Abstract This excerpt describes the intellectual journey that I have taken the last half-century from when I began graduate studies in the late 1950s. The early efforts to understand the polycentric water industry in California were formative for me. In addition to working with Vincent Ostrom and Charles Tiebout as they formulated the concept of polycentric systems for governing metropolitan areas, I studied the efforts of a large group of private and public water producers facing the problem of an overdrafted groundwater basin on the coast and watching saltwater intrusion threaten the possibility of long-term use. Then, in the 1970s, I participated with colleagues in the study of polycentric police industries serving U.S. metropolitan areas to find that the dominant theory underlying massive reform proposals was incorrect. Metropolitan areas served by a combination of large and small producers could achieve economies of scale in the production of some police services and avoid diseconomies of scale in the production of others.
Ozone action days are issued in metropolitan areas of Texas when the following day’s ozone forecast is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse. Ozone action day alert language suggests that the public make contributing behavioral changes (i.e., reducing pollution by taking the bus instead of driving), as well as avoidance behavioral changes (i.e., avoiding pollution by staying inside). In this analysis, the effect of ozone action days on active transportation (bicycle or pedestrian) patterns at different times of the day is assessed for five metropolitan areas in Texas using multi-year observational data. The Austin-Round Rock, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, and San Antonio metropolitan areas show changes in traffic patterns consistent with avoidance behavior, or a reduction in outdoor activity in the afternoon on ozone action days. In contrast, the El Paso metropolitan area shows changes in traffic patterns consistent with contributing behavior, or increased pedestrian traffic on ozone action days. In conclusion, ozone action day alerts do affect active transportation patterns in Texas, but the behavioral change is not uniform.
Cauchy's surface area formula expresses the surface area of a convex body as the average area of its orthogonal projections over all directions. While this tool is fundamental in Euclidean geometry, with applications ranging from geometric tomography to approximation theory, extensions to non-Euclidean settings remain less explored. In this paper, we establish an analog of Cauchy's formula for the Funk geometry induced by a convex body $K$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$, under the Holmes-Thompson measure. Our formula is simple and is based on central projections to points on the boundary of $K$. We show that when $K$ is a convex polytope, the formula reduces to a weighted sum involving central projections at the vertices of $K$. Finally, as a consequence of our analysis, we derive a generalization of Crofton's formula for surface areas in the Funk geometry. By viewing Euclidean, Minkowski, Hilbert, and hyperbolic geometries as limiting or special cases of the Funk setting, our results provide a single framework that unifies these classical surface area formulas.
Ibai de Juan, Carmen Hidalgo-Giralt, Antonio Palacios
Amidst the backdrop of the fossil fuel energy crisis, the development of renewable energy sources is experiencing an unprecedented acceleration in Spain and focusing in metropolitan areas. This study investigates the potential for photovoltaic energy development in Spanish metropolitan areas, specifically Madrid and its surrounding region. Recognizing the inherent challenges of land use and material scarcity associated with this development, the research aims to quantify the maximum achievable photovoltaic capacity for the region, along with the corresponding land occupation and material consumption requirements. A Material Flow Analysis (MFA) methodology is employed to project these parameters to 2050. The analysis estimates a potential production capacity of 32,163 GWh/year, representing 76.81% of the projected electricity consumption in 2050 (and 39.94% of final energy consumption). This capacity would necessitate the utilization of 32,169 hectares of land (4.01% of the regional area), including 7,139 hectares of rooftop space. Critically, 48% of the suitable land is classified as agricultural land, highlighting potential land-use competition. Furthermore, the study extrapolates the material requirements to a global scale, estimating the percentage of global mineral reserves required for a comparable energy transition. The analysis yields an estimate of 0.75% for aluminum, 17.69% for copper, and 34.89% for silver. These findings provide crucial insights into the material and geographical constraints impacting the feasibility of urban energy transitions.
Yi-Xiang Weng, Ching-Chen Hsieh, Hsin-Chung Liao
et al.
Abstract Background This study is the first in Taiwan to apply the enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method to evaluate the spatial accessibility of primary care. Traditional physician-to-population ratios by administrative region overlook cross-boundary healthcare-seeking and travel distance barriers. This study accounts for these limitations and further examines the impact of accessibility on healthcare utilization and outcomes. Methods We used national health insurance claims, physician registry data, and GIS-based road networks to measure accessibility with the E2SFCA method, defining it as the number of primary care physicians per 10,000 residents within a 30-minute travel time. A retrospective cohort of 2 million adults was analyzed. Generalized estimating equations with appropriate regression models assessed associations between accessibility and healthcare utilization, expenditures, avoidable emergency department (ED), and avoidable hospitalizations. Results Spatial analysis identified 15 townships (114,915 residents, 0.49%) with no primary care physicians and another 15 townships (114,430 residents, 0.49%) with low accessibility. These underserved areas were concentrated in central and eastern Taiwan, whereas metropolitan regions had sufficient resources. Higher accessibility was significantly associated with fewer ED visits (ratio = 0.994; 95% CI: 0.990–0.997, P< 0.001), ED expenditures (ratio = 0.993; 95% CI: 0.989–0.997, P< 0.001), the odds of avoidable ED visits (odds ratio = 0.993; 95% CI: 0.988–0.998, P = 0.005), and the number of avoidable ED visits (ratio = 0.993; 95% CI: 0.988–0.998, P = 0.004). Accessibility also reduced the odds of avoidable hospitalization (odds ratio = 0.995; 95% CI: 0.990–0.999, P = 0.017). Conclusion Greater spatial accessibility to primary care was linked to reductions in ED visits, ED costs, avoidable ED use, and avoidable hospitalization. The E2SFCA method provides a more accurate tool for identifying underserved regions and can inform equitable allocation of healthcare resources. Telemedicine and mobile services should be expanded to address shortages in remote areas.
Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics
Abstract
Objective:
To examine associations of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) scores with disability and subjective health, which is prognostic of disability, in a large, systematically sampled population of older adults living in non-urban areas in Japan.
Design:
Cross-sectional. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence was used to assess disability. Both overall disability and disabilities in components of everyday competence (instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), intellectual activities and social participation) were examined. Participants who reported an inability to perform one or more activities were categorised as disabled. Subjective health was assessed based on the response to the following question: ‘In general, how do you feel about your own health?’
Setting:
Six non-urban municipalities in Japan that differ in terms of regional characteristics.
Participants:
Adults aged 65–74 years (n 7930).
Results:
DII scores were positively associated with the odds of overall disability (OR (95 % CI)) = 1·23 (1·19, 1·28)); disabilities in IADL (OR (95 % CI) = 1·10 (1·05, 1·15)); intellectual activities (OR (95 % CI) = 1·28 (1·23, 1·33)); social participation (OR (95 % CI) = 1·17 (1·13, 1·22)) and poor subjective health (OR (95 %CI) = 1·09 (1·05, 1·14)).
Conclusions:
Our results imply the importance of reducing dietary inflammation to prevent both disability and a decline in subjective health, a predictor of disability.
Public aspects of medicine, Nutritional diseases. Deficiency diseases