Ergonomic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People: Methodology and Sample Identification

This project is a TRRL research contract, the aim of which is to produce guidance on the design of pedestrian areas and footways for elderly and disabled people. The first part of the project was a literature review and consultation exercise, the objective of which was to identify key impediments for investigation. The second part of the project involved the detailed survey work on the key impediments. This Working Paper reports upon the development of the second part of the project and, in particular, upon the identification of the sample of disabled people to be used in the detailed interview and observation work. The sample identification involved contacting some 3000 disabled people listed in official disability registers, and 250 ablebodied people via on-street interviews. From the disabled sample approximately 500 people were interviewed in order to find out more about their disability and to assess the usefulness of a preliminary disability categorisation system; their activity rate; problems they experience in using pedestrian areas and footways; and their willingness to take part in further stages of the study. From the interviews, a sample of people in each of the revised categories, together with samples of the elderly and the ablebodied, were selected for an observation phase in which those involved were observed completing a movement distance exercise, and using different types of pedestrian facility, in central Leeds

Ergonomic standards for pedestrian areas for disabled people: literature review and consultations

As part of the project for the Transport and Road Research Laboratory concerned with the development of design guidance for pedestrian areas and footways to satisfy the needs of disabled and elderly people, a thorough examination of the literature was required. In addition the literature search was to be complemented by a wide-ranging series of discussions with local authorities, organisations representing the interests of elderly and disabled people, and other interested agencies. This Working Paper sets out the findings of this exercise. The objective of the literature review and the consultations was to identify the key impediments for elderly and disabled people when using pedestrian areas and footways. The current guidelines and standards relating to footways, pedestrianised areas and access to buildings were to be identified and their adequacy commented upon, as were the conflicts such recommendations raise between various groups of disabled people and with able-bodied people. The consultations were intended to provide greater insights into what the literature highlighted, and to suggest possible solutions. The literature review produced over 400 key references and a list of 35 impediments. A more detailed examination of the literature and the consultations reduced this list to six key impediments namely: parking; public transport waiting areas; movement distances; surface conditions; ramps, and information provision. The type and scale of problem created by the above impediments for various groups of disabled and elderly people are discussed, together with their measurement and assessment. The type and adequacy of existing design standards and guidance relating to these impediments are also outlined

Economic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People: Results from Observation Work

1.1.1 The Institute for Transport Studies was invited by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory to submit a research proposal, with costs, aimed at establishing suitable "Ergonomic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People". The project commenced on 1st July, 1986 and was split into two parts, with part one involving four months' work over the period to 31st December, 1986 and part two finishing on 30th April, 1988. 1.1.2 The -objectives of the study laid down in the design brief by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory were: a) To produce a guide to good practice for the design and maintenance of footways and pedestrianised areas; b) To provide, where possible, recommended standards for design and maintenance. The good practice guide and the recommended standards were to be primarily aimed at disabled people and the elderly, but the requirements of the able-bodied were also to be considered, as were conflicts between the needs of different groups of user. The economic implications of implementation and maintenance were also to be detailed. (Continues..

Ergonomic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People: Results from Observation Work

1.1.1 The Institute for Transport Studies was invited by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory to submit a research proposal, with costs, aimed at establishing suitable "Ergonomic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People". The project commenced on 1st July, 1986 and was split into two parts, with part one involving four months' work over the period to 31st December, 1986 and part two finishing on 30th April, 1988. 1.1.2 The -objectives of the study laid down in the design brief by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory were: a) To produce a guide to good practice for the design and maintenance of footways and pedestrianised areas; b) To provide, where possible, recommended standards for design and maintenance. The good practice guide and the recommended standards were to be primarily aimed at disabled people and the elderly, but the requirements of the able-bodied were also to be considered, as were conflicts between the needs of different groups of user. The economic implications of implementation and maintenance were also to be detailed. (Continues..

Economic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People: Results of the Initial and Main Interview

1.1.1 The Institute for Transport Studies was invited by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory to submit a research proposal, with costs, aimed at establishing suitable llErgonomic Standards for Pedestrian Areas for Disabled People". The project commenced on 1st July, 1986 and was split into two parts, with part one involving four monthso work over the period to 31st December, 1986 and part two finishing on 30th April, 1988. 1.1.2 The main objectives of the Study laid down in the design brief by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory were: a) To produce a guide to good practice for the design and maintenance of footways and pedestrianised areas; b) To provide, where possible, recommended standards for design and maintenance. The good practice guide and the recommended standards were to be primarily aimed at disabled people and the elderly, but the requirements of the able-bodied were also to be considered, as were conflicts between the needs of different groups of user. The economic implications of implementation and maintenance were also to be detailed

Bose-Einstein condensation of the magnetized ideal Bose gas

We study the charged non-relativistic Bose gas interacting with a constant magnetic field but which is otherwise free. The notion of Bose-Einstein condensation for the three dimensional case is clarified, and we show that although there is no condensation in the sense of a phase transition, there is still a maximum in the specific heat which can be used to define a critical temperature. Although the absence of a phase transition persists for all values of the magnetic field, we show how as the magnetic field is reduced the curves for the specific heat approach the free field curve. For large values of the magnetic field we show that the gas undergoes a "dimensional reduction" and behaves effectively as a one-dimensional gas except at very high temperatures. These general features persist for other spatial dimensions D and we show results for D=5. Finally we examine the magnetization and the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect.Comment: 4 pages RevTex 2 column format with 4 eps figures, uses epsf. Replaced version has missing acknowledgements and a discussion of two references is corrected thanks to discussions with J. Daicic and N. Franke

Population Dynamics on Complex Food Webs

In this work we analyse the topological and dynamical properties of a simple model of complex food webs, namely the niche model. In order to underline competition among species, we introduce "prey" and "predators" weighted overlap graphs derived from the niche model and compare synthetic food webs with real data. Doing so, we find new tests for the goodness of synthetic food web models and indicate a possible direction of improvement for existing ones. We then exploit the weighted overlap graphs to define a competition kernel for Lotka-Volterra population dynamics and find that for such a model the stability of food webs decreases with its ecological complexity.Comment: 11 Pages, 5 Figures, styles enclosed in the submissio

Three-dimensional simulations of laser-plasma interactions at ultrahigh intensities

Three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are used to investigate the interaction of ultrahigh intensity lasers ($> 10^{20}$ W/cm$^{-2}$) with matter at overcritical densities. Intense laser pulses are shown to penetrate up to relativistic critical density levels and to be strongly self-focused during this process. The heat flux of the accelerated electrons is observed to have an annular structure when the laser is tightly focused, showing that a large fraction of fast electrons is accelerated at an angle. These results shed light into the multi-dimensional effects present in laser-plasma interactions of relevance to fast ignition of fusion targets and laser-driven ion acceleration in plasmas.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Status Among University Freshmen in Hawai‘i

Purpose/Background: The HPV vaccine provides immunity against nine HPV strains that cause cancer and genital warts. It is recommended for 11 to 12 year olds, and catch-up immunization is recommended for females 13 to 26 years old and males 13 to 21 years old. College students represent an important population for HPV vaccination due to their increased risk for HPV infection. Despite the benefits of the HPV vaccine, its coverage rates are low in Hawaii. Hawai‘i is the home of two large universities on two islands that are representative of Hawai‘i’s populations, including Native Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Pacific Islanders. The purpose of this study was to assess the current HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge, barriers and beliefs among incoming Freshmen university students at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Materials & Methods: In 2016, 200 University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) and University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (UHH) Freshmen students responded to a survey that assessed their knowledge and awareness of HPV, the HPV vaccine, their current vaccination status, and barriers and motivators to vaccination. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize each survey variable first for all students and then separately for each campus. Results: Overall 76% of Freshmen from both campuses heard of the HPV vaccine and 54% reported hearing it from their health care provider. Only 28% UHM and 23% UHH Freshmen students have received partial (1-2 shots) or completed doses of the HPV vaccine. For those who received the vaccine, 45% reported that they were told by their parent and 43% were told by their doctor. For the 147 students who did not receive the vaccine, 28% reported that they are still not sure to get it and 20% need more information. Their main reasons for not receiving the HPV vaccine were: their doctor did not mention the vaccine to him/her (44%), he/she never knew about the vaccine (18%), and they don\u27t know enough about the vaccine (17%). Discussion/Conclusion: Although the HPV vaccine has been available for 13 years, young adults remain unvaccinated. Freshmen students reported that they are informed about the vaccine, but were not vaccinated because of the lack of parental and/or healthcare provider recommendation. With no active education campaigns in Hawaii promoting the HPV vaccine at college campuses, a first step to increasing vaccination rates is to develop a health education campaign to inform students of the HPV vaccine and its availability at campus clinics and neighboring pharmacies