Modeling Driver\u27s Route Choice Behavior Under the Influence of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (Vol. 2; Vol. 1: 96/10)

This research consisted of two parts; this report is volume 2 of 2 volumes; Volume 1 is Report No. FHWA/IN/JHRP-96/10. The first part developed a set of incident clearance time prediction models for the Borman Expressway. The second part consisted of modeling driver’s route choice behavior under the influence of advanced traveler information systems. Volume 2 of this report describes the modeling driver\u27s route choice behavior under the iinfluence of Advanced Traveler Information Systems. These models can help in understanding the behavior and response of travelers under the influeince of Advanced Traveler Information Systmes.r The products of this research project will be incorpored in the Advanced Traffic Managment System that is being implemented on the Morman Expressway, a 16-mile segment of *-80 n northwest Indiana

Network-Level Reliability-Based Bridge Inspection, Maintenance and Replacement Optimization Model

This paper presents a reliability-based optimization model of inspection, maintenance and replacement for a system of several highway bridges. The objective in the formulation is to minimize the total expected social cost, including the expected cost of failure. The frequency of inspections is included as a decision variable. The probability of failure is explicitly taken into account in the constraints. A bottom-up approach is used, which allows for bridge-specific details to be taken into account. Most existing system level models assume that component deterioration is memoryless; however, this assumption is relaxed in this paper, and history-dependent deterioration models are used. The formulation is flexible enough to accommodate different types of facilities, deterioration processes and failure modes. A parametric study is conducted to demonstrate the model’s response to different assumptions on the deterioration rates, maintenance costs and efficiency

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Hypericum perforatum L. Aqueous Extract with the Evaluation of Its Antibacterial Activity against Clinical and Food Pathogens

The rapid development of nanotechnology and its applications in medicine has provided the perfect solution against a wide range of different microbes, especially antibiotic-resistant ones. In this study, a one-step approach was used in preparing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by mixing silver nitrate with hot Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort) aqueous extract under high stirring to prevent agglomeration. The formation of silver nanoparticles was monitored by continuous measurement of the surface plasma resonance spectra (UV-VIS). The effect of St. John’s wort aqueous extract on the formation of silver nanoparticles was evaluated and fully characterized by using different physicochemical techniques. The obtained silver nanoparticles were spherical, monodisperse, face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structures, and the size ranges between 20 to 40 nm. They were covered with a capping layer of organic compounds considered as a nano dimension protective layer that prevents agglomeration and sedimentation. AgNPs revealed antibacterial activity against both tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains causing the formation of 13–32 mm inhibition zones with MIC 6.25–12.5 µg/mL; Escherichia coli strains were resistant to tested AgNPs. The specific growth rate of S. aureus was significantly reduced due to tested AgNPs at concentrations ≥½ MIC. AgNPs did not affect wound migration in fibroblast cell lines compared to control. Our results highlighted the potential use of AgNPs capped with plant extracts in the pharmaceutical and food industries to control bacterial pathogens’ growth; however, further studies are required to confirm their wound healing capability and their health impact must be critically evaluate

Proactive detection of high collision concentration locations on highways

In previous research (Chung et al., 2009), the potential of the continuous risk profile (CRP) to proactively detect the systematic deterioration of freeway safety levels was presented. In this paper, this potential is investigated further, and an algorithm is proposed for proactively detecting sites where the collision rate is not sufficiently high to be classified as a high collision concentration location but where a systematic deterioration of safety level is observed. The approach proposed compares the weighted CRP across different years and uses the cumulative sum (CUSUM) algorithm to detect the sites where changes in collision rate are observed. The CRPs of the detected sites are then compared for reproducibility. When high reproducibility is observed, a growth factor is used for sequential hypothesis testing to determine if the collision profiles are increasing over time. Findings from applying the proposed method using empirical data are documented in the paper together with a detailed description of the method

Prediction Models for Incident Clearance Time for Borman Expressway (Vol. 1; Vol. 2: 96/11)

This research consisted of two parts; this report is Volume 1 of 2 Volumes; Volume 2 is Report No. FHWA/IN/JHRP-9611. The first part developed a set of incident clearance time prediction models for the Borman Expressway. The second part consisted of modeling driver’s route choice behavior under the influence of advanced traveler information systems. Volume 1 of this report describes the incident clearance time prediction models for the Borman Expressway. The prediction of incident clearance time from these models can facilitate in efficient incident management and support traveler information systems. The products of this research project will be incorporated in the Advanced Traffic Management System that is being implemented on the Borman Expressway, a 16-mile segment of I-80 in northwest Indiana