Testing for the significance of induced highway travel demand in metropolitan areas

The theory of induced growth in vehicle travel hypothesizes that highway improvements which add capacity to a specific corridor or regional transportation network will attract increased levels of vehicle traffic. This relationship of highway capacity to travel demand is an important consideration when evaluating how effective highway expansion alternatives will be in solving transportation problems. Two different but complementary empirical studies were conducted to quantify the effect of highway system improvements on travel behavior. In the first study, I apply ordinary least squares regression models to estimate travel demand elasticities with respect to travel time using travel survey data from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey. This is one of a very few research studies to use disaggregate household-level travel data. Travel time elasticities of -0.3 to -0.5 were found, after accounting for the effects of household size, income, population density, and household employment. These results suggest that capacity additions that reduce travel time by 10 percent will increase vehicle-miles of travel by 3 to 5 percent. My second study investigates geographic differences in travel behavior before and after highway capacity was expanded in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Calibrated travel model data from 1984 and 1995 were used. This analysis is unique in that it applies three statistical research designs to quantify the effect of capacity expansion on induced demand for travel using a before-and-after case study approach. The three techniques, namely analysis of covariance, difference-indifferences, and OLS regression on travel changes from 1984 to 1995, produce similar results. After controlling for changes in number of households, income, and population density, total weekday vehicle-miles of travel and daily trip productions were found to increase by approximately 20 percent and 7 percent, respectively, in survey zones that had undergone significant capacity additions versus zones that remained largely unchanged over the 11-year period. Overall, the results of this research provide evidence that highway capacity improvements generate additional demand for travel. These induced demand effects should not be ignored by transportation planners and policy makers when evaluating highway system investment alternatives. Transportation

Bank And Non-Bank Financial Institutions And The Development Of The Nigerian Economy

The focus of this study was on the impact of bank and non-bank financial institutions on the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. In an attempt to achieve the objectives of the research, data for the period 1992 to 2012 were collected from the CBN publications. Hypotheses were also formulated. The data collected were analysed using the E-views econometric software under the ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis. The study as confirmed by the result of the joint test revealed that the financial institutions play prominent role on the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. However, it was further revealed that individual contributions of the explanatory variables varied. For example, the Deposit Money Banks were revealed to have impacted very insignificantly to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. This may not be unconnected with the unwholesome practices in the banking sector such as granting of loans/advances to “ghost” applicants, diversion of loans and advances granted, high incidence of moral hazards. In view of the above, it is recommended among others that government should come up with lending policies that will not only reduce diversions of bank loans/advances but will deter persons involved in such sharp practices. Such loans and advances which must be on long-term basis should be extended to needy investors in the real sector. Consumer loans and also loans and advances for commerce do not play prominent role in the growth and development of the economy and thus should be discouraged. The current and on-going reforms in the financial sector should be encouraged and maintained

A musculoskeletal model of the elbow joint complex

This paper describes a musculoskeletal model that represents human elbow flexion-extension and forearm pronation-supination. Musculotendon parameters and the skeletal geometry were determined for the musculoskeletal model in the analysis of ballistic elbow joint complex movements. The key objective was to develop a computational model, guided by optimal control, to investigate the relationship among patterns of muscle excitation, individual muscle forces, and movement kinematics. The model was verified using experimental kinematic, torque, and electromyographic data from volunteer subjects performing both isometric and ballistic elbow joint complex movements. In general, the model predicted kinematic and muscle excitation patterns similar to what was experimentally measured

Volunteer-led free dental outreach clinics in semi-urban Uganda: a feasibility study

Background The global burden of dental disease remains a key global public health issue, with the prevalence of common pathologies grossly unchanged over the last two decades. Poor oral health impacts individuals on a personal and economic level and incurs a significant cost globally. The role of dental aid organisations in strategies to deliver dental health services has long been debated. Methods We launched a dental clinic at the premises of an established non-governmental organisation. All patients were taught a locally developed oral hygiene educational module before receiving a thorough examination. Treatments offered included simple scaling, fluoride application, treatment of infection and extraction. Results Three dental clinics were conducted. A total of 93 patients registered. Thirty nine (42%) were male, with an average age of 20 years (range 5–70 years). Eighty-six percent of patients presented in pain. Five (5.4%) of the patients were found to have sound teeth. Forty-three (46%) patients had at least one tooth extraction. Twenty-six percent of patients were referred for restorations. The treatment provided equated to 178 units of dental activity (UDAs). The total cost per patient was £1.82, regardless of treatment, or £0.95 per UDA. Discussion and conclusion We demonstrated a distinct need for dental healthcare in this area, an acceptability of our service, potential for sustainability, and a dedication towards providing a basic package of oral care. We call for a reignition of debate regarding the role of dental aid organisations in the provision of global oral healthcare

Development and evaluation of a musculoskeletal model of the elbow joint complex

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a musculoskeletal model that represents human elbow flexion-extension and forearm pronation-supination. The length, velocity, and moment arm for each of the eight musculotendon actuators were based on skeletal anatomy and position. Musculotendon parameters were determined for each actuator and verified by comparing analytical torque-angle curves with experimental joint torque data. The parameters and skeletal geometry were also utilized in the musculoskeletal model for the analysis of ballistic elbow joint complex movements. The key objective was to develop a computational model, guided by parameterized optimal control, to investigate the relationship among patterns of muscle excitation, individual muscle forces, and movement kinematics. The model was verified using experimental kinematic, torque, and electromyographic data from volunteer subjects performing ballistic elbow joint complex movements

The Evolution of Cluster Early-Type Galaxies over the Past 8 Gyr

We present the Fundamental Plane (FP) of early-type galaxies in the clusters of galaxies RXJ1415.1+3612 at z=1.013. This is the first detailed FP investigation of cluster early-type galaxies at redshift z=1. The distant cluster galaxies follow a steeper FP relation compared to the local FP. The change in the slope of the FP can be interpreted as a mass-dependent evolution. To analyse in more detail the galaxy population in high redshift galaxy clusters at 0.8<z<1, we combine our sample with a previous detailed spectroscopic study of 38 early-type galaxies in two distant galaxy clusters, RXJ0152.7-1357 at z=0.83 and RXJ1226.9+3332 at z=0.89. For all clusters Gemini/GMOS spectroscopy with high signal-to-noise and intermediate-resolution has been acquired to measure the internal kinematics and stellar populations of the galaxies. From HST/ACS imaging, surface brightness profiles, morphologies and structural parameters were derived for the galaxy sample. The least massive galaxies (M=2x10^{10}M_{\sun}) in our sample have experienced their most recent major star formation burst at z_{form}~1.1. For massive galaxies (M>2x10^{11}M_{\sun}) the bulk of their stellar populations have been formed earlier z_{form}>~1.6. Our results confirm previous findings by Jorgensen et al. This suggests that the less massive galaxies in the distant clusters have much younger stellar populations than their more massive counterparts. One explanation is that low-mass cluster galaxies have experienced more extended star formation histories with more frequent bursts of star formation with shorter duration compared to the formation history of high-mass cluster galaxies.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, Talk for "Matter Cycles of Galaxies in Clusters", presented at JENAM 2008, Vienna, to be published in Astronomische Nachrichten in Nov 2009 (proceedings of Symposium 6 of the JENAM 2008, Vienna

Black hole mass estimation from X-ray variability measurements in AGN

We propose a new method of estimation of the black hole masses in AGN based on the normalized excess variance, sigma_{nxs}^2. We derive a relation between sigma_{nxs}^2, the length of the observation, T, the light curve bin size, Delta t, and the black hole mass, assuming that (i) the power spectrum above the high frequency break, f_{bf}, has a slope of -2, (ii) the high frequency break scales with black hole mass, (iii) the power spectrum amplitude (in 'frequency x power' space) is universal and (iv) sigma_{nxs}^2 is calculated from observations of length T < 1/f_{bf}. Values of black hole masses in AGN obtained with this method are consistent with estimates based on other techniques such as reverberation mapping or the Mbh-stellar velocity dispersion relation. The method is formally equivalent to methods based on power spectrum scaling with mass but the use of the normalized excess variance has the big advantage of being applicable to relatively low quality data.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter. Added minor change on page 5 - corrected mistake (1/T 1/T > nu

Identification of Vehicle Health Assurance Related Trends

Trend analysis in aviation as related to vehicle health management (VHM) was performed by reviewing the most current statistical and prognostics data available from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) incident, and the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident datasets. In addition, future directions in aviation technology related to VHM research areas were assessed through the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) Safety Enhancements Reserved for Future Implementations (SERFIs), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Most-Wanted List and recent open safety recommendations, the National Research Council (NRC) Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics, and the Future Aviation Safety Team (FAST) areas of change. Future research direction in the VHM research areas is evidently strong as seen from recent research solicitations from the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and VHM-related technologies actively being developed by aviation industry leaders, including GE, Boeing, Airbus, and UTC Aerospace Systems. Given the highly complex VHM systems, modifications can be made in the future so that the Vehicle Systems Safety Technology Project (VSST) technical challenges address inadequate maintenance crew's trainings and skills, and the certification methods of such systems as recommended by the NTSB, NRC, and FAST areas of change

SO(10) and SU(6) Unified Theories on an Elongated Rectangle

Maximally supersymmetric SO(10) and SU(6) unified theories are constructed on the orbifold T^2/(Z_2 x Z'_2), with one length scale R_5 taken much larger than the other, R_6. The effective theory below 1/R_6 is found to be the highly successful SU(5) theory in 5D with natural doublet-triplet splitting, no proton decay from operators of dimension four or five, unified mass relations for heavier generations only, and a precise prediction for gauge coupling unification. A more unified gauge symmetry, and the possibility of Higgs doublets being components of the higher dimensional gauge multiplet, are therefore compatible with a large energy interval where physics is described by SU(5) gauge symmetry in 5D. This leads to the distinctive branching ratios for proton decay from SU(5) gauge boson exchange, p -> l^+ pi^0, l^+ K^0, \bar{nu} pi^+, \bar{nu} K^+ (l = e, mu), for well-motivated locations for matter. Several phenomenological features of the higher unified gauge symmetry are discussed, including the role of an extra U(1) gauge symmetry, which survives compactification, in the generation of neutrino masses.Comment: 21 pages, LaTe