Factors Determining Transit Access by Car Owners: Implications for Intermodal Passenger Transportation Planning

Although walking is the dominant mode of transportation to transit facilities, there are strong variations by socio-demographics, geography, mode of public transit used and other factors. There is particularly a need to understand ways in which car owners who choose to use public transportation can be encouraged to carpool, walk or bicycle in the “first mile” and “last mile” of the transit trip, instead of driving. These considerations have implications for addressing cold start trips resulting from short drives to transit facilities, active transportation strategies that may benefit transit users who currently drive, and in deriving solutions for shared transportation such as bicycle-sharing and car-sharing programs. Using data collected in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, we investigate how the mode choice for the access trip to transit stations is related to costs, personal and household variables, trip characteristics, and neighborhood factors including crash frequencies, crime prevalence, neighborhood racial characteristics, population density, roadway density etc. for persons in car owning households. The results suggest that while much of the choice depends on personal and trip related variables, some neighborhood level factors as well as the provision of parking at transit stations have important relationships to mode choice that can influence built environment factors such as density and policy areas such as the provision and operation of transit parking facilities

Review of \u3cem\u3eQueer Wars: The New Gay Right and Its Critics.\u3c/em\u3e Paul Robinson. Reviewed by Greg Mallon.

Book review of Paul Robinson, Queer Wars: The New Gay Right and Its Critics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. $25.00 hardcover

Cardiovascular disease in HIV patients: recent advances in predicting and managing risk

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in virally suppressed people living with HIV (PLWH) and with an ageing population, is likely to become one of the leading challenges in maintaining good health outcomes in HIV infection. However, factors driving risk of CVD in PLWH are multiple and may be different from those of the general population, raising challenges to predicting and managing CVD risk in this population. / Areas covered: In this review, we examine the relevant data regarding CVD in HIV infection including that on CVD prevalence, pathogenesis and contributing factors. We review the data regarding CVD risk prediction in PLWH and summarise factors, both general and HIV specific, that may influence CVD risk in this population. And finally we discuss appropriate management of CVD risk in PLWH and explore potential therapeutic pathways which may mitigate CVD risk in the future in this population. / Expert opinion: Following a comprehensive review of CVD risk in PLWH, we give our opinion on the primary issues in risk prediction and management of CVD in HIV infected individuals and discuss the future direction of CVD management in this population

Efficient planar camera calibration via automatic image selection

This paper details a novel approach to automatically selecting images which improve camera calibration results. An algorithm is presented which identifies calibration images that inherently improve camera parameter estimates based on their geometric configuration or image network geometry. Analysing images in a more intuitive geometric framework allows image networks to be formed based on the relationship between their world to image homographies. Geometrically, it is equivalent to enforcing maximum independence between calibration images, this ensures accuracy and stability when solving the planar calibration equations. A webcam application using the proposed strategy is presented. This demonstrates that careful consideration of image network geometry, which has largely been neglected within the community, can yield more accurate parameter estimates with less images

Large-scale structure of brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations in England: effects on rodenticide resistance

The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is a relatively recent (<300 years) addition to the British fauna, but by association with negative impacts on public health, animal health and agriculture, it is regarded as one of the most important vertebrate pest species. Anticoagulant rodenticides were introduced for brown rat control in the 1950s and are widely used for rat control in the UK, but long-standing resistance has been linked to control failures in some regions. One thus far ignored aspect of resistance biology is the population structure of the brown rat. This paper investigates the role population structure has on the development of anticoagulant resistance. Using mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA, we examined 186 individuals (from 15 counties in England and one location in Wales near the Wales–England border) to investigate the population structure of rural brown rat populations. We also examined individual rats for variations of the VKORC1 gene previously associated with resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides. We show that the populations were structured to some degree, but that this was only apparent in the microsatellite data and not the mtDNA data. We discuss various reasons why this is the case. We show that the population as a whole appears not to be at equilibrium. The relative lack of diversity in the mtDNA sequences examined can be explained by founder effects and a subsequent spatial expansion of a species introduced to the UK relatively recently. We found there was a geographical distribution of resistance mutations, and relatively low rate of gene flow between populations, which has implications for the development and management of anticoagulant resistance

Is PPARγ a Prospective Player in HIV-1-Associated Bone Disease?

Currently infection with the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) is in most instances a chronic disease that can be controlled by effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, chronic use of ART has been associated with a number of toxicities; including significant reductions in bone mineral density (BMD) and disorders of the fat metabolism. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) transcription factor is vital for the development and maintenance of mature and developing adipocytes. Alterations in PPARγ expression have been implicated as a factor in the mechanism of HIV-1-associated lipodystrophy. Both reduced BMD and lipodystrophy have been well described as complications of HIV-1 infection and treatment, and a question remains as to their interdependence. Interestingly, both adipocytes and osteoblasts are derived from a common precursor cell type; the mesenchymal stem cell. The possibility that dysregulation of PPARγ (and the subsequent effect on both osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis) is a contributory factor in the lipid- and bone-abnormalities observed in HIV-1 infection and treatment has also been investigated. This review deals with the hypothesis that dysregulation of PPARγ may underpin the bone abnormalities associated with HIV-1 infection, and treats the current knowledge and prospective developments, in our understanding of PPARγ involvement in HIV-1-associated bone disease

On the Development of High Strain Rate Experiments for the Characterization of Engineering Materials

In order to predict the damage accumulation and failure processes associated with highly dynamic events such as blast loading, shock wave loading, and ballistic impact loading, a commensurate understanding of the fundamental constitutive and fracture behavior of materials subjected to such high rate loading conditions is necessary. In this effort, high strain rate experimental facilities consisting of a shock tube apparatus and a torsional split Hopkinson bar apparatus have been designed, constructed, and subsequently used to investigate the mechanical properties of an array of engineering materials subjected to a variety of dynamic loading conditions. Designs for the experimental equipment utilized are based mostly on modified versions of established equipment already in use elsewhere; however improvements have been implemented wherever possible with an emphasis on reliability, robust design, and versatility. Fabrication of all equipment was performed by the author. Three experimental works conducted using these experimental apparatuses are presented, each considering a unique engineering material and dynamic stress state. 1) Pre-stressed orthogonally woven composites were subjected to shock loading, and the effect of loading rate and fiber orientation on both fracture toughness and crack growth direction is presented. 2) Rigid closed cell foams were subjected to compressive shock loading and the effect of foam density and strain rate on the compressive properties of the foam is presented. 3) Finally, a high strength aluminum alloy is subjected to high strain rate torsional loading, in as-received and friction stir welded states, and the effects of microstructure and strain rate on the shear properties of the alloy are presented. The wide variety of materials tested and the diverse array of dynamic stress states achieved serve to illustrate the versatility and effectiveness of the experimental equipment constructed and utilized in this work

‘I actually know that things will get better’:The many pathways to resilience of LGBTQIA+ youth in out-of-home care

Research on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other forms of sexual identities and orientations (LGBTQIA+) youth in care has mainly examined their experiences from a risk-based approach, while few studies have explored their resilience experiences. Using in-depth interviews, the present study aims to illuminate the resilience experiences of 13 LGBTQIA+ young people in out-of-home care in the Netherlands. Four themes emerged from their narratives: relationships that support and empower; construction of a positive identity around their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE); community involvement and self-relying strategies. Our findings support the view of resilience as a complex process that shows at an individual, interpersonal and social level

Visual art inspired by the collective feeding behavior of sand-bubbler crabs

Sand--bubblers are crabs of the genera Dotilla and Scopimera which are known to produce remarkable patterns and structures at tropical beaches. From these pattern-making abilities, we may draw inspiration for digital visual art. A simple mathematical model is proposed and an algorithm is designed that may create such sand-bubbler patterns artificially. In addition, design parameters to modify the patterns are identified and analyzed by computational aesthetic measures. Finally, an extension of the algorithm is discussed that may enable controlling and guiding generative evolution of the art-making process