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According to the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT), 90% of the state's fatal lane departure crashes between 2015 and 2019 occurred on rural roads. Of these, 77% were single-vehicle events. The objective here was to identify relatively high-risk areas on the rural road system. Spatial analysis techniques were explored as a beneficial tool in resource allocations aimed at single-vehicle crash prevention. Hotspot identification techniques, including Global Moran's I, local Moran's I, network kernel density estimation (NetKDE), and emerging hotspot analysis were employed. While the Global Moran's I index indicated the existence of crash clustering, the local Moran's I statistic revealed hot and cold spots in the state. The NetKDE approach was used to quantify crash clusters and prioritize locations. Results from NetKDE defined boundaries for each cluster in terms of density values embedded in the roadway. Emerging hotspot analysis evaluated the hot and cold spots with respect to time. This study will provide valuable insight and help decision makers to make more informed decisions with respect to education, enforcement and infrastructure strategies aimed at preventing single-vehicle lane departure crashes. Although limited to a narrow crash type in one state, this approach can inform other jurisdictions seeking to empirically visualize hotspots and more effectively deploy traffic safety strategies. • This study attempts to identify relatively high risk areas on the rural road system using hotspot analysis. • Various hotspot identification techniques were employed. • The existence of crash clustering and changes in hot and cold spots with respect to time were revealed. • Results will help safety agencies to make more informed decisions with crash prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat flour is a dietary staple of Pakistani population. This study is mainly focused on the measurement of radioactivity concentration due to naturally occurring radioactive nuclides, uranium-238, thorium-232, potassium-40, and the corresponding hazardous radiological parameters, radium equivalent dose (Raeq), annual effective dose, internal hazard index (Hint), and ingestion effective activity (Io,x) in 12 local brands of wheat flour retailed throughout Pakistan. The radiometric assessment was performed by using a high-purity germanium detector. The specific activities (means ± standard deviations) of uranium-238, thorium-232, and potassium-40 were found to be 5.7 ± 0.41, 1.9 ± 0.02, and 132.4 ± 0.82 Bq/kg, respectively. The mean values of the corresponding radiometric variables, Raeq, Hint, and Io,x (sum), were also found to be 18.651 Bq/kg, 0.313 mSv/year, and 0.213 mSv/year, respectively. The total mean annual effective dose due to the presence of the aforementioned radionuclides in the collected samples was found to be 213.1 μSv/year, which is less than 1.00 mSv/year that is recommended by the World Health Organization and International Atomic Energy Agency. Thus, the natural radioactivity mass concentrations and the corresponding radiological variables were found to be below the recommended specific values and have no health risks for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Over 90% ND 24/7 Sobriety Program participants did not reoffend within three years. • Reoffense was most likely during the 12-month period after program participation ended. • Age was a significant factor in survival as drivers over age 35 had a six times greater survival risk than the younger cohort ages 18–35. • Further investigation into a finding that drivers with prior program history may be warranted. Objective: Our study investigated risk factors in survival among a subpopulation of drivers in North Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Program. Participants mandated for a second driving-under-the-influence of alcohol (DUI) arrest were studied for a three-year interval that commenced with the start date for a 360-day enrollment. Method: A Stratified Cox regression model was developed to compute the hazard ratios for survival. A subsequent DUI-related offense as event of interest. Relation to the explanatory variable array that could be construed from administrative records were investigated. Results: Older drivers were 6.31 times more likely to reoffend than the younger driver cohort of 18–35-years. The survival curve slope showed the fastest decline in the 361-day to 730-day interval. Neither gender nor residence region was a significant predictor in DUI reoffense over the three-year monitoring interval. Preliminary work suggests reoffense was more likely if an individual had program history prior to this court mandated 360-day term in the 24/7 Sobriety Program for a second DUI. The program experience finding was unexpected but could not be studied in greater detail due to data and resource limitations. Conclusions: Administrative records access created a novel opportunity to explore an evolving impaired driving prevention strategy that has shown early promise. Individual driver survival in and after the 24/7 Sobriety Program was studied for three-years. Findings show age, post-program time interval, and possibly program history as areas to explore to improve survival rates. Driver DUI offense were most common shortly after program completion. Although limited to a single state, findings increase knowledge for refining strategies designed to impact driver subpopulations at higher risk for reoffense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indole based thiadiazole derivatives (1 – 18) were synthesized and evaluated for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition. The IC 50 values of the synthesized analogues ranging between 0.17 ± 0.05 to 33.10 ± 0.6 μM against (AChE) and 0.30 ± 0.1 to 37.60 ± 0.6 μM against (BChE) enzymes. Among the series compounds 8 (IC 50 = 0.17 ± 0.05 μM) (IC 50 = 0.30 ± 0.1 μM), 9 (IC 50 = 0.30 ± 0.05 μM) (IC 50 = 0.60 ± 0.05 μM) and 10 (IC 50 = 1.30 ± 0.1 μM) (IC 50 = 2.60 ± 0.1) were found to be the most potent analogues bearing para , ortho , and meta -fluoro substitutions on phenyl ring attached to thiadiazole. In addition, all the synthesized scaffolds were characterized by using 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy, and high-resolution Mass Spectrometry (HR-MS). To apprehend the binding mode of interaction of the most potent synthesized derivatives, a molecular docking study was performed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A very simple and low-cost procedure has been adopted to synthesize efficient copper (Cu), silver (Ag) and copper-silver (Cu-Ag) mixed nanoparticles on the surface of pure cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose acetate-copper oxide nanocomposite (CA-CuO). All nanoparticles loaded onto CA and CA-CuO presented excellent catalytic ability, but Cu-Ag nanoparticles loaded onto CA-CuO (Cu 0 -Ag 0 /CA-CuO) exhibited outstanding catalytic efficiency to convert 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) into 4-aminophenol (4-AP) in the presence of NaBH 4 . Additionally, the Cu 0 -Ag 0 /CA-CuO can be easily recovered by removing the sheet from the reaction media, and can be recycled several times, maintaining high catalytic ability for four cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]