Consumer behaviour of black americans during the covid-19 pandemic

Potrošniško vedenje zajema vse odločitve, ki jih posamezniki sprejmejo, da kupijo ali ne kupijo izdelka ali storitve. Na vedenje potrošnikov vpliva mnogo dejavnikov. Sem uvrščamo situacijske, osebne, psihološke in socialne dejavnike. Eden izmed dejavnikov, ki je v veliki meri vplival na vedenje potrošnikov, je pandemija covida-19. Slednja je na svet vplivala v mnogo pogledih. Ljudi je prisilila, da so spremenili svoja življenja. Samoizolacija in previdnostni ukrepi so povzročili bistvene premike pri vedenju potrošnikov. Strah pred okužbo s koronavirusno boleznijo je povzročil panično in impulzivno nakupovanje dobrin in povečanje spletne prodaje. V diplomskem delu smo se osredotočili na temnopolte Američane in vpliv pandemije covida-19 na njihovo potrošniško vedenje. Zaradi hitro rastoče populacije, nizke povprečne starosti ter večanja kupne moči in stopnje izobraženosti temnopolti Američani predstavljajo pomembno skupino potrošnikov, tako v analognem kot digitalnem svetu. Pandemija covida-19 je temnopolte ameriške potrošnike prizadela na veliko načinov. Vplivala je na močan porast brezposelnosti in zniževanje plač, kar je spremenilo potrošniško vedenje temnopoltih Američanov. Prav tako je privedla do zaprtja številnih podjetij v njihovi lasti. Temnopolti ameriški potrošniki so v času pandemije covida-19 nakupovali premišljeno in stroškovno zavestno. Izogibali so se nakupovanju v fizičnih trgovinah in oklevali z nakupi večjih vrednosti. Osredotočili so se na nakupovanje nižjecenovnih izdelkov in izdelkov s popusti. Pandemija je privedla do povečane uporabe digitalnih naprav, kot so mobilni telefoni, televizija, igralne konzole, radio in predvajalniki glasbe. Temnopolti ameriški potrošniki so digitalne naprave uporabljali za iskanje informacij, spletno nakupovanje, poslušanje glasbe, uporabo družbenih omrežij in učenje. Skoraj polovica temnopoltih ameriških potrošnikov je v času pandemije covida-19 nakupovala na spletu. Na ta način so nakupovali predvsem oblačila in obutev, izdelke za zdravje in lepoto ter živila in zdravila. V času pandemije so veliko časa preživeli na družbenih omrežjih, kar jim je omogočalo povezovanje s prijatelji, deljenje vsebine in iskanje novih informacij.Consumer behaviour includes all the decisions individuals make when choosing whether to buy a product or service. Consumer behaviour is influenced by many factors, including situational, personal, psychological and social ones. One of the aspects that has greatly affected consumer behaviour is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed the world in many ways and forced people to change their lives. Self-isolation and precautionary measures have significantly altered consumer behaviour. The fear of contracting coronavirus has led to panic and the impulse purchasing of goods, as well as an increase in online sales. In this thesis, we focus on black Americans and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their consumption patterns. Due to their rapidly growing population and increasing purchasing power, as well as their educational attainment and low average age, black Americans represent an important consumer group in both the analogue and digital worlds. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected black American consumers in many ways. It has led to a sharp increase in unemployment and lower wages, which has changed their consumption patterns. It has also led to the closure of many businesses owned by black Americans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, black American consumers made informed and cost-conscious purchases. They avoided shopping at physical stores and were reluctant to make large acquisitions. They focused on buying low-priced and discounted products. The pandemic led to an increased use of digital devices, such as mobile phones, televisions, game consoles, radios, and music players. Black American consumers used digital devices to search for information, shop online, listen to music, use social networks, and learn. Nearly half of black American consumers made online purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the most frequent types being clothing and shoes, health and beauty products, groceries, and medications. They also spent a large amount of time on social networks, which allowed them to connect with friends, share content, and find new information

Review of Bioplastics Characterisation by Terahertz Techniques in the View of Ensuring a Circular Economy

The increasing scarcity of natural resources, worsening global climate change, environmental degradation, and rising demand for food are forcing the biotechnology and plastics industries to seek and apply circular economy models that would lead to a sustainable transition in the production and use of bioplastics. Circular economy models can improve the economic productivity of bio-based plastics and have a positive impact on the environment by reducing conventional plastic waste and the consumption of petrochemical feedstocks for plastic production. In addition, some agricultural wastes that have the potential to be used as bioplastics can be reused. Terahertz (THz) systems are already used in the plastics and rubber industries for non-destructive testing, detection, imaging, and quality control. Several reports have highlighted the potential applications of THz spectroscopy and imaging in polymer analysis and plastics characterisation. This potential is even greater with chemometric methods and artificial intelligence algorithms. In this review, we focus on applications that support the transformation of the biotechnology sector to the circular economy, particularly via the transition from conventional plastics to bioplastics. In this review, we discuss the potential of THz systems for the characterisation and analysis of bioplastics and biopolymers. The results of previous studies on biopolymers in the THz frequency range are summarised. Furthermore, the potential of using artificial intelligence approaches such as machine learning as advanced analytical methods in THz spectroscopy and imaging, in addition to the conventionally used chemometric methods, is discussed. The results of this review highlight that THz technology can contribute to closed technological circles in important areas of biotechnology and the related plastics and rubber industries

Urinary Metabolic Biomarker Profiling for Cancer Diagnosis by Terahertz Spectroscopy: Review and Perspective

In the last decade, terahertz (THz) technologies have been introduced to the detection, identification, and quantification of biomolecules in various biological samples. This review focuses on substances that represent important biomarkers in the urine associated with various cancers and their treatments. From a diagnostic point of view, urine liquid biopsy is particularly important because it allows the non-invasive and rapid collection of large volumes of samples. In this review, the THz spectral responses of substances considered metabolic biomarkers in urine and obtained in previous studies are collected. In addition, the findings from the relatively small number of prior studies that have already been carried out on urine samples are summarised. In this context, we also present the different THz methods used for urine analysis. Finally, a brief discussion is given, presenting perspectives for future research in this field, interpreted based on the results of previous studies. This work provides important information on the further application of THz techniques in biomedicine for detecting and monitoring urinary biomarkers for various diseases, including cancer

A 12-gene pharmacogenetic panel to prevent adverse drug reactions: an open-label, multicentre, controlled, cluster-randomised crossover implementation study

© 2023Background: The benefit of pharmacogenetic testing before starting drug therapy has been well documented for several single gene–drug combinations. However, the clinical utility of a pre-emptive genotyping strategy using a pharmacogenetic panel has not been rigorously assessed. Methods: We conducted an open-label, multicentre, controlled, cluster-randomised, crossover implementation study of a 12-gene pharmacogenetic panel in 18 hospitals, nine community health centres, and 28 community pharmacies in seven European countries (Austria, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK). Patients aged 18 years or older receiving a first prescription for a drug clinically recommended in the guidelines of the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (ie, the index drug) as part of routine care were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria included previous genetic testing for a gene relevant to the index drug, a planned duration of treatment of less than 7 consecutive days, and severe renal or liver insufficiency. All patients gave written informed consent before taking part in the study. Participants were genotyped for 50 germline variants in 12 genes, and those with an actionable variant (ie, a drug–gene interaction test result for which the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group [DPWG] recommended a change to standard-of-care drug treatment) were treated according to DPWG recommendations. Patients in the control group received standard treatment. To prepare clinicians for pre-emptive pharmacogenetic testing, local teams were educated during a site-initiation visit and online educational material was made available. The primary outcome was the occurrence of clinically relevant adverse drug reactions within the 12-week follow-up period. Analyses were irrespective of patient adherence to the DPWG guidelines. The primary analysis was done using a gatekeeping analysis, in which outcomes in people with an actionable drug–gene interaction in the study group versus the control group were compared, and only if the difference was statistically significant was an analysis done that included all of the patients in the study. Outcomes were compared between the study and control groups, both for patients with an actionable drug–gene interaction test result (ie, a result for which the DPWG recommended a change to standard-of-care drug treatment) and for all patients who received at least one dose of index drug. The safety analysis included all participants who received at least one dose of a study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03093818 and is closed to new participants. Findings: Between March 7, 2017, and June 30, 2020, 41 696 patients were assessed for eligibility and 6944 (51·4 % female, 48·6% male; 97·7% self-reported European, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern ethnicity) were enrolled and assigned to receive genotype-guided drug treatment (n=3342) or standard care (n=3602). 99 patients (52 [1·6%] of the study group and 47 [1·3%] of the control group) withdrew consent after group assignment. 652 participants (367 [11·0%] in the study group and 285 [7·9%] in the control group) were lost to follow-up. In patients with an actionable test result for the index drug (n=1558), a clinically relevant adverse drug reaction occurred in 152 (21·0%) of 725 patients in the study group and 231 (27·7%) of 833 patients in the control group (odds ratio [OR] 0·70 [95% CI 0·54–0·91]; p=0·0075), whereas for all patients, the incidence was 628 (21·5%) of 2923 patients in the study group and 934 (28·6%) of 3270 patients in the control group (OR 0·70 [95% CI 0·61–0·79]; p <0·0001). Interpretation: Genotype-guided treatment using a 12-gene pharmacogenetic panel significantly reduced the incidence of clinically relevant adverse drug reactions and was feasible across diverse European health-care system organisations and settings. Large-scale implementation could help to make drug therapy increasingly safe. Funding: European Union Horizon 2020