Obesity is a problem with global health and economic consequences. This study assesses the impact of social origins and socio-economic disadvantages on mid-life body weight. Hypotheses of both critical early life peri...Obesity is a problem with global health and economic consequences. This study assesses the impact of social origins and socio-economic disadvantages on mid-life body weight. Hypotheses of both critical early life period and social trajectory were tested using a sample of 845 adults, aged 45 to 69 years, from a nationally representative sample in 2009 Taiwan Social Change Survey. The study found evidence of a significant gender-specific heterogeneity of social origins on obesity risk. Men with accumulated disadvantage had increased BMI, but no significant accumulative trajectories were found among women. Obesity prevention must consider factors beyond behavioral change, and include a focus on social origins and gender identity.展开更多
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s Web Based Accident Prediction System (WBAPS) is used by federal, state and local agencies to get a preliminary idea on safety at a rail-highway grade crossing. It is an int...The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s Web Based Accident Prediction System (WBAPS) is used by federal, state and local agencies to get a preliminary idea on safety at a rail-highway grade crossing. It is an interactive and user-friendly tool used to make funding decisions. WBAPS is almost three decades old and involves a three-step approach making it difficult to interpret the contribution of the variables included in the model. It also does not directly account for regional/local developments and technological advancements pertaining to signals and signs implemented at rail-highway grade crossings. Further, characteristics of a rail-highway grade crossing vary by track class which is not explicitly considered by WBAPS. This research, therefore, examines and develops a method and models to estimate crashes at rail-highway grade crossings by track class using regional/local level data. The method and models developed for each track class as well as considering all track classes together are based on data for the state of North Carolina. Linear, as well as count models based on Poisson and Negative Binomial (NB) distributions, was tested for applicability. Negative binomial models were found to be the best fit for the data used in this research. Models for each track class have better goodness of fit statistics compared to the model considering data for all track classes together. This is primarily because traffic, design, and operational characteristics at rail-highway grade crossings are different for each track class. The findings from statistical models in this research are supported by model validation.展开更多
文摘Obesity is a problem with global health and economic consequences. This study assesses the impact of social origins and socio-economic disadvantages on mid-life body weight. Hypotheses of both critical early life period and social trajectory were tested using a sample of 845 adults, aged 45 to 69 years, from a nationally representative sample in 2009 Taiwan Social Change Survey. The study found evidence of a significant gender-specific heterogeneity of social origins on obesity risk. Men with accumulated disadvantage had increased BMI, but no significant accumulative trajectories were found among women. Obesity prevention must consider factors beyond behavioral change, and include a focus on social origins and gender identity.
文摘The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s Web Based Accident Prediction System (WBAPS) is used by federal, state and local agencies to get a preliminary idea on safety at a rail-highway grade crossing. It is an interactive and user-friendly tool used to make funding decisions. WBAPS is almost three decades old and involves a three-step approach making it difficult to interpret the contribution of the variables included in the model. It also does not directly account for regional/local developments and technological advancements pertaining to signals and signs implemented at rail-highway grade crossings. Further, characteristics of a rail-highway grade crossing vary by track class which is not explicitly considered by WBAPS. This research, therefore, examines and develops a method and models to estimate crashes at rail-highway grade crossings by track class using regional/local level data. The method and models developed for each track class as well as considering all track classes together are based on data for the state of North Carolina. Linear, as well as count models based on Poisson and Negative Binomial (NB) distributions, was tested for applicability. Negative binomial models were found to be the best fit for the data used in this research. Models for each track class have better goodness of fit statistics compared to the model considering data for all track classes together. This is primarily because traffic, design, and operational characteristics at rail-highway grade crossings are different for each track class. The findings from statistical models in this research are supported by model validation.
