Improved method for roadside barrier length of need modeling using real-world trajectories

The 2011 AASHTO Roadside Design Guide (RDG) contains perhaps the most widely used procedure for choosing an appropriate length of need (LON) for roadside barriers. However, this procedure has several limitations. The procedure uses a highly simplified model of vehicle departure, and the procedure does not allow designers to specify an explicit level of protection. A new procedure for choosing LON that addresses these limitations is presented in this paper. This new procedure is based on recent, real-world road departure trajectories and uses this departure data in a more realistic way. The new procedure also allows LON to be specified for a precisely known level of protection – a level which can be based on number of crashes, injury outcomes or even estimated crash cost – while still remaining straightforward and quick to use like the 2011 RDG procedure.     

Impact of Reaction Conditions on MnO2 Genesis during Permanganate Oxidation

To enhance the understanding of the behavior and effects of the precipitation of MnO2 particles in the subsurface generated during in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) using permanganate, laboratory batch experiments were completed to examine the influence that varied reaction matrix conditions have on the generation and properties of manganese oxides. The conditions examined include organic material type and concentration, permanganate concentration, pH, and the presence of calcium (as a representative divalent cation) in solution. Experimental studies included: (1) spectrophotometric examination of permanganate depletion and manganese oxides generation over time during reactions with trichloroethene; (2) scanning electron microscopy analyses of manganese particle morphology; (3) particle size distribution (filtration) characterization studies; and (4) optical particle sizing and numeration studies. Bench-scale, batch experiments were conducted to focus on fundamental chemical properties affecting particle development under varied potential environmental conditions. The amount of manganese oxides particles that develop, grow, and potentially settle as a result of permanganate ISCO of organic contaminants is a function of the particle size and concentration, the time allowed for particle development, and the impact of matrix conditions on the ability of particles to agglomerate.     

The Precedence Effect in Three Species of Birds (Melopsittacus undulatus, Serinus canaria, and Taeniopygia guttata).

The perceived locations of paired auditory images, simulating direct sounds and their echoes, have been recently studied in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus; M. L. Dent & R. J. Dooling, 2003a, 2003b). In this article, the authors extend those experiments to include measurements of the precedence effect using a discrimination paradigm in two additional bird species: canaries (Serinus canaria) and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Although time courses of summing localization, localization dominance, and echo thresholds were similar across all species, budgerigars had slightly higher overall levels of discrimination. The results from these experiments add further support that the precedence effect in birds is similar to that found in other animals and that the ability to suppress echoes that might degrade localization and auditory object perception may be a general property of the vertebrate auditory system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of perspective in the accessibility of goals during reading.

An implicit assumption of several causal reasoning models is that readers adopt the goals of a narrative's protagonist during text comprehension. In apparent violation of this assumption, readers participating in Experiment 1 of the present study drew inferences relevant to a protagonist's goal even when that goal was already satisfied from the perspective of the protagonist. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants were explicitly asked to view the text situation from the point of view of the protagonist. In this case, the goals of the reader and the protagonist should be the same. In these experiments, participants focused on the goals of the protagonist only when those goals had not been satisfied from the perspective of the protagonist. These results are discussed in terms of reader- and character-based perspectives and in terms of text characteristics that cue perspective taking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experience With Nocturnal Hemodialysis

In order to provide a highly efficient, long-duration form of hemodialysis, we developed nocturnal hemodialysis. Patients were dialyzed nightly at home for 8 – 10 hours, 6 – 7 nights/week. We kept the dialysate flow at 100 mL/min and the blood flow at 250 – 300 mL/min. Patients were monitored remotely from the hospital through a computer connection. An internal jugular line was used as an access. We have trained 12 patients over 30 months and have accumulated 160 patient-months worth of data. The patients tolerated the dialysis very well and slept through the night. There was a significant improvement in their sense of well-being. Nightly Kt/V was 0.99. Weekly removal of phosphate was two times as high and β ₂ -microglobulin four times as high as conventional hemodialysis. All patients have discontinued their phosphate binders and have increased their dietary phosphate and protein intake. Hypertension was controlled with fewer medications, and erythropoietin dosages decreased. Complications were infrequent and included catheter occlusion and infections. Reusing the dialyzers decreased the cost of the treatment to levels similar to continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Nocturnal hemodialysis represents a viable dialysis modality that combines high quality, low cost, and excellent tolerance.     

Comments on “Editorial: fuzzy models-what are they andwhy?”

In the editorial by J.C. Bezdek (ibid., p.1), an example is presented to demonstrate differences between fuzzy membership and probability. The authors argue that probability can be used in a way much more closely analogous to this use of fuzzy membership, weakening the argument for the latter