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In the last few decades, the promotion of active transport has been a viable solution recommended by transportation researchers, urban planners, and policymakers to reduce traffic congestion and improve public health in cities. To encourage active transport, it is important for cities to provide safe and accessible infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as incentives for individuals to choose active modes of transportation over private vehicles. In this research, we focused on the suburb of Point Cook, located within the City of Wyndham in Melbourne's west, owing to its rising human population and private vehicle ownership. The primary aim of this research is to examine the barriers in the interconnectivity of active transport networks for pedestrians and cyclists and to determine the segments of the transportation network that are not accessible to Point Cook residents. Our methodology is enshrined in the use of Social Pinpoint, which is an online interactive survey platform, and ground surveys (face-to-face interviews). In our assessment of the suburb of Point Cook, we utilised the concept of 20-min neighbourhoods to evaluate the accessibility of many important places within an 800-metre walking distance from residents' homes. Based on our online interactive survey findings, approximately one-third of the individuals engaged in regular walking, with a frequency ranging from once a day to once every two days. One-third of the participants engaged in walking trips once or twice a week, whereas the remaining two-thirds conducted walking trips less frequently than once a week. Almost 89% of the participants expressed varying levels of interest in increasing their walking frequency. The findings showed that improving pedestrian and cycling networks that are easily accessible, well-integrated, inclusive, and safe is a prerequisite for achieving active transport and create neighbourhoods in which everything is accessible within a 20-min walking distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Valparaíso, Chile, faces significant mobility challenges due to its steep slopes, complex urban infrastructure, and socioeconomic conditions. In this direction, this study explores the potential promotion of E-bike uses by identifying the optimal routes that connect metro stations to strategic hilltop streets in the city. A hybrid methodology combining a multicriteria GIS-based analysis and an experimental study was used to evaluate potential routes and the possibility of increasing the power limitations for non-motorized mobility in Chile. Fifteen routes were assessed based on criteria including the slope, traffic safety, directionality, intersections, and travel distance. The results indicate that routes such as Cumming from Puerto and Bellavista stand out as the most viable for e-bike use given their favorable characteristics. The experimental study revealed that higher-powered E-bikes (500 W and 750 W) would be more able to overcome the steep slopes of Valparaíso, with an average speed of 5.36 km/h and 9.52 km/h on routes with a 10.88% average slope. These findings challenge the current regulatory limit of 250 W for non-motorized vehicles in Chile, highlighting the potential benefits of increasing their power limits to enhance sustainable mobility in the hilly urban contexts of this country. This study highlights the need to adapt urban mobility policies to the unique topographical conditions of each city. Future research should build upon more experimental studies, develop specific street-scale analyses using audit methods, incorporate climate-related variables, and evaluate the economic viability of e-bike infrastructure. Addressing these aspects could position Valparaíso as a leading example of sustainable urban mobility for cities facing comparable challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban pollution awareness is a subject of widespread debate, particularly regarding the role of future urban transportation. In recent years, local policymakers and private operators have implemented various measures to address the negative impacts of transportation, including promoting micro-shared mobility services. Our research investigates the factors influencing citizens' decisions to use these services, focusing on e-bike sharing and e-scooter sharing. We collected data on individual mobility patterns in Italian cities and administered hypothetical choice tasks to examine revealed and stated preferences. Our findings highlight the most influential factors guiding users' decisions and identify the preferred sharing option between e-bikes and e-scooters. The implications of our results could provide valuable insights for local regulators and shared mobility operators in designing effective and sustainable future transportation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review examines governance models in sustainable urban mobility schemes, focusing on citizen participation. Analysing 15 papers from 2010 to March 2023, it differentiates between Democracy-Driven Governance (DDG) and Governance-Driven Democratisation (GDD). Key considerations are stakeholder composition, scheme design, and collaboration motives. Findings indicate that GDD approaches are prevalent, impacting stakeholder integration and exposing participation limitations. The latter accentuates the significance of Collaborative Forms of Governance (CFoG) in fostering substantive citizen participation, thereby contributing to the attainment of SDG 16.7 and SDG 11.2. Consequently, this review elucidates CFoG dynamics, providing critical insights into sustainable urban mobility decision-making practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing street walkability is a critical agenda in urban planning and multidisciplinary research, as it facilitates public health, community cohesion, and urban sustainability. Existing evaluation systems primarily focus on objective measurements, often neglecting subjective assessments and the diverse walking needs influenced by different urban spatial elements. This study addresses these gaps by constructing a comprehensive evaluation framework that integrates both subjective and objective dimensions, combining three neighbourhood indicators: Macro-Scale Index, Micro-Scale Index, and Street Walking Preferences Index. A normalization weighting method synthesizes these indicators into a comprehensive index. We applied this framework to assess the street environment within Beijing's Fifth Ring Road. The empirical results demonstrate that: (1) The framework reliably reflects the distribution of walkability. (2) The three indicators show both similarities and differences, underscoring the need to consider the distinct roles of community and street-level elements and the interaction between subjective and objective dimensions. (3) In high-density cities with ring-road development patterns, the Macro-Scale Index closely aligns with the Comprehensive Index, demonstrating its accuracy in reflecting walkability. The proposed framework and findings offer new insights for street walkability research and theoretical support for developing more inclusive, sustainable and walkable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Online grocery service (OGS) has significantly grown in recent years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. This surge has attracted significant scholarly attention and resulted in many scientific articles in the last five years. Adopting a bibliometric review approach, this study attempts to comprehensively and systematically analyse the academic literature on OGS. Design/methodology/approach: A Scopus search using pertinent keywords followed by PRISMA screening identified 384 relevant articles. Articles were analysed using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny, which employed citation and thematic analysis. Findings: The study identifies the significantly impactful authors, articles, and journals. While the analysis reveals the evolution across four time-frames, it also highlights the clusters representing the literature strands. Six major themes are identified in the literature, and potential future research enquiries are suggested. Originality/value: As the first study to include over 350 articles, it comprehensively represents the current state of the OGS literature, utilising performance and thematic analysis techniques. The article contributes significantly to the academic discourse surrounding OGS by synthesising and presenting diverse themes. Further, the future research questions provide a foundation for advancing the literature and guiding future scholarly work in the OGS domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Car rental and car sharing are two established mobility concepts which traditionally have been offered by specialized providers. Presumably to increase utilization and profitability, most recently, car rental providers began to offer car sharing in addition, and vice versa. To assess and quantify benefits and drawbacks of combining both into a single mobility concept with one common fleet, we consider such combined systems on an aggregate level, replicating demand patterns and rentals throughout a typical week. Our systematic approach reflects that, depending on a provider's status quo, different business practices exist, for example with regard to the applied revenue management approaches. Methodologically, our analyses base on mathematical optimization. We propose several models that consider the different business practices and degrees to which the respective new mobility concept is offered. To support mobility providers in their strategic decision-making, we derive managerial insights based on numerical studies that use real-life data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various innovations have been proposed to improve the efficiency and sustainability of last-mile delivery in urban and rural environments. Notable examples of innovative delivery solutions are parcel lockers, cargo bicycles, crowdsourced delivery, and so on. Methods: This study contributes to the ongoing research by developing a large-scale digital model of England and Wales to evaluate a new generation of solutions for last-mile delivery challenges being faced in both rural areas and cities. The two innovations chosen for comparison in this study are (i) carrier consolidation and (ii) alternative delivery locations (i.e., delivery to the workplace instead of the home). As well as the effect on any individual locations, the digital model evaluates both the benefits for England and Wales as a whole. Furthermore, the influence of the market share on the results, as well as the effect of changing the number of depots, is assessed. Results: By delivering to the customer's workplace instead of the home, the vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) reduce slightly (less than 10%). Carrier consolidation shows significant potential in reducing the overall VKT (up to 53%). When looking at individual areas in isolation, the consolidation option reduces the VKT or changes it up and down all within tolerance. Naturally, the first option causes a significant shift in delivery activity across England and Wales. Areas of central London would see in-excess of a 10-fold increase in the number of parcels delivered, whereas the demand for parcels in rural areas is further, and significantly reduced. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of large-scale and detailed digital models that not only calculate the overall benefits of an innovation but also their effect on each individual area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic and environmental challenges associated with Last Mile Delivery (LMD) give rise to the self-collection concept, yet the practical adoption is often below expectations. In this consumer-centric segment, adequate understandings of consumers are vital but are often lacking. To address this gap, this study examines consumers' LMD preference with the Integrated Choice and Latent Variable framework. A stated choice experiment was commissioned in Singapore during the transition of COVID pandemic toward endemic. Our results showed that consumers accept unattended delivery methods and are no longer concerned with the delivery time window, a traditionally critical delivery attribute. Regarding latent perceptions, this study confirmed the significant effects of value perception on self-collection preferences. Nonetheless, individuals' environmental consciousness was found to be insignificant. The relative effects of specific value statements were quantified using the marginal rate of substitution and the mediation roles of value perception on the sociodemographic-preferences relationships were validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift towards online shopping, reshaping consumer habits and intensifying the impact on urban freight distribution. This disruption exacerbated traffic congestion and parking shortages in cities, underscoring the need for sustainable distribution models. The European Union's common transport policy advocates for innovative UFD approaches that promote intermodal transportation, reduce traffic, and optimize cargo loads. Our study addresses these challenges by proposing an agile routing algorithm for an alternative UFD model in Barcelona. This model suggests strategically located micro-hubs selected from a set of railway facilities, markets, shopping centers, district buildings, pickup points, post offices, and parking lots (1057 points in total). It also promotes intermodality through cargo bikes and electric vans. The study has two main objectives: (i) to identify a network of intermodal micro-hubs for the efficient delivery of parcels in Barcelona and (ii) to develop an agile routing algorithm to optimize their location. The algorithm generates adaptive distribution plans considering micro-hub operating costs and vehicle routing costs, and using heuristic and machine learning methods enhanced by parallelization techniques. It swiftly produces high-quality routing plans based on transportation infrastructure, transportation modes, and delivery locations. The algorithm adapts dynamically and employs multi-objective techniques to establish the Pareto frontier for each plan. Real-world testing in Barcelona, using actual data has shown promising results, providing potential scenarios to reduce CO2 emissions and improve delivery times. As such, this research offers an innovative and sustainable approach to UFD, that will contribute significantly to a greener future for cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for personal mobility is leading to an increase in vehicle use, which is in turn contributing to higher carbon emissions. It is widely acknowledged that emission-free electric vehicles (EVs) will play a pivotal role in the decarbonization process, particularly in the decarbonization of transport systems. The objective of this paper was to present the trends in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in Poland, together with the identification of market shocks and an assessment of the programs supporting electromobility. The number of imported and domestically purchased new and used electric vehicle (BEV) registrations was analyzed using the TRAMO-SEATS and ARIMA-X-12 seasonal adjustment methods. The rise in sales of electric vehicles in Poland was driven by the government's electromobility support programs and alterations to tax legislation, with no discernible seasonal impact. The number of registrations in Poland increased significantly, exhibiting an upward trajectory. However, this growth is constrained by the inadequate number of charging stations, which are primarily powered by electricity derived from coal. Consequently, while the development of electromobility in Poland is evident, the decarbonization process remains a challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of the public value discussion has hindered the development of consensual measurement guidelines for use in public administration practice. This article explores the use of the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) framework in the transportation sector and considers its relevance in assessing public value. A case study is presented on the reconfiguration of a public transport network in the municipality of Arganil, Portugal. The CBA did not fully capture the effects of the network reconfiguration, demonstrating its limitations in assessing public value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationships between energy consumption in agriculture from renewable and non-renewable sources and the production levels in the agricultural sector across European Union countries. Additionally, this study aims to identify countries that differ in the development of their agricultural sector in terms of environmental care and to highlight the causes and consequences of these identified disparities. The classification of countries was conducted using the Principal Component Analysis method and a biplot. Panel data for the period 2000–2022, a VAR model, the impulse response function (IRF), and causality tests were used for this study. The results indicate two distinct groups of countries that significantly differ in adopting green agricultural practices. Only seven EU countries stand out for sustainable agriculture with low pesticide use, a significant share of organic farms, and high use of renewable energy in agriculture. Energy consumption affects agricultural production differently in the two groups of countries studied: in countries with sustainable agriculture, an increase in renewable energy consumption translates into a positive increase in agricultural production. On the other hand, an increase in non-renewable energy consumption shows a dampening effect on agricultural production growth, especially in countries with less sustainable agriculture. The results of this study highlight the need to promote renewable energy development in agriculture and raise awareness about the adverse environmental effects of intensive agriculture while emphasising the positive impact of organic agriculture on agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have performed a clinical and epidemiological study on 162 immunocompetent children with herpetic gingivostomatitis, during 1982-1991. They have observed a peak age of incidence between 9 and 28 months, absence of sex differences and seasonal variations, and a prevalence of patients of lower social status. HSV I was the most frequent aetiological agent and it was not always possible to recognize the source of contagion. The patients have been graded in three classes (severe, moderate and mild disease), according to clinical manifestations of gingivostomatitis, and the severe form was the most frequent with a prevalent orolabial involvement. The prognosis of the disease was satisfactory in all patients, even if more favourable in acyclovir treated children because of fast regression of the symptoms.

Anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA) and Antigliadin antibodies (AGA) have been compared in a group of coeliac patients (17 with untreated coeliac disease, 56 after gluten free diet and 14 after gluten challenge), in 69 patients with various intestinal pathological conditions, and in 40 healthy children, in order to appreciate sensitivity and specificity of these tests in diagnosis of coeliac disease. AEA and AGA IgA were detected in 100% and AGA IgG were found in 94.1% of coeliacs with untreated disease; after gluten free diet AGA IgG were found in 27.7% of cases, while AGA IgA and AEA were absent in all coeliacs but one with non correct compliance to diet. After gluten challenge followed by villous atrophy, 78.5% of patients were positive for AGA IgA, 85.71% for AGA IgG and 100% for AEA. Anti-endomysium antibodies were absent both in healthy controls both in control disease patients, while sometimes antigliadin antibodies were present in patients with various intestinal pathology (AGA IgA in 1.44% and AGA IgG in 7.2% of cases). In our experience therefore AEA, because their sensitivity and high specificity, appear to disclose new prospects in diagnosis of coeliac disease.

The alimentary habits have been analyzed in 440 infant with acute and chronic disease of nutrition. It has been observed a high incidence of dietetic mistakes, whether qualitative or quantitative. These mistakes appeared in correlation with the poor cultural and socio-economic conditions of the population. The Authors compare the observed pathology with the wrong alimentary habits conditioned by low social context and suggest an adequate prophylaxis of infant's nutrition disease, thorough better alimentary habits in childhood and better life conditions of the population.

The authors report about four children with Schönlein-Henoch purpura in whom the clinical picture has been characterized by an unusual localization, the testicular involvement. The main clinical aspects of this feature are illustrated and the approach to its diagnosis and its management is discussed.

Kawasaki disease can be characterized by rare complications or by unusual associations. One of these is autoimmune hemolytic anaemia that has been observed seldom up to now. The Authors report a case with this rare association, compare it with cases observed before, and put forth the hypothesis that autoimmune anaemia during Kawasaki disease can be linked to numerous immunological alterations present in mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. They moreover advise to abstain in these cases from corticosteroid therapy, both to avoid complications, and because, as happened in their patient, this kind of autoimmune hemolytic anaemia can regress spontaneously.

The authors have studied the proceeding of anti endomysium antibodies (AEA-IgA) in a group of coeliac patients, in order to investigate new tests, not intrusive and easy repeatable, to employ in diagnosis and in follow up of coeliac disease. The research was carried out by an indirect immunofluorescent test on 65 sera of patients with age range 1-11 years; of those patients 14 show the coeliac disease at beginning, 16 were on Gluten Free Diet (GFD) from 3-5 months, 28 were on GFD from 1 year and 7 were on challenge with gluten from 2-4 months. We investigated AEA-IgA in sera of 71 gastroenterological and not-gastroenterological patients of analogous age to coeliacs how control subjects. All coeliac patients (14) with disease at beginning were positive for AEA-IgA. For the patients on GFD we observed an evident correlation between the term of diet and presence of AEA-IgA: 12 of 16 patients on GFD from 3-5 months were positive, but after 1 year of GFD all patients were negative; after 2-4 months from reintroduction of gluten in diet with the challenge we observed that all examined patients were positive for AEA-IgA. In 21 coeliac patients on free diet (14 with the disease at beginning and 7 after challenge) any reduction of percentage positivity was noted with the growth. The investigation of AEA-IgA in all examined control subjects was always negative. Our data suggest that the AEA-IgA investigation, for highly sensitivity and specificity, for easy repeatability and absence of intrusivity, is a diagnostic test that can be usefully combined to others (intestinal biopsy, dosage of anti gliadin antibodies) in diagnosis and in follow up of coeliac disease.

We studied the role of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain allotypes in the evolution of celiac disease. Particularly the Gm(fb) phenotype was investigated since this phenotype is able to determine the breadth of immune response against alpha-gliadin antigen. The results show that weight percentiles and intestinal absorption as assessed by xylose test are influenced by Gm(fb) phenotype suggesting that Gm(fb) genes contribute to the determination of clinical aspects and evolution of celiac disease.

The Authors have performed a study on the dietary habits of 74 celiac children and have analysed retrospectively the type of nursing (breast-feeding or bottle-feeding), the time and the age of gluten introduction. Then they related these data to the age of onset of symptoms. Children breast-fed for 3 months or more showed a marked delay in the onset of the disease and a longer latency time from gluten introduction when compared with bottle-fed children; on the contrary early gluten introduction was not positively correlated to risk of celiac disease. This observations induce to think that breast-feeding may be a protective factor towards coeliac disease, while the precocious gluten introduction is not an important factor of risk correlated to this disease.

The authors have studied the immunoglobulin heavy chain allotypes in 14 Sicilian patients with celiac disease (CD) and in 75 healthy controls. No association has been found between CD and Gm or Km phenotypes. When the role of Gm phenotypes in immune response against gliadin was analyzed, fb-positive CD patients on gluten-free diet for 1 year showed an increased antigliadin IgG response. Comparing the values of fb-positive subjects with those of negative ones, a significant difference was observed. These data, demonstrating that the presence or absence of a phenotype is able to define the breadth of immune response against alpha-gliadin antigen, are indicative of the role played by Ig allotypes in CD.

Copyright of Strategic Issues of Northern Hungary ECONOMY-REGION-SOCIETY / Észak-magyarországi Stratégiai Füzetek GAZDASAG-REGIO-TARSADALOM is the property of University of Miskolc, Faculty of Economics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increasing rate of urbanisation and extreme climatic events represent a constant threat for urban water resources management. In recent decades, Milan Metropolitan Area (Lombardy Region, Northern Italy) has been affected by a) frequent extreme rainfall events, responsible for the flooding of major surface water courses, and b) groundwater management problems, both from a quantitative (i.e. interaction with underground infrastructures) and qualitative point of view. Moreover, the increasing use of groundwater geothermal systems also requires further considerations. This work analyses the literature available in the area regarding surface floods, groundwater quantity, quality, and temperature. Finally, a discussion is provided to understand a) which approaches could promote an effective management of both surface water and groundwater resources b) which points of contact emerge between these two aspects of the urban water cycle, and c) which possible urban interventions could contribute to an integrated and functional management of water resources, also reducing some current issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Active transport– for example walking and bicycling to travel from place to place– may improve physical fitness and health and mitigate climate change if it replaces motorised transport. The aim of this study is to analyse the active transport behaviour of adults living in Germany, to investigate differences among population groups and to determine whether climate protection is a frequent motive for this behaviour. Methods: This study uses self-reported data of 4,971 adults who participated in a national health survey (German Health Update 2021), which was conducted as a telephone survey from July to December 2021. Associations between active transport behaviour and corresponding motives with sociodemographic and health-related variables were analysed using logistic regression models. Results: Of the adult population, 83% use active transport at least once a week. The frequency and duration of walking per week are significantly higher than those for bicycling (walking 214 min/week; bicycling 57 min/week). Those with a lower education level are less likely to practise active transport than those with a higher education level. Furthermore, women are less likely to use a bicycle for transport than men. Among those practising active transport, the most frequently mentioned motive is "is good for health" (84%) followed by "to be physically active" (74%) and "is good for the climate/environment" (68%). Women and frequent bicyclists (at least 4 days/week) mention climate protection as a motive more often than men and those bicycling occasionally. Conclusions: The improvement of active transport, especially among people with lower education and women (for bicycling), may benefit from better insights into motives and barriers. Climate protection is an important motivator for practising active transport within the adult population living in Germany and should therefore have greater emphasis in behavioural change programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding pedestrian perceptions and attitudes is crucial for promoting walking as a daily transportation mode for sustainable mobility and the effective development of smart cities. Pedestrian preferences, shaped by factors such as age, gender, and urban infrastructure, play a pivotal role in travel behaviors. Based on a survey study, this paper examines the impact of individual and urban factors on pedestrian perceptions and attitudes towards walking in the cities of Bologna and Porto. Results reveal that individuals generally value short, safe, and green walking routes, appreciating walking for physical activity, cost savings, and time efficiency. Disliked aspects include adverse weather conditions and walking on inadequate sidewalks. Through carrying out Chi-square statistical analysis tests, a variety of significant correlations between individual and urban variables have been revealed on what people like or dislike about walking. For instance, males, young individuals, and students were more likely to prefer short pedestrian routes, while adults and seniors favored safe and green routes. These findings can assist urban planners in identifying factors that make walking both convenient and enjoyable and in supporting sustainable urban mobility policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rivista Geografica Italiana is the property of FrancoAngeli srl and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rapid emergence of e-commerce in Vietnam has resulted in significant pressure on freight traffic and the environment, particularly in urban areas. Automated delivery stations (ADSs), also known as smart lockers or parcel lockers, offer a promising solution to improve the sustainability of last-mile delivery systems. However, the adoption of such a sustainable alternative by Vietnamese customers is inadequately understudied. This study primarily aims to investigate factors impacting Vietnamese customers' acceptance of these automated delivery points. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), a survey following convenience sampling was carried out in Vietnam to assess recent experiences at automated delivery stations. The results showed that innovativeness and location convenience positively influenced consumer intention to use ADS, while perceived time pressure had no impact on consumer intention to use automatic delivery systems. This study provides valuable insights to e-commerce companies to customize their services to match customer preferences, which will optimize last-mile delivery options and thereby promote sustainable practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic interest in Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) has proliferated in retailing and business management over the past two decades. Previous research on OGS was primarily focused on consumer-level consequences such as purchase intention, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior. However, there is a lack of literature integrating intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the growth of OGS and its impact on purchase outcomes. To address this, we conduct a multi-method review combining traits of a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Analyzing 145 articles through word cloud and keyword co-occurrence analysis, we identify publication trends (top journals, articles) and nine thematic clusters. We develop an integrated conceptual framework encompassing the antecedents, mediators, moderators, and consequences of OGS. Finally, we outline future research directions using Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methods framework to serve as a reference point for future researchers working in OGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have studied the HLA genotypes in 17 Sicilian coeliac children, in their parents and in their healthy brothers. A positive association has been found between coeliac disease (C.D.) and HLA antigens; this was strongest firstly for DQW2 and than for DR7 and DR3. Those antigens however do not result specific for C.D., because they were present in healty-control population too and because one coeliac patient was DQW2, DR7 and DR3 negative. A distortion of vertical transmission of HLA haplotypes has been observed in the studied patients, and this occurred for DR3/DQW2 that was transmitted mainly by paternal way. Moreover, in the healty brothers of our coeliac subjects a significant reduction of HLA antigens DQW2, DR7 and DR3 has not been found. Those observation and the finding that in our families the responsible gene for C.D. seems to have a low penetrance, should induce to search others genetic markers for coeliac disease.

Background: Diverse marketing channels have been developed with the advent of digitalization. In the fresh food and grocery retail sector, consumers may have a large choice of channels to shop from. In this case, an analysis of their behavior is crucial for retailers. Therefore, the present paper provides a state-of-the-art review of existing papers dealing with consumers' channel choice when buying groceries. Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) is performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) procedure, identifying 36 research papers published in the last decade. Results: The results present the principal methodologies adopted by the analyzed research papers to address this topic, along with the various channels available to consumers to date. Other important outcomes of this review include the main variables that can affect consumer choice when deciding between the available channels and the limitations of the analyzed papers, along with suggestions for future research directions to address these limitations. Conclusions: This paper discusses the essential effects of consumers' channel choice on the logistics and operation services of grocery retailers. It also provides an integrative framework linking the influencing factors of consumer choice with outcomes directly impacting grocery retailers' logistics services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]