A Planning Template for Nonwork Travel and Transit Oriented Development, MTI Report 01-12

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San José State University assigned a project team to design a planning template for transit-oriented development (TOD) that incorporates an understanding of nonwork travel, that is, trips for shopping, eating out, and engaging in recreational and cultural activities. Nonwork trips are growing in signifigance and now account for four of every five trips. At the same time, TOD has become a popular planning response to the impacts of metropolitan growth. Some planners believe that TOD will induce more pedestrian and transit trips and will reduce the average length and frequency of household auto travel. This effect is assumed to result from improved accessibility to employment and nonwork venues located in compact, mixed-use centers. Planning professionals in many MPOs also suggest that if multiple centers are linked by high quality transit, such as light or heavy rail, access is enabled to the broad range of nonwork activities. The project arrived at these essential findings: (1) Venues for nonwork activities are very numerous and geographically dispersed. 2) The spatial environment for nonwork activities is the result of growing prosperity, technical innovation, and a dynamic, competitive marketplace. (3) The consumer marketplace will provide many more places to go than mass transit can cost-effectively serve. (4) Current metropolitan planning methods and modeling tools focus on the work trip and do not adequately account for the complexity of nonwork trips and their linkage to work trips. These findings support the need for a new regional planning process to complement current methods. One recommended approach is that metropolitan communities establish a Nonwork Travel Improvement Planning Process using a multidisciplinary expert advisory group interacting with a core, Internet-enabled, professional transportation planning staff. An iterative interaction across varied but relevant skill sets could be achieved through a Backcasting Delphi process. The focus of the interaction would be on understanding the ramifications of consumer and retail industry behavior for TOD and other new transportation strategies, and then assessing the available strategies for cost-effectiveness in reducing the impacts of growth and automobility in a complex and uncertain metropolitan market

Alien Registration- Dick, Nelson C. (Robbinston, Washington County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/1407/thumbnail.jp

Alien Registration- Dick, Nelson N. (Lewiston, Androscoggin County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/29771/thumbnail.jp

Semi-automated quantification of methylmalonic acid in human serum by LC-MS/MS

Background. Methylmalonic acid (MMA), a sensitive biomarker of functional vitamin B12 deficiency, is commonly determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods using manual extraction and derivatization of MMA to reduce polarity prior to separation. Methods. In the present study we introduce a semi-automated extraction on a strong anion exchanger, HPLC separation on a BEH-amide column to separate serum MMA from its abundant isoform, succinic acid, followed by MS/MS detection and quantification. Results. The extraction of MMA plus internal standard provides full recovery and the method is linear between 0.03 mu mol/L and 20.0 mu mol/L (r(2) = 1.0) with intra-and inter-assay imprecision of 2.2%. Agreement with other laboratories has been demonstrated in external proficiency testing. Compared to both conventional GC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods, the correlation is r(2) > 0.99. Conclusions. The use of robotic pipetting, elimination of derivatization and improved separation by the BEH-amide column combined with HILIC chromatographic conditions significantly improve sample throughput compared to conventional methods. Using a single pipetting robot and LC-MS/MS instrument, this method is currently performing 180 analyses per day from 10 regional hospitals and several additional distant sites

Concealed anterograde accessory pathway conduction during the induction of orthodromic reciprocating tachycardia

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine whether concealed anterograde accessory pathway conduction occurs during the induction of orthodromic tachycardia by an artrial extrastimulus (S2). Sixteen patients with an overt (n = 9) or concealed (n = 7) accessory pathway had inducible orthodromic tachycardia by S2during an atrial drive (S1) cycle length of 500 to 650 ms. A ventricular extrastimulus (S3) was introduced coincident with the His depolarization resulting from S2during the longest S1S2interval that reproducibly induced orthodromic tachycardia. The S1S3interval was decreased in 10 ms steps until S3reached ventricular refractoriness. Retrograde accessory pathway conduction of S3in the presence and absence of S2was compared at the same S1S3intervals.In the absence of S2there was retrograde accessory pathway conduction after S3in each patient. In the presence of S2, in patients with overt pre-excitation, retrograde accessory pathway conduction after S3was absent in one patient, prolonged in four patients and present only after long S1S3intervals in three patients. Only one patient had unchanged retrograde conduction regardless of the presence or absence of S2. In patients with a concealed accessory pathway, retrograde accessory pathway conduction after S3was absent in five patients and was prolonged in two. Thus, concealed anterograde accessory pathway conduction was present in 15 of 16 patients at the time of orthodromic tachycardia induction.In conclusion, concealed anterograde accessory pathway conduction occurs in a majority of patients with an overt or a concealed accessory pathway during induction of orthodromic tachycardia by an atrial extrastimulus. In some patients, the initiation of orthodromic tachycardia may depend on a critical interaction between the degree of concealed anterograde accessory pathway conduction and atrioventricular conduction delay after S2

The influence of noise, vibration, cycle paths, and period of day on stress experienced by cyclists

Urban and transport planners need to assess the stressful conditions experienced by cyclists, considering that highly stressful situations can discourage people from cycling as a transport mode. Therefore, this study has two objectives: (1) to present a method for monitoring stress and other environmental factors along cycling routes using smart sensors; and (2) to analyze the influence of noise, vibration, presence of cycle paths, and the period of the day on stress experienced by cyclists. Data were collected in the city of Sao Carlos, Brazil, using stress and noise sensors, accelerometers, and Global Positioning System (GPS). Primarily, heat maps generated from the data made it possible to identify critical points of stress along the routes. In addition, the results of a logistic regression model were analyzed to identify the influence of the studied variables on stress. Although high levels of noise increased the odds of experiencing stress by 4%, very uncomfortable vibrations increased the odds by 14%, and the presence of cycle paths reduced the odds by 8%, an analysis of p-values and odds ratio confidence intervals shows, with a 95% confidence level, that only the period of the day influenced stress, as confirmed by the data. In this case, the odds of having stress increased by 24% in the afternoon rush hour compared to the morning rush hour

Aquilegia, Vol. 26 No. 2, March-April 2002: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1092/thumbnail.jp

Some factors influencing case classification in a public welfare agency

This group project represented an attempt to study some factors pertaining to the formation of a system of case classification in a county public welfare agency, Multnomah County Public Welfare Commission, Portland, Oregon. The classification tool was a Case Planning Schedule intended to encourage diagnostic thinking on the part of the caseworker and to enhance planning and service for the client. The focus of the study was limited to two areas: (1) whether or not the use of the Schedule resulted in agreement among caseworkers in classification and in consistency on prognoses, (2) the attitudes of the caseworkers in various departments toward the Case Classification Program and the Case Planning Schedule. Background for the study involved a search of the literature surrounding new approaches to the problems of multi-problem families and public assistance caseloads. Consideration was given to agency structure and the circumstances surrounding the creation of the Oregon Program for Case Classification. Five main hypotheses were tested. With one a comparison was made between classification and prognostication of cases with and without a case classification Schedule. The other testable hypotheses were dealt with by administration of an interviewing schedule designed to gather data regarding staff attitudes toward the Program and the Schedule. Appropriate statistical tests of significance were employed and a content analysis was used in connection with an open-ended attitudinal question. Qualitative and quantitative findings were consistent in demonstrating that caseworkers tended to be favorable toward the intent of the Program but critical toward implementation procedures. Divergent viewpoints were shown in comparing responses of workers by categories of work-load assignments departmental assignments, and length of service in the agency. These findings suggest that additional research include an evaluation of the validity of such systems

The Ursinus Weekly, April 24, 1950

Scientists to participate in Y panel discussion • Soire musicale given as French club feature • Seven juniors honored by Cub and Key society • Forum presents prominent explorer in Pfahler talk • Miller reigns as queen at annual junior prom • Ticket sales begin for spring comedy • Pre-legal society to elect officers • Senator Ruth speaks to two Y commissions • Ursinus graduate speaks at Sunday night vespers • Phillips to attend inauguration • Debaters finish season • French theme prevails as sophs sponsor dance • Meistersingers give concert • Bermuda attracts student during spring vacation • CBS offers awards for student-written television scripts • Theater -- The Member of the wedding • Mrs. DuPont wins tennis exhibition • Court team romps to easy 8-1 victory over druggist club • Track team loses 93-33 in first meet of season • Diamond nine gains split with two league rivals • Softball loop opens intramural rivalry • Bryn Mawr wins 4-1 in tennis opener • State Department offers new training program • Rathbone to speak in Philadelphia orchestra concerthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1590/thumbnail.jp

Integrating quantitative and qualitative methodologies for the assessment of health care systems: emergency medicine in post-conflict Serbia

BACKGROUND: Due to the complexity of health system reform in the post-conflict, post-disaster, and development settings, attempts to restructure health services are fraught with pitfalls that are often unanticipated because of inadequate preliminary assessments. Our proposed Integrated Multimodal Assessment – combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies – may provide a more robust mechanism for identifying programmatic priorities and critical barriers for appropriate and sustainable health system interventions. The purpose of this study is to describe this novel multimodal assessment using emergency medicine in post-conflict Serbia as a model. METHODS: Integrated quantitative and qualitative methodologies – system characterization and observation, focus group discussions, free-response questionnaires, and by-person factor analysis – were used to identify needs, problems, and potential barriers to the development of emergency medicine in Serbia. Participants included emergency and pre-hospital personnel from all emergency medical institutions in Belgrade. RESULTS: Demographic data indicate a loosely ordered network of part-time emergency departments supported by 24-hour pre-hospital services and an academic emergency center. Focus groups and questionnaires reveal significant impediments to delivery of care and suggest development priorities. By-person factor analysis subsequently divides respondents into distinctive attitudinal types, compares participant opinions, and identifies programmatic priorities. CONCLUSIONS: By combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies, our Integrated Multimodal Assessment identified critical needs and barriers to emergency medicine development in Serbia and may serve as a model for future health system assessments in post-conflict, post-disaster, and development settings