and strategic support along with consulting and mutual information between communities of practice, and it is one of the key ways for public authorities to challenge mobility issues.If social innovation is the source of many opportunities, however, it is necessary to update the interplay of actors behind it in order to assess the real impact of these new offers on the users' "mobility comfort". It also essential to point out abuses of such mechanisms beyond, in all or in part, the control of public power and its democratic legitimacy, and to lead the conventional mobility actors to consider, appreciate, encourage and/or frame these dynamics.

The latest advances in car automation present new challenges in vehicle–driver interactions. Indeed, acceptance and adoption of high levels of automation (when full control of the driving task is given to the automated system) are conditioned by human factors such as user trust. In this work, we study the impact of anthropomorphic design on user trust in the context of a highly automated car. A virtual assistant was designed using two levels of anthropomorphic design: “voice-only” and “voice with visual appearance”. The visual appearance was a three-dimensional model, integrated as a hologram in the cockpit of a driving simulator. In a driving simulator study, we compared the three interfaces: two versions of the virtual assistant interface and the baseline interface with no anthropomorphic attributes. We measured trust versus perceived anthropomorphism. We also studied the evolution of trust throughout a range of driving scenarios. We finally analyzed participants’ reaction time to takeover request events. We found a significant correlation between perceived anthropomorphism and trust. However, the three interfaces tested did not significantly differentiate in terms of perceived anthropomorphism while trust converged over time across all our measurements. Finally, we found that the anthropomorphic assistant positively impacts reaction time for one takeover request scenario. We discuss methodological issues and implication for design and further research.