Integrating high speed rail systems into urban environments : a comprehensive evaluation

Construction of a high speed rail system comes with an exhaustive list of challenges. Integrating the system into an existing urban environment is a particularly difficult proposition, given the dense developments and infrastructure systems already in place. Locating a station within a city is a delicate balance between a multitude of factors that include cost, station accessibility, required infrastructure and intermodal connectivity. Acquiring the rail alignment requires even more diplomacy. This thesis explores existing urban integration of current high speed rail systems and stations, evaluating prevalent high speed systems around the world to gauge best practices. Several European countries are notable for their direct connections into city center stations and urban transportation systems, providing passengers with quick, direct access to their final destinations. China and Taiwan have adopted a different approach with many cities, locating stations at the urban fringe and providing a base for transit-oriented development. After a review of existing systems around the world and high speed rail proposals in the United States and specifically, Texas, case studies are performed on the cities of Dallas and Houston. Using current and prior proposals by the Texas TGV and Texas Central Railroad, potential station sites in the two Texas cities will be analyzed for their potential for development and connectivity to transit and roadway systems. The selection of an optimal station location will be aided using criteria from the Federal Railroad Administration and from interviews with planning professionals familiar with both metropolitan areas. In Dallas, the South Side site immediately south of the existing Union Station is recommended for future development while in Houston, a station connecting into the Northwest Transit Center is preferred.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

Chemical enhancement of footwear impressions in blood on fabric:part 3: amino acid staining

Enhancement of footwear impressions, using ninhydrin or ninhydrin analogues is not considered common practice and such techniques are generally used to target amino acids present in fingermarks where the reaction gives rise to colour and possibly fluorescence. Ninhydrin and two of its analogues were used for the enhancement of footwear impressions in blood on various types, colours and porosities of fabric. Test footwear impressions on fabric were prepared using a specifically built rig to minimise the variability between each impression. Ninhydrin enhancement of footwear impressions in blood on light coloured fabric yielded good enhancement results, however the contrast was weak or non-existent on dark coloured fabrics. Other ninhydrin analogues which have the advantage of fluorescence failed to enhance the impressions in blood on all fabrics. The sequential treatment of impressions in blood on fabric with other blood enhancing reagents (e.g. protein stains and heme reagents) was also investigated

Developing Walvis Bay Port into a logistics gateway for southern Africa: Issues, challenges and the potential implications for Namibia’s future

Many developing countries wish to become the ‘gateway’ to a region or part of a continent.One strategy involves encouraging logistics cluster development. These hubs support global supply chains and may enable the economic growth of the host country through the resulting trade, as well as providing direct and indirect employment opportunities during the build and subsequent operation of the hub. Namibia intends to develop the Port of Walvis Bay to be come the preferred gateway to southern Africa and the Southern African Development Community region. This article builds on research on Caribbean cluster potential and Namibian logistics to identify the potential benefits and impact on development, as well as the drawbacks and risks of such a strategy

Controlling the variable of pressure in the production of test footwear impressions

Footwear impression lifting and enhancement techniques may be affected by several variables introduced during the production of test footwear impressions, thus limiting the usefulness of enhancement technique comparisons and the results obtained. One such variable is the force applied when the impressed mark is being made. Producing consistent test impressions for research into footwear enhancement techniques would therefore be beneficial. This study was designed to control pressure in the production of test footwear impressions when mimicking a stamping action. Twenty-seven volunteers were asked to stamp on two different surfaces and the average stamping force was recorded. Information from the data obtained was used to design and build a mechanical device which could be calibrated to consistently deliver footwear impressions with the same force onto a receiving surface. Preliminary experiments using this device and different contaminants on the footwear sole have yielded consistent and repeatable impressions. Controlling the variable of pressure for the production of test impressions in this study demonstrated that the differences observed were visual (due to the amount of contaminant transferred and subsequent enhancement) and did not affect the replication of outer sole characteristics. This paper reports the development of the device and illustrates the quality of the impressions produced

Dynamics of the Marginal Late Wisconsin Miami Sublobe, Cincinnati, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology, University of CincinnatiPhysical characteristics and stratigraphic relationships of glacigenic diamictons in southwestern Ohio have permitted interpretation of local activity and thermal regime of the ice margin beginning at about 19,700 yr BP. At the Sharonville site near Cincinnati, pre-late Wisconsin sediments are overlain by four late Wisconsin lithofacies (three diamictons, one sand and gravel). At the base of the sequence, pre-late Wisconsin sediments are incorporated as blocks and lenses in the overlying diamictons, indicating erosion and entrainment, probably by freezing onto the glacier base. Facies 1 contains sand-filled shear planes and smudges of underlying sediments; the diamicton is interpreted to be a deformation till, which indicates a change in basal thermal regime to overall melting. Facies 2 contains blocks of clay, silt, and sorted sand and gravel, and is interpreted to be a subglacial meltout till, which represents deposition from melting, but stagnant, ice. Facies 3 is massive, with variable clast fabrics, and is interpreted to be a sediment flow deposit, reflecting continued marginal melting and recession. The uppermost facies is comprised of poorly sorted sand and gravel, and is interpreted to represent fluvial deposition. Portions of this sequence are stacked at the southern end of the site, and indicate ice-marginal deformation associated with a reactivation of ice with a freezing basal regime in the study area. This sequence indicates at least two periods of active late Wisconsin ice at Sharonville, and a number of fluctuations in basal thermal regime

Dietary alterations modulate the microRNA 29/30 and IGF-1/AKT signaling axis in breast Cancer liver metastasis.

Background: Metastatic cancer is incurable and understanding the molecular underpinnings is crucial to improving survival for our patients. The IGF-1/Akt signaling pathway is often impaired in cancer leading to its progression and metastases. Diet modification is known to alter the IGF-1/Akt pathway and affect the expression of microRNA involved in tumor initiation, growth and metastases. Liver metastases are one of the most common type of metastases in breast and colon cancer. In the present study, we looked at the effect of diet modification on the expression of microRNA in normal liver and liver with breast cancer metastases using in vivo model. Methodology: 6-month-old C57BL/6 J mice were put on either an ad libitum (AL) diet, or 40% calorie restricted (CR) diet or were fasted for 24 h (FA) before sacrifice. MicroRNA array analysis, western blot and qRT-PCR were performed using liver tissue to compare the treatment groups. A breast cancer model was also used to study the changes in microRNA expression in liver of a group of BALB/c mice orthotopically injected with 4 T1 cells in the mammary fat pad, put on either an AL or 30% CR diet. Liver and primary tumor tissues were used to perform qRT-PCR to compare the treatment groups. Results: MicroRNA array analysis showed significant changes in miRNA expression in both CR and FA conditions in normal liver. Expression of miR-29 and miR-30 family members was increased in both CR and FA. Western blot analysis of the normal liver tissue showed that CR and FA downregulated the IGF-1/Akt pathway and qRT-PCR showed that the expression of miR-29b, miR-29c, miR-30a and miR-30b were increased with CR and FA. Liver tissue collected from mice in the breast cancer model showed an increase in expression of miR-29b, miR-29c and miR-30b while tumor tissue showed increased expression of miR-29c, miR-30a and miR-30b. Discussion: Members of the miR-29 family are known to target and suppress IGF-1, while members of the miR-30 family are known to target and suppress both IGF-1 and IGF-1R. In the present study, we observe that calorie restriction increased the expression of miR-29 and miR-30 in both the normal liver as well as the liver with breast cancer metastases. These findings suggest that dietary alterations may play a role in the treatment of liver metastasis, which should be evaluated further

Resilience and adjustment trajectories amongst children in displacement-affected communities in Zarqa, Jordan

From Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications RouterBackground: The experiences of protracted conflict and displacement are clear threats to children’s developmental progress. Understanding the factors that shape the trajectories of children’s well-being and adjustment in such contexts is important for informing interventions.Methods: We collected data at three time points from a sample of Syrian refugee and Jordanian children (n=650) residing in Zarqa, Jordan who met eligibility criteria for humanitarian programming. We assessed primary outcomes of protection concerns, caregiver stress, mental health, and developmental assets at three time points: baseline (T1), three months later (T2), and fifteen months after baseline (T3).Results: Over the fifteen-month study period (T1-T3) child protection concerns and mental health symptoms improved, caregiver stress remained constant, and developmental assets deteriorated. School attendance was independently associated with improvements in protection concerns (β = -1.05, P=0.01), caregiver stress (β = -0.66, P =0.02), and developmental assets (β = 3.84, P =0.02). Concern over lost livelihoods significantly predicted higher protection concerns (β = 4.08, P <0.001) and caregiver stress (β = 2.32, P <0.001). Attending child-focused programming did not significantly impact primary outcomes.Conclusions: This study documents the capacity for adjustment and adaptation of children in the context of protracted displacement. The significant influences of attending school and concern over lost livelihoods on observed trajectories indicate the importance of addressing structural factors, such as education and employment, in supporting processes of resilience in these populations. Programmatic activities for children may secure valuable shorter-term impacts but here, as elsewhere, failed to impact outcomes longer-term.4pubpu

The Science and Art of Health Behavior: Theory of Prevention.

poster abstractAccording to Glanz, Rimer and Viswanath (2008), “The science and art of health behavior and health education are eclectic and rapidly evolving; they reflect an amalgamation of approaches, methods, and strategies from social and health sciences, drawing on theoretical perspectives, research, practice tools of such diverse disciplines as psychology, sociology, anthropology, communications, nursing, economics, and marketing” (p. 1). The view of health education as an instrument of social change has received renewed interest in the past few years. Most recently, experts have recommended that interventions on social and behavioral factors related to health should link multiple levels of influence, including the individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy levels (Smedley and Syme, 2000). The author’s current work on a health education simulation titled; Suicide Intervention Prevention focuses on a health behavior theory of prevention. Prevention theory is used to guide the framework for this simulation. Examples of causal relationships (immersion and interaction) between the characters in the simulation and the participant (player) become more meaningful and provide a unique platform to promote health education on the topic of mental health. Prevention theory enhances our work as researchers and practitioners in many ways. Theory helps us build the science of prevention by directing our hypotheses and research questions and informs the selection of appropriate populations to study. “Ultimately, theories of prevention determine intervention approaches including individual treatments, models of health care delivery, public health practice, and health policy” (Shumaker, Ockene, & Riekert, 2009, p. 4)