105 research outputs found
Bikesharing in Philadelphia: do lower-income areas generate trips?
No full textMany bikeshare programs seek to equitably serve residents from different income strata. Experience from other cities in the US and elsewhere in the developed world suggest that bikeshare systems are used mostly by more affluent populations. In order to encourage more bikeshare usage among low-income populations, the City of Philadelphia sited docking stations in low-income neighborhoods, allowed cash payments, and provided discounts to those receiving food-stamps. We examined one-year of data for Philadelphia’s Indego bikeshare system between April 2017 and March 2018. Travel patterns were examined and suggested that bikeshare trips taken from docking stations in lower-income areas are for work commute trips. Multivariate regression models confirmed that lower-income areas generate fewer trips while controlling for other factors such as transit access and whether the station is proximate to a bicycle lane. Our results suggest that despite Indego’s efforts, more work is needed to generate bikeshare trips in lower income neighborhoods.Peer reviewe
Metabolite and transcript profiling of berry skin during fruit development elucidates differential regulation between Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz cultivars at branching points in the polyphenol pathway
No full textGrapevine berries undergo complex biochemical changes during fruit maturation, many of which are dependent upon the variety and its environment. In order to elucidate the varietal dependent developmental regulation of primary and specialized metabolism, berry skins of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz were subjected to GC-MS and LC-MS based metabolite profiling from pre-veraison to harvest. The generated dataset was augmented with RNAseq-transcript profiling. The analysis of the metabolite data revealed similar developmental patterns of change in primary metabolites between the two cultivars. In contrast, quite distinct pattern of change was apparent in specialized metabolites towards maturation, suggesting a varietal-dependent metabolic regulation, Transcript profiling revealed coordinated increased transcript abundance for genes encoding enzymes of committing steps in the phenylpropanoid pathway. The anthocyanin metabolite profile showed F3'5'H-mediated delphinidin-type anthocyanin enrichment in both varieties toward maturation, consistent with the transcript data, indicating that the F3’5’H-governed branching step dominates the anthocyanin profile at late berry development. The comparative metabolite profiles and RNAseq analysis of two physiologically different dark-skinned grape varieties revealed the underlying commonalities and cultivar-specificities of berry metabolism and its regulation. Enhanced stress related metabolism, e.g. trehalose, stilbene and ABA in Shiraz berry-skin corroborate its relatively higher susceptibility to environmental cue
Socioeconomic status and anxiety as predictors of antidepressant treatment response and suicidal ideation in older adults.
No full textBACKGROUND: Separate reports from the maintenance treatment for late-life depression (MTLD) trials have shown that low socioeconomic status (SES) and anxiety symptoms at the time of treatment initiation predict lower levels of response to antidepressant treatment and higher levels of suicidal ideation in older adults. AIM: To determine whether SES and anxiety independently contribute to worse treatment outcomes, as indicated by persistence of depressive symptoms during treatment and the persistence of suicidal ideation. Consistent with prior evidence that sociodemographic factors and clinical history are both prognostic of depression treatment efficacy, we hypothesized that SES and pre-existing anxiety symptoms will both predict lower levels of response to treatment and higher levels of suicidal ideation. METHOD: Secondary analyses of data from the MTLD trials. RESULTS: Regression analyses which controlled for comorbid anxiety indicated that residents of middle- and high-income census tracts were more likely to respond to treatment (HR, 1.63; 95%CI, 1.08-2.46) and less likely to report suicidal ideation during treatment (OR, 0.51; 95%CI, 0.28-0.90) than residents of low income census tracts. The same regression models indicated that pre-existing anxiety symptoms were independently related to lower treatment response (HR, 0.73; 95%CI, 0.60-0.89) and higher risk of suicidal ideation (OR, 1.45; 95%CI, 0.98-2.14). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the importance of treating anxiety symptoms during the course of treatment for late-life depression and, at the same time, addressing barriers to treatment response related to low SES
Dividing the Archaeal Way: The Ancient Cdv Cell-Division Machinery
No full textCell division in most prokaryotes is mediated by the well-studied fts genes, with FtsZ as the principal player. In many archaeal species, however, division is orchestrated differently. The Crenarchaeota phylum of archaea features the action of the three proteins, CdvABC. This Cdv system is a unique and less-well-studied division mechanism that merits closer inspection. In vivo, the three Cdv proteins form a composite band that contracts concomitantly with the septum formation. Of the three Cdv proteins, CdvA is the first to be recruited to the division site, while CdvB and CdvC are thought to participate in the active part of the Cdv division machinery. Interestingly, CdvB shares homology with a family of proteins from the eukaryotic ESCRT-III complex, and CdvC is a homolog of the eukaryotic Vps4 complex. These two eukaryotic complexes are key factors in the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway, which is responsible for various budding processes in eukaryotic cells and which participates in the final stages of division in Metazoa. There, ESCRT-III forms a contractile machinery that actively cuts the membrane, whereas Vps4, which is an ATPase, is necessary for the turnover of the ESCRT membrane-abscission polymers. In contrast to CdvB and CdvC, CdvA is unique to the archaeal Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota phyla. The Crenarchaeota division mechanism has often been suggested to represent a simplified version of the ESCRT division machinery thus providing a model system to study the evolution and mechanism of cell division in higher organisms. However, there are still many open questions regarding this parallelism and the division mechanism of Crenarchaeota. Here, we review the existing data on the role of the Cdv proteins in the division process of Crenarchaeota as well as concisely review the ESCRT system in eukaryotes. We survey the similarities and differences between the division and abscission mechanisms in the two cases. We suggest that the Cdv system functions differently in archaea than ESCRT does in eukaryotes, and that, unlike the eukaryotic case, the Cdv system's main function may be related to surplus membrane invagination and cell-wall synthesis.BN/Cees Dekker La
Spatial associations of dockless shared e-scooter usage
No full textIn this study, we explore the usage of e-scooter sharing services in Austin, Texas over about a six-month period. The study is based on trip records of all the shared e-scooter operators in Austin and includes trip start and end locations. We use both analysis of trip patterns and spatial regression techniques to examine how the built environment, land use, and demographics affect e-scooter trip generation. Our findings show that people use e-scooters almost exclusively in central Austin. Commuting does not seem to be the main trip purpose, and usage of e-scooters is associated with areas with high employment rates, and in areas with bicycle infrastructure. People use e-scooter sharing regardless of the affluence of the neighborhood, although less affluent areas with high usage rates have large student populations, suggesting that students use this mode of travel. Implications for planners suggest that better bicycle infrastructure will facilitate e-scooter usage, college towns are a ready market for e-scooter sharing services, and e-scooters may be a substitute for some short non-work trips, reducing car usage, and benefiting the environment.Peer reviewe
Mapping out min protein patterns in fully confined fluidic chambers
No full textThe bacterial Min protein system provides a major model system for studying reaction-diffusion processes in biology. Here we present the first in vitro study of the Min system in fully confined three-dimensional chambers that are lithography-defined, lipid-bilayer coated and isolated through pressure valves. We identify three typical dynamical behaviors that occur dependent on the geometrical chamber parameters: pole-to-pole oscillations, spiral rotations, and traveling waves. We establish the geometrical selection rules and show that, surprisingly, Min-protein spiral rotations govern the larger part of the geometrical phase diagram. Confinement as well as an elevated temperature reduce the characteristic wavelength of the Min patterns, although even for confined chambers with a bacterial-level viscosity, the patterns retain a ~5 times larger wavelength than in vivo. Our results provide an essential experimental base for modeling of intracellular Min gradients in bacterial cell division as well as, more generally, for understanding pattern formation in reaction-diffusion systems.BN/Cees Dekker La
Radical research as research at the roots: Practitioner self-image, public relations and ethics
No full textSemantically, radical derives from ‘radix’, the Latin for root. This paper argues that little public relations research goes back to the roots of actual practice and addresses this neglect through a project focusing on practitioner accounts of their work. When considering public relations ethics, practitioner self-images and cultural values become an essential research component. In addressing this neglected area of research, this paper examines the subjective perceptions of public relations practitioners regarding their role, commitments, and responsibilities within the framework of their specific culture and national history. In considering practitioner testimonials about professional integrity, briefs, and goals, especially as members of the society and nation to which they belong, the paper engages with ethical aspects of the practice from a cultural perspective that assumes different cultures can have different ethical expectations. In revealing the impact of features that are often ‘taken for granted’ in one country, the paper uses the example of four generations of practitioners who served one major institution in Israel to suggest how similar research at the professional roots in other nations might enable knowledge of international similarities and difference in relation to ethics in action
A Comparative Assessment of Answer Quality on Four Question Answering Sites
No full textQuestion answering (Q&A) sites, where communities of volunteers answer questions, may provide faster, cheaper, and better services than traditional institutions. However, like other Web 2.0 platforms, user-created content raises concerns about information quality. At the same time, Q&A sites may provide answers of different quality because they have different communities and technological platforms. This paper compares answer quality on four Q&A sites: Askville, WikiAnswers, Wikipedia Reference Desk, and Yahoo! Answers. Findings indicate that: 1) the use of similar collaborative processes on these sites results in a wide range of outcomes. Significant differences in answer accuracy, completeness, and verifiability were found; 2) answer multiplication does not always result in better information. Answer multiplication yields more complete and verifiable answers but does not result in higher accuracy levels; and 3) a Q&A site’s popularity does not correlate with its answer quality, on all three measures
THE FACTOR OF CASPIAN ENERGY RESOURCES IN TURKISH-AZERBAIJANI RELATIONS
No full textAfter the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence in 1991, Turkey became the first country to recognize it on November 9, 1991. Turkey's recognition of Azerbaijan's independence as the first state and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the parties accelerated the process of our country's integration into the world community, increased its political weight and attractiveness for civilized countries. The Azerbaijani-Turkish strategic partnership and brotherhood are reflected in the "One Nation - Two States" model, the author of which is national leader Heydar Aliyev. Later, the importance of the energy resources of the Caspian Sea began to increase in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations. It is no coincidence that Turkey is the main country in the transportation of Azerbaijani energy resources to the world. This article touches upon the importance of the Caspi an energy resources in Turkish-Azerbaijani relation
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