bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computational discovery of soybean promoter cis‐regulatory elements for the construction of soybean cyst nematode‐inducible synthetic promoters
Authors: Liu Wusheng , Mazarei Mitra , Peng Yanhui , Fethe Michael H. , Rudis Mary R. , Lin Jingyu , Millwood Reginald J. , Arelli Prakash R. , Stewart Charles Neal
Published: June 2014

Computational methods offer great hope but limited accuracy in the prediction of functional cis‐regulatory elements; improvements are needed to enable synthetic promoter design. We applied an ensemble strategy for de novo soybean cyst nematode (SCN)‐inducible motif discovery among promoters of 18 co‐expressed soybean genes that were selected from six reported microarray studies involving a compatible soybean–SCN interaction. A total of 116 overlapping motif regions (OMRs) were discovered bioinformatically that were identified by at least four out of seven bioinformatic tools. Using synthetic promoters, the inducibility of each OMR or motif itself was evaluated by co‐localization of gain of function of an orange fluorescent protein reporter and the presence of SCN in transgenic soybean hairy roots. Among 16 OMRs detected from two experimentally confirmed SCN‐inducible promoters, 11 OMRs (i.e. 68.75%) were experimentally confirmed to be SCN‐inducible, leading to the discovery of 23 core motifs of 5‐ to 7‐bp length, of which 14 are novel in plants. We found that a combination of the three best tools (i.e. SCOPE, W‐AlignACE and Weeder) could detect all 23 core motifs. Thus, this strategy is a high‐throughput approach for de novo motif discovery in soybean and offers great potential for novel motif discovery and synthetic promoter engineering for any plant and trait in crop biotechnology.
On Color Categorization: Why Do We Name Seven Colors in the Rainbow?
Authors: Jraissati Yasmina
Published: June 2014

What makes it the case that we draw the boundary between “blue” and “green” where we draw it? Do we draw this boundary where we draw it because our perceptual system is biologically determined in this way? Or is it culture and language that guide the way we categorize colors? These two possible answers have shaped the historical discussion opposing so‐called universalists to relativists. Yet, the most recent theoretical developments on color categorization reveal the limits of such a polarization.
Approaching Nature, ‘Sustainability’ and Ecological Crises from a Critical Social Psychological Perspective
Authors: Adams Matthew
Published: June 2014

This article considers the potential contribution of critical social psychology to the study of the relationship between humans and nature, particularly in terms of the role of human activities in ecological degradation. That human behaviour is having a profound impact on global climate and related phenomena has garnered broad scientific consensus and is communicated to the public in increasingly sophisticated ways. Psychology has been increasingly drawn upon by policy makers, pressure groups and related institutions in this context, in the hope of understanding, predicting and shaping behaviour and lifestyles towards more sustainable ends. In the past few decades, cognitive behaviourist models have dominated research and policy agendas concerned with identifying barriers to, and/or promoting ‘environmentally sustainable’ or ‘pro‐environmental’ behaviour. Yet despite the emergence of critical work, to date, there has been very little work in this field explicitly under the banner of critical social psychology. In this article, a brief outline of some of the tenets of critical social psychology is followed by a consideration of how these principles have been taken up in existing cross‐disciplinary critical approaches to the interrelated issues of environment, sustainability and human behaviour and the potential contribution of critical social psychology in these areas.
Mapping soil salinity and pH across an estuarine and alluvial plain using electromagnetic and digital elevation model data
Authors: Huang J. , Wong V. N. L. , Triantafilis J.
Published: June 2014

Increasing pressures from agriculture and urbanization have resulted in drainage of many floodplains along the eastern Australian coastline, which are underlain by sulphidic sediments, to lower water tables and reduce soil salinity. This leads to oxidation of the sediments with a rapid decline in pH and an increase in salinity. Accurately mapping soil salinity and pH in coastal acid sulphate soil (CASS) landscapes is therefore important. One required map is the extent of highly acidic (i.e. pH < 4.5) areas, so that the application of alkaline amendments (e.g. lime) to neutralize the acid produced can be specifically targeted to the variation in pH. One approach is to use digital soil mapping (DSM) using ancillary information, such as an EM38, digital elevation models (DEM – elevation) and trend surface parameters (east and north). We used an EM38 in the horizontal (EM38h) and vertical (EM38v) modes together with elevation data to develop multiple linear regressions (MLR) for predicting EC1:5 and pH. For pH, best results were achieved when the EM38 ECa data were log‐transformed. By comparing MLR models using REML analysis, we found that using all ancillary data was optimal for mapping EC1:5, whereas the best predictors for pH were north, log‐EM38v and elevation. Using residual maximum likelihood (REML), the final EC1:5 and pH maps produced were consistent with previously defined soil landscape units, particularly CASS. The DSM approach used is amenable for mapping saline soils and identifying areas requiring the application of lime to manage acidic soil conditions in CASS landscape.
Integrating the Huff Model and Floating Catchment Area Methods to Analyze Spatial Access to Healthcare Services
Authors: Luo Jun
Published: June 2014

Analysis of spatial access to healthcare services is critical for effective health resource planning. Gravity‐based spatial access models have been widely used to estimate spatial access to healthcare services. Among them, the floating catchment area (FCA) methods have been proved to be informative and helpful to the designation of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). This article integrates the Huff Model with the FCA method to articulate population selection on services. Through the proposed approach, population demand on healthcare services is adjusted by a Huff Model‐based selection probability that reflects the impacts of both distance impedance and service site capacity. The new approach moderates the over‐ or under‐estimating of population demand that occurred with previous methods. Furthermore, the method uses a continuous distance impedance weight function instead of the arbitrarily defined subzones of previous studies. A case study of spatial access to primary care in Springfield, MO, showed that the proposed method can effectively moderate the population demand on service sites and therefore can generate more reliable spatial access measures.
Emerging pathogen in immunocompromised hosts: Exophiala dermatitidis mycosis in graft‐versus‐host disease
Authors: Chalkias S. , Alonso C.D. , Levine J.D. , Wong M.T.
Published: June 2014

Infection with the dematiaceous environmental fungus Exophiala, an emerging pathogen in immunocompromised individuals, poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Herein, we report the first Exophiala dermatitidis fungemia case, to our knowledge, in an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient with graft‐versus‐host disease, expanding the clinical setting where Exophiala species mycosis should be suspected.
Steady State Stability Analysis of a Chagas Disease Model
Authors: Coffield Jr Daniel James , Spagnuolo Anna Maria
Published: June 2014

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is spread primarily by domestic vectors in the reduviid family. This work presents a model of the dynamics of Chagas disease in a rural village. The model consists of a nonlinear delay logistic-type differential equation for the population of total vectors and three nonlinear differential equations for the populations of infected vectors, infected humans, and infected domestic mammals. Steady state solutions for the model are derived and analyzed. Stability numbers are provided with necessary and sufficient conditions for local asymptotic stability and partial results for global asymptotic stability. Numerical simulation results are presented, verifying the theoretical results.
Design Concepts for the Next Generation of High-Speed Diesel-Electric Locomotives
Authors: Tunna John , Zhang Jingjun , Gorski Adrian
Published: June 2014

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) Section 305 Next Generation Equipment Committee’s specification for diesel-electric locomotives has several challenging requirements. Among these is limiting P2 Force to 82,000 pound force (lbf) at 125 miles per hour (mph). To achieve this, the locomotive designer would have to balance unsprung mass and axle load. A design envelope exists within which that balance can be achieved. Advanced designs of traction and braking systems are required, and attention has to be paid to minimizing the overall mass of the locomotive.
Experimental Study on the Stiffness Degradation of Railroad Ballast Subjected to Clay Fouling
Authors: Walton-Macaulay Corrie , Bryson L. Sebastian , Guenther Kyle J.
Published: June 2014

The United States railroad industry has experienced large growth over the last ten years. A growing amount of rail traffic across the country has caused the rail industry to refocus funds and efforts on maintenance of track infrastructure. Unfortunately, in areas with poor drainage conditions or high plasticity soils, ballast fouling and the subsequent stiffness degradation result in reductions in track performance and lead to major maintenance costs. This paper presents the results on an experimental study of the relationship of ballast stiffness and clay fouling. The study made use of a box testing system and seismic wave measurements to evaluate shear wave velocities through a ballast structure with varying levels of void replacement by fine-grained clay foul material. From these shear wave velocity measurements, shear modulus values were obtained for the ballast. The shear modulus values show how the increased severity of fouling and loading of the ballast initially results in stiffness enhancement, but eventually lead to stiffness degradation at a critical range of void volume replacement ratio.
A Multi-Sensor Approach for Early Detection and Notification of Approaching Trains
Authors: Shrestha Pradhumna Lal , Hempel Michael , Santos Jose , Sharif Hamid
Published: June 2014

Personnel safety is a cornerstone of railroad operations. However, various activities such as track maintenance and repair require workers to be physically present on or near railroad tracks that are potentially active. This creates a significant risk to the workers, especially at very high train speeds and in places where the geographical topography reduces direct line of sight. In fact, fatalities and injuries continue to be reported. A common approach to lessen this problem is to employ workers specifically to act as lookouts — to observe approaching trains and report them back to the work site. However, maintenance operations are often lengthy and it is common for the lookouts to lose concentration and thus the possibility arises that they fail to report incoming trains. Another possibility is the failure of the communication link between the observer and the workers.

In an attempt to remove the human element and the associated risks, commercial vendors have developed automated systems to detect approaching trains and trigger alarms. However, the current commercial solutions available have several drawbacks. Firstly, deploying the available solutions requires procedures that are invasive and possibly destructive for the railroad tracks. They often involve digging underneath the tracks to install devices. This also requires significant installation effort and makes the solution often nonportable. This has serious operating concerns for the railroads since maintenance operations are temporary and installing permanent devices becomes inefficient. Also, since the solutions are not portable, deploying them on a large scale is not cost effective. Secondly, the solutions have limited sensing capabilities, employing only a single detection approach such as mechanical treadles, and do not provide comprehensive information about the trains being detected. For example, if the maintenance is occurring on parallel tracks, the sensors may fail to detect which of the tracks the train is currently operating on. Also, they cannot accurately capture all the characteristics of the approaching train, such as length, velocity, identifying signature, etc. And thirdly, they often have high false detection rates as they lack methods to differentiate the signature of a train from other events, such as drilling and heavy machinery operation.

With the objective of addressing all these issues, we have proposed a multi-sensor based system that can integrate the abilities of the different sensors so as to reliably predict all the essential characteristics of a train. In this paper we present the architecture of our multi-sensory system. We also report our findings and analysis of evaluating our sensor systems on tracks at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, CO.
Train Planning on a Single Track Shared-Use Passenger and Freight Corridor With Demand Considerations
Authors: Talebian Ahmadreza , Zou Bo
Published: June 2014

While the train scheduling problem has been investigated for an extended period of time, shared passenger and freight corridor planning and capacity analysis have gained growing attention recently, due largely to the emergence of higher speed rail lines in the US. This study proposes an integrated, hypergraph-based approach that considers constraints from infrastructure supply as well as passenger demand in solving the train scheduling problem on a passenger-freight shared rail corridor. Two approaches are proposed to capture different policies which could be implemented in real world. The first, sequential approach considers passenger train priority in schedule planning, and then develop freight trains schedules given the fixed schedule of passenger trains. In the second approach, we minimize the total costs of freight and passenger trains simultaneously. Our results indicates that the marginal cost increase for freight railroad due to considering passenger train priority is larger than the associated marginal cost reduction for passengers. We also find that using high resolution time units in the mathematical formulation does not significantly improve the solution, meanwhile causing substantial increase in computation time. Therefore we suggest choosing coarser a time unit to first generate an approximate solution, which is subsequently used to reduce the search space for feasible train schedules using a finer-grained time unit. We show that this considerably saves computational effort.
Effect of Dynamic Envelope Pavement Markings on Vehicle Driver Behavior at a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
Authors: Gabree Scott , Chase Stephanie , daSilva Marco
Published: June 2014

The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), under the direction of the USDOT Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D), recently completed a study on the use of pavement markings to reduce instances of vehicles stopping on the tracks at grade crossings. Specifically, the study evaluated the effectiveness of pavement markings placed within the dynamic envelope, the region between and immediately adjacent to the tracks at a grade crossing, and new corresponding signage at the Commercial Boulevard grade crossing (ID# 628186E) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The goal of this research study was to gain an understanding of the effect of dynamic envelope pavement markings and accompanying signage on driver’s not stopping while traversing the tracks. The addition of the dynamic envelope markings and signage is intended to make this area more pronounced, resulting in fewer motorists entering the dynamic envelope if they are unable to exit the other side.

Researchers coded driver stopping behavior at this crossing before and after the surface treatments were installed. Vehicles were coded as having stopped in one of four zones: behind the stop line and gate arm (Zone 1), past the stop line but before the tracks (Zone 2), on the tracks (Zone 3), or immediately after the tracks (Zone 4). Stopping in Zone 3 is considered to be the most dangerous behavior that a driver could perform, while stopping in Zone 1 is the safest.

The goal of the added markings and signage is to reduce the number of vehicles which come to a stop within the dynamic envelope, thus reducing the possibility that a vehicle is present on the tracks when a train approaches resulting in a collision. The addition of the dynamic envelope pavement markings and modified signage resulted in a statistically significant change in driver stopping behavior. Specifically, the pavement markings and signage reduced the proportion of vehicles that stopped in Zone 3, resulting in a 45% reduction in vehicles stopped in Zone 3 for eastbound vehicles and 14% for westbound vehicles. They also increased the proportion of vehicles stopping in Zone 1, which is the safest behavior a driver can perform (9% increase for eastbound and 6% increase for westbound). Additionally, fewer vehicles were found to stop in both Zone 2 and Zone 4, which are both moderately dangerous.

Based on these results, the Florida Department of Transportation is exploring the use of this safety treatment at additional grade crossings with a high risk for unsafe vehicle stopping behavior.
High Speed Non-Contact Ultrasonic Guided Wave Inspections of Rails
Authors: Mariani Stefano , Nguyen Thompson V. , Lanza di Scalea Francesco , Fateh Mahmood
Published: June 2014

This paper describes a new system for high-speed and non-contact rail defect detection being developed at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). A prototype using an ultrasonic air-coupled guided wave signal generation and air-coupled signal detection has been tested at the UCSD Rail Defect Farm. This solution presents an improvement over the previously considered laser/air-coupled hybrid system because it replaces the costly and hard-to-maintain laser with a much cheaper, faster, and easier-to-maintain air-coupled transmitter. In addition to a real-time statistical analysis algorithm, the prototype uses a specialized filtering approach to mitigate the inherently poor signal-to-noise ratio of the air-coupled ultrasonic measurements in rail steel. The laboratory results indicate that the prototype is able to detect internal rail defects with a high reliability. Various aspects of the prototype have been designed with the aid of numerical analyses. In particular, simulations of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in rails have been performed using a Local Interaction Simulation Approach (LISA) algorithm. Many of the system operating parameters were selected based on Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, which provide a quantitative manner to evaluate different detection performances based on the trade-off between detection rate and false positive rate. Extensions of the system capability are planned to add rail surface characterization to the internal rail defect detection to optimize rail grinding operations.
Laboratory and Field Investigation of the Rail Pad Assembly Mechanistic Behavior
Authors: do Carmo Thiago B. , Edwards J. Riley , Kernes Ryan G. , Andrawes Bassem O. , Barkan Chris P. L.
Published: June 2014

To achieve the performance demands due to growing heavy-haul freight operations and increased high-speed rail service worldwide, advancements in concrete crosstie fastening systems are required. A mechanistic design approach based on scientific principles and derived from extensive laboratory and field investigation has the potential to improve the current best practices in fastening system design. The understanding of failure modes and effects on each component, associated with an improved understanding of load distribution and mechanical behavior, will ultimately increase production and operational efficiency while reducing unscheduled maintenance, track outages, and unplanned additional costs. Improvements on the rail pad assemblies, the components responsible for attenuating loads and protecting the concrete crosstie rail seat, will enhance the safety and efficiency of the track infrastructure. Understanding the mechanistic behavior of rail pad assemblies is critical to improving the performance and life cycle of the infrastructure and its components, which will ultimately reduce the occurrence of potential failure modes. Lateral, longitudinal, and shear forces exerted on the components of the fastening system may result in displacements and deformations of the rail pad with respect to the rail seat and rail base. The high stresses and relative movements are expected to contribute to multiple failure mechanisms and result in an increased need for costly maintenance activities. Therefore, the analysis of the mechanics of pad assemblies is important for the improvement of railroad superstructure component design and performance. In this study, the lateral displacement of this component with respect to the rail base and rail seat is analyzed. The research ultimately aims to investigate the hypothesis that relative displacement between the rail pad and rail seat occurs under realistic loading environments and that the magnitude of the displacement is directly related to the increase in wheel loads.
Congestion as a Source of Variation in Passenger and Freight Railway Fuel Efficiency
Authors: Fullerton Garrett , DiDomenico Giovanni C. , Shih Mei-Cheng , Dick C. Tyler
Published: June 2014

Recent railway industry campaigns have highlighted the relative average fuel efficiency of freight and passenger trains as a key benefit of the railway transportation mode. These efficiencies are anticipated to increase rail market share as rising energy costs make less efficient competing modes less attractive. However, the fuel consumption and energy efficiency of a specific passenger or freight rail system, and even individual trains, depend on many factors. Changes in these factors can have various effects on the overall fuel consumption and efficiency of the system. One of these factors is the amount of congestion and delay due to increased traffic on the line. Thus, it is possible that the additional traffic anticipated to shift to the rail mode due to its energy benefits may increase congestion and actually have a negative impact on overall network energy efficiency. Such a case would tend to dampen the future shift of traffic to the rail mode. While simple train performance calculators can evaluate the energy efficiency of a train for an ideal run, more powerful train dispatching simulation software is required to simulate the performance of trains in realistic operating scenarios on congested single-track lines. Using this software, the relative impact of congestion on efficiency can be analyzed and compared to changes in factors related to fuel consumption. In this study, several factors affecting the efficiency of both passenger and freight rail systems were selected for analysis. Rail Traffic Controller (RTC), a train dispatching software, simulated representative single-track rail subdivisions to determine the performance of specific passenger and freight trains under different combinations of factor level settings. For passenger rail, the effects of traffic volume and station spacing on fuel consumption were analyzed while the effects of traffic volume and average speed were analyzed for freight rail. Each system was analyzed on level track and on territory with grades. Preliminary results suggest that passenger trains, if given priority, maintain their efficiency until large numbers of passenger trains are present on the network, while freight trains experience degradation in energy efficiency as congestion increases. These results will be used to develop a factorial experiment to evaluate the relative sensitivity of freight and passenger rail efficiency to congestion and other system parameters. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of possible technologies to improve efficiency and offset potential losses due to future congestion.
Heavy Haul Train Simulation of Air Brake System and Longitudinal Dynamics
Authors: Wei Wei , Ahmadian Mehdi , Zhang Jun
Published: June 2014

The primary purpose of this study is to provide a unified simulation analysis of the in-train longitudinal dynamics that occur during braking as a result of the coupler force delays caused by the inherent delays in pneumatic airbrakes, commonly used in freight trains. The airbrake force delays and the resulting in-train longitudinal dynamics are directly proportional to the number and position of locomotives and railcars in a train consist. A comprehensive model of pneumatic brakes is presented, including the effect of the pressure drop due to various components and pipe length in a train brake system. The temporal profile of the airbrake cylinder pressure closely matches the brake force and the resulting coupler force, which is then used in a multibody dynamic model of the train that represents the railcars as lumped masses connected together with springs and dampers, representing coupler longitudinal dynamics. The unified airbrake and train dynamic model is arranged such that the user can simulate various train configurations and routes through a convenient, graphical, user interface. A simulation study is presented for a train with one lead locomotive and 106 railcars. The results of the study show that the brake cylinder pressure and the resulting braking and coupler forces are vastly different from the front to the rear of the train. Both the cylinder pressure and coupler forces are delayed in direct proportion to the position of the railcar from the front to the rear. Additionally, the simulation results clearly show the in-train longitudinal dynamic variations that occur during braking, in the form of an oscillatory force at the coupler.
Why There Is No IGBT Traction Rectifiers?
Authors: Gelman Vitaly
Published: June 2014

The Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) are widely used in high power converters. Definite advantages of IGBT rectifiers (also called PWM rectifiers) are: zero reactive power, low harmonics, and inherent power recuperation capability. However stationary traction rectifiers are built with either thyristors or diodes, not with IGBTs. The paper compares IGBT and thyristor rectifiers and analyzes the factors precluding the use of IGBT rectifiers at traction power substations.
Use of Rail Boot and Collection Mat to Control the Electrolysis of Rail and Utilities in DC Powered Transit Agencies
Authors: Memon Saud , Fromme Paul
Published: June 2014

Stray current leakage and the corrosion caused by direct current (DC) traction power systems have been an ongoing issue especially in slab/embedded tracks. These tracks typically run through urban traffic areas, city centers, tunnels, and between the utility lines that require the rail to be continuously isolated to provide adequate track-to-earth resistance. Ballasted and direct fixation tracks provide much better track-to-earth resistance when equipped with isolation pads under the rail and exhibit higher stray current protection.

Various isolation techniques have been implemented by the DC powered rail transit agencies for the control of track-to-earth resistance in embedded tracks including the use of rail boot. In the last two decades, the practice of rail boot usage has seen a significant increase by transit agencies in the United States for controlling the leakage of current in embedded track sections. However, experience has shown that the rail boot alone cannot always control the stray current leakage and that it is important to supplement the rail boot with additional stray current collection and mitigation techniques. These methods thereby reduce the stray current corrosion by using various combinations of mitigation and collection techniques including, but not limited to, the use of elastomeric grout, insulated rail fasteners, embedding rail in troughs, providing current collection mats, and collector cables.

This paper presents and reviews different isolation and/or current collection methods that are presently in use to supplement the rail boot. These current isolation and/or collection methods when implemented together with the rail boot have significantly reduced stray current related problems, including: signal failures, controlling rail-to-earth voltages, minimizing recurring cost of repairs, and the damage to the public infrastructure. Additionally this paper provides general recommendations on the maintenance of the embedded tracks to avoid associated system problems.
Low-Cost Railway Level Crossings: Breaking Down the Barriers
Authors: Wullems Christian , Naweed Anjum
Published: June 2014

Level crossing risk continues to be a significant safety concern for the security of rail operations around the world. Over the last decade or so, a third of railway related fatalities occurred as a direct result of collisions between road and rail vehicles in Australia. Importantly, nearly half of these collisions occurred at railway level crossings with no active protection, such as flashing lights or boom barriers. Current practice is to upgrade level crossings that have no active protection. However, the total number of level crossings found across Australia exceed 23,500, and targeting the proportion of these that are considered high risk (e.g. public crossings with passive controls) would cost in excess of AU$3.25 billion based on equipment, installation and commissioning costs of warning devices that are currently type approved.

Level crossing warning devices that are low-cost provide a potentially effective control for reducing risk; however, over the last decade, there have been significant barriers and legal issues in both Australia and the US that have foreshadowed their adoption. These devices are designed to have significantly lower lifecycle costs compared with traditional warning devices. They often make use of use of alternative technologies for train detection, wireless connectivity and solar energy supply. This paper describes the barriers that have been encountered for the adoption of these devices in Australia, including the challenges associated with: (1) determining requisite safety levels for such devices; (2) legal issues relating to duty of care obligations of railway operators; and (3) issues of Tort liability around the use of less than fail-safe equipment.

This paper provides an overview of a comprehensive safety justification that was developed as part of a project funded by a collaborative rail research initiative established by the Australian government, and describes the conceptual framework and processes being used to justify its adoption. The paper provides a summary of key points from peer review and discusses prospective barriers that may need to be overcome for future adoption. A successful outcome from this process would result in the development of a guideline for decision-making, providing a precedence for adopting low-cost level crossing warning devices in other parts of the world. The framework described in this paper also provides relevance to the review and adoption of analogous technologies in rail and other safety critical industries.
Benefits of Using Modern Axle Counters in CBTC and Light Rail Projects
Authors: Grundnig Gerhard , Pucher Christian
Published: June 2014

Wheel detection and axle counting systems provide the basic information for track vacancy detection, for controlling level crossing systems and a range of switching tasks or trigger functions. This technology is established throughout the world for standard gauge railways and is increasingly replacing track circuits.

The requirements and the framework conditions in rail-based public transportation systems do, however, differ significantly from those in the standard-gauge railway and long distance track sectors. Nevertheless, in this segment too there is a clear trend towards wheel detection and axle counting systems.

New lines and projects are increasingly being equipped with modern axle counting systems due to the benefits in terms of functionality and operating costs. Nowadays even in railed public transport systems, there is a clear move from track circuit systems to wheel detection and axle counting technology.
Video Analytics for the Detection of Near-Miss Incidents on Approach to Railway Level Crossings
Authors: Aminmansour Sina , Maire Frederic , Wullems Christian
Published: June 2014

Recent modelling of socio-economic costs by the Australian railway industry in 2010 has estimated the cost of level crossing accidents to exceed AU$116 million annually. To better understand causal factors that contribute to these accidents, the Cooperative Research Centre for Rail Innovation is running a project entitled Baseline Level Crossing Video. The project aims to improve the recording of level crossing safety data by developing an intelligent system capable of detecting near-miss incidents and capturing quantitative data around these incidents. To detect near-miss events at railway level crossings a video analytics module is being developed to analyse video footage obtained from forward-facing cameras installed on trains. This paper presents a vision base approach for the detection of these near-miss events.

The video analytics module is comprised of object detectors and a rail detection algorithm, allowing the distance between a detected object and the rail to be determined. An existing publicly available Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) based object detector algorithm is used to detect various types of vehicles in each video frame. As vehicles are usually seen from a sideway view from the cabin’s perspective, the results of the vehicle detector are verified using an algorithm that can detect the wheels of each detected vehicle.

Rail detection is facilitated using a projective transformation of the video, such that the forward-facing view becomes a bird’s eye view. Line Segment Detector is employed as the feature extractor and a sliding window approach is developed to track a pair of rails. Localisation of the vehicles is done by projecting the results of the vehicle and rail detectors on the ground plane allowing the distance between the vehicle and rail to be calculated. The resultant vehicle positions and distance are logged to a database for further analysis.

We present preliminary results regarding the performance of a prototype video analytics module on a data set of videos containing more than 30 different railway level crossings. The video data is captured from a journey of a train that has passed through these level crossings.
Crippling Test of a Budd M-1 Passenger Railcar: Test and Analysis Results
Authors: Carolan Michael , Perlman Benjamin , Tyrell David , Gordon Jeff
Published: June 2014

The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Research and Development is conducting research into the occupied volume integrity (OVI) of passenger railcars. OVI refers to a passenger railcar’s ability to preserve space for passengers and crew during accident loading conditions. The information developed in this research program will form the basis for establishing alternative OVI evaluation procedures. These alternative procedures, in turn, will allow a wider variety of passenger railcar designs to have their OVI evaluated, will provide guidance for applying modern engineering technologies, such as finite element analysis (FEA), and will continue to ensure a level of safety in evaluated vehicles equivalent to conventional evaluation.

As part of this research program, two tests and corresponding FEA were conducted on a Budd M-1 passenger railcar that had been retrofitted with crash energy management (CEM) components on both ends. This testing and analysis program was sponsored by FRA and carried out by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), Arup, and the Volpe Center. An 800,000 pound load test was conducted on March 13, 2013 and was intended to elastically deform the car. The data generated during this test were, in turn, used to validate FE models of the M-1 car. The second test was performed on July 17, 2013. This test introduced loads into the occupant volume through its CEM attachment points until the ultimate, or crippling, load was reached. By loading the occupant volume through the CEM components, the test load path is similar to the load path that would be traveled by collision loads during activation of the CEM system.

This paper presents the results of the crippling test, discusses the sequence of buckling that was observed to occur in the test, and compares the results of the test with the results from FEA of the test conditions. During the crippling test, the car exhibited a crippling load of 1.1 million pounds. This value is consistent with crippling loads reached by two Budd Pioneer cars that were previously tested in an FRA program. The buckling sequence of the members making up the M-1’s occupant volume were particularly well-captured by strain gages during this most recent test. The load path through the occupant volume and the sequence of progressive buckling of structural members is discussed. Additionally, the presence of existing damage and previously-repaired areas and their likely effects on the crippling behavior of the car are discussed.
FRA Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement System Technology Development: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Saadat Soheil , Stuart Cameron , Carr Gary , Payne James
Published: June 2014

The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) Office of Research and Development has undertaken a multi-phase research program focused on the development and advancement of Autonomous Track Geometry Measurement Systems (ATGMS) and related technologies to improve rail safety by increasing the availability of track geometry data for safety and maintenance planning purposes. Benefits of widespread use of ATGMS technology include reduced life-cycle cost of inspection operations, minimized interference with revenue operations, and increased inspection frequencies.

FRA’s Office of Research and Development ATGMS research program results have demonstrated that the paradigm of track inspection and maintenance practices, information management and, eventually, government regulations will change as a result of widespread use of ATGMS technology by the industry. A natural consequence of increased inspection frequencies associated with ATGMS is the large amount of actionable information produced. Therefore, changing existing maintenance practices to address a larger number of identified track issues across large geographic areas will be a challenge for the industry. In addition, managing ATGMS data and assessing the quality of this information in a timely manner will be challenging.

This paper presents an overview of the FRA’s ATGMS research program with emphasis on its evolution from a proof-of-concept prototype to a fully operational measurement system. It presents the evolution of ATGMS technology over time including the development of a web-based application for data editing, management and quality assurance. Finally, it presents FRA’s vision for the future of the ATGMS technology.
Exploring Novel Considerations for the Coaching of Masters Athletes
Authors: Young Bradley W. , Callary Bettina , Niedre Peter C.
Published: June 2014

In the new frontier of Masters-level sport, coaching approaches with adult athletes may prove to be quite different than with younger cohorts, and therefore demanding of novel and innovative considerations. This paper draws from emerging perspectives in research on Masters athletes (MAs) and interpretations of broader psycho-social and -pedagogical literature to advance an early roadmap guiding practical strategies for coaches and sport programmers to consider when working with MAs. We explore four content areas that may be particularly relevant for coaches working with adult sportspersons, and for future researchers seeking to confirm where coaching practices with MAs may be highly nuanced. They include: (a) tailoring the sport environment to fulfill adults’ involvement opportunities and heighten athlete commitment; (b) helping adult athletes maximize their limited time for doing sport; (c) guiding athletes to use strategies for negotiating age-related decline; and (d) fostering self-determined and engaged learners in the Masters sport context.
The ABA Receptor PYL8 Promotes Lateral Root Growth by Enhancing MYB77-Dependent Transcription of Auxin-Responsive Genes
Authors: Zhao Yang , Xing Lu , Wang Xingang , Hou Yueh-Ju , Gao Jinghui , Wang Pengcheng , Duan Cheng-Guo , Zhu Xiaohong , Zhu Jian-Kang
Published: June 2014

Plants use an alternative abscisic acid signaling pathway to promote lateral root growth.
MLK3 Is Part of a Feedback Mechanism That Regulates Different Cellular Responses to Reactive Oxygen Species
Authors: Lee Ho-Sung , Hwang Chae Young , Shin Sung-Young , Kwon Ki-Sun , Cho Kwang-Hyun
Published: June 2014

Computational analysis of signaling networks reveals how cells can choose between proliferation and death in response to oxidative stress.
Treating Chronic Pain
Authors: Ferrarelli Leslie K.
Published: June 2014

Inhibiting a kinase that generates the lipid PIP
2
in sensory neurons reduces susceptibility to chronic pain in mice.
Less Pain (Receptors) Means a Longer Life
Authors: Berndt Jason D.
Published: June 2014

TRPV1, a receptor that responds to painful stimuli, may also alter glucose metabolism to reduce life span.
The Methyltransferase Shuffle
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: June 2014

Two methyltransferases translocate from the plasma membrane to the nucleus to influence fungal developmental programs.
Integrins Initiating Cancer
Authors: Wong Wei
Published: June 2014

An integrin mediates the resistance of tumor-initiating cells to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in a ligand-independent manner.
Risk Factors and Outcomes for Patients with Bloodstream Infection Due to Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus Complex
Authors: Chopra Teena , Marchaim Dror , Johnson Paul C. , Awali Reda A. , Doshi Hardik , Chalana Indu , Davis Naomi , Zhao Jing J. , Pogue Jason M. , Parmar Sapna , Kaye Keith S.
Published: June 2014

Identifying patients at risk for bloodstream infection (BSI) due to
Acinetobacter baumannii
-
Acinetobacter calcoaceticus
complex (ABC) and providing early appropriate therapy are critical for improving patient outcomes. A retrospective matched case-control study was conducted to investigate the risk factors for BSI due to ABC in patients admitted to the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) between January 2006 and April 2009. The cases were patients with BSI due to ABC; the controls were patients not infected with ABC. Potential risk factors were collected 30 days prior to the ABC-positive culture date for the cases and 30 days prior to admission for the controls. A total of 245 case patients were matched with 245 control patients. Independent risk factors associated with BSI due to ABC included a Charlson's comorbidity score of ≥3 (odds ratio [OR], 2.34;
P
= 0.001), a direct admission from another health care facility (OR, 4.63;
P
< 0.0001), a prior hospitalization (OR, 3.11;
P
< 0.0001), the presence of an indwelling central venous line (OR, 2.75;
P
= 0.011), the receipt of total parenteral nutrition (OR, 21.2;
P
< 0.0001), the prior receipt of β-lactams (OR, 3.58;
P
< 0.0001), the prior receipt of carbapenems (OR, 3.18;
P
= 0.006), and the prior receipt of chemotherapy (OR, 15.42;
P
< 0.0001). The median time from the ABC-positive culture date to the initiation of the appropriate antimicrobial therapy was 2 days (interquartile range [IQR], 1 to 3 days). The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher among case patients than among control patients (OR, 3.40;
P
< 0.0001). BSIs due to ABC are more common among critically ill and debilitated institutionalized patients, who are heavily exposed to health care settings and invasive devices.
Evaluation of Vancomycin Population Susceptibility Analysis Profile as a Predictor of Outcomes for Patients with Infective Endocarditis Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Casapao Anthony M. , Davis Susan L. , McRoberts John Paul , Lagnf Abdalhamid M. , Patel Sonal , Kullar Ravina , Levine Donald P. , Rybak Michael J.
Published: June 2014

Infective endocarditis due to methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA IE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Vancomycin continues to be the primary treatment for this disease. The emergence of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate
Staphylococcus aureus
(hVISA), defined as a modified population analysis profile (PAP) of ≥0.9, may affect patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of vancomycin subpopulation susceptibility and the clinical outcomes of MRSA IE. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients treated with vancomycin for MRSA IE from 2002 to 2013 at the Detroit Medical Center. A modified PAP was used to measure the vancomycin PAP MIC and the PAP-to-area under the curve (AUC) ratio. Treatment failure was defined as bacteremia for ≥7 days or death attributed to MRSA. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to select a failure breakpoint between the PAP-AUC ratios and the PAP MIC. A total of 202 patients were included in the study. Twenty-seven percent of the patients had left-sided IE, 19% of the strains were hVISA, and 70% of the strains were staphylococcal cassette chromosome
mec
element (SCC
mec
) type IV. Overall treatment failure was observed in 64%; 59% had persistent bacteremia, and the 30-day attributable mortality rate was 21%. The CART breakpoint between failure and success in terms of the PAP-AUC ratio was 0.9035. On logistic regression analysis, intensive care unit (ICU) admission (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 5.2) and a PAP MIC of ≥4 mg/liter (aOR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.3 to 8.4) were associated with failure (
P
= 0.001 and 0.015, respectively). A PAP MIC of ≥4 mg/liter and ICU admission were significant for treatment failure for patients with MRSA IE. The PAP-AUC ratio of ≥0.9035 predicted failure consistent with the hVISA definition. The role of population MIC analysis in predicting outcome with MRSA infections warrants further investigation.
Caspofungin at Catheter Lock Concentrations Eradicates Mature Biofilms of Candida lusitaniae and Candida guilliermondii
Authors: Simitsopoulou Maria , Kyrpitzi Daniela , Velegraki Aristea , Walsh Thomas J. , Roilides Emmanuel
Published: June 2014

The antibiofilm activities of caspofungin, anidulafungin, micafungin, and liposomal amphotericin B were studied against
Candida lusitaniae
,
Candida guilliermondii
, and a
Candida albicans
control strain. While anidulafungin and micafungin (0.007 to 2,048 mg/liter) showed reduced activity against biofilms of both test species, caspofungin displayed concentration-dependent antibiofilm activity, reaching complete and persistent eradication at concentrations achievable during lock therapy (512 to 2,048 mg/liter,
P
< 0.05). Although liposomal amphotericin B strongly inhibited mature biofilms, it possessed lower antibiofilm activity than caspofungin (
P
< 0.05).