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Freeway crash prediction models are the basic of traffic safety research, yet crash occurrence and the influencing factors change over time. In order to make sure the implemented safety models fit the current traffic environment, this study conducts a comparative analysis of 2017 and 2020 datasets collected from freeways in Suzhou, China. Considering the spatial correlation among analysis units and the hierarchical data structure, a Bayesian conditional autoregressive negative binomial (CAR-NB) model and a Bayesian hierarchical CAR-NB (HCAR-NB) model were used to explore the safety influencing factors, and a traditional NB model was developed for further comparison. To update the HCAR-NB model from 2017 to 2020, Bayesian inference with informative priors was used to improve its goodness of fit and efficiency. Preliminary results showed that 1) the HCAR-NB model outperformed the NB model and CAR-NB model in prediction accuracy, and 2) the number of crashes was significantly correlated with average speed, speed variance, road segment length, number of lanes, and presence of ramps. The potential for safety improvement (PSI) method was applied to the modeling results to identify hotspots for the two years. The results confirmed that the hotspots spatiotemporally shifted among the freeways. The proposed crash prediction model and updating method are expected to assist implementation of informed countermeasures for freeway safety improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban–rural fringe, the frontier space for urban–rural linkage and the ecological barrier for urban–rural integration, is the most intensive area of man–land conflicts. Its scientific identification and dynamic monitoring are of great significance for balancing urban and rural development and spatial governance in the new era of China. However, existing demarcation methods are often limited to territorial uniqueness and not conducive to replication and reconstruction, making it difficult to determine the boundary accurately and objectively, let alone carry out the longitudinal comparison of the identification results. In this context, this research introduced the iterative unsupervised classification method and central gravitational agglomeration, combined with the land use information entropy model, to realize the urban–rural fringe identification of the long-time series of low-density development-type cities. Changchun city as a typical rust belt city in Northeast China was chosen as an example to identify and track the development pattern of its urban–rural fringe from 1990 to 2020. Meanwhile, time-series land use transfer and landscape analyses were applied to comparatively measure the spatial variations of stable, expanded, and reduced urban–rural fringes. The results indicated that Changchun has undergone significant peri-urbanization over the past 30 years. The urban–rural fringe primarily presented a significant ring-belt shape with continuous outreach features which could be described as “inner circle subtraction, internal hollow filling, leaping expansion, and extension spreading” types of evolution. The land use structure was mainly manifested by an obvious ecological degradation and the internal conversion in stable urban–rural fringe was particularly prominent. As the result of uninterruptedly exogenous and endogenous conflicts, the spatial arrangements were increasingly fragmented, complex, and heterogeneous, whereas these phenomena were slightly alleviated during 2015–2020, especially in stable and expanded urban–rural fringes. These findings intend to assist in the regeneration of rust belt cities and provide a reference for the new urban–rural planning system.

Background: Socialization practices support undergraduates' transitional processes when beginning their academic careers and afterwards. Anyhow, the absence of specific socialization measures for academic contexts does not allow Universities to assess it. Aims: The present study aimed to contribute to the socialization literature by proposing a reliable measure (USQ, Undergraduate Socialization Questionnaire) specific for the academic context, that is, reflecting the same construct at different developmental stages. Method and samples: Based on an organizational socialization scale (NSQ; Haueter al., 2003, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63, 20), we examined in Study One the USQ's three‐factor structure (task, group, organization) (n. 451 undergraduates) and, in Study Two, we tested the construct invariance across time, comparing undergraduates' developmental changes through a two‐wave longitudinal design (n.185 undergraduates attending their first and their second year). Results: Findings supported both the USQ's dimensionality and measurement invariance, thus ensuring that the same underlying construct is being assessed, and its concurrent and predictive validity. Conclusions: Overall, results showed that USQ is a reliable instrument useful to monitor the effectiveness of undergraduates' adjustment process, also allowing comparison between specific groups of students or longitudinal comparison to evaluate their career development or the effectiveness of policies targeted to reduce the risk of marginalization and dropout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet nonuse persists among the most excluded groups of people, particularly among aging and low-educated populations. Proxy internet use (PIU), where nonusers ask internet users to do things online for them, helps nonusers mitigate their exclusion from the digital realm. This study examines the changing factors that shape PIU activation. Specifically, it focuses on the changing role of socio-demographics and family support in internet nonusers' access to online services by comparing factors engendering active engagement in PIU in 2009 and 2018. The results from multivariate analyses of cross-sectional survey data from two nationwide representative samples collected nine years apart in Slovenia show that both sets of factors have lost their explanatory power over time. At the same time, internet nonusers are increasingly concentrated in the most vulnerable groups of people. Specifically, the decreasing importance of (grand)children as proxy users and the newly emerging importance of spouses or partners represents a shift away from intergenerational support and toward intragenerational support in regards to who nonusers rely on when asking for help with online tasks and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the integration of the study of multiple (i) spatial scales, (ii) resource systems, and (iii) points in time in natural resource governance by introducing a strategy of layering action situations. In the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, action situations can be studied singularly, in comparison, or as networks of action situations. Building on this work, we propose to complement an established action situation with new ones derived from the evolution of the case. This preserves the initial action situation and thereby enables scholars to keep track of institutional change within and beyond it. We illustrate the approach by studying a case of groundwater pollution by nitrate in a German region of intensive livestock farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure improvements are made in the parts of the city currently most prone to crashes, this study conducted a 2009-2016 longitudinal comparison of the traffic safety in Shanghai at the level of the traffic analysis zone (TAZ). The police-reported crashes occurring in 2009 and 2016 within the downtown areas of Shanghai were examined to acquire a basic knowledge of the traffic safety development and spatial distribution characteristics of crashes. Considering that different zones within a city show significant heterogeneity in socioeconomic indicators, road characteristics, traffic patterns, and land-use features, a macrolevel traffic safety model was developed to capture the relations between the aggregate number of crashes and the various influencing factors. The study also identified hot zones for the two years to demonstrate the zonal changes in crash frequency. Results show that crash frequency had shifted significantly in suburban areas of Shanghai, with many hot zones having moved from the central areas of the city to suburban areas. Urban planners and decision makers can use this study to better understand the changes in crash distribution and contributing factors, permitting better targeted safety countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The construction industry is important in sustaining worldwide development. Improving the sustainability of the construction industry is not only necessary but also urgent, especially in developing countries. In China, however, studies that assess the sustainability of the construction industry at the national level remain rare, especially regarding regional comparisons. To explore the driving forces of sustainable development, the present study established a model to assess the sustainability of the construction industry in China. Social, Economic, and Environmental Benefits Index (SEEBI) and Ecological Costs Index (ECI) were established to reflect the level of sustainability. Regional differences were examined in a longitudinal way. Results indicate that the SEEB of the construction industry greatly improved in most provinces of the eastern region, but ecological costs increased. The sustainable development of the construction industry in the western region lagged behind in early years, but sustainable development achieved significant progress over the past decade. Despite the gap in economic development, no significant differences were found between these three regions in terms of material-use efficiency. Highlights • A model was established to assess the sustainability of the construction industry. • Regional differences were examined in a longitudinal way. • The western region had achieved significant progress in sustainable development. • No significant differences were found between regions on material-use efficiency. • Efforts must be made to increase the construction industry's economic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal screening for congenital primary hypothyroidism (CH) is mandatory in Germany but medical care thereafter remains inconsistent. Therefore, the registry HypoDok of the German Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology (DGKED) was analyzed to evaluate the implementation of evidence-based guidelines and to assess the number of included patients. Inclusion criteria were (i) date of birth between 10/2001 and 05/2020 and (ii) increased thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) at screening and/or confirmation. The cohort was divided into before (A) and after (B) guideline publication in 02/2011, to assess the guideline’s influence on medical care. A total of 659 patients were analyzed as group A (n = 327) and group B (n = 332) representing 17.5% and 10.3% of CH patients identified in the German and Austrian neonatal screening program during the respective time period. Treatment start and thyroxine doses were similar in both groups and consistent with recommendations. Regular follow-ups were documented. In the first three years of life, less than half of the patients underwent audiometry; developmental assessment was performed in 49.3% (A) and 24.8% (B) (p < 0.01). Documentation of CH patient care by pediatric endocrinologists seemed to be established, however, it reflected only a minority of the affected patients. Therefore, comprehensive documentation as an important instrument of quality assurance and evidence-based medicine should be legally enforced and officially funded in order to record, comprehend, and optimize care and outcome in patients with rare diseases such as CH.

Background: We previously reported that intravenous administration of Streptococcus mutans strain TW871 caused typical non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-like findings in a high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model at 16 weeks after initiating the experiment. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to analyse mice administered S. mutans TW871 fed a HFD for various periods of time. Methods: First, 6-week-old C57BL/6J mice were fed an HFD for 4 weeks, then TW871 (1 × 107 CFU) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were intravenously administered. Mice were euthanized 12, 16, 20, and 48 weeks after starting the experiment, and conventional clinical and histopathological evaluations were performed. Results: Typical NASH-like findings were not identified in the mice at 12 weeks, while they were observed in the TW871 group at 16 weeks, and the severity of NASH symptoms were increased at 20 weeks. Furthermore, signs of severe NASH were also observed at 48 weeks. In contrast, in the PBS-administered group, the NASH findings were identified only at 48 weeks and no typical NASH features were observed at 12, 16, or 20 weeks. Conclusion: These results suggest that intravenous administration of a specific S. mutans strain aggravates NASH in a time-dependent manner in the mice in contrast to mice without S. mutans exposure.

In this contribution, we evaluate the degree of measurement equivalence between countries and over time for a measure of experienced holiday quality that has repeatedly been included in a public opinion survey series of high policy relevance: the Flash Eurobarometer survey series (2014–2016). The results indicate that using the measurement instrument for cross-national comparisons between 35 countries may be quite problematic, as neither metric nor scalar measurement equivalence was established. The longitudinal analyses show that for 19 out of 28 countries, scalar measurement equivalence holds between the waves. For the countries for which longitudinal scalar measurement equivalence was established, the comparison of the mean overall score of satisfaction with the holiday shows a very high level of stability. In general, the findings underscore the importance of assessing measurement equivalence of empirical tourism and leisure-related constructs when making systematic comparisons between groups or over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape architecture is a young discipline relative to other design-based fields, such as engineering or architecture. The unique knowledge, processes, and capacities of landscape architects--central requirements of a recognizable profession--are currently broad and largely undefined. The profession needs to have clearly defined knowledge domains recognized by other disciplines and the public. This study used four sources of evidence to identify core landscape architecture knowledge domains: (1) a census of land design and development professionals from the 1970s; (2) a sample of U.S. landscape architects in the early 2000s; (3) two systematic reviews of articles published in Landscape Journal over a 25-year period; and, (4) courses offered in accredited first-professional Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) programs across North America. Ten knowledge domains were identified, none of which were unique to landscape architecture. Two domains, design and natural, were identified by all data sources to be core to landscape architecture. However, the connections between knowledge domains, rather than the domains themselves, and a focus on conceptualizing appropriate change to the landscape, might more appropriately define the core domains of landscape architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Quantitative identification of urban–rural fringe in rust belt city is proposed. • "Black soil region delineation" is referenced for identifying urban–rural fringe. • Time-series land use structure is used to understand urban–rural development. • Changchun has undergone significant peri -urbanization over the past 30 years. • Monitoring urban–rural fringe helps to develop a new urban–rural planning system. Urban–rural fringe, the frontier space for urban–rural linkage and the ecological barrier for urban–rural integration, is the most intensive area of man–land conflicts. Its scientific identification and dynamic monitoring are of great significance for balancing urban and rural development and spatial governance in the new era of China. However, existing demarcation methods are often limited to territorial uniqueness and not conducive to replication and reconstruction, making it difficult to determine the boundary accurately and objectively, let alone carry out the longitudinal comparison of the identification results. In this context, this research introduced the iterative unsupervised classification method and central gravitational agglomeration, combined with the land use information entropy model, to realize the urban–rural fringe identification of the long-time series of low-density development-type cities. Changchun city as a typical rust belt city in Northeast China was chosen as an example to identify and track the development pattern of its urban–rural fringe from 1990 to 2020. Meanwhile, time-series land use transfer and landscape analyses were applied to comparatively measure the spatial variations of stable, expanded, and reduced urban–rural fringes. The results indicated that Changchun has undergone significant peri -urbanization over the past 30 years. The urban–rural fringe primarily presented a significant ring-belt shape with continuous outreach features which could be described as "inner circle subtraction, internal hollow filling, leaping expansion, and extension spreading" types of evolution. The land use structure was mainly manifested by an obvious ecological degradation and the internal conversion in stable urban–rural fringe was particularly prominent. As the result of uninterruptedly exogenous and endogenous conflicts, the spatial arrangements were increasingly fragmented, complex, and heterogeneous, whereas these phenomena were slightly alleviated during 2015–2020, especially in stable and expanded urban–rural fringes. These findings intend to assist in the regeneration of rust belt cities and provide a reference for the new urban–rural planning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The alarming progression of the aging trend in China attracts much attention in the country and abroad. In 2003, the Chinese central government launched the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) to resolve the inequity problem of health in regions with inadequate infrastructure and relative poverty. The rural elderly are the main beneficiaries of this policy; the improvement of their health through the policy require exploration. Methods This study used data obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey conducted in 2005 and 2008. Elderly people living in rural areas and aged 60 and above were screened for the investigation. A total of 8658 and 9904 elderly people were selected from 2005 and 2008, respectively. By establishing models and employing multi-logistic analysis, stereotype logistic analysis, we examined the effect of NCMS organized by Chinese government on three domains of the health of the rural elderly. Results A total of 948 and 6361 elderly people participated in NCMS in 2005 (n = 5658) and 2008 (n = 9904), respectively. With regard to the independent variables, the number of participants in NCMS increased, whereas province distribution, gender, and years of education only slightly changed. As for the dependent variables, the rural elderly in 2005 had poor physical health but excellent psychological health. Significant differences were found between different moods. Old people who engage in much outdoor activity can take care of themselves. After three-year promotion of NCMS, the differences between 2005 and 2008 indicate that the general health and physical health of the rural elderly worsen, whereas the psychological health improves. Conclusions (1) In the 2005 data and 2008 data, result shows that NCMS participation can promote the self-rated quality and health change of the elderly. (2)After three years, the alleviation effect on anxiety and loneliness changed from insignificant to significant. Participants in NCMS have a stronger sense of uselessness, which weakens with time. (3)NCMS participation passes the significance test in "outdoor activities" and "pick a book up from the floor" model. Elderly participants indicated higher frequencies of outdoor activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassroots democracy has been practised in rural China for more than a decade. However, despite the existence of a mountain of evidence, evaluations of the quality of China's rural grassroots democracy, particularly electoral institutions, have unfortunately been inconclusive, due to primary reliance on case studies and local surveys. Moreover, the lack of comparable data over time prohibits effective studies on the evolution of grassroots democracy in Chinese villages. This article tries to provide some systematic information on how village committee elections are practised and have evolved in China, using two village surveys based on comparable national probability samples, implemented in 2002 and 2005 respectively. It further explores the validity of some key theories in contemporary literature on the uneven implementation of village committee elections in China with the help of an integrated regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth has a close relationship with reducing levels of management; theoretically speaking, reducing levels of management will help promote economic growth. Direct control of counties is the most typical form of reducing management layers. Whether it promotes and facilitates economic growth? This paper, taking a typical provincial county-Hai nan Province as an example and using a combination of vertical and horizontal analysis method, has collected the 20-year time span of data for analysis. The study finds that direct control of Hai nan has a certain role in its economic growth, as follows: in the economic base of poor conditions, the province has maintained a high growth rate within 20 years, greatly reducing administrative costs, etc. , but this effect is not statistically significant and the time is not persistent. This paper will give an explanation through economics and management theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper presents a longitudinal study which covers two samples of Chinese names of foreign brands in Hong Kong over a period of 8 years: a 1987-1988 sample of 261 brand names and a 1994-1995 sample of 231 brand names. A framework developed by the author is adopted. The results show that a tendency of deepened localization developed over the period, meaning that the Chinese names of foreign brands are becoming more independent in terms of the connotation of the brand names as compared to their original counterparts. The origins were retained basically in terms of the length and the pronunciation. Possible explanations are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Neonatal screening for congenital primary hypothyroidism (CH) is mandatory in Germany but medical care thereafter remains inconsistent. Therefore, the registry HypoDok of the German Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology (DGKED) was analyzed to evaluate the implementation of evidence-based guidelines and to assess the number of included patients. Inclusion criteria were (i) date of birth between 10/2001 and 05/2020 and (ii) increased thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) at screening and/or confirmation. The cohort was divided into before (A) and after (B) guideline publication in 02/2011, to assess the guideline's influence on medical care. A total of 659 patients were analyzed as group A ( n = 327) and group B ( n = 332) representing 17.5% and 10.3% of CH patients identified in the German and Austrian neonatal screening program during the respective time period. Treatment start and thyroxine doses were similar in both groups and consistent with recommendations. Regular follow-ups were documented. In the first three years of life, less than half of the patients underwent audiometry; developmental assessment was performed in 49.3% (A) and 24.8% (B) ( p < 0.01). Documentation of CH patient care by pediatric endocrinologists seemed to be established, however, it reflected only a minority of the affected patients. Therefore, comprehensive documentation as an important instrument of quality assurance and evidence-based medicine should be legally enforced and officially funded in order to record, comprehend, and optimize care and outcome in patients with rare diseases such as CH., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: We previously reported that intravenous administration of Streptococcus mutans strain TW871 caused typical non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-like findings in a high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model at 16 weeks after initiating the experiment. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to analyse mice administered S. mutans TW871 fed a HFD for various periods of time. Methods: First, 6-week-old C57BL/6J mice were fed an HFD for 4 weeks, then TW871 (1 × 107 CFU) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were intravenously administered. Mice were euthanized 12, 16, 20, and 48 weeks after starting the experiment, and conventional clinical and histopathological evaluations were performed. Results: Typical NASH-like findings were not identified in the mice at 12 weeks, while they were observed in the TW871 group at 16 weeks, and the severity of NASH symptoms were increased at 20 weeks. Furthermore, signs of severe NASH were also observed at 48 weeks. In contrast, in the PBS-administered group, the NASH findings were identified only at 48 weeks and no typical NASH features were observed at 12, 16, or 20 weeks. Conclusion: These results suggest that intravenous administration of a specific S. mutans strain aggravates NASH in a time-dependent manner in the mice in contrast to mice without S. mutans exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Canada is among the world's leading nations with the longest life expectancy at birth (LE0), and British Columbia (BC) ranks top among Canadian provinces and territories for LE0 in both men and women. This paper examined recent data as well as projected trends in LE0 of Canadian men and women and explored the geographic and socioeconomic disparities in LE0 specific to BC., Methods: Using retrospective data on LE0 and age-standardized mortality rates, Canada was compared to 11 other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries with the longest LE0. Projections were made using linear regression modelling to the year of 2023. The association between regional LE0 and regional socioeconomic status (SES) was examined for the province of BC using its Local Health Area (LHA) level data on SES and LE0., Results: In 2009, Canadian men (LE0: 78.7 years) and women (LE0: 83.3 years) ranked 7(th) and 8(th), respectively among the 12 OECD nations under comparison. Significantly smaller annual gains in LE0 contributed to the losing of their top ranks in LE0 for Canadian men and women in recent years, which was projected to sustain. Higher mortality risks, particularly for lung cancer and external causes of mortality among women was found for Canada compared to leading countries on these measures. Geographic variations were evident in LE0 in BC, and there was a significant gap of 3.6 years in the average LE0 for BC's LHAs in the lowest SES tertile (78.6 years, 95% CI: 78.0-79.3) compared to those in the highest SES tertile (82.2 years, 95% CI: 81.6-82.8)., Conclusions: Canada continues to remain one of the OECD countries with longest living population. With the highest LE0 in the country, British Columbia has an opportunity to address socio-economic disparities in LE0.