Modelling of GoSafe speed camera data

The report analyses monthly data on collisions for 274 speed camera sites in Wales, in order to estimate the effectiveness of the cameras in reducing PICs (Personal Injury Collisions) and FSCs (Fatal and Serious Collisions). It uses a Poisson generalised linear model

A note on the modelling of TfL fixed speed camera data

The note describes the analysis and modelling of data on Transport for London's fixed and red-light speed cameras. It firstly investigates the data to see what can be deduced about the distribution of the site selection period (SSP) for the cameras, and how best to model the data using the four time period method to avoid the problem of regression to the mean. The objective is to determine what effect the cameras have had on reducing PICs (personal injury collisions) and FSCs (fatal and serious collisions)

A tennis assignment algorithm

The article describes the development and application of a method to assign players to 4-person groups for social tennis. It is written in R and uses mixed integer linear programming with a randomisation technique to generate all equally-optimal solutions which are then ranked by two secondary criteria

A tennis assignment algorithm [revised version]

The paper describes an algorithm which uses mixed integer linear programming for assigning players to groups over a week, based on the availabilities of players and the number of times in the week that they are able to play. Whilst the coding of the algorithm has been done in R, an app has been developed which enables anybody to use it without needing to install R on their computer

Updating outdated predictive accident models for modern rural roads [forthcoming]

Reliable predictive accident models (PAMs) are essential to design and maintain safe road networks however, ongoing changes in road and vehicle design coupled with road safety initiatives, mean that these models can quickly become dated. Unfortunately, because the fitting of sophisticated PAMs including a wide range of explanatory variables is not a trivial task, available models tend to be based on data collected many years ago and seem unlikely to give reliable estimates of current accidents. Large, expensive studies to produce new models are likely to be, at best, only a temporary solution. This paper thus seeks to develop a practical and efficient methodology to allow currently available PAMs to be updated to give unbiased estimates of accident frequencies at any point in time. Two principal issues are examined: the extent to which the temporal transferability of predictive accident models varies with model complexity; and the practicality and efficiency of two alternative updating strategies. The models used to illustrate these issues are the suites of models developed for rural dual and single carriageway roads in the UK. These are widely used in several software packages in spite of being based on data collected during the 1980s. It was found that increased model complexity by no means ensures better temporal transferability and that calibration of the models using a scale factor can be a practical alternative to fitting new models

THE BIOCHEMICAL ALTERATION AND DNA DAMAGE IN RATS (RATTUS RATTUS) AFTER CHRONIC INTRAPERITONEALLY INJECTION TO PURIFIED MICROCYSTIN-LR FROM ANABAENA CIRCINALIS

  Objective: This study determined the effect of purified microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) on biochemical and DNA damage parameters in rats.Methods: Utilization of preparative high-performance liquid chromatography in analysis, purification and collection of MC-LR, then intraperitoneally injection of purified MC-LR to rats. At the end of exposure, animals were sacrificed, and liver cell was isolated to measure the biochemical markers such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) as well as measured malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytochrome P450 (Cyt P450), and DNA damage markers such as comet length, tail length, and tail moment were measured with the single cell gel electrophoresis also called comet assay.Results: The present results showed significantly increased activities of SOD as well as concentration of MDA, ROS with increasing concentration of MC-LR but the activities of CAT and GSH, as well as Cyt P450, were significantly decreased with increasing MC-LR dose while makers of DNA damage such as comet length, tail length, and tail moment also significantly increased with increasing MC-LR dose.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that chronic exposure to MC-LR toxin can induce alteration of biochemical and DNA damage markers

A Decision Aid for Patients Considering Surgery for Sciatica: Codesign and User-Testing With Patients and Clinicians.

BACKGROUND: Surgery can help patients with leg pain caused by sciatica recover faster, but by 12 months outcomes are similar to nonsurgical management. For many the decision to have surgery may require reflection, and patient decision aids are an evidence-based clinical tool that can help guide patients through this decision. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and refine a decision aid for patients with sciatica who are deciding whether to have surgery or 'wait and see' (i.e., try nonsurgical management first). DESIGN: Semistructured interviews with think-aloud user-testing protocol. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty clinicians and 20 patients with lived experience of low back pain or sciatica. OUTCOME MEASURES: Items from Technology Acceptance Model, Preparation for Decision Making Scale and Decision Quality Instrument for Herniated Disc 2.0 (knowledge instrument). METHODS: The prototype integrated relevant research with working group perspectives, decision aid standards and health literacy guidelines. The research team refined the prototype through seven rounds of user-testing, which involved discussing user-testing feedback and implementing changes before progressing to the next round. RESULTS: As a result of working group feedback, the decision aid was divided into sections: before, during and after a visit to the surgeon. Across all rounds of user-testing, clinicians rated the resource 5.9/7 (SD = 1.0) for perceived usefulness, and 6.0/7 for perceived ease of use (SD = 0.8). Patients reported the decision aid was easy to understand, on average correctly answering 3.4/5 knowledge questions (SD = 1.2) about surgery for sciatica. The grade reading score for the website was 9.0. Patients scored highly on preparation for decision-making (4.4/5, SD = 0.7), suggesting strong potential to empower patients. Interview feedback showed that patients and clinicians felt the decision aid would encourage question-asking and help patients reflect on personal values. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians found the decision aid acceptable, patients found it was easy to understand and both groups felt it would empower patients to actively engage in their care and come to an informed decision that aligned with personal values. Input from the working group and user-testing was crucial for ensuring that the decision aid met patient and clinician needs. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients and clinicians contributed to prototype development via the working group

Process intensification of element extraction using centrifugal contactors in the nuclear fuel cycle

This review focuses on consolidating solvent extraction performed in the process intensification equipment known as Centrifugal Contactors (CCs), implemented in Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) reprocessing and radioactive waste processing. Recovery of valuable actinides is important from sustainability perspectives as it is a source of metals of technological interest from SNF, specifically the recovery of fissile and fertile material, and can also be employed in the processing of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Solvent extraction (also referred to as liquid–liquid extraction, or aqueous separation), is employed in the separation of f-block elements and fission products in SNF. The sequential isolation using different flowsheets has been performed on a range of scales using CCs. However, solids, either present in the feed solution or formed in situ, are always cited as a concern for the operability of CCs, and their extraction efficiencies. This review quantifies the unexpected solid arisings and accumulation during operation in the presence and absence of highly radioactive isotopes from bench to plant scale. The review concludes with techniques implemented for the removal of solids from CCs

Assessing connectivity between an overlying aquifer and a coal seam gas resource using methane isotopes, dissolved organic carbon and tritium

Coal seam gas (CSG) production can have an impact on groundwater quality and quantity in adjacent or overlying aquifers. To assess this impact we need to determine the background groundwater chemistry and to map geological pathways of hydraulic connectivity between aquifers. In south-east Queensland (Qld), Australia, a globally important CSG exploration and production province, we mapped hydraulic connectivity between the Walloon Coal Measures (WCM, the target formation for gas production) and the overlying Condamine River Alluvial Aquifer (CRAA), using groundwater methane (CH4) concentration and isotopic composition (δ13C-CH4), groundwater tritium (3H) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. A continuous mobile CH4 survey adjacent to CSG developments was used to determine the source signature of CH4 derived from the WCM. Trends in groundwater δ13C-CH4 versus CH4 concentration, in association with DOC concentration and 3H analysis, identify locations where CH4 in the groundwater of the CRAA most likely originates from the WCM. The methodology is widely applicable in unconventional gas development regions worldwide for providing an early indicator of geological pathways of hydraulic connectivity

The role of bacteria in the pathogenesis and progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Rationale:Idiopathic pulmonaryfibrosis (IPF)isa progressivelung disease of unknown cause that leads to respiratory failure and death within 5 years of diagnosis. Overt respiratory infection and immunosuppression carry a high morbidity and mortality, and polymorphisms in genes related to epithelial integrity and host defense predispose to IPF. Objectives: To investigate the role of bacteria in the pathogenesis and progression of IPF. Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients diagnosed with IPF according to international criteria together with healthy smokers, nonsmokers, and subjectswithmoderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as control subjects. Subjects underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), from which genomic DNA was isolated. The V3–V5 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified, allowing quantification of bacterial load and identification of communities by 16S rRNA quantitative polymerase chain reaction and pyrosequencing. Measurements and Main Results: Sixty-five patients with IPF had double the burden of bacteria in BAL fluid compared with 44 control subjects. Baseline bacterial burden predicted the rate of decline in lung volume and risk of death and associated independently with the rs35705950 polymorphism of the MUC5B mucin gene, a proven host susceptibilityfactorfor IPF. Sequencing yielded912,883 high-quality reads from all subjects.WeidentifiedHaemophilus, Streptococcus,Neisseria, and Veillonella spp. to be more abundant in cases than control subjects. Regression analyses indicated that these specific operational taxonomic units as well as bacterial burden associated independently with IPF. Conclusions: IPF is characterized by an increased bacterial burden in BAL that predicts decline in lung function and death. Trials of antimicrobial therapy are needed to determine if microbial burden is pathogenic in the disease