Connected Vehicle Technology: An All Too Convenient Solution to Roadway Problems in the United States

Automobile accidents and roadway infrastructure problems are increasing in the United States.  Specifically, 5.7 million automobile accidents were reported in 2013.  The number of automobile accidents caused by lane drifting has increased over the past fifteen years, given the increased number of drivers on the road.   The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) have developed a cumulative solution to these problems. Connected Vehicle  technology is part of the USDOT’s “Intelligent Transportation Systems” (ITS) initiative.  The ITS initiative targets automobile crash avoidance and better traffic flow through the use of automated technologies.[1] Id. at v.

Genome-wide association scan identifies a colorectal cancer susceptibility locus on 11q23 and replicates risk loci at 8q24 and 18q21

In a genome-wide association study to identify loci associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, we genotyped 555,510 SNPs in 1,012 early-onset Scottish CRC cases and 1,012 controls (phase 1). In phase 2, we genotyped the 15,008 highest-ranked SNPs in 2,057 Scottish cases and 2,111 controls. We then genotyped the five highest-ranked SNPs from the joint phase 1 and 2 analysis in 14,500 cases and 13,294 controls from seven populations, and identified a previously unreported association, rs3802842 on 11q23 (OR = 1.1; P = 5.8 10-10), showing population differences in risk. We also replicated and fine-mapped associations at 8q24 (rs7014346; OR = 1.19; P = 8.6 10-26) and 18q21 (rs4939827; OR = 1.2; P = 7.8 10-28). Risk was greater for rectal than for colon cancer for rs3802842 (P < 0.008) and rs4939827 (P < 0.009). Carrying all six possible risk alleles yielded OR = 2.6 (95% CI = 1.75–3.89) for CRC. These findings extend our understanding of the role of common genetic variation in CRC etiology