Transportation in Michigan: older adults and caregivers

Michigan Department of Transportationhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90963/1/102858.pd

Carbon-nitrogen feedbacks in the UVic ESCM

A representation of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle is introduced into the UVic Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM). The UVic ESCM now contains five terrestrial carbon pools and seven terrestrial nitrogen pools: soil, litter, leaves, stem and roots for both elements and ammonium and nitrate in the soil for nitrogen. Nitrogen cycles through plant tissue, litter, soil and the mineral pools before being taken up again by the plant. Biological N<sub>2</sub> fixation and nitrogen deposition represent external inputs to the plant-soil system while losses occur via leaching. Simulated carbon and nitrogen pools and fluxes are in the range of other models and observations. Gross primary production (GPP) for the 1990s in the CN-coupled version is 129.6 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup> and net C uptake is 0.83 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup>, whereas the C-only version results in a GPP of 133.1 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup> and a net C uptake of 1.57 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup>. At the end of a transient experiment for the years 1800–1999, where radiative forcing is held constant but CO<sub>2</sub> fertilisation for vegetation is permitted to occur, the CN-coupled version shows an enhanced net C uptake of 1.05 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup>, whereas in the experiment where CO<sub>2</sub> is held constant and temperature is transient the land turns into a C source of 0.60 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup> by the 1990s. The arithmetic sum of the temperature and CO<sub>2</sub> effects is 0.45 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup>, 0.38 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup> lower than seen in the fully forced model, suggesting a strong nonlinearity in the CN-coupled version. Anthropogenic N deposition has a positive effect on Net Ecosystem Production of 0.35 Pg C a<sup>−1</sup>. Overall, the UVic CN-coupled version shows similar characteristics to other CN-coupled Earth System Models, as measured by net C balance and sensitivity to changes in climate, CO<sub>2</sub> and temperature

New calculations and measurements of the Coulomb cross-section for the production of direct electron pairs by high energy nuclei

Recently, new calculations were made of the direct Coulomb pair cross section that rely less in arbitrary parameters. More accurate calculations of the cross section down to low pair energies were made. New measurements of the total direct electron pair yield, and the energy and angular distribution of the electron pairs in emulsion were made for O-16 at 60 and 200 GeV/amu at S-32 at 200 GeV/amu which give satisfactory agreement with the new calculations. These calculations and measurements are presented along with previous accelerator measurements made of this effect during the last 40 years. The microscope scanning criteria used to identify the direct electron pairs is described. Prospects for application of the pair method to cosmic ray energy measurements in the region 10 (exp 13) to 10 (exp 15) eV/amu are discussed

Estimating Carbon Budgets for Ambitious Climate Targets

Carbon budgets, which define the total allowable CO2 emissions associated with a given global climate target, are a useful way of framing the climate mitigation challenge. In this paper, we review the geophysical basis for the idea of a carbon budget, showing how this concept emerges from a linear climate response to cumulative CO2 emissions. We then discuss the difference between a “CO2-only carbon budget” associated with a given level of CO2-induced warming and an “effective carbon budget” associated with a given level of warming caused by all human emissions. We present estimates for the CO2-only and effective carbon budgets for 1.5 and 2 °C, based on both model simulations and updated observational data. Finally, we discuss the key contributors to uncertainty in carbon budget estimates and suggest some implications of this uncertainty for decision-making. Based on the analysis presented here, we argue that while the CO2-only carbon budget is a robust upper bound on allowable emissions for a given climate target, the size of the effective carbon budget is dependent on the how quickly we are able to mitigate non-CO2 greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions. This suggests that climate mitigation efforts could benefit from being responsive to a changing effective carbon budget over time, as well as to potential new information that could narrow uncertainty associated with the climate response to CO2 emissions

Recommendations for meeting the transportation needs of Michigan’s aging population

Mobility, or the ability to get from place to place, is important for everyone. Mobility enables people to conduct activities of daily life, stay socially connected with their world, participate in activities that make life enjoyable, and increase their quality of life. In the United States, and indeed in Michigan, personal mobility is frequently equated with being able to drive a personal automobile. However, because of age related medical conditions and the medications used to treat them, as people age into older adulthood they are more likely to experience declines in abilities needed for safe driving. Because of the preference for the personal automobile, and the lack of acceptable mobility alternatives, one focus of efforts to enhance safe mobility for older adults is to keep older adults driving for as long as they can safely do so. At the same time, society has a responsibility to help maintain mobility for those who are unable or choose not to drive. As the population of older adults in Michigan continues to grow, it is becoming more and more critical that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) understand the mobility needs of older adults and incorporate these needs into transportation facility design and planning. This project provided the background information needed to help MDOT identify where to concentrate resources to maximize the safe mobility of Michigan’s aging population. The overall goal of the project was to help maintain the safety and well-being of Michigan’s older adult residents by developing a set of low-cost, high-impact measures that could be implemented by MDOT. This goal was achieved through a literature review, an analysis of demographic data, and statewide surveys of older adults and family members/caregivers for Michigan older adults in order to gain a better understanding of the travel and residency patterns, gaps in transportation services, and the transportation needs and wants of Michigan older adult residents and the population of adults who provide care and/or transportation assistance to Michigan older adults. The complete results of these research activities, a list of measures for improving older adult mobility in Michigan, and an implementation plan are included in this report.Michigan Department of Transportationhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90961/1/102857.pd

Transportation, mobility, and older adults in rural Michigan

A deliverable for project number OR 10-037: “Transportation Patterns of Older Drivers in Rural Michigan”Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing, MIhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91979/1/102872.pd

Evaluation of the Michigan TACT Program

This report documents the evaluation of the Michigan Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program. The TACT program was conducted in three 2-week waves in the fall of 2013 near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Comparable sites in southeast Michigan served as a comparison area. The TACT program combined high visibility enforcement with a public information and education (PI&E) campaign focused on unsafe driving behaviors of cars and trucks near each other. An evaluation of the TACT implementation found that that the enforcement and PI&E plans were followed reasonably well. Outcomes in terms of driver behaviors, attitudes, and traffic safety were tested by means of surveys of motorists and truck drivers; an observational study of passing and merging behaviors of passenger cars near large trucks; and analysis of crash data. A before/after with comparison design was used to measure any effect in each outcome. Results indicated that the PI&E messages reached the drivers in the program area. Analysis of the survey data did not identify any statistically significant changes in self-reported behaviors among the drivers in the program area. The proportion of safe passing and merging maneuvers recorded in the observational study were quite high before the program and did not change significantly after the program. A Poisson crash rate model adjusted for over-dispersion and using six-years of monthly crash data from the program and comparison areas was developed. It accounted for traffic volumes, proportion of trucks in the traffic, snowfall and precipitation, and the economy. The crash data analysis did not identify significant effects of the program on crash rates.Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, Michigan State Policehttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109414/1/103138.pd

Searching for axion stars and QQ-balls with a terrestrial magnetometer network

Light (pseudo-)scalar fields are promising candidates to be the dark matter in the Universe. Under certain initial conditions in the early Universe and/or with certain types of self-interactions, they can form compact dark-matter objects such as axion stars or Q-balls. Direct encounters with such objects can be searched for by using a global network of atomic magnetometers. It is shown that for a range of masses and radii not ruled out by existing observations, the terrestrial encounter rate with axion stars or Q-balls can be sufficiently high (at least once per year) for a detection. Furthermore, it is shown that a global network of atomic magnetometers is sufficiently sensitive to pseudoscalar couplings to atomic spins so that a transit through an axion star or Q-ball could be detected over a broad range of unexplored parameter space

ISG20L1 is a p53 family target gene that modulates genotoxic stress-induced autophagy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Autophagy is characterized by the sequestration of cytoplasm and organelles into multimembrane vesicles and subsequent degradation by the cell's lysosomal system. It is linked to many physiological functions in human cells including stress response, protein degradation, organelle turnover, caspase-independent cell death and tumor suppression. Malignant transformation is frequently associated with deregulation of autophagy and several tumor suppressors can modulate autophagic processes. The tumor suppressor p53 can induce autophagy after metabolic or genotoxic stress through transcriptionally-dependent and -independent mechanisms. In this study we expand on the former mechanism by functionally characterizing a p53 family target gene, ISG20L1 under conditions of genotoxic stress.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified a p53 target gene, ISG20L1, and show that transcription of the gene can be regulated by all three p53 family members (p53, p63, and p73). We generated an antibody to ISG20L1 and found that it localizes to the nucleolar and perinucleolar regions of the nucleus and its protein levels increase in a p53- and p73-dependent manner after various forms of genotoxic stress. When ectopically expressed in epithelial cancer-derived cell lines, ISG20L1 expression decreased clonogenic survival without a concomitant elevation in apoptosis and this effect was partially rescued in cells that were ATG5 deficient. Knockdown of ISG20L1 did not alter 5-FU induced apoptosis as assessed by PARP and caspase-3 cleavage, sub-G₁content, and DNA laddering. Thus, we investigated the role of ISG20L1 in autophagy, a process commonly associated with type II cell death, and found that ISG20L1 knockdown decreased levels of autophagic vacuoles and LC3-II after genotoxic stress as assessed by electron microscopy, biochemical, and immunohistochemical measurements of LC3-II.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our identification of ISG20L1 as a p53 family target and discovery that modulation of this target can regulate autophagic processes further strengthens the connection between p53 signaling and autophagy. Given the keen interest in targeting autophagy as an anticancer therapeutic approach in tumor cells that are defective in apoptosis, investigation of genes and signaling pathways involved in cell death associated with autophagy is critical.</p