Investigation of innovative techniques for measuring roundabout parameters [abstract]

Abstract only availableRoundabouts are an emerging and viable traffic engineering technique in the United States in order to ensure safety and efficiency in surface transportation. As roundabouts become as popular in the U.S. as in other parts of the world, it is important to develop techniques to measure traffic parameters such as vehicle maneuver tracking and the derivation of origin and destination turning movements for roundabouts. Using Portable Overhead Surveillance Trailers (POST) coupled with advanced video analysis techniques such as AutoScope, a computer algorithm based on a time series model of vehicle movements is being developed to track vehicles. This automation will eliminate the time consuming process of manually counting the vehicles from each movement. Video detection of this nature for roundabouts is a new and exciting technology that can change the field of transportation.College of Engineering Honors Undergraduate Research Optio

Safety evaluation of large truck-passenger vehicle interactions and synthesis of safety corridors

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on April 4, 2008)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Civil engineering.Insights into the nature of large truck-passenger car interactions and the understanding of safety corridors can lead to improvements in the safety and efficiency of freeway operations. One main contribution of this thesis is the analysis of truck-passenger car interactions on Missouri urban and rural freeways. The analysis consisted of: (1) comparison of mean, 85th, and 95th percentile speeds, (2) investigation of large truck lane usage and (3) comparison of at-fault crashes. Contrary to some public perception, on the average, trucks were found to travel slower than passenger cars. Trucks were found to concentrate mainly in the middle lanes and avoided the right-most and left-most (median) lanes. A new method of analysis was developed using the ratio of truck at-fault crash rates versus passenger vehicle at-fault crash rates, or RSEC ratios. The results show that in fatal and disabling injury rural interstate crashes, the passenger vehicle is more at fault. Trucks are more at fault in fatal and disabling injury urban interstate crashes as well as all minor injury rural and urban interstate crashes. Another main contribution of this thesis is the development of a synthesis of safety corridor programs conducted throughout the country and the identification of the most promising practices and programs to disseminate among other state departments of transportation. Safety corridor programs use a multi-disciplinary approach to make roadways safer that have higher than average crash problems. This thesis provides a comprehensive list of characteristics and good practices found in safety corridor programs

Design and Characterization of Optical Metamaterials Using Tunable Polarimetric Scatterometry

Optical metamaterials are a class of engineered materials with a wide range of material properties and an equally wide range of anticipated applications. This research targets optical metamaterials in two ways. First, the dimensional constraints necessary to bring effective medium theory (EMT) into agreement with the already well-established transfer matrix method (TMM) modeling for a periodic, stratified (metal-dielectric) near-zero permittivity structure were determined. This provided a path to leverage the use of EMT in the design of near-zero permittivity structures and accurately predict its post-fabrication behavior. Second, the first tunable infrared (IR) Mueller matrix polarimeter-scatterometer was developed to capture the full-directional, full-polarimetric behavior of IR metamaterials. Modeling was used to determine the optimal dual rotating retarder configuration to apply to the instrument design, which was subsequently implemented. Free-space measurements corroborated the optimized design with Mueller matrix extractions having less than 1% error. The instrument was then used to measure a unique metamaterial absorber at 5 microns and captured the polarimetric behavior of a surface plasmon polariton resonance as a function of incident angle. Modeling was used to distill the s-polarized and p-polarized reflectance behavior and phase differences in the reflectances that led to the resonant signature in the measured results. As a final step, the measured results were used to predict the reflectance behavior of the material against a series of incident canonical polarization states

Markov chain Monte Carlo for continuous-time discrete-state systems

A variety of phenomena are best described using dynamical models which operate on a discrete state space and in continuous time. Examples include Markov (and semi-Markov) jump processes, continuous-time Bayesian networks, renewal processes and other point processes. These continuous-time, discrete-state models are ideal building blocks for Bayesian models in fields such as systems biology, genetics, chemistry, computing networks, human-computer interactions etc. However, a challenge towards their more widespread use is the computational burden of posterior inference; this typically involves approximations like time discretization and can be computationally intensive. In this thesis, we describe a new class of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods that allow efficient computation while still being exact. The core idea is an auxiliary variable Gibbs sampler that alternately resamples a random discretization of time given the state-trajectory of the system, and then samples a new trajectory given this discretization. We introduce this idea by relating it to a classical idea called uniformization, and use it to develop algorithms that outperform the state-of-the-art for models based on the Markov jump process. We then extend the scope of these samplers to a wider class of models such as nonstationary renewal processes, and semi-Markov jump processes. By developing a more general framework beyond uniformization, we remedy various limitations of the original algorithms, allowing us to develop MCMC samplers for systems with infinite state spaces, unbounded rates, as well as systems indexed by more general continuous spaces than time

Bringing the Arts to the Rural Community: A Cultural Arts Center

Every society must provide art, entertainment, and information for its members. Herbert J. Gans Within society there are many different cultures and each produces different forms of art. Art often provides a glimpse into a culture's past and present. Art is often viewed as falling into two categories: fine art and folk art. Even though all societies create art, exposure to the arts tends to be somewhat exclusive to different portions of society. For instance, exposure to the arts is vastly different between urban and rural areas. The National Endowment for the Arts primary mission is to increase access to the arts. Yet, over one third of the NEA funding goes to only six cities: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Many primarily rural areas are left with little access and exposure to the arts. The majority of Nebraska is composed of farmland intermixed with the occasional small town. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an arts outreach center that will bring fine art and folk art to rural Nebraska. The Cultural Arts Center will serve as a gallery and a teaching institution for culture of folk art, fine art and the farm. The site is located on a historic farm in Cass County Nebraska. Cass County is the midpoint between Omaha, Nebraska's largest city, and Lincoln, its capital. The farm was homesteaded in 1875 and was bought by the Story family in 1877. The history of the farm is depicted through the development of its barns over time. These historic barns will be adaptively reused in combination with new construction to house the Folk Art Fine Art Center

Time to Conversion of Hemi/total Shoulder Arthroplasty to Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty; A Systematic Review of Longevity and Factors Influencing Conversion

Background: The primary purpose of this study was to determine the average time from hemiarthoplasty (HA) or total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) to conversion to reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). The secondary purpose of this study was to determine the factors leading to conversion to RTSA. Methods: A review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for conversion of HA/TSA to RTSA was performed using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed (1980-present), and MEDLINE (1980-present). nclusion criteria were as follows: reporting of conversion of a HA or TSA to RTSA with a follow up of greater than 24 months, English language, and human studies. Excluded were articles that did not mention a time to conversion surgery. Results: One hundred studies were initially retrieved with 3 meeting the inclusion criteria. The review included 99 patients (31 male, 68 female) with a mean age 69 (range: 67 – 73). The average follow up was 35.8 months (range: 32.3 – 37.4). The weighted mean time to conversion of HA/TSA to RTSA was 36.8 months. Rotator cuff failure was the indication for conversion in 19 66% of cases (65/99), while component loosening (glenoid or humeral stem) was the indication in 14% (14/99) of cases. Conclusions: Time to conversion of HA/TSA to RTSA is reported to be 36.8 months on average. The most common indication for conversion to RTSA was rotator cuff failure, suggesting the importance of evaluating pre-operative rotator cuff integrity when performing a primary HA or TSA

MANAJEMEN BAHAN PENGAJARAN MENGGUNAKAN GAFE DI SD XAVERIUS 9 PALEMBANG

Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (PkM) dengan tema “Manajemen Bahan Pengajaran Menggunaan GAFE” dilaksanakan oleh tim dosen Prodi PGSD dan Prodi Sistem Informasi di sekolah mitra SD Xaverius 9 Palembang. Bentuk pelatihan bagi para guru untuk memanfaatkan dan mengatur bahan pengajaran dengan menggunakan GAFE (google apps for education) bagi para guru. Pelatihan ini dilakukan mengingat akibat pandemi Covid-19 ini menuntut pembelajaran dibuat secara online. Sekalipun pandemi sudah mulai menyurut tetapi para guru masih dituntut untuk mengajar secara online untuk beberapa anak yang orang tuanya belum setuju belajar tatap muka secara langsung atau offline. Sekalipun nanti pembelajaran dibuat offline, pelatihan ini tetap berguna bagi para guru dalam pembelajaran supaya lebih efektif, sistematis, dan terjadual. Pelatihan ini memakai metode ceramah, dan diskusi. Tim dosen memberikan materi dengan ceramah dan diskusi kemudian para guru diajak praktik langsung. Materi dan praktik yang diberikan adalah manajemen bahan ajar dengan menggunakan GAFE yang mengintegrasikan pemakaian drive, classroom, meet, dan calender. Dengan menggunakan GAFE proses pembelajaran menjadi terintegrasi, materi pembelajaran bisa diakses oleh peserta didik/orang tua, dan semua itu terdokumentasi di google yang bisa menjadi bukti bahwa guru sungguh melaksanakan proses pengajaran. Harapannya, pelatihan ini bisa membekali para guru untuk bisa mengajar dengan efektif dan efisien dengan menggunakan teknolog

A genetic toolkit and gene switches to limit Mycoplasma growth for biosafety applications

Mycoplasmas have exceptionally streamlined genomes and are strongly adapted to their many hosts, which provide them with essential nutrients. Owing to their relative genomic simplicity, Mycoplasmas have been used to develop chassis for biotechnological applications. However, the dearth of robust and precise toolkits for genomic manipulation and tight regulation has hindered any substantial advance. Herein we describe the construction of a robust genetic toolkit for M. pneumoniae, and its successful deployment to engineer synthetic gene switches that control and limit Mycoplasma growth, for biosafety containment applications. We found these synthetic gene circuits to be stable and robust in the long-term, in the context of a minimal cell. With this work, we lay a foundation to develop viable and robust biosafety systems to exploit a synthetic Mycoplasma chassis for live attenuated vectors for therapeutic applications

Use of a Novel Infrared Wavelength-tunable Laser Mueller-matrix Polarimetric Scatterometer to Measure Nanostructured Optical Materials

Nanostructured optical materials, for example, metamaterials, have unique spectral, directional, and polarimetric properties. Samples designed and fabricated for infrared (IR) wavelengths have been characterized using broadband instruments to measure specular polarimetric transmittance or reflectance as in ellipsometry or integrated hemisphere transmittance or reflectance. We have developed a wavelength-tunable IR Mueller-matrix (Mm) polarimetric scatterometer which uses tunable external-cavity quantum-cascade lasers (EC-QCLs) to tune onto and off of the narrowband spectral resonances of nanostructured optical materials and performed full polarimeteric and directional evaluation to more fully characterize their behavior. Using a series of EC-QCLs, the instrument is tunable over 4.37-6.54 μm wavelengths in the mid-wave IR and 7.41-9.71 μm in the long-wave IR and makes measurements both at specular angles, acting as a Mm polarimeter, and at off-specular angles, acting as a Mm scatterometer. Example measurements of an IR thermal metamaterial are shown

Meniscal Repair in Pediatric Populations: A Systematic Review of Outcomes

Background: Loss of meniscal tissue in the pediatric population can have long-term consequences on joint health, highlighting the importance of meniscal preservation in this group. Purpose: To systematically review reported knee outcome measures and complication rates after repair of meniscal tears in children and adolescents. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for pediatric meniscal tear outcomes was performed through use of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed (1980-present), and MEDLINE (1980-present). Included were articles in English that reported the outcomes of meniscal tears in the pediatric population (\u3c18 years old) with a follow-up of more than 12 months. Clinical outcome scores were reviewed. Results: A total of 1003 total studies were initially retrieved, with 8 meeting the inclusion criteria. The review included 287 patients (165 male, 122 female), mean age 15.1 years (range, 4-18 years), with 301 meniscal tears (reported: 134 medial, 127 lateral, and 32 both medial and lateral, 8 location unspecified). Concomitant anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was performed in 52% (158/ 301) of meniscal repairs. The average reported postoperative Lysholm scores ranged from 85.4 to 96.3, and the average reported postoperative Tegner activity scores ranged from 6.2 to 8. Conclusion: Arthroscopic repair of a meniscal tear in the pediatric and adolescent population is an effective treatment option that has a low failure rate, enhances postoperative clinical outcomes, and preserves meniscal tissues