Keys to effective transit strategies for commuting

Commuting poses relevant challenges to cities\u2019 transport systems. Various studies have identified transit as a tool to enhance sustainability, efficiency and quality of the commute. The scope of this paper is to present strategies that increase public transport attractiveness and positively impact its modal share, looking at some case studies and underlining key success factors and possible elements of replica to be ultimately planned in some of the contexts of the Interreg project SMART-COMMUTING. The strategies analyzed in this paper concern prices and fares, service expansion, service improvements, usage of vehicle locators and other technology, changes to the built environment. Relevant gains in transit modal share are more easily achievable when considering integrations between various strategies, thus adapting and tailoring the planning process to the specific context

Assessing Language Vitality and Endangerment of Minority Communities in Northeastern Thailand: A Necessity for Visualizing Dynamic Language Shift

Despite the common image that Thailand is a very homogeneous society the truth is that Thailand is a multiethnic and multilingual country where approximately 70 languages are spoken. Over 90% of these languages belong to the Tai-Kadai family. This study focuses on two non-Tai ethnolinguistic minorities, Kuay and Bruu, in the northeastern region of Thailand (Isan), where Lao Isan, a Tai language, is predominant. Kuay and Bruu are Austroasiatic languages. This presentation discusses the results of a survey conducted from 2015 to 2016 in a Kuay (Ta Klang: TK) and a Bruu community (Woen Buek: WB). The foci of the survey were the language attitudes and linguistic practices of these communities. Approximately 150 participants were surveyed, and 25 participants were interviewed in each community. A preliminary analysis of the survey results reveal that WB is undergoing language shift (LS) (Author, 2016a), while TK seems to be maintaining Kuay (Author, 2016b). This paper will detail the features and factors at play in these communities that lead to one shifting away from its traditional language and the other to maintain it, and will propose some considerations regarding the assessment of ethnolinguistic vitality. The comparison of language choice across generations illustrates that WB’s LS has rapidly spread in the community over the last two to three decades. Bruu in WB is partly equivalent to “6b threatened” in EGIDS (Simons and Lewis, 2010). However, the situation is more serious and dynamic than EGIDS’ description: non-Bruu speakers are already the child-bearing generation; Bruu speakers are already a minority among the younger age group; and this group’s use of Bruu is limited. On the other hand, Kuay seems safe in TK, as most participants can speak, or understand, Kuay. Even non-Kuay community members speak Kuay for better communication within community members. At the same time, there are signs of LS in the community. Nevertheless, most community members are confident in Kuay’s ethnolinguistic vitality. The results of these surveys suggest that once LS begins, it spreads very rapidly in a community. It also seems that most people seem unaware of the LS in its early stage. To more precisely grasp the LS/LM situation, a scale that visualizes the speed of LS might be useful for linguists and community members in order to be able to prioritize communities with urgent maintenance needs and for community members to recognize the endangerment of their own language as early as possible. References Lewis, M Paul, & Simons, Gary F. (2010). Assessing Endangerment: Expanding Fishman's GIDS. Revue roumaine de linguistique, 55(2), 103-120. Author. (2016a, July). Language Attitude and Language Choice of a Bruu Community in Thailand-Laos border area – The Situation 5 years after a Language and Culture Revitalization Project. Paper presented at the Cambridge Postgraduate Workshop on Endangered Languages and Cultures, Cambridge, the United Kingdom. Author. (2016b, July). The Language Shift and the Status of Lao in a Kuay Community in Northwestern Surin, Thailand. Paper presented at The Fifth International Conference on Lao Studies, Bangkok, Thailand

Environmental and energy performance of integrated passenger–freight transport

The first-last mile (FLM) transport of passengers and freight accounts for a significant share of total transport costs, pollution, and energy consumption. According to recent scientific literature and institutional inputs at the European level, operational innovations such as the combination of passenger and freight flows may be an effective approach for promoting sustainable and energy-efficient FLM transport. In this study, the energy and environmental performances of an integrated passenger and freight transport system based on the bus network of Zrenjanin (Serbia) were investigated with different future energy mix and transport policy scenarios. The operational aspects of the integrated system were designed through collaboration with territorial stakeholders and an analysis of local planning documents. The performance was evaluated and compared with current public transport and freight schemes considering vehicle fuel and technology, total mileage, and other relevant endogenous and exogenous factors. The results of our analysis indicate operational benefits and energy savings, mainly due to reduced total mileage and the predisposition to shift to the active modes for the last mile. However, most expected long-term energy savings are the result of technological development of vehicles and modal shifts induced by policy strategies

The definition of equity in transport

Equity is a concept related to the objective of narrowing inequalities and to other notions such as justice, convergence, and fairness. The study of equity has been widely addressed within the transport sector and has been often interpreted as the study of accessibility and cohesion. However, these concepts are not totally coincident, and their definition is fraught with confusion and pluralism, with implications on the ability of transport decision making to include equity goals in the planning process. In this paper, we shed some lights on the state-of-the-art of transport-related equity studies, discussing how the concept can be framed and tied to related terms, like justice, fairness, and accessibility. Then, we explore different approaches to the conceptualization of equity in transport, from the understanding of what equity is and which impacts it generates on the transport sector and on the society, to the inclusion of equity in transport planning and project appraisal. This contribution shows the centrality of equity in contemporary transport planning. Moreover, it suggests that the plural acceptation of transport equity calls for the definition of a more comprehensive tool for the evaluation of projects. This should be able to integrate the traditional cost-benefit analysis with other equity aspects that are often left aside from the project and policy appraisals

Recent insights into the role of the microbiome in malignant and benign hematologic diseases.

Growing evidence suggests the impact of microbiome alteration, named dysbiosis, on the development of neoplasms, infections, inflammatory diseases, and immuno-mediated disorders. Regarding hematologic diseases, most data regard hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). In this review, we systematically evaluate the studies concerning microbiome in malignant and benign hematologic disorders beyond HSCT. A permissive microbiota is associated to the development of hematologic malignancies (including acute leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma), as well as of iron deficiency anemia, autoimmune cytopenias, and aplastic anemia. This happens through various mechanisms; chronic inflammatory triggering, epithelial barrier alteration, antigen dissequestration, and molecular mimicry. Hematologic therapies (chemo and immunosuppression) may induce/worsen dysbiosis and favour disease progression and infectious complications. Antibiotics may also induce dysbiosis with possible long-term consequences. Finally, novel target therapies are likely to alter microbiome, inducing gut inflammation (i.e. small molecules such as tyrosine-kinase-inhibitors) or enhancing host's immune system (as observed with CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors)

Soil Liquefaction and Risk Analysis From in Situ Tests for the City of Trapani (Italy)

The paper deals with a microzoning criterion based on CPT data to define liquefaction risk of the city of Trapani, Sicily (Italy). Zonation for liquefaction is a fundamental issue to prevent from seismic disasters since, as lessons of past earthquakes teach, liquefaction of sandy soils has been a major cause of damage to buildings. For the evaluation of the seismic risk of the municipal area of Trapani it has been chosen a scenario earthquake which may represent a possible repetition of the 1968 event. For this earthquake a Richter magnitude M= 6.0 and a maximum ground acceleration amax-= 0.30g have been estimated. While new tools and refinements continue to be developed on the subjects of pore pressure build-up due to earthquake shaking and of liquefaction triggering, reliable evaluation methods already exist for liquefaction microzonation purposes. This study focuses on the application of a method for the evaluation of the liquefaction potential to several sites of the city of Trapani, by means of relationships between liquefaction resistance and corrected cone penetration tests (CPT) resistance

A prospective evaluation on external jugular vein cut-down approach for TIVAD implantation

BACKGROUND: Totally implantable venous access devices can be implanted both by percutaneous approaches and by surgical approaches with cephalic vein or external jugular vein cut-down techniques that are related to low intraoperative complication rates. The authors report a prospective evaluation of 83 consecutive external jugular vein cut-down approaches for totally implantable venous access devices implantation. METHODS: Eighty three consecutive patients (28 M, 55 F, mean age 54.2) suffering from solid tumors (58) or hematologic diseases (25) were consecutively submitted to totally implantable venous access devices insertion through external jugular vein cut-down approach (75 on right side, 8 on left side). RESULTS: All devices were surgically implanted; no instances of intraoperative complications were detected. After a minimum follow-up of 150 days, only one case of wound hematoma and one case of device malfunction due to incorrect catheter angulation were noted. Postoperative patient satisfaction was evaluated by the use of specific questionnaire that demonstrated a good satisfaction and compliance (92.8 %) of patients with implanted devices. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of controlled studies comparing external jugular vein cut-down approach vs other approaches, this approach should be considered as a tool for long-term central vein catheters positioning, both as an alternative and for primary approach

A Seismic Geotechnical Hazard Study in the Ancient City of Noto (Italy)

Abstract South-Eastern Sicily has been affected in past times by several destroying earthquakes with high values of estimated magnitude. The aim of the seismic hazard microzonation studies performed at the City of Noto is to quantify the spatial variability of the site response on some typical historical scenario earthquakes that would be expected in the area. In order to quantify the expected ground motion, the manner in which the seismic signal is propagating through the subsurface has been defined. Propagation is particularly affected by the local geology and by the geotechnical dynamic ground conditions of the studied area. The data largely consist of the stratigraphic profiles obtained by in situ tests i.e. borings, MASW tests, Down-Hole tests, SDMT tests; some are accompanied by static and dynamic laboratory tests, such as Resonant Column, monotonic compression loading Triaxial tests and Direct shear tests. Processing of all these data allowed the ground response analysis at the surface, in terms of time history and response spectra, of some areas of the city using the linear-equivalent codes EERA, STRATA and DEEPSOIL, useful for microzonation of seismic geotechnical hazards

Auroral radio emission from low-mass stars

It is now a well-established fact that also very low mass stars harbor planetary systems. These stars represent the large majority of our nearby stars but, despite their proximity, their low optical luminosity makes it difficult to apply the usual methods for exoplanet search. An effective probe for the environment of these stars is the auroral radio emission. This kind of emission is well understood for those stars whose magnetic field can be approximated as a dipole. In these cases the radio emission has a peculiar signature in time and in polarization. The presence of a planet nearby the star triggers or perturbs this emission leading to a predictable modulation. We present the case study of the ultra-cool dwarf TVLM 513-46546, for which we take advantage of VLA observations at 4.9 and 8.4 GHz. We reproduce the cyclic circularly-polarized pulses of the star using a 3D model of the auroral radio emission from the stellar magnetosphere. To take into account the possible deviation from the dipolar symmetry, the model simulates a magnetosphere shaped like an offset-dipole. To reproduce the timing and pattern of the observed pulses we explored the space of parameters controlling the auroral beaming pattern and the magnetosphere geometry. Our model explains the observed anomalies of the radio emission at 8.4 GHz as a possible interaction of the star with an external body, like in the case of the interaction between Jupiter and Io

A massive nebula around the Luminous Blue Variable star RMC143 revealed by ALMA

The luminous blue variable (LBV) RMC143 is located in the outskirts of the 30~Doradus complex, a region rich with interstellar material and hot luminous stars. We report the $3\sigma$ sub-millimetre detection of its circumstellar nebula with ALMA. The observed morphology in the sub-millimetre is different than previously observed with HST and ATCA in the optical and centimetre wavelength regimes. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of RMC143 suggests that two emission mechanisms contribute to the sub-mm emission: optically thin bremsstrahlung and dust. Both the extinction map and the SED are consistent with a dusty massive nebula with a dust mass of $0.055\pm0.018~M_{\odot}$ (assuming $\kappa_{850}=1.7\rm\,cm^{2}\,g^{-1}$). To date, RMC143 has the most dusty LBV nebula observed in the Magellanic Clouds. We have also re-examined the LBV classification of RMC143 based on VLT/X-shooter spectra obtained in 2015/16 and a review of the publication record. The radiative transfer code CMFGEN is used to derive its fundamental stellar parameters. We find an effective temperature of $\sim 8500$~K, luminosity of log$(L/L_{\odot}) = 5.32$, and a relatively high mass-loss rate of $1.0 \times 10^{-5}~M_{\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$. The luminosity is much lower than previously thought, which implies that the current stellar mass of $\sim8~M_{\odot}$ is comparable to its nebular mass of $\sim 5.5~M_{\odot}$ (from an assumed gas-to-dust ratio of 100), suggesting that the star has lost a large fraction of its initial mass in past LBV eruptions or binary interactions. While the star may have been hotter in the past, it is currently not hot enough to ionize its circumstellar nebula. We propose that the nebula is ionized externally by the hot stars in the 30~Doradus star-forming region.Comment: Paper accepted by A&A on 09/05/2019 and in proof stage. Second comments by referee are included in this versio