Work-related correlates of occupational sitting in a diverse sample of employees in Midwest metropolitan cities

The worksite serves as an ideal setting to reduce sedentary time. Yet little research has focused on occupational sitting, and few have considered factors beyond the personal or socio-demographic level. The current study i) examined variation in occupational sitting across different occupations, ii) explored whether worksite level factors (e.g., employer size, worksite supports and policies) may be associated with occupational sitting. Between 2012 and 2013, participants residing in four Missouri metropolitan areas were interviewed via telephone and provided information on socio-demographic characteristics, schedule flexibility, occupation, work related factors, and worksite supports and policies. Occupational sitting was self-reported (daily minutes spent sitting at work), and dichotomized. Occupation-stratified analyses were conducted to identify correlates of occupational sitting using multiple logistic regressions. A total of 1668 participants provided completed data. Those employed in business and office/administrative support spent more daily occupational sitting time (median 330 min) compared to service and blue collar employees (median 30 min). Few worksite supports and policies were sitting specific, yet factors such as having a full-time job, larger employer size, schedule flexibility, and stair prompt signage were associated with occupational sitting. For example, larger employer size was associated with higher occupational sitting in health care, education/professional, and service occupations. Work-related factors, worksite supports and policies are associated with occupational sitting. The pattern of association varies among different occupation groups. This exploratory work adds to the body of research on worksite level correlates of occupational sitting. This may provide information on priority venues for targeting highly sedentary occupation groups

Unifying candidate gene and GWAS Approaches in Asthma.

The first genome wide association study (GWAS) for childhood asthma identified a novel major susceptibility locus on chromosome 17q21 harboring the ORMDL3 gene, but the role of previous asthma candidate genes was not specifically analyzed in this GWAS. We systematically identified 89 SNPs in 14 candidate genes previously associated with asthma in >3 independent study populations. We re-genotyped 39 SNPs in these genes not covered by GWAS performed in 703 asthmatics and 658 reference children. Genotyping data were compared to imputation data derived from Illumina HumanHap300 chip genotyping. Results were combined to analyze 566 SNPs covering all 14 candidate gene loci. Genotyped polymorphisms in ADAM33, GSTP1 and VDR showed effects with p-values <0.0035 (corrected for multiple testing). Combining genotyping and imputation, polymorphisms in DPP10, EDN1, IL12B, IL13, IL4, IL4R and TNF showed associations at a significance level between p = 0.05 and p = 0.0035. These data indicate that (a) GWAS coverage is insufficient for many asthma candidate genes, (b) imputation based on these data is reliable but incomplete, and (c) SNPs in three previously identified asthma candidate genes replicate in our GWAS population with significance after correction for multiple testing in 14 genes

Safety ranking definition for infrastructures with high PTW flow

Powered two-wheelers (PTWs) provide a suitable mode for a large portion of population in many cities due to rider's personal convenience and the vehicle supposed easiness of manoeuvring. At the same time PTWs present serious safety issues compared to other motorized vehicles. This paper reports the main outcome of study carried out in Rome, where this mode is very popular and assesses the economic efforts to make infrastructure safer for PTWs. The methodology, extensively described in the paper, includes three steps: the accident analysis, the development of economic indicators of accidents costs, the maintenance priority. In the first step the location of the PTWs local accidents are identified, then the accidents are analyzed by means of the suitable indicators and, among these the safety potential (SAPO). Lastly, according to the results of the analyzed indicators the need of infrastructure maintenance will be defined. Usually SAPO is applied to rural areas, but here it has been adapted to describe the phenomena of the urban area in hand. As a result, the estimation of the saving potential to improve the infrastructure safety levels, thus reducing the amount of accidents, is presented, along with recommendations on how to upscale the SAPO at city level

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationWater is the elementary component of life on Earth, and quantifying this resource is critical to understanding ecosystem viability on planetary, continental, and local scales. In a simplified partition of the Earth's freshwater resources, 75% is ice at the north and south poles, 25% is groundwater, and 0.01% exists in lakes and streams. Mean transit time is a robust description of groundwater volume within the discrete aquifers that together make up the 25% of Earth's freshwater. Mean transit time can be estimated using environmental tracer concentrations in springs and gaining streams. That is because springs and streams are locations where groundwater flow paths naturally converge. Converging flowpaths create discharge that is a flow‐weighted mixture of water from the contributing aquifer. The age of that flow-weighted mixture is a good measure of the mean transit time of water as it discharges from the contributing aquifer. Mean transit time can be directly used to estimate the volume of groundwater storage in the aquifer. Although simple in principle, there are several important topics that need to be considered when collecting and dating a broad mixture of flow paths. They include 1) the necessity for a basic conceptual perception of the investigated aquifer, 2) the nonconservative aspect of most age-dating environmental tracers once exposed to the atmosphere, and 3) the importance of estimating a transit-time distribution. These specific topics are discussed in this dissertation

Habitat use and home range traits of resident and relocated hares (Lepus europaeus, Pallas)

The aim of the study was to know the habitat preferences and home range of resident and relocated brown hares during the no hunting period. The trial was carried out in a protected area (PA) and in a free hunting territory (FHT), both located in Florence province. During captures 21 hares were equipped with a necklace radio tag: 7 hares, resident group, were released in the same area of capture and 14 hares, relocated group, were relocated in six different locations within the FHT. The effect of place of release was analyzed by ANOVA and/or non parametric methods. Results showed that the home ranges of the resident group were characterised by a greater presence of fallow land and shrub land than relocated group (P< 0.05). Home range sizes and Max distances from the releasing sites differed between the two groups. Resident hares preferred landscape characterized by a higher density of patches than the relocated hares (152 vs. 70 n/100ha, 43 vs. 12 n/100ha, 4703 vs. 8142 sq.m respectively; P<0.01). The landscape structure indexes, the home range sizes and the maximum distance from the releasing sites suggest that the relocated hares even if released in suited habitats, will move from their releasing point to look for better habitats. Landscape with most complexity are preferred from the resident hare, and this result should be consider when a project to reintroduction of this lagomorph in a territory is programmed, or when it is necessary to improve the dynamic of a natural population

European Demographic Datasheet 2016

The European Demographic Datasheet 2016 shows key demographic data, population trends and projections until 2050. It covers fertility, mortality, migration and population structure, including population ageing, and their changes. The datasheet combines data for all countries of Europe and for broader European regions, as well as maps, population pyramids, tables, graphs and featured thematic boxes. It pays special attention to the importance of migration for the current and future population changes across the continent and to the alternative indicators of population ageing. In comparison to the Data Sheet Poster, the online version provides expanded data coverage, additional maps and population pyramids, ranking charts and details about data sources and definitions. It also allows users to download all data and images

Ecological comparison of the risks of mother-to-child transmission and clinical manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis according to prenatal treatment protocol

We compared the relative risks of mother-to-child transmission of Toxoplasma gondii and clinical manifestations due to congenital toxoplasmosis associated with intensive prenatal treatment in Lyon and Austria, short term treatment in 51% of Dutch women, and no treatment in Danish women. For each cohort, relative risks were standardized for gestation at seroconversion. In total, 856 mother–child pairs were studied: 549 in Lyon, 133 in Austria, 123 in Denmark and 51 in The Netherlands. The relative risk for mother-to-child transmission compared to Lyon was 1·24 (95% CI: 0·88, 1·59) in Austria; 0·59 (0·41, 0·81) in Denmark; and 0·65 (0·37, 1·01) in The Netherlands. Relative risks for clinical manifestations compared with Lyon (adjusted for follow-up to age 3 years) were: Austria 0·19 (0·04, 0·51); Denmark 0·60 (0·13, 1·08); and The Netherlands 1·46 (0·51, 2·72). There was no clear evidence that the risk of transmission or of clinical manifestations was lowest in centres with the most intensive prenatal treatment