Integration of urban science and urban climate adaptation research: opportunities to advance climate action.

There is a growing recognition that responding to climate change necessitates urban adaptation. We sketch a transdisciplinary research effort, arguing that actionable research on urban adaptation needs to recognize the nature of cities as social networks embedded in physical space. Given the pace, scale and socioeconomic outcomes of urbanization in the Global South, the specificities and history of its cities must be central to the study of how well-known agglomeration effects can facilitate adaptation. The proposed effort calls for the co-creation of knowledge involving scientists and stakeholders, especially those historically excluded from the design and implementation of urban development policies.

Public universities and human capital development in the United States.

Public colleges and universities play an important role in the formation of human capital through the attraction, training, and often local-regional retention of students. Much of the existing research on the subject examines one stage in this process, one type of institution, and/or one type of regional environment. While such studies can generate important insights, taking too narrow a perspective on one or more of these elements can lead to distortions about the impact of institutions of higher learning on the regions they serve. This paper adds to the literature by (1) widening the temporal frame of analysis to include the student's journey from hometown to campus and then to additional locations 10 years after graduation, and (2) by deepening the cross-sectional view of a region's layered institutions to include the many different types of public higher education and the variety of human capital they support. Data from 64 institutions spread across 10 labor market regions under the State University of New York show how institution type corresponds to (1) the geography of populations served, (2) the nature of skills and training supplied, and (3) local/regional retention a decade later. The empirical study also identifies the extent to which factors such as regional variation, degree level, and students' program of study associate with human capital development (e.g., wages, retention) and therefore contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the broader relationship between institutions of higher learning and local/regional human capital formation.

Spatial and sex differences in AIDS mortality in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Aggregate mortality data do not tell us if AIDS mortality is uniformly reduced or if there is spatial differentiation. A total of 2432 male and 1864 female deaths (2000-2004) from AIDS in Chiang Rai are used to detect mortality clusters. Both male and female clusters are more or less in the same location implying similar risk factors; however, male clusters remain more prevalent as male patients are likely to be slower in getting treatment. The findings indicate non-random clustering and confirm that although mortality rates are significantly reduced in most areas some sub-districts need attention for follow-up public health efforts.

Survival of an AIDS cohort in Thailand (2000-2005).

This study investigates the survival from the time of diagnosis to death of 98,876 men and 57,316 women between the ages of 15 and 96 years who received medical care at public and private hospitals in Thailand after being diagnosed with symptomatic HIV-positive or AIDS between 2000 and 2005 from all regions of Thailand. Using a retrospective cohort study, risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are estimated by the Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, gender, marital status, occupation, region of residence, and year of diagnosis. Significant increased risk of mortality is observed for patients diagnosed with AIDS as compared to those with symptomatic HIV-positive, the risk being approximately twofold for men (RR=2.37, 95% CI=2.27, 2.47), almost threefold for women (RR=2.85, 95% CI=2.69, 3.02), and more than threefold for women in the 15-24-year age group (RR=3.36, 95% CI=2.83, 3.98). The risk also varied from being twofold in the northern region of Thailand (RR=2.23, 95% CI=2.11, 2.35) to being threefold in the northeast (RR=3.05, 95% CI=2.79, 3.32). Our findings of increased risk of mortality for subgroups of the population suggest the need for sustained attention to HIV prevention efforts with support from society at large, and to the early diagnosis and treatment of these patients, especially women and youth.

Insights into US public biotech sector using patenting trends.

Analyzing patent data from 1995-2005 show the increasing importance of patenting by small and medium-sized biotech companies.