Pilot Perception of Light Emitting Diodes Versus Incandescent Elevated Runway Guard Lights

Pilots must understand and be aware of the purpose of each airport sign, light and marking, for there are numerous. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is planning on replacing the current incandescent lighting with far more economical LED airport lighting. In preparation for this change, two experiments were conducted for this thesis. Experiment 1 attempted to determine what pilots know about the meaning of the signs, markings and lights on the taxiways and runways through a questionnaire that was developed with the FAA. Experiment 2 evaluated pilot perception of LED lighting compared to current incandescent elevated runway guard lights. The meaning of airfield lights is not often stressed in pilot training and many pilots are unsure as to the intended purpose of specific lighting. Experiment 1 attempted to evaluate the uncertainty of these caution lights. In experiment 1, a knowledge survey about runway lighting and markings was created. The survey was developed by a flight instructor and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The surveys were given to about 150 pilots with varying flight ratings and experience levels. Experiment 1 results determined that there is a need for more intensive or remedial training on some airport signals. Results also showed that some runway signals need to have greater cue salience. Experiment 2 was designed to replace the existing elevated runway guard lights at a local airport from incandescent lights to light emitting diodes. Permission to cross onto the runways from a taxiway at airports must be given by the air traffic (ground) controller. The demarcation between taxiway and runway is indicated by the elevated runway guard light (ERGL), which signals to the taxiing pilot to hold short at the border of the runway until permission to cross the intersection is obtained. Incandescent lights are currently installed in the ERGLs. Experiment 2 of this thesis was designed to evaluate pilot\u27s perceptions of the elevated runway guard lights if they were to be changed to light emitting diodes (LED). Experiment 2 was conducted to determine if pilots distinguish a difference in brightness, and noticeability as well as the level of distraction of both the incandescent and LED ERGLs. Results of the ERGL survey indicated that the ERGL which, was LED, was perceived to be brighter, less distracting and more noticeable than the current incandescent lights. Additionally, pilots preferred the LED ERGL over the incandescent. These results argue that LED bulbs will certainly be as good as current incandescent bulbs in alerting pilots and in many cases may be better than current bulbs. Besides the potential to increase the salience of the taxiway lighting, LEDs are dramatically less expensive to use and maintain. For example, their lifespan is ten times the life of an incandescent light. Replacing the considerable number of lights on an airport with LED fixtures will bring a significant savings to operations. These studies were part of a sponsored project by the FAA (Airport Safety Technology Research and Development Sub-Team, AJP-6311) in preparation for introducing LED technology to airport lighting

Poverty in America: Trends and Explanations

Despite robust growth in real per capita GDP over the last three decades, the U.S. poverty rate has changed very little. In an effort to better understand this disconnect, we document and quantify the relationship between poverty and four different factors that may affect poverty and its evolution over time: labor market opportunities, family structure, anti-poverty programs, and immigration. We find that the relationship between the macro-economy and poverty has weakened over time. Nevertheless, changes in labor market opportunities predict changes in the poverty rate rather well. We also find that changes in female labor supply should have reduced poverty, but was counteracted by an increase in the rate of female headship. Changes in the number and composition of immigrants and changes in the generosity of anti-poverty programs seem to have had little effect.

Gaetz Aerospace Institute — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University\u27s High School Dual Enrollment Program

Gaetz Aerospace Institute uses aviation, aerospace, and engineering to capture students’ imaginations and motivate them toward their studies. Students are officially registered in Embry-Riddle courses that will reflect on their college transcripts. The concurrent enrollment courses that are administered at high school reflect the pedagogical, theoretical, and philosophical orientation of Embry-Riddle courses. Our Embry-Riddle instructors provide discipline-specific training and orientation regarding course curriculum, assessment criteria, pedagogy, and course philosophy to the high school instructor. Assessments are evaluated at the same standards of achievement as those expected at the Daytona Beach campus. Concurrent Enrollment is great because the courses are taught on the high school campus and follow the high school schedule

DESCRIBE Final Project Report

This is the final project report of the DESCRIBE project. The DESCRIBE project was funded by Jisc to investigate the definitions, evidence and systems for capturing the impacts and benefits of research. Its findings are based on: a literature review; semi-structured interviews; an expert workshop; a series of detailed, thematic “think-pieces” from experts and commentators within the UK and internationally; and a final international project conference. DESCRIBE explored the impact terrain within the EU and further afield taking in views of the strategic case for impact and highlighting conceptual frameworks that can be used to promote a shared understanding of what impact is and how it can be evidenced. It has given specific consideration to the implications of the agenda for skills, organisational structures and systems development which should inform national and international agendas in the short to medium term.JISC DIINN1

Risk factors for tuberculosis in older children and adolescents: a matched case-control study in Recife, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is a major disease worldwide and most research focus on risk factors for adults, although there is a marked adolescent peak in incidence. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for tuberculosis in children aged 7 to 19. METHODS: A case control study matched by age with 169 cases and 477 controls. The study population consisted of adolescents and older children from Recife, Brazil. Cases were individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis in the control programme and controls were selected in the neighborhood of cases. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify risk factors. RESULTS: Cigarette smoking increased by 50% the risk of tuberculosis but that this was not statistically significant (OR = 1.6). Other risk factors were sleeping in the same house as a case of tuberculosis (OR = 31.6), living in a house with no piped water (OR = 7.7) (probably as a proxy for bad living conditions), illiteracy (OR = 3.7) and male sex (OR = 1.8). The increase in risk with living in houses with no piped water was much more marked in males. The proportion of cases of tuberculosis attributed to contact with someone with TB was 38% and to illiteracy, lack of piped water and smoking, 20%. CONCLUSION: Household contact with tuberculosis, social factors and male sex play the biggest role in determining risk of TB disease among children and adolescents in the study. We recommend further research on the relationship of cigarette smoking on tuberculosis in adolescents, and on whether the sex differentials are more marked in bad living conditions. Separate studies should be conducted in older children and in adolescents

Is a WIC Start a Better Start? Evaluating WIC’s Impact on Infant Health Using Program Introduction

The goal of federal food and nutrition programs in the United States is to improve the nutritional well-being and health of low income families. A large body of literature evaluates the extent to which the Supplemental Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) has accomplished this goal, but most studies have been based on research designs that compare program participants to non-participants. If selection into these programs is non-random then such comparisons will lead to biased estimates of the program’s true effects. In this study we use the rollout of the WIC program across counties to estimate the impact of the program on infant health. We find that the implementation of WIC lead to an increase in average birthweight and a decrease in the fraction of births that are classified as low birthweight. We find no evidence that these estimates are driven by changes in fertility. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the initiation of WIC lead to a ten percent increase in the birthweight of infants born to participating mothers.

A self-management programme to reduce falls and improve safe mobility in people with secondary progressive MS: the BRiMS feasibility RCT

This is the final version, also available from NIHR journals library via the DOI in this record.Abstract Background Balance, mobility impairments and falls are common problems for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Our ongoing research has led to the development of Balance Right in MS (BRiMS), a 13-week home- and group-based exercise and education programme intended to improve balance and encourage safer mobility. Objective This feasibility trial aimed to obtain the necessary data and operational experience to finalise the planning of a future definitive multicentre randomised controlled trial. Design Randomised controlled feasibility trial. Participants were block randomised 1 : 1. Researcher-blinded assessments were scheduled at baseline and at 15 and 27 weeks post randomisation. As is appropriate in a feasibility trial, statistical analyses were descriptive rather than involving formal/inferential comparisons. The qualitative elements utilised template analysis as the chosen analytical framework. Setting Four sites across the UK. Participants Eligibility criteria included having a diagnosis of secondary progressive MS, an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of between ≥ 4.0 and ≤ 7.0 points and a self-report of two or more falls in the preceding 6 months. Interventions Intervention – manualised 13-week education and exercise programme (BRiMS) plus usual care. Comparator – usual care alone. Main outcome measures Trial feasibility, proposed outcomes for the definitive trial (including impact of MS, mobility, quality of life and falls), feasibility of the BRiMS programme (via process evaluation) and economic data. Results A total of 56 participants (mean age 59.7 years, standard deviation 9.7 years; 66% female; median EDSS score of 6.0 points, interquartile range 6.0–6.5 points) were recruited in 5 months; 30 were block randomised to the intervention group. The demographic and clinical data were broadly comparable at baseline; however, the intervention group scored worse on the majority of baseline outcome measures. Eleven participants (19.6%) withdrew or were lost to follow-up. Worsening of MS-related symptoms unrelated to the trial was the most common reason (n = 5) for withdrawal. Potential primary and secondary outcomes and economic data had completion rates of > 98% for all those assessed. However, the overall return rate for the patient-reported falls diary was 62%. After adjusting for baseline score, the differences between the groups (intervention compared with usual care) at week 27 for the potential primary outcomes were MS Walking Scale (12-item) version 2 –7.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) –17.2 to 1.8], MS Impact Scale (29-item) version 2 (MSIS-29vs2) physical 0.6 (95% CI –7.8 to 9) and MSIS-29vs2 psychological –0.4 (95% CI –9.9 to 9) (negative score indicates improvement). After the removal of one outlier, a total of 715 falls were self-reported over the 27-week trial period, with substantial variation between individuals (range 0–93 falls). Of these 715 falls, 101 (14%) were reported as injurious. Qualitative feedback indicated that trial processes and participant burden were acceptable, and participants highlighted physical and behavioural changes that they perceived to result from undertaking BRiMS. Engagement varied, influenced by a range of condition- and context-related factors. Suggestions to improve the utility and accessibility of BRiMS were highlighted. Conclusions The results suggest that the trial procedures are feasible and acceptable, and retention, programme engagement and outcome completion rates were sufficient to satisfy the a priori progression criteria. Challenges were experienced in some areas of data collection, such as completion of daily diaries.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Biofilm and the role of the ica operon and aap in Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates causing neurosurgical meningitis.

Fifty-five Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates, classified as contaminants or causing device-related meningitis, from external ventricular drain (EVD) and non-EVD cerebrospinal fluid specimens were characterized. Thirty-three of 42 (78.6%) meningitis isolates were PCR-positive for ica and aap, known determinants of polysaccharide- and protein-mediated biofilm production, whereas five of 13 (38.5%) contaminants were ica- and aap-negative; 71.4% of meningitis isolates and 84.6% of contaminants produced biofilm. ica+aap+ meningitis isolates produced more biofilm than ica+aap- isolates (p 0.0020). ica+aap- isolates did not produce more biofilm than ica-aap+ isolates (p 0.4368). Apparently, ica and aap are associated with biofilm production in S. epidermidis device-related meningitis isolates

The Economic Value of America’s Estuaries: 2021 Report

This study builds on the work completed in 2009, “The Economic and Market Value of Coasts and Estuaries: What’s At Stake?,” a report by NOAA in collaboration with the Center for the Blue Economy and the Ocean Foundation, at the request of Restore America’s Estuaries. Like the 2009 study, the 2021 update uses the same data sources (Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and NOAA), and looks in detail at the same five major sectors of the U.S. economy (fisheries, energy infrastructure, marine transportation, real estate, and recreation) from 2009-2018. The 2021 update includes the economic value of natural coastal infrastructure and coastal blue carbon storage for six regions: • Great Egg Harbor, New Jersey • Palmico Sound and the Lower Neuse River, North Carolina • Tampa Bay, Florida • Terrebonne Basin, Louisiana • San Pablo Bay, California • Snohomish River Estuary, Washington For the six areas above, a thirty-year data set,1970-2020, was included in addition to the key economic metrics, drawn from NOAA data and premised on two fundamental principles: First, that natural infrastructure and blue carbon value is derived from the ability of these systems to avoid future economic damages; Secondly, and most important, the actual value is dependent on keeping existing wetlands intact. The reduction or elimination of flood losses and the avoided release of carbon stores are what determine the economic value. “The Economic Value of America’s Estuaries, 2021 Report,” has two main purposes: to update our understanding of the contributions of estuary regions to the economy of the U.S, and to expand our understanding of those values by examining the values provided by reduction in flood damages (natural infrastructure function) and the value provided by storing carbon dioxide (the blue carbon function). This report provides decision makers a methodolgically sound baseline for both of those criteria, and it provides the basis for some good news: we can mitigate the most dire climate impacts by investing in and protecting America’s estuaries, deltas, bays, coastlines and Great Lakes