Impact of combined alignments on lane departure: A simulator study for mountainous freeways

Lane departures are responsible for many side-swipe, rear-end and single-vehicle run-off-road crashes. There is a dearth of research, however, on how lane departures are impacted by roadway alignments. The objective of this paper is to examine which geometric design characteristics, including road alignment at the current segment and the adjacent segments, have significant influence on lane departure. Lane departure data from a total 30 drivers were collected from a driving simulator study of a four-lane (two lanes in each direction) divided mountainous freeway. Lane departures were classified into lane keeping, lane departure to the left and lane departure to the right for all-alignments (Dataset I), and lane keeping, lane departure to the inside and lane departure to the outside for curves-only (Dataset II). A mixed multinomial logit model for each dataset was employed to examine the contributory factors. This approach allows for the possibility that the estimated model parameters can vary randomly to account for unobserved effects potentially relating to heterogeneous driver behaviors. Fixed parameters that had a significant increase on lane departure were horizontal curvature at the current segment, and the difference (max-min) in horizontal curvature within the 300-m adjacent upstream alignment. Downward slope and upward slope with fixed parameters significantly decreased lane departure. Estimated parameters related to the direction of the curve, driving lane (bordering median or hard shoulder) and driving speed had found to have randomly distributed over the drivers. This indicates that driver behavior is not consistent in the effect of these three variables on lane departure. These results can assist engineers in designing safer mountainous freeways

Table_1_Investigating the modulation of stimulus types on language switching costs: Do semantic and repetition priming effect matter?.XLSX

IntroductionIn the present study, I investigated the influence of stimulus types on bilingual control in the language switching process. The commonly employed stimuli in language switching studies – Arabic digits and objects – were compared to further investigate the way in which inhibitory control could be modulated by semantic and repetition priming effects. The digit stimuli have two unique characteristics in the language switching paradigm, for example, they are present repeatedly and are semantically related to each other, compared with pictural stimuli. Thus, these unique characteristics might influence the operation of inhibitory control in bilingual language production, modulating the size and asymmetry of switching costs.MethodsTwo picture control sets were set up to match those characteristics: (1) a semantic control set, in which picture stimuli belong to the same category group, such as, animals, occupations or transportation and specific semantic categories were presented in a blocked condition; and (2) a repeated control set, in which nine different picture stimuli were repeatedly presented like the Arabic digits from 1 to 9.ResultsWhen comparing the digit condition and the standard picture condition, analyses of naming latencies and accuracy rates revealed that switching costs were reliably smaller for digit naming than for picture naming and the L1 elicited more switching costs for picture naming than for digit naming. On the other hand, when comparing the digit condition and the two picture control sets, it was found that the magnitude of switching costs became identical and the asymmetry in switching costs became much smaller between the two languages.</p

Table_3_Investigating the modulation of stimulus types on language switching costs: Do semantic and repetition priming effect matter?.XLSX

IntroductionIn the present study, I investigated the influence of stimulus types on bilingual control in the language switching process. The commonly employed stimuli in language switching studies – Arabic digits and objects – were compared to further investigate the way in which inhibitory control could be modulated by semantic and repetition priming effects. The digit stimuli have two unique characteristics in the language switching paradigm, for example, they are present repeatedly and are semantically related to each other, compared with pictural stimuli. Thus, these unique characteristics might influence the operation of inhibitory control in bilingual language production, modulating the size and asymmetry of switching costs.MethodsTwo picture control sets were set up to match those characteristics: (1) a semantic control set, in which picture stimuli belong to the same category group, such as, animals, occupations or transportation and specific semantic categories were presented in a blocked condition; and (2) a repeated control set, in which nine different picture stimuli were repeatedly presented like the Arabic digits from 1 to 9.ResultsWhen comparing the digit condition and the standard picture condition, analyses of naming latencies and accuracy rates revealed that switching costs were reliably smaller for digit naming than for picture naming and the L1 elicited more switching costs for picture naming than for digit naming. On the other hand, when comparing the digit condition and the two picture control sets, it was found that the magnitude of switching costs became identical and the asymmetry in switching costs became much smaller between the two languages.</p

Table_6_Investigating the modulation of stimulus types on language switching costs: Do semantic and repetition priming effect matter?.XLSX

IntroductionIn the present study, I investigated the influence of stimulus types on bilingual control in the language switching process. The commonly employed stimuli in language switching studies – Arabic digits and objects – were compared to further investigate the way in which inhibitory control could be modulated by semantic and repetition priming effects. The digit stimuli have two unique characteristics in the language switching paradigm, for example, they are present repeatedly and are semantically related to each other, compared with pictural stimuli. Thus, these unique characteristics might influence the operation of inhibitory control in bilingual language production, modulating the size and asymmetry of switching costs.MethodsTwo picture control sets were set up to match those characteristics: (1) a semantic control set, in which picture stimuli belong to the same category group, such as, animals, occupations or transportation and specific semantic categories were presented in a blocked condition; and (2) a repeated control set, in which nine different picture stimuli were repeatedly presented like the Arabic digits from 1 to 9.ResultsWhen comparing the digit condition and the standard picture condition, analyses of naming latencies and accuracy rates revealed that switching costs were reliably smaller for digit naming than for picture naming and the L1 elicited more switching costs for picture naming than for digit naming. On the other hand, when comparing the digit condition and the two picture control sets, it was found that the magnitude of switching costs became identical and the asymmetry in switching costs became much smaller between the two languages.</p

Table_2_Investigating the modulation of stimulus types on language switching costs: Do semantic and repetition priming effect matter?.XLSX

IntroductionIn the present study, I investigated the influence of stimulus types on bilingual control in the language switching process. The commonly employed stimuli in language switching studies – Arabic digits and objects – were compared to further investigate the way in which inhibitory control could be modulated by semantic and repetition priming effects. The digit stimuli have two unique characteristics in the language switching paradigm, for example, they are present repeatedly and are semantically related to each other, compared with pictural stimuli. Thus, these unique characteristics might influence the operation of inhibitory control in bilingual language production, modulating the size and asymmetry of switching costs.MethodsTwo picture control sets were set up to match those characteristics: (1) a semantic control set, in which picture stimuli belong to the same category group, such as, animals, occupations or transportation and specific semantic categories were presented in a blocked condition; and (2) a repeated control set, in which nine different picture stimuli were repeatedly presented like the Arabic digits from 1 to 9.ResultsWhen comparing the digit condition and the standard picture condition, analyses of naming latencies and accuracy rates revealed that switching costs were reliably smaller for digit naming than for picture naming and the L1 elicited more switching costs for picture naming than for digit naming. On the other hand, when comparing the digit condition and the two picture control sets, it was found that the magnitude of switching costs became identical and the asymmetry in switching costs became much smaller between the two languages.</p

Table_5_Investigating the modulation of stimulus types on language switching costs: Do semantic and repetition priming effect matter?.XLSX

IntroductionIn the present study, I investigated the influence of stimulus types on bilingual control in the language switching process. The commonly employed stimuli in language switching studies – Arabic digits and objects – were compared to further investigate the way in which inhibitory control could be modulated by semantic and repetition priming effects. The digit stimuli have two unique characteristics in the language switching paradigm, for example, they are present repeatedly and are semantically related to each other, compared with pictural stimuli. Thus, these unique characteristics might influence the operation of inhibitory control in bilingual language production, modulating the size and asymmetry of switching costs.MethodsTwo picture control sets were set up to match those characteristics: (1) a semantic control set, in which picture stimuli belong to the same category group, such as, animals, occupations or transportation and specific semantic categories were presented in a blocked condition; and (2) a repeated control set, in which nine different picture stimuli were repeatedly presented like the Arabic digits from 1 to 9.ResultsWhen comparing the digit condition and the standard picture condition, analyses of naming latencies and accuracy rates revealed that switching costs were reliably smaller for digit naming than for picture naming and the L1 elicited more switching costs for picture naming than for digit naming. On the other hand, when comparing the digit condition and the two picture control sets, it was found that the magnitude of switching costs became identical and the asymmetry in switching costs became much smaller between the two languages.</p

Table_4_Investigating the modulation of stimulus types on language switching costs: Do semantic and repetition priming effect matter?.XLSX

IntroductionIn the present study, I investigated the influence of stimulus types on bilingual control in the language switching process. The commonly employed stimuli in language switching studies – Arabic digits and objects – were compared to further investigate the way in which inhibitory control could be modulated by semantic and repetition priming effects. The digit stimuli have two unique characteristics in the language switching paradigm, for example, they are present repeatedly and are semantically related to each other, compared with pictural stimuli. Thus, these unique characteristics might influence the operation of inhibitory control in bilingual language production, modulating the size and asymmetry of switching costs.MethodsTwo picture control sets were set up to match those characteristics: (1) a semantic control set, in which picture stimuli belong to the same category group, such as, animals, occupations or transportation and specific semantic categories were presented in a blocked condition; and (2) a repeated control set, in which nine different picture stimuli were repeatedly presented like the Arabic digits from 1 to 9.ResultsWhen comparing the digit condition and the standard picture condition, analyses of naming latencies and accuracy rates revealed that switching costs were reliably smaller for digit naming than for picture naming and the L1 elicited more switching costs for picture naming than for digit naming. On the other hand, when comparing the digit condition and the two picture control sets, it was found that the magnitude of switching costs became identical and the asymmetry in switching costs became much smaller between the two languages.</p

Presumed Little Ice Age glacial extent in the eastern Tian Shan, China

<p>Mountain glaciers across the Tian Shan provide critical freshwater resources for the arid and semi-arid areas in Central Asia. Glacial extent during the Little Ice Age (LIA) has been investigated in individual valleys, but its spatial characteristic across a large region still remains unclear. We delineated the presumed maximum LIA glacial extents in three study regions of the eastern Tian Shan (the Boro-Eren, the Bogeda, and the Barkol-Karlik ranges) using Google Earth and the 30 m Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model. The corresponding contemporary glaciers were extracted from the Second Glacier Inventory Dataset of China. The total area of 865 contemporary glaciers was estimated to cover 791.6 km² during a LIA Maximum and decreased to 484.6 km² around 2006–2010, with a relative area loss of 38.8%. The spatial pattern of glacier area loss exhibits a west–east decreasing trend between these three regions. This map provides a data set to investigate the pattern of LIA glacial extents and assess climate impact on water resources in the eastern Tian Shan at a centennial time scale.</p

Parameters estimated in the empirical Monod model.

<p>Parameters estimated in the empirical Monod model.</p

Experimentally observed and simulated isotopomer labeling patterns [M-57]⁺ in proteinogenic amino acids.

<p>The standard error for GC-MS measurement was below 0.02. <b>A1</b>: dynamic isotopomer simulation for glutamate from dFBA without considering reaction reversibility (dFBA w/o reversibility). <b>A2</b>: dynamic isotopomer simulation for glutamate from dFBA considering reaction reversibility (dFBA w/ reversibility). Bar plot: comparison of experimentally observed isotopomer labeling to simulated isotopomer labeling patterns of glutamate (<b>A1</b>: without considering reaction reversibility; <b>A2</b>: considering reaction reversibility). <b>B</b>: The model fitting of the isotopomer labeling data of five key amino acids (Ala, Gly, Ser, Asp, and Glu) at t = 24 and 30 h.</p