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Purpose The market for goods and services is a continually changing environment influenced by many internal and external factors. The majority of economies in the World were deeply hit by the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) in the first half of 2020. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the role of a crisis, COVID-19 in this case, in moderating the market environment and its ability to accelerate or slow down ongoing processes. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was used to obtain the opinions of 100 customers and 100 local retailers on the digitisation of the shopping process in a medium-sized Czech town. After the first wave of crisis faded away, the respondents reflected on their opinions before, during and after the crisis. The data were processed using linear mixed models respecting repeated measures. Findings The crisis seems to have shifted the interest of both groups towards e-commerce but it did not change the disproportion in opinions between them. The interest of customers was significantly higher, even after the crisis. Research limitations/implications The credibility of the results is limited mainly by the one-time gathering of the data after the crisis. However, the results indicate a persistent challenge to which small retailers are exposed. Originality/value The originality of the results comes from the specific situation brought about by the COVID-19 crisis and the structure of respondents, enabling us to catch an immediate shift of opinions caused by the crisis and to compare the changes in both groups of respondents.

ObjectivesOur large-scale cluster randomised controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects on health knowledge and enjoyment of an 11 week ‘health education through football’ programme for children aged 10–12 years old.Methods3127 Danish school children (49% girls) aged 10–12 years from a total of 154 schools located in 63% of the Danish municipalities (69 of 98) took part in the analysis. A 5:1 cluster randomisation was performed at school level for the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The twice-weekly 45 min intervention was the ‘11 for Health in Denmark’ programme, which includes health education, football drills and small-sided games. The health education element focused on hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being. Outcomes: The participants completed a 34-item multiple-choice computer-based health knowledge questionnaire preintervention and postintervention. IG also evaluated whether the programme was enjoyable.ResultsBetween-group differences (pConclusionHealth education through sport, using the ‘11 for Health’ model, was enjoyable for girls and boys aged 10–12 years old, and improved health knowledge related to hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being.

Objective: As part of an initiative led by the Brain Injury Special Interest Group Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Task Force of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) to update the 1993 ACRM definition of mild TBI, the present study aimed to characterize current expert opinion on diagnostic considerations. Design: Cross-sectional web-based survey. Setting: Not applicable. Participants: An international, interdisciplinary group of clinician-scientists (N=31) with expertise in mild TBI completed the survey by invitation between May and July 2019 (100% completion rate). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Ratings of agreement with statements related to the diagnosis of mild TBI and ratings of the importance of various clinical signs, symptoms, test findings, and contextual factors for increasing the likelihood that the individual sustained a mild TBI, on a scale ranging from 1 (“not at all important”) to 10 (“extremely important”). Results: Men (n=25; 81%) and Americans (n=21; 68%) were over-represented in the sample. The survey revealed areas of expert agreement (eg, acute symptoms are diagnostically useful) and disagreement (eg, whether mild TBI with abnormal structural neuroimaging should be considered the same diagnostic entity as “concussion”). Observable signs were generally rated as more diagnostically important than subjective symptoms (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, Z=3.77; P

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are widely used in industry. Once released, they can enter the soil system and endanger organisms living in this environment. Therefore, monitoring the NP impact on soil organisms and identification of suitable biomarkers associated with NP pollution are required. In this study, immune effector cells of the earthworm Eisenia andrei, amoebocytes, were exposed to environmentally relevant sublethal concentrations of CuO NPs (1, 10, and 100 μg mL−1 of Cu) and their impact on the cellular and subcellular levels, as well as on the mRNA levels of molecules involved in the defense reactions, was assessed in vitro. CuO NPs decreased the viability of both amoebocyte subpopulations by 40% at the highest concentration tested (100 μg mL−1 of Cu). Further, CuO NPs caused significant attenuation of the phagocytic function of hyaline amoebocytes after 6 and 24 hours of exposure, by 37 and 25%, respectively. The concentration of the lipid peroxidation subproduct, malondialdehyde, was 10 times elevated in cells exposed to CuO NPs (100 μg mL−1 of Cu) after 6 hours of exposure. We hypothesize that malondialdehyde may induce DNA breaks, cell cycle arrest, and subsequent cell death. Electron microscopy showed the interaction between CuO NPs and immune effector cells, amoebocytes. Moreover, aggregates of CuO NPs were shown to be engulfed and located in the cytoplasm of these cells. However, data from all experiments indicate that the observed effects of CuO NPs on earthworm coelomocytes were caused mainly by the dissolved Cu2+ ions derived from nanoparticles (NPs). The determination of effective parameters such as oxidative stress, immune reactivity, and genotoxicity would provide valuable comprehension and data for environmental assessment of NP impact on soil organisms.

Mucosal surfaces are colonized by highly diverse commensal microbiota. Coating with secretory IgA (SIgA) promotes the survival of commensal bacteria while it inhibits the invasion by pathogens. Bacterial coating could be mediated by antigen-specific SIgA recognition, polyreactivity, and/or by the SIgA-associated glycans. In contrast to many in vitro studies, only a few reported the effect of SIgA glycans in vivo. Here, we used a germ-free antibody-free newborn piglets model to compare the protective effect of SIgA, SIgA with enzymatically removed N-glycans, Fab, and Fc containing the secretory component (Fc-SC) during oral necrotoxigenic E. coli O55 challenge. SIgA, Fab, and Fc-SC were protective, whereas removal of N-glycans from SIgA reduced SIgA-mediated protection as demonstrated by piglets' intestinal histology, clinical status, and survival. In vitro analyses indicated that deglycosylation of SIgA did not reduce agglutination of E. coli O55. These findings highlight the role of SIgA-associated N-glycans in protection. Further structural studies of SIgA-associated glycans would lead to the identification of those involved in the species-specific inhibition of attachment to corresponding epithelial cells.

Epidemiological studies of injury in elite and recreational golfers have lacked consistency in methods and definitions employed and this limits comparison of results across studies. In their sports-generic statement, the Consensus Group recruited by the IOC (2020) called for sport-specific consensus statements. On invitation by International Golf Federation, a group of international experts in sport and exercise medicine, golf research and sports injury/illness epidemiology was selected to prepare a golf-specific consensus statement. Methodological stages included literature review and initial drafting, online feedback from the consensus group, revision and second draft, virtual consensus meetings and completion of final version. This consensus statement provides golf-specific recommendations for data collection and research reporting including: (i) injury and illness definitions, and characteristics with golf-specific examples, (ii) definitions of golf-specific exposure measurements and recommendations for the calculation of prevalence and incidence, (iii) injury, illness and exposure report forms for medical staff and for golfers, and (iv) a baseline questionnaire. Implementation of the consensus methodology will enable comparison among golf studies and with other sports. It facilitates analysis of causative factors for injuries and illness in golf, and can also be used to evaluate the effects of prevention programmes to support the health of golfers.

Injury and illness surveillance, and epidemiological studies, are fundamental elements of concerted efforts to protect the health of the athlete. To encourage consistency in the definitions and methodology used, and to enable data across studies to be compared, research groups have published 11 sport-specific or setting-specific consensus statements on sports injury (and, eventually, illness) epidemiology to date. Our objective was to further strengthen consistency in data collection, injury definitions and research reporting through an updated set of recommendations for sports injury and illness studies, including a new Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist extension. The IOC invited a working group of international experts to review relevant literature and provide recommendations. The procedure included an open online survey, several stages of text drafting and consultation by working groups and a 3-day consensus meeting in October 2019. This statement includes recommendations for data collection and research reporting covering key components: defining and classifying health problems; severity of health problems; capturing and reporting athlete exposure; expressing risk; burden of health problems; study population characteristics and data collection methods. Based on these, we also developed a new reporting guideline as a STROBE Extension-the STROBE Sports Injury and Illness Surveillance (STROBE-SIIS). The IOC encourages ongoing in- and out-of-competition surveillance programmes and studies to describe injury and illness trends and patterns, understand their causes and develop measures to protect the health of the athlete. Implementation of the methods outlined in this statement will advance consistency in data collection and research reporting. Funding Agencies|International Olympic Committee

The commercial purity of VT1-0 titanium was processed by the rolling process and executed at elevated, room, and cryo-temperatures. These processings led to the formation of an ultrafine-grained microstructure, with the mean grain size at a nanometer level. Some of these materials were statically annealed at a temperature of 823 K for 1 h, which led to significant subgrains and grain coarsening. The constant load creep tests in tension were carried out in argon on all states of materials, at temperatures of 648–723 K and different ranges of applied stresses. From the value of the steady-state creep rate, the control creep mechanisms were determined. The microstructure analyses were carried out via SEM and TEM. It was found that titanium prepared at elevated and room temperatures have a higher creep strength than titanium prepared at cryo-temperatures. Furthermore, the post-SPD —annealing led to a significant decrease in the creep properties. The influence of the preparation temperature on the difference of the creep behavior were discussed and explained using the microstructure analyses of the tests’ samples.

ObjectivesThe primary aim was to describe the characteristics and prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints of a large group of non-professional golfers. Secondary aims were to compare golfers different in (A) skill-level, (B) presence of low back pain (LBP) and (C) performance of prevention exercises.MethodsA sample of 1170 male golfers (mean age 54.98, SD=13.3) were surveyed online on personal and golf-specific characteristics, medical history and complaints in the preceding 7 days. Subgroups (A) with different golfing handicap (0 to 5, >5 to 10, >10), (B) with and without LBP and (C) who performed versus did not perform injury prevention exercises were compared using analysis of variance and χ2test.ResultsThe prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal complaints was similar in everyday life and when playing golf. More than one-third of the golfers (n=436; 37.3%) reported LBP in the preceding 7 days, while other frequently affected body parts were the shoulder and knee. Golfers with different skill level differed in age and most golf-related characteristics but not in prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal complaints. Golfers with and without LBP were similar in almost all variables. Golfers who performed prevention exercises (n=371; 27.1%) were older and had a higher prevalence of complaints.ConclusionThe prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal complaints in golfers were similar to the wider population. It seems that injury prevention exercises were implemented after injury, rather than as primary prevention. Prospective studies looking at the epidemiology of injury, risk factors and interventions are required.

Sheets of coarse-grained S304H austenitic steel were processed by high-pressure sliding (HPS) at room temperature and a ultrafine-grained microstructure with a mean grain size of about 0.14 µm was prepared. The microstructure changes and creep behavior of coarse-grained and HPS-processed steel were investigated at 500–700 °C under the application of different loads. It was found that the processing of S304H steel led to a significant improvement in creep strength at 500 °C. However, a further increase in creep temperature to 600 °C and 700 °C led to the deterioration of creep behavior of HPS-processed steel. The microstructure results suggest that the creep behavior of HPS-processed steel is associated with the thermal stability of the SPD-processed microstructure. The recrystallization, grain growth, the coarsening of precipitates led to a reduction in creep strength of the HPS-processed state. It was also observed that in the HPS-processed microstructure the fast formation of σ-phase occurs. The σ-phase was already formed during slight grain coarsening at 600 °C and its formation was enhanced after recrystallization at 700 °C.

The massive production and use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have led to their increasing release into the environment. Even though the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of native nanoparticles have been well studied, the environmental impacts of transformation products such as silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag

Cast nickel-based superalloys INC713 LC, B1914 and MAR-M247 are widely used for high temperature components in the aerospace, automotive and power industries due to their good castability, high level of strength properties at high temperature and hot corrosion resistance. The present study is focused on the mutual comparison of the creep properties of the above-mentioned superalloys, their creep and fracture behaviour and the identification of creep deformation mechanism(s). Standard constant load uniaxial creep tests were carried out up to the rupture at applied stress ranging from 150 to 700 MPa and temperatures of 800&ndash, 1000 &deg, C. The experimentally determined values of the stress exponent of the minimum creep rate, n, were rationalized by considering the existence of the threshold stress, &sigma, 0. The corrected values of the stress exponent correspond to the power-law creep regime and suggest dislocation climb and glide as dominating creep deformation mechanisms. Fractographic observations clearly indicate that the creep fracture is a brittle mostly mixed transgranular and intergranular mode, resulting in relatively low values of fracture strain. Determined main creep parameters show that the superalloy MAR-M247 exhibits the best creep properties, followed by B1914 and then the superalloy INC713 LC. However, that each of the investigated superalloys can be successfully used for high temperature components fulfils the required service loading conditions.

Brain-gut microbiota interactions are intensively studied in connection with various neurological and psychiatric diseases. While anorexia nervosa (AN) pathophysiology is not entirely clear, it is presumably linked to microbiome dysbiosis. We aimed to elucidate the gut microbiota contribution in AN disease pathophysiology. We analyzed the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome of patients with AN (bacteriome and mycobiome) from stool samples before and after renourishment, and compared them to healthy controls. Further, levels of assorted neurotransmitters and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were analyzed in stool samples by MS and NMR, respectively. Biochemical, anthropometric, and psychometric profiles were assessed. The bacterial alpha-diversity parameter analyses revealed only increased Chao 1 index in patients with AN before the realimentation, reflecting their interindividual variation. Subsequently, core microbiota depletion signs were observed in patients with AN. Overrepresented OTUs (operation taxonomic units) in patients with AN taxonomically belonged to Alistipes, Clostridiales, Christensenellaceae, and Ruminococcaceae. Underrepresented OTUs in patients with AN were Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter, Bacteroides, Blautia, and Lachnospira. Patients exhibited greater interindividual variation in the gut bacteriome, as well as in metagenome content compared to controls, suggesting altered bacteriome functions. Patients had decreased levels of serotonin, GABA, dopamine, butyrate, and acetate in their stool samples compared to controls. Mycobiome analysis did not reveal significant differences in alpha diversity and fungal profile composition between patients with AN and healthy controls, nor any correlation of the fungal composition with the bacterial profile. Our results show the changed profile of the gut microbiome and its metabolites in patients with severe AN. Although therapeutic partial renourishment led to increased body mass index and improved psychometric parameters, SCFA, and neurotransmitter profiles, as well as microbial community compositions, did not change substantially during the hospitalization period, which can be potentially caused by only partial weight recovery.

For a sport to develop a meaningful injury prevention strategy, sound epidemiological data are crucial. This, in turn, needs to be based on the analysis of known risk factors involved in the sport so that mitigation strategies can be introduced by modifying the rules and laws if necessary. The key objective for medical advisors in sports is to reduce morbidity and to promote the sport as a health-enhancing leisure activity.1 In this editorial, we aimed to motivate other international sport federations to take similar action. Insufficient physical activity greatly increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, and physical inactivity is one of the biggest public health threats of the 21st century.2 Despite the incontrovertible evidence of the health benefits of physical activity, a WHO survey of 1.6 million participants in 146 countries revealed that 81% of children and adolescents aged 11–17 years participated in insufficient physical activity.3 In a climate dominated by COVID-19, obesity is clearly linked to poor outcome, along …

The cast nickel-base MAR-M247 superalloy has been widely used for high-temperature components. In this work, the creep behaviour of two alternates of MAR-M247 superalloy with different grain size processed at different temperatures of casting are compared. Under the creep testing conditions used in this study, only negligible differences of creep behaviour of the alternate alloys were found and the evaluated creep characteristics correspond to the power-law or dislocation creep. The microstructure of the alloys consists of a 𝛾 matrix with a eutectic, 𝛾' strengthening cubic precipitates, and M6C and M23C6 carbides. Increasing the temperature induces the dissolution of some M23C6 carbides. Fractures of both variants of alloys exhibit a more ductile character at higher temperatures, while at lower temperature a mixture of brittle and ductile fracture modes was observed, which changes the creep fracture ductility.

Objective To identify the prevalence, frequency of use, and effects of analgesic pain management strategies used in elite athletes. Design Systematic literature review. Data sources Six databases: Ovid/Medline, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Empirical studies involving elite athletes and focused on the use or effects of medications used for pain or painful injury. Studies involving recreational sportspeople or those that undertake general exercise were excluded. Main results Of 70 articles found, the majority examined the frequency with which elite athletes use pain medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, anesthetics, and opioids. A smaller set of studies assessed the effect of medications on outcomes such as pain, function, and adverse effects. Oral NSAIDs are reported to be the most common medication, being used in some international sporting events by over 50% of athletes. Studies examining the effects of pain medications on elite athletes typically involved small samples and lacked control groups against which treated athletes were compared. Conclusions Existing empirical research does not provide a sufficient body of evidence to guide athletes and healthcare professionals in making analgesic medication treatment decisions. Based on the relatively robust evidence regarding the widespread use of NSAIDs, clinicians and policymakers should carefully assess their current recommendations for NSAID use and adhere to a more unified consensus-based strategy for multidisciplinary pain management in elite athletes. In the future, we hope to see more rigorous, prospective studies of various pain management strategies in elite athletes, thus enabling a shift from consensus-based recommendations to evidence-based recommendations.

This article investigates the applicability of blue ocean strategy in regard to low-cost airlines in the civil airline industry. To do so, the commercial offers of selected airlines were compared to validate any attempts to apply the blue ocean strategy concept. This is followed by examining the time limitation of the concept in a competitive environment and is illustrated by the changes in the industry for the past 30 years and a comparison of offers from similar companies. The third issue is the evaluation of the further contribution of blue ocean strategy when it is recognized as time-limited. The importance of first-mover advantage, which could be based on the ability to capture an economy of scale and advantageously shape the market, is also discussed.

There is an increasing body of literature showing that the risk of sustaining a sports-related injury can be substantially reduced. The best examples relate to the prevention of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and hamstring injuries.1–5 Multimodal programmes which incorporate aerobic, balance/proprioception and plyometric exercises are the most widely studied initiatives. One of these programmes, the 11+, was developed specifically for use in football. It has been shown to be effective in both men’s and women’s football, has been shown to improve measures of a player’s performance and has been shown to be cost-effective.2 6–8 More than 40 scientific papers have now been published demonstrating the programme’s efficacy.9 Despite these good quality data, evidence-based injury prevention programmes are not widely implemented. Players, coaches and administrators have not widely engaged with these initiatives for a variety of reasons.9 Most current injury prevention strategies used in both recreational and professional sport are not validated and may lack efficacy.10 11 New Zealand, along with Switzerland, is often highlighted as a country where the 11+ has been successfully implemented.12 However, despite efforts to roll this programme out at a national level in New Zealand (starting in 2005), the uptake and penetration of the warm-up programme was initially relatively poor. In 2013, a survey showed that only 11% of all football players in New Zealand had ‘heard’ of the 11+ programme—meaning that the number regularly completing the programme was likely to be substantially lower than this figure.13 Despite the relatively poor uptake, the return on investment for each dollar spent on implementation was found to be NZD$8.20 for each invested dollar.12 New Zealand has a national insurance company called the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). This is a government-run 24-hour, no-fault insurance scheme that covers personal injury caused by accident. In …

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a newly developed warm-up programme ('11+ Kids') regarding its potential to reduce injuries in children's football.METHODS: Children's football teams (under 9 years, under 11 years, and under 13 years age groups) from Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands were invited. Clubs were randomised to an intervention group and a control group, and followed for one season. The intervention group replaced their usual warm-up by '11+ Kids', while the control group warmed up as usual. The primary outcome was the overall risk of football-related injuries. Secondary outcomes were the risks of severe and lower extremity injuries. We calculated hazard ratios using extended Cox models, and performed a compliance analysis.RESULTS: In total, 292,749 h of football exposure of 3895 players were recorded. The mean age of players was 10.8 (standard deviation 1.4) years. During the study period, 374 (intervention group = 139; control group = 235) injuries occurred. The overall injury rate in the intervention group was reduced by 48% compared with the control group (hazard ratio 0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.86). Severe (74% reduction, hazard ratio 0.26; 95% confidence interval 0.10-0.64) and lower extremity injuries (55% reduction, hazard ratio 0.45; 95% confidence interval 0.24-0.84) were also reduced. Injury incidence decreased with increasing compliance.CONCLUSION: '11+ Kids' is efficacious in reducing injuries in children's football. We observed considerable effects for overall, severe and lower extremity injuries. The programme should be performed at least once per week to profit from an injury preventive effect. However, two sessions per week can be recommended to further increase the protective benefit.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02222025.

The influence of the application of severe plastic deformation on microstructure changes and creep deformation behaviour was investigated in P92 creep-resistant pipe steel. P92 steel in its as-received state, with a microstructure typical of tempered martensite, was subjected to high-pressure torsion at room temperature. An investigation of the microstructure using an electron backscatter diffraction technique revealed that severe plastic deformation led to the subsequent formation of an ultrafine-grained microstructure, containing {110} fibre texture and randomly misoriented boundaries. The microstructure characteristics and hardness measurements exhibited saturated values at an equivalent strain of higher than about 20. The creep behaviour of the ultrafine-grained specimen produced in the saturated region exhibited a minimum creep rate that was about two orders of magnitude faster, and a larger creep ductility, in comparison with the as-received state. Creep exposure at 873 K with a time to fracture of about 3 h led to a slight grain coarsening and to the formation of Laves phase.

We have investigated the effect of prior short-term ageing on the mechanical and creep properties of tungsten and boron modified 9%Cr ferritic steel (ASTM Grade P92 steel), to provide material data base for the estimation of material degradation due to occurrence of accidental overheating in the early stage of service loading. The steel was aged at 650 °C for up to 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 h prior to mechanical and creep testing. Changes in the microstructure during ageing had a slight effect on the reduction of room temperature tensile properties. A sudden decrease on impact properties occurred after ageing for 2000 h, but the occurred impact energy of about 70 J is in accordance with the specified minimum value of 68 J at room temperature for the virgin condition. The creep behaviour of P92 steel in the as-received condition and after different isothermal ageing exposures prior to creep was investigated at 600 and 650 °C in the power-law creep regime. The initial applied tensile stress ranged from 90 to 200 MPa. The results clearly show a detrimental influence of isothermal ageing on creep properties even after a few hundred hours. Based on microstructure analysis, which was done mostly in a qualitative way, a significant decrease in the creep life after ageing resulted from changes of the dislocation substructure and instability of Laves phase and M23C6 particles.