Statistical Analysis of High-Flow Traffic States

The relation between the fundamental observables of traffic flow (i.e., vehicle density, flow rate, and average velocity) is of great importance for the study of traffic phenomena. Probably the most common source of such data are inductive loop detectors, which count the number of passing vehicles and measure their speed. We will present an analysis of detector data collected by more than 3000 loop detectors during the past three years on the motorway network of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides presenting some general aspects of traffic flow, our analysis focuses on the characteristics of so-called high-flow states, i.e. traffic states where the flow rate exceeds 50 vehicles per minute and lane (3000 veh/h/lane). We investigate the duration, frequency and other statistics of such states, the viability of the data and we study the conditions under which they occur. The factors that influence the existence of high-flow states in traffic are, for instance, the fraction of slow vehicles (namely trucks), the motorway's general topology (e.g. number of lanes), the hour of the day and day of the week. This information is directly accessible from the detector data.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, presented at "Traffic and Granular Flow 2013" conferenc

Implementation of an oral health intervention for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Often oral care is overlooked during the daily care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Due to the integration of adults with IDD from institutions into group homes and private homes, caregivers need to be taught to implement daily oral hygiene protocols. The purpose of this pilot study, conducted by the University of Louisville and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, was to develop an oral hygiene plan for adults with IDD residing in group homes in the Louisville, Kentucky area that would ultimately improve their oral health and quality of life. This thesis focuses on the quality of implementation of the oral health intervention strategy based on the results from the pilot study. Additionally, this thesis sheds light on the level of implementation quality as measured by dosage, fidelity, and caregiver reactions

Freedom of conscience in Europe? An analysis of three cases of midwives with conscientious objection to abortion

While abortion has been legal in most developed countries for many years, the topic remains controversial. A major area of controversy concerns women’s rights vis a vis the rights of health professionals to opt out of providing the service on conscience grounds. Although scholars from various disciplines have addressed this issue in the literature there is a lack of empirical research on the topic. This paper provides a documentary analysis of three examples of conscientious objection on religious grounds to performing abortion-related care by midwives in different Member States of the European Union, two of which have resulted in legal action. These examples show, that as well as the laws of the respective countries and the European Union, professional and church law each played a part in the decisions made. However, support from both professional and religious sources was inconsistent both within and between the examples. The authors conclude that there is a need for clear guidelines at both local and pan-European level for health professionals and recommends a European wide forum to develop and test them

Volcanic ash as fertiliser for the surface ocean

Iron is a key limiting micro-nutrient for marine primary productivity. It can be supplied to the ocean by atmospheric dust deposition. Volcanic ash deposition into the ocean represents another external and so far largely neglected source of iron. This study demonstrates strong evidence for natural fertilisation in the iron-limited oceanic area of the NE Pacific, induced by volcanic ash from the eruption of Kasatochi volcano in August 2008. Atmospheric and oceanic conditions were favourable to generate a massive phytoplankton bloom in the NE Pacific Ocean which for the first time strongly suggests a connection between oceanic iron-fertilisation and volcanic ash supply

Cloud Photogrammetry from Space

The most commonly used method for satellite cloud top height (CTH) compares brightness temperature of the cloud with the atmospheric temperature profile. Because of the uncertainties of this method, we propose a photogrammetric approach. As clouds can move with high velocities, even instruments with multiple cameras are not appropriate for accurate CTH estimation. Here we present two solutions. The first is based on the parallax between data retrieved from geostationary (SEVIRI, HRV band; 1000 m spatial resolution) and polar orbiting satellites (MODIS, band 1; 250 m spatial resolution). The procedure works well if the data from both satellites are retrieved nearly simultaneously. However, MODIS does not retrieve the data at exactly the same time as SEVIRI. To compensate for advection in the atmosphere we use two sequential SEVIRI images (one before and one after the MODIS retrieval) and interpolate the cloud position from SEVIRI data to the time of MODIS retrieval. CTH is then estimated by intersection of corresponding lines-of-view from MODIS and interpolated SEVIRI data. The second method is based on NASA program Crew Earth observations from the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS has a lower orbit than most operational satellites, resulting in a shorter minimal time between two images, which is needed to produce a suitable parallax. In addition, images made by the ISS crew are taken by a full frame sensor and not a push broom scanner that most operational satellites use. Such data make it possible to observe also short time evolution of clouds

Improving the oral health of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities: An oral health strategy and pilot study

AbstractThis article presents an oral health (OH) strategy and pilot study focusing on individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) living in group homes. The strategy consists of four components: (1) planned action in the form of the behavioral contract and caregiver OH action planning; (2) capacity building through didactic and observation learning training; (3) environmental adaptations consisting of additional oral heath devices and strategies to create a calm atmosphere; and (4) reinforcement by post-training coaching. A pilot study was conducted consisting of pre- and post-assessment data collected 1 week before and 1 week after implementing a 1-month OH strategy. The study sample comprised 11 group homes with 21 caregivers and 25 residents with IDD from one service organization in a Midwestern city. A process evaluation found high-quality implementation of the OH strategy as measured by dosage, fidelity, and caregiver reactions to implementing the strategy. Using repeated cross-sectional and repeated measures analyses, we found statistically significant positive changes in OH status and oral hygiene practices of residents. Caregiver self-efficacy as a mechanism of change was not adequately evaluated; however, positive change was found in some but not all types of caregiver OH support that were assessed. Lessons learned from implementing the pilot study intervention and evaluation are discussed, as are the next steps in conducting an efficacy study of the OH strategy

The Pesticide Risk Beliefs Inventory: A Quantitative Instrument for the Assessment of Beliefs about Pesticide Risks

Recent media attention has focused on the risks that agricultural pesticides pose to the environment and human health; thus, these topics provide focal areas for scientists and science educators to enhance public understanding of basic toxicology concepts. This study details the development of a quantitative inventory to gauge pesticide risk beliefs. The goal of the inventory was to characterize misconceptions and knowledge gaps, as well as expert-like beliefs, concerning pesticide risk. This study describes the development and field testing of the Pesticide Risk Beliefs Inventory with an important target audience: pesticide educators in a southeastern U.S. state. The 19-item, Likert-type inventory was found to be psychometrically sound with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.780 and to be a valuable tool in capturing pesticide educators’ beliefs about pesticide risk, assessing beliefs in four key categories. The Pesticide Risk Beliefs Inventory could be useful in exploring beliefs about pesticide risks and in guiding efforts to address misconceptions held by a variety of formal and informal science learners, educators, practitioners, the agricultural labor force, and the general public