bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MDCT evaluation of coronary artery calcification in Nepalese population undergoing CT thorax examination for non-cardiac pathology
Authors: Gupta Mukesh Kumar , Rauniyar Raj Kumar , Pandey Naveen Kumar , Yadav Deepak Kumar
Published: February 2015

Background:Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is frequently encountered as incidental findings during CT evaluation of thorax; however, little is known about its magnitude and association with atherosclerotic risk factors in Nepalese population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of incidental CAC in patients undergoing standard thoracic CT examination for non-cardiac pathology and to correlate it with risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis.Methods: A hospital based prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 216 patients over 8 month duration. The coronary arteries were evaluated for calcification on 16-slice MDCT and the frequency of CAC was correlated with atherosclerotic risk factors viz. age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking and obesity.Results: Incidental CAC was seen in 72(33.3%) of total 216 patients. The rates of CAC below 40, 40-60 and above 60 years age group were 0%, 31.6% and 43.9% respectively. The frequency of CAC in male and female were 35% and 31.2% for all ages, 43.6% and 20% for 40-60 years group, and 35.2% and 61.1% for above 60 years age group respectively. The frequency of CAC was higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (47.5%), hypertension (42.3%), smoking (43%) and obesity (38.9%).Conclusion: Incidental CAC was seen in 33.3% of the patients and it had significant association with advancing age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and smoking. Rate of CAC was significantly higher in male for 40-60 years group but the frequency drastically increased in female for above 60 years group. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11205 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 40-44
Maternal death audit- institutional based maternal death review in four major hospitals of Municipal Corporation of Delhi
Authors: Sinha Maruti , Venkatesh B.G. , Rani Rekha , Kaur Ramanjeet , Daral Rekha , Aggarwal Asha
Published: February 2015

Objective : In India not much importance is still being given to Medical Audit & Death Audit which requires an in-depth analysis of maternal deaths with reference to the cause of death, ways in which the death could have been prevented and deficiencies in health care facilities. Methods: Audit was conducted by Facility BMDR approach, across the various Municipal Corporation of Delhi Hospitals namely, 980 bedded Hindu Rao Hospital, 450 bedded Kasturba Hospital, 250 bedded Swamy Dayanand Hospital and 97 bedded Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital. Results: The total deliveries combing all hospitals was 113237 out of which 86859 were normal deliveries, 1572 deliveries were assisted forceps or vacuum deliveries and remaining 23403 patients underwent lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) . The total patients who lost life are 194. Out of 194 maternal deaths highest deaths  are found in the age group of 20 to 24 i.e 74(38.1%) and almost similar pattern in the age group between 25 to 29 is 73(37.6%) and, maximum deaths (135-69.6%) were observed amongst women who were pregnant for the first time in their life,. Haemorrhage was the major cause of maternal deaths N=61(31.4%) hypertension N=25(12.9)  and septicaemia N=24(24.4). 84(43.3%) cases were unstable at the time of admission. 72 (37.1%) cases haemoglobin percentage in blood was not documented and of the remaining only15(7.7%) had above 11 Hb%. Conclusion: Death Audit can become a continuous evolving process to create awareness in health care facilities regarding their deficiencies and scope for improvements which unfortunately is well below par and requires standardization along with a comprehensive policy. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11237 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 67-75
Excessive crying due to erupting neonatal tooth: A case report
Authors: Mondal Monojit , Biswas Biswajit , Roy Atanu , Kumar Prashanth , Bose Sayan , Biswas Tanmoy , Banerji Nayan , Rana Kriti Sundar
Published: February 2015

Tooth eruption normally starts from 6 months of age. Teeth that appear at birth are called natal teeth, whereas, teeth that erupt during the first month of life are called neonatal teeth. Both are uncommon, with the ratio of natal to neonatal is 3:1. Presence of neonatal teeth may lead to complication in mother like painful bitten or bleeding nipples or it may cause complications in babies like difficulty in feeding, pain/distress due to erupting tooth, swallowing of the tooth, repeated trauma to the tip or undersurface of the tongue resulting in Riga-Fede ulceration and rarely aspiration. We are presenting a 15-day-old male baby who admitted at our hospital primarily with excessive crying and poor feeding and on a thorough physical examination revealed an erupting neonatal tooth. Other causes of excessive crying have been excluded.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11241 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 87-88
New enterant in the class of uropathogens-Shewanella algae
Authors: Ostwal K , Shah P , Pathak S , Jadhav A , Shaikh N
Published: February 2015

A 70 year old diabetic male presented with fever, urgency of micturition, oliguria, swelling over both legs. His midstream urine sample was sent for microbiological examination and it revealed Shewanella algae. Patient was treated with antibiotics and he recovered completely after treatment.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11503 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 92-95
Physical Environment and Hygiene status at food service establishments in a tertiary care medical college campus in Delhi: A Cross-sectional study
Authors: Boro Pallavi , Soyam Vishal C. , Anand Tanu , Kishore Jugal
Published: February 2015

Introduction: Food can be a potential source of infection and disease, right from the point of preparation to the point of consumption. It is more likely in the food service establishments where mass food is prepared.Objectives: To study the physical environment and hygiene status at food service establishments in a tertiary care teaching hospital in central Delhi. Materials and Methods:  An observational cross sectional study was conducted from June-August, 2014 in medical college and associated hospital in Delhi using questionnaire to assess sanitation and environmental hygiene status. The checklist contained 12 categories with a maximum possible score of 139 for the vegetarian and 140 for the non-vegetarian food establishments. The classification of the establishments on the basis of score obtained is as follows: Grade 1 = 0-25%, Grade 2= 26-50%, Grade 3= 51-75%, Grade 4 = 76-100% Data analysis: The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.Results: A total 13 food service establishments were included of which most (92.3 %) were operated on contractual basis. Majority (84.6 %) provided non-vegetarian food. None of the food handlers were given uniform to wear during their working hours. Few (15.2%) were using caps but those were not covering the entire hair.Conclusion: The conditions of the food establishments in the medical college campus are not of prescribed standard and needs improvement. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11533 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 76-79
Ghost cell odontogenic cyst : A rare case with literature review
Authors: Shivakumar B.N. , Reddy Santhosh , Nayak Barakha , Rathore Nehal
Published: February 2015

Gorlin in 1962 described calcifying odontogenic cyst (COC) for the first time as a separate entity. It is an odontogenic cyst with notable presence of histopathological features which contains a cystic lining demonstrating “Ghost” cells with a propensity to calcify. COC shows diversity of variants according to its clinical, histopathological & radiological characteristics. A case of calcifying odontogenic cyst is reported with its review of literature.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11586 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 83-86
Clinical evaluation of a sub-lingual vaccine for prevention of exacerbations in COPD
Authors: Nadig P.D. , Haran A. , Shetty M.
Published: February 2015

Background: Lower airway bacterial infection is one of the major cause for exacerbation inCOPD. Multicomponent vaccines derived from the various causative pathogens are shownto prevent the exacerbations.Aims and Objectives: The present study was carried out toevaluate the effi cacy of sublingual vaccine (Ismigen) in preventing the exacerbations inCOPD and to observe its tolerability.Materials and Methods: Twenty four COPD patientsmeeting the eligibility criteria were enrolled in the study. Ismigen was administered once aday sublingually for ten days a month for three consecutive months. They were observed over one year for exacerbations, hospitalisations, respiratory symptoms, lung function tests and adverse reactions. The mean scores of the parameters in the previous year were compared with that of the year following treatment. Students t test and Chi- square test were used for analysis. Results: The mean number of exacerbations reduced from 6.79±3.51 to 2.67±1.90 (p<0.001) and the mean number of hospitalisations from 2.29±1.85 to 0.67±0.87 (p<0.001). There was no significant change in the respiratory symptom score and lung function test. Mild non-serious adverse event was reported by one patient.Conclusion: The results indicated that Ismigen could be an effective and well-tolerated add on therapy in COPD to reduce the frequency and severity of exacerbations.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11634 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 51-54
Strengthening adverse drug reaction reporting in Nepal
Authors: Jha Nisha , Rathore Devendra Singh , Shankar Pathiyil Ravi , Gyawali Sudesh , Hassali Mohamed Azmi , Alshakka Mohammed , Alshammri Thamir M.
Published: February 2015

Pharmacovigilance in Nepal is still in infancy. Till date only healthcare professionals are involved and the problem of underreporting is seen. The national pharmacovigilance centre is located in the national regulatory authority of Nepal, i.e. Department of Drug Administration (DDA). Lack of adequate human resources for managing the pharmacovigilance program in Nepal has been a limitation for the growth of pharmacovigilance activities. Currently, there is neither any involvement of community pharmacists in Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting process nor any involvement of consumers for the same. This paper reviews the current status of pharmacovigilance and mentions possible benefits of involving consumers or patients in the existing pharmacovigilance program. A systematic review were conducted by searching different databases like PubMed, Google scholar, EMBASE, NepJOL, and Scopus. This study also describes the role of healthcare professionals in ADR reporting, possible reasons for underreporting of ADRs, regulatory perspectives and benefits of involving consumers in pharmacovigilance. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11659Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 9-13
Glycaemic status is an important risk factor for the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Kumar Sanjeev , Panwar Ajay , Kumar Pramod , Atam V. , Verma Neetu , Kumar Pradeep , Bairwa Shilpa
Published: February 2015

Objective: To assess the frequency of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and correlation with HbA1C in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients. Patients and research methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary care medical centre in north india.All patients of  >30 to <60 years of age, who were newly(within a month) diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to world health organization(WHO)criteria and american diabetes association(ADA) recommendations,were included in the study. HbA1C was estimated from venous blood collected in ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid(EDTA) test tube, using  boronate affinity chromatography (HPLC).Diabetic retinopathy was assessed by fundus examination using  direct ophthalmoscope after dilatation of pupils.Early treatment diabetic retinopathy study(ETDRS) scale was used to assess the severity of diabetic retinopathy. Results: 28 % of the newly diagnosed cases were found to have diabetic retinopathy, of which 73.52% were of mild NPDR (non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy) and 26.47% were of moderate NPDR. Mean FPG of population with retinopathy was 194.05 ±29.82 mg/dl and that of population without retinopathy was 175.67 ± 27.71mg/dl. Mean HbA1C of population with retinopathy was 7.71±1.01%and that of population without retinopathy was 7.22 ± 0.74. Conclusions: Mild NPDR is the most common form of diabetic retinopathy in newly diagnosed type 2 DM patients. Study demonstrated a very significant positive correlation between level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and frequency of diabetic retinopathy in these cases. So, glycaemic status is an important risk factor for the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11745 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 36-39
Percutaneous closure of congenital coronary artery fistulae in 5 children: A single center experience
Authors: Yadav Shiv Kumar , Yi Qi-jian
Published: February 2015

Background and Aim: Coronary artery fistulae (CAF) are rare anomalies. In this study, we have done percutaneous closure of CAF in children with three different devices; ventricle septal defect (VSD) occluder, patent ductus arterious (PDA) occluder and Cook coil.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients, admitted to our heart center inpatient department between September 2004 and April 2013, that had a percutaneous closure of CAF in our center, and evaluated outcomes of patients with CAF treated with cardiac catheterization.Results: A total of fi ve patients (3 females) ranged in age from7 months to 10 years with congenital CAF underwent percutaneous closure. The fistulae had origins from right coronary artery (RCA) and from left coronary artery (LCA) in 3 cases and 2 cases respectively. One RCA drained to right atrium and rest four drained to right ventricle. All 5 cases had a co ntinuous murmur. During closure, 2 fistulae closed with VSD occluder, 2 with PDA occluder & 1 with Cook coil. Percutaneous closure was successfully achieved in all the 5 patients. Follow-up studies showed that there was complete abolition without recanalization. No deaths occurred.Conclusion: Percutaneous closure of congenital CAF is very safe and effective in children with less complication and shorter hospital stay.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11786 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 45-50
CNS Complications of Systemic Malignancy amongst patients attending a Radiotherapy facility in Lagos
Authors: Popoola A.O. , Igwilo A.I. , Idowu O. , Ketiku K.K. , Duncan K.J.T.
Published: February 2015

Introduction:  The Central nervous system (CNS) is a frequent a site of relapse of systemic cancer. There are few data available in literature about the frequency and nature of symptomatic histopathological variants of secondary brain/spinal tumours drawn against the gender/age distribution in our environment.  Objective: To study the frequency and manifestation of CNS involvement in patients with systemic cancer for a high index of suspicion so that practitioner will have highest index of suspicion to make early diagnosis and treatment in our environment.Material and methods: A total of 119 patients with histological confirmed cases of cancer with secondaries to the CNS, were analysed for this study.  Results: CNS metastasis were more common in female (67%) than male (33%) p=0.047. Spinal cord metastasis is the most common type of neurological manifestation (66.9%) with p=0.011. Breast (60.5%) and prostate (21%) were the most common site of primary tumour. Neurological manifestations were mostly associated with advanced Stage tumours (54.9%) (p=0.000). Approximately half of the cases, 56 (54.9%) were presented at late stage (4). Neurological manifestation occurred <6 months (43.1%) after initial diagnosis of the primary tumour. Spinal/radicular pain was the most prevalent among the patients (43%). CT scan/MRI Imaging in (52.6%) and mode of treatment was radiotherapy (99%) of patients. Conclusion:  Even though therapy is largely palliative, research should focus on enhancing the efficacy of whole brain radiotherapy and invest in the biosynthesis of synergistic new systemic agents that could also cross the BBB.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11805 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 55-60
Oestrogen Receptor Alpha and Progesterone Receptor in Uterus and Ovaries on Different Days of The Oestrus Cycle in Hyperthyroid Rats
Authors: Bozoglu Halil , Karaca Turan
Published: February 2015

Background: The present study evaluated, in different oestrus cycle phases, the oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PgR) in rates with hyperthyroid ovaries and uterus.Materials and Methods: Sixty-four adult female wistar albino rats were used. Animals were randomly separated into eight different groups, four of which constituted the control group and the other four of which were the actual experimental group. Hyperthyroidism was induced by daily s.c. injection of L-thyroxine (L-T4, 250 µg/kg) for 21 days.Results: Hyperthyroidism induced decreased plasma TSH levels and increased plasma free T4 levels (P < 0.001). In addition, it increased plasma oestrogen levels in all cycle phases, and plasma progesterone levels increased in different cycle phases, excluding the oestrus phase, in rats (P < 0.01). By the end of the experiment, ERα percentages were decreased in oestrus days in uterine luminal epithelium; however, ERα percentages were increased in metoestrus phases in hyperthyroid rats. ERα was elevated in proestrus, metoestrus and dioestrus phases in the corpus luteum, and hyperthyroidism also increased ERα percentages in theca folliculi. In uterine luminal epithelium, the hyperthyroidism group showed higher expressions of PgR (P < 0.05) in oestrus and metoestrus phases and decreased oestrus phase compared to control rats.Conclusions: As a result, we conclude that both the levels of plasma estrogen and progesterone as well as the differences in the distributions of relevant receptors in ovarian and uterus tissues have an impact on female infertility due to hyperthyroidism.  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11816 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 14-20
24 Hours Urinary Hydroxyproline - A Noninvasive, Cost-Effective and Early Biochemical Marker Which May be Used to Screen the Osteoporotic Lesion in Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Das Mousumi , Biswas Utpal Kumar , Kumar Arun
Published: February 2015

Introduction: Osteoporosis results due increased rate of bone turnover. It has multifactorial etiology and most common in women after menopause. Objective: The current study was aimed to assess the rate of bone turnover towards detection of osteoporotic changes by measuring 24 hours urinary hydroxyproline which is an early as well as non- invasive biochemical bone marker. Methods: Urinary hydroxyproline was measured in 40 postmenopausal women and compared with similar number of premenopausal women as controls. Results: 24 hours urinary hydroxyproline levels were significantly higher (p<0.001) in postmenopausal women than premenopausal groups. This indicates a higher rate of bone turnover suggesting osteoporotic changes. 24 hour urinary hydroxyproline is also positively correlated (r= 0.934) with age. Conclusion: The present study suggests that measurement of 24 hours urinary hydroxyproline which is a cost-effective and non- invasive technique, may be used for screening and early detection of osteoporotic changes in women of postmenopausal age group.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11853 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 21-24
Insights of HBV Pathogenesis and Emerging Clinical Therapies for HBV Induced HCC Patients for a Better Prognostic Outcome
Authors: Chatterjee Reshmi , Mitra Abhisek
Published: February 2015

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection is a global epidemic and a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Approximately, 400 million people with 1.5 million Americans are chronically infected with this virus and around 1 million deaths from HBV annually have been estimated. High serum viral load has been detected between 75-80% of HCC patients. Epidemiological studies revealed that there are geographical variations in the incidence rate of hepatitis B virus genotype and subgenotypes. Furthermore, HBV induced HCC has a direct correlation with the recurrent genomic integration of this virus and cross-talk of its oncogenic protein HBV x (HBx) with different cellular signaling pathways. With the help of an extensive pathological study, whole genome sequencing and molecular insights of HBV induced HCC patients, suitable medications providing high-genetic barrier to resistances are made available. These medications can prevent HCC by inhibiting viral replication, modulating the immune response or both. The evolution of drugs with superior efficacy and less toxicity are providing important tools for clinicians to reduce HBV related HCC. This review sheds new perspective on molecular insight of HBV life cycle and clinical updates to treat sustained virus infection and associated cancers.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v6i4.11884 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.6(4) 2015 1-8
Influence of Special Clays as Builder in Ecological Detergents
Authors: Carrion-Fite Francisco-Javier
Published: February 2015

The aim of this work is to determine the influence of certain clay micro particles added to detergent formulation to act as builders in removal of impurities (detersive power) during the washing of a standard cotton fabric (EMPA), and also to determine the whiteness of the fabric and its softness after washing. Sepiolite was used separately and together with bentonite, in the form of micro particles. Bentonite is held to have a softening effect on cotton. A whitener was added to the detergent formulations to compensate for a possible effect of diminished whiteness in the washed fabric. Scanning electron microscope images of the fibres were taken to show deposition of the builders on the fabric. A non-toxic microemulsified solvent, dimethylsulfoxide (DMS), suitably microdispersed with use of an amphoteric surfactant as emulsifier, was added to improve the performance of the detergent formulations used, notably enhancing the detergency obtained in the presence of the clay microparticles tested.
Study on Cardanolbetaine Surfactants for Ultralow Interfacial Tension in a Low Range of Surfactant Concentration and Wide Range of Temperature Applied in Compound Flooding
Authors: Luan Huoxin , Wu Yunqiang , Wu Wenxiang , Zhang Wei , Chen Quansheng , Zhang Hailing , Yuan Dandan , Qu Guangmiao , Ding Wei
Published: February 2015

Surfactant flooding aims at lowering the interfacial tensions between the oil and water phases to improve the displacement efficiency during oil recovery. However, ionic surfactants will lose their property in high temperature and high salt reservoirs. This investigation considers the cardanolbetaine surfactants as candidates for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) application in high temperature and high salt reservoirs. According to the experimental results, these surfactants can be effective in lowering interfacial tension (IFT) at dilute concentration, without requiring an alkaline or co-surfactants. In addition, these surfactants exhibit a low IFT at high salinity, high temperature and high concentration of divalent condition, the best surfactant concentration is 0.3 g L−1. The temperature resistance results show that it also has an excellent interfacial property at a wide range temperature from 35.0°C to 85.0°C, and remains its ultralow IFT (≤ 10−3 mN m−1) during 60 days at 85.0°C. The optimal concentration of salt tolerance is 50 g L−1 to 100 g L−1 of NaCl, 100 mg L−1 to 300 mg L−1 of Ca2+ respectively.
Room Temperature Micellar Catalysis on Permanganate Oxidation of Butanol to Butanal in Aqueous Medium at Atmospheric Pressure
Authors: Bhattacharyya Partha , Ghosh Aniruddha , Saha Bidyut
Published: February 2015

Oxidation kinetics of 1-butanol by permanganate have been carried out in the presence of surfactant in aqueous acidic medium to observe the micellar effect on rate. The oxidation kinetics were studied by UV–VIS spectrophotometry. The presence of cationic N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) micelles was found to accelerate the reaction rate and this effect has been explained by the partitioning of the reactants in micelle and also by considering the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between the surfactant and reactants. The alcohol was quantitatively oxidized to the carbonyl compound, which was identified by the preparation of 2,4-DNP derivatives. The probable mechanism is proposed and pseudo-first-order rate constants are calculated. The cationic surfactant (CPC) accelerates the reaction. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) value of the CPC micelle has been determined from the plot of rate constant values at different CPC concentration.
Micellization Behaviour of m-E2-m Biodegradable Gemini Surfactants in Presence of Sodium Alkanoates (Sodium Propionate, Sodium Hexanoate, Sodium Decanoate)
Authors: Kabir-ud-Din  , Bhat Imtiyaz Ahmad , Akram Mohammad
Published: February 2015

The present study involves the micellization of novel biodegradable gemini surfactants (1,2-diyl-bis(N,N-dimethyl-N-alkyl-ammoniumacetoxy) dichlorides, m-E2-m; m = 12,14,16 is the number of carbon atoms in the tail and E2 represents the diester-group-containing spacer) in presence of sodium alkanoates (sodium propionate, sodium hexanoate, sodium decanoate). The techniques of tensiometry and spectrofluorimetry were utilized to probe the changes in various physicochemical parameters, viz. critical micellar concentration (CMC), surface excess concentration (Γmax), minimum area per head group (Amin), Gibbs free energy of micellization (ΔG°
mic), Gibbs free energy of adsorption (ΔG°
ads), aggregation number (Nagg) and local polarity index (I1/I3). Results depict that the alkanoates are effective in bringing significant changes in the physicochemical parameters of the m-E2-m geminis; the order being followed is NaDec > NaHx > NaPr. Both hydrophobic and electrostatic factors were found to be contributive. This study can be helpful to understand tuning and evolution of biodegradable microstructures in amphiphilic salt environments, which may have implications in biomedical research (gene transfection and drug delivery).
Considerations for Effective Lidar Deployment by Transportation Agencies
Authors: Chang Jeffrey C. , Findley Daniel J. , Cunningham Christopher M. , Tsai Mary K.
Published: February 2015

Lidar is becoming increasingly popular across the United States, and state transportation agencies are adopting this technology for practical uses in transportation-related applications. This trend can be seen in the growing number of agencies acquiring lidar scanners and contracting lidar services. The primary factors behind this trend are that (a) surveyors, engineers, and technicians are becoming more educated about and increasingly open to lidar and its applications and (b) lidar is potentially more cost-effective than traditional surveying technologies. Lidar can provide transportation agencies with the benefits of safety, data collection productivity, cost-effectiveness, applicability, high levels of detail, and technological advancement. Many of the more practical uses and benefits of lidar have come to fruition in recent years, and transportation agencies have been more open to its use. However, little more than anecdotal evidence supports when a specific lidar platform should be applied for various applications rather than a traditional surveying method. Decision makers in geomatic and surveying departments that use lidar must regularly weigh the options of which surveying method to use for specific projects and base decisions on performance tradeoffs. The methodology presented in this paper aims to provide guidance on how agencies may determine whether lidar can be practically used within their organizations. The aspects and performance measures outlined for effective deployment of lidar equipment or contracted services should be systematically considered.
Network Routing of Snowplow Trucks with Resource Replenishment and Plowing Priorities
Authors: Hajibabai Leila , Nourbakhsh Seyed M. , Ouyang Yanfeng , Peng Fan
Published: February 2015

The routing of snowplow trucks in urban and regional areas encompasses a variety of complex decisions, especially for jurisdictions with heavy snowfall. The main activities involve dispatching a fleet of snowplow trucks from a central depot or satellite facility to clean and spread salt and chemicals on the network links (i.e., snow routes). In this paper, a mixed integer linear program model is proposed to minimize the total operation time of all snowplow trucks needed to complete a given set of snow routes with multiple plowing priorities and to reduce the longest individual truck operation time. Customized construction and local search solution algorithms are developed and used to design snow routes for an empirical application. The computational results show that the proposed solution approach is able to solve the problem effectively and the model result outperforms the current solution in practice. The proposed models and algorithms are also incorporated into the development of a state-of-the-art snowplow routing software that can help planners optimize snow routes and evaluate options for resource allocation.
Improving the Quality of Weather Information Provided to Emergency Medical Services Responding to Motor Vehicle Crashes
Authors: Flanigan Marie , Majka Kevin , Blatt Alan , Lee Kunik
Published: February 2015

When a motor vehicle crash happens, emergency medical services (EMS) offer the best prospects for injured occupants. It is therefore important to address any issue that can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of EMS response to a crash. One such issue relates to shortfalls in the accuracy and completeness of current and forecast weather information. These shortfalls are often attributable to limitations in the geographic resolution of measured data as well as difficulties with obtaining real-time access to updated weather as an event unfolds. This paper examines the need for improved weather information to support both ground and air EMS response. Operating environments for responders are examined, and established sources of measured weather data are described, in particular, the system of automated weather stations that support current and forecast weather reporting in the United States. Existing and emerging mobile sensor platforms, which could broaden the geographic extent of measured data especially as advanced intelligent transportation systems evolve, are then considered. Next, a review of weather-related issues identified in reports from helicopter EMS (HEMS) pilots and in severe weather after-action reports from municipalities is presented. For ground responders, a need for real-time, route-specific weather information was identified. For air responders, the system of airport-based weather observation stations developed for fixed-wing aircraft was found to be inadequate for HEMS. A rational, stepwise approach for expanding weather data collection to create a more spatially resolved, low-altitude weather information system to support HEMS is presented.
Determining Strategic Locations for Environmental Sensor Stations with Weather-Related Crash Data
Authors: Jin Peter J. , Walker Andrew , Cebelak Meredith , Walton C. Michael
Published: February 2015

Adverse weather leads to more than 1.5 million vehicular crashes, resulting in 800,000 injuries and 7,000 fatalities nationally. The appropriate deployment of roadway weather information systems (RWIS) has been considered an effective strategy to address safety concerns. However, the current practice of selecting the locations of RWIS stations depends primarily on the knowledge and experiences of field operators. Limited research has been conducted on methodologies that can identify RWIS locations systematically on the basis of widely available safety and geographic information system (GIS) data. This paper proposes a spatial optimization method to identify strategic locations for deploying RWIS stations within a large regional transportation network. Weather-related crash data were converted to a safety concern index and then used to examine routes that provided good spatial coverage of the region for optimal locations for RWIS stations through a maximization algorithm. The proposed method is evaluated with crash and GIS data from a tri-county region in Texas with the coverage for each RWIS station assumed to be 10 mi. The resulting locations illustrate the promising potential for the proposed RWIS location optimization algorithm. Additional sensitivity analysis is also conducted with an evaluation of the resulting changes from yearly crash data variations.
Evaluation of Winter Maintenance Chemicals and Crashes with an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Ye Zhirui , Xu Yueru , Veneziano David , Shi Xianming
Published: February 2015

The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate the effects of winter maintenance chemicals on road safety. To this end, a winter chemical usage model was developed. A methodology combining artificial neural network (ANN) methods and sensitivity analysis is presented. In this method, the ANN system was used to establish the relationship between road safety and associated factors, and sensitivity analysis was used to identify significant variables and quantify their effects. The chemical usage model and the ANN system were then applied to case studies in Idaho. The results from the case study showed that the use of winter maintenance chemicals played an important role in road safety. Furthermore, benefit–cost analysis of the case studies indicated that the use of winter maintenance chemicals produced more benefits than costs.
Effects of Rain on Traffic Operations on Florida Freeways
Authors: Angel Michelle L. , Sando Thobias , Chimba Deo , Kwigizile Valerian
Published: February 2015

Although the correlation between traffic variables and weather appears to be intuitive, quantifying the effects that weather, especially rain, has on driver response in travel speeds and traffic demands is needed to evaluate practical aspects of traffic operations. Previous studies have researched driver responses to inclement weather on freeways located in northern regions of the United States and Canada. However, driver familiarity with local weather conditions is a factor that should be considered in determining inclement weather effects on traffic variables. The focus of this research was to examine driver response to rain precipitation on freeways located in the southeastern regions of the United States to determine whether results from previous studies were general indicators or location specific in nature. To study the impacts of rain precipitation on hourly mean speeds and traffic volumes, hourly weather data and traffic sensor data were collected for two freeway segments in Jacksonville, Florida. The study investigated conditions such as wet versus dry (rain or no rain) and dry versus rain intensity (no rain or light, moderate, or heavy rain) for each segment. The results indicated that mean travel speeds decreased during rainfall events and speed reductions increased with increasing rain intensity. Reductions found for light rainfall events were within the range of previous studies; however, speed reductions during moderate to heavy rains varied widely. The results also indicated that the hour of the day was a factor in the degree of motorists’ speed reduction. Traffic volumes also declined during rainy conditions, with significant reductions during peak hours.
Use of Kriging Estimation to Enhance the Integrity of Geospatial Climate Data for Infrastructure Management
Authors: Volovski Matthew , Liao Tao , Dojutrek Michelle , Labi Samuel
Published: February 2015

Roadway pavements, one of the largest transportation infrastructure asset classes in terms of total value, deteriorate over time because of load (traffic) and nonload (climate) factors. Research studies over the years have shown that the nonload share of pavement damage can be as high as 60%. Historically, deterioration modeling has used coarse climate data extracted from regional or national climate maps because of insufficient local data or lack of efficient processes to refine the data. Many national and state databases contain significantly coarse climate data, and when such data are used in deterioration and cost models, the potential exists for significant misspecification. To address the problem, this paper implements kriging estimation, a geostatistical method that uses the spatial distance and autocorrelation of data collection sites to impute unobserved data values within a random field. Kriging estimation can produce gradient maps of the geospatial variable as well as point predictions of the variable at locations along a linear path such as a roadway centerline. This paper presents a case study of I-65 in Indiana, which used data from 59 statewide weather stations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The use of kriging estimation yielded a continuous prediction curve along the roadway centerline, which was an improvement over the discrete and coarse steplike nature of traditionally reported climate data.
Thermal Aspects of Melting Ice with Deicer Chemicals
Authors: Klein-Paste Alex , Potapova Julia
Published: February 2015

Deicing is the reactive treatment of road surfaces that have become hazardously slippery by snow and ice depositions. Deicing chemicals applied to road surfaces induce a melting process even at temperatures below 0°C (32°F). The objective of this study was to understand better the thermodynamics of this deicing process. The physics of the process is briefly described, and a thermodynamic model is derived. An experiment is presented: ice is melted by a liquid deicer [sodium chloride (NaCl) brine] under adiabatic conditions (no heat flow between the environment and the ice–deicer mixture) while the temperature is measured. A total of 54 ice-melting tests were performed, and the model was used to predict the final temperature and amount of melted ice. The predictions of the model show reasonable agreement with the experimental results. The melting process is characterized by rapid decrease in the temperature of the NaCl solution. The importance of this temperature drop and the heat flow during deicing under nonadiabatic conditions is discussed for commonly used ice-melting tests and field applications.
Deicing Performance of Road Salt
Authors: Hossain S. M. Kamal , Fu Liping , Lu Chi-Yin
Published: February 2015

This paper describes the results of a field study designed to quantify the effects of various factors on the snow-melting performance of salt. Many tests were conducted in a realistic environment over two winter seasons, covering more than 70 snow events, with temperatures ranging from −14°C to 3°C and snowfalls ranging from ∼0.2 to 21.0 cm. For each snow event, salts were applied to a set of test sections with specific application rates, and time series performance; condition data such as snow coverage or bare pavement status, friction, pavement and air temperature, sky view, and humidity were collected. An exploratory data analysis was performed to identify the key factors influencing the snow-melting performance of salt, such as application rate, temperature, and snow amount. A multiple linear regression model was calibrated for the relationship between the key snow-melting performance indicators: bare pavement regain time and various influencing factors. The calibrated model was then applied to determine the minimum amount of salt required for achieving a given level of service under specific weather events. Although the research was motivated by the need to develop optimal salt application rates for parking lots and sidewalks, the results could be equally applicable for other transportation facilities after factors specific to the facility, such as traffic and dilution, are accounted for.
Classification of Rural Residents on the Basis of Activity Travel Characteristics
Authors: Dashtestaninejad Hossein , Vaziri Manouchehr , Timmermans Harry
Published: February 2015

A significant portion of the population of developing countries resides in rural areas. Despite the importance of rural transportation planning in such countries, little is known about the activity travel characteristics of these rural residents. The topic has been largely ignored in transportation studies. To contribute to the scant literature, this study focused on a classification of representative activity travel–based clusters (RACs) in rural areas of Iran. A place-based interview questionnaire was designed, and data about activity and travel characteristics of rural residents were collected in May 2012. On the basis of the distance between a village and the nearest city, nearby and distant villages were considered in the survey. The statistical analysis used 665 questionnaires. A classification procedure was applied to analyze the data. First, the application of factor analysis with Varimax rotation that used Kaiser criteria resulted in nine factors, extracted from 22 initial variables. The types of villages were used to compare the factors. Results indicated that descriptive factors of rural RACs were strongly affected by the distance between a village and the nearest city. Next, a cluster analysis, which resulted in nine RACs, was conducted. Each RAC consisted of a dominant activity type, activity location, and transportation mode. Through interpretation of the RACs, the rural population was categorized into nine lifestyles. Subsequently, the distribution of village type and respondent gender and age variables for each RAC was explored. Except for age categories, differences between distributions of the village type and gender in the RACs were considerable.
Social Welfare Maximization of Multimodal Transportation
Authors: Chen Xiqun (Michael) , Yin Mogeng , Song Mingzhu , Zhang Lei , Li Meng
Published: February 2015

Multimodal urban transportation systems exhibit complex inter actions between components, including users, multimodal transportation facilities, supply side agencies, and operators. Although these interactions are obvious, rigorous quantitative methods for optimizing control variables across modes of transportation on real-world networks are deficient. A social welfare maximization model was established for joint optimization of bus fare, rail transit fare, and congestion tolls for private cars. The authors determined the optimality conditions and the second-order partial derivatives for this optimization problem. Because of the complexity of the multimodal urban transportation system, the objective function of social welfare has no closed form and is extremely expensive to evaluate. The authors therefore proposed a simulation-based framework for evaluation of the objective function and optimization of three decision variables across multiple travel modes. Several metamodels (i.e., mathematical functions that approximate the true shape of an unknown, nonlinear, and complex objective function) were adopted to approximate the highly nonlinear input–output mappings in the urban system. This is the first study to develop a simulation-based method for joint optimization of transit and road network operations. The case study applied the simulation-based optimization framework to the Sino–Singapore ecocity in Tianjin, China, by using VISSUM as the urban systems simulator. An “ecocity” is defined by the authors as “a thriving city that is socially harmonious, environmentally friendly, resource-efficient, and a model for sustainable development.” Results show that metamodels can accurately approximate the real objective function and produce good suboptimal and near-optimal solutions. The optimal combination of transit fares and congestion tolls significantly outperform those under two baseline scenarios. The optimal solutions also suggest that extreme transit fares (too high or too low) or congestion tolls are contrary to welfare-maximizing objectives. The proposed method can be applied for joint optimization of other multimodal planning and operational strategies, such as investment and operational decisions across various modes of transportation.
Shifting Discourse about Transit-Oriented Development in Mumbai, India
Authors: Rangwala Lubaina , Mathews Rejeet , Sridhar Sanjay
Published: February 2015

The 2011 census report indicates a population of more than 12 million people in the city of Mumbai, India, over an area of 427 km2. The Comprehensive Transportation Study of 2008 for the city and its region revealed that 51% of all trips (vehicular and nonmotorized) were made by walking and 78.2% of purely vehicular trips were made by public transportation. This high usage of public transportation and walking modes was a result of dense, mixed-use neighborhoods that traditionally agglomerated around suburban railway stations. Planning, implementation, and operations of mass transportation systems, however, are handled by agencies other than the city municipal corporation that plans land use and its regulation. Coordination between these agencies is typically a challenge and results in poor integration of transport and land use. High transit dependency and ridership have prompted city stakeholders to presume that Mumbai has naturally, over the years, adapted to transit stations; although this presumption is probably true, current realities indicate a worrisome trend. Regulations set out in the existing development plan greatly incentivize ownership of private vehicles, with excessive sops available to build parking structures, even close to railway stations. Suburbs are incentivized to proliferate in a bid to decongest the old city areas. Metro- and monorail alignments are under construction without consideration of integrating land use. This paper argues that current regulations incentivize vehicles and built densities around transit nodes. A dire need exists to rethink these regulations and develop a comprehensive transit-oriented development approach to managing high population densities around transit nodes.
Intervention Policies for Private Car Ownership in Megacities of Developing Countries
Authors: Han Shu , Zhang Hua , Chen Xiaohong
Published: February 2015

With rapid growth in urbanization and motorization, many Chinese megacities are suffering severe traffic congestion and air pollution. To alleviate this worsening situation, some megacities in China have implemented a license quota system (an intervention) to limit car ownership. In this paper, different license allocation schemes are presented: the lottery system in Beijing, the auction system in Shanghai, and the hybrid system in Guangzhou. The practices in Chinese cities are compared with those in Singapore and Hong Kong, China, which provide representative examples of car ownership interventions throughout the world. In addition, the possible impacts and problems of these three types of allocation methods are analyzed. The result shows that intervention policies play a significant role in controlling rapid motorization in megacities that are experiencing a transformation from low to middle-high income. Even though the restraints cannot resolve traffic congestion, the restraints slow the motorization process and provide longer time for development of high-quality public transit systems. Moreover, both fairness and effectiveness should be taken into account when strong administrative interventions are being implemented. The auction system would result in an unacceptably high bidding price, while the lottery system might stimulate unnecessary demand and provide incentives for people to purchase a car before the lottery. Therefore, the hybrid system of an auction combined with a lottery seems to be a better choice. In addition, complementary policies that restrain car usage and improve door-to-door public transit are strongly recommended in the long run.