To promote exercise, planners must look beyond cities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

ITHACA, N.Y. – To encourage more active lifestyles, public health agencies recommend mixed-use neighborhoods and “complete” streets that are friendlier to walkers and bikers, but new Cornell University research finds that while those strategies increase physical activity, an urban bias limits their applicability in many parts of the country.

Planners in suburban and rural communities should focus more on promoting recreational programs, expanding transportation options and creating safer environments to help an aging population get more exercise, according to the researchers’ analysis of more than 1,300 U.S. counties and cities.

“These are things we can think about doing in any community,” said Mildred Warner, professor of global development and of city and regional planning. “If your community is investing in recreation and social activity, they’re more likely to address obesity and other problems linked to physical inactivity.”

Warner and Xue Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar at Syracuse University, are co-authors of “Linking Urban Planning, Community Environment and Physical Activity: A Socio-ecological Approach,” published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

The scholars’ recommendations emerged from models they developed to identify the most important factors – individual, community and policy – influencing physical activity.

Demographic factors mattered most, the models showed. For example, communities with higher minority populations exercised less, likely due to lower incomes and longer commutes, Zhang said. Rural communities, whose populations on average are older and less affluent, similarly report less physical activity.

To better support rural and under-resourced communities, the researchers said, planners should work to broaden transportation options and promote recreation services, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across public health, planning, transportation and parks and recreation agencies. They should also give more attention to concerns about traffic safety and crime, in addition to policies promoting complete streets or mixed-use neighborhoods.

“Our models show safety is as important as transportation and more important than the built environment,” the scholars wrote.

Examples of planning and policy changes that Warner and Zhang have explored in related research could include lowering the speed limit on rural roads to make them safer for walking or biking. Partnerships enabling schools, libraries and fire departments to share facilities for recreation programs, transportation or food distribution could also help overcome limitations in the built environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic, Warner said, demonstrated many local governments’ ability to pivot overnight to alternative ways of doing business, and that spirit of collaboration and creativity will be needed as the U.S. population grays.

“As more of us get older, we’ve got to start designing our communities for everybody,” Warner said. “We can’t just have urban-based recommendations; we also need to think about what you would do in other places.”

The research was supported by a grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

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JOURNAL

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

DOI

10.3390/ijerph20042944 

ARTICLE TITLE

Linking Urban Planning, Community Environment, and Physical Activity: A Socio-Ecological Approach

New study shows people are willing to start cycling more post-COVID-19 pandemic

Although the changes to behavior were not always triggered by free will and in many cases forced by external circumstances, the findings show there are some positive consequences of the pandemic

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

ORLANDO, Feb. 28, 2023 – A new study co-authored by a University of Central Florida researcher has found that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase of people willing to cycle in the U.S.

The findings, which were recently published in Nature Scientific Reports, were the result of an analysis of data from the COVID-19 and the Future Survey conducted by Arizona State University and the University of Illinois Chicago.

Results showed that two factors came out of their findings: people who are more environmentally friendly and those who are more satisfied with their life have a higher probability of cycling more post-pandemic.

Nearly 14% of the respondents stated that they were planning to cycle more, while only 4% of the respondents stated that they were planning to cycle less post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Responses from more than 7,000 people from across the U.S. were analyzed for the research study. The survey was deployed over multiple waves to the same respondents to monitor how behaviors and attitudes evolved over time and was disseminated digitally during April 2020 and October 2020.
 

Why Explore This Research?

Natalia Barbour, an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, teamed up with University of South Florida Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Fred Mannering to conduct the study of the survey data.

After living in the Netherlands for the last few years, Barbour says there had been a lot of research showing that people were cycling there more than they used to before the pandemic for a variety of reasons.

She says that she and Mannering were curious to see if there had been a similar transition of people trying different transportation modes in the U.S. due to having to work from home during the pandemic period.

“The research is important particularly in the context of first, climate change and second, the effects of the pandemic on travel behavior,” Barbour says.

“Globally, 20% to 30% of CO2 emissions come from transport, therefore studying alternative transportation modes is essential to mitigating transport related emissions,” she says. “Second, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives and impacted how we perceive personal mobility. Although the changes to behavior were not always triggered by free will and in many cases forced by external circumstances, some positive consequences of the pandemic were found — people intend to cycle more.”

Implications of the Survey

Barbour says the study results provide insights into socio-demographic and psychological factors that play a role in the planned cycling behavior post-COVID-19. 

For example, the study established that age, race, employment status, gender and household size impacted cycling frequency.

Globally, women have been found to cycle less than men; however, the outcome of the analysis suggests that there is a shift and increase in cycling by women post-pandemic.

“Women respondents without a vehicle in their households had an increase in their mean, implying they were more likely to indicate that they intend to cycle more post the pandemic,” Barbour says.

The study also showed that people who are full or part-time employees have a higher probability to cycle post-pandemic, which indicates a potential increase of commute cycling trips.

As part of UCF’s Smart and Safe Transportation Lab, Barbour says the work adds an additional layer and dimension to their ongoing projects.

“Historically, the lab has studied transportation issues, such as bike and pedestrian crashes, so this paper contributes to gaining a deeper understanding of the cyclists themselves,” she says. “Since the lab is developing new research lines, this study is part of this effort.”

She says future research could include a follow-up study to see if there are long lasting changes in people’s mobility choices.

Researcher Credentials

Barbour received her doctorate in civil engineering from the University of South Florida and completed postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She joined UCF’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, part of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 2022.

Study title: Intended cycling frequency and the role of happiness and environmental friendliness after COVID-19

Writer: Beatriz Nina Ribeiro Oliveira, UCF Office of Research

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-27681-6 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

A new study co-authored by a University of Central Florida researcher has found that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase of people willing to cycle in the U.S.

The rediscovery of an ethereal fairy lantern brightly illuminates their mysterious past

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KOBE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: AS THE MONIKER FAIRY LANTERN DENOTES, IT LOOKS LIKE A TINY LANTERN THAT ILLUMINATES THE DARK FOREST FLOOR. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENJI SUETSUGU.

Green leaves and photosynthesis were once considered key features of plants. However, some plants have since abandoned this process, obtaining their nutrients from other organisms. One such plant is the genus of Thismia, commonly known as fairy lanterns, which is characterised by its unusual appearance, elusiveness, and lack of photosynthesis. Fairy lanterns are rare and only grow in specific places. They live underground with their colourful flowers rising above the soil, which can sometimes make them look like mushrooms. Around 90 species of Thismia have been found, but many are only known from their original discovery location, and some have likely become extinct.

One such species, Thismia kobensis was originally discovered in Kobe City, Japan in 1992. Unfortunately, its habitat was destroyed by an industrial complex and it was subsequently presumed extinct. After more than 30 years, Professor Kenji Suetsugu and his colleagues report its rediscovery in Sanda City, located approximately 30 km away (Fig. 1). This unexpected find and subsequent investigations have shed new light on this remarkable genus and its evolutionary history.

The researchers provided an updated description of Thismia kobensis to flesh out the original description that was based on an incomplete museum specimen. Their close examination highlighted how Thismia kobensis differs from the similar species Thismia huangii. The rediscovered species can be distinguished by its short and wide ring as well as the many short hairs on its stigma (Fig. 2). Based on their analysis of various characteristics, the researchers determined that Thismia kobensis is a distinct species, with unique characteristics and evolutionary history.
The newly discovered location of Thismia kobensis makes it the northernmost known Asian fairy lantern species. This discovery may offer new insights into the systematic affinity and biogeography of the mysterious fairy lantern, Thismia americana, which was originally thought to be related to some species in Australia and New Zealand. Thismia americana discovered over 100 years ago is the only North American fairy lantern species and was observed for a few years on a prairie near Chicago, but is now considered extinct. The presence of the mainly tropical genus Thismia in temperate North America remains a mystery, especially since the species considered to be its closest relative, Thismia rodwayi, is found in Australia and New Zealand. This strange distribution pattern continues to puzzle botanists.

However, a detailed morphological investigation suggested that Thismia kobensis is indeed the closest relative of Thismia americana (Fig. 3). Thus, the similarity in outer floral morphology between Thismia americana and the Australia-New Zealand species may have evolved independently based on pollinator preferences. This suggests that Thismia americana may actually be unrelated to the Australia-New Zealand species. In contrast, the striking similarity in inner floral morphology, such as the lack of nectar glands in both species, suggests a closer relationship between Thismia americana and Thismia kobensis (Fig. 3B & D). Plant species in Eastern Asia and North America having close relationships and disjunct distributions across these regions is not uncommon and can often be attributed to migration through the Beringia land bridge. Therefore, the disjunct distribution of Thismia americana may be due to migration through Beringia (Fig. 4).

Overall, the rediscovery of the Thismia kobensis after three decades has significantly advanced our understanding of fairy lanterns. As the northernmost species of Asian fairy lantern found so far, it also provides crucial insight into the biogeography and evolutionary history of fairy lanterns as a whole. The paper also includes information on conservation measures to help protect these rare plants from human activities. It was published in Phytotaxa on February 28, 2023.

(A and C) Flower, lateral view. (B and D) Stigma lobe. Arrows indicate noticeable differences between the two (a perianth tube mouth [A and C] and hair on each stigma lobe [B and D]). Scale bars: 5 mm (A and C) and 3 mm (B and D).

CREDIT

Photographed by Kenji Suetsugu (A–B), Tian-Chuan Hsu (C) and Tsung-Hsin Hsieh (D).

(A and C) Flower, lateral view. (B and D) Stamen tube. The two are similar not only in their outer floral appearance but also in their internal structure. Scale bars: 5 mm (A and C) and 3 mm (B and D). Photographed by Kenji Suetsugu (A-B). Reproduced from Pfeiffer (1914; C-D).

CREDIT

Photographed by Kenji Suetsugu (A-B). C-D: Pfeiffer, N.E. (1914) Morphology of Thismia americana. Botanical gazette 57: 122–135

The proposed range expansion mechanism of fairy lanterns in the present study.

CREDIT

Kenji Suetsugu

JOURNAL

Phytotaxa

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Rediscovery of the presumably extinct fairy lantern Thismia kobensis (Thismiaceae) in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, with discussions on its taxonomy, evolutionary history, and conservation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-Feb-2023

Rare insect found at Arkansas Walmart sets historic record, prompts mystery

Recent identification of the giant lacewing points to deeper ecological questions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PENN STATE

 

IMAGE: THIS POLYSTOECHOTES PUNCTATA OR GIANT LACEWING WAS COLLECTED IN FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS IN 2012 BY MICHAEL SKVARLA, DIRECTOR OF PENN STATE’S INSECT IDENTIFICATION LAB. THE SPECIMEN IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND RECORDED IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA IN OVER FIFTY YEARS – AND THE FIRST RECORD OF THE SPECIES EVER IN THE STATE. view more 

CREDIT: MICHAEL SKVARLA / PENN STATE

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A giant insect plucked from the façade of an Arkansas Walmart has set historic records. The Polystoechotes punctata or giant lacewing is the first of its kind recorded in eastern North America in over 50 years — and the first record of the species ever in the state. 

The giant lacewing was formerly widespread across North America, but was mysteriously extirpated from eastern North America by the 1950s. This discovery suggests there may be relic populations of this large, Jurassic-Era insect yet to be discovered, explained Michael Skvarla, director of Penn State’s Insect Identification Lab.

Skvarla found the specimen in 2012, but misidentified it and only discovered its true identity after teaching an online course based on his personal insect collection in 2020. He recently co-authored a paper about the discovery in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington.

“I remember it vividly, because I was walking into Walmart to get milk and I saw this huge insect on the side of the building,” said Skvarla, who was a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas at the time. “I thought it looked interesting, so I put it in my hand and did the rest of my shopping with it between my fingers. I got home, mounted it, and promptly forgot about it for almost a decade.”

It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that the giant lacewing would find its time to shine. In the fall of 2020, with the world in lockdown, Skvarla was teaching Entomology 432: Insect Biodiversity and Evolution at Penn State. He taught the lab course via Zoom, with students following along remotely on loaner microscopes, and used his own personal insect collection as specimen samples.

As he went to demonstrate the features of a specimen he had previously labeled an “antlion,” Skvarla noticed that the characteristics didn’t quite match those of the dragonfly-like predatory insect. Instead, he thought it looked more like a lacewing. A giant lacewing has a wingspan of roughly 50 millimeters, which is quite large for an insect, a clear indicator that the specimen was not an antlion, as Skvarla had mistakenly labeled it. The students got to work comparing features — and a discovery was made, live on Zoom.

“We were watching what Dr. Skvarla saw under his microscope and he’s talking about the features and then just kinda stops,” said Codey Mathis, a doctoral candidate in entomology at Penn State. “We all realized together that the insect was not what it was labeled and was in fact a super-rare giant lacewing. I still remember the feeling. It was so gratifying to know that the excitement doesn’t dim, the wonder isn’t lost. Here we were making a true discovery in the middle of an online lab course.”

For additional confirmation, Skvarla and his colleagues performed molecular DNA analyses on the specimen. Since confirming its true identity, Skvarla has deposited the insect safely in the collections of the Frost Entomological Museum at Penn State, where scientists and students will have access to it for further research. 

“It was one of those experiences you don’t expect to have in a prerequisite lab course,” Louis Nastasi, a doctoral candidate studying entomology at Penn State. “Here we were, just looking at specimens to identify them and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this incredible new record pops up.”

Discovery or recovery?

The fact that a giant lacewing was spotted in the urban area of Fayetteville, Arkansas may reveal a larger story about biodiversity and a changing environment, Skvarla explained. He said that explanations vary for the giant lacewing’s disappearance from North America — and it still largely remains a mystery.

Scientists hypothesize the insect’s disappearance could be due to the ever-increasing amount of artificial light and pollution of urbanization; suppression of forest fires in eastern North America, if the insects rely on post-fire environments; the introduction of non-native predators such as large ground beetles; and introduction of non-native earthworms, which significantly altered the composition of forest leaf litter and soil.

“Entomology can function as a leading indicator for ecology,” Skvarla said. “The fact that this insect was spotted in a region that it hasn’t been seen in over half a century tells us something more broadly about the environment.”

The researchers analyzed extensive collection records of giant lacewings, including museum holdings and community science submissions, and placed them into a single map to determine their distribution. The records span a huge geographic range, from Alaska to Panama, and include multiple ecoregions in both eastern and western North America. The map revealed the Arkansas specimen was the first spotted in eastern North America in over 50 years.

Fayetteville lies within the Ozark Mountains, which are a suspected biodiversity hotspot, according to Skvarla and his co-author J. Ray Fisher of the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University.

They said that dozens of endemic species, including 68 species of insects, are known from the Ozarks and at least 58 species of plants and animals have highly disjunct populations with representatives in the region. They explain that the area is understudied compared to regions of similar biodiversity, such as the Southern Appalachians.

“This combination makes the region an ideal place for a large, showy insect to hide undetected,” they said.

The mystery remains as to how the insect arrived on the exterior of a Walmart. The fact that it was found on the side of a well-lit building at night suggests that it was likely attracted to the lights and may have flown at least a few hundred meters from where it originated, Skvarla explained. “It could have been 100 years since it was even in this area — and it’s been years since it's been spotted anywhere near it. The next closest place that they've been found was 1,200 miles away, so very unlikely it would have traveled that far.”

The researchers note that they suspect the new specimen represents a rare, surviving eastern population of giant lacewings that evaded detection and extinction. 

“Discovery doesn't always hold that same kind of grasp on people that maybe it did 100 years ago,” said Nastasi. “But a finding like this really highlights that even in a run-of-the-mill situation, there are still a tremendous number of discoveries to make about insects.”

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington

DOI

10.4289/0013-8797.124.2.332 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Rediscovery of Polystoechotes punctata (Fabricius, 1793) (Neuroptera: Ithonidae) in Eastern North America

Tiny new climbing robot was inspired by geckos and inchworms

The untethered soft robot could one day help doctors perform surgery

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

 

VIDEO: TINY NEW ROBOT - DUBBED THE GEIWBOT CLIMBING ON INVERTED POLYIMIDE SUBSTRATE (CEILING). view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

A tiny robot that could one day help doctors perform surgery was inspired by the incredible gripping ability of geckos and the efficient locomotion of inchworms.

The new robot, developed by engineers at the University of Waterloo, utilizes ultraviolet (UV) light and magnetic force to move on any surface, even up walls and across ceilings.

It is the first soft robot of its kind that doesn't require connection to an external power supply, enabling remote operation and versatility for potential applications such as assisting surgeons and searching otherwise inaccessible places.

“This work is the first time a holistic soft robot has climbed on inverted surfaces, advancing state-of-the-art soft robotics innovation,” said Dr. Boxin Zhao, a professor of chemical engineering. “We are optimistic about its potential, with much more development, in several different fields.”

Constructed from a smart material, the robot – dubbed the GeiwBot by researchers because of the creatures that inspired it – can be altered at the molecular level to mimic how geckos stick and unstick powerful grippers on their feet. 

That enables the robot – about four centimetres long, three millimetres wide and one millimetre thick – to climb on a vertical wall and across the ceiling without being tethered to a power source. 

Zhao and his research team constructed the robot using liquid crystal elastomers and synthetic adhesive pads. A light-responsive polymer strip simulates the arching and stretching motion of an inchworm, while gecko-inspired magnet pads at either end do the gripping. 

“Even though there are still limitations to overcome, this development represents a significant milestone for utilizing biomimicry and smart materials for soft robots,” said Zhao, the University of Waterloo Endowed Chair in Nanotechnology. “Nature is a great source of inspiration and nanotechnology is an exciting way to apply its lessons.”

An untethered soft robot paves the way for potential surgical applications via remote operation inside the human body and for sensing or searching in dangerous or hard-to-reach places during rescue operations.

The next step for researchers is to develop a solely light-driven climbing soft robot that doesn’t require a magnetic field and uses near-infrared radiation instead of UV light to improve biocompatibility.

A paper on the work, Gecko-and-inchworm-inspired untethered soft robot for climbing on walls and ceilings,appears in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

  

Tiny new robot - dubbed the GeiwBot

CREDIT

University of Waterloo

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JOURNAL

Cell Reports Physical Science

Researchers uncover new water monitoring technique

New method simultaneously monitors clumps and the mixing intensity in a single step

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: RESEARCHERS USED A GREEN LASER ON A JAR FILLED WITH WATER TO SHOW HOW THE WATER MOVES AND HOW CONTAMINANTS CLUMP TOGETHER. view more 

CREDIT: DR. KUANG-AN CHANG, TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING

Water is a vital resource, and clean water is a necessity. Texas A&M University researchers have developed a new technique to monitor one of the key processes of purifying water in real time.

Raw water contains microscopic pathogens that are too small to remove during water and wastewater treatment easily. Chemicals are added to form large clumps called flocs, which are easily filtered out. Flocculation is the process used in water treatment to remove suspended particles from the water.

"Coagulant chemicals need to be added to purify drinking water and remove turbidity (cloudiness) and microbes that are too small to be visible to the naked eye," said Dr. Kuang-An Chang, professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M.

But it is crucial to properly mix the water and chemicals so the pathogens properly clump. If mixing is low, clumps won't form. If mixing is too intense, clumps will form but quickly break apart.

The new method simultaneously monitors the size and shape of the clumps and the mixing intensity in a single step, in real time, allowing for more accurate measurements. The value of the research lies in the fact that mixing is one of the most energy-consuming processes during water and wastewater purification.

The results of this study were recently published in the journal ACS ES&T Engineering and featured on the cover of its February issue.

"We developed a brand-new technique to non-intrusively monitor the mixing so that we can precisely control it, quantify heterogeneities within the reactor and potentially optimize it to create flocs of desired characteristics while simultaneously minimizing energy consumption," he said.

This first-of-its-kind technique can be used to improve flocculation, meaning successfully removing contaminants by growing large enough clumps while minimizing the energy used.

"All previous research did this in two steps," Chang said. "In the old approach, first, artificial particles of known characteristics would be added to monitor mixing. Then, a second experiment would be done with ‘identical’ settings and the actual clumps would be monitored.

"We essentially halved the workload and improved precision because there are always statistical differences any time you do two experiments."

This interdisciplinary project was a collaboration between Chang, who focuses on fluid dynamics, and Dr. Shankar Chellam, professor of civil and environmental engineering and A.P. and Florence Wiley Professor III, who focuses on water/wastewater treatment.

Three graduate students performed the experimental work and associated numerical analysis: Kaleisha Miller, Kyungho Kim and Wei-Liang Chuang, who is now an assistant professor at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.

By Alyson Chapman, Texas A&M Engineering

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JOURNAL

ACS ES&T Engineering

DOI

10.1021/acsestengg.2c00348 

ARTICLE TITLE

Simultaneous In Situ Characterization of Turbulent Flocculation and Reactor Mixing Using Image Analysis and Particle Image Velocimetry in Unison

One-click checkout increases spending and engagement

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

You’d probably guess that simplifying the checkout process at an online retailer will lead customers to buy more. The question is: How much more? 

New Cornell research shows that after signing up for an online retailer’s “one-click” checkout service, customers over time increased their spending by an average of 28.5% from previous buying levels.

Those customers also visited the website more often and bought a wider range of merchandise, according to a paper co-written by Murat Unal, Ph.D. ’22 and Young-Hoon Park, a professor of management in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

The study, “Fewer Clicks, More Purchases,” published Feb. 22 in Management Science.

“Because one-click takes so much pain away from the shopping experience, we see consumers willing to spend more time on the site and search for more items, leading to the increase in spending,” said Unal, now an economist at Amazon.

“One-click buying” lets customers store payment and delivery information with the retailer, then click a single button on an item to order, eliminating the tedium of filling the cart and plodding through a checkout process. Online retailers have long struggled with shoppers who ditch their carts during checkout: It’s estimated that 70% of shoppers leave before paying, in part because they find checking out too complicated.

The researchers examined purchasing information from 977 customers who had registered for one-click shopping at a large Asian retailer that launched the service at the start of 2017. Analyzing data from January 2016 to August 2018, they found that customers who registered for the service not only spent more on average during the subsequent 15 months, but also raised their purchase frequency by 43% from their pre-one-click days, and the number of items purchased by 36%.

The data also showed that shoppers weren’t merely shifting purchases from the company’s brick-and-mortar stores, suggesting that the incremental purchases may have come at the expense of competing retailers who weren’t offering the speedier checkout service, the researchers said.

Among one-click shoppers, the researchers saw “huge variation in how they spend,” Park said. Those who were moderate, occasional buyers before signing up showed increases larger than those of both the heaviest and smallest spenders. The researchers speculate that the heaviest spenders may have already been close to their spending ceilings, while the smallest spenders simply may not have wanted to buy much more online, no matter how easy the process.

One-click customers may have purchased more because the simplified buying process made the site more engaging. Data on customer clickthrough patterns showed that over the 15 months following signup, one-click buyers visited the website on average 7% more than before signup, viewed 9.3% more pages on the website, and spent 7.8% more time on the site per visit.

The study examined data from only one company in a specific industry; Park and Unal said replication across other firms, industries and platforms is needed to build empirical generalizations.

These findings, however, may interest online retailers making inventory and delivery plans to support a launch of one-click shopping. They may also help companies that use target marketing to determine which customer segments are worth pursuing most aggressively with one-click offers.

And, importantly, the research reminds companies of the value of removing hassle in the shopping experience.

“Even though it sounds simple,” Park said, “it can have a profound impact for business.”

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

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JOURNAL

Management Science

DOI

10.1287/mnsc.2023.4716 

ARTICLE TITLE

One-click checkout increases spending and engagement

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Feb-2023

A gender perspective on the global migration of scholars - report

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

International recognition is key to many successful academic careers, but research published today shows female scientific researchers are less internationally mobile than their male counterparts, although the gender gap has shrunk.

Scientists tend to move from one country to another to advance their careers.  But  researchers from Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, have found female researchers continue to be under-represented among internationally mobile researchers. In addition to moving less, female researchers also originate from and move to fewer countries, as well as migrating shorter distances, than their male counterparts.

The study shows that gender inequality among mobile academic scientists varies across countries and over time on a global scale, and it reveals how it affects the demographic composition of the scientific workforce across the origin and the destination countries. The researchers provide a global and dynamic view on the global migration of scholars by gender.

According to the paper, ‘While the US remained the leading academic destination worldwide, the shares of both female and male scholarly inflows to that country declined from around 25% to 20% over the study period, partially due to the growing relevance of China.’

Lead author Xinyi Zhao, from the Leverhulme Centre and the Max Planck Institute adds, ‘Current literature points to gender inequality in science across countries. But a lack of relevant data on the migration of scholars has made it difficult to answer whether male and female scientists migrate equally.’

Co-author Ridhi Kashyap  from Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre, says, ‘While gender inequalities remain, our findings support a growing feminisation of scholars migrating internationally. However, female researchers are still restricted in moving as globally and as freely as their male counterparts.’

Gender gaps among researchers and international scholars favouring men were smaller in high-income and upper-middle income countries, than low-income countries. The US, UK, and Germany remained popular with female and male mobile scholars, but in these global hubs of international science, gender gaps nonetheless persisted.

In a handful of countries such as Portugal, Brazil and Argentina, near gender equality among mobile researchers was seen. Others such as Japan and South Korea had significant gender gaps in favour of men.

Co-author Emilio Zagheni, from the Max Planck Institute, concludes, ‘Our study indicates that opportunities for women to advance their academic careers through international mobility have increased. While we unveiled a key and welcome trend, we also note that more research is needed to understand underlying mechanisms, including the roles played by families and by science policies in shaping gender differences in the drivers and outcomes of relocations.’

The team used bibliometric data on over 33 million scientific publications from Scopus, a global database of scholarly publications, to estimate the international migration of female and male researchers around the world from 1998 to 2017. This allowed the researchers to document and analyse cross-national trends in a systematic way.

 

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2214664120 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

A gender perspective on the global migration of scholars

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Feb-2023