The Future of Transportation Funding

Among the many collaterals impacts of vehicle electrification is a reduction in funding for government agencies who rely heavily on fuel taxation—over 75B annually—for transportation needs. States and the federal government are actively exploring user-based funding alternatives to pay for the next generation of roads that will be used by the next generation of vehicles

Flight-test evaluation of two electronic display formats for approach to landing under instrument conditions

The results of a flight evaluation of two electronic display formats for the approach to landing under instrument conditions are presented. The evaluation was conducted for a base-line electronic display format and for the same format with runway symbology and track information added. The evaluation was conducted during 3 deg, manual straight-in approaches with and without initial localizer offsets. Flight path tracking performance data and pilot subjective comments were examined with regard to the pilot's ability to capture and maintain localizer and glide slope by using both display formats

Environmental design studies on perception and simulation: an urban design approach

Perceptual simulation represents an attempt to anticipate physical reality, whereby people can experience and interpret future environments from a subjective perspective. Working on experiential simulation for urban and landscape design requires an understanding of the relationship between man and the environment from a perceptual and cognitive standpoint. In fact, only by investigating the sensing and cognitive processes behind perception can we establish an informed approach to simulation of places and their ambiances. In particular, we propose a parallelism between man/environment and man/simulation relationships, aiming at giving back a framework for replicating in simulation the multisensory aspects that occur in the perception of the physical world. Hence, the objective of this article is to present how we approach the dimension of perceptual simulation within our research and professional work as urban designers. From a methodological point of view, we explored the topic through two main tasks, namely the selection and reconstruction of the research context and the key issues of perceptual simulation finalized in the second task, i.e. the construction of a set of simulation tools for urban design, intended as a matrix of possible practical applications. In particular, the theoretical framework presented in this work consists of a selection and overview of references relevant to urban design, comprehension of the research context and delivery of the set of tools implemented within our research unit. This matrix of tools represents the novelty of this work and is intended as a practical reference for orienting the choice among different simulation tools within the urban design practice. For instance, it is important to highlight the efficacy of each type of simulation in mimicking the man/environment relationship

The image of productive landscapes: A method for the perceptual analysis of industrial heritage

The scope of this study is to present a methodology to assess the image of productive landscapes from a visual perceptual point of view. Rethinking the productive landscape is currently an urgent task for urban planners and landscape designers, but no dedicated technical tools are available to support its evaluation, design and communication. We argue that a detailed visual analysis of the physical environment is a fundamental preliminary work in order to catch the image of industrial heritage and envision new strategies for its re-use or re-qualification. Hence, we propose a methodology for assessing the qualitative and quantitative interpretation of the industrial heritage from a visual analysis perspective, taking into account the visual quality of the physical environment. The recording and the post processing of photography and videos represent the input data of this work. The application of this methodology was tested on an urban fringe characterized by anonymous productive boxes, which is a typical condition of metropolitan areas. The analysis aims at mapping the perceptual relevance of industrial buildings facing motorways. Results show that the methodology is easy to apply and, if automated, could support design and decision-making. Possible uses of the proposed methodology are the following: (i) the evaluation and communication of the current visual condition and imageability of the industrial heritage, (ii) the support for designing future conditions of buildings and, (iii) the re-evaluation and monitoring of future transformations

Pair-wise decoherence in coupled spin qubit networks

Experiments involving phase coherent dynamics of networks of spins, such as echo experiments, will only work if decoherence can be suppressed. We show here, by analyzing the particular example of a crystalline network of Fe8 molecules, that most decoherence typically comes from pairwise interactions (particularly dipolar interactions) between the spins, which cause `correlated errors'. However at very low T these are strongly suppressed. These results have important implications for the design of quantum information processing systems using electronic spins.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Final PRL versio

A piloted-simulation evaluation of two electronic display formats for approach and landing

The results of a piloted-simulation evaluation of the benefits of adding runway symbology and track information to a baseline electronic-attitude-director-indicator (EADI) format for the approach-to-landing task were presented. The evaluation was conducted for the baseline format and for the baseline format with the added symbology during 3 deg straight-in approaches with calm, cross-wind, and turbulence conditions. Flight-path performance data and pilot subjective comments were examined with regard to the pilot's tracking performance and mental workload for both display formats. The results show that the addition of a perspective runway image and relative track information to a basic situation-information EADI format improve the tracking performance both laterally and vertically during an approach-to-landing task and that the mental workload required to assess the approach situation was thus reduced as a result of integration of information

Mercapturate Pathway in the Tubulocentric Perspective of Diabetic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND: The recent growing evidence that the proximal tubule underlies the early pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is unveiling novel and promising perspectives. This pathophysiological concept links tubulointerstitial oxidative stress, inflammation, hypoxia, and fibrosis with the progression of DKD. In this new angle for DKD, the prevailing molecular mechanisms on proximal tubular cells emerge as an innovative opportunity for prevention and management of DKD as well as to improve diabetic dysmetabolism. SUMMARY: The mercapturate pathway (MAP) is a classical metabolic detoxification route for xenobiotics that is emerging as an integrative circuitry detrimental to resolve tubular inflammation caused by endogenous electrophilic species. Herein we review why and how it might underlie DKD. Key Messages: MAP is a hallmark of proximal tubular cell function, and cysteine-S-conjugates might represent targets for early intervention in DKD. Moreover, the biomonitoring of urinary mercapturates from metabolic inflammation products might be relevant for the implementation of preventive/management strategies in DKD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improving Local Climate Zones Automatic Classification Based on Physic-Morphological Urban Features

The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme, introduced by Stewart and Oke (2012), offers promising opportunities for better studying the urban climate phenomena at the micro- and local scale (e.g. the urban heat island effect). However, although several methods have been introduced to apply the concept of LCZs to cities, only a few utilize publicly available data, like, for instance, the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT). However, to date, results are relatively rough, and frequent quality assessments demonstrate moderate overall accuracy. This paper proposes an approach for improving the quality of LCZ automatic classification, combining freely available multispectral satellite imagery together with morphological features of the urban environment. And, overall accuracy of 67% was achieved for the Metropolitan City of Milan with an improvement of 12% with respect to using only Landsat 8 multispectral and thermal data. This ascertains the physic-morphological nature of the LCZs and opens the possibility for mapping more accurate LCZs without the need for additional thermal information