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Year: 2021

Differential Associations of the Built Environment on Weight Gain by Sex and Race/Ethnicity but Not Age

Buszkiewicz, James H.; Bobb, Jennifer F.; Kapos, Flavia; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Arterburn, David; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Cook, Andrea; Mooney, Stephen J.; Cruz, Maricela; Gupta, Shilpi; Lozano, Paula; Rosenberg, Dori E.; Theis, Mary Kay; Anau, Jane; Drewnowski, Adam. (2021). Differential Associations of the Built Environment on Weight Gain by Sex and Race/Ethnicity but Not Age. International Journal Of Obesity, 45(12), 2648 – 2656.

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Abstract

Objective To explore the built environment (BE) and weight change relationship by age, sex, and racial/ethnic subgroups in adults. Methods Weight trajectories were estimated using electronic health records for 115,260 insured Kaiser Permanente Washington members age 18-64 years. Member home addresses were geocoded using ArcGIS. Population, residential, and road intersection densities and counts of area supermarkets and fast food restaurants were measured with SmartMaps (800 and 5000-meter buffers) and categorized into tertiles. Linear mixed-effect models tested whether associations between BE features and weight gain at 1, 3, and 5 years differed by age, sex, and race/ethnicity, adjusting for demographics, baseline weight, and residential property values. Results Denser urban form and greater availability of supermarkets and fast food restaurants were associated with differential weight change across sex and race/ethnicity. At 5 years, the mean difference in weight change comparing the 3rd versus 1st tertile of residential density was significantly different between males (-0.49 kg, 95% CI: -0.68, -0.30) and females (-0.17 kg, 95% CI: -0.33, -0.01) (P-value for interaction = 0.011). Across race/ethnicity, the mean difference in weight change at 5 years for residential density was significantly different among non-Hispanic (NH) Whites (-0.47 kg, 95% CI: -0.61, -0.32), NH Blacks (-0.86 kg, 95% CI: -1.37, -0.36), Hispanics (0.10 kg, 95% CI: -0.46, 0.65), and NH Asians (0.44 kg, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.78) (P-value for interaction <0.001). These findings were consistent for other BE measures. Conclusion The relationship between the built environment and weight change differs across demographic groups. Careful consideration of demographic differences in associations of BE and weight trajectories is warranted for investigating etiological mechanisms and guiding intervention development.

Keywords

Body-mass Index; Socioeconomic-status; Food Environment; Obesity; Health; Outcomes; Scale; Risk; Minority & Ethnic Groups; Urban Environments; Etiology; Demographics; Sex; Residential Density; Supermarkets; Age; Race; Ethnicity; Property Values; Body Weight Gain; Electronic Medical Records; Fast Food; Electronic Health Records; Real Estate; Subgroups; Demography; Trajectory Analysis; Weight

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System

Kerfeld, Cheryl I.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Bjornson, Kristie F. (2021). Physical Activity Measurement in Children Who Use Mobility Assistive Devices: Accelerometry and Global Positioning System. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 33(2), 92 – 99.

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Abstract

Purpose: To explore the usefulness of combining accelerometry, global positioning systems, and geographic information systems, to describe the time spent in different locations and physical activity (PA) duration/count levels by location for 4 children with cerebral palsy (CP) who use assistive devices (AD). Methods: A descriptive multiple-case study. Results: Combining the 3 instruments was useful in describing and differentiating duration by location, and amount and location of PA across differing functional levels and AD. For example, the child classified with a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II exhibited large amounts of PA in community settings. In contrast, the child classified with a GMFCS level V had small amounts of PA and spent most measured time at home. Conclusions: Combined accelerometry, global positioning system, and geographic information system have potential to capture time spent and amount/intensity of PA relative to locations within daily environments for children with CP who use AD.

Keywords

Cerebral-palsy; Objective Measures; Fitness; Youth; Disabilities; Adolescents; Exercise; Adults; Accelerometer; Cerebral Palsy; Environment; Global Positioning System; Mobility Assistive Devices; Physical Activity

Triggering a Climate Change Dominated Anthropocene: Is it Common Among Exocivilizations

Savitch, Ethan; Frank, Adam; Carroll-Nellenback, Jonathan; Haqq-Misra, Jacob; Kleidon, Axel; Alberti, Marina. (2021). Triggering a Climate Change Dominated Anthropocene: Is it Common Among Exocivilizations? Astronomical Journal, 162(5).

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Abstract

We seek to model the coupled evolution of a civilization and its host planet through the era when energy harvesting by the civilization drives the planet into new and adverse climate states. In this way, we ask if triggering Anthropocenes of the kind humanity is experiencing might be a generic feature of planet-civilization evolution. This question has direct consequences for both the study of astrobiology and the sustainability of human civilization. Furthermore, if Anthropocenes prove fatal for some civilizations then they can be considered as one form of a Great Filter and are therefore relevant to discussions of the Fermi Paradox. In this study, we focus on the effects of energy harvesting via combustion and vary the planet's initial chemistry and orbital radius. We find that in this context, the most influential parameter dictating a civilization's fate is their host planet's climate sensitivity, which quantifies how global temperatures change as CO2 is added to the atmosphere. Furthermore, this is in itself a function of the planet's atmospheric CO2 level, so planets with low levels of CO2 will have high climate sensitivities and high probabilities of triggering climate change. Using simulations of the coupled nonlinear model combined with semi-analytic treatments, we find that most planets in our initial parameter space experience diminished growth due to climate effects, an event we call a climate-dominated Anthropocene.

Keywords

Habitable Planets; Complex Life; Evolution; Earth

Whither the “Hindoo Invasion”? South Asians in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, 1907-1930

Chalana, Manish. (2021). Whither the “Hindoo Invasion”? South Asians in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, 1907-1930. International Journal Of Regional & Local History, 16(1), 14 – 38.

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Abstract

The first decade of the twentieth century saw several thousand men migrate from India to the North American West Coast. While most settled in British Columbia or California, a smaller number moved to the US Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon. A series of violent riots in 1907-8 drove many from the region. The basic contours of this population in the region after this time remain unclear. I uncover evidence that Indians persisted for a longer time period, and in more varied locations and occupations than some previous research suggests, but that ultimately violent exclusion led them to disappear almost entirely from the region. I investigate the conditions in which these men lived and toiled, and the ways in which they were viewed by the larger society, particularly in terms of evolving concepts of race and assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of International Journal of Regional & Local History is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Keywords

Immigration; Indians; Oregon; Pacific Northwest; Punjabis; Sikh; South Asians; Washington

A Simulation-Based Dynamic Scheduling Model for Curtain Wall Production Considering Construction Planning Reliability

Kim, Taehoon; Kim, Yong-Woo; Cho, Hunhee. (2021). A Simulation-Based Dynamic Scheduling Model for Curtain Wall Production Considering Construction Planning Reliability. Journal Of Cleaner Production, 286.

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Abstract

Appropriate production scheduling of curtain wall systems is essential for the successful completion of construction projects. The construction process of the curtain wall system is mainly on the critical path and accounts for 10-15% of the total construction cost. Should curtain wall products not be timeously delivered to the construction site, construction projects are likely to fall behind schedule with most relevant activities on curtainwall installation on a critical path. However, due-date uncertainty caused by a contractor's lack of planning reliability causes the curtain wall production schedule to become complex and changes the due date after the initial order. In this regard, this study proposes a discrete event simulation-based dynamic scheduling model for curtain wall production to deliver products on time to the construction site by considering each construction project's planning reliability. Through simulation experiments, the validity and effectiveness of the proposed model were tested. The results of this study will help the successful completion of construction projects by ensuring the progress of the curtain wall system construction and follow-up activities following the construction schedule. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Construction Industry; Discrete Event Simulation; Dynamic Scheduling; Production Control; Production Planning; Project Management; Reliability; Scheduling; Walls; Construction Planning Reliability; Construction Schedule; Curtain Wall System Construction; Construction Project; Discrete Event Simulation-based Dynamic Scheduling Model; Curtain Wall Production Schedule; Curtain Wall Installation; Curtain Wall Products; Total Construction Cost; Critical Path; Production Scheduling; Off-site Construction; Demand Variability; Job Shops; Precast; Minimize; Number; Curtain Wall; Simulation; Planning Reliability; Dispatching Rule

Exploring Partnership Between Transit Agency And Shared Mobility Company: An Incentive Program For App-based Carpooling

Shen, Qing; Wang, Yiyuan; Gifford, Casey. (2021). Exploring Partnership Between Transit Agency And Shared Mobility Company: An Incentive Program For App-based Carpooling. Transportation, 48(5), 2585 – 2603.

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Abstract

How should public transit agencies deliver mobility services in the era of shared mobility? Previous literature recommends that transit agencies actively build partnerships with mobility service companies from the private sector, yet public transit agencies are still in search of a solid empirical basis to help envision the consequences of doing so. This paper presents an effort to fill this gap by studying a recent experiment of shared mobility public-private partnership, the carpool incentive fund program launched by King County Metro in the Seattle region. This program offers monetary incentives for participants who commute using a dynamic app-based carpooling service. Through descriptive analysis and a series of logistic regression models, we find that the monetary incentive to encourage the use of app-based carpooling generates some promising outcomes while having distinctive limitations. In particular, it facilitates the growth of carpooling by making carpooling a competitive commuting option for long-distance commuters. Moreover, our evidence suggests that the newly generated carpooling trips mostly substitute single-occupancy vehicles, thus contributing to a reduction of regional VMT. The empirical results of this research will not only help King County Metro devise its future policies but also highlight an appealing alternative for other transit agencies in designing an integrated urban transportation system in the era of shared mobility.

Keywords

Shared Mobility; Public-Private Partnership; App-based Carpooling; Incentive Fund; Transit Agencies; Incentives; Commuting; Public Transportation; Mobility; Regression Analysis; Regression Models; Partnerships; Vehicles; Car Pools; Private Sector; Occupancy; Transportation Systems; Mass Transit; Transportation Planning; Empirical Analysis; Urban Transportation