Increasing Accessibility for Map Readers with Acquired and Inherited Color Vision Deficiencies: A Re-Coloring Algorithm for Maps

Approximately 8% of the male population suffer from an inherited form of color vision deficiency (CVD). Age, diabetes, macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma result in eye defects including an acquired form of CVD. Inherited CVD is marked by a difficulty in discerning red from green, while acquired CVD is marked by a difficulty in discerning blue from green. A recent review of the cartographic literature revealed a deficit in studies on accessible maps for readers with the acquired form of CVD. In addition, research on accessible maps for readers with the inherited form of CVD was restricted to the design or pre-publication stage. An approach is needed to render maps already in circulation accessible to an audience with CVD. The purpose of this research is to improve the accessibility of maps post-publication. Image re-coloring is a method of altering an image\u27s color composition in such a way as to make it accessible to a color vision deficient audience. An innovative algorithm is presented that produces a re-colored map that can be perceived by individuals with red-green (inherited) CVD, blue-green CVD (acquired) and normal color vision alike. The algorithm was tested on a control group of participants with normal color vision and a case group of participants with impaired color vision through a series of matching, content and personal preference questions about six pairs of maps. Each map pair represented one of the following color schemes: balance, diverging, qualitative area, qualitative dot, sequential polychrome, and two variable. Each map pair is composed of two renditions: a map using a color palette that is potentially confusing to viewers with impaired color vision (original rendition) and a map where the original color palette has been re-colored by the algorithm (re-colored rendition). According to the results of a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the performance of the case group improved when using the re-colored renditions compared to when using the original renditions while the performance of the control group was the same for both renditions. A Mann-Whitney rank sum test revealed that while the scores of the case group were lower than the control group when using the original renditions, they were the same when using the re-colored renditions. A binomial test revealed that subjects in the case group displayed a preference towards all the re-colored renditions while subjects in the control group displayed a preference to two of the six original renditions

Impact of residential displacement on healthcare access and mental health among original residents of gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City.

As gentrification continues in New York City as well as other urban areas, residents of lower socioeconomic status maybe at higher risk for residential displacement. Yet, there have been few quantitative assessments of the health impacts of displacement. The objective of this paper is to assess the association between displacement and healthcare access and mental health among the original residents of gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City.We used 2 data sources: 1) 2005-2014 American Community Surveys to identify gentrifying neighborhoods in New York City, and 2) 2006-2014 Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System. Our cohort included 12,882 residents of gentrifying neighborhoods in 2006 who had records of emergency department visits or hospitalization at least once every 2 years in 2006-2014. Rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations post-baseline were compared between residents who were displaced and those who remained.During 2006-2014, 23% were displaced. Compared with those who remained, displaced residents were more likely to make emergency department visits and experience hospitalizations, mainly due to mental health (Rate Ratio = 1.8, 95% confidence interval = 1.5, 2.2), after controlling for baseline demographics, health status, healthcare utilization, residential movement, and the neighborhood of residence in 2006.These findings suggest negative impacts of displacement on healthcare access and mental health, particularly among adults living in urban areas and with a history of frequent emergency department visits or hospitalizations

Rate ratio of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and mental health-related visits among displaced residents of gentrifying neighborhoods versus comparison groups, New York City, 2006–2014.

<p>Rate ratio of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and mental health-related visits among displaced residents of gentrifying neighborhoods versus comparison groups, New York City, 2006–2014.</p

Community-setting pneumonia-associated hospitalizations by level of urbanization-New York City versus other areas of New York State, 2010-2014.

BackgroundNew York City (NYC) reported a higher pneumonia and influenza death rate than the rest of New York State during 2010-2014. Most NYC pneumonia and influenza deaths are attributed to pneumonia caused by infection acquired in the community, and these deaths typically occur in hospitals.MethodsWe identified hospitalizations of New York State residents aged ≥20 years discharged from New York State hospitals during 2010-2014 with a principal diagnosis of community-setting pneumonia or a secondary diagnosis of community-setting pneumonia if the principal diagnosis was respiratory failure or sepsis. We examined mean annual age-adjusted community-setting pneumonia-associated hospitalization (CSPAH) rates and proportion of CSPAH with in-hospital death, overall and by sociodemographic group, and produced a multivariable negative binomial model to assess hospitalization rate ratios.ResultsCompared with non-NYC urban, suburban, and rural areas of New York State, NYC had the highest mean annual age-adjusted CSPAH rate at 475.3 per 100,000 population and the highest percentage of CSPAH with in-hospital death at 13.7%. NYC also had the highest proportion of CSPAH patients residing in higher-poverty-level areas. Adjusting for age, sex, and area-based poverty, NYC residents experienced 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-1.4), non-NYC urban residents 1.4 (95% CI, 1.3-1.6), and suburban residents 1.2 (95% CI, 1.1-1.3) times the rate of CSPAH than rural residents.ConclusionsIn New York State, NYC as well as other urban areas and suburban areas had higher rates of CSPAH than rural areas. Further research is needed into drivers of CSPAH deaths, which may be associated with poverty

Imaginarios geográficos y significación cultural del territorio de Usme

Spa: Esta investigación le da un valor al al territorio de Usme a partir de un análisis geográfico del paisaje, empleando los lentes del patrimonio cultural, en función de su pasado, de las huellas inscritas en el territorio, y en lo que este representa para la población Usmeña en la actualidad (un trabajo sue generis, en tanto se aborda el estudio del territorio como unidad de análisis patrimonial, superando así el carácter centrado en la valoración de objetos culturales aislados).bibliografía y webgrafía: páginas 134-141.MaestríaMagister en Patrimonio Cultura

COVID-19 Outbreak - New York City, February 29-June 1, 2020

New York City (NYC) was an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States during spring 2020 (1). During March-May 2020, approximately 203,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). To obtain more complete data, DOHMH used supplementary information sources and relied on direct data importation and matching of patient identifiers for data on hospitalization status, the occurrence of death, race/ethnicity, and presence of underlying medical conditions. The highest rates of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were concentrated in communities of color, high-poverty areas, and among persons aged ≥75 years or with underlying conditions. The crude fatality rate was 9.2% overall and 32.1% among hospitalized patients. Using these data to prevent additional infections among NYC residents during subsequent waves of the pandemic, particularly among those at highest risk for hospitalization and death, is critical. Mitigating COVID-19 transmission among vulnerable groups at high risk for hospitalization and death is an urgent priority. Similar to NYC, other jurisdictions might find the use of supplementary information sources valuable in their efforts to prevent COVID-19 infections