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Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) overexpression has been linked to increased tumour aggressiveness and treatment resistance. GR antagonists have been shown to enhance treatment effectiveness. Emerging research has investigated mifepristone, a GR antagonist, as an anticancer agent with limited research in the context of oral cancer. This study investigated the effect of mifepristone at micromolar (µM) concentrations of 1, 5, 10 and 20 on the proliferation and migration of oral cancer cells, at 24 and 48 h. Scratch and scatter assays were utilised to assess cell migration, MTT assays were used to measure cell proliferation, Western blotting was used to investigate the expression of GR and the activation of underlying Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways, and immunofluorescence (IF) was used to determine the localisation of proteins in HaCaT (immortalised human skin keratinocytes), TYS (oral adeno squamous cell carcinoma), and SAS-H1 cells (squamous cell carcinoma of human tongue). Mifepristone resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the proliferation of HaCaT, TYS, and SAS-H1 cells. Mifepristone at a concentration of 20 µM effectively reduced collective migration and scattering of oral cancer cells, consistent with the suppression of the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signalling pathways, and reduced expression of N-Cadherin. An elongated cell morphology was, however, observed, which may be linked to the localisation pattern of E-Cadherin in response to mifepristone. Overall, this study found that a high concentration of mifepristone was effective in the suppression of migration and proliferation of oral cancer cells via the inhibition of PI3K-Akt and MAPK signalling pathways. Further investigation is needed to define its impact on epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In adult dental age estimation, segmentation of dental volumetric information from different tooth parts using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has proven beneficial in improving the regression model reliability. This segmentation method can be expanded in the crown part since the volumetric information in the crown is affected by attrition in the enamel and secondary dentine in the dentine and pulp chamber. CBCT scans from 99 patients aged between 20 and 60 were collected retrospectively. A total of 80 eligible teeth for each tooth type were used in this study. The enamel to dentine volume ratio (EDVR), pulp to dentine volume ratio (PDVR) and sex were used as independent variables to predict chronological age (CA). The EDVR was not affected by PDVR. The highest R2 was calculated from the maxillary canine (R2 = 0.6). The current approach in crown segmentation has proven to improve model performance in anterior maxillary teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiographic methods using pulp-tooth volume ratio (PTVR) are important for dental age estimation. According to previous studies, using PTVR possesses different relationships with age in males and females but none of the studies have used a homogenous (approximately equal numbers of individuals in each age range) age distribution to assess this relationship and the effect of sex as a predictor on age estimation. This study was performed on Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)images of 521 left maxillary and 681 left mandibular canines of 719 subjects of Pakistani origin (368 females and 349 males) aged from 15 to 65 years. Planmeca Romexis® software was used to trace the outline of the pulp cavity and tooth and to calculate respective volumes. Subsequently, Microsoft® Office Excel 2016 was used to calculate the ratios. Regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between PTVR factoring sex as apredictor for age estimation. The obtained results showed that including sex as predictor with maxillary PTVR (R2 = 0.46) have the highest predictive power. The relationship between maxillary PTVR including sex with chronological age demonstrates anon-linear relationship. The conclusion is that including sex as predictor with maxillary PTVR produced the best estimate of chronological age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) enables the assessment of regressive morphological changes in teeth, which can be used to predict chronological age (CA) in adults. As each tooth region is known to have different correlations with CA, this study aimed to segment and quantify the sectional volumes of the tooth crown and root from CBCT scans to test their correlations with the chronological age (CA). Seventy‐five CBCT scans from individuals with age between 20 and 60 years were collected retrospectively from an existing database. A total of 192 intact maxillary anterior teeth fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The upper tooth volume ratio (UTVR), lower tooth volume ratio (LTVR), and sex were used as predictor variables. The UTVR and LTVR parameters were both found to be differently correlated to CA and independent from each other. Regression models were derived from each tooth, with the highest R2 being the maxillary lateral incisor (R2 = 0.67). Additional single predictor models using each ratio were capable of reliably predicting the CA. The segmentation approach in volumetric adult dental age estimation proved to be beneficial in enhancing the reliability of the regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of automated cars is rapidly becoming a reality. Yet there has been very little analysis of the impacts of such developments on the performance of urban transport systems. These impacts are potentially complex. On the positive side, automation has the potential to increase road capacity, make driving available to more people, and reduce accidents and emissions. On the negative side, it could attract users away from public transport, walking and cycling, substantially increase traffic levels and stimulate urban sprawl. These impacts cannot currently be measured empirically and, by the time that they can, it will be too late to change the implementation model to rectify any resulting problems. Predictive assessments are therefore needed. This paper considers the possible impacts of automated vehicles, predicts their effects on the urban land use and transport system, and discusses the policy implications. We focus on automation of the car fleet, and do not consider the potential of automation of public transport or freight. We consider the literature on the range of attributes of automated vehicles which might affect transport and land use patterns, and suggest potential outcomes for each over the period to 2050. These include the proportion of automated vehicles in the car fleet, whether automated vehicles are privately purchased or publicly shared, the impacts on network capacity, the reduced need to pay for and walk from parking places, the potential reduction in the value of in-vehicle time and the potential use by current non-drivers. We represent these attributes in an expanded causal link diagram of the urban land use and transport system and import those causal links into the MARS system dynamics model. We determine from the literature a level for each attribute, and test the impacts in a set of ten scenarios using an updated MARS model of Leeds. Based on our input assumptions, we find that car-km in 2050 could be over 50% higher than in the business as usual scenario. Public transport use could fall by 18%, threatening accessibility for those dependent on it, while walking and cycling could fall by 13%, reducing their health benefits. Overall person-km would rise, suggesting a reduction in sustainability. A requirement that all automated cars are shared vehicles could reduce these adverse impacts somewhat, but the effects are sensitive to the charge per km. Our use of a single value for each attribute means that our analysis is exploratory, but the size of the resulting impacts demonstrates the importance of understanding the scale of systems response to each of the attributes which we have considered. It will be important to manage the way in which automated cars are introduced into urban areas, if they are not to lead to a worsening of the urban environment, accessibility and health. A requirement to make all such vehicles part of shared fleets offers one way forward, but more work is needed to understand the way in which use of such fleets should be charged. • We review the literature on the possible demand-side and supply-side impacts of autonomous automobiles on urban transport and land use under private and shared ownership, and on the likely scale of such impacts. • We enhance a System Dynamics Land Use – Transport Interaction Model, MARS, to reflect the causal effects of the majority of these impacts. • We apply the enhanced model to the city of Leeds, UK, to test the effects of each potential impact on its own and of all impacts combined, under both fully private and fully shared ownership. • We find a clear synergistic effect between the impacts, leading to considerably higher levels of automobile use under automation; we predict car-km to increase by 56% for private ownership and 41% under shared ownership by 2050 when compared with business as usual. Total person-km rise by 39% and 32% respectively, while use of public transport, walking and cycling fall, indicating a move to a less sustainable future. • We explore the impacts on land use, suggesting that, while private ownership will add to urban sprawl, shared ownership might have the opposite effect. We discuss the policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-distance travel is growing in Europe. While it only accounts for around 3% of trips made, it contributes around a third of distance travelled and to the growing problem of carbon emissions. Despite this there has been little evidence on what causes growth in long-distance travel. This paper presents the LUNA model, a System Dynamics model of long-distance travel in Europe, able to analyse effects of both socio-demographic and transport policy scenarios. We present the development and calibration of the model and its application to three different scenarios based on recent EU evidence and policy. We show that socio-demographic assumptions play a significant role in the evolution of long-distance travel-related emissions. Transport policy tends to affect mode choice but only efficiency improvements contribute significantly to a reduction in emissions. Even quite strong policy change is not enough to meet the EU reduction targets by 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system dynamics (SD) model for the autonomous vehicles (AVs) market development in Beijing is proposed. The model approaches the vehicle scale evolution with the marketization development of private AVs and shared AVs. Some potential factors such as trust, AV purchase willingness, AV using willingness and shared AV service accessibility, are analyzed. Based on the passenger vehicle situation in Beijing, optimistic scenarios from 2014 to 2050 are developed. The base scenario involves the marketization of private AVs and the operation of shared AV fleets, and based on the levels of driving automation, which are divided into six types. The causal feedback relationship and system flow diagram are illustrated. Results show that with the introduction of AVs in Beijing, the number of private vehicles is significantly decreased, which is dependent on the use of shared AVs. To compare with the private vehicle ownership in 2020, the total number of private vehicles has decreased and the number of the private vehicles is over 2.2 million vehicles in 2050. After 2030, the shared vehicle fleet will be dominated by the high-level shared AV and the number of high-level shared AVs is about 2 million. Further, to consider the impact of ride-sharing, the model compares the different attitudes for customers to share their rides and use the shared AV alternative ratio to approach this. The result shows that the extreme ratio will reduce the number of shared AVs, and the fleet size of shared vehicle is about 400,000 vehicles in 2050. For the low ratio scenario, the fleet size of shared vehicle will increase a lot to over 3,186,000 vehicles, which will lead to a large number of cars on the road and thus increase congestion. The introduction of AVs is expected to reduce the number of private vehicles; However, the uncertainty of residents' attitudes towards car sharing will affect the introduction of AVs. At present, the existing policies prefer to limit the number of vehicles by controlling car registration in Beijing. In the future, with the application of AVs, this could be adjusted by encouraging ride sharing, to achieve sustainable urban transport development in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commemoration of the anniversary of the deaths of Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell brings centre-stage an event which has caused difficulties for those writing about Orton. These difficulties mainly originate in John Lahr's biography, which used the deaths as a frame for viewing Orton's life and work. This essay attempts to think afresh about those deaths by drawing on texts that pre-date the biography, namely the news reports of witness evidence at the inquest. These texts have very different tone and detail from the biography but get lost under the memory- and archive-management which characterises the early Orton industry. In following where the news reports lead us, the essay takes the opportunity to ask questions about the concept of anniversary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ranking enables coaches, sporting authorities, and pundits to determine the relative performance of individual athletes and teams in comparison to their peers. While ranking is relatively straightforward in sports that employ traditional leagues, it is more difficult in sports where competition is fragmented (e.g. athletics, boxing, etc.), with not all competitors competing against each other. In such situations, complex points systems are often employed to rank athletes. However, these systems have the inherent weakness that they frequently rely on subjective assessments in order to gauge the calibre of the competitors involved. Here we show how two Internet derived algorithms, the PageRank (PR) and user preference (UP) algorithms, when utilised with a simple ‘who beat who’ matrix, can be used to accurately rank track athletes, avoiding the need for subjective assessment. We applied the PR and UP algorithms to the 2015 IAAF Diamond League men’s 100m competition and compared their performance with the Keener, Colley and Massey ranking algorithms. The top five places computed by the PR and UP algorithms, and the Diamond League ‘2016’ points system were all identical, with the Kendall’s tau distance between the PR standings and ‘2016’ points system standings being just 15, indicating that only 5.9% of pairs differed in their order between these two lists. By comparison, the UP and ‘2016’ standings displayed a less strong relationship, with a tau distance of 95, indicating that 37.6% of the pairs differed in their order. When compared with the standings produced using the Keener, Colley and Massey algorithms, the PR standings appeared to be closest to the Keener standings (tau distance = 67, 26.5% pair order disagreement), whereas the UP standings were more similar to the Colley and Massey standings, with the tau distances between these ranking lists being only 48 (19.0% pair order disagreement) and 59 (23.3% pair order disagreement) respectively. In particular, the UP algorithm ranked ‘one-off’ victors more highly than the PR algorithm, suggesting that the UP algorithm captures alternative characteristics to the PR algorithm, which may more suitable for predicting future performance in say knockout tournaments, rather than for use in competitions such as the Diamond League. As such, these Internet derived algorithms appear to have considerable potential for objectively assessing the relative performance of track athletes, without the need for complicated points equivalence tables. Importantly, because both algorithms utilise a ‘who beat who’ model, they automatically adjust for the strength of the competition, thus avoiding the need for subjective decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of electroencephalograms (EEGs) to diagnose and analyses Alzheimer's disease (AD) has received much attention in recent years. The sample entropy (SE) has been widely applied to the diagnosis of AD. In our study, nine EEGs from 21 scalp electrodes in 3 AD patients and 9 EEGs from 3 age-matched controls are recorded. The calculations show that the kurtoses of the AD patients' EEG are positive and much higher than that of the controls. This finding encourages us to introduce a kurtosis-based de-noising method. The 21-electrode EEG is first decomposed using independent component analysis (ICA), and second sort them using their kurtoses in ascending order. Finally, the subspace of EEG signal using back projection of only the last five components is reconstructed. SE will be calculated after the above de-noising preprocess. The classifications show that this method can significantly improve the accuracy of SE-based diagnosis. The kurtosis analysis of EEG may contribute to increasing the understanding of brain dysfunction in AD in a statistical way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we model the competition between two cities as a game to maximise the welfare considering the impact of demand management strategies in the form of cordon tolls. This research builds on earlier work which studied the competition in a small tolled network meant for private modes of transport which have a choice of route. The earlier work showed that while both cities have an incentive to charge alone, once they begin, they are likely to fall into the ‘Nash Trap’ of a prisoner's dilemma where the incentive to defect is higher than that to cooperate thus eventually leading to a ‘lose–lose’ situation. The current paper extends the idea of competition between cities by setting up a system dynamic model of two cities which includes modes such as car, bus, train and walking and cycling. This paper innovates by integrating the simulation of land use transport interactions with a class room style experimental game and analyses the gaming strategies from a continuous repeated prisoner's dilemma involving setting of tolls to maximise the welfare of residents. The aim is to test (a) whether the strategies adopted are as theory predicts and (b) whether the players recognise the benefits of lower tolls when given information about the regulated solution and collaborate or continue to play to win. The results show that players respond to the information and maintain a collaborative solution which may have significant implications for regulation and the development of cities within regional partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by concerns of climate change, governments across the world are introducing a number of policies to accelerate the uptake of low carbon vehicles (LCVs), with a specific focus on electric motors. However, there is uncertainty in the effectiveness of such policies and technology pathways, which are inherently interlinked. This article considers the short-term situation to 2020 and focuses on the concern that these policies may bring about some disproportionate impacts in society due to changes in mobility. An ethical framework is established that seeks to balance obligations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and rights to car ownership, then selected policies are modelled within this framework to assess acceptability of implementation. Although these policies are successful in introducing LCVs and reducing GHG emissions, findings also indicate uneven cost burdens and reduced affordability of car ownership. Following this, recommendations for policy amendments and model improvements are made. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Private toll operators generally seek to maximize their profit while accounting for the re-routing and demand response of the road users and, in the case of competitive toll operation, the response of other toll operators. Traditionally, the literature assumes that toll operators act under perfect information or set up a game-theoretic approach to find the competitive equilibrium. This article takes a different approach. A system-dynamics approach is used to model both the users' route choice and demand response to changes in generalized cost and to model the toll operators' decision rules or toll-update strategies. Simple examples are used to demonstrate that the approach can lead to the traditional equilibrium solution under the assumption of perfect knowledge, but that other solutions may occur when operators use estimates of elasticities based on observed data. The solutions are shown to depend upon the frequency of the decision or change in toll level, and errors are related to the disequilibrium which is present as users respond to changes in toll levels. Finally, alternative toll-setting strategies are investigated whereby one operator may act aggressively to increase its share of the market while maximizing profit. This tactic is compared to the traditional Nash and Stackelberg solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper develops a system dynamics model of the UK take-up of electric vehicles over the next 40 years. The model extends previous work by to allow analysis of the UK market. The impact on uptake and CO2 emissions of factors such as subsidies, range, charge point availability, emission rates and a revenue preserving tax are considered. We show that subsidies have little impact on take-up under a traditional business as usual case. However, when we introduce a conditional marketing scenario, they play an important role in tipping the market into a successful trajectory. The sensitivity of the results to assumptions on word of mouth, average vehicle life and emissions rates are explored and we find that changing these can result in a greater impact on take-up and emissions than policy or vehicle attribute factors. Our results have important policy implications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Although many infections that are transmissible from person to person are acquired through direct contact between individuals, a minority, notably pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), measles and influenza are known to be spread by the airborne route. Airborne infections pose a particular threat to susceptible individuals whenever they are placed together with the index case in confined spaces. With this in mind, waiting areas of healthcare facilities present a particular challenge, since large numbers of people, some of whom may have underlying conditions which predispose them to infection, congregate in such spaces and can be exposed to an individual who may be shedding potentially pathogenic microorganisms. It is therefore important to understand the risks posed by infectious individuals in waiting areas, so that interventions can be developed to minimise the spread of airborne infections. Method: A stochastic Monte Carlo model was constructed to analyse the transmission of airborne infection in a hypothetical 132 m³ hospital waiting area in which occupancy levels, waiting times and ventilation rate can all be varied. In the model the Gammaitoni-Nucci equation was utilized to predict probability of susceptible individuals becoming infected. The model was used to assess the risk of transmission of three infectious diseases, TB, influenza and measles. In order to allow for stochasticity a random number generator was applied to the variables in the model and a total of 10000 individual simulations were undertaken. The mean quanta production rates used in the study were 12.7, 100 and 570 per hour for TB, influenza and measles, respectively. Results: The results of the study revealed the mean probability of acquiring a TB infection during a 30-minute stay in the waiting area to be negligible (i.e. 0.0034), while that for influenza was an order of magnitude higher at 0.0262. By comparison the mean probability of acquiring a measles infection during the same period was 0.1349. If the duration of the stay was increased to 60 minutes then these values increased to 0.0087, 0.0662 and 0.3094, respectively. Conclusion: Under normal circumstances the risk of acquiring a TB infection during a visit to a hospital waiting area is minimal. Likewise the risks associated with the transmission of influenza, although an order of magnitude greater than those for TB, are relatively small. By comparison, the risks associated with measles are high. While the installation of air disinfection may be beneficial, when seeking to prevent the transmission of airborne viral infection it is important to first minimize waiting times and the number of susceptible individuals present before turning to expensive technological solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years there has been renewed interest in the use of air ionizers to control the spread of infection in hospitals and a number of researchers have investigated the biocidal action of ions in both air and nitrogen. By comparison, the physical action of air ions on bacterial dissemination and deposition has largely been ignored. However, there is clinical evidence that air ions might play an important role in preventing the transmission of Acinetobacter infection. Although the reasons for this are unclear, it is hypothesized that a physical effect may be responsible: the production of air ions may negatively charge items of plastic medical equipment so that they repel, rather than attract, airborne bacteria. By negatively charging both particles in the air and items of plastic equipment, the ionizers minimize electrostatic deposition on these items. In so doing they may help to interrupt the transmission of Acinetobacter infection in certain healthcare settings such as intensive care units. Methods: A study was undertaken in a mechanically ventilated room under ambient conditions to accurately measure changes in surface potential exhibited by items of plastic medical equipment in the presence of negative air ions. Plastic items were suspended on nylon threads, either in free space or in contact with a table surface, and exposed to negative ions produced by an air ionizer. The charge build-up on the specimens was measured using an electric field mill while the ion concentration in the room air was recorded using a portable ion counter. Results: The results of the study demonstrated that common items of equipment such as ventilator tubes rapidly developed a large negative charge (i.e. generally >-100V) in the presence of a negative air ionizer. While most items of equipment tested behaved in a similar manner to this, one item, a box from a urological collection and monitoring system (the only item made from styrene acrylonitrile), did however develop a positive charge in the presence of the ionizer. Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that the action of negative air ionizers significantly alters the electrostatic landscape of the clinical environment, and that this has the potential to cause any Acinetobacter-bearing particles in the air to be strongly repelled from some plastic surfaces and attracted to others. In so doing, this may prevent critical items of equipment from becoming contaminated with the bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay on training in the theater art is presented. It notes that before training reached theater, it has been associated with the transmission of skills and techniques as well as the creation of coherent group entities. It notes the efforts Elsie Fogerty, William Archer and Harley Granville Barker in the foundation of training schools at theaters. The emergence of the concept of apprenticeship in dance theater as well as the training model mass dance are also tackled.

Background: Good hand hygiene has for many years been considered to be the most important measure that can be applied to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Continuous emphasis on this intervention has lead to the widespread opinion that HAI rates can be greatly reduced by increased hand hygiene compliance alone. However, this assumes that the effectiveness of hand hygiene is not constrained by other factors and that improved compliance in excess of a given level, in itself, will result in a commensurate reduction in the incidence of HAI. However, there is evidence that the law of diminishing returns applies to hand hygiene, with the greatest benefits occurring in the first 20% or so of compliance. While this raises intriguing questions about the extent to which increasing compliance alone can further reduce rates of HAI, analysis of this subject has been hampered by a lack of quantifiable data relating to the risk of transmission between patients on wards. Methods: In order to gain a greater understanding of the transmission of infection between patients via the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs), we constructed a stochastic Monte Carlo model to simulate the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) between patients. We used the model to calculate the risk of transmission occurring, firstly between two patients in adjacent beds, and then between patients in a four-bedded bay. The aim of the study was to quantify the probability of transmission under a variety of conditions and thus to gain an understanding of the contribution made by the various factors which influence transmission. Results: The study revealed that on a four-bedded bay, the average probability of transmitting an infection by the handborne route is generally low (i.e. in the region 0.002 - 0.013 depending on the hand hygiene behaviour of HCWs and other factors). However, because transmission is strongly influenced by stochastic events, it is the frequency with which 'high-risk events' occur, rather than average probability, that governs whether or not transmission will take place. The study revealed that increased hand hygiene compliance has a dramatic impact on the frequency with which 'high-risk events' occur. As compliance increases, so the rate at which 'high-risk events' occur, rapidly decreases, until a point is reached, beyond which, further hand hygiene is unlikely to yield any greater benefit. Conclusion: The findings of the study confirm those of other researchers and suggest that the greatest benefits derived from hand hygiene occur as a result of the first tranche of compliance, with higher levels (>50%) of hand hygiene events yielding only marginal benefits. This suggests that in most situations relatively little benefit is accrued from seeking to achieve very high levels of hand hygiene compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of magnetic fields to deflect energetic charged particles has been proposed as a means to protect astronauts from the harmful radiation encountered in space. These so-called active magnetic shields must provide a region of space that is protected from energetic particles below a given energy, while also maintaining a safe level of magnetic field strength within the shielded region. A toroidally shaped environment with circular coils of wire distributed on the surface of the spacecraft is shown to satisfy these requirements. Numerical techniques are used to demonstrate that particles below a given energy, including galactic cosmic rays, are completely shielded from a region inside the toroidal spacecraft. By choosing the appropriate amplitudes of the currents flowing in the circular coils, the magnetic field strength inside this region can also be made arbitrarily small inside the toroidal spacecraft. Although many practical issues must be addressed with this design, it has been demonstrated that it is indeed possible to construct a magnetic field suitable for protecting astronauts from galactic cosmic rays during long-duration manned missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes three approaches to cordon location design, a judgemental approach, an optimisation approach based on genetic algorithms and a short-cut approach which lies between the two. The genetic algorithm optimal single cordon generated benefits that were 80% higher than the best judgemental cordon for a simplified network of Edinburgh. The short-cut approach was developed from an observation that charging on only a few of the highest marginal cost links could result in a high proportion of the system optimum or first-best benefits. Initial results for Edinburgh and York have shown that the approach can achieve 93% of the genetic algorithm optimal cordon benefits with only a few model runs in the case of Edinburgh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hand hygiene is generally considered to be the most important measure that can be applied to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Continuous emphasis on this intervention has lead to the widespread opinion that HAI rates can be greatly reduced by increased hand hygiene compliance alone. However, this assumes that the effectiveness of hand hygiene is not constrained by other factors and that improved compliance in excess of a given level, in itself, will result in a commensurate reduction in the incidence of HAI. However, several researchers have found the law of diminishing returns to apply to hand hygiene, with the greatest benefits occurring in the first 20% or so of compliance, and others have demonstrated that poor cohorting of nursing staff profoundly influences the effectiveness of hand hygiene measures. Collectively, these findings raise intriguing questions about the extent to which increasing compliance alone can further reduce rates of HAI. Methods: In order to investigate these issues further, we constructed a deterministic Ross-Macdonald model and applied it to a hypothetical general medical ward. In this model the transmission of staphylococcal infection was assumed to occur after contact with the transiently colonized hands of HCWs, who, in turn, acquire contamination only by touching colonized patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of imperfect hand cleansing on the transmission of staphylococcal infection and to identify, whether there is a limit, above which further hand hygiene compliance is unlikely to be of benefit. Results: The model demonstrated that if transmission is solely via the hands of HCWs, it should, under most circumstances, be possible to prevent outbreaks of staphylococcal infection from occurring at a hand cleansing frequencies < 50%, even with imperfect hand hygiene. The analysis also indicated that the relationship between hand cleansing efficacy and frequency is not linear - as efficacy decreases, so the hand cleansing frequency required to ensure R0 < 1 increases disproportionately. Conclusion: Although our study confirmed hand hygiene to be an effective control measure, it demonstrated that the law of diminishing returns applies, with the greatest benefit derived from the first 20% or so of compliance. Indeed, our analysis suggests that there is little benefit to be accrued from very high levels of hand cleansing and that in most situations compliance > 40% should be enough to prevent outbreaks of staphylococcal infection occurring, if transmission is solely via the hands of HCWs. Furthermore we identified a non-linear relationship between hand cleansing efficacy and frequency, suggesting that it is important to maximise the efficacy of the hand cleansing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tiny Encryption Algorithm (TEA) has been around for just over ten years. It is probably the most "minimal" - and hence fastest - block cipher ever devised and yet appears resistant to most attacks. In this article, we describe the algorithm, its simplicity of design and ease of use, its cryptographic strength, and the wide range of implementations and applications of the cipher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The polar cap potential has long been considered an indicator for the amount of energy flowing into and through the magnetosphere–ionosphere (M–I) system. Studies have shown that reaches an upper limit, or saturates, during geomagnetic storms where the solar wind electric field becomes increasingly large. Numerous observational, theoretical, and modeling studies of have seemingly confirmed that saturation is real, however, many mechanisms for saturation have been suggested with no direct observational evidence confirming any single cause. This paper presents a review of saturation from various perspectives and attempts to identify some of the outstanding issues in determining the causal mechanism of this important piece necessary to understanding the coupling between the solar wind and M–I system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Time varying ionospheric currents caused by geomagnetic storms originating from the Sun induce electric currents in expansive technological networks located on the Earth''s surface. These so-called geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) can be damaging to the systems in which they flow. The ability to estimate the magnitude of GICs is, therefore, desirable in order to mitigate any serious effects from this common space weather occurrence. A necessary element in determining GICs is the accurate calculation of the geoelectric field due to ionospheric current sources. Until now, methods for calculating these fields have primarily focused on computational efficiency. These methods are inaccurate to varying degrees and almost entirely restricted to layered or one-dimensional models of the Earth''s conductivity. This work introduces a new technique to the geomagnetic induction problem known as the method of auxiliary sources (MAS). The MAS uses elementary electric/magnetic currents placed on auxiliary surfaces to produce the fields resulting from the primary ionospheric current and secondary currents induced in the Earth. Numerical results for a single- and two-layer Earth model show that the MAS is extremely accurate over the frequency range of interest in geomagnetic induction (0–1 Hz). The MAS is not, however, limited to layered Earth models and can be used with general three-dimensional structures. Furthermore, it is shown that by using the MAS, it is possible to determine the fields at any location and with any resolution on the surface or within the Earth. The combination of accuracy and flexibility demonstrate the potential of the MAS for studying complicated geomagnetic induction problems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the observation by Antonin Artaud that western theatre is dialogue based and incapable of releasing the primitive forces of life, and attempts to demonstrate how noise is produced in both, performer and audience, and how this noise is itself scripted. Objective of speech to deny ornamentation and create a spectacle of vocal power; Choreography of the body by speech; Use of syllabification as a sort of delivery; Technique of accretion in speech delivery; Structure and accompaniment of movement by rhetoric;

The conventional summation generator (SG) has been broken in the past using a number of different methods. Recently, a modified SG was proposed by Lee and Moon to increase the resistance of such generators against these attacks. However, this paper shows that even the modified generator is still vulnerable to correlation attacks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines different representations and constructions of the human body in the performing arts. Suggestive application of phenomenology to the circumstances of performance; Corporeal nature of human existence and consciousness; Analysis of the range of bodies associated with the Restoration of its dramatic production.

The successful and fast start-up of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) at subfreezing temperatures (cold start) is very important for the use of PEMFCs as energy sources for automotive applications. The effective thermal management of PEMFCs is of major importance. When hydrogen is stored in hydride-forming intermetallics, significant amounts of heat are released due to the exothermic nature of the reaction. This excess of heat can potentially be used for PEMFC thermal management and to accelerate the cold start. In the current work, this possibility is extensively studied. Three hydride-forming intermetallics are introduced and their hydrogenation behavior is evaluated. In addition, five thermal management scenarios of the metal hydride beds are studied in order to enhance the kinetics of the hydrogenation. The optimum combination of the intermetallic, hydrogenation behavior, weight and complexity of the thermal management system was chosen for the study of thermal coupling with the PEMFCs. A 1D GT-SUITE model was built to stimulate the thermal coupling of a 100 kW fuel cell stack with the metal hydride. The results show that the use of the heat from the metal hydride system was able to reduce the cold start by up to 8.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that the often maligned English melodrama is far from being non-intellectual, out of control or stupid. Dramatist's consciousness of their craft; Proponent's claim for melodrama's importance and seriousness; Binary opposition between the spoken and unspoken that stalks melodrama's history; Factors that set the institutional place for melodrama.

Focuses on the notion of erotic silence in performance art. Representations of male sexual activity depicting silence during sex as a symptom of alienated subjectiveness; Reference to plays with erotic scenes; Attribution of non-speaking sex between gay men as a heightened form of sex to men in general; Claims on sexually performed silence as utopian.

Presents a study which uses some computational results to show that the peak envelope power (PEP) of orthogonal frequency-division multiplex (OFDM) waveforms can be reduced very substantially by coding to select only those messages with low peak factor as valid codewords in the scheme. Peak envelope power in OFDM systems; Numerical investigation; Conclusions.

This study aimed to systematically review the correlational accuracy between width ratios and length ratios based on the Kvaal methodology with chronological age. This systematic review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). The search strategy included ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, and Taylor and Francis and Willey online without time or language restriction using Kvaal method of age estimation as key words for the search up to December 2021. A team of two researchers independently selected the studies and extracted the data. The Covidence platform was used to systematically organize all titles. The full texts of eligible studies were analyzed. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using a modified (to the specific characteristics of this systematic review) checklist based on Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement checklist for observational studies. A total of 658 articles were initially reviewed, but 22 were selected for inclusion. The risk of bias was estimated to be unclear to low overall. Among the length ratios, ratio R showed a strong association with chronological age, followed by ratio P. For the width ratios, ratio B demonstrated a close association with chronological age, followed by ratio C. The results suggest that width ratios correlate better with chronological age than length ratios. This systematic review suggests the width ratios are more strongly associated with chronological age than the length ratios. Using a width ratio could serve as a convenient and rapid way to estimate dental age. Our results apply equally to all types of ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various essays related to the importance of training.

Highlights • We study pricing of an externality in the presence of observed and unobserved preference heterogeneity. • Analytical first-best and second-best taxes are derived and new insights on distributional impacts of congestion pricing are obtained. • We show that in some circumstances the welfare losses resulting from the inability to differentiate tolls between groups are very low. • Furthermore, we show that there are cases where all groups benefit from congestion pricing. • However, these cases are likely to be political unacceptable because low income travellers pay a higher tax. Abstract This paper studies first-best and second-best congestion pricing in the presence of unobserved and observed preference heterogeneity using a stylised stochastic user equilibrium choice model. Travellers choose between multiple alternatives, have heterogeneous values of travel times, and may differ in their valuation of variety. We derive first-best and second-best tolls taking into account how the overall network demand responds to expected generalized prices, including tolls. For second-best pricing, we show that with homogeneous values of times the welfare losses of second-best pricing are smaller when route choice is probabilistic than when route choice is deterministic. Furthermore, we find that with heterogeneous values of times and benefits of variety, uniform second-best tolls and group-differentiated tolls can be very close, implying potentially low welfare losses from the inability to differentiate tolls. Finally, we show that there are cases where all groups benefit from second-best congestion pricing, but that these cases are likely to be politically unacceptable because tolls are then higher for low income groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An eco-driving model for mixed traffic flow including automated vehicles and human driven vehicles. • Platoon based cooperation between automated vehicles and human driven vehicles. • Dynamic platoon splitting and merging method in terms of cooperation. • Cooperation behaviour significantly smooth the traffic flow and reduce the travel time. Abstract The advancements in communication and sensing technologies can be exploited to assist the drivers in making better decisions. In this paper, we consider the design of a real-time cooperative eco-driving strategy for a group of vehicles with mixed automated vehicles (AVs) and human-driven vehicles (HVs). The lead vehicles in the platoon can receive the signal phase and timing information via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication and the traffic states of both the preceding vehicle and current platoon via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. We propose a receding horizon model predictive control (MPC) method to minimise the fuel consumption for platoons and drive the platoons to pass the intersection on a green phase. The method is then extended to dynamic platoon splitting and merging rules for cooperation among AVs and HVs in response to the high variation in urban traffic flow. Extensive simulation tests are also conducted to demonstrate the performance of the model in various conditions in the mixed traffic flow and different penetration rates of AVs. Our model shows that the cooperation between AVs and HVs can further smooth out the trajectory of the latter and reduce the fuel consumption of the entire traffic system, especially for the low penetration of AVs. It is noteworthy that the proposed model does not compromise the traffic efficiency and the driving comfort while achieving the eco-driving strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by vehicles in real driving environments are only partially understood. This has been brought to the attention of the world with recent revelations of the cheating of the type of approval tests exposed in the dieselgate scandal. Remote-sensing devices offer investigators an opportunity to directly measure in situ real driving emissions of tens of thousands of vehicles. Remote-sensing NO2measurements are not as widely available as would be desirable. The aim of this study is to improve the ability of investigators to estimate the NO2emissions and to improve the confidence of the total NOx results calculated from standard remote-sensing device (RSD) measurements. The accuracy of the RSD speed and acceleration module was also validated using state-of-the-art onboard global positioning system (GPS) tracking. Two RSDs used in roadside vehicle emissions surveys were tested side by side under off-carriageway conditions away from transient pollution sources to ascertain the consistency of their measurements. The speed correlation was consistent across the range of measurements at 95% confidence and the acceleration correlation was consistent at 95% confidence intervals for all but the most extreme acceleration cases. VSP was consistent at 95% confidence across all measurements except for those at VSP ≥ 15 kW t−1, which show a small underestimate. The controlled distribution gas nitric oxide measurements follow a normal distribution with 2σ equal to 18.9% of the mean, compared to 15% observed during factory calibration indicative of additional error introduced into the system. Systematic errors of +84 ppm were observed but within the tolerance of the control gas. Interinstrument correlation was performed, with the relationship between the FEAT and the RSD4600 being linear with a gradient of 0.93 and anR2of 0.85, indicating good correlation. A new method to calculate NOx emissions using fractional NO2combined with NO measurements made by the RSD4600 was constructed, validated, and shown to be more accurate than previous methods. Implications: Synchronized remote-sensing measurements of NO were taken using two different remote-sensing devices in an off-road study. It was found that the measurements taken by both instruments were well correlated. Fractional NO2measurements from a prior study, measurable on only one device, were used to create new NOxemission factors for the device that could not be measured by the second device. These estimates were validated against direct measurement of total NOxemission factors and shown to be an improvement on previous methodologies. Validation of vehicle-specific power was performed with good correlation observed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A comprehensive spectral analysis of both the solar background magnetic field (SBMF) in cycles 21-23 and the sunspot magnetic field in cycle 23 reported in our recent paper showed the presence of two principal components (PCs) of SBMF having opposite polarity, e.g., originating in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. Over a duration of one solar cycle, both waves are found to travel with an increasing phase shift toward the northern hemisphere in odd cycles 21 and 23 and to the southern hemisphere in even cycle 22. These waves were linked to solar dynamo waves assumed to form in different layers of the solar interior. In this paper, for the first time, the PCs of SBMF in cycles 21-23 are analyzed with the symbolic regression technique using Hamiltonian principles, allowing us to uncover the underlying mathematical laws governing these complex waves in the SBMF presented by PCs and to extrapolate these PCs to cycles 24-26. The PCs predicted for cycle 24 very closely fit (with an accuracy better than 98%) the PCs derived from the SBMF observations in this cycle. This approach also predicts a strong reduction of the SBMF in cycles 25 and 26 and, thus, a reduction of the resulting solar activity. This decrease is accompanied by an increasing phase shift between the two predicted PCs (magnetic waves) in cycle 25 leading to their full separation into the opposite hemispheres in cycle 26. The variations of the modulus summary of the two PCs in SBMF reveals a remarkable resemblance to the average number of sunspots in cycles 21-24 and to predictions of reduced sunspot numbers compared to cycle 24: 80% in cycle 25 and 40% in cycle 26. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Aging of the healthy brain is characterized by focal or nonfocal white matter (WM) signal abnormality (SA) changes, which are typically detected as leukoaraiosis (LA). Hypertension is a risk factor for WM lesion formation. This study investigated whether LA might be associated with increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pulsatility linked to arterial hypertension. Methods: A total of 101 individuals without neurologic diseases (53 females and 48 males) aged between 18 and 75 years underwent 3T brain MRI with cine phase contrast imaging for CSF flow estimation, after providing their informed consent. LA was defined as the presence of focal T2 WM SA changes and/or nonfocal uniform areas of signal increase termed dirty appearing white matter (DAWM). Relevant information relating to cardiovascular risk factors was also collected. Results: When controlled for age and hypertension, significant partial correlations were observed between: DAWM volume and: net negative flow (r = -.294, P = .014); net positive flow (NPF) (r = .406, P = .001); and peak positive velocity (r = .342, P = .004). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed DAWM volume to be significantly correlated with CSF NPF (P = .019) and hypertension (P = .007), whereas T2 WM SA volume was only significantly correlated with age (P = .002). Combined DAWM and T2 WM SA volumes were significantly related with age (P = .001) and CSF peak negative velocity (P = .041). Conclusions: Rarefaction of WM leading to LA is a multifactorial process, in which formation of DAWM induced by hypertension and increased aqueductal CSF pulsatility, may play a contributory role. These two factors appear to act independently of each other in a process that is independent of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport strategies have been developed for nine European cities toachieve optimum performance in terms of a range of objective functions. The functions selected represent economic efficiency, sustainability and a combination of these. The strategies have been based on combinations of a standard set of policy instruments, including public transport infrastructure, frequency and fares, road capacity increases, low cost road pricing and parking charges. The optimisation method is described, and results presented. The reactions of city authorities to the proposed strategies are discussed and implications for transport policy outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interplanetary shock can abruptly compress the magnetosphere, excite magnetospheric waves and field‐aligned currents, and cause a ground magnetic response known as a sudden commencement (SC). However, the transient (<∼1 min) response of the ionosphere‐thermosphere system during an SC has been little studied due to limited temporal resolution in previous investigations. Here, we report observations of a global reversal of ionospheric vertical plasma motion during an SC on 24 October 2011 using ∼6 s resolution Super Dual Auroral Radar Network ground scatter data. The dayside ionosphere suddenly moved downward during the magnetospheric compression due to the SC, lasting for only ∼1 min before moving upward. By contrast, the post‐midnight ionosphere briefly moved upward then moved downward during the SC. Simulations with a coupled geospace model suggest that the reversed E⃗×B⃗ $\vec{E}\times \vec{B}$ vertical drift is caused by a global reversal of ionospheric zonal electric field induced by magnetospheric compression during the SC. Plain Language Summary: It is well‐known that a shock wave can suddenly compress objects they directly interact with. In this study, we report a special case in the geospace environment in which an interplanetary shock produced a concussion‐like response in the ionosphere that was tens of thousands of kilometers away from the location where the shock first impacted. The ionized part of the atmosphere, or the ionosphere, was remotely connected to the magnetosphere‐the region of geospace dominated by the Earth's magnetic field‐via electric currents. When the magnetosphere was abruptly compressed after the shock arrival, a pair of electric currents flowing along the geomagnetic field lines was generated in the dayside mid‐latitudes. The newly generated currents flipped the dayside ionospheric electric field from eastward to westward, leading to a downward motion of dayside ionospheric charged particles. Within 1 minute, the vertical motion and zonal electric field flipped again to the direction before the compression due to the generation of another pair of electric currents with an opposite sense to the first pair. This study depicts a global picture of the transient ionospheric response using multi‐point high‐resolution measurements and simulations with a state‐of‐the‐art fully coupled geospace model. Key Points: Dayside ionospheric plasma undergoes a transient motion from downward to upward during a sudden commencement (SC)Both observations and simulations show that the reversed vertical drift is a global response of the ionosphere to the SCThe transient response is caused by a reversal of induced zonal electric field during the SC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large off-street car parks are traditionally modelled as self-standing traffic zones representing origins/destinations in standard network assignment models. However, such a treatment precludes the drivers from choosing alternative car parks as it assumes the car parks are their final destinations. This paper discusses the feasibility of bringing car park choice and the effects of capacity within a traditional network assignment model. The search time within car parks depends on the car park occupancy and can be represented by a flow-delay type function on the car park occupancy/capacity. This research calibrates the search-time function based on practically observed occupancy and search time at two city-centre car parks in Leeds, England. The analysis follows a simple fixed search-time method as well as a sophisticated variable search-time method. The results are validated against the observed occupancies at the car parks. A car park specific constant was introduced to account for the unobserved preference for a given type of parking facility. In a multiperiod assignment, when car park occupancies are passed on dynamically, both fixed and variable search-time approaches are seen as an improvement over the standard approach, with the variable search time outperforming the fixed time approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Several studies have indicated that option generation – the development of a range of strategic policy options to tackle identified transport problems – is the weakest link in current transport planning practice. Local authorities all too often limit themselves to pre-conceived solutions, focus on supply-side rather than demand-side polices, and are unaware of the potential of novel solutions. This is even more the case for the development of packages of policy instruments, in which each can be expected to support the others by making it more effective or easier to implement. A decision-support tool, based on the transport policy knowledgebase, KonSULT, which generates possible policy packages, is described. The tool can operate in one of two ways: by taking a single user-specified policy instrument, and identifying the other policy instruments in KonSULT which might best support it; or by taking a user-specified shortlist of up to ten policy instruments, and identifying those combinations which might perform best in the specified context. In both cases the user specifies whether the emphasis should be on synergy or on the resolution of barriers. The best performing instruments are highlighted through a scoring system. The synergy scores were initially based on professional judgment. Subsequently, a sketch planning model was used to provide improved estimates for them. The resolution of barriers scores continue to be based on professional judgement. The paper describes the development of the tool and discusses the implications of the subsequent model-based analysis. It outlines future developments and reviews the role of such tools in policy formulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Macroscopic fundamental diagrams (MFD) of traffic for some networks have been shown to have similar shape to those for single links. They have erroneously been used to help estimate the level of travel in congested networks. We argue that supply curves, which track vehicles in their passage through congested networks, are needed for this purpose, and that they differ from the performance curves generated from MFD. We use a microsimulation model, DRACULA and two networks, one synthesizing the network for Cambridge, England, and one of the city of York, England, to explore the nature of performance curves and supply curves under differing patterns of demand. We show that supply curves differ from performance curves once the onset of congestion is reached, and that the incorrect use of performance curves to estimate demand can thus seriously underestimate traffic levels, the costs of congestion, and the value of congestion relief measures. We also show that network aggregated supply curves are sensitive to the temporal distribution of demand and, potentially, to the spatial distribution of demand. The shape of the supply curve also differs between origin–destination movements within a given network. We argue that supply curves for higher levels of demand cannot be observed in normal traffic conditions, and specify ways in which they can be determined from microsimulation and, potentially, by extrapolating observed data. We discuss the implications of these findings for conventional modelling of network management policies, and for these policies themselves. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper investigates interdependencies between road user charging strategies of neighbouring institutions and discusses the implications for the optimal strategy for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas. Using simulation models, welfare optimising cordon charges including pollution costs have been determined for three different scenarios for the Peak District and Sheffield Air Quality Management Area: a global regulator, a myopic regulator and a non-cooperative Nash game. The results show revenue extraction and relocation of traffic in the non-cooperative setting. Under global regulation lacking monetary values for natural assets in current appraisal guidance lead to a bias towards densely populated conurbations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]