scholarly journals Measuring the Destination Accessibility of Cycling Transfer Trips in Metro Station Areas: A Big Data Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (15) ◽  
pp. 2641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueying Wu ◽  
Yi Lu ◽  
Yaoyu Lin ◽  
Yiyang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Positive Association ◽  
Distance Decay ◽  
Decay Function ◽  
Metro Station ◽  
Negative Exponential Function ◽  
Transfer Mode ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Trip Distance ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Negative Exponential

Cycling is a green, sustainable, and healthy choice for transportation that has been widely advocated worldwide in recent years. It can also encourage the use of public transit by solving the “last-mile” issue, because transit passengers can cycle to and from transit stations to achieve a combination of speed and flexibility. Cycling as a transfer mode has been shown to be affected by various built environment characteristics, such as the urban density, land-use mix, and destination accessibility, that is, the ease with which cyclists can reach their destinations. However, cycling destination accessibility is loosely defined in the literature and the methods of assessing cycling accessibility is often assumed to be equivalent to walking accessibility using the same decay curves, such as the negative exponential function, which ignores the competitive relationship between cycling and walking within a short distance range around transit stations. In this study, we aim to fill the above gap by measuring the cycling destination accessibility of metro station areas using data from more than three million bicycle-metro transfer trips from a dockless bicycle-sharing program in Shenzhen, China. We found that the frequency of bicycle-metro trips has a positive association with a trip distance of 500 m or less and a negative association with a trip distance beyond 500 m. A new cycling accessibility metric with a lognormal distribution decay curve was developed by considering the distance decay characteristics and cycling’s competition with walking. The new accessibility model outperformed the traditional model with an exponential decay function, or that without a distance decay function, in predicting the frequency of bicycle-metro trips. Hence, to promote bicycle-metro integration, urban planners and government agencies should carefully consider the destination accessibility of metro station areas.

CEO and CFO Equity Incentives and the Pricing of Audit Services

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Anthony Billings ◽  
Xinghua Gao ◽  
Yonghong Jia
Keyword(s):  
Positive Association ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Audit Risk ◽  
Pricing Decisions ◽  
Equity Incentives ◽  
Accounting Scandals ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Distinctive Role

SUMMARY: The alleged perverse role of managerial incentives in accounting scandals, and the distinctive role of auditors in identifying and intervening in attempted earnings manipulation, highlight the importance of explicitly considering executive incentive plans by auditors in the auditing process. By empirically testing auditors' responses to CEO/CFO equity incentives in planning and pricing decisions using data from 2002 through 2009, we document compelling evidence that CFO equity incentives are positively associated with audit fees and CEO equity incentives are not statistically related to audit fees, suggesting that auditors perceive heightened audit risk associated with CFO equity incentives. Our further analyses reveal that the positive association between CFO equity incentives and audit fees is more pronounced in firms with weak internal controls, indicating heightened risk associated with CFO equity incentives in this setting perceived by auditors. JEL Classifications: G30, G34, M42, M52.

Neighborhood Engagement, Dogs, and Life Satisfaction in Older Adulthood

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482095372
Author(s):  
Angela L. Curl ◽  
Jessica Bibbo ◽  
Rebecca A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Dog Walking ◽  
Dog Ownership ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Indirect Relationship ◽  
Analysis Models ◽  
Retirement Study

Objectives This study examined the relationships between dog ownership, dog walking, and the emotional bond with a dog to neighborhood engagement and life satisfaction among those over age 50. Method Using data from the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 476), two path analysis models were conducted to test the research hypotheses. Results Findings indicated that dog ownership did not have a direct or indirect relationship on life satisfaction. However, time spent in dog walking was associated with frequency of social interactions, which itself had a positive association with life satisfaction. The bond with a dog was not directly associated with life satisfaction but was associated with dog walking. Discussion Dog walking is a promising strategy for simultaneously promoting better health and social engagement, and these factors in turn can promote greater life satisfaction of older adults.

scholarly journals Temporal trajectory of biofluid markers in Parkinson’s disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Seok Baek ◽  
Myung Jun Lee ◽  
Han-Kyeol Kim ◽  
Chul Hyoung Lyoo
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Rapid Progression ◽  
Neurofilament Light Chain ◽  
Neurofilament Light ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Negative Exponential ◽  
T Tau

AbstractFull dynamics of biofluid biomarkers have been unknown in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Using data from 396 PD patients and 182 controls in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database, we estimated long-term temporal trajectories of CSF α-synuclein (α-syn), amyloid-β (Aβ), total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) by integrating function between the baseline levels and annual changes. At baseline, PD patients showed lower CSF α-syn, Aβ, t-tau and p-tau levels than those of the controls. In all PD patients, CSF α-syn and Aβ decreased in a negative exponential pattern before the onset of motor symptoms, whereas CSF t-tau and p-tau, and serum NfL increased. Patients with cognitive impairment exhibited faster decline of Aβ and α-syn and faster rise of t-tau, p-tau and NfL, when compared to those without. Similarly, low Aβ group showed earlier decline of α-syn, faster rise of t-tau, p-tau and NfL, and faster decline of cognitive performances, when compared to high Aβ group. Our results suggest that longitudinal changes in biomarkers can be influenced by cognitive impairment and Aβ burden at baseline. PD patients with Aβ pathology may be associated with early appearance of α-synuclein pathology, rapid progression of axonal degeneration and neurodegeneration, and consequently greater cognitive decline.

Patterns of roof runoff contamination and their potential implications on practice and regulation of treatment and local infiltration

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Förster
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Metal Surfaces ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Roof Runoff ◽  
Negative Exponential Function ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
First Flush Effect ◽  
Negative Exponential

Roof runoff water was sampled from an experimental roof system and from house roofs in the city of Bayreuth, Germany. Samples were analysed for organic micropollutants, heavy metals and sum parameters. The pollution level and the shape of the runoff profiles are dependent on the individual properties of the precipitation event and the roof, but patterns with high concentrations at the beginning of the event and a subsequent decrease (first flush effect) are very typical. For dissolved substances, the profile can often be well described by a negative exponential function. Metal surfaces on the roofs cause extreme runoff pollution with heavy metals (Cu, Zn) that constitutes an environmental hazard. It is concluded that there is a need for the development of flexible drainage strategies for surface runoff and that metal surfaces should be avoided on roofs.

scholarly journals An examination of linkages between corporate social responsibility and firm performance: Evidence from Moroccan listed firms

2021 ◽  
pp. 636-646
Author(s):  
Souhaila Kammoun ◽  
Youssra Ben Romdhane ◽  
Sahar Loukil ◽  
Abdelmajid Ibenrissoul
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Corporate Social

This article analyzes the complexity of the linkages between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance in Morocco and to decompose this complexity through a bidirectional sense of causality. Using data surveyed from 74 Moroccan listed firms, we conduct an econometric modeling to measure this relationship bilaterally and to investigate the underlying factors behind this association. The empirical study proves the existence of a positive association between CSR and firm performance in both directions in the Moroccan context and suggests that the more social enterprises are, the more they achieve better financial results. The mutual linkage between social and financial aspects allows us to draw some managerial implications and set up further research directions.

scholarly journals A Computational Model for Oxygen Depletion Hypothesis in FLASH Effect

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankang Hu ◽  
Rui Qiu ◽  
Zhen Wu ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Wei Bo Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Model ◽  
Dose Rate ◽  
Oxygen Concentration ◽  
Microvessel Density ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Oxygen Distribution ◽  
Resistance Level ◽  
Negative Exponential Function ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Negative Exponential

Experiments have reported low normal tissue toxicities during FLASH irradiation, but the mechanism has not been elaborated. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanism. One hypothesis is oxygen depletion. We analyze the time-dependent change of oxygen concentration in the tissue to study the oxygen depletion hypothesis using a computational model. The effects of physical, chemical and physiological parameters on oxygen depletion were explored. The kinetic equation of the model is solved numerically using the finite difference method with rational boundary conditions. Results of oxygen distribution is supported by the experiments of oxygen-sensitivity electrodes and experiments on the expression and distribution of the hypoxia-inducible factors. The analysis of parameters shows that the steady-state oxygen distribution before irradiation is determined by the oxygen consumption rate of the tissue and the microvessel density. The change of oxygen concentration after irradiation has been found to follow a negative exponential function, and the time constant is mainly determined by the microvessel density. The change of oxygen during exposure increases with dose rate and tends to be saturated because of oxygen diffusion. When the dose rate is high enough, the same dose results in the same reduction of oxygen concentration regardless of dose rate. The analysis of the FLASH effect in the brain tissue based on this model does not support the explanation of the oxygen depletion hypothesis. The oxygen depletion hypothesis remains controversial because the oxygen in most normal tissues cannot be depleted to radiation resistance level by FLASH irradiation.

Intergenerational transmission of ethnic identity in mixed native couples in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-123
Author(s):  
Ognjen Obućina ◽  
Jan Saarela
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Parental Education Level ◽  
Second Child ◽  
Ethnic Affiliation ◽  
First Child ◽  
Strong Positive Association ◽  
Using Data

The aim of this study is to analyse the factors determining the ethnic affiliation of children born to interethnic native couples in Finland, using data from couples with one Finnish-speaking and one Swedish-speaking partner, between 1988 and 2014. In addition to individual characteristics of each partner and contextual factors, we also consider the role of couple characteristics. We look at the affiliation of the first child, as well as the combined affiliation of the first two children, in order to analyse how often children from the same parents are affiliated to different ethnicities. Around 60% of first- and second-born children of interethnic couples born between 1988 and 2014 were affiliated to the Swedish-speaking minority. The affiliation of the second child seldom differs from that of the first. Children of mixed couples with a Swedish mother are more likely to be affiliated to the Swedish-speaking community. Boys are more likely than girls to be affiliated to the father’s community, and vice versa. In line with our expectations based on ethnic awareness, preference for cultural plurality and parental aspirations, the multivariate analysis shows a strong positive association between parental education level and the likelihood of the first child being Swedish speaking. The analysis also indicates that bargaining is not an important strategy when choosing a child’s ethnic identity.

scholarly journals Modeling Epidemics in Seed Systems and Landscapes To Guide Management Strategies: The Case of Sweet Potato in Northern Uganda

2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (9) ◽  
pp. 1519-1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. F. Andersen ◽  
C. E. Buddenhagen ◽  
P. Rachkara ◽  
R. Gibson ◽  
S. Kalule ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Potato ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Inverse Power ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Negative Exponential Function ◽  
Improved Varieties ◽  
Inverse Power Law ◽  
Negative Exponential

Seed systems are critical for deployment of improved varieties but also can serve as major conduits for the spread of seedborne pathogens. As in many other epidemic systems, epidemic risk in seed systems often depends on the structure of networks of trade, social interactions, and landscape connectivity. In a case study, we evaluated the structure of an informal sweet potato seed system in the Gulu region of northern Uganda for its vulnerability to the spread of emerging epidemics and its utility for disseminating improved varieties. Seed transaction data were collected by surveying vine sellers weekly during the 2014 growing season. We combined data from these observed seed transactions with estimated dispersal risk based on village-to-village proximity to create a multilayer network or “supranetwork.” Both the inverse power law function and negative exponential function, common models for dispersal kernels, were evaluated in a sensitivity analysis/uncertainty quantification across a range of parameters chosen to represent spread based on proximity in the landscape. In a set of simulation experiments, we modeled the introduction of a novel pathogen and evaluated the influence of spread parameters on the selection of villages for surveillance and management. We found that the starting position in the network was critical for epidemic progress and final epidemic outcomes, largely driven by node out-degree. The efficacy of node centrality measures was evaluated for utility in identifying villages in the network to manage and limit disease spread. Node degree often performed as well as other, more complicated centrality measures for the networks where village-to-village spread was modeled by the inverse power law, whereas betweenness centrality was often more effective for negative exponential dispersal. This analysis framework can be applied to provide recommendations for a wide variety of seed systems.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license .

scholarly journals Women’s Agency in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia: The Role of Parenthood and Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Friedrich ◽  
Henriette Engelhardt ◽  
Florian Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Women's Agency ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Panel Surveys ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Women’S Agency ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Women in Middle Eastern and North African countries continue to report low levels of agency, despite their increasing educational attainment and declining fertility rates. We address this paradox by considering how women’s agency is linked to parenthood in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia and how this association is moderated by their level of education. We study three dimensions of instrumental agency: involvement in decision-making, financial autonomy, and freedom of movement using data for married women aged 18–49 from the Integrated Labor Market Panel Surveys: Egypt 2012 (n = 7622), Jordan 2016 (n = 4550), Tunisia 2014 (n = 1480). Results from multivariate regression models of these different dimensions demonstrate that married women who are mothers generally exhibit higher levels of agency than their counterparts who are childless, though this does not hold for every dimension and the strength of the association between parenthood and agency differs by dimension and country. We find a notable exception to this pattern of positive association in the Egyptian sample: parenthood decreases agency among Egyptian women with post-secondary education. Our results suggest that parenthood may only increase women’s agency in settings with deeply entrenched patriarchal norms that imply little education for women.

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