ENERGY Pro: Spatially explicit agent-based model on achieving positive energy districts.

This article describes the ENERGY Pro agent-based model using the Overview, Design Concept, and Details + Human Decision-making (ODD+D protocol). The model is empirically explicit and aims to investigate the adoption decisions of homeowners in Amsterdam on different energy-efficient retrofitting (EER) measures. Following the ODD+D protocol, this study uncovers the conceptual framework used for model construction, the spatial microsimulation process of expanding the data, and the model implementation details. The article also describes sensitivity analysis, validation results, and how to use and adapt the model. With this article, the authors aim to make the model replicable and accessible to other researchers and inspire them using the combination of social simulation and spatial microsimulation in studying the energy transition.•The agent-based model is described using the ODD+D protocol.•The combination of simulation methods is used for constructing an empirical model.•The model on energy transition can be adapted for other cities.

Hypothiocyanous Acid Disrupts the Barrier Function of Brain Endothelial Cells.

Inflammation is a common feature of neurological diseases. During neuroinflammation, neutrophils are recruited to the brain vasculature, where myeloperoxidase can produce hypochlorous acid and the less well-studied oxidant hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN). In this study, we exposed primary brain endothelial cells (BECs) to HOSCN and observed a rapid loss of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) at sublethal concentrations. Decreased barrier function was associated with a loss of tight junctions at cellular contacts and a concomitant loss of dynamic microtubules. Both tight junction and cytoskeletal disruptions were visible within 30 min of exposure, whereas significant loss of TEER took more than 1 h. The removal of the HOSCN after 30 min prevented subsequent barrier dysfunction. These results indicate that BECs are sensitive to HOSCN, resulting in the eventual loss of barrier function. We hypothesise that this mechanism may be relevant in neutrophil transmigration, with HOSCN facilitating blood-brain barrier opening at the sites of egress. Furthermore, this mechanism may be a way through which neutrophils, residing in the vasculature, can influence neuroinflammation in diseases.

Do households prefer to move up or down the urban hierarchy during an economic crisis?

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between adverse economic circumstances and the desire of Dutch households to move up or down the urban hierarchy. We apply three consecutive waves of the Dutch Housing Demand Survey (WoON) in a repeated cross-section setting, with data collected at the time of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and its aftermath. We find that households desire to move down the urban hierarchy during the volatile and uncertain periods following the GFC. This is a surprising result, given that urban areas are generally considered more opportunity rich. In order to uncover the mechanisms driving this result, we considered the impact of the economic circumstances on the general willingness to move and on the underlying motives. We find that willingness to move increased when the adverse economic consequences of the GFC hit Dutch households. Further, it appears that this willingness to move is only partially related to work. Besides work, desires to move for health, education, vicinity to family and friends, and reasons related to the dwelling, also become more prevalent during the aftermath of the GFC as well. This heterogeneity in impacts and consequences for household desired mobility serves to explain some of the mixed results in the literature, and generates lessons for current and future crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Redox signalling and regulation of the blood-brain barrier.

Neurological disorders are associated with increased oxidative stress. Reactive oxidants damage tissue and promote cell death, but it is apparent that oxidants can have more subtle effects on cell function through the modulation of redox-sensitive signalling pathways. Cells of the blood-brain barrier regulate the brain microenvironment but become dysfunctional during neurological disease. The blood-brain barrier is maintained by many cell types, and is modulated by redox-sensitive pathways, ranging from the cytoskeletal elements responsible for establishing a barrier, to growth factor and cytokine signalling pathways that influence neurovascular cells. During neurological disease, blood-brain barrier cells are exposed to exogenously generated oxidants from immune cells, as well as increasing endogenously oxidant production. These oxidants impair the function of the blood-brain barrier, leading to increased leakage and reduced blood flow. Reducing the impact of oxidants on the function of blood-brain barrier cells may provide new strategies for delaying the progression of neurological disease.

The Influence of Urban Park Attributes on User Preferences: Evaluation of Virtual Parks in an Online Stated-Choice Experiment.

Urban green areas, such as parks, are becoming increasingly important in densifying cities. Urban parks encourage physical and social activity, recreation and relaxation, and thus eventually promote people's well-being. The aim of the current study is to examine which urban park attributes influence the preferences of park users, in order to offer recommendations regarding how urban parks of quality can be designed. To elicit the preferences of park visitors we designed an online stated-choice experiment. Seven park attributes, in particular the number and composition of trees and the presence of benches, side paths, a playground, litter, and flowers, were manipulated in a virtual park. In an online stated-choice task, videos of these park alternatives were presented and the preferences of 697 participants were measured. It is found that especially the number of trees and the presence of flowerbeds, particularly with a diversity of flowers, influenced participants' preferences. The presence of many benches and a playground were valued as well, but to a lesser extent. The presence of litter was found to be less troublesome than expected. Alternatives with all trees placed in one cluster were disliked. Moreover, significant standard deviations were found for the presence of side paths, a playground, and the absence of litter, which indicates that preference heterogeneity for these attributes exist. In a latent class analysis, two groups were identified, namely a Nature-loving group, who mainly valued the trees and the flowers, and an Amenity-appreciating group, who valued almost all attributes. It can be concluded that natural elements and a variety of flower species are important in an urban park, while facilities are evaluated differently by different groups of people. These findings may support park designers and policymakers in decision-making. Moreover, it illustrates the usefulness of creating a virtual park in environmental preference research.

For Whom the Bells Toll: Alonso and a Regional Science of Decline.

In his presidential address to the Regional Science Association over thirty years ago, William Alonso presented the case for "Five Bell Shapes in Development" and argued that "the developed countries will enter fully in to the realm of the right-hand tail of these curves" (p. 16) and that this transition might result in several surprises. He proposed, therefore, that we should study the right tail of these "curves" as well as interactions among them. Much of what Alonso suggested has come to pass, although his prognostications were not always exact. And although he touched on several issues of relevance to regional scientists, the discipline has been slow to move away from a growth-centered paradigm. The strength of regional science-the capacity to consider economic, demographic, and geographical aspects of an issue simultaneously-has yet to be focused on some of the "right-hand" challenges that have arisen, population loss, for example. In this article, we provide a review of regional science research within the context of Alonso's five bells and hypothesize how Alonso's propositions might differ in today's world. We then focus more specifically on one particular area: population loss. Using these examples allows us to highlight how regional science might contribute to the conceptualization of "right-hand tail" development challenges, especially where theory, issues of spatial scale, and interregional dependencies are concerned.