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Purpose – The COVID-19 has brought with it valuable opportunities for the retail sector. Notably, online channels have assumed a key role for businesses that can rely less on physical channels due to the pandemic’s restrictions. Within this context, the study aims to identify the main antecedents leading to the formation of the male and female customers’ continuance intention of using online food delivery services (OFDS) in the restaurant industry. Design/methodology/approach – A web-based self-completion survey and a subsequent structural equation modelling have been employed on a sample of 360 participants. Findings – Findings reveal that perceived healthiness, quarantine procedures, perceived hygiene, perceived ease of app use and attitude significantly influence continuance intention. Moreover, the moderator analysis corroborates that male consumers’ continuance intention is mainly influenced by perceived healthiness, quarantine procedures and perceived hygiene. Conversely, female customers’ continuance intention is predicated on perceived healthiness and attitude. Research limitations/implications – Although the adoption of a sample of young customers (18–29 years) guarantees good research internal validity, findings are not generalizable. Practical implications – The study provides valuable contributions for restaurants related to the (1) creation/management of their own OFDS platforms; (2) selection of the right third-party platforms. Originality/value – The paper is one of the first studies examining the predictors impacting on customers’ OFDS continuance intention in the COVID-19 context by also focusing on gender differences.

This database includes the raw data linked with the paper ���Reading Skills of Children with Dyslexia Improved Less than Expected During the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy��� published in ���Children���. In this paper, we reported the modification of reading speed and accuracy in children with Specific Learning Disorders during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy (measured with word, non-word and text reading standardized tests administered before and after the ���lockdown���) and answers to an ad hoc questionnaire regarding their experience during the lockdown period. The reading assessment was performed through three tasks. The first two tasks (i.e., reading aloud a list of words and a list of non-words) were derived from the Battery for the Assessment of Developmental Dyslexia and Dysorthography-2 (DDE-2 Battery by Sartori et al.) to assess reading speed (syllables per second) and accuracy (number of errors). The third task was derived from the Assessment of Reading and Comprehension Skills for Elementary and Middle School (MT-3-Clinic tasks by Cornoldi and Carretti) and it consists of reading a text aloud to assess reading speed (syllables per second) and accuracy (number of errors). An ad hoc questionnaire provided a detailed characterization of the online school delivered during the lockdown period (March���June 2020), including which kinds of remote education were implemented (e.g., online vs. pre-recorded lessons), major challenges in managing online school (e.g., online platform, connection, family management), and parents��� perception of their children learning trajectories. The questionnaire was filled in by parents as well as by children with the help of a dedicated researcher. Between 59 to 63% of children with dyslexia did not reach the average expected increase of reading skills. According to their parents, they also showed greater social isolation and fewer worries about the pandemic and the school���s closure. Our data indicate that children with dyslexia are at increased risk of consequences on their learning potential in case of school closure. They also seem to have a peculiar psychological experience of school closure. Funding: Ricerca Corrente 2020, Ministry of Health (Italy)

ImagineThe internet stops workingelectricity is cutthe many screens which connect you to the world turn blackyou no longer have access to your bank accountor functioning credits cardsthe walls behind which you retreated fade awayand you find yourself under the open skynow you are like menothing but a “dangerous body” on the streetwhat can you do now?what must you do now?out in the open where an invisible virus lurks?you roamroam the city forfoodinformationand means to protect those you love

Em 2019 foram investidos, globalmente, $35bn em Fintechs. Fintechs são as start-ups que estão a revolucionar os serviços financeiros. A discussão sobre Fintech é certamente uma tendência, contudo, o seu futuro começa a levantar questões. A crise Covid-19 revelou que dificuldades as start-ups estão a enfrentar ao tentar permanecer no ativo sem angariação de fundos. Este estudo tem como objetivo entender como será o futuro das Fintech. Na escala global, os investimentos em Fintech começaram por cair, mas aparentemente estão a recuperar na América do Norte e Europa. Algumas start-ups beneficiaram de uma aceleração da digitalização da sociedade. Além disso, inovações como Big Data, Open Banking ou Blockchain estão também, a impulsionar uma transformação financeira. No entanto, as fraquezas do modelo económico das start-ups foram certamente expostas. Uma vez excluída a angariação de fundos só é possível prever três possíveis saídas para as Fintechs: ser lucrativas, adquiridas ou cotadas. No entanto, uma vez que o panorama Europeu das M&A e IPO não é ainda maturo, ser lucrativa deveria ser o principal objetivo na maioria dos casos. Limitações estão relacionadas com o facto de ainda ser prematuro retirar conclusões acerca da crise Covid-19. Além disso, o estudo poderia ter analisado as forças e fraquezas de cada subcategoria da área de Fintech de forma a demonstrar que, dependendo das suas especificações, o futuro de uma Fintech poderá variar. In 2019, $35bn were invested in Fintechs globally. Fintechs are startups that are revolutionizing financial services with breakthrough technologies, new business models and innovative products and services. Today, traditional banks and insurance companies face a new competition. However, if Fintechs sure are trending, their future starts to raise questions. The Covid-19 crisis showed the difficulties startups are facing to remain alive without fundraisings. This study aims to understand what the future holds for Fintechs. On a global scale, investments in Fintechs fell at first but a rebound seems to appear in North America and Europe. Some startups actually benefit from the faster digitalization of the society. Moreover, innovations such as Big Data, Open Banking or Blockchain are driving the financial transformation. However, weaknesses of the model were put into light. Without fundraisings, Fintechs only have three possible outcomes: being profitable, acquired or listed on a stock market. However, as the M&A and IPO landscapes are not mature yet in Europe, being profitable should often be the number one goal. Some limitations that might arise are related to the fact that it is still very early to give conclusions on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. Moreover, the study could have analyzed weaknesses and strengths for each Fintech sub-categories to show that Fintechs can have different futures regarding their specificities.

Data set from the article Dozio E, Sitzia C, Pistelli L, Cardani R, Rigolini R, Ranucci M, Corsi Romanelli MM. Soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products and Its Forms in COVID-19 Patients with and without Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Study on Their Role as Disease Biomarkers. J Clin Med. 2020 Nov 23;9(11):3785. doi: 10.3390/jcm9113785. PMID: 33238596; PMCID: PMC7700384. Abstract The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), a well-known player of diabetes mellitus (DM)-related morbidities, was supposed to be involved in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), but no data exist about COVID-19, DM, and the soluble RAGE (sRAGE) forms. We quantified total sRAGE and its forms, the endogenously secretory esRAGE and the membrane-cleaved cRAGE, in COVID-19 patients with and without DM and in healthy individuals to explore how COVID-19 may affect these molecules and their potential role as biomarkers. Circulating sRAGE and esRAGE were quantified by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assays. cRAGE was obtained by subtracting esRAGE from total sRAGE. sRAGE, esRAGE, cRAGE, and the cRAGE/esRAGE ratio did not differ between DM and non-DM patients and had the same trend when compared to healthy individuals. Levels of total sRAGE, cRAGE, and cRAGE/esRAGE ratio were upregulated, while esRAGE was downregulated. The lack of difference between DM and non-DM COVID-19 patients in the levels of sRAGE and its forms supports the hypothesis that in COVID-19 the RAGE system is modulated regardless of glycemic control. Identifying how sRAGE and its forms associate to COVID-19 prognosis and the potential of RAGE as a therapeutic target to control inflammatory burden seem of relevance to help treatment of COVID-19.

Dataset from the comment Nania T, Dellafiore F, Caruso R, Barello S. Risk and protective factors for psychological distress among Italian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: The beneficial role of health engagement. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2020 Jul 28:20764020945729. doi: 10.1177/0020764020945729. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32721256. Introduction We read with great interest the study by Torales et al. (2020) and colleagues on the impact of COVID-19 on the global and mental health of citizens across countries. They stated that global health initiatives should be employed to manage psychosocial stressors, particularly those related to the experience of isolation and quarantine among the general population. There have been reports on the psychological impact of the epidemic on citizens, patients, medical workforce, children, and older adults (Barello et al., 2020; Dubey et al., 2020; Garnier-Crussard et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020; Lima et al., 2020). However, few studies on the mental health status of Italian university students facing the epidemic has been conducted to date. At this regard, university students should be considered as a potentially higher risk population for mental health disorders related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as they were asked to deeply reframe their daily habits. The continuous spread of the epidemic, strict isolation measures, being often far from home and lack of interpersonal relationships across Italy, may have hugely affected the mental health of university students. Furthermore, university students, more than others social groups, had to tackle the ‘infodemic’ of misinformation about COVID-19, due to their higher social media exposure (Rovetta & Bhagavathula, 2020). The re-organization of learning activities and of their habits could represent a challenging demand for students, which requires adequate institutional responses to make them able to manage anxiety and stress. Therefore, we believe that a wider understanding of those factors that might contribute in exacerbating anxiety and poor mental health outcomes in university students is warranted to address this issue to provide high-quality, timely crisis-oriented psychological services to this vulnerable population (Tang et al., 2020). Specifically, further studies should encompass positive and negative determinants of students’ Covid-19–related distress.

O presente trabalho investiga o comportamento dos investidores nos mercados financeiros em períodos de crise. Em particular, este estudo investiga quais os determinantes sociodemográficos do comportamento dos investidores durante o período de crise fruto da pandemia COVID-19, usando o principal índice português, o PSI 20, como objeto de estudo. Os dados foram disponibilizados por uma das principais instituições financeiras do mercado português e contêm transações de 15 943 indivíduos para os anos de 2019 e 2020. Através de testes ANOVA e do método dos mínimos quadrados, é concluído que há efetivamente variáveis sociodemográficas que impactam o comportamento dos investidores nos mercados financeiros em períodos de crise. Investidores do género masculino são os mais ativos no mercado bolsista em períodos de crise e o estado civil não se relaciona com a atividade nos mercados de capitais. Riqueza, educação e a idade do investidor têm um impacto positivo nos montantes investidos em períodos de crise e a antiguidade do cliente tem um impacto negativo. Relativamente às características do individuo perante a instituição, a posse de uma conta de depósito a prazo com a instituição tem um impacto negativo no montante investido no mercado de capitais em períodos de crise. Já a posse de pelo menos um empréstimo com a instituição demonstra ter um impacto positivo na variável, com os investidores que possuem empréstimos a investir mais no mercado de capitais durante a pandemia. This paper investigates the sociodemographic characteristics of capital markets investors' behaviour during the pandemic period. For this purpose, we use data provided by a major Portuguese financial institution that comprises data for 15,943 individuals' transactions during 2019 and 2020. Using ANOVA tests and OLS estimations it was concluded that there are sociodemographic variables that impact investors’ behaviour towards the market in crisis periods. Male investors are more active during crisis periods than female investors and marital status was seen to not impact trading activity. Investors' wealth, education and age influence invested amounts in a positive way whereas client seniority has a negative impact. The possession of a savings account was seen to impact trading activity negatively while the possession of a loan had a positive impact on amounts traded during the pandemic.

An extended brief overviewing a bread swath of responses from higher educational institutions worldwide, to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Empresas Familiares são uma forma única e particular de organização profundamente interessante devido ao seu próprio estilo de modelo de negócios, diferenças hierárquicas, valores e princípios. Consequentemente, a sua capacidade de inovar difere de outras formas de organização. Com a chegada da pandemia COVID-19, os modelos de negócios tiveram que atualizar as suas abordagens, inovando e agindo de acordo com os hábitos de consumo e restrições sanitárias. Mundialmente, algumas empresas tiveram que mudar, tendo na sua centralidade abordagens e mentalidades inovadoras, enquanto outras não conseguiram colocar esses mesmos mecanismos em ação. Esta dissertação e pesquisa tem como objetivo primordial analisar a capacidade de inovação das empresas familiares no que diz respeito à interação com o cliente e como a pandemia desequilibra o seu modelo. Além disso, com este estudo, espera-se que alguns resultados possam orientar outras empresas familiares sobre como enfrentar e interagir com algumas barreiras inovadoras e dar-lhes a capacidade de lidar com as mesmas. Family Businesses are a particular and unique form of organization deeply interesting due to their own business model style, hierarchical differences, values and principles. Consequently, their capacity to innovative differ from other types of organization. With the arrival of COVID-19 Pandemic, business models had to adapt their innovative approaches to act accordingly with consumer habits and sanitary restrictions. Worldwide, some businesses had to change, with innovative approaches and mindsets, while other could not bring those same mechanisms to action. This dissertation aims to analyze the capacity of family entities to innovation regarding their customer interaction and how the pandemic imbalance their model. Also, with this study, it is expected that some results might guide other family firms on how to deal and interact with the barriers and to give the capacity to deal with the same barriers.