Probe Vehicle Bluetooth Study for Travel Time Savings Estimation

Interstate 69 is a new highway envisioned to eventually travel the length of the United States, from Canada to Mexico. In Indiana, the construction is being completed in a series of segments, as shown below. With the opening of new sections, the travel time savings for travelers can be quantified. By deploying Bluetooth data loggers to capture unique MAC addresses of travelers’ devices, timestamps for corresponding MAC addresses along the study route can be matched to determine travel time. Compared to the posted speeds and lengths of new interstate sections, the travel time saved by using I-69 can be estimated. One such study was completed for the previous opening of I-69 Sections 1-3, and researchers completed a study for Section 4, which opened to public traffic on December 6, 2015

Evaluation of striped bass stocks in Virginia, monitoring and tagging studies, 2010-2014 Progress report, 1 September 2011 - 31 August 2012

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 September 2011 through 31 August 2012. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2012 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging, and the results of the study that documents the prevalence of mycobacterial infections of striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for striped bass in Virginia, and along the eastern seaboard

Using Connected Vehicle Data to Reassess Dilemma Zone Performance of Heavy Vehicles

The rate of fatalities at signalized intersections involving heavy vehicles is nearly five times higher than for passenger vehicles in the US. Previous studies in the US have found that heavy vehicles are twice as likely to violate a red light compared with passenger vehicles. Current technologies leverage setback detection to extend green time for a particular phase and are based upon typical deceleration rates for passenger cars. Furthermore, dilemma zone detectors are not effective when the max out time expires and forces the onset of yellow. This study proposes the use of connected vehicle (CV) technology to trigger force gap out (FGO) before a vehicle is expected to arrive within the dilemma zone limit at max out time. The method leverages position data from basic safety messages (BSMs) to map-match virtual waypoints located up to 1,050 ft in advance of the stop bar. For a 55 mph approach, field tests determined that using a 6 ft waypoint radius at 50 ft spacings would be sufficient to match 95% of BSM data within a 5% lag threshold of 0.59 s. The study estimates that FGOs reduce dilemma zone incursions by 34% for one approach and had no impact for the other. For both approaches, the total dilemma zone incursions decreased from 310 to 225. Although virtual waypoints were used for evaluating FGO, the study concludes by recommending that trajectory-based processing logic be incorporated into controllers for more robust support of dilemma zone and other emerging CV applications

Multi-axis fields boost SABRE hyperpolarization via new strategies

The inherently low signal-to-noise ratio of NMR and MRI is now being addressed by hyperpolarization methods. For example, iridium-based catalysts that reversibly bind both parahydrogen and ligands in solution can hyperpolarize protons (SABRE) or heteronuclei (X-SABRE) on a wide variety of ligands, using a complex interplay of spin dynamics and chemical exchange processes, with common signal enhancements between $10^3-10^4$. This does not approach obvious theoretical limits, and further enhancement would be valuable in many applications (such as imaging mM concentration species in vivo). Most SABRE/X-SABRE implementations require far lower fields (${\mu}T-mT$) than standard magnetic resonance (>1T), and this gives an additional degree of freedom: the ability to fully modulate fields in three dimensions. However, this has been underexplored because the standard simplifying theoretical assumptions in magnetic resonance need to be revisited. Here we take a different approach, an evolutionary strategy algorithm for numerical optimization, Multi-Axis Computer-aided HEteronuclear Transfer Enhancement for SABRE (MACHETE-SABRE). We find nonintuitive but highly efficient multi-axial pulse sequences which experimentally can produce a 10-fold improvement in polarization over continuous excitation. This approach optimizes polarization differently than traditional methods, thus gaining extra efficiency

Attack Rates Assessment of the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza A in Children and Their Contacts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The recent H1N1 influenza A pandemic was marked by multiple reports of illness and hospitalization in children, suggesting that children may have played a major role in the propagation of the virus. A comprehensive detailed analysis of the attack rates among children as compared with their contacts in various settings is of great importance for understanding their unique role in influenza pandemics. Methodology/Principal Findings: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed) and Embase for published studies reporting outbreak investigations with direct measurements of attack rates of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A among children, and quantified how these compare with those of their contacts. We identified 50 articles suitable for review, which reported school, household, travel and social events. The selected reports and our meta-analysis indicated that children had significantly higher attack rates as compared to adults, and that this phenomenon was observed for both virologically confirmed and clinical cases, in various settings and locations around the world. The review also provided insight into some characteristics of transmission between children and their contacts in the various settings. Conclusion/Significance: The consistently higher attack rates of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A among children, as compared to adults, as well as the magnitude of the difference is important for understanding the contribution of children to disease burden, for implementation of mitigation strategies directed towards children, as well as more precise mathematical modeling and simulation of future influenza pandemics

Connected Vehicle Corridor Deployment and Performance Measures for Assessment

In November 2016, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) announced the Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) challenge to state and local agencies to kick start infrastructure deployments for V2I communications. The challenge involved the deployment of Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) infrastructure with SPaT broadcasts (current intersection signal light phase) on at least 20 signalized intersections in all of the 50 states by 2020. Although the roadmap for agencies to partner with the automotive industry is still evolving, it is important for Indiana to not only support the SPaT challenge, but also identify mutually beneficial opportunities for INDOT to partner with the automotive industry as Indiana has the second largest automotive related Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country. During this study, connected traffic signal infrastructure was deployed at several locations around the state. The West Lafayette corridor SPaT message deployment was done using both traditional Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) as well cellular communication. This report details the deployment locations, the various public and private sector stakeholders that were engaged during the field testing, and several vehicle-infrastructure communication experiments that were used to evaluate connected vehicle use cases. The findings of this research were as follows: The team successfully demonstrated use cases for placing virtual vehicle detection calls to a traffic signal controller using SPaT messages and evaluated latency. The team developed a scalable methodology for characterizing the probability of a traffic signal phase changing by time of day. This methodology of using agency traffic signal data for green light prediction and engine shut down at red lights is particularly useful to the automotive industry. The team successfully demonstrated that split failures, reduced roadway friction and hard braking events can be identified on the vehicle and transmitted to an agency. This enhanced probe data information is particularly valuable to agencies for identifying traffic signal timing problems, segments impacted by winter weather and location where drivers are encountering roadway conditions required hard braking. DSRC provides the lowest latency communication, but in general commercial cellular interface between vehicles and infrastructure provided acceptable latency for most use cases. For most applications, the team believes a commercial cellular interface between vehicles and infrastructure is the most scalable and feasible for an agency to maintain

Caveolin-1 in renal cell carcinoma promotes tumour cell invasion, and in co-operation with pERK predicts metastases in patients with clinically confined disease

Background: Up to 40% of patients initially diagnosed with clinically-confined renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and who undergo curative surgery will nevertheless relapse with metastatic disease (mRCC) associated with poor long term survival. The discovery of novel prognostic/predictive biomarkers and drug targets is needed and in this context the aim of the current study was to investigate a putative caveolin-1/ERK signalling axis in clinically confined RCC, and to examine in a panel of RCC cell lines the effects of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) on pathological processes (invasion and growth) and select signalling pathways. Methods: Using immunohistochemistry we assessed the expression of both Cav-1 and phosphorylated-ERK (pERK) in 176 patients with clinically confined RCC, their correlation with histological parameters and their impact upon disease-free survival. Using a panel of RCC cell lines we explored the functional effects of Cav-1 knockdown upon cell growth, cell invasion and VEGF-A secretion, as well Cav-1 regulation by cognate cell signalling pathways. Results: We found a significant correlation (P = 0.03) between Cav-1 and pERK in a cohort of patients with clinically confined disease which represented a prognostic biomarker combination (HR = 4.2) that effectively stratified patients into low, intermediate and high risk groups with respect to relapse, even if the patients’ tumours displayed low grade and/or low stage disease. In RCC cell lines Cav-1 knockdown unequivocally reduced cell invasive capacity while also displaying both pro-and anti-proliferative effects; targeted knockdown of Cav-1 also partially suppressed VEGF-A secretion in VHL-negative RCC cells. The actions of Cav-1 in the RCC cell lines appeared independent of both ERK and AKT/mTOR signalling pathways. Conclusion: The combined expression of Cav-1 and pERK serves as an independent biomarker signature with potential merit in RCC surveillance strategies able to predict those patients with clinically confined disease who will eventually relapse. In a panel of in-vitro RCC cells Cav-1 promotes cell invasion with variable effects on cell growth and VEGF-A secretion. Cav-1 has potential as a therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of mRCC

Delivering a primary care-based social prescribing initiative: a qualitative study of the benefits and challenges

Background: ‘Social prescribing’ is a collaborative approach to improve inter-sectoral working between primary healthcare and community organisations. The Links Worker Programme (LWP) is a social prescribing initiative in areas of high deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland aiming to mitigate the negative impacts of the social determinants of health. Aim: To uncover issues relevant to implementing a social prescribing programme to improve inter-sectoral working to achieve public health goals. Design and Setting: Qualitative interview study with 30 community organisation representatives in LWP areas, and six Community Links Practitioners (CLPs) in LWP practices. Methods: Audio recordings of interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results: Participants identified benefits of collaborative working, particularly the CLPs’ ability to act as patients’ case manager, and their position within GP practices which operated as a bridge between organisations. However, benefits were seen to flow from new relationships between individuals within community organisations and CLPs, rather than more generally with the practice as a whole. Challenges to the LWP were related to capacity and funding for community organisations in the context of austerity. Capacity of CLPs was also an issue given their role involved time-consuming, intensive case management. Conclusions: While the LWP appears to be a fruitful approach to collaborative case management, integration initiatives such as social prescribing cannot be seen as ‘magic bullets’. In the context of economic austerity such approaches may not achieve their potential unless funding is available for community organisations to continue to provide services and make and maintain their links with primary care

Alternate Metabolic Programs Define Regional Variation of Relevant Biological Features in Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression

ccRCC has recently been redefined as a highly heterogeneous disease. In addition to genetic heterogeneity, the tumor displays risk variability for developing metastatic disease, therefore underscoring the urgent need for tissue-based prognostic strategies applicable to the clinical setting. We’ve recently employed the novel positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) image modality to enrich our understanding of how tumor heterogeneity can relate to gene expression and tumor biology to assist in defining individualized treatment plans