Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the profile and preferences of urban mobility in Brazil: Challenges and opportunities

Daily commuting characteristics were highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, since restriction of the movement of people was one of the main preventive measures adopted. Understanding of the effects that the pandemic had on mobility is essential to help in mitigating the problems arising from this crisis, while also providing an opportunity for the implementation of sustainable policies in the post-pandemic period. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the impacts of the pandemic on the profile of travel behavior and mobility preferences in Brazil, using a case study of cities located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The data obtained from an online survey were modeled using exploratory factor analysis, resulting in the extraction of 15 main factors that explain behavioral changes in mobility due to the effects of the pandemic, as well as future perspectives. In the pandemic period, the use of private vehicles grew as the main mode of transport to the principal activity. Conversely, the use of public transport decreased drastically, due to compulsory measures taken by the health authorities to prevent the spread of the new virus. There was also greater receptivity to the adoption of active mobility, especially the bicycle, although it is necessary to provide better conditions for use of this transport mode. The findings support the development of public policies to reduce urban mobility problems and to provide guidelines for sustainable planning in the post-pandemic period.

Identification of contributing factors and hotspots of pedestrian-vehicle collisions in urban areas: An alternative hybrid method for small cities

OBJECTIVE

Traffic safety numbers in developing countries show a serious global problem that requires studies and actions to promote safety for the most vulnerable users, such as pedestrians, as a way of contributing to sustainable urban mobility. Therefore, this research proposes a hybrid method to identify contributing factors and critical points according to the profile of crashes involving pedestrians being run over by motor vehicles in small cities.

METHODS

The proposed method uses multivariate data analysis, specifically Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Cluster Analysis (CA), combined with geospatial tools. The study scenario corresponds to pedestrian-vehicle collisions that occurred in the urban area of Cachoeira do Sul, a small city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, recorded in police reports between 2015 and 2018. Additionally, Geographic Information Tools (GIS) were used to collect characteristics of the road environment.

RESULTS

According to EFA, a set of attributes configured as contributing factors are discussed according to the components of the traffic system: user, road, vehicle, and environment. Subsequently, a CA was applied with the road-environmental factors, and three pedestrian-vehicle collision profiles were extracted, with clustering according to road segments with homogeneous characteristics. Moreover, a Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) was used to obtain heat maps of the pedestrian collisions profiles. The results allowed interventions to be proposed according to the contributing factors of each profile.

CONCLUSIONS

The multivariate statistical analysis supported the discussion of the factors contributing to the occurrence of pedestrian-vehicle collisions in small cities in developing countries. The spatial visualization of the results showed urban corridors with a high risk for pedestrians and the identification of hotspots in the city. In addition, the study demonstrated that the hybrid method tested is an alternative for the government of cities with few resources to promote safety mobility.

Fuzzy analysis of students' perception of traffic safety in school environments: the case of a small Brazilian city

Thousands of lives are lost every year due to traffic accidents worldwide, and youths are the most affected. The goal of this paper is to analyze the differences in young students' perceptions about traffic safety in school surroundings in order to help in the formulation of public policies and the development of infrastructure to make school travels safer. A questionnaire was used to obtain the perception of high school students from institutions with different urban characteristics. Data modelling with fuzzy logic and statistical analysis of variance indicated that students' perceptions are influenced by the different realities these youths are exposed to daily, such as school socioeconomic category, transport mode, urban environment and gender. Traffic engineering measures, public policies and road safety education action, inciting active mobility, can be validated and supported by these results. This road safety analysis may also be a participative alternative for locations with low data access.

Widespread white matter microstructural differences in schizophrenia across 4322 individuals: results from the ENIGMA Schizophrenia DTI Working Group

The regional distribution of white matter (WM) abnormalities in schizophrenia remains poorly understood, and reported disease effects on the brain vary widely between studies. In an effort to identify commonalities across studies, we perform what we believe is the first ever large-scale coordinated study of WM microstructural differences in schizophrenia. Our analysis consisted of 2359 healthy controls and 1963 schizophrenia patients from 29 independent international studies; we harmonized the processing and statistical analyses of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data across sites and meta-analyzed effects across studies. Significant reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA) in schizophrenia patients were widespread, and detected in 20 of 25 regions of interest within a WM skeleton representing all major WM fasciculi. Effect sizes varied by region, peaking at (d=0.42) for the entire WM skeleton, driven more by peripheral areas as opposed to the core WM where regions of interest were defined. The anterior corona radiata (d=0.40) and corpus callosum (d=0.39), specifically its body (d=0.39) and genu (d=0.37), showed greatest effects. Significant decreases, to lesser degrees, were observed in almost all regions analyzed. Larger effect sizes were observed for FA than diffusivity measures; significantly higher mean and radial diffusivity was observed for schizophrenia patients compared with controls. No significant effects of age at onset of schizophrenia or medication dosage were detected. As the largest coordinated analysis of WM differences in a psychiatric disorder to date, the present study provides a robust profile of widespread WM abnormalities in schizophrenia patients worldwide. Interactive three-dimensional visualization of the results is available at www.enigma-viewer.org.

Demyelinating polyneuropathy in eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome

Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) is a newly recognized disorder, characterized by myalgia, weakness, scleroderma-like changes, and eosinophilia. EMS is associated with lots of L-tryptophan allegedly contaminated with byproducts of the manufacturing process. We describe 3 patients with EMS who presented with a severe demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed multifocal conduction block, slowing and temporal dispersion of motor responses, and prolonged or absent F-responses. Despite plasmapheresis; corticosteroids; and, in 1 patient, cyclophosphamide, 2 patients died and the remaining patient experienced minimal recovery. Pathology revealed patchy perivascular infiltrates and fibrosis in the connective tissue of muscle and nerve. Autopsy of the central nervous system in 2 patients did not reveal changes unique to EMS. In addition to other organ involvement, EMS may manifest as a potentially fatal polyneuropathy, which initially appears to have prominent demyelinating features.