Improving GIS-based Models for Bicycling Speed Estimations

For reasons ranging from carbon emissions to public health, traffic planning as well as urban design aim to increase the modal share of bicycling on the cost of fossil fuel based commuting. However, most urban and traffic planning practices handle bicycling very schematically. Typically, tools for analyzing bicycling rely on fixed speed templates, paying little attention to the fact that bicycling speeds vary a lot depending on type of bicyclist and explicit properties of bicycle routes and the contexts of those routes. As long as very simplified assumptions form the basis for analysis, it is hard to make reliable comparisons of alternative proposals of urban form layouts and infrastructure investments. Therefore, from the perspective of traffic planning as well as from the perspective of urban planning and design, there is need for more refined methods for predicting bicycling speeds. This paper presents an outline for such a bicycling speed modelling tool.\ua0This work combines tools and measures from two recent bikeability modelling studies. One is an urban form based study of bicycle route networks, grasping issues related to geometrical directness of routes and various measures of accessibility and density. The other calculates likely speeds based on horizontal and vertical geometry of routes. The latter model uses an advanced statistical model to grasp dependence between adjacent road segments. The new combined model is estimated using GPS tracking of real bicycle trips in combination with GIS-based data of bicycle route networks and of the local contexts of the routes.\ua0More in detail, the new model includes parameters estimated for the following covariates:\ua0• route geometry (by slope and by horizontal curvature)• intersection impedances derived from type of junction (by presence of signal-crossings and by kinds of crossing streets categorized by amounts of traffic)• type of bicycle-route (bicycle lane in street, separate bicycle lane, combined walk- and bicycle lane or mixed-use streets)\ua0• kind of surface (smooth surface or gravel)• density of entrances along route (a proxy for slower bicycling due to urban/vibrant context)The modelling is based on so-called Markov-dependence, including that the covariates are used to estimate continuous speed profiles along entire routes, and not only average speed levels on road segments seen separate and independent. Through this, the new model results in more realistic speed estimations than the previous models. The paper presents the result from applying the tool on a sample of bicycle routes in Gothenburg and compares the results with analyses from previous models and with empirical data of bicycling along the same routes

Radiobiological modeling of hyperthermia combined with Gamma-Knife radiosurgery in pediatric brain cancer

Assessment of the synergistic effect of radiotherapy (RT) and hyperthermia (HT) in clinical settings is crucial for further expansion of hyperthermia. The radiobiological modeling using an extended version of the LQ model with temperature-dependent radiosensitivity parameters has been suggested in combination with external beam radiotherapy in previous studies. This study investigates the radiobiological effect of intracranial hyperthermia combined with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in pediatric brain cancers.\ua0The hyperthermia treatment plan was achieved with an elliptical applicator consisting of 16 ORWG antennas working at 400 MHz and a hybrid Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) optimization procedure based on Time-Reversal and PSO. The radiotherapy plan was created by the treatment planning software of Leksell Gamma Knife\uae Icon™

Stellar populations -- the next ten years

The study of stellar populations is a discipline that is highly dependent on both imaging and spectroscopy. I discuss techniques in different regimes of resolving power: broadband imaging (R~4), intermediate band imaging (R~16, 64), narrowband spectral imaging (R~256, 1024, 4096). In recent years, we have seen major advances in broadband all-sky surveys that are set to continue across optical and IR bands, with the added benefit of the time domain, higher sensitivity, and improved photometric accuracy. Tunable filters and integral field spectrographs are poised to make further inroads into intermediate and narrowband imaging studies of stellar populations. Further advances will come from AO-assisted imaging and imaging spectroscopy, although photometric accuracy will be challenging. Integral field spectroscopy will continue to have a major impact on future stellar population studies, extending into the near infrared once the OH suppression problem is finally resolved. A sky rendered dark will allow a host of new ideas to be explored, and old ideas to be revisited.Comment: Invited review, IAUS 241, "Stellar Populations as Building Blocks of Galaxies," eds. Vazdekis, Peletier. 12 pages, 1 table. (The sideways table should print ok; there are 10 columns.

Radiobiological evaluation of combined gamma knife radiosurgery and hyperthermia for pediatric neuro-oncology

Combining radiotherapy (RT) with hyperthermia (HT) has been proven effective in the treatment of a wide range of tumours, but the combination of externally delivered, focused heat and stereotactic radiosurgery has never been investigated. We explore the potential of such treatment enhancement via radiobiological modelling, specifically via the linear-quadratic (LQ) model adapted to thermoradiotherapy through modulating the radiosensitivity of temperature-dependent parame-ters. We extend this well-established model by incorporating oxygenation effects. To illustrate the methodology, we present a clinically relevant application in pediatric oncology, which is novel in two ways. First, it deals with medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumour in children, a type of brain tumour not previously reported in the literature of thermoradiotherapy studies. Second, it makes use of the Gamma Knife for the radiotherapy part, thereby being the first of its kind in this context. Quantitative metrics like the biologically effective dose (BED) and the tumour control probability (TCP) are used to assess the efficacy of the combined plan

A classification method of road transport missions and applications using the operating cycle format

When dealing with customers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) classify vehicular usage by resorting to simplified, often colloquial, descriptions that allow for a rough understanding of the operating conditions and the user’s needs. In this way, the information retrieved from the customers is exploited to guide their choices in terms of vehicle design and configuration, based on the characteristics of the transport application, labeled using intuitive metrics. However, a common problem in this context is the absence of any formal connection to lower levels of representation that might effectively be used to assess vehicular energy performance in simulation, or for design optimization using mathematical algorithms. Indeed, both processes require more accurate modeling of the surroundings, including exhaustive information about the local road, weather, and traffic conditions. Therefore, starting with a detailed statistical description of the environment, this paper proposes a method for mathematical classification of transport missions and applications within the theoretical framework of the operating cycle (OC). The approach discussed in the paper combines a collection of statistical models structured hierarchically, called a stochastic operating cycle (sOC), with a bird’s-eye view description of the operating environment. The latter postulates the existence of different classes, which are representative of the usage and whose definition is based on simple metrics and thresholds expressed mathematically in terms of statistical measures. Algebraic expressions, called operating classes in the paper, are derived analytically for all the stochastic models presented. This establishes a connection between the two levels of representation, enabling to simulate longitudinal vehicle dynamics in virtual environments generated based on the characteristics of the intended application, using log data collected from vehicles and/or information provided by customers. Additionally, the relationships between the two descriptions are formalized using elementary probability operators, allowing for an intuitive characterization of a transport operation. An example is adduced to illustrate a possible application of the proposed method, using six sOCs parametrized from log data collected during real-world missions. The proposed approach may facilitate the interaction between OEMs, customers, and road operators, allowing for planning of maintenance, and optimization of transport missions, components, and configurations using standard procedures and routines

Effects of assistive technology for students with reading and writing disabilities

Background: Assistive technology has been used to mitigate reading disabilities for almost three decades, and tablets with text-to-speech and speech-to-text apps have been introduced in recent years to scaffold reading and writing. Few scientifically rigorous studies, however, have investigated the benefits of this technology. Purpose: The aim was to explore the effects of assistive technology for students with severe reading disabilities. Method: This study included 149 participants. The intervention group received 24 sessions of assistive technology training, and the control group received treatment as usual. Results: Both the intervention and control groups improved as much in 1 year as the normed population did. However, gains did not differ between the groups directly after the intervention or at 1 year of follow-up. Conclusions: The use of assistive technology seems to have transfer effects on reading ability and to be supportive, especially for students with the most severe difficulties. In addition, it increases motivation for overall schoolwork. Our experience also highlights the obstacles involved in measuring the ability to assimilate and communicate text.Implications for rehabilitations Assistive technology (AT) can be useful for children with reading disabilities to assimilating text as well as boosting their reading. Children with reading disability using AT increased reading performance as much as a norm group, i.e. the students enhanced their reading ability despite no training in traditional reading remediation. Children’s and adolescents’ motivation for schoolwork can be boosted when using AT as a complement for those with reading and writing disabilities

PST

PST is a tool for performing space syntax and regular accessibility analyses. It currently consists of two main parts - a C++ and Python library called Pstalgo and a plugin for the desktop application QGIS.PST is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. The GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a program--to make sure it remains free software for all its users.The code for PST is released via Github as we agreed upon. The code is released under GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE and is available at https://github.com/SMoG-Chalmers/PST. I can make you member of the group in Github if you have an account. If you want this, make an account and let me know your name so that I can invite you.The application is from now on available via: https://github.com/SMoG-Chalmers/PST/releases/download/v3.1.3/pstqgis_3.1.3_2019-11-11.zip. Please remove other possibilities to download it and replace the download option with the url above. In that way we can coordinate new releases better by only changing it in one location, that is Github.Documentation is available via DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25718.55364. Please remove the documentation from your websites so that we have one place to download the most recent one.Data and tutorials are still available via KTH and Chalmers:https://www.smog.chalmers.se/psthttps://www.arch.kth.se/forskning/urban-design/softwar

Black Cat, White Cat. The Identity of the WTO Judges

WTO judges are proposed by the WTO Secretariat and elected to act as ‘judges’ if either approved by the parties to a dispute, or by the WTO Director-General in case no agreement between the parties has been possible. They are typically ‘Geneva crowd’, that is, they are either current or former delegates representing their country before the WTO. This observation holds for both first- as well as second instance WTO judges (e.g. Panelists and members of the Appellate Body). In that, the WTO evidences an attitude strikingly similar to the GATT. Whereas the legal regime has been heavily ‘legalized’, the people called to enforce it remain the same

Onset of transcription of the aminopeptidase N (leukemia antigen CD 13) gene at the crypt/villus transition zone during rabbit enterocyte differentiation

AbstractThe sequence of a cDNA clone (2.82 kbp) of rabbit intestinal aminopeptidase N (CD 13) is reported. Using the corresponding anti-sense RNA probe, the distribution of aminopeptidase N mRNA along the crypt/villus axis of the rabbit small intestine was studied by in situ hybridization. The aminopeptidase N gene is expressed along the whole length of the villus with a maximum at its base. Expression was not detected in the crypt cells. The distribution of aminopeptidase N mRNA correlates with the presence of active enzyme as monitored by histochemical staining. The results are compatible with onset of transcription of the aminopeptidase N gene at the crypt/villus transition zone during the enterocyte differentiation