Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Status of Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria on Handheld Shopping Trolleys and Baskets in Supermarkets in Ndola, Zambia

Background: Supermarkets are a place visited by individuals with different health conditions daily where microbiological contaminants through touch onto fomites such as trolleys and baskets can be passed on to other people hence potentially spreading infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria on handheld shopping trolleys and baskets and their antimicrobial susceptibility status against commonly used antibiotics in Zambia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Trolleys and basket handles were swabbed and standard microbiological methods were used to identify the bacteria and disc diffusion to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility status. Data was collected from December 2021 to April 2022. Data was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22. Results: Twenty-eight percent of the 200 total samples were found to be culture-positive and predominant isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (17.3%), Pseudomonas species (4.5%), Escherichia coli (2%), Corynebacterium species (2%), Staphylococcus species (1.5%) and Enterobacter aerogenes (0.5%). Staphylococcus aureus showed the most resistance to azithromycin (17%) followed by ciprofloxacin (2.8%), nitrofurantoin (2.8%) and chloramphenicol (2.8%). Escherichia coli showed 100% resistance to amoxicillin, cloxacillin and ampicillin, 75% resistance to ciprofloxacin and the least resistance to azithromycin (25%) while it was susceptible to nitrofurantoin. Staphylococcus species, Corynebacterium species, Enterobacter aerogenes and Pseudomonas species showed no resistance to any antibiotics. Conclusion: The study showed the presence of microorganisms with considerable antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics in Zambia on trolley and basket handles indicating the need for more initiatives to address proper hygiene in public environmental sites for better infection prevention and control.

The microbial content of unexpired pasteurized milk from selected supermarkets in a developing country

Objective:To determine the presence and levels of microbes in unexpired pasteurized milk from randomly selected supermarkets in Kingston,Jamaica.Methods:The quantitative study used a stratified random sampling technique in the selection of the 20 representative milk samples from six(6) supermarkets.Microbiological tests such as methylene blue reduction,standard plate count(SPC),coliform plate count(CPC),purity plate culture,gram staining and biochemical tests were performed to examine the microbes in purchased unexpired pasteurized milk.Results:One sample(BCr016) had a pH of 4.0.a rancid odour and curdled appearance.It decolourized within one hour during the methylene blue reduction test and was classified as class 4 milk.Seven of the samples were sterile with no microbe growth on the plate count agar and violet red bile salt agar(VRBA).The milk samples that appeared to be safe for consumption were all 10,11,12 and 13 days before expiration.The VRBA sample BCr016,had a colony count of 13 400 CFU/ mL.There was the presence of Escherichia coli in sample LCr021 which had a standard plate count of 1 580 SPC/mL and a coliform count of 500 CFU/mL.Enterobacter sp.was present in colonies from BCr016 and all the other milk samples.Conclusions:Unacceptable levels of Entembacter spp.and Escherichia coli were found in most of the samples.Effective measures to ensure safe milk for human consumption such as the phosphatase test and methylene blue reduction test should be routinely performed on each batch of milk processed by dairy plants.

Spatial Accessibility of Bakeries and Supermarkets in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The recent events and constant global changes show the importance of rethinking city planning.In this context,the 15-Minute City concept got important as it brings people closer to activities and services,through short trips by active modes,being the key to a sustainable city.Based on this concept,this paper analysed the spatial accessibility of residents of Belo Horizonte(Brazil)to two establishments essential to the quality of life:bakeries and supermarkets.The analyses were made through the influence areas,spatial clusters,and the Local Indicators of Spatial Association.The results showed that bakeries are more accessible than supermarkets,which are not accessible to the entire population,especially in low-density and low-income regions.In addition,areas with potential for new projects were identified by the relationship between existing facilities(supermarkets or bakeries)and population density/income.Finally,the results highlight the challenges for developing sustainable cities considering the 15-Minute City concept throughout the territory of Belo Horizonte.

On Whether International Chain Supermarkets Should Follow the Trend of Cyber-Shopping in China

Shopping online has become a fashionable and convenient pattern of consumption in China,and the percentage of Chinese cyber-shopping is on the growth.At the same time,many international chain supermarkets are also taking up enormous market share.Should they follow the trend of online shopping? This paper tries to analyze from three aspects that it is not the right time for those international chain supermarkets to alter their business conception of entity sales to electronic commerce and online business in China.

Split-order consolidation optimization for online supermarkets:Process analysis and optimization models

The large-scale online supermarket is a newly emerging online retailing mode which brings great convenience to people.Online supermarkets are characterized by having large amounts of daily orders with potentially multiple items,diverse delivery times,and a high order-split rate.Multiple shipments for one order caused by order splitting result in high cost and disturbance and a large number of discarded consumable packages at online retailers and customers,causing severe damage to the environment.Accordingly,research on split-order consolidation fulfilment is critical for the advancement of the practice and theory in the context of highly complex online retailing.This paper first analyzes the characteristics and the challenges associated with the split-order consolidation problem that online supermarket is confronting and summarizes the new operational process of split-order consolidation fulfilment.Then,a time–space network optimization model is built,and its corresponding solution algorithm is presented to solve the questions of where and when to consolidate the split orders.Finally,the computation results of the numerical experiments are provided to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm,and a sensitivity analysis of the relevant parameters is performed.This work highlights the effect of order consolidation processes and fulfilment methods on the order fulfilment decision-making for online supermarkets.The purpose of this article is to help pave the way for more effective online supermarket management and order implementation.

Research on the Innovative Decisions of Supermarket Private Brands and Designated Manufacturers

One of the core competencies of a supermarket lies in its branding.With the continuous development of the market economy and the ongoing evolution of consumer demand,private brands have progressively emerged as significant contributors to supermarket growth.However,a pivotal developmental challenge for supermarkets is navigating the innovative decision-making process between private brands and designated manufacturers.This paper aims to investigate the innovative decisions between private brands and designated manufacturers,along with the relevant promotional strategies employed during entry into the United States market.

Part Supply Method for Mixed-Model Assembly Lines with Decentralized Supermarkets

In-house part supply affects the efficiency of mixed-model assembly lines considerably. Hence, we propose a reliable Just-In-Time part supply strategy with the use of decentralized supermarkets. For a given production sequence and line layout, the proposed strategy schedules tow train routing and delivery problems jointly to minimize the number of employed town trains and the traveling time, while ensuring that stations never run out of parts. To solve this problem, a mathematical formulation is proposed for each sub-problem aiming at minimizing supply cost. Then, a dynamic programming algorithm for routing and a greedy algorithm for delivery are developed, both of which are of polynomial runtime. Finally, a computational study is implemented to validate the effectiveness of the strategy, and to investigate the effects of the delivery capacity of tow trains and storage capacity of stations on supply cost.

A dynamic delivery strategy for material handling in mixed-model assembly lines using decentralized supermarkets

Material handling has become one of the major challenges in modern production management.Consequently,this paper intends to investigate the part delivery of mixedmodel assembly lines with decentralized supermarkets and tow trains.Besides,uncertain exception disturbances,including tow train failures and adjustments of the production sequence,are also considered.To solve this problem,a heuristic-based dynamic delivery strategy is proposed,which dynamically schedules the route,departure time,quantities and types of loaded parts for each tour.To evaluate the performance of this strategy,it is used to solve an instance in comparison with the periodic delivery strategy,experimental results are reported and their performances are compared under different metrics.Moreover,a multi-scenario analysis is employed to determinate the long-term decisions,including the number of tow trains and the route layout.Finally,the critical storage is suggested to be set for each station to avoid part starvation resulting from disturbances,and its effect on the delivery performance is investigated.

斑马条码打印机打印系统的设计与开发

系统主要是为斑马打印机在SuperMarket2.0系统下调用而开发的打印机驱动软件,是在Delphi7.0企业版开发平台上实现的。Zebra条码打印模块完成的任务是根据输入信息生成相应ZPL指令集,并输入到Zebra打印机中,由Zebra打印机解释执行,打印出条码标签,包括对汉字、英文、数字、条码和方框等对象的处理和打印。介绍了该系统设计和实现的关键技术。

Factors Influencing the Channel Choice of Consumers Buying Beef--Taking Yanji City as an Example

[Method]The paper was to understand factors influencing the channel choice of consumers buying beef.[Method]The selection behavior and influencing factors of beef consumption of Yanji urban residents in supermarkets and farmers’market were analyzed by constructing a binary Logistic model.[Result]Education level,monthly household income and household food expenditure to total income were positively correlated with beef purchase in supermarket,while age was negatively correlated with beef purchase in supermarket.[Conclusion]The main reasons that consumers buy beef in supermarket were type of beef,brand and clean environment,and in farmers’market were price,freshness and consumption habit.

Government drive,economic induction,and construction of food traceability systems:An empirical study based on supermarket samples from 'first-tier' and 'Olympic' cities in China

Food traceability systems are capable of overcoming or alleviating problems caused by incomplete and asymmetric information on food markets.This study conducts an empirical analysis using 308 supermarket samples from China's Beijing,Guangzhou,and Qingdao to determine the factors that influence supermarket behavior when operating traceability systems.The results show that operating profits(generated from food traceability systems),scale of operation,level of economic development(of a city),and government subsidies will positively affect the decision of supermarkets to use traceability systems.At the same time,government policies promoting food traceability systems should have a long-term role.

Marketing Strategy of Rural Supermarket Chain in Ningxia Based on the Long Tail

Based on the introduction of the Long Tail,the political,economical,social and technological environment for the development of rural supermarket chain in Ningxia is analyzed.The problems in the marketing strategy of Ningxia rural supermarket chain are pointed out,including single products and uneven level of quality,the products,which can not satisfy farmers' needs;low quality of the personnel and imperfect information system,thus the traditional way of marketing is challenged.In the end,from the perspective of products,position,price,and personnel,the marketing strategies for the development of Ningxia rural supermarket chain based on the Long Tail Theory are put forward.

Purchasing Patterns and Consumer Level Waste of Fruits and Vegetables in Urban and Peri-Urban Centers in the Philippines

Fruits and vegetables are inherently perishable hence they are considered as one of the most wasted categories of food. While several studies have been conducted to assess consumer level waste of fruits and vegetables, few have been conducted in developing countries like the Philippines. A survey, using a pre-tested questionnaire, and involving 500 respondents, was conducted in selected urban and peri-urban areas in the Philippines, to ascertain consumer level fruit and vegetable waste. The quantities of fruits and vegetables wasted by supermarket shoppers and those who purchased fruits in wet markets were comparably low at 3% - 4%. This low level of consumer fruit and vegetable waste was attributed to the small quantities (250 to 500 grams per purchase) purchased by consumers in both categories of markets. Consumer level fruit and vegetable waste, showed a positive correlation to household size. The level of fruit waste was positively related to household income, and negatively related to shopper’s age. Consumers who shopped in supermarkets, purchased larger quantities of fruit when compared to those who shopped in wet markets. Wet market shoppers on the other hand, purchased large quantities of vegetables. Decay, and quality loss manifested by shriveling, wilting, toughening, browning and softening were the main characteristics of fruits and vegetables discarded by consumers. The underlying causes of this waste, cited by respondents included “forgot to eat”, “poor quality”, “forgot to cook” and “overbuying”. Consumer efforts to minimize waste include buying enough for consumption, consuming or using immediately after purchase, planning their menus, improving storage and purchasing produce that is of good quality.

Practice and Exploration of Rural Sci-tech Service Supermarket:A Case Study of Jurong Economic Forest and Fruit Industrial Branch

The rural sci-tech supermarket in Jiangsu Province is an innovative model of rural sci-tech service. With reference to the concept of modern commodity supermarket, this model integrates variety, technology and achievement information into the sci-tech supermarket platform, provides various agricultural sci-tech services, and improves farmers recognition and acceptance of science and technology, so as to accelerate conversion of scientific and technological achievements and demonstration and popularization of new varieties, new technologies and new models. This paper analyzes practice of Jurong economic forest and fruit industrial branch and presents recommendations for building Jiangsu rural sci-tech service supermarket.

Systemic Analysis of Supermarket Solid Waste Generation in Mexicali, Mexico

The common practice of managing solid waste (SW) generated by supermarkets in Mexicali, Mexico, consists of mix-ing all kinds of SW without any separation process. The concern of these actions is that does not involve some of these products to be reused or sold for recycling. The company ceases to receive an income of $ 3,881 Mexican pesos as an additional benefit by the generation of approximately 5,869 kg of SW than can be recovered in only one of its eleven branches in the city. However, the only two products that are valued by the supermarkets are wax boxes for fruits and vegetables which are sold to a company that subsequently resell them to fruit shops for reuse, and the cardboard boxes, whose weekly generation in one branch is 5,375 kg. They are separated from the waxed boxes and placed in a compactor to form bales from 300 to 400 kg each and then are collected for sale to a recycling company. As for the generation of different types of plastics that can be recycled, a branch generates weekly 339 kg. The model to simulate the generation of SW in supermarkets was performed using “system dynamics” as a tool for modeling and simulation in order to make better decisions to reduce generation of waste.

Assessing performance of “agricultural supermarket docking” supply chain under rural revitalization strategy

The strategy of rural revitalization was put forward in the report of the 19 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC), and it pointed out that agriculture, rural areas and farmers are fundamental issues related to the national economy and people’s livelihood. To solve the problems of agriculture, countryside and farmers must always be the top priority of the whole party’s work. As an innovative move in the circulation of agricultural products in China, agricultural supermarket docking has been an important agricultural policy of the government since the trial operation in 20018, and has attracted the attention of all sectors of society. In the long-term development, China’s agricultural supermarket docking work in the actual operation process exposed a lot of drawbacks, seriously affecting the final effect of agricultural supermarket docking, affecting the income of farmers. Therefore, under the background of rural revitalization strategy, in order to further improve the income of farmers and improve the quality of life of farmers, it is urgent to discuss the present situation of 'agricultural supermarket docking' in our country. In this paper, by studying the operation of the agricultural supermarket docking supply chain, the matter element extension analysis model is established, and on the basis of the example analysis, the feasible performance improvement measures of the agricultural supermarket docking supply chain are put forward. It provides reference and experience for other areas of our country to improve the work of agricultural supermarket docking, seek welfare and promote development for farmers.

从Supermarket谈起

Supermarket(超级市场)是改变人们生活方式的一种现象,因而被称为零售业的第二次革命。目前,仅美国就有超级市场近4万家,占美国零售商业的近1/5,它出售的商品量约占全部食品杂货零售商品数量的95％。其主要特点是占地面积大;货色品种繁多,价格较低廉;顾客自行挑选商品,到出口处付款;周围有广大的停车场。除了supermarket外,可译为“超级市场”的词语还有几个,区别如下:

Supermarket Shakeup

超级市场是以顾客自选方式经营的大型综合性零售商场，是许多国家特别是经济发达国家的主要商业零售组织形式。超级市场于20世纪30年代初最先出现在美国东部地区。在我国。超级市场被引入始于1978年，当时称为自选商场。1983年1月3日。中国第一家超级市场在北京市海淀区开业，那时购买者几乎都是外国人。20多年后的今天。人们去超市购物已经成为生活中不可缺少的部分。

Emergency evacuation in a supermarket during a terrorist attack: towards a possible modelling of the influence of affordances on the evacuation behavior of agents in a complex virtual environment

During a terrorist attack on a supermarket,the use of emergency exits is essential for effective evacuation and saving lives.However,people tend to ignore emergency situations.This behavior can lengthen evacuation times,endanger individuals,and even prove fatal.In this context,we conducted a series of experiments to explore the links between cognition and the dynamics of human capabilities in a complex and changing environment.In a series of behavioral experiments and computer simulations,we found that active guidance by green flashing lights at emergency exits impacts the behavior of individuals in an emergency evacuation situation in a supermarket;this tested our hypothesis that changing the environment in turn changes the evacuation behavior of individuals.We also show that environmental modification can help in decision-making in an emergency situation.Furthermore,the results of computer simulations support a possible modeling of the influence of affordances on the evacuation behavior of agents in a complexvirtual environment.