Innovative Methods to Strengthen Internal KYTC Communications

Communication is the linchpin of every organization. Poor communication leads to inefficiencies, frustration among staff, and employee disaffection and disengagement. Although some state transportation agencies have adopted comprehensive strategic plans for internal communications, many have taken a more piecemeal approach, with some Offices and units (e.g., incident management) developing their own plans that apply only to their operations. The latter approach is less than ideal because establishing a comprehensive communications plan provides an organizing framework for all communications within an organization and is critical for uniting staff around a shared sense of purpose and equipping them with the tools they need to realize the organization’s mission and vision. Crafting a solid communications plan also helps to clarify responsibilities, map information flows, break down informational and disciplinary silos, and strengthen employee engagement. If the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) were to embark on the development of a strategic plan for internal communications, it would benefit from adopting several best practices: (1) treating communication as a core competency, (2) improving mentorship opportunities, (3) minimizing clutter by eliminating information redundancies and cutting extraneous content from messages, and (4) seizing opportunities to build employee engagement throughout the agency. As a precursor to developing the communications plan, the Cabinet would benefit from conducting a thorough communications audit to identify communication strengths and weaknesses and identify performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of communications. If a plan was formally adopted, KYTC staff would need to devise a communications toolbox that contains strategies and tactics for increasing engagement and streamlining information flows. Regular performance assessments can be used to identify when and how the communications plan and toolkit should be updated

KYTC Department of Aviation Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) Program Optimization

The aviation industry is a linchpin of Kentucky’s economy. Major firms such as UPS, Amazon, and DHL have major hubs at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). As of December 2022, 4,570 aircraft mechanics and service technicians (AMTs) were employed in the state. Demand in this sector is poised to grow. As such, it is critical to understand what resources Kentucky has available to train the next generation of professionals and the number of people the aviation industry is likely to employ statewide over the next decade. Kentucky and the surrounding states are home to 35 programs that train AMTs. Most of Kentucky’s AMTs graduate from Jefferson Community and Technical College and Somerset Community College (Maysville Community and Technical College is launching an AMT program), schools in southern Ohio, or arrive from out of state. Each year, Kentucky adds over 300 AMTs through immigration to Kentucky and graduates from AMT programs. AMT programs are critical sources of workers, but schools struggle to keep faculty on staff, with turnover in the 30-40% range due to low pay. Based on historical data, two mathematical models were developed to forecast the number of AMT jobs Kentucky will add between 2023 and 2035. These models suggest the number of AMTs will increase to a range between 2,311 and 3,027. Based on these projections, supply and demand for AMTs will reach equilibrium in 2027. To ensure Kentucky avoids a shortage of AMTs, expanding the number of training and certification programs and running programs at or near their capacity is critical

Analysis and Assessment of the Reimbursement Rates and Mechanisms for Kentucky’s Publicly Funded Ferries

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) reimburses publicly operated ferries, including when they cease operations due to severe weather or unforeseen events. Reimbursement procedures are not codified in law and are largely based on historical practice. To determine how the Cabinet should handle reimbursement, funding, oversight of ferry services moving forward, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) reviewed practices adopted by 10 other states and conducted a detailed analysis of Kentucky’s current approach. Of the states KTC examined, only Tennessee reimburses ferry operations for closures (at 50 percent of the normal hourly rate for a period up to 48 hours). Half of the states KTC examined make state funding available for ferry operations, others either devolve oversight to the local level or provide no funding assistance. In Kentucky, operating standards for ferry services are not consistent and no uniform method has been devised to calculate reimbursement rates. In light of these findings, KYTC should create detailed auditing guidelines to improve the consistency of ferry service financial statements; pursue funding sources it has not previously taken advantage of, and generate long-term forecasts of the state’s ferry operations. Lastly, the Cabinet should ask the General Assembly to revisit and modify several statutes pertaining to ferries which contain outdated language that has little relevance to the modern transportation system

Analysis of Truck Weight Limit Regulations

In the United States vehicle weight limits are set by laws and regulations enacted at the state and federal levels. On interstates the maximum allowable gross vehicle weight is 80,000 lbs. States use different rules for permitting overdimensional and overweight (OD/OW) vehicles, and most have carve outs that exempt specific commodities from standard weight limits. This results in a complex legal and regulatory landscape that enforcement personnel can find difficult to negotiate. This report discusses strategies that can be adopted in the state of Kentucky to improve enforcement and mitigate infrastructure damage caused by OD/OW loads. After presenting a thorough review of laws pertaining to vehicle weight limits at the national and state levels, the report presents the results of a nationwide survey administered to agency staff directly involved in weight limit enforcement. Survey respondents reported that OW trucks inflict a disproportionate amount of damage on pavements and bridges that permitting fees and fuel taxes are insufficient to ameliorate roadway damage caused by these vehicles, and that commodity exemptions and staff shortages make enforcement a challenging proposition. In addition to sharing many of the opinions of agency staff elsewhere, Kentucky personnel said that many bridges and roadways are not designed to withstand repeated loads of 80,000 lbs. of gross vehicle weight, heavier vehicles with commodity exemptions are especially damaging to collector and local roads, and that enforcement efforts need to be redoubled. Recommendations for improving weight limit enforcement in Kentucky cover areas such as legislation (e.g., reducing the number of commodity exemptions, using axle-based weight limits), highway design, enforcement and judicial practices, and permitting and fees. Implementing these recommendations can help Kentucky modernize and standardize its enforcement efforts

A Review of Kentucky’s Extended-Weight Hauling Programs

Kentucky established its Extended Weight Coal or Coal By-products Haul Road System (EWCHRS) to increase the state’s competitiveness within the coal industry and reduce financial burdens on coal haulers. A new extended-weight haul system for unrefined petroleum products will come online in 2022. To facilitate enforcement of weight limits throughout Kentucky, this report surveys literature on how overweight vehicles affect roads and bridges, describes statutes and regulations governing weight limits in the state, discusses policies and strategies used throughout the US to handle overweight vehicles, and makes recommendations for improving extended-weight policies in Kentucky. It is apparent that pavements and bridges repeatedly exposed to overweight vehicles have shorter life-cycles, but methods for quantifying deterioration rates are lacking. In both Kentucky and throughout the US, agency personnel find that not enough revenues are collected from permitting fees to offset damage caused by overweight trucks. The enforcement landscape is made complex by exemptions that apply to specific industries and commodities. Without adequate staffing and weigh station operations, robust enforcement of weight limits is very challenging. Some of the recommendations for Kentucky to improve its extended-weight policies include studying the feasibility of a statewide long-haul network that accommodates all commodities, modifying the EWCHRS fee structure to generate enough funds to repair damage inflicted by overweight vehicles, strengthen enforcement of weight limits on the EWCHRS, mandate installation of GPS systems on vehicles that travel the EWCHRS to streamline mileage reporting and improve driver awareness of prohibited routes, and eliminate inconsistencies, ambiguities, and redundancies in regulatory and statutory language

Extended Weight Systems Pavement Analysis

SPR 22-57-2Kentucky established its Extended Weight Coal or Coal By-products Haul Road System (EWCHRS) in 1986. This road network includes segments of the Coal Haul Highway System on which more than 50,000 tons coal or coal byproducts were transported by motor vehicles during the previous calendar year. In the past few years, the state has introduced extended weight (EW) systems focused on petroleum products and metal commodities. Trucks can operate above posted weight limits on these networks by paying annual fees that range from $160 to$2,000. While EW networks benefit motor carriers by improving efficiency, vehicles that exceed weight limits can damage pavement and reduce its service life. This study examines the relationship between pavement age and pavement condition on EWCHRS routes and non-EWCHRS routes to understand the implications of EW networks for infrastructure life-cycles. Using data from 2008 through 2020 (with the exception of 2016) to perform regression analysis, researchers found that routes which spent at least 20% of the study period on the EWCHRS saw pavement life decline by 1.5 \u2013 2 years. In general, a positive correlation was observed between exposure on the EWCHRS and loss of pavement life, which can increase maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation costs. While the future of commodity-specific EW networks in Kentucky is unclear, data management strategies can be adopted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to improve its support of existing and future EW networks

Central nervous system inflammation induces muscle atrophy via activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis

Systemic and CNS-delimited inflammation triggers skeletal muscle catabolism in a manner dependent on glucocorticoid signaling

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Acute radiation impacts contractility of guinea-pig bladder strips affecting mucosal-detrusor interactions

Radiation-induced bladder toxicity is associated with radiation therapy for pelvic malignancies, arising from unavoidable irradiation of neighbouring normal bladder tissue. This study aimed to investigate the acute impact of ionizing radiation on the contractility of bladder strips and identify the radiation-sensitivity of the mucosa vs the detrusor. Guinea-pig bladder strips (intact or mucosa-free) received ex vivo sham or 20Gy irradiation and were studied with in vitro myography, electrical field stimulation and Ca2+-fluorescence imaging. Frequency-dependent, neurogenic contractions in intact strips were reduced by irradiation across the force-frequency graph. The radiation-difference persisted in atropine (1μM); subsequent addition of PPADs (100μM) blocked the radiation effect at higher stimulation frequencies and decreased the force-frequency plot. Conversely, neurogenic contractions in mucosa-free strips were radiation-insensitive. Radiation did not affect agonist-evoked contractions (1μM carbachol, 5mM ATP) in intact or mucosa-free strips. Interestingly, agonist-evoked contractions were larger in irradiated mucosa-free strips vs irradiated intact strips suggesting that radiation may have unmasked an inhibitory mucosal element. Spontaneous activity was larger in control intact vs mucosa-free preparations; this difference was absent in irradiated strips. Spontaneous Ca2+-transients in smooth muscle cells within tissue preparations were reduced by radiation. Radiation affected neurogenic and agonist-evoked bladder contractions and also reduced Ca2+-signalling events in smooth muscle cells when the mucosal layer was present. Radiation eliminated a positive modulatory effect on spontaneous activity by the mucosa layer. Overall, the findings suggest that radiation impairs contractility via mucosal regulatory mechanisms independent of the development of radiation cystitis