Shorter Commutes Research Articles

Estimating the tipping point for lithium iron phosphate batteries

Uncertainty surrounding NMC cathode chemistry prices have prompted increasing interest in less expensive alternative technologies. Chief among these is lithium iron phosphate (LFP), a chemistry that offers a cost advantage at the expense of energy density. We estimate which chemistry offers a lower cost at targeted vehicle ranges consistent with those consumers can expect from internal combustion engine vehicles. Our model – which considers tradeoffs between battery capacity and weight – enumerates a range ‘tipping point’ of 373.52 miles, beyond which NMC batteries consistently demonstrate a cost advantage over LFP batteries, despite the latter's reliance on less costly minerals. Using this tipping point as a benchmark, we leverage trip-level data from the National Household Travel Survey to explore which U.S. households may benefit from EVs equipped with LFP versus NMC batteries. Among multi-vehicle households, only 1 % of all trips taken exceed 160.53 miles, a figure analogous to our most conservative tipping point. To the extent that EVs may be utilized for relatively short commutes or as secondary or tertiary vehicles, our results suggest that LFP batteries can offer lower costs relative to NMC batteries while satisfying most households' travel demands. We subsequently discuss the policy implications of these findings.

From roads to roofs: How urban and rural mobility influence building energy consumption

Understanding the relationship between travel behavior and building energy use at an urban scale is crucial for developing effective energy management strategies. Mobility patterns significantly impact building occupancy, which in turn affects energy consumption. However, existing methods often focus on individual buildings, whereas geographical influences on energy usage are not adequately examined. This study addresses this gap by using transportation origin-destination (OD) data to estimate building occupancy and energy. The proposed method assigns OD trips from census block groups to the building level, incorporating building, travel survey, and census data to derive building occupancy profiles. This method was applied to urban and rural areas with 4062 buildings in 70 census block groups. We found that the OD-informed occupancy profile exhibits smoother energy consumption patterns compared with that of Department of Energy reference occupancy profiles. Our analysis reveals distinct building energy consumption patterns among groups with long and short commutes, emphasizing the effect of commute times and work schedules on residential energy usage. This framework is useful for practitioners in transportation agencies and utility companies, enabling the estimation of building energy based on mobility patterns. Overall, this study shows the potential of integrating transportation and building energy data to inform cross-sector energy management strategies.

A bike-sharing demand prediction model based on Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks

Shared bikes, as an eco-friendly transport mode, facilitate short commutes for urban dwellers and help alleviate traffic. However, the prevalent station-based strategy for bike placements often overlooks urban zones, cycling patterns, and more, resulting in underutilized bikes. To address this, we introduce the Spatio-Temporal Bike-sharing Demand Prediction (ST-BDP) model, leveraging multi-source data and Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks (STGCN). This model predicts spatial user demand for bikes between stations by constructing a spatial demand graph, accounting for geographical influences. For precision, ST-BDP integrates an attention-based graph convolutional network for station demand graph’s temporal-spatial features, and a sequential convolutional network for multi-source data (e.g., weather, time). In real dataset, experimental results show that ST-BDP has excellent performance with mean absolute error (MAE) = 1.62, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 15.82%, symmetric mean absolute percentage error (SMAPE) = 16.14%, and root mean square error (RMSE) = 2.36, outperforming the baseline techniques. This highlights its predictive accuracy and potential to guide future bike-sharing policies.

Development of a multifactorial prediction model for commute mode choice in 10 983 Finnish public sector employees: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of using survey data to identify factors that predict commute mode choice.DesignThe study design is cross-sectional.SettingSurvey data from the Finnish...

Critères influençant le choix du premier poste après l’internat de chirurgie orale en France

The Specialized Diploma in Oral Surgery (Diplôme d’études spécialisées en chirurgie orale) was established in 2011. It gives its holders a unique combination of medical and surgical expertise. As a specialty, oral surgery can be pursued via both medical and dental pathways. However, the criteria guiding students’ choice of first job after residency remain largely unknown. The primary objective was to evaluate the factors influencing students’ choice of first job after completing their oral surgery residency. The main geographical factors influencing job choice were the presence of family or friends, a short commute, and the location of the spouse’s place of work. Key practice conditions included access to advanced technical facilities and an operating theater offering general anesthesia. Clinical activities ranged from pre-implant grafts to general oral surgery. The likelihood of pursuing a hospital-based position in the same facility was correlated with the well-being experienced during the residency (p < 0.05) and with the oral surgeons’ medical background (p = 0.001). Significant associations exist between region of origin, internship location, and practice region (p < 0.001; p <0.001). The main factors influencing the choice of first position after oral surgery residency depend on family-related and technical criteria.

A Family of Si and SiC Devices-Based Short Commutation Loop Hybrid-NPC Rectifiers

A Family of Si and SiC Devices-Based Short Commutation Loop Hybrid-NPC Rectifiers

Job search with commuting and unemployment insurance: A look at workers’ strategies in time

Unemployed workers search for jobs that ideally offer both high wages and short commutes. But would they accept jobs with lower wages or longer commutes or both as the unemployment spell lengthens? Using a unique panel of Austrian workers, we find that job seekers do indeed accept jobs with significantly lower wages. However, the majority group of job seekers who used to commute to jobs located outside their municipality of residence tend to increasingly accept jobs in their home municipality, and do not necessarily broaden geographically their search. Based on quasi-experimental variations in the duration of unemployment benefits, we find that this evolution of commuting patterns is not linked to the loss of benefits. We explain these findings through the lens of a job search model where flexible parameters such as search costs are allowed to vary across space and time. We estimate that search costs are substantial and increase differently over time for local and non-local jobs, accounting for the patterns found in the data. A counterfactual policy exercise suggests that unemployment insurance does not hinder geographical mobility. Competing mechanisms are discussed and their role is left to future research.

The role of neighborhood characteristics in explaining political party residential segregation

High levels of neighborhood political residential segregation have recently been documented for the U.S. This has raised concerns, based on the argument that more politically homogeneous neighborhoods promote extremism and ideological intensity, resulting in this same extremism displayed by elected politicians. Using tens of thousands of single-family home sales from South Florida, our purpose is to examine the extent to which neighborhood observable descriptors can explain party segregation. Our results reveal significant differences between Democrat and Republican home buyers in the types of neighborhoods they choose. In comparison to Democrats, Republicans more frequently chose neighborhoods where a larger percentage of workers have short commutes, homes are on average larger in size, there are fewer restaurants and shops, population density is lower, and Hispanics are a smaller percentage of residents. These differences are found to be important in explaining neighborhood party segregation.

Statistical modelling of travel mode choice of public university students in Freetown, Sierra Leone: the case of three campuses

ABSTRACT Though much research has been conducted on students’ travel behavior around the world, not much is known about university students in Sierra Leone. This study investigates the most common transport modes amongst public university students, the factors influencing their preference, and the impact of their choice on the environment. Through a Revealed Preference survey, using the traditional paper-and-pencil method combined with a smartphone-assisted interviewing technique, 632 students were sampled. Discrete travel choice models were developed and estimated, and the methodology was demonstrated for the three campuses under the University of Sierra Leone. The study found that more than one-third of students preferred the paratransit mode, ‘podapoda’, followed by taxi, two and three-wheelers. According to the mode choice model results and exploratory analysis, sociodemographics, travel time, cost, and trip distance are the main factors considered by students’ for selecting a transport mode. Students varied widely in their assessment of how their mode choice affects the environment. These findings highlight the need for a sustainable transport system for university trips. Acquiring appropriate transport modes, promoting active travel, and developing student residences with shorter commutes will ensure long-term land management. This will promote the sociocultural, economic, educational, and ecological aspects of campus growth.

Commuting to work and gender norms by sexual orientation

We assess the role of gender-conforming social norms in household decision-making and gender inequalities in the labor market with a parsimonious household model that endogenizes commuting time. Using the American Community Survey 2008–2019, we test the model predictions and find that women in same-sex couples have a longer commute to work than working women in different-sex couples, whereas the commute to work of men in same-sex couples is shorter than the one of working men in different-sex couples, even after controlling for demographic characteristics, partner's characteristics, location and urbanicity, fertility, marital status, industry and occupation. These differences among men and women amount to a sizable portion of the gender commuting gap estimated in the literature, and are particularly stark among married couples with children. Within-couple gaps in commuting time are also significantly smaller in same-sex couples, and labor supply disparities mimic the commuting ones. According to our model, these differences are interpreted as gender-conforming social norms leading women in different-sex couples into jobs with a shorter commute and fewer hours worked while their male partners or spouses hold jobs with a longer commute and more hours worked, thus reinforcing gender inequalities.

Transient Arc Characteristic of a Commutation Switch Utilizing High Velocity Contact Separation

Commutation circuits are commonly used for low on state resistance and high current interruption capability if this can not be achieved by a single device or single current switching path. In case of fault detection, a very fast commutation of the current from the low-impedance main current path into the parallel high-current interrupting path is necessary. For single usage applications a low-cost approach is the utilization of a pyrotechnical switch in the low-impedance path. Compared to other electromechanical switches, those switches provide very high velocity of contact separation and thus a fast arc voltage rise with short commutation times. Here, measurements of the contact movement of a pyrotechnical switch were carried out using optical high speed imaging and an arc elongation up to 100ms−1 was calculated. From this, transient arc characteristics were measured in a simplified commutation network during the period until current zero in the low-impedance main current path.

Care workers’ sense of responsibility, working conditions, and the quality of care in South Korea

As countries like South Korea expand their paid care services, ensuring quality care has become critical. Since care work involves significant emotional labor, a worker’s sense of responsibility for the care recipient's well-being affects the quality of care delivered. In this study, we explore this particular determinant of quality care that has been underexplored to better understand its nature. However, a worker's sense of responsibility or commitment level is not static and varies depending on various factors including working conditions. Using 2018 Korean childcare and eldercare survey data, we empirically examine the relationship between a worker's commitment levels and working conditions by conducting Tobit and generalized maximum entropy (GME) analyses. Results indicate that training, shorter commutes, predictable schedules, and easy interactions with the care recipient’s family are associated with higher levels of commitment. Our findings highlight the importance of supportive working conditions in promoting quality care.

Investigating the impact of demographic disparities on clinical outcomes in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL): A multicenter retrospective cohort analysis.

7573 Background: Black patients have been shown to have a higher incidence of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) and display unique clinicopathologic features at diagnosis, however, drivers of these disparities and the role of social determinants of health (SDoH) remain poorly understood. Methods: To further characterize the prognostic relevance of racial and demographic disparities in CTCL, we performed a retrospective review of 1,198 patients seen at 8 different academic treatment centers in the United States between 2000-2020. Clinical variables included demographics, disease characteristics, and survival. Race and ethnicity were stratified into 2 groups for this analysis: non-Hispanic Black (B) and Non-Black (NB). Distance to center was stratified into short, intermediate, or long commute ( < 10, 10-50, > 50 miles, respectively) based on home zip code. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Univariate association and multivariable analyses were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Among 1,198 total patients, 42.4% identified as B and 58.6% as NB. B patients presented younger, had a shorter commute, lower income, but no difference in insurance compared to NB patients. There was no difference in survival by race (Median OS 74 months (95% CI 65-84) compared to 65 (95% CI 58-75) for NB patients). Distance to center was strongly associated with survival and remained significant on multivariate analyses after controlling for age, race, and other SDoH. Longer commute was associated with worse OS compared to short commute for both B and NB counterparts (median 55 months [95% CI 49-66] vs. 79 [95% CI 69-90] and 75 [95% CI 63-86], respectively, p = 0.006). Conclusions: We characterized the impact of race and SDoH on overall survival (OS) in a diverse, multicenter cohort of patients with CTCL. We found that distance to cancer center was the most important factor contributing to disparities in OS in this study. This highlights the importance of improving access to care, particularly in rare and clinically heterogeneous diseases such as CTCL.

The perfect match? Assessment of excess commute and transport externalities using an agent-based transport model

Excess commute (EC) refers to the sub-optimal allocation of workers to jobs in an urban region in terms of minimal commute distances. This article investigated EC for the Munich metropolitan area using a microscopic agent-based modeling suite. We first considered the optimization strategy, comparing the traditional zone-based transportation problem to a microscopic routine. Zone-based optimization is computationally efficient, but it underestimates EC due to spatial biases, even when the zone system is highly disaggregate. We then applied the optimized job-worker assignment to a microscopic travel demand model, assigning workers to jobs of the same job sector at a shorter distance from their home, accounting for multi-worker households. With shorter commutes, there was a substantial shift toward active modes. However, we only observed moderate impacts on total travel demand, with the overall effect dampened due to compensatory behavior between mandatory and discretionary travel. Finally, the outputs from the demand model were used by a microscopic assignment model to calculate externalities attributable to EC. Because of the complexity of travel demand, we conclude that the EC indicator alone would overestimate the benefits of policies targeting jobs-housing balance.

Patient Preference and Demographic Factors Influencing Treatment Decisions in Early-Stage Breast Cancer

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> To evaluate the treatment option preference for women with early-stage breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> Women were considered candidates for this study if they were eligible for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) according to American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guidelines. The ethics approved study protocol (HREBA.CC-19-0485) was designed to enroll 250 patients. Participants completed a demographic survey and selected between treatment options of 42.5 Gy in 16 fractions to the whole breast (Canadian hypofractionation), 26 Gy in 5 fractions to the whole breast (FAST-Forward), and 27 Gy in 5 fractions APBI (ACCEL). After radiotherapy, patients were surveyed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire BR-23 and self-rated breast appearance and symptom scoring criteria used in the RAPID and ACCEL trials. In this analysis of nominal demographic data, two cohorts of participants were defined: (i) short commute: patients traveling less than 30 minutes to the treating institution, and (ii) long commute: patients traveling more than 30 minutes. The chi-squared test of independence was used to measure statistical significance (alpha = 0.05). <h3>Results</h3> As of March 2022, 27 patients participated in the study. Fifteen patients selected 5-fraction partial breast, seven selected 5-fraction whole breast, and five selected 16-fraction whole breast. Of these, 15 had a short commute and 12 had a long commute. For participants with a short commute, 5 selected the 16-fraction option and 10 selected a 5-fraction option. For participants with a long commute, all selected a 5-fraction treatment option. The chi-squared test yielded a significant difference (p = 0.03), indicating that travel time for treatment is a factor in the treatment selection process. <h3>Conclusion</h3> At this early phase of patient accrual, the patient preference study indicates that travel time for treatment is a factor in selecting the preferred treatment option when fraction number as well as whole and partial breast options are available. The final study analysis is intended to address the participants' satisfaction in their treatment selection at follow-up time points.

Employment deconcentration and spatial dispersion in metropolitan areas: Consequences for commuting patterns

There is interest in understanding which characteristics of metropolitan areas impact the length of time or distance residents spend commuting. We utilize two measures recently introduced to the urban literature capturing distinct dimensions of employment decentralization –the level of employment deconcentration and employment spatial dispersion in metropolitan areas – to assess how they are related to commuting patterns across metropolitan areas. These two measures of urban/metropolitan spatial structure avoid challenges in identifying “job centers” and allow for a more systematic investigation of how employment decentralization affects commuting patterns. Furthermore, we detect key differences for the implications of these measures for commuting across 329 US metropolitan regions based on their population size. We find that greater employment deconcentration in very small MSAs is associated with longer commute times and distances, whereas greater employment deconcentration in large or very large MSAs is associated with shorter commutes. And whereas spatial dispersion is not related to commute times in very small MSAs, greater spatial dispersion is associated with longer commutes in very large MSAs. This study also shows that the spatial pattern of employment in regions, captured by these new measures, is associated with the proportion of very short and very long duration commutes.

High efficiency single‐pulse controlled switched reluctance motor drive based on novel multilevel converter

Due to the high back electromotive force and short commutation time at high speed, the phase current of switched reluctance motor (SRM) is difficult to reach a large value, which limits the output performance of the motor in high-speed operation. This paper proposes a novel multilevel converter (MLC) with fast excitation and fast demagnetisation capability, which allows each phase to control independently even in overlapping conduction operation and is suitable for SRM with any number of phases. The excitation current in the rising inductance region is increased by high-voltage fast excitation, thus increasing the phase current level of the motor at high speed; the current tailing in the falling inductance region is suppressed by high-voltage fast demagnetisation, thereby reducing the generation of negative torque. Based on the novel MLC, a maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) control strategy is designed, and closed-loop control of the boost capacitor voltage is developed. By optimising control, the output torque and efficiency of switched reluctance motor drive (SRD) are greatly improved, and the constant power operation range is extended. Simulation study and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

FROM WORKPLACE ATTACHMENT AND DETACHMENT TO COMMUTER SATISFACTION

Commuting to and from work can be stressful, tedious and unenjoyable. Previous research has demonstrated the positive/negative relationship between duration of commuting and life satisfaction. Relying on secondary data, the present study applies a quantitative research approach to examine the data. The quantitative results obtained indicate that there is a positive correlation between the indicators of 1-9 minutes and 45-59 minutes of commuting and happiness. This implies that a higher degree of workforce commuting in those periods leads to a higher degree of happiness. Secondly, in some cases employees spend more time commuting than the number of paid vacation days. In seven (Spain, Austria, Slovakia, Finland, Portugal, Cyprus and Iceland) of the surveyed countries, the commute is shorter than employees’ permitted annual time off. According to the data, the duration of commuting time can affect our state of happiness. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that employees spend more time commuting than the number of paid vacation days. The time and stress that appear with a long commute have a big influence when it depends whether the employee prefers free time (shorter commute) or money. Happiness may be influenced by different transportation modes. Clearly, the advantage of lessening this burden makes employees happier. Overall, the study indicates that duration of commuting (short or long) can contribute to being happy, but happiness will only be maintained if the commute is shorter than employees’ permitted annual time off.

Hybrid MVDC Circuit Breaker Based on Enhanced Arc Voltage of Vacuum Interrupter

The hybrid dc circuit breaker (HDCCB) is one of the most promising solutions for the dc interruption. But the power electronics-based load commutation switch (LCS) in the main current path causes the high on-state loss and cost, which inhibits the application of the HDCCB. In this paper, a novel hybrid dc circuit breaker is proposed, in which the vacuum interrupter with the external transverse magnetic field (ETMF) is designed to improve the arc voltage and thus enhance the current commutation to power electronics. The ETMF-based vacuum interrupter achieves the fast current commutation instead of the LCS, which realizes the low on-state loss and cost while preserving the short commutation and interruption time. The arc voltage characteristic with ETMF is analyzed, and the influence of the different factors on the commutation time and <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">di/dt</i> before current zero are investigated in detail. Based on the calculation results, a 10 kV dc breaker prototype based on the proposed topology is developed with the breaking current of 15.5 kA. Finally, the application of the proposed scheme in HVdc grids is discussed.

African American and Caucasian patients with Sézary syndrome have no differences in outcomes at an ethnically diverse urban medical center

Sézary syndrome (SS) is an aggressive cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with poor survival. We performed a retrospective review of SS patients at Emory University from 1990 to 2020. We collected data on race, clinical characteristics, therapy, and social determinants of health. Clinical endpoints were overall survival (OS) and time to next treatment (TTNT). Univariate association and multivariable analyses were assessed by Cox proportional hazards models. Among 62 patients, 45.2% were AA. The median OS and TTNT were 3.1 years and 6.3 months, respectively, with no difference by race. AA patients had a higher median baseline LDH (360 vs. 232, p = 0.002) and a longer delay in initiation of systemic therapy compared to CC patients (3.17 vs. 2.14 months, p = 0.039), but a shorter commute (<10 miles) and no difference in insurance coverage (p = 0.260). AA patients at an academic center had unique clinical features and treatment patterns, but similar survival to CC SS patients.