Revealing route bias in air transport data : the case of the Bureau of Transport Statistics (BTS), Origin-Destination Survey (DB1B)

status: publishe

Planning for nodes, places and people in Flanders and Brussels : developing an empirical railway station assessment model for strategic decision-making

Against the backdrop of current policy discussions in Flanders dealing with urban development schemes for strategic railway stations, this paper develops an empirical railway station assessment tool. We build on the node-place modeling literature, and more specifically on the tradition of empirical station assessment models that has emerged from it. First, we propose a number of methodological contributions in which we aim to improve the analytical strength of some standard node-place parameters, to expand the model with a user-based accessibility account and to broaden the appraisal of a station's accessibility with a temporal component. Second, we apply the conceptual model to Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). Drawing on factor and cluster analysis, we produce two intelligible station typologies for both the node-place and user-based data. Both typologies are interpreted and complemented with station-specific rose diagrams, summarizing a station's accessibility profile. These diagrams inform about station-specific accessibility characteristics, some of which are not captured by conventional node-place analyses. Lastly, we elaborate on five exemplary cases and illustrate what the results of these analyses may mean for planning practice

Goodbye Hartmann trial: a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study on the current use of a surgical procedure developed a century ago

Background: Literature suggests colonic resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) instead of Hartmann's procedure (HP) for the treatment of left-sided colonic emergencies. We aim to evaluate the surgical options globally used to treat patients with acute left-sided colonic emergencies and the factors that leading to the choice of treatment, comparing HP and RPA. Methods: This is a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A total 1215 patients with left-sided colonic emergencies who required surgery were included from 204 centers during the period of March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020. with a 1-year follow-up. Results: 564 patients (43.1%) were females. The mean age was 65.9 ± 15.6 years. HP was performed in 697 (57.3%) patients and RPA in 384 (31.6%) cases. Complicated acute diverticulitis was the most common cause of left-sided colonic emergencies (40.2%), followed by colorectal malignancy (36.6%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3b) were higher in the HP group (P < 0.001). 30-day mortality was higher in HP patients (13.7%), especially in case of bowel perforation and diffused peritonitis. 1-year follow-up showed no differences on ostomy reversal rate between HP and RPA. (P = 0.127). A backward likelihood logistic regression model showed that RPA was preferred in younger patients, having low ASA score (≤ 3), in case of large bowel obstruction, absence of colonic ischemia, longer time from admission to surgery, operating early at the day working hours, by a surgeon who performed more than 50 colorectal resections. Conclusions: After 100 years since the first Hartmann's procedure, HP remains the most common treatment for left-sided colorectal emergencies. Treatment's choice depends on patient characteristics, the time of surgery and the experience of the surgeon. RPA should be considered as the gold standard for surgery, with HP being an exception

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Spatio-temporal dynamics in airport catchment areas : the case of the New York Multi Airport Region

Using the example of domestic connections departing from the New York Metropolitan Area, this paper contributes to research on airports' catchment areas in Multi Airport Regions by exploring their spatio-temporal dynamics. Given that previous research has consistently shown that airport accessibility and different elements of airport utility (fare, connectivity characteristics, on-time performance) are key drivers of airport choice, we draw the analogy with Huff models to calculate airport attractiveness to passengers in different census block groups. We marshal data sources that allow for an assessment of the spatio-temporal variability in the accessibility and utility of airports, which allows us to compare catchment areas for different times of the day, days of the week, and quarters of the year, and this for different utilities as well as overall utility. Results reveal different types of dynamics, and can be used as the input to follow-up research. We argue that such a model-based approach holds major potential in comparative research and research on MAR dynamics, but should be finetuned through the use of other information sources, refined model specifications, and state preference data

SKYNET : an R package for generating air passenger networks for urban studies

There is a long tradition of urban studies invoking air transport data either for tackling the city/air transport-nexus head on (e.g. in research on the causality between urban-economic development and air transport connectivity) or as a secondary data source (e.g. in research mapping city networks). However, air transport statistics rarely come in a format that allows for their immediate scrutiny in light of the research questions at hand, so that handling and transforming these data often involves both practical challenges and considerable effort. Against this backdrop, this article introduces 'SKYNET', a flexible R package that allows generating bespoke air transport statistics for urban studies based on publicly available data from the Bureau of Transport Statistics (BTS) in the United States. The basic elements of the package are explained, after which we demonstrate its usefulness by showing its potential for addressing research questions emerging in the literatures on 1) evolving urban landscapes of air travel accessibility, and 2) differences in intercity air transport networks by scale, types and season. We argue that this R package has the potential to become the backbone of a range of easily navigable tools overcoming some of the main methodological challenges researchers face when handling complex airline data in an urban context