Modeling the Choice of Telecommuting 3: Identifying the Choice Set and Estimating Binary Choice Models for Technology-Based Alternatives

Previous papers in this series have presented a conceptual model of the individual decision to telecommute and explored relationships among constraints, preference, and choice. A related paper has developed a binary model of the preference for home-based telecommuting. Noting that there is a wide gap between preferring to telecommute (88% of the sample) and actually telecommuting (13%), this paper develops binary logit models of telecommuting adoption. Two approaches to dealing with constraints are compared: incorporating them directly into the utility function, and using them to define the choice set. Models using the first approach appear to be statistically superior in this analysis, explaining 63-64% of the information in the data. Variables significant to choice include those relating to work and travel drives, and awareness, manager support, job suitability, technology, and discipline constraints. The best model was used to analyze the impact of relaxing three key constraints on the 355 people in the sample for whom telecommuting was previously identified to be a Preferred Impossible Alternative. When unawareness, lack of manager support, and job unsuitability constraints are relaxed, 28% of the people in the PIA category would be expected to adopt telecommuting. The importance of behavioral models to accurately forecasting telecommuting adoption is emphasized and is suggested to have wider implications for predicting technology-based activity changes.telecommuting, teleworking, discrete choice, choice set

Modeling the Choice of Telecommuting 2: A Case of the Preferred Impossible Alternative

A conceptual model of the choice to telecommute was advanced in an earlier paper (Mokhtarian and Salomon, 1994). In this paper, we present empirical data from a non-representative sample of 628 City of San Diego employees on key variables and relationships in that model. The relationships among possibility, preference, and choice are examined. A key finding is the existence of a large group of people (57% of the sample) for whom telecommuting is a Preferred Impossible Alternative. Dichotomous and continuous constraints are distinguished, and three dichotomous constraints are defined. Lack of awareness is active for 4%, job unsuitability for 44%, and manager disapproval for 51% of the sample. For 68% of the sample, at least one of these constraints is active. Even among those for whom none of the dichotomous constraints is in force, most people do not choose telecommuting due to the presence of active continuous constraints. For only 11% of the entire sample, telecommuting is possible, preferred, and chosen. The potential impacts of self-selection bias are estimated, and sampling bias is qualitatively assessed. This analysis provides a crude but useful estimate of the potential of telecommuting in the population, and more specifically, the relative share of potential telecommuters who are prevented by key dichotomous constraints from choosing that option.telecommuting, teleworking

Impacts of Home-Based Telecommuting on Vehicle-Miles Traveled: A Nationwide Time Series Analysis

This study estimates the impact of telecommuting on personal transportation using a multi-variate time series analysis of aggregate nationwide data spanning 1966-1999 for all variables except telecommuting, and 1988-1998 for telecommuting. Three dependent variables were modeled, in direct and per-capita forms: ground vehicle miles traveled (VMT), airline passenger miles traveled (PMT), and the sum of those two variable, loosely referred to as total miles traveled. The first part of the analysis modeled each dependent variable (1966-1999) as a function of conventional variables representing economic activity, the cost of transportation transportation supply, and demographics. In the second part of the study, the residuals of the first part (1988-1998) were modeled as a function of the number of telecommuters. Secondary data sources were used for the study. After the modeling results are presented, the study offers several public policy recommendations, based on the conclusion that telecommuting appears to have a statistically significant, albeit modes in magnitude, effect on reducing travel

Cancros orais : fatores de risco e lesões associadas

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre no Instituto Universitário Egas MonizA cavidade oral é a área onde se encontram os cancros mais comuns das vias aerodigestivas superiores. Os fatores de risco mais associados são o tabagismo e o consumo de álcool, embora haja outros fatores envolvidos. Os cancros da cavidade oral podem desenvolver-se a partir de lesões pré-existentes conhecidas como pré-cancerosas ou potencialmente malígnas. Estas lesões incluem leucoplasia, eritroplasia, líquen erosivo entre outras. Os carcinomas continuam a ser os tumores responsáveis pela maior parte da patologia maligna da cavidade oral e, na maioria dos casos, surgem como lesões que mais tarde podem malignizar. O diagnóstico é difícil e deve ser feito precocemente, a fim de garantir um tratamento o mais eficaz possível. Apesar do grande número de casos a nível mundial, este tipo de patologia mantém-se ainda pouco conhecida do público em geral e os diagnósticos são feitos, de forma geral, tardiamente.The oral cavity is the area where the most common cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract are found. The most associated risk factors are smoking and alcohol consumption, although there are other factors involved. Cancers of the oral cavity can develop from pre-existing lesions known as precancerous or pre-malignant. These lesions include leukoplakia, erythroplakia, lichen planus among others. Carcinomas remain the tumours responsible for most cancers of the oral cavity and in most cases, they arise as lesions that may later malign. Diagnosis is difficult and should be made early, to ensure the most effective treatment possible. Despite the large number of cases worldwide, this type of pathology is still little known to the public and diagnoses are generally made late

Brain system for mental orientation in space, time, and person

Orientation is a fundamental mental function that processes the relations between the behaving self to space (places), time (events), and person (people). Behavioral and neuroimaging studies have hinted at interrelations between processing of these three domains. To unravel the neurocognitive basis of orientation, we used high-resolution 7T functional MRI as 16 subjects compared their subjective distance to different places, events, or people. Analysis at the individual-subject level revealed cortical activation related to orientation in space, time, and person in a precisely localized set of structures in the precuneus, inferior parietal, and medial frontal cortex. Comparison of orientation domains revealed a consistent order of cortical activity inside the precuneus and inferior parietal lobes, with space orientation activating posterior regions, followed anteriorly by person and then time. Core regions at the precuneus and inferior parietal lobe were activated for multiple orientation domains, suggesting also common processing for orientation across domains. The medial prefrontal cortex showed a posterior activation for time and anterior for person. Finally, the default-mode network, identified in a separate resting-state scan, was active for all orientation domains and overlapped mostly with person-orientation regions. These findings suggest that mental orientation in space, time, and person is managed by a specific brain system with a highly ordered internal organization, closely related to the default-mode network

Sustainable Transport Planning for Israel and Palestine

The paper presents the results of a trilateral research project carried out jointly by German, Israeli, and Palestinian institutions. The overall objective of the project was to develop and adapt models and tools for resource-preserving transport planning in the West Bank and the adjacent areas. Because of its high dynamics and the particular political circumstances, broader socio-economic and political considerations needed to be included in the analysis of present conditions and the exploration of future developments in this area. Compared to other countries, transport planning in Palestine is much more linked to sensitive issues such as security, Israeli settlements, bypass road s and checkpoints, which cannot always be separated in a clean way. To evaluate different policy options for transport planning, a modelling system has been developed consisting of a GIS database, integrated transport and environmental models and network extensions tools. The paper pres ents the integrated database and the modelling system developed, describes the scenarios implemented and compares the outcomes of the model runs with respect to their environmental and social impacts.The research project “GIS-Based Models and GIS-Tools for Sustainable Transport Planning in Israel and Palestine” was funded by the German Research Council (DFG) within the framework of their trilateral research programme bringing German, Israeli and Palestinian researchers together. The project was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 started in March 1997 and ended in February 1999. Phase 2 started in March 2000 and officially ended in February 2000. The project consortium wishes to thank the German Research Council for making this study possible through a generous research grant

Global Functional Connectivity Deficits in Schizophrenia Depend on Behavioral State

Schizophrenia is a devastating psychiatric illness characterized by deterioration of cognitive and emotional processing. It has been hypothesized that aberrant cortical connectivity is implicated in the disease (Friston, 1998), yet previous studies of functional connectivity (FC) in schizophrenia have shown mixed results (Garrity et al., 2007; Jafri et al., 2008; Lynall et al., 2010). We measured FC using fMRI in human schizophrenia patients and healthy controls during two different tasks and a rest condition, and constructed a voxel-based global FC index. We found a striking FC decrease in patients compared with controls. In the task conditions, relatively weaker FC was specific to regions of cortex not active during the task. In the rest condition, the FC difference between patients and controls was larger and allowed a case-by-case separation between individuals of the two groups. The results suggest that the relative reduction of FC in schizophrenia is dependent on the state of cortical activity, with voxels not activated by the task showing higher levels of FC deficiency. This novel finding may shed light on previous reports of FC in schizophrenia. Whether this neural characteristic is related to the development of the disorder remains to be established

The scientific payload of the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT)

The Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT) is a space-borne near UV telescope with an unprecedented large field of view (200 sq. deg.). The mission, led by the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Israel Space Agency in collaboration with DESY (Helmholtz association, Germany) and NASA (USA), is fully funded and expected to be launched to a geostationary transfer orbit in Q2/3 of 2025. With a grasp 300 times larger than GALEX, the most sensitive UV satellite to date, ULTRASAT will revolutionize our understanding of the hot transient universe, as well as of flaring galactic sources. We describe the mission payload, the optical design and the choice of materials allowing us to achieve a point spread function of ~10arcsec across the FoV, and the detector assembly. We detail the mitigation techniques implemented to suppress out-of-band flux and reduce stray light, detector properties including measured quantum efficiency of scout (prototype) detectors, and expected performance (limiting magnitude) for various objects.Comment: Presented in the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 202