Travel choices in Scotland - the effect of local accessibility on non-work travel

Accessibility features prominently in the developing transport policies of both the United Kingdom Government and the devolved Scottish Executive which aim to promote social inclusion in particular and the integration of transport and land use planning more generally. It follows that a detailed understanding of the relationship between accessibility, personal mobility and travel behaviour is critical to the successful implementation of these policies. This paper presents the results of a disaggregate, multi-variate analysis of the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) dataset and attempts to unravel the complex relationship between socio-economical circumstance, geographical access to local services and public transport and revealed non-work travel choices. The socio-economical and geographical diversity of Scotland offers an excellent opportunity to undertake an analysis of this nature. The SHS is a continuous, cross-sectional survey funded by the Scottish Executive and undertaken by face-to-face interview based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. It seeks to provide information on the composition, characteristics and behaviour of Scottish households. The survey collects information in two parts - firstly the highest income householder provides household level data including household composition and income, key attributes of household members, transport resources available to the household including access to public transport; secondly a randomly selected adult from the household provides information on inter alia personal travel (including the completion of a one-day travel diary on the previous day) and personal views on transport, the neighbourhood and local services. The dataset analysed in this paper was collected between 1999 and 2003 and contains over 75,000 surveyed households and over 49,000 completed travel diaries. Two other variables were matched with the residential location of SHS respondents and added to the dataset; namely, an index representing proximity to local services at electoral ward level derived in the Scottish Indices of Deprivation 2003 study and a locational classification for each respondent which captures settlement size and wider regional accessibility. The primary focus of the analysis presented in this paper is an examination of the extent to which the quality of local access to services affects distance travelled for non-work purposes. Within this analysis individual and household socio-economical circumstance, available transport resources (both car ownership and local access to public transport) and the wider regional geographical context are also taken into account. It is hypothesised that good local access is negatively associated with distance travelled and that there also exists the possibility of significant interaction between local access and socio-economical circumstance and available transport resources. Regression models are developed for non-work travel which test the statistical significance of these explanatory variables. The results of the analysis reported here will add to the existing evidence base on the relationship between accessibility and travel choice. Its conclusions are expected to inform the development of strategies to enhance social inclusion and reduce overall travel which are tailored to socio-economical and geographical circumstance

Dendritic cell-based vaccines: Shining the spotlight on signal 3

Dendritic cell (DC)-based anticancer vaccines have yielded disappointing results in a multitude of clinical trials. New data suggest that the clinical efficacy of DC-based vaccines may be dependent on the paracrine production of interleukin-12 in the course of antigen presentation and the consequent development of therapeutic Type 1 CD8(+) T-cell immunity

Numerical Analysis and Wind Tunnel Validation of Droplet Distribution in the Wake of an Unmanned Aerial Spraying System in Forward Flight

Recent developments in agriculture mechanization have generated significant challenges towards sustainable approaches to reduce the environmental footprint and improve food quality. This paper highlights the benefits of using unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for precision spraying applications of pesticides, reducing the environmental risk and waste caused by spray drift. Several unmanned aerial spraying system (UASS) operation parameters and spray system designs are examined to define adequate configurations for specific treatments. A hexarotor DJI Matrice 600 equipped with T-Motor “15 × 5” carbon fiber blades is tested numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimentally in a wind tunnel. These tests assess the aerodynamic interaction between the wake of an advancing multicopter and the fine droplets generated by atomizers traditionally used in agricultural applications. The aim of this research is twofold. First, we analyze the effects of parameters such as flight speed (0, 2, and 3 m·s (Formula presented.)), nozzle type (hollowcone and fan), and injection pressure (2–3 bar) on spray distribution. In the second phase, we use data from the experimental campaign to validate numerical tools for the simulation of rotor–droplet interactions necessary to predict spray’s ground footprint and to plan a precise guidance algorithm to achieve on-target deposition and reduce the well-known droplet drift problem

Experimental and numerical analysis of hovering multicopter performance in low-Reynolds number conditions

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are state of the art in the aerospace industry and are involved in many operations. Although initially developed for military purposes, commercial applications of small- scale UAS, such as multicopters, are abundant today. Accurate engineering tools are required to assess the performance of these vehicles and optimize power consumption. The thrust and power curves of the rotors used by small-scale UAS are essential elements in designing efficient aircraft. The scarcity of experimental data and sufficiently accurate prediction models to evaluate rotor aerodynamic performance in the flight envelope are primary limitations in UAS science. In addition, for small-scale rotors at usual rotation rates, chord-based Reynolds numbers are typically smaller than 100,000, a flow regime in which performance tends to degrade. In this paper, experimental data on small-scale multicopter propulsion systems are presented and combined with a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to describe the aerodynamics of these vehicles in low Reynolds numbers conditions. We use the STAR-CCM+ software to perform CFD simulations adopting both a dynamic-grid, time-accurate analysis and a static-grid, steady- state technique that solves the Navier-Stokes equations in a suitable framework. Comparing numerical simulation results on a conventional UAS propeller with related experimental data suggests that the proposed approach can correctly describe the thrust and torque coefficients in the range of Reynolds numbers characterizing the UAS flight envelope

Conflict Prevention and Separation Assurance Method in the Small Aircraft Transportation System

A multilayer approach to the prevention of conflicts due to the loss of aircraft-to-aircraft separation which relies on procedures and on-board automation was implemented as part of the SATS HVO Concept of Operations. The multilayer system gives pilots support and guidance during the execution of normal operations and advance warning for procedure deviations or off-nominal operations. This paper describes the major concept elements of this multilayer approach to separation assurance and conflict prevention and provides the rationale for its design. All the algorithms and functionality described in this paper have been implemented in an aircraft simulation in the NASA Langley Research Center s Air Traffic Operation Lab and on the NASA Cirrus SR22 research aircraft

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Trends Observed in Urinary Pathogens Obtained From New York State

International guidelines recommend using local susceptibility data to direct empiric therapy for acute uncomplicated cystitis. We evaluated outpatient urinary isolate susceptibility trends in New York State. Nitrofurantoin had the lowest resistance prevalence whereas trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and fluoroquinolones had higher prevalences. This study highlights the need for local outpatient antimicrobial stewardship programs

Pairwise Trajectory Management (PTM): Concept Description and Documentation

Pairwise Trajectory Management (PTM) is an Interval Management (IM) concept that utilizes airborne and ground-based capabilities to enable the implementation of airborne pairwise spacing capabilities in oceanic regions. The goal of PTM is to use airborne surveillance and tools to manage an "at or greater than" inter-aircraft spacing. Due to the accuracy of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) information and the use of airborne spacing guidance, the minimum PTM spacing distance will be less than distances a controller can support with current automation systems that support oceanic operations. Ground tools assist the controller in evaluating the traffic picture and determining appropriate PTM clearances to be issued. Avionics systems provide guidance information that allows the flight crew to conform to the PTM clearance issued by the controller. The combination of a reduced minimum distance and airborne spacing management will increase the capacity and efficiency of aircraft operations at a given altitude or volume of airspace. This document provides an overview of the proposed application, a description of several key scenarios, a high level discussion of expected air and ground equipment and procedure changes, a description of a NASA human-machine interface (HMI) prototype for the flight crew that would support PTM operations, and initial benefits analysis results. Additionally, included as appendices, are the following documents: the PTM Operational Services and Environment Definition (OSED) document and a companion "Future Considerations for the Pairwise Trajectory Management (PTM) Concept: Potential Future Updates for the PTM OSED" paper, a detailed description of the PTM algorithm and PTM Limit Mach rules, initial PTM safety requirements and safety assessment documents, a detailed description of the design, development, and initial evaluations of the proposed flight crew HMI, an overview of the methodology and results of PTM pilot training requirements focus group and human-in-the-loop testing activities, and the PTM Pilot Guide