Frequent Travel Research Articles

Association of a Liver Allocation Policy Change With Domestic Travel for Liver Transplantation.

In 2020, liver allocation policy in the United States was changed to allow for broader organ sharing, which was hypothesized to reduce patient incentives to travel for transplant. Our objective was to describe patterns of travel for domestic liver transplant pre- and post-acuity circle (AC) implementation. Incident adult liver transplant listings between August 16, 2016, and February 3, 2020 (pre-AC) or June 13, 2020, and December 3, 2023 (post-AC) were obtained from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. We used previously defined geographic catchment areas to classify patients as (1) no travel, (2) travel to a neighboring region, and (3) travel beyond a neighboring region. We used multinomial logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with travel and cause-specific hazards modeling to estimate the association between travel and time to deceased donor transplant, stratified by model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and AC era. Among 83 033 liver candidates, 76% were listed in their home region. Black race, lower educational attainment, increased neighborhood social deprivation, and Medicaid were significantly associated with decreased odds of traveling beyond a neighboring region. After AC, traveling beyond a neighboring region was associated with an increased hazard of transplant for patients with a MELD score <15 (cause-specific hazard ratio [csHR]: 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.40), MELD score 15-24 (csHR: 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.31), and MELD score 25-34 (csHR: 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-1.32). Travel frequency, geographic patterns of travel, and characteristics associated with travel were largely unchanged after AC. Changes to allocation policy alone may not equalize patient means or desire to travel for transplant care.

Disparities in organ preservation rate for high-risk stage I rectal cancer.

37 Background: Guidelines for the treatment of high-risk stage I rectal cancer is a curative oncologic resection, while recommendations for stage II/III rectal cancer include neoadjuvant therapy with the option for organ preservation. The paradoxical nature of treating less advanced stage cancer with more morbid surgery calls into question the use of organ preservation strategies (OP) for less advanced disease. While sphincter preservation is appealing, benefits from OP require commitment to preoperative therapy, which may require more significant time and financial commitments than a single-stage curative treatment. This study aims to evaluate disparities in social determinants of health regarding receipt of OP compared to major oncologic resection for high-risk stage I rectal cancer. Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried to analyze all patients with high-risk stage 1 rectal cancer between 2004-2021. High-risk stage 1 disease was defined as either T2 or T1 tumors with lymphovascular invasion, or grade 3 or 4 differentiation. Covariates in patients who underwent OP, defined as chemoradiation therapy without oncologic resection or local excision, were compared to those who underwent major oncologic resection. Additional variables included age, sex, race, great circle distance, insurance status, education, facility type, income, rurality, and comorbidity index. Univariate and multivariate analyses were utilized to compare association of covariates to OP. Results: Of the 63,762 patients included, 9,261 (14.5%) underwent OP. Increased rates of OP were seen with increasing age (OR 1.029, p&lt;0.0001), female sex (OR 1.147, p&lt;0.0001), higher education level (OR 1.179, p=0.0034), rurality (OR 1.273, p=0.0003) and lower income (OR 0.757 for income &gt;74K, p &lt;0.0001). Interestingly, OP was more frequently utilized at community cancer centers in comparison to comprehensive cancer centers (OR 0.78, p&lt;0.0001) and academic centers (OR 0.842, p=0.0021). Race, insurance status, distance to treatment, and comorbidity index were not statistically significant predictors of OP. Of note, those who underwent OP had a considerable delay in time to first treatment, with median time to treatment of 36 days in comparison to 13 days for oncologic resection. Conclusions: Socioeconomic and demographic variables are associated with receipt of OP. While plausible that a treatment strategy that requires frequent office visits, travel expenses, and time off from work may preclude OP, lower income and rurality had increased odds of OP. Future aims should be directed to identifying root causes of disparities in treatment and their clinical consequences.

Traffic Origin–Destination Flow Prediction Considering Individual Travel Frequency: A Classification-Based Approach

Traffic Origin–Destination Flow Prediction Considering Individual Travel Frequency: A Classification-Based Approach

Mobility Practice of Slum Households in Siliguri City: Analyzing the Nexus between Mobility, Poverty, and Human Adaptations in Urban India

The present research steams from the question that how the urban poor, inhabiting slums and surviving on narrow, close-knit networks of economic opportunities, tend to negotiate their mobility practices in a city where the existing transport infrastructure is highly biased toward motorization. The study accordingly navigates through the mobility patterns of slum households in Siliguri, a medium-sized Indian city, within the context that the city’s urban transport scenario is visibly biased toward automobile-centrism. By analyzing factors such as access to transport modes, travel preferences and needs, frequency of travel, and accessibility constraints, the study endeavors to shed light on the ways the urban poor of Siliguri negotiate space in the city through their daily mobility practices. The findings from the data, collected through door-to-door household surveys in 400 slum households, pertaining to the travel behavior of slum residences of Siliguri, highly corroborate with the findings of the existing body of scholarly evidence in the field, arguing that the poor of a city are not “motorized” so far and they depend much on shared or nonmotorized modes for their day-to-day commutes. This adaptation reflects their resilience in optimizing available resources, further highlighting the intricate relationship between socio-economic circumstances and mobility practices.

Risks and Benefits of Future Travel with Hyperloop: A Multi-Analytical Approach

Despite significant government investment in Hyperloop transportation across various countries, research on its potential advantages and drawbacks from the tourist’s perspective remains scarce. Guided by prospect theory, this study examines the perceptions and behaviors of frequent ( n = 386) and occasional ( n = 214) travelers regarding Hyperloop technology, using multiple analytical methods such as partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), multi-group analysis (MGA), fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), and artificial neural networks (ANN). The study explores how four perceived benefits (economic, environmental, socio-cultural, and time-saving) and four perceived risks (functional, physical, psychological, and financial concerns) influence travelers’ intentions to use Hyperloop for tourism. The PLS-SEM and MGA analyses indicate that frequent travelers prioritize time-saving, while economic, environmental, socio-cultural benefits, and functional risks influence occasional travelers’ decisions. Additionally, fsQCA findings identify distinct benefit-risk combinations affecting travel decisions, and deep learning models highlight critical factors predicting Hyperloop adoption. This study provides theoretical insights and practical strategies for integrating Hyperloop into tourism planning and management.

P0884 Environmental impact and costs of a switching program of intravenous to subcutaneous infliximab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Background We aimed to compare real-life direct and indirect costs and the environmental impact of switching IBD patients from IV to SC infliximab (IFX). Methods Adult IBD outpatients in clinical remission who switched from IV to SC IFX were studied. Data on direct and indirect costs for the hospital (€), and environmental impact (Carbon dioxide equivalents [CO2e]), were evaluated before and after switching. Patients also completed an anonymous pilot questionnaire designed to assess the indirect costs associated with their own drug administration. A consecutive sample of patients was used to calculate costs over 6 months of both therapy regimens. Results Twelve patients switched to SC IFX (91.7% were under-optimised IV dosage). Before switching, most missed work (58.3%) or changed shifts for infusions (25%), leading to a median of 4 missed workdays over 6 months, translating to an estimated median loss of 328€ in self-earnings. Patients spent a median of 92.5 min travelling to and 720 min at the hospital. Post-switch, hospital time decreased to 195 min (p=0.005). However, due to pharmacy stock rules requiring frequent hospital visits to collect SC therapy, both travel time (190 min; p=0.009) and travel frequency (4.0 vs 6.0 visits; p=0.004) increased. Estimated travel costs for patients rose from 89.6€ to 196.0€ over 6 months (p=0.007). Median direct costs were 1321.34€ for IV IFX and 2604€ for SC IFX (p=0.008), while indirect costs dropped as preparation time fell from 140 min for IV to 70 min for SC (p=0.001), corresponding to an estimated cost reduction of 9.59€ (p&amp;lt;0.001). Similarly, nursing staff time significantly reduced from 600 min with IV to 40 min with SC (p=0.002), corresponding to 95.01€ reduction (p&amp;lt;0.001), respectively. Over 6 months, IV IFX had a median carbon footprint of 20.95 kg CO2eq (11.6 kg from infusions; 9.35 kg from patient travel), while SC IFX generated 24.15 kg CO2e (3.6 kg from injections; 20.55 kg from patient travel) per patient (p=0.859). Conclusion Our analysis shows SC IFX incurs higher direct costs than IV IFX without reducing the carbon footprint. However, reduced indirect patient costs and improved pharmacy and day hospital efficiency may offset these expenses. To maximise benefits, pharmacies should adjust stock management policies and minimise patient travel. These factors should be evaluated locally in a switching program design.

Operation Baby Drop: Lessons Learned From Military International Air Transport of Critically Ill Neonate.

Military medical transport is unique due to its frequent long-distance travel with limited supplies and capabilities. Military neonatal transport is perhaps even more niche, and descriptions in the literature are rare. A military neonatal team transported a 1-month-old former 26-week infant from a forward-deployed non-combat setting. Due to complications in-flight, the infant could only be safely transported from the deployed setting to the refueling stop. This report is a descriptive analysis of the transport, including lessons learned that may help future teams plan for possible complications that can occur during neonatal transports.

Leisure travel and life satisfaction in a Dutch sample

People generally go on vacation to improve their life satisfaction. However, the association between life satisfaction and leisure travel is poorly understood, partly because of methodological limitations in previous research. In the present study, we examined the longitudinal association between life satisfaction and leisure travel using data from a representative Dutch sample ( N = 12,027) gathered annually over 8 years. We specifically compared travelers and non-travelers on their levels and growth in life satisfaction over time using a growth model framework. We also examined whether more frequent and international (vs. domestic) travel was associated with life satisfaction among travelers. Travelers and non-travelers were similar in levels and changes in life satisfaction. Traveling more frequently and internationally was related to greater life satisfaction during the year of travel, but not stable levels or long-term trajectories. Our findings suggest that vacations are only positively linked to life satisfaction in the short term.

Network analysis of socioeconomic disparities and public transport in COVID-19 spread: a case study in northeast Brazil.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted public transportation systems worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the rate of COVID-19 positivity and its associated factors among users of public transportation in socioeconomically disadvantaged regions of Brazil during the pre-vaccination phase of the pandemic. This ecological study, conducted in Aracaju city in Northeast Brazil, is a component of the TestAju Program. This initiative was designed to expand COVID-19 testing to asymptomatic individuals in public spaces such as squares and bus terminals. Using logistic regression, we examined the relationship between COVID-19 positivity and factors such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and travel frequency. The Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm was used to explore transmission pathways across neighborhoods with varying living conditions. Of the 1,420 public transport users tested via real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 249 were positive, indicating a 17.5% positivity rate (95% CI: 15.7-19.6). Our findings revealed a higher positivity rate during periods of increased viral spread (OR = 4.3, 95% CI: 3.1-5.9) and in neighborhoods with poorer conditions (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1-2.1). Network analysis revealed affluent neighborhoods as significant transmission hubs of the disease. Our study highlights the vital role of urban mobility patterns in the spread of COVID-19. Neighborhoods with better living conditions that serve as hubs of activity and movement, enable gatherings and interactions among people from diverse regions, including those from areas with higher infection rates.

&lt;b&gt;GUERRA E POLITICA NE “LE QUATTRO RAGAZZE WIESELBERGER” DI FAUSTA CIALENTE&lt;/b&gt;

The novel Le quattro ragazze Wieselberger (The Four Wieselberger Girls), published in 1976 and winner of that year's Strega Prize, is the later work of Fausta Cialente, an important 20th century Italian writer. In it, autobiographical memoirs merge with accounts of the history and politics of the 'short century', in which the dramas that crossed it are analysed: imperialism, racism, wars, totalitarianism and class conflicts. Special attention is paid by the writer to the indifference and greed of the bourgeoisie of her time and the place of women in the working world. In this novel, the soul of the scholar merges with that of the chronicler. Cialente was a cosmopolitan intellectual with a very special life, characterised by frequent travel and feeling like a foreigner everywhere. Today, in Italy, there is renewed interest in this writer, whose novels have recently been republished. This essay dwells on the more non-fiction part of The Four Wieselberger Girls, analysing significant passages in which the author examines the historical situation of her time.

A Survey to Capture the Mobility Behavior of Residents in the Republic of Cyprus

In today's highly mobile world, people of all age groups constantly move between various locations, such as their homes, grocery stores, schools, and workplaces, reflecting the dynamic nature of modern society. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the profound impact of human mobility on the rapid spread of the virus within and between urban areas. The current study investigates the daily mobility behaviors of residents of the Republic of Cyprus. Through a comprehensive survey, the research documents travel patterns, commuting habits, and transportation preferences across various age groups and districts of Cyprus. With a total of 787 responses from all districts of Cyprus, data was collected through an online survey from 20/11/2023 to 20/02/2024. Data analysis includes descriptive methods and statistical modeling techniques in order to provide insights into the patterns of human mobility. Key findings include insights into travel distances, frequencies, duration and means of transportation, and timelines of mobility activities during typical workdays, as well as during weekends.

Drivers of Willingness to Pay in a National Water Conservancy Scenic Spot from a Perceived Value Perspective: A Case Study of Nanjing

This study considers Jinniu Lake (JNL), the biggest artificial lake and National Water Conservancy Scenic Spot (WCSS) in Nanjing, as an example to analyze the determinants of tourists’ willingness to pay (WTP) and satisfaction, as well as their pro-environmental behavior from a ‘tourist perceived value’ perspective (i.e., function, emotional, social, and epistemic), and then estimate the non-use value of JNL using the contingent valuation method (CVM). A total of 321 valid responses to questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with the obtained results indicating the following: (1) JNL possesses a relatively high non-use value, influenced by emotional value, function value, social value, and epistemic value. (2) Satisfaction mediates the relationships between perceived value and WTP. (3) Education level, monthly travel frequency, and past visit frequency are all significantly positively correlated with WTP. In conclusion, strengthening tourists’ emotional and functional identification within destinations is conducive to improving visitor satisfaction and inspiring their pro-environmental behavior, ultimately feeding back into the development of the scenic area through WTP, achieving imitable ecological–economic circular development.

Study on the characteristics of weekend trips to three types of non-work destinations based on multi-source data: a case study of Shanghai, China

The proportion of Shanghai residents' non-commuting trips in the total number of urban trips has been increasing year by year. Non-commuting trips, as an important symbol of modernized lifestyles, reflect the use of urban resources by people in production and life, and their dynamic distribution and changes have extremely important guiding roles in the city's fine-tuned management and resource allocation. Taking Shanghai as an example, this paper extracts three types of urban function grids, namely, urban park green space, commercial consumption and public service through the establishment of Shanghai urban grid function identification system based on multi-source data such as Baidu LBS (Location-BasedServices), data, POI (Point of Interest) data, etc. Then 3 types of non-commuting trips, namely, urban park, commercial and public service are further classified and identified, and their characteristics are analyzed. The results show that: ①Urban park travel frequency is low, and the proportion of long-distance trip is high. Zhujiajiao Town, Nanjing East Road Street and Lujiazui Street are three main travel gathering nodes in the city. There is a close relationship between the main urban area and the suburbs and the main urban area is more dependent on the suburbs. ②The travel frequency of commercial is the highest and the average travel distance is the shortest. The trend of trip agglomeration to the main urban area is significant and the trip distribution shows an obvious multi-center trend. ③The travel frequency of public service is high and the average travel distance is short. The trip distribution shows an obvious hierarchical structure, gathering in the main urban area and suburban new towns. ④Songjiang, Jiading and Qingpu in the suburban new towns have stronger attraction. The study suggests that non-commuting trips have an important impact on the urban spatial network structure, which needs to be further analyzed and compared with the spatial network structure formed by commuting trips to find the links and differences, so as to provide research support for the optimization of urban spatial structure.

Exploring the travel behavior of household-owned electric bikes with the consideration of nonlinear effects of factors with the aid of the generalized additive mixed model

Electric bikes (E-bikes) reduce traffic burden in developing countries and provide a lightweight travel option for households. Few studies examined nonlinear effects of factors on e-bike travel behavior. This study adopts the generalized additive mixed model to explore the travel behavior of household-owned e-bikes with the consideration of nonlinear effects of factors based on data from Zhoukou, China. The study confirms that there is a significant nonlinear effect of many factors on the travel behavior of household-owned e-bikes, with the nonlinear effects varying by factors. The lower the number of household bicycles, the higher the travel frequency of household-owned e-bikes. An increase in the number of household cars leads to a decrease in the travel frequency of household-owned e-bikes, and this effect becomes larger as the number of cars increases. The number of household-owned e-bikes is positively correlated with travel frequency, but the correlation weakens after more than 3 e-bikes. There is a negative correlation between the travel frequency of household-owned e-bikes and the number of persons older than 6 when it exceeds 4. The effect of the number of persons older than 6 on the travel frequency of household-owned e-bikes gradually increases when the number of persons older than 6 exceeds 3. Finally, this study puts forward policy suggestions regarding enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of household-owned e-bikes. These findings could advance the understanding of the role of e-bikes in households and serve as references for policymakers and planners.

Passengers’ perception of airlines’ services: Addressing systematic and random variation in tastes

This paper investigates heterogeneities in passengers’ perceptions of airlines’ services considering systematic and random variations in users’ tastes. For this purpose, an efficient design of a stated preference survey is carried out, where attributes related to the in-flight travel and to the passenger’s experience before and after the flight are considered. A Random Parameter Multinomial Logit model is estimated with the obtained data, which also considers systematic variations in user tastes. The obtained results show that most of the parameters associated with the considered variables fit better to a normal or uniform distribution, and that part of their variance can be explained by interacting these variables with other variables such as gender, age, travel frequency or income level.The proposed model allows conclusions to be drawn and marketing policies to be implemented that directly aim at certain user segments, in addition to comprehensively explaining passenger behaviour by showing their preferences.

Investigating the Influential Factors of Ride-Hailing Usage Frequency in the Post-Pandemic Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on public travel and has significantly altered people’s travel behavior. By comparing the travel behaviors of ride-hailing passengers before and after the pandemic (i.e., the pre-pandemic era and the post-pandemic era), it is possible to effectively identify the changes in their travel patterns and thus deeply understand the changes in individual travel habits in the post-pandemic era. Using data collected in Nanjing, China, this paper develops two ordered logit models to examine the impact mechanism of multi-dimensional influential factors on the trip frequency of ride-hailing users before and after the pandemic. The results reveal the following: (1) Before the pandemic, the increase in waiting time promoted the usage frequency of ride-hailing users, while in the post-pandemic era, the increase in waiting time reduces the travel frequency of ride-hailing users. (2) Before the pandemic, the increase in prices led to a decrease in ride-hailing users’ usage frequency, while it presents a push effect in the post-pandemic era. (3) In the post-pandemic era, ride-hailing users are more concerned about personal safety, avoiding conversing with the driver and touching objects in the car. Finally, some strategies, such as increasing awareness of personal information protection and security, optimizing waiting times, and improving the hygiene standards of ride-hailing, are proposed to assist transportation network companies in operating and restoring ride-hailing services in the post-pandemic era.

Evaluation of risk-based travel policy for the COVID-19 epidemic in Scotland: a population-based surveillance study

ObjectivesWe aimed to assess the effects of risk-based travel restrictions on (1) international travel frequency, (2) SARS-CoV-2 case importation risk, (3) national SARS-CoV-2 incidence and (4) importation of SARS-CoV-2 variants...

Enhancing Quality of Life through Travel, Happiness, and Psychological Resilience: The Influences of Coping and Vulnerability

This study, guided by the broaden-and-build theory (BBT), examines the relationship between leisure travel frequency and tourists’ quality of life (QoL), with happiness and psychological resilience as key mediators. We also explore how tourists’ coping abilities and perceived vulnerability levels shape this relationship as moderators. Using cross-sectional surveys with Australian tourists at three time points (Study 1– n = 599, Study 2– n = 290, Study 3- n = 379), we evidence the connection between travel frequency and QoL, highlighting the mediating roles of happiness and psychological resilience. Individuals with weaker coping abilities and high vulnerability levels are also shown to benefit more from increased travel frequency in terms of QoL. These findings deepen our understanding of the link between leisure travel and QoL, identifying the types of tourists who gain the most from frequent travel. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in line with these findings.

Comparative Analysis of Carbon Footprints from Away and Home Matches: A Study on Leading Basketball and Football Teams in Türkiye

Problem: Basketball and football teams in Türkiye have the capacity to travel hundreds of kilometres for league matches. In general, such major leagues and leading teams travelling from Türkiye have not been sufficiently researched in the context of Türkiye’s leading leagues and teams. In this context, the aim of this study is to assess and compare the carbon footprint of the transport activities of basketball and football teams in Türkiye for their home and away matches for the 2023–2024 season. Methods: The research is based on EN 16258 and ICAO carbon emissions methodologies. This study aims to calculate and compare the carbon footprint of different transport methods, including bus and plane, used by five basketball and football teams in Türkiye. Results: The findings show that there are significant differences between the teams in terms of travelling distances and carbon footprints. Trabzonspor from the Black Sea region released the highest CO2 emissions from air travel with a total of 91,667.1 kgCO2e, while Fenerbahçe Beko had the lowest CO2 emissions with 5316.72 kgCO2e. In terms of bus travel, Gaziantep FK led the CO2 emissions with 4356.45 kgCO2e, while Türk Telekom was the team with the lowest CO2 emissions with 1233.225 kgCO2e. The findings also reveal a notable difference in the number of trees teams need to plant to offset their carbon emissions. Because of their travel patterns, Antalyaspor would need to plant 3481 trees, whereas Fenerbahçe Beko would only need to plant 348 trees. Conclusions: Air travel is emerging as the dominant source of CO2 emissions and has a greater impact on the environmental impact of teams that rely heavily on airplanes. In this study, the league structure and duration play a critical role in shaping the carbon footprint of sports teams. The football season, which is longer compared to basketball, requires more frequent travel, especially for teams in more remote regions, resulting in higher carbon emissions than basketball. The dominance of Marmara region teams in basketball has a negative impact on the carbon footprint since these teams generally have shorter travel distances.

Disentangling temporal changes in travel behavior: An age-period-cohort analysis based on German travel demand

Travel behavior changes over the temporal dimensions age, period, and cohort. However, longitudinal studies that simultaneously analyze and separate these temporal effects are missing. This study aims to disentangle the temporal changes in travel behavior (participation, frequency, expenses) and explain these changes through different theoretical lenses. Our analysis builds on large-scale representative secondary data from a repeated cross-sectional survey in Germany on the leisure travel behavior between 1983 and 2018 (N = 198,000) and uses generalized additive regression. Age and period are main drivers for changes in travel participation, cohort and age main drivers for changes in travel frequency over time. Relative travel expenses do not substantially change over time. Understanding temporal changes in travel behavior can support long-term planning in tourism.