High-Speed Projects in the United States: Identifying the Elements for Success-Part 1, MTI Report 05-01

For almost half a century, high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) has held the promise of fast, convenient, and environmentally sound travel for distances between 40 and 600 miles. While a number of HSGT systems have been developed and deployed in Asia and Europe, none has come close to being implemented in the United States. Yet this is not for lack of trying. There have been several efforts around the country, most of which have failed, some of which are still in the early stages, and a few of which might come to pass. The goal of this study was to identify lessons learned for successfully developing and implementing high-speed rail (HSR) in the United States. Through a broad literature review, interviews, and three specific case studies—Florida, California, and the Pacific Northwest—this study articulates those lessons and presents themes for future consideration

Does Tropical Forest Fragmentation Increase Long-Term Variability of Butterfly Communities?

Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Yet, the overall effects of fragmentation on biodiversity may be obscured by differences in responses among species. These opposing responses to fragmentation may be manifest in higher variability in species richness and abundance (termed hyperdynamism), and in predictable changes in community composition. We tested whether forest fragmentation causes long-term hyperdynamism in butterfly communities, a taxon that naturally displays large variations in species richness and community composition. Using a dataset from an experimentally fragmented landscape in the central Amazon that spanned 11 years, we evaluated the effect of fragmentation on changes in species richness and community composition through time. Overall, adjusted species richness (adjusted for survey duration) did not differ between fragmented forest and intact forest. However, spatial and temporal variation of adjusted species richness was significantly higher in fragmented forests relative to intact forest. This variation was associated with changes in butterfly community composition, specifically lower proportions of understory shade species and higher proportions of edge species in fragmented forest. Analysis of rarefied species richness, estimated using indices of butterfly abundance, showed no differences between fragmented and intact forest plots in spatial or temporal variation. These results do not contradict the results from adjusted species richness, but rather suggest that higher variability in butterfly adjusted species richness may be explained by changes in butterfly abundance. Combined, these results indicate that butterfly communities in fragmented tropical forests are more variable than in intact forest, and that the natural variability of butterflies was not a buffer against the effects of fragmentation on community dynamics

Between-Tactor Display Using Dynamic Tactile Stimuli

Display of illusory vibration locations between physical vibrotactile motors (tactors) placed on the skin has the potential to reduce the number of tactors in distributed tactile displays. This paper presents a between-tactor display method that uses dynamic tactile stimuli to generate illusory vibration locations. A belt with only 6 vibration motors displays 24 targets consisting of on-tactor and between-tactor locations. On-tactor locations are represented by simply vibrating the relevant single tactor. Between-tactor locations are displayed by adjusting the relative vibration amplitudes of two adjacent motors, with either (1) constant vibration amplitudes or (2) perturbed vibration amplitudes (creating local illusory motion). User testing showed that perturbations improve recognition accuracy for in-between tactor localization

Detection of Unknown Pregnancy With Complications Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

Eclampsia, a condition diagnosed in pre-eclamptic patients who experience seizures, can lead to maternal and fetal death if not treated early. The present case discusses the clinical management of an 18-year-old female who presented to the emergency department (ED) after a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. A physical examination revealed that she was also hypertensive. Based on these symptoms which required urgency due to the patient\u27s instability, and the suspicion that the patient could be pregnant, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was performed. In this case, a POCUS was a faster more accessible modality than a urine or serum human chorionic gonadotropin test. Although the patient denied that she was pregnant, POCUS identified that she was approximately 22-24 weeks pregnant. The patient was promptly diagnosed with eclampsia and given medication to control her blood pressure and seizures. This case highlights the benefits of using POCUS in the ED to expedite clinical decisions by identifying the etiology of a patient\u27s condition and lends itself to the discussion of its utility in a critically ill pregnant woman. It also serves to reinforce the importance of keeping eclampsia as part of an emergency physician\u27s differential when confronted with a potentially pregnant patient with relevant symptoms

Removal of hard COD, nitrogenous compounds and phenols from a high-strength coal gasification wastewater stream

The objective of this study was to identify the factors affecting the suspended and fixed biomass in the removal of hard COD, nitrogenous compounds and phenols from a coal gasification wastewater (CGWW) stream using a hybrid fixed-film bioreactor (H-FFBR) process under real-time plant operational conditions and actual wastewater composition. The composition of the influent and effluent was studied to determine which compounds were not removed by hydrolysis (bacterial activity) and how this correlated to the suspended and fixed biomass activity, COD and phenol removal. A H-FFBR with 12 g∙m−3 attached biomass and 440 mg∙ℓ−1 suspended biomass achieved 78% phenol removal and 49% COD removal but insignificant removal of nitrogenous compounds. During the operation period, fixed biomass concentration was higher than the suspended biomass. Parameters such as pH, phenols, alkalinity, metal ions, conductivity, total dissolved solids and aeration rate affected the fixed biofilm properties such as adhesion, thickness and structure. It can be concluded that the composition of the effluent had a direct effect on the fixed biomass properties and thus a direct effect on the removal of phenols, COD and nitrogenous compounds in the wastewater.The authors would like to thank Buckman Africa for funding the chemical, EDX, GC-MS and SEM analyses and Sasol Technology (Pty) Ltd for the use and operation of the pilot plant.http://www.wrc.org.zaam201

The use of exogenous microbial species to enhance the performance of a hybrid fixed-film bioreactor treating coal gasification wastewater to meet discharge requirements

The objective of this study was to determine whether inoculating a hybrid fixed-film bioreactor with exogenous bacterial and diatoma species would increase the removal of chemical oxygen demand, nitrogenous compounds and suspended solids from a real-time coal gasification wastewater to meet environmental discharge requirements specified for petrochemical refineries. The COD removal increased by 25% (45% to 70%) at a relatively high inoculum dosage (370 g∙m−3) and unit treatment cost (12.21 €∙m−3). The molar ratio of monovalent cations to divalent cations (M/D >2) affected nitrification, settling of solids and dewatering of the sludge. The use of a low-charge cationic flocculant decreased the suspended solids in the effluent by 70% (180 mg∙L−1 to 54 mg∙L−1) and increased the sludge dewatering rate by 88% (61 s∙L∙g−1 to 154 s∙L∙g−1) at a unit treatment cost of 2.5 €∙t−1 dry solids. Organic compounds not removed by the indigenous and exogenous microbial species included benzoic acids (aromatic carboxylic acids), 2-butenoic acid (short-chain unsaturated carboxylic acid), I(2H)-isoquinolinone (heterocyclic amine), hydantoins (highly polar heterocyclic compounds), long-chain hydrocarbon length (carbon length > C15) and squalene. These organic compounds can thus be classified as poorly degradable or nonbiodegradable which contributed to the 30% COD not removed by the H-FFBR. The use of exogenous microbial species improved the quality of CGWW; however, not sufficiently to meet discharge requirements. The cost of such treatment to meet discharge requirements would be unsustainable. Alternative technologies need to be investigated for reusing or recycling the CGWW rather than discharging.The authors would like to thank Buckman Africa for financing the chemical and microbiological analyses and Sasol Group Technology (Pty) Ltd for the use and operation of the pilot plant.http://www.wrc.org.zaam2016Chemical Engineerin

Cancer symptom awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation in England – Are we clear on cancer?

Background: Low cancer awareness may contribute to delayed diagnosis and poor cancer survival. We aimed to quantify socio-demographic differences in cancer symptom awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation in the English population. Methods: Using a uniquely large data set (n=49?270), we examined the association of cancer symptom awareness and barriers to presentation with age, gender, marital status and socio-economic position (SEP), using logistic regression models to control for confounders. Results: The youngest and oldest, the single and participants with the lowest SEP recognised the fewest cancer symptoms, and reported most barriers to presentation. Recognition of nine common cancer symptoms was significantly lower, and embarrassment, fear and difficulties in arranging transport to the doctor’s surgery were significantly more common in participants living in the most deprived areas than in the most affluent areas. Women were significantly more likely than men to both recognise common cancer symptoms and to report barriers. Women were much more likely compared with men to report that fear would put them off from going to the doctor. Conclusions: Large and robust socio-demographic differences in recognition of some cancer symptoms, and perception of some barriers to presentation, highlight the need for targeted campaigns to encourage early presentation and improve cancer outcomes

Demographic and sociocultural risk factors for adulthood weight gain in Hispanic/Latinos: results from the Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Background United States (US) Hispanic/Latinos experience a disproportionate burden of obesity, which may in part be related to demographic or sociocultural factors, including acculturation to an US diet or inactive lifestyle. Therefore, we sought to describe the association between adulthood weight histories and demographic and sociocultural factors in a large diverse community-based cohort of US Hispanic/Latinos. Methods We estimated the effect of several factors on weight gain across adulthood, using multivariable linear mixed models to leverage 38,759 self-reported current body weights and weight histories recalled for 21, 45 and 65 years of age, from 15,203 adults at least 21 years of age at the baseline visit of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (2008–2011). Results The average rate of weight gain was nearly 10 kg per decade in early adulthood, but slowed to < 5 kg a decade among individuals 60+ years of age. Birth cohort, gender, nativity or age at immigration, Hispanic/Latino background, and study site each significantly modified the form of the predicted adulthood weight trajectory. Among immigrants, weight gain during the 5 years post-migration was on average 0.88 kg (95% CI: 0.04, 1.72) greater than the weight gain during the 5 years prior. The rate of weight gain appeared to slow after 15 years post-migration. Conclusions Using self-reported and weight history data in a diverse sample of US Hispanic/Latinos, we revealed that both demographic and sociocultural factors were associated with the patterning of adulthood weight gain in this sample. Given the steep rate of weight gain in this population and the fact that many Hispanic/Latinos living in the US immigrated as adults, efforts to promote weight maintenance across the life course, including after immigration, should be a top priority for promoting Hispanic/Latino health and addressing US health disparities more broadly

Bidirectional lipid droplet velocities are controlled by differential binding strengths of HCV Core DII protein

Host cell lipid droplets (LD) are essential in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle and are targeted by the viral capsid core protein. Core-coated LDs accumulate in the perinuclear region and facilitate viral particle assembly, but it is unclear how mobility of these LDs is directed by core. Herein we used two-photon fluorescence, differential interference contrast imaging, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopies, to reveal novel core-mediated changes to LD dynamics. Expression of core protein’s lipid binding domain II (DII-core) induced slower LD speeds, but did not affect directionality of movement on microtubules. Modulating the LD binding strength of DII-core further impacted LD mobility, revealing the temporal effects of LD-bound DII-core. These results for DII-core coated LDs support a model for core-mediated LD localization that involves core slowing down the rate of movement of LDs until localization at the perinuclear region is accomplished where LD movement ceases. The guided localization of LDs by HCV core protein not only is essential to the viral life cycle but also poses an interesting target for the development of antiviral strategies against HCV

Do All Stars in the Solar Neighbourhood Form in Clusters?

We present a global study of low mass, young stellar object (YSO) surface densities (Sigma) in nearby (< 500 pc) star forming regions based on a comprehensive collection of Spitzer Space Telescope surveys. We show that the distribution of YSO surface densities is a smooth distribution, being adequately described by a lognormal function from a few to 10^3 YSOs per pc^2, with a peak at ~22 stars pc^-2. The observed lognormal Sigma is consistent with predictions of hierarchically structured star-formation at scales below 10 pc, arising from the molecular cloud structures. We do not find evidence for multiple discrete modes of star-formation (e.g. clustered and distributed). Comparing the observed Sigma distribution to previous Sigma threshold definitions of clusters show that they are arbitrary. We find that only a low fraction (< 26$) of stars are formed in dense environments where their formation/evolution (along with their circumstellar disks and/or planets) may be affected by the close proximity of their low-mass neighbours.Comment: 7 Pages, 2 Figures, JENAM conference (Lisbon