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To summarize current knowledge and gaps regarding the role of postprandial glycaemic response in the paediatric population, a workshop was organized in June 2021 by the European branch of the International Life Science Institute (ILSI). This virtual event comprised of talks given by experts followed by in-depth discussions in breakout sessions with workshop participants. The main pre-specified topics addressed by the workshop organizing committee to the invited speakers and the workshop participants were: (1) the role of glycaemic responses for paediatric health, based on mechanistic insights from animal and human data, and long-term evidence from observational and intervention studies in paediatric populations, and (2) changes in metabolism and changes in dietary needs from infancy to adolescence. Each talk as well as the discussions were summarised, including the main identified research gaps. The workshop led to the consensus on the crucial role on health of postprandial glycaemic response in paediatric population. However, a lack of scientific data has been identified regarding detailed glucose and insulin profiles in response to foods commonly consumed by paediatric populations, as well as a lack of long-term evidence including the need for suitable predictors during childhood and adolescence to anticipate health effects during adulthood.

It is well-appreciated that the diet is a crucial tool to counteract cardiometabolic disturbances due to its impact on blood glucose concentration and gut microbiome. This retrospective analysis aimed to examine whether the inclusion of isomaltulose and prebiotic inulin-type fructans (ITF) into the habitual diet has an impact on glycemic control and gut microbiota. Furthermore, we examined interindividual differences in glycemic response to sugar replacement with isomaltulose. We retrospectively analyzed data of 117 individuals who participated in a digital nutrition program including a 14-day continuous glucose measurement. Participants underwent six test days with sweetened drinks (isomaltulose vs. sucrose) consumed with their usual breakfasts and lunches. Dinner was supplemented with ITF for 11 days. Postprandial glycemia and 24 h-glycemic variability were determined following test meals and days, respectively. Fecal microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing before and after test phase. Meals with isomaltulose-sweetened drinks compared to meals with sucrose-sweetened drinks induced lower postprandial glycemia. Moreover, glucose oscillations over 24 h were lower on isomaltulose when compared to sucrose test days and improved further during ITF supplementation. Furthermore, ITF modulated gut microbiota composition beneficially. Responder analysis revealed that 72% of participants benefited from the sugar replacement with isomaltulose and that their gut microbiota differed from the low responders. Taken together, the incorporation of isomaltulose and ITF into the habitual diet was shown to be an effective strategy to improve glucose control and beneficially modulate gut microbiota, and thereby aid to maintain metabolic health. Data indicate interindividual differences in glycemic response to ingredients and suggest that gut microbiota might be somehow related to it.

Urban analytics combines spatial analysis, statistics, computer science, and urban planning to understand and shape city futures. While it promises better policymaking insights, concerns exist around its epistemological scope and impacts on privacy, ethics, and social control. This chapter reflects on the history and trajectory of urban analytics as a scholarly and professional discipline. In particular, it considers the direction in which this field is going and whether it improves our collective and individual welfare. It first introduces early theories, models, and deductive methods from which the field originated before shifting toward induction. It then explores urban network analytics that enrich traditional representations of spatial interaction and structure. Next it discusses urban applications of spatiotemporal big data and machine learning. Finally, it argues that privacy and ethical concerns are too often ignored as ubiquitous monitoring and analytics can empower social repression. It concludes with a call for a more critical urban analytics that recognizes its epistemological limits, emphasizes human dignity, and learns from and supports marginalized communities.

Hyperglycemia is linked to impaired arterial endothelial function (EF), an early sign of cardiovascular disease. We compared the efficacy of low-glycemic index isomaltulose (Palatinose&trade, ) with that of sucrose in modulating EF, as assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD). In this double-blinded cross-over study, 80 overweight mildly hypertensive subjects were randomized to receive 50 g of either isomaltulose or sucrose. On two non-consecutive days, brachial artery ultrasound FMD scans were obtained prior to and hourly (T0&ndash, T3) after carbohydrate load. Blood was drawn immediately after scanning. Glucose and insulin levels were analyzed. Overall, the FMD decrease was attenuated by isomaltulose compared to sucrose (&Delta, FMD = &minus, 0.003% and &minus, 0.151%, p &gt, 0.05 for the interaction treatment x period). At T2, FMD was significantly higher after isomaltulose administration compared to that after sucrose administration (FMD = 5.9 &plusmn, 2.9% and 5.4 &plusmn, 2.6%, p = 0.047). Pearson correlations between FMD and blood glucose showed a trend for a negative association at T0 and T2 independently of the carbohydrate (r-range = &minus, 0.20 to &minus, 0.23, p &lt, 0.1). Sub-analysis suggested a lower FMD in insulin-resistant (IR) compared to insulin-sensitive subjects. Isomaltulose attenuated the postprandial decline of FMD, particularly in IR persons. These data support the potential of isomaltulose to preserve the endothelial function postprandially and consequently play a favorable role in cardiovascular health.

Methods of body composition analysis are now widely used to characterize health status, i.e., nutritional status, metabolic rates, and cardiometabolic risk factors. However, the functional correlates of individual body components have not been systematically analyzed. In this study, we have used a two-compartment model, which was assessed by air displacement plethysmography. Detailed body composition was measured by whole body magnetic resonance imaging in a healthy population of 40 Caucasians, aged 65–81 yr (20 men; body mass index range: 18.6–37.2 kg/m2). Physical, metabolic, as well as endocrine functions included pulmonary function, handgrip strength, gait speed, sit-to-stand test, physical activity, blood pressure, body temperature, resting energy expenditure (REE), liver and kidney functions (glomerular filtration rate), insulin sensitivity [homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)], plasma lipids, plasma leptin, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, insulin-like growth factor I levels, thyroid status, vitamins, and inflammation. Individual body compartments were intercorrelated, e.g., skeletal muscle mass (SM) correlated with visceral adipose tissue ( r = 0.53) and kidneys ( r = 0.62). For the functional correlates, SM ( r = 0.58) and liver volume ( r = 0.63) were associated with REE, SM correlated with handgrip strength ( r = 0.57), and kidneys with glomerular filtration rate ( r = 0.57). While visceral adipose tissue correlated with HOMA ( r = 0.59), subcutaneous adipose tissue was related to plasma leptin levels ( r = 0.84). The subcutaneous adipose tissue-to-leptin relationship was moderated by inflammation increasing the explained variance of leptin levels by 4.0%. In linear regression analysis, detailed body composition explained variances in REE (75.0%), HOMA (41.0%), and leptin (78.0%) compared with a body mass index-based model (REE 16.0%, HOMA 31.0%, leptin 45.0%). In addition, detailed body composition explained 39.0% of the variance in kidney function. NEW & NOTEWORTHY BCA should be used to address specific body functions only. In clinical practice, there is need of a clear focus on the specific research question related to physical, metabolic, or endocrine functions.

Community members seek benefits-sharing planning agreements to advance their own distributive justice goals by directing benefits to communities. Nonideal theory does much to explain the context and possibilities for these agreements. The agreements forged between communities and development interests seek to address, but not completely achieve, distributive justice via consensus about incremental changes in project benefit distribution. However, implementation and outcomes can vary widely. This article develops theory to conceptualize a practical framework for these planning agreements using nonideal justice theories, granted the triple concerns of inaction, tokenism, and rhetorical trickery posed by ineffective implementation. The Crenshaw Light Rail Project in Los Angeles illustrates the issues in play.

Problem, research strategy, and ­findings: Computing and digital technologies have changed how data are created, analyzed, and communicated. The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Code...

This book is an edited volume of 16 essays from spatial planners who participated in a workshop designed by the editor, Beatrix Haselberger, to create an oral history based on the scholars’ autobio...

Low-glycemic compared to high-glycemic diets have been shown to improve metabolic status and enhance fat oxidation. The randomized, double-blind, controlled intervention study aimed to evaluate the effects of an energy-reduced diet containing isomaltulose (ISO, Palatinose&trade, ) versus sucrose (SUC) on body weight loss. Sixty-four healthy overweight/obese adults were allocated to consume either 40g/d ISO or SUC added to an energy-reduced diet for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, and energy metabolism were assessed at baseline and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Fifty participants (age: 40.7 &plusmn, 11.7 y, BMI: 29.4 &plusmn, 2.7 kg/m&sup2, ) completed the study. During the 12 weeks, both groups significantly lost weight (p &lt, 0.001), which was more pronounced following ISO (&minus, 3.2 &plusmn, 2.9 vs. &minus, 2.1 &plusmn, 2.6 kg, p = 0.258). Moreover, for participants in the ISO group, this was accompanied by a significant reduction in fat mass (ISO: &minus, 1.9 &plusmn, 2.5, p = 0.005, SUC: &minus, 0.9 &plusmn, 2.6%, p = 0.224). The overall decrease in energy intake was significantly higher in the ISO compared to that in the SUC group (p = 0.022). In addition, breakfast containing ISO induced a significantly lower increase in postprandial respiratory quotient (RQ) (mean incremental area under the curve (iAUC)2h for ISO vs. SUC: 4.8 &plusmn, 4.1 vs. 6.9 &plusmn, 3.1, p = 0.047). The results suggest that ISO in exchange for SUC may help to facilitate body weight reduction, lower postprandial RQ associated with higher fat oxidation, and reduce energy intake.

Given the importance of the media in 21st-century western liberal democracies, planning actors that seek media attention may do so for multiple ends, such as to dampen controversy and increase their status as “stars” in their professions through media branding. We develop a case study of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project, along with expert interviews with public relations specialists, journalists, editors, producers, and scientists. We find that development professionals, including scientists, adopted mediatized behaviors, such as filming themselves, while working so that audiences might witness experts’ actions and successes. The stories and ideas that reached broad audiences concerned experts’ stories rather than those of a broad array of stakeholders.

Background: Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for the assessment of skeletal muscle (SM) and adipose tissue volumes. It is unclear whether single-slice estimates can replace whole-body data. Objective: We evaluated the accuracy of the best single lumbar and midthigh MRI slice to assess whole-body SM, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Design: Whole-body MRI was performed in 142 healthy adults aged 19–65 y [mean 6 SD age: 37.0 6 11.8 y; BMI (in kg/m 2 ): 25.3 6 5.9]. Single slices were taken at lumbar vertebrae L1–L5 plus intervertebral discs and the thigh (midthigh, 10 cm distally from the midthigh, and 10 cm proximally from the midthigh). The value of single-slice areas was also tested in a longitudinal study on 48 healthy volunteers during weight loss (8.2 6 5.2 kg). Results: Cross-sectionally, all SM and adipose tissue single-slice areas correlated with total tissue volumes (P , 0.01). Because of the close associations between L3 areas and corresponding tissue volumes (r = 0.832–0.986, P , 0.01), this location was identified as the reference to estimate SM and adipose tissue in both sexes. SM, SAT, and VAT areas at L3 explained most of the variance of total tissue volumes (69–97%, with SEs of estimation of 1.96 and 2.03 L for SM, 0.23 and 0.61 L for VAT, and 4.44 and 2.47 L for SAT for men and women, respectively. There was no major effect on the explained variance compared with that for optimal slices. For SM, the optimal slice area was shown at midthigh. With weight-loss changes in total SM, VAT, and SAT, volumes were significantly different from those at baseline (SM changes: 22.8 6 2.9 L; VAT changes: 20.7 6 1.0 L; SAT changes: 25.1 6 6.0 L). The area at L3 reflected changes in total VAT and SAT. To assess changes in total SM volumes, areas at midthigh showed the best evidence. Conclusion: In both sexes, a single MRI scan at the level of L3 is the best compromise site to assess total tissue volumes of SM, VAT, and SAT. By contrast, L3 does not predict changes in tissue components. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01737034. Am J Clin Nutr doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.111203.

Low income Hispanic families experience multiple barriers to accessing evidence-based information on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This study utilized a mixed-strategy intervention to create access to information in published bio-medical research articles on ASD by distilling the content into parent-friendly English- and Spanish-language ASD Science Briefs and presenting them to participants using two socially-oriented dissemination methods. There was a main effect for short-term knowledge gains associated with the Science Briefs but no effect for the dissemination method. After 5 months, participants reported utilizing the information learned and 90% wanted to read more Science Briefs. These preliminary findings highlight the potential benefits of distilling biomedical research articles on ASD into parent-friendly educational products for currently underserved Hispanic parents.

Problem, research strategy, and findings: How media portray public transit services can affect the way voters and stakeholders think about future transit investments. In this study, I examine social media content about public transit from a large sample of Twitter comments, finding that they reflect more negative sentiments about public transit than do the comments about most other public services, and include more negative material about transit patrons. However, transit agencies may be able to influence the tone of those comments through the way they engage with social media. Transit agencies that respond directly to questions, concerns, and comments of other social media users, as opposed to merely “blasting” announcements, have more positive statements about all aspects of services and fewer slurs directed at patrons, independent of actual service quality. The interaction does not have to be customer oriented. Agencies using Twitter to chat with users about their experiences or new service also have s...

How should planners in public institutions restore relationships after they have done things that cause harm to communities? This manuscript examines how Sandercock’s therapeutic imagination in planning relates to the public ethics outlined by legal and political theorists. I explore the moral paradox for planning theory of the desire to engage in healing with communities when public institutions remain accountable to democratic majorities. That paradox defines three duties for planners in possession of Sandercock’s “therapeutic” imagination who would support healing and change via the profession of planning.

This article presents a model framework to integrate human behavior analysis and traffic simulation in evacuation modeling. During an evacuation, household members tend to evacuate as a unit. However, most engineering-based evacuation models treat evacuees as independent and separate entities, and overlook the interactions among household members during an evacuation (i.e., gathering children/spouses or uniting with other family members at home). The omission of these behaviors leads to imprecise modeling of evacuation situations. Transportation mode choice in a no-notice evacuation has seldom been investigated. The authors present a framework to incorporate both household-gathering behavior and mode choice in an emergency into an evacuation model to examine the effects of these two issues on evacuation efficiency and network performance. The framework was tested in the Chicago metropolitan region for two hypothetical incidents with evacuation radii of 5 and 25 miles. Evacuation models that omit gathering behavior give dangerously optimistic evacuation times and network congestion levels compared to models that include family interactions. Optimistic estimates are significant for a large-scale evacuation. These optimistic estimates can cause the reduction in the number of evacuees who can reach safe zones in a certain time threshold to nearly 50% between the gathering and no-gathering models. Gathering behavior could also cause distinct effects on network performance for inner and outer areas, the break point of which may be where severe bottlenecks are located. In this study, average travel speed increases on the overall network within 15 miles of the incident location (where downtown Chicago is located), but decreases outside the 15-mile radius. The paper concludes that without considering family gathering in the evacuation scenarios the management strategies may actually impede rather than help the evacuation process.

BACKGROUND Assessing skeletal muscle (SM) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) by a single MRI slice at lumbar vertebra (L) 3 can replace whole-body MRI in young and middle-aged adults. However, this technique has not been proven in older adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this analysis was to reinvestigate the best estimate for SM and VAT in an independent population of healthy elderly people. METHODS SM and VAT were assessed by whole-body MRI in 84 subjects ≥60 y [45 men; mean ± SD age: 68.4 ± 5.4 y, mean ± SD body mass index (in kg/m2): 25.5 ± 3.5]. SM and VAT areas of 9 slices at the lumbar spine were analyzed. The best estimate was investigated by Pearson correlations. Total volumes (in liters) were predicted by the area at lumbar vertebra 3 (AL3). Besides Bland-Altman analysis, linear regressions were performed to explain the variance of the bias by age, height, and percentage of fat mass (%FM). In a mixed population (healthy elderly plus reference population), linear regression with total SM and VAT volume as dependent variables and AL3, age, and height as independent variables was applied. RESULTS When comparing the correlation coefficients between the tissue areas and total volumes, L3 was identified as the best estimate (r range: 0.71-0.94; all P < 0.05). However, Bland-Altman analysis showed a positive SM bias in men (mean ± SD: -1.0% ± 9.0%; P < 0.05) and a negative SM bias in women (mean ± SD: 3.7% ± 9.6%; P < 0.05). Contrary to SM, no significant bias was observed for VAT. In the elderly, stepwise linear regression showed height as a predictor for SM bias (R2 = 0.21, SEE = 2.07 L; P < 0.05) and %FM and age as predictors of the nonsignificant VAT bias (R2 = 0.26, SEE = 0.22L, P < 0.05), in men only. In the mixed population, AL3 and height were predictors for total SM, and AL3 for total VAT, independent of sex. CONCLUSIONS AL3 was confirmed as the best estimate for SM and VAT volumes in healthy elderly adults. Contrary to VAT, there is a bias for SM, and height has to be added to the algorithm.

There are positive associations between pulmonary function (PF) and fat-free mass as well as muscle strength. Contrarily, negative associations were found with indirect measures of visceral adipose tissue (VAT). We aimed to differentiate between associations of body composition and PF by assessing mediating and moderating effects of physical capabilities.Cross-sectional data were assessed among 40 healthy, free-living elderly (20 males) aged 65.1-81.2 years (mean±s.d. age: 72.2±4.3 years; body mass index: 25.6±3.7 kg/mPositive associations between height-standardized FVC (FVCI) as well as FEVIn healthy elderly, PF is positively associated with SM; physical capabilities mediate and moderate these relationships.

In no-notice events, adults must decide whether and how to gather household dependents. This article examines how effectively households plan their evacuation logistics for a daytime event in a multimodal network and how these plans match the outcomes of a nonlinear integer optimization approach that simultaneously determines optimal meeting locations, final destinations, and family member pickup assignment and sequencing. The model outcomes are compared to information from 59 in-depth interviews. Households largely assign emergency-gathering activities to the parent normally responsible for child-related travel and prefer to meet at home; these decisions are optimal only in some cases. The authors also identify the sensitivity of the optimized logistics to the time adults spend at pickup locations gathering their dependents and “break-even” points where a combination of walking and trains become competitive with personal vehicles. For some households, the additional travel time to make these modes compet...

Research on environmental justice and social inclusion suggests that high-income wage earners may have better job access due to their greater choices in both housing and transportation markets. This study compares the jobs/housing balance and mode choice of different groups of employees of a large employer (27,113 employees) and those of the “reference groups” from comparable employees working for smaller employers in Los Angeles. Based on spatial and statistical analyses, this paper finds the following: a) Across all employee groups, a better jobs/housing balance was accompanied by higher income, as was likelihood to patronize Travel Demand Management (TDM) programs. b) Employees from the large employer had more options for carpooling and thus drove alone less, even after controlling overall housing stock, residential location, annual income, and/or commute time. c) Across all employee groups, good jobs/housing balance did not necessarily bring about green mode choice. d) Comprehensive TDM measures by the large employer significantly reduced employees’ dependence on driving, even in a region where autocommuting dominates. However, these measures were costly to implement. e) Different employee groups favor different TDM programs, and the patterns are marked by income. The above findings suggest that shared or consolidated TDM and housing programs, which pool smaller employers, might better promote green mode choice. Participating employers may also negotiate better deals for program implementation when these programs involve third-party transit agencies and contractors.

In a no-notice disaster (e.g., nuclear explosion, terrorist attack, or hazardous materials release), an evacuation may start immediately after the disaster strikes. When a no-notice evacuation occurs during the daytime, household members are scattered throughout the regional network, and some family members (e.g., children) may need to be picked up. This household pick-up and gathering behavior was seldom investigated in previous work due to insufficient data; this gap in our understanding about who within families handles child-gathering is addressed here. Three hundred fifteen interviews were conducted in the Chicago metropolitan area to ascertain how respondents planned their response to hypothetical no-notice emergency evacuation orders. This paper presents the influencing factors that affect household pick-up and gathering behavior/expectations and the logistic regression models developed to predict the probability that parents pick up a child in three situations: a normal weekday and two hypothetical emergency scenarios. The results showed that both mothers and fathers were more likely to pick up a child under emergency conditions than they were on a normal weekday. For a normal weekday, increasing the distance between parents and children decreased the probability of parents picking up children; in other words, the farther parents are from their children, the less likely they will pick them up. In an emergency, effects of distance on pick-up behavior were significant for women, but not significant for men; that is, increasing the distance between parents and children decreased the probability that mothers pick up a child, but had a less significant effect on the fathers' probability. Another significant factor affecting child pick-up behavior/expectations was household income when controlling for distance. The results of this study confirm that parents expect to gather children under emergency conditions, which needs to be accounted for in evacuation planning; failure to do so could cause difficulties in executing the pick-ups, lead to considerable queuing and rerouting, and extend the time citizens are exposed to high levels of risk.

I became frustrated that my half-semester course on planning theory left no time to work through planning ethics; I decided therefore in fall of 2013 to develop a class on planning ethics for the s...

This manuscript examines employees’ participation in a free and discounted try-transit program called “Dump the Pump” (DtP) in Los Angeles, California. DtP offered eligible employee drivers a 12-week free transit pass and a discounted transit pass after the free trial as long as the employee drivers continued buying transit passes. By one-year after the program’s introduction, DtP attracted 33% more transit riders to the system. At the program’s zenith, 5% of the eligible drivers who lived within a half-mile from a direct transit line to their workplace had switched. Drivers were more likely to try the program under conditions in which (1) gas prices were relatively high and (2) the travel time difference between driving and transit was relatively low. After trying transit, participants remained on transit longer if they had no children, were unresponsive to lower gas prices, and had a bus schedule that matched their travel needs. The DtP experience indicates recruitment programs can attract drivers over ...

Under no-notice conditions in which family members are collecting dependents, the geographic location and the characteristics (e.g., the number of entrances and exits) of the pickup points become factors crucial to efficient evacuation. This paper presents a linear integer mathematical program for facilities to relocate dependents who need to be picked up in an optimal manner. The program is iterated with a traffic simulation model to obtain an optimal set of locations to which dependents are relocated, on the basis of anticipated travel times. The entire methodology is applied to a sample network based on the Chicago Heights, Illinois, network with three safety time thresholds. The results indicated that the safe evacuation time threshold is important to the relocation strategy. When the safe evacuation time threshold is adequate, the relocation of dependents increases the number of successful evacuees and increases the average travel speed of the network; it also significantly benefits those who rely on public transit to evacuate because new sites are closer to bus stops and walking times to those stops are reduced. Application of the proposed methodology can assist local decision makers with taking effective measures during no-notice evacuations, and the relocation sites could be part of local evacuation management plans.

Problem: Recently, public health researchers have argued that infill development and sprawl reduction may improve respiratory outcomes for urban residents, largely by reducing vehicle travel and it...

This commentary explores the roles of planning and urban design in contemporary US urbanization following the global financial crisis in Fall 2008. We focus on the tendency to discuss the planning profession in recovery metaphors – a perspective that has been emphasized in establishing how the profession's past and future relevance may be asserted. In the recent past the planning profession has sought to recover its standing and policy relevance through its contributions to real estate development. In doing so, the profession has gravitated toward design and determinism in order to satisfy pluralist demands within the loosely regulated political economy of neoliberal urban growth. But while design determinism offered numerous practical advantages to the planning profession for the short term, it also served to preclude the profession from engaging with social justice, the social construction of place, and civil society.

Environmental justice concerns, in part, the maldistribution of both environmental hazards and nuisances such that impoverished communities, particularly impoverished communities of color, contend with the effects of industry more so than those who are affluent. As communities of color have organized to confront this problem, their claims of injustice have revealed significant issues across all sectors of environmental governance, both in the U.S. and internationally, and reflect failures of representative institutions in urban land management. In this manuscript, we derive a socio-spatial approach to management of facility siting decisions based on the research in environmental justice. Then we discuss some reforms to facility siting that have been proposed and implemented in the US, Canada, and western Europe over the course of three decades and how these reforms can improve the legitimacy of facility siting decisions.

This paper reports the results of a nationwide survey on transportation planning topics taught at U.S. universities. The survey gathered a comprehensive inventory of courses, documented variations in curricula, and determined the variations among those curricula in how they emphasized different transportation topics. This paper also includes a literature review to trace the evolution of transportation classes and education over time. Along with the survey on course content, the manuscript presents an analysis of the spatial distribution of transportation courses and in particular of transportation planning courses. The study finds that educational opportunities in transportation planning are widely distributed across the nation and that students are able to take advantage of the opportunities. However, some planning programs stand out for offering a wider variety of relevant topics, and those programs are concentrated on the coasts. Relatively little is known about the affect of geography on the allocation of resources in transportation education. Transportation educators have multiple opportunities for exploring new topics and methods, such as by including globalization and comparative study, promoting transportation planning knowledge across different educational levels, and continuing to monitor and evaluate higher education and training programs.

The transportation field has for many years been dominated by engineers and other technical specialists. This article describes the Sustainable Mobility Learning Lab (SMLL), a Web-based tool designed to support classroom and university outreach activities to help initiate a more inclusive, nontechnical discussion about the role of transportation technology and human behavioral changes in sustainability. The SMLL includes both a general, “one-room schoolhouse” approach, in which Web users at a variety of levels can participate, along with classroom exercises for more targeted education. In our first runs with the project, the students were engaged with the material and reported positive experiences, and the Web-based format has allowed us to use the materials in a variety of outreach and open source settings.

Environmental justice advocates in the US and internationally have argued that hazardous materials industries are a source of significant community disruption and environmental hazard. Few of these studies, however, have examined firms' accident frequencies or how accidents are distributed across metropolitan regions. This research argues that accident frequencies differ significantly among firms, and they are an important part of understanding industries and their distribution within metropolitan regions. The accident records of the risk management plan (RMP) facilities in southern California provide an illustration for the discussion. Statistical tests demonstrate that previous accident counts correlate with future counts. The research heightens the usability of the existing accident record for local governments in the US.

Those who oppose tolls and other forms of road pricing argue that low-income, urban residents will suffer if they must pay to use congested freeways. This contention, however, fails to consider (1) how much low-income residents already pay for transportation in taxes and fees, or (2) how much residents would pay for highway infrastructure under an alternative revenue-generating scheme, such as a sales tax. This paper compares the cost burden of a value-priced road, State Route 91 (SR91) in Orange County, California with the cost burden under Orange County’s local option transportation sales tax, Measure M. We find that although the sales tax spreads the costs of transportation facilities across a large number of people inside and outside Orange County, it redistributes about $3 million (USD) in revenues from less affluent residents to those with higher incomes. The entire Measure M program redistributes an estimated $26 million from low-income residents to the more affluent. Low-income drivers as individuals save substantially if they do not have to pay tolls, but as a group low-income residents, on average, pay more out-of-pocket with sales taxes.

Learning networks, such as a community of practice, can be an important way for planners to gain access to, and power in, new professional knowledge domains. In this manuscript, the authors develop, implement, and evaluate a community of practice model for planning education and practice in energy and sustainability planning. The authors find that although this active, learner-centered method helps enable flexible, self-directed study for those learning new content, there is a strong need for leadership in heterogeneous learning networks to help participants overcome problems created by social position and structuration within the network. New knowledge formation within learning networks ultimately challenges some of the planning profession's fundamental assumptions about the validity of “moving knowledge into practice” in contexts with uncertainty.

In recent years, US federal and state regulators have developed policies and programs designed to encourage tractor-trailer drivers to reduce engine idling as a way to cut down on diesel emissions and fuel consumption. It has proven difficult, however, to target education and outreach to truck drivers, partially because little is known about them. Based on a nationwide interview survey of over 350 drivers, the link between drivers' environmental and energy attitudes and their adoption of idle-reduction measures is examined. Cluster analysis shows that truckers with some college and with college completion consistently expressed agreement with pro-environmental statements. A logit model indicates that concerns over fuel consumption, resource depletion, and cost are associated with an interest in idle-reduction alternatives among owner-operators, but not with purchases. Costs of technology and fuel are the driving considerations affecting the adoption of idle-reduction strategies.

Environmental justice, a term that incorporates 'environmental racism' and 'environmental classism,' captures the idea that different racial and socioeconomic groups experience differential access to environmental quality. This article explores what previous studies have established about environmental justice as an urban phenomenon and critiques the focus and methodologies of those efforts within the larger context of urban inquiry. After assaying the concepts that have guided most of the research, the paper considers the arguments that analysts have offered for the causes of environmental injustice. The review of the literature reveals significant problems of focus, measurement, specification and research design. Nonetheless, environmental justice research raises critical concerns about how citizens should be treated and what constitutes a just distribution of collective urban goods in a democratic society. It is the authors' view that due consideration of these matters can enlighten urban and environmental inquiry and policy.

BACKGROUND The effect of gender as well as gender-specific changes of fat free mass (FFM) and its metabolic active components (muscle mass and organ masses [OMs]) and fat mass (FM) on age-related changes in resting energy expenditure (REE) are not well defined. We hypothesized that there are gender differences in (1) the age-specific onset of changes in detailed body composition (2); the onset of changes in body composition-REE associations with age. METHODS Using a cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging database of 448 Caucasian participants (females and males) with comprehensive data on skeletal muscle (SM) mass, adipose tissue (AT), OMs, and REE. RESULTS We observed gender-specific differences in the onset of age-related changes in metabolic active components and REE. Declines in body composition and REE started earlier in females than in males for SM (29.4 vs 39.6 years), AT (38.2 vs 49.9 years), OM (34.7 vs 45.7 years), and REE (31.9 vs 36.8 years). The age-related decrease of AT was significantly higher in females than in males (-5.69kg/decade vs -0.59kg/decade). In females adjusted REEmFFM&FM (resting energy expenditure measured adjusted for FFM and FM) and REEmSM/OM/AT (resting energy expenditure measured adjusted for skeletal muscle and organ mass and adipose tissue) decreased by -145 kJ/d/decade and -604.8 kJ/d/ decade after the age of 35.2 respectively 34.3 years. SM was main determinant of REEm in females (R (2) = .67) and males (R (2) = .66) with remaining variance mainly explained by kidney mass (R (2) = .07) in females and liver mass (R (2) = .09) in males. CONCLUSION We concluded that gender affects the age-related changes in body composition as well as changes in body composition-REE relationship. This trial was registered at linicaltrials.gov as NCT01737034.

Large cities in the United States face multiple challenges in meeting federal air quality standards. One difficulty arises from the uncertainties in evaluating traffic-related air pollution, especially the formation of secondary pollutants such as ozone and some particulate matter. Current air quality models are not well suited to evaluate the impact of a short-term traffic change on air quality. Using regional traffic and ambient air quality data from Southern California, we examine the impact of a two-day freeway closure on traffic and several criteria air pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5). The results indicate that regional traffic decreased about 14% on average during the closure. Daily average PM2.5 levels decreased by about 32%, and daily 8 h maximum ozone levels decreased by about 16%. However, the daily 1 h maximum NO2 concentration was higher at some sites during the closure. Despite the mixed results with NO2, this study provides empirical evidence to support traffic reduction as an effective strategy to address chronic air pollution problems, especially with regard to ozone, in Southern California.

Summary Dual-energy X-ray (DXA) is an alternative to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure skeletal muscle mass. DXA assesses lean body mass (LBM), and MRI measures skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Kim et al. (Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 76: 378; J Appl Physiol (1985) 2004; 97: 655) developed MRI-based algorithms to estimate whole-body SMM by DXA. These algorithms were based on an ethnically mixed study population (Kim et al., Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 76: 378; J Appl Physiol (1985) 2004; 97: 655). It is unclear whether Kim's algorithms are accurate in an exclusive Caucasian population. The aim of our study was to validate Kim's equation in a Caucasian population of 346 subjects. SMMMRI was assessed using MRI, and LBM and BMCDXA were measured by DXA and fat mass (FMADP) by air-displacement plethysmographie (ADP). SMMMRI and predicted SMM were highly correlated (r = 0·944; P

This paper explores whether the risk of a toxic release during transport is greater in poor and minority neighborhoods using a combination of mapping and statistical methods. Cluster analysis is used to examine the density of facilities and transport spill events as well as test for the spatial covariance between facilities and spills. Strong clustering of transport spills is evident, as well as clustering between factory sites and transport spills. A spatial model demonstrates raised rates of transport spills surrounding clusters of toxic firms. Most spills in Los Angeles occurred within 2 km of an intermodal facility. The last step of the analysis compares risk and facility clustering between neighborhoods and socio-economic groups, finding that hazmat spills during transport disproportionately occur in Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The results clarify the spatial distribution of risk and nuisance from freight in urban landscapes.

For more than a decade US transport policy has shifted or ‘devolved’ responsibility for transportation decision making away from the federal government toward lower jurisdictions. Decentralization is intended to foster social experimentation and, ultimately, improve transit planning and service provision. This study examines the merits of devolution through an analysis of the federal Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) grant program, created as part of the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. The JARC program funds state and regional transportation agencies to provide transit services to low-wage workers. The evidence suggests that the devolution of federal transportation authority has helped to create new and innovative transportation services targeted to low-wage workers. However, the program's weaknesses offer potential strategies for strengthening the benefits of devolution such as ensuring the reliability of federal funds, flexibility in the use of these funds, and greater program a...

Little research has been done on how immigrants, many of who are unable to drive and are poorly served by fixed-route public transportation services, met their travel needs. To help fill this gap, this paper presents findings from a study on the camioneta industry. Camionetas are minivans privately operated as jitney services, run by immigrants for immigrants in U.S., Mexican and Central American cities. Using interviews and ethnography, the authors analyze who patronizes camionetas in Southern California, and why. Patrons discussed why they use this service, their attitudes about it, other transportation options, and access to employment. Empirical tests were conducted to determine whether these services are as exploitative of their riders as portrayed in some media accounts. This research suggests that camionetas are primarily used by Mexican immigrants with varied socio-economic characteristics who want to travel inter-regionally and transnationally. Patrons praised camioneta service for timesaving, Spanish-speaking drivers, more flexible stops, the inclusion of Spanish music and television in the vehicle, and door-to-door service. The ethnographic evidence suggested that the camionetas operating in Southern California were comfortable and safe. Statistical tests suggest that undocumented patrons in the study sample may face price discrimination due to the paucity of travel opportunities that do not require U.S. identification. Suggestions are given on how transportation agencies can maximize the benefits of camioneta operations while minimizing the risks.