Analysis of pedestrian behavior in individual and group displacements

Many of our actions are influenced by the social context, in particular, by the actions carried out by other people. Within pedestrian flows, people tend to walk in groups such as friends, couples, or families. In this sense, an important aspect that needs to be analyzed is the influence of the relationship between the properties of each person and the collective properties resulting from the social interaction between people. The main goal of this work is to develop a methodology to acquire and analyze empirical data about the movement (characteristics of the gait and speed) and pedestrians’ actions (distance, spatial formation), through the realization of field experiments before and during road crossings in urban areas using wearable inertial sensors and video recordings.This work is part of the activities of the research project AnPeB – Analysis of pedestrians behavior based on simulated urban environments and its incorporation in risk modelling (PTDC/ECM-TRA/3568/2014), was funded under the Promover a Produção Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e a Constituição de Redes Temáticas (3599-PPCDT) project and supported by the European Community Fund FEDER and the doctoral scholarships SFRH/BD/138728/2018 and SFRH/BD/131638/2017 funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Effect of built environment factors on pedestrian safety in Portuguese urban areas

This paper identifies and analyzes variables that influence pedestrian safety based on the definition of models of pedestrian crash frequency for urban areas in Portugal. It considers three groups of explanatory variables, namely: (i) built environment; (ii) pedestrian infrastructure, and (iii) road infrastructure, as well as exposure variables combining pedestrian and vehicular traffic volumes. Data on the 16 variables considered were gathered from locations in the counties of Braga and Guimarães. The inclusion of pedestrian infrastructure variables in studies of this type is an innovation that allows for measuring the impacts of the dimensions recommended for this type of infrastructure and assessing the implementation of policies to support the mobility of vulnerable users, especially pedestrians. Examples of such variables are unobstructed space for pedestrian mobility and the recommendable distance separating regulated crossings. Zero-Truncated Negative Binomial Regression Models (ZTNB) and Generalized Estimation Equations (GEE) are used to develop crash prediction models. Results show that in addition to the variables identified in similar studies such as carriageway width, other statistically significant variables like longitudinal slope and distance between crosswalks have a negative influence on pedestrian safety. On-street parking places, one-way streets, and the existence of raised medians have an opposite contribution to safety.This research was funded by FUNDAÇÃO PARA A CIÊNCIA E A TECNOLOGIA (FCT), in the scope of the projects AnPeB—Analysis of pedestrian behavior based on simulated urban environments and its incorporation in risk modelling (PTDC/ECM-TRA/3568/2014) and Studies to promote sustainable and safe urban mobility (Agreement FCT/CAPES), in the frame of the strategic project (UIDB/04029/2020) and doctoral scholarships (SFRH/BD/131638/2017) and (SFRH/BD/138728/2018)

Factores com influência na interação entre peões e veículos em passagens para peões

Analisar os comportamentos dos peões em passagens para peões e saber o que os pode influenciar é um passo essencial para a melhoria das condições de segurança rodoviária. Este trabalho consiste numa primeira abordagem à identificação de fatores com impacto no comportamento de peões em situação de atravessamento e baseia-se na análise da influência de variáveis relacionadas com características da infraestrutura rodoviária e do espaço envolvente, bem como em características demográficas dos próprios peões, num indicador de segurança alternativo, o TTCmin, e num indicador psicofísico medido no instante de início da tarefa de atravessamento da faixa de rodagem, o TTP.Este trabalho enquadra-se nas atividades do projeto de investigação AnPeB – Análise do comportamento de peões com base em ambientes simulados e sua incorporação na modelação de risco (PTDC/ECM-TRA/3568/2014), financiado no âmbito do projeto Promover a Produção Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e a Constituição de Redes Temáticas (3599-PPCDT) e comparticipado pelo Fundo Comunitário Europeu FEDER, e da bolsa de doutoramento SFRH/BD/131638/2017, financiada pela Fundação para a Ciência e a tecnologia

Molecular Sex Differences in Human Serum

Background: Sex is an important factor in the prevalence, incidence, progression, and response to treatment of many medical conditions, including autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and psychiatric conditions. Identification of molecular differences between typical males and females can provide a valuable basis for exploring conditions differentially affected by sex. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using multiplexed immunoassays, we analyzed 174 serum molecules in 9 independent cohorts of typical individuals, comprising 196 males and 196 females. Sex differences in analyte levels were quantified using a meta-analysis approach and put into biological context using k-means to generate clusters of analytes with distinct biological functions. Natural sex differences were established in these analyte groups and these were applied to illustrate sexually dimorphic analyte expression in a cohort of 22 males and 22 females with Asperger syndrome. Reproducible sex differences were found in the levels of 77 analytes in serum of typical controls, and these comprised clusters of molecules enriched with distinct biological functions. Analytes involved in fatty acid oxidation/hormone regulation, immune cell growth and activation, and cell death were found at higher levels in females, and analytes involved in immune cell chemotaxis and other indistinct functions were higher in males. Comparison of these naturally occurring sex differences against a cohort of people with Asperger syndrome indicated that a cluster of analytes that had functions related to fatty acid oxidation/hormone regulation was associated with sex and the occurren

Microcrystalline testing used in combination with Raman micro-spectroscopy for absolute identification of novel psychoactive substances

Two new psychoactive substances, namely 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) and 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI) were analysed with a novel combination of microcrystalline tests followed by Raman micro-spectroscopy to facilitate their absolute identification. The discrimination power of the proposed combination was successfully demonstrated through the analysis of the positional isomers 2- and 3-methylmethcathinone. The addition of mercury dichloride as a microcrystalline test reagent produced specific microcrystals of each tested analyte. The robustness of the method was evaluated in the presence of common cutting agents (caffeine and benzocaine) as well as on street samples. The crystal lattice structures of mephedrone, 2-methylmethcathinone and MDAI mercury dichloride microcrystals were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. This confirmed the presence of both drug and reagent together in the lattice and accounts for the distinct habit of the observed microcrystals. Raman spectra of the formed microcrystals differed from those obtained from their standard salt form by loss and/or gain of some vibrational modes. Particularly important was the appearance of the mercury chloride link to each tested drug molecule which showed as strong bands at low wavenumbers. Its presence was corroborated by its detection in the crystal lattice. It was therefore concluded that microcrystalline testing followed by Raman micro-spectroscopy satisfies the technique combination requirement for psychoactive substances recommended by the Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) and provides a rapid and cheap analysis route. The proposed technique combination also aids the development of new microcrystalline tests as it allows for confirmation of the uniqueness of the developed microcrystals almost in-situ rather than growing single crystals for often long periods of time needed for single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis

Cholera Epidemic in Guinea-Bissau (2008): The Importance of “Place”

As resources are limited when responding to cholera outbreaks, knowledge about where to orient interventions is crucial. We describe the cholera epidemic affecting Guinea-Bissau in 2008 focusing on the geographical spread in order to guide prevention and control activities

Are the Distinctions Drawn in the Debate about End‐of‐Life Decision Making “Principled”? If Not, How Much Does It Matter?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90611/1/j.1748-720X.2012.00647.x.pd

Protein kinase C and cardiac dysfunction: a review

Heart failure (HF) is a physiological state in which cardiac output is insufficient to meet the needs of the body. It is a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired ability of the left ventricle to either fill or eject blood efficiently. HF is a disease of multiple aetiologies leading to progressive cardiac dysfunction and it is the leading cause of deaths in both developed and developing countries. HF is responsible for about 73,000 deaths in the UK each year. In the USA, HF affects 5.8 million people and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. Cardiac remodelling (CD), which plays an important role in pathogenesis of HF, is viewed as stress response to an index event such as myocardial ischaemia or imposition of mechanical load leading to a series of structural and functional changes in the viable myocardium. Protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes are a family of serine/threonine kinases. PKC is a central enzyme in the regulation of growth, hypertrophy, and mediators of signal transduction pathways. In response to circulating hormones, activation of PKC triggers a multitude of intracellular events influencing multiple physiological processes in the heart, including heart rate, contraction, and relaxation. Recent research implicates PKC activation in the pathophysiology of a number of cardiovascular disease states. Few reports are available that examine PKC in normal and diseased human hearts. This review describes the structure, functions, and distribution of PKCs in the healthy and diseased heart with emphasis on the human heart and, also importantly, their regulation in heart failure