Behavioural analysis of vehicle-pedestrian interactions: The case of street designs with elements of shared space

This paper describes the development and implementation of qualitative behavioural criteria in order to analyse the conduct of pedestrians and vehicles when they are required to interact with each other, with particular interest to street designs with elements of shared space. The new behavioural analysis technique is developed by identifying the fundamental principles that underpin existing traffic analyses, such as traffic conflicts techniques, and adapting those to a qualitative framework that describes the mindset and rationale of road users. The technique is then applied to a case study in London, using video data from periods before and after the redevelopment of the Exhibition Road site from a conventional dual carriageway to a modern design with some elements of shared space. With the main goals being to assess the pedestrians’ confidence and the vehicles’ tolerance/patience when forced to interact with each other, behavioural trends are related to instantaneous characteristics of the vehicle flow (vehicle approach speed and traffic density). The data produced are used to develop and validate qualitative behavioural relationships for pedestrian-vehicle interactions, as well as location-specific conclusions for the Exhibition Road site

Behavioural analysis of interactions between pedestrians and vehicles in street designs with elements of shared space

This paper describes the development and implementation of qualitative behavioural criteria in order to analyse the conduct of pedestrians and vehicles when they are required to interact with each other, with particular interest to street designs with elements of shared space. The new behavioural analysis technique is developed by identifying the fundamental principles that underpin existing traffic analyses, such as traffic conflicts techniques, and adapting those to a qualitative framework that describes the mindset and rationale of road users. The technique is then applied to a case study in London, using video data from periods before and after the redevelopment of the Exhibition Road site from a conventional dual carriageway to a modern design with some elements of shared space. With the main goals being to assess the pedestrians’ confidence and the vehicles’ tolerance/patience when forced to interact with each other, behavioural trends are related to instantaneous characteristics of the vehicle flow (vehicle approach speed and traffic density). The data produced are used to develop and validate qualitative behavioural relationships for pedestrian-vehicle interactions, as well as location-specific conclusions for the Exhibition Road site

Efficacy and safety of trabeculectomy vs nonpenetrating surgical procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To date, only a few studies have directly compared nonpenetrating surgery (NPS) and trabeculectomy (TE). Therefore, there is no strong evidence as to which surgical technique leads to the best results in terms of ocular hypotensive effect and safety

Development and use of an instrument adapted to assess the clinical skills learning environment in the pre-clinical years

BACKGROUND: The Communication, Curriculum, and Culture (C3) instrument is a well-established survey for measuring the professional learning climate or hidden curriculum in the clinical years of medical school. However, few instruments exist for assessing professionalism in the pre-clinical years. We adapted the C3 instrument and assessed its utility during the pre-clinical years at two U.S. medical schools. METHODS: The ten-item Pre-Clinical C3 survey was adapted from the C3 instrument. Surveys were administered at the conclusion of the first and second years of medical school using a repeated cross-sectional design. Factor analysis was performed and Cronbach's alphas were calculated for emerging dimensions. RESULTS: The authors collected 458 and 564 surveys at two medical schools during AY06-07 and AY07-09 years, respectively. Factor analysis of the survey data revealed nine items in three dimensions: "Patients as Objects", "Talking Respectfully of Colleagues", and "Patient-Centered Behaviors". Reliability measures (Cronbach's alpha) for the Pre-Clinical C3 survey data were similar to those of the C3 survey for comparable dimensions for each school. Gender analysis revealed significant differences in all three dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The Pre-Clinical C3 instrument's performance was similar to the C3 instrument in measuring dimensions of professionalism. As medical education moves toward earlier and more frequent clinical and inter-professional educational experiences, the Pre-Clinical C3 instrument may be especially useful in evaluating the impact of curricular revisions

Instruments Measuring Self-Care in Children and Young Adults With Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review

: Children and young adults (CYAs) with chronic conditions need to engage in self-care to improve their quality of life. This study aimed to retrieve the literature on instruments to assess self-care in CYAs living with chronic conditions and evaluate the psychometric proprieties of the instruments retrieved. A systematic literature review was conducted on six databases to identify peer-reviewed papers that described or used an evaluation instrument of self-care in CYAs with chronic conditions. Twenty-three articles describing 11 instruments of self-care were identified. Five instruments (45.45%) were developed for specific diseases, while six (54.54%) for various chronic illnesses. Most of the instruments were focused on treatment adherence within self-care maintenance (i.e., behaviors to maintain illness stability), excluding the monitoring of clinical parameters or the management of exacerbations. This review provides an overview of available instruments that measure self-care in CYAs with chronic conditions, which health professionals could use for patient education

Natural SINEUP RNAs in Autism Spectrum Disorders: RAB11B-AS1 Dysregulation in a Neuronal CHD8 Suppression Model Leads to RAB11B Protein Increase

CHD8 represents one of the highest confidence genetic risk factors implied in Autism Spectrum Disorders, with most mutations leading to CHD8 haploinsufficiency and the insurgence of specific phenotypes, such as macrocephaly, facial dysmorphisms, intellectual disability, and gastrointestinal complaints. While extensive studies have been conducted on the possible consequences of CHD8 suppression and protein coding RNAs dysregulation during neuronal development, the effects of transcriptional changes of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) remain unclear. In this study, we focused on a peculiar class of natural antisense lncRNAs, SINEUPs, that enhance translation of a target mRNA through the activity of two RNA domains, an embedded transposable element sequence and an antisense region. By looking at dysregulated transcripts following CHD8 knock down (KD), we first identified RAB11B-AS1 as a potential SINEUP RNA for its domain configuration. Then we demonstrated that such lncRNA is able to increase endogenous RAB11B protein amounts without affecting its transcriptional levels. RAB11B has a pivotal role in vesicular trafficking, and mutations on this gene correlate with intellectual disability and microcephaly. Thus, our study discloses an additional layer of molecular regulation which is altered by CHD8 suppression. This represents the first experimental confirmation that naturally occurring SINEUP could be involved in ASD pathogenesis and underscores the importance of dysregulation of functional lncRNAs in neurodevelopment

Self-care in pediatric patients with chronic conditions: A systematic review of theoretical models

Background: To improve outcomes in children and young adults (CYAs) with chronic conditions, it is important to promote self-care through education and support. Aims: (1) to retrieve the literature describing theories or conceptual models of self-care in CYAs with chronic conditions and (2) to develop a comprehensive framework. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on nine databases, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All peer-reviewed papers describing a theory or a conceptual model of self-care in CYAs (0-24 years) with chronic conditions were included. Results: Of 2674 records, 17 met the inclusion criteria. Six papers included a theory or a model of self-care, self-management, or a similar concept. Six papers developed or revised pre-existing models or theories, while five papers did not directly focus on a specific model or a theory. Patients were CYAs, mainly with type 1 diabetes mellitus and asthma. Some relevant findings about self-care in CYAs with neurocognitive impairment and in those living with cancer may have been missed. Conclusions: By aggregating the key elements of the 13 self-care conceptual models identified in the review, we developed a new overarching model emphasizing the shift of self-care agency from family to patients as main actors of their self-management process. The model describes influencing factors, self-care behaviors, and outcomes; the more patients engaged in self-care behaviors, the more the outcomes were favorable