Limit Signs Research Articles

Analysis on car driver’s speed at Federal Route FT050

Johor is one of the states in Malaysia that records high accident statistics, especially on Federal Route FT050, Batu Pahat-Ayer Hitam. One of the elements causing an accident is the attitude of a driver who drives too fast and ignores the warning and speed limit signs. The study aimed to determine whether the warning signboard’s impact on driving speed at the before- and after-study locations. The GPS DG 200 was used to record the speed data of 50 trips at Batu Pahat to Ayer Hitam. Descriptive and inferential statistics (paired t-test) were used to determine whether or not a driver reduced their speed when approaching an accident-prone area. The results indicate that the warning sign is significant because drivers reduce their speed after passing a warning signboard.

Traffic Sign Detection and Voice Alert

Abstract: The Traffic Sign Detection and Voice Alert is an intelligent system designed to improve road safety by detecting traffic signs andproviding voice alerts to the driver. The project is based on computer vision and machine learning techniques, and it uses a camera to capture real-time images of the road and traffic signs. The system analyzes the images to detect traffic signs, such as speed limit signs, stop signs, and no entry signs, using deep learning algorithms. Once a traffic sign is detected, the system provides a voice alert to the driver, informing them of the sign's message. The system has several advantages over traditional traffic sign detection systems. Firstly, it is more accurate and reliable due to the use of deep learning algorithms. Secondly, it provides real-time alerts to the driver, which helps them to stay focused on the road and avoid accidents. Finally, it is cost-effective and can be easily installed in any vehicle.

P310 CARDIOPULMONARY EXERCISE TEST IN THE EVALUATION OF A PATIENT WITH HFREF: THE IMPORTANCE IN THE ANALYSIS OF GAS KINETICS

Abstract Introduction exertional dyspnea is a symptom present in several diseases, identifying the origin is of fundamental diagnostic and therapeutic importance. Cardiorespiratory exercise testing (CPET) is a valuable tool not only to assess functional capacity but also for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Clinical case 55–year–old patient with a history of episode of acute pulmonary edema. Echocardiogram showed FE 35% with diffuse left ventricular (LV) hypokinesis and mild–to–moderate mitral insufficiency (MI). Diagnostic coronarography showed lesion–free coronary tree. An interrupted CPET at 140W showed peak O2 consumption of 23.6 mL/kg/min that excluded indication for cardiac transplantation. An echocardiogram from us confirmed dilated cardiomyopathy (CMPD) with FE=32%, diffuse VS hypokinesia and mild–to–moderate functional MI. CPET was repeated, maximal for respiratory quotient (1.42) interrupted due to muscle exhaustion, indicative of moderate reduction in functional capacity with peak VO2 at 64% of predicted, preserved anaerobic threshold at 51% of VO2 max and reduced VO2/W and Pulse Oxygen Ratio (VO2/HR) values from cardiogenic limitation. Also evident drop in VO2/HR during the final stages of the test and associated change in slope of the VO2/Work relationship a sign of decline in stroke volume and cardiogenic efficiency. Absent signs of ventilatory limitation, pulmonary vascular (Ve/VCO2=20.8 in normal range), or exercise desaturation. In the final phase of the test increase in VCO2 and Ve/VCO2 and Ve/VO2 equivalents. In order to find the explanation to the data collected by CPET, exercise echocardiogram was performed, which revealed the development of severe mitral valvular insufficiency and subsequent pulmonary hypertension justifying the behavior of the parameters collected by CPET. Discussion The oxygen pulse represents a metabolic surrogate for stroke volume. Normally during the active phases of exertion there is a progressive increase followed by a plateau. The evident flattening of the VO2/Work curve during the final phases of exercise and the concomitant decrease in oxygen pulse denote inadequate cardiac performance relative to the increased energy demands during exercise. Conclusions CPET proves to be a valuable clinical tool to guide the diagnostic–therapeutic pathway, particularly in the presence of complex heart disease (CMPD or IM).

Lateral Compartment Syndrome From Inversion Injury.

A 17-year-old male presented for the evaluation of right calf pain after an inversion ankle sprain sustained while playing soccer 24hours prior. On exam, he exhibited swelling and tenderness to palpation over his right calf, mild first web space numbness, and compartment pressures <30mmHg. Magnetic resonance imaging was significant for findings of lateral compartment syndrome (CS). Upon admission, his exam worsened, prompting an anterior and lateral compartment fasciotomy. Intraoperative findings were significant for lateral CS, with findings of avulsed, nonviable muscle with associated hematoma. Postoperatively the patient had mild foot drop, which improved with physical therapy. Lateral CS rarely develops from an inversion ankle sprain. This presentation of CS is unique due to its mechanism, delayed clinical presentation, and limited signs of CS. Providers should maintain a high index of suspicion for CS in patients with this injury complex and continued pain beyond 24hours without signs of ligamentous injury.

Evaluation of the Impact of Work Zone Traffic Control Devices on Change of Speed Using the SHRP 2 Naturalistic Driving Study

Speeding is a major concern in work zones and a major contributor to work zone crashes. Around 71.4% of fatal work zone crashes are speeding-related compared with 30% of fatal crashes overall. Addressing speeding in work zones is therefore critical to improving work zone safety. This study utilized data from the second Strategic Highway Research Program Naturalistic Driving Study to evaluate the impact of traffic control devices (TCDs) on reducing driver speed in work zones. Time series data assessed changes in speed for 380 drivers over 104 unique work zones on four- or multilane roadways. Speed change was measured for single-point TCDs encountered in the work zones (i.e., signing, changeable message signs [CMSs]), and estimated using a linear mixed-effect model. Results indicated speeds reduced by 4.0 mph for dynamic speed feedback signs (DSFSs), 2.3 mph for speed limit signs (both regular and work zone), 2.2 mph with trailer-mounted- and 1.2 mph for active overhead CMSs, 2.8 mph for arrow boards, and up to 2 mph for other static work zone sign types. Driver characteristics (i.e., age, gender, glance location, cell phone use) were included in initial models but were not statistically significant, probably because of sample size. For instance, simple statics indicated that drivers engaged in a cell phone task had a decrease of only 1 mph when encountering a DSFS whereas drivers not engaged in a cell phone task decreased speed by over 4 mph. However, only seven drivers were engaged in a cell phone task when encountering a DSFS—probably too small to detect statistical significance.

Retrospective analysis of histologic lesions in captive arachnids.

Invertebrates, including arachnids, are a common taxon in zoological collections. Invertebrate medicine and pathology are emerging subspecialties, but there is limited reference material or published resources describing histologic lesions in arachnids. Histopathology of 26 captive arachnids (20 spiders and 6 scorpions) from institutional collections was reviewed. Most animals were found dead with limited clinical signs. Tissues evaluated included body wall (cuticle and epidermis), skeletal muscle, book lungs, digestive tract (pharynx, esophagus, sucking stomach, midgut tube, midgut diverticula, and stercoral pocket), central and peripheral nervous system, heart, hemolymph vessels and sinuses, Malpighian tubules, coxal glands, and gonads. Inflammation was frequent (24/26, 92%), and seen in multiple organs (18/24, 75%) with the midgut diverticulum most commonly affected (14/24, 58%) followed by the book lungs (13/24 arachnids, 54%), and body wall (8/24 arachnids, 33%). Inflammation comprised hemocyte accumulation, hemocytic coagula, melanization, and nodulation. Infectious agents, including bacteria (11/26, 42%), fungi (10/26, 38%), and parasites (2/26, 8%), were seen within inflammatory aggregates. Coinfection with multiple infectious agents was common (6/24, 25%). No etiologic agent was identified in 7/24 (29%) cases with inflammatory lesions. Lesions suggestive of decreased nutritional status or increased metabolic rate included midgut diverticula atrophy in 11/26 (42%) animals and skeletal muscle atrophy in 6/26 (23%) animals. Atrophic lesions were seen in combination with infection (8/11, 73%), pregnancy (2/11, 18%), male sex (2/11, 18%), or without other lesions (1/11, 9%). Other suspected contributors to death included dysecdysis-associated trauma (2/26, 8%) and uterine intussusception (1/26, 4%). No animals had neoplasia.

Comparing Eye-tracking System Effectiveness in Field and Driving Simulator Studies

Background: Several studies have been conducted by combining the benefits of eye-tracking systems with driving simulators to simultaneously investigate driving behavior and the potential source of distraction. However, little effort has been made in terms of eye-tracking validation in the driving simulator environment. Objective: The overall aim of this study is to validate an eye-tracking system within the context of a driving simulation environment by considering a specific urban context application. Methods: A field survey and a driving simulation experiment were conducted for a case study in Rome, Italy. The selected real road sections and events were reproduced on the driving simulator system. An eye-tracking system was used to record eye movements both on a real vehicle and the simulator. The eye movements of 14 participants in the field survey and 18 participants in the driving simulation tests, as well as their driving performances, were collected while approaching an urban intersection in relation to two specific road events: i) the presence of a speed limit sign and ii) the presence of a crossing pedestrian. Results: Eye tracker parameters and driving performances were compared between the real driving tests and driving simulator experiments in order to validate the eye-tracking system. It was validated for both events in terms of duration and distance of the eye fixation. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that an eye-tracking system is an effective tool for studies and applications in a virtual reality environment.

Recognizing Road Surface Traffic Signs Based on Yolo Models Considering Image Flips

In recent years, there have been significant advances in deep learning and road marking recognition due to machine learning and artificial intelligence. Despite significant progress, it often relies heavily on unrepresentative datasets and limited situations. Drivers and advanced driver assistance systems rely on road markings to help them better understand their environment on the street. Road markings are signs and texts painted on the road surface, including directional arrows, pedestrian crossings, speed limit signs, zebra crossings, and other equivalent signs and texts. Pavement markings are also known as road markings. Our experiments briefly discuss convolutional neural network (CNN)-based object detection algorithms, specifically for Yolo V2, Yolo V3, Yolo V4, and Yolo V4-tiny. In our experiments, we built the Taiwan Road Marking Sign Dataset (TRMSD) and made it a public dataset so other researchers could use it. Further, we train the model to distinguish left and right objects into separate classes. Furthermore, Yolo V4 and Yolo V4-tiny results can benefit from the “No Flip” setting. In our case, we want the model to distinguish left and right objects into separate classes. The best model in the experiment is Yolo V4 (No Flip), with a test accuracy of 95.43% and an IoU of 66.12%. In this study, Yolo V4 (without flipping) outperforms state-of-the-art schemes, achieving 81.22% training accuracy and 95.34% testing accuracy on the TRMSD dataset.

Abiding Vagueness: On Writing of Flight

Abiding Vagueness:On Writing of Flight Julia Mueller (bio) The nebulous genre called "nature writing" often succumbs to a trouble William James diagnosed in Principles of Psychology when he surveyed the available written accounts of consciousness: All dumb or anonymous psychic states have . . . been coolly suppressed; or, if recognized at all, have been named after the substantive perception they led to, as thoughts 'about' this object or 'about' that, the stolid word about engulfing all their delicate idiosyncrasies in its monotonous sound. So that however passionately a writer may strive to honor what seems superlatively wild—tree, moth, lizard, bird, mountain, are nonetheless tamed in the writer's account by stiflingly "substantive" affection. The piece of writing is just 'about' it, immobilizing the wild being and the world in which it moves. It is difficult to get around a problem with words through words. I am searching for ways to write in movement of life in movement, so I have begun a poetics of prose nature writing. As a critical principle, I take up William James's particular inflection of linguistic skepticism, his distrust of language's ability to be faithful to the full range of experience, in all its "delicate idiosyncrasies." He is focused on human experience and consciousness (and the experience of consciousness), but he relies upon a few deep figures borrowed from elsewhere in the natural world, for instance the flow of water and the flight of birds. When James calls for a "reinstatement of the vague to its proper place in our mental life," I take this not only as transferable to a poetics of nature writing, but as a way of recognizing nature as native, not alien, to "mental life." The expanses of consciousness James suggests language "almost refuses": those are the mind in nature. James's skepticism about language was not prescriptive, but a description of what he took to be a limiting condition of language, into which writers might enter at their peril. As Richard Poirier observes in his synthesis of intellectual history and aesthetic criticism, Poetry and Pragmatism, James's complaint about the tendency of written language to stultify reality "is usually read simply as a prescription for change, when instead it describes a [End Page 177] situation which James knows probably cannot be changed . . . His strongest objection is reserved for a prevalent error in thinking which supposes that 'where there is no name'—where there is only 'something'—then 'no entity can exist.'" The passages of nature writing I offer as exemplary are not so because they transcend the limitations of their medium, but because the writers write in the knowledge and under the sign of limitation. They leave room for the vague in the form of their writing, which is not quite the same as writing vaguely—what's vague is something not caught by words, nor hunted down with them. It's hard to find a satisfying definition of what is distinguished by indefiniteness. The normal trajectory of defining, which is towards precision, comes up against a resistance in the very spirit of this word. For the oed, to define is "To determine the boundary or spatial extent of; to settle the limits of," or "To state exactly what (a thing) is" or "To set forth or explain what (a word or expression) means." Yet vague is, exactly and precisely, "Of words, language, etc.: Not precise or exact in meaning." It can also be "The vague or undefined expanse of something," for which the oed's example comes from John Ruskin's Lectures on Art: "The shadows lost or disregarded in the vague of space." There. It is an expanse, not a negative entity only. For James, "namelessness is compatible with existence," but why take the trouble to write of all the unnamable, nameless somethings? Why not be content to remain silent and use language only for that which answers readily to it, which meets it on its ground? Because these are not two separate realms of experience, the namable and the unnamable; they are inextricably bound up with each other. Because language has force and will cover over what is nameless rather than let it stand. As I...

Freeway Crash Prediction Models with Variable Speed Limit/Variable Advisory Speed

Variable speed limit (VSL) and variable advisory speed (VAS) signs are efficient, cost-effective and among the state-of-the-art active traffic management (ATM) strategies. They adopt the idea of dynamically changing posted speed limits to improve highway safety performance and operation by harmonizing traffic speed. VSL/VAS system involves changing speed limits according to real-time traffic events and weather conditions. Hence, traditional average annual daily traffic (AADT) based crash prediction models may not capture the temporal effect of traffic characteristics due to the high level of aggregation. To address this issue, short-term safety performance functions (SPFs) with aggregation levels of average annual weekday hourly traffic (AAWDHT) and average annual weekday peak traffic (AAWDPT) along with AADT-based SPFs were developed using high-resolution traffic detector and VSL/VAS operational data. In this study, the Poisson log-normal model performed well at each level of aggregation and thus is recommended for developing short-term SPFs. In line with previous studies, traffic volume and standard deviation of speed were found to be positively associated with crash frequency in all the estimated models. In addition, it was found that implementation of VSL/VAS significantly reduced crash frequency by 15.97% and 26.14% for the AAWDHT and AAWDPT models, respectively. The safety improvement was captured in the short-term models in a more distinguished way than in the highly aggregated AADT-based model. The findings of this study pave the way for practitioners and policymakers to evaluate and select important parameters for VSL/VAS strategy implementation on freeways.

Should you invest in the companies that promote the Circular Economy idea?

PurposeThe study looks into the idea of Circular Economy through the lens of stock market performance. More specifically the authors examine if a company's association with the innovative and environment friendly disposal practices has an implication on its stock market performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a quantitative approach to derive conclusions. The market efficiency and excess volatility are estimated using OHLC measures for more accuracy. For robustness checks VRatio, bootstrapping and simulation are used as detailed in section 3.2 of the study.FindingsThe study estimates show a clear sign of excess volatility in the majority of the stocks under consideration. That confirms that the market is highly fragmented for Circular Economy–focused stocks. These types of stocks are often cyclical in nature and can offer a variety investment opportunity in the short to medium term. In addition to it the study estimates confirm that Circular Economy–focused stocks show limited signs of market efficiency. Thus, unlike ESG investment the concept of Circular Economy investment is a bit more ambiguous to the global investors.Originality/valueThe present study is first of its kind that looks into the idea of Circular Economy through the lens of stock market performance.

Педіатричні аспекти гострого гематогенного остеомієліту в дитини раннього віку: клінічний випадок

Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis is one of the common bacterial infections in children of early age, which is accompanied by mild symptoms at the initial stage of diagnosis. The onset of the disease is usually acute with fever, intoxication syndrome, focal signs of bone inflammation and limitation of limb function. Purpose - to show the features of diagnosis and treatment of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in an infant based on clinical observation. Clinical case. The clinical case of a child of early age with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis, who was hospitalized with complaints of an increase in body temperature up to 40°C, restlessness, swelling and hyperemia of the lower part of the right thigh and right knee joint, and movement disorders in the right leg, was presented. The general condition of the child upon admission is severe due to intoxication, hyperthermic syndromes and local changes in the right lower limb, which was in a forced position, pronation. There were no active movements in the right leg, passives ones were painful. Rotational movements in the right leg are possible, but painful. The soft tissues in the area of the right hip and knee joints, as well as the thighs, were not changed in color, their swelling was noted. Conclusions. Symptoms of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in young children are often nonspecific. Intoxication syndrome symptoms and local changes as movement disorders in the limb in children of this age group dominate. Pain can be detected during the examination, which is clearly localized with sensitivity over the infected bone; edema may be present. Changes of complete blood count are mild, while the determination of C-reactive protein during the initial evaluation can serve as a baseline value for sequential monitoring. The sensitivity of X-ray examination at the beginning of the disease is low, radiological changes appear only 7-21 days after infection. Empiric antimicrobial therapy aimed at Staphylococcus aureus should be prescribed immediately after the detection of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis clinical signs even before receiving results of additional research methods. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.

Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules with ANFIS by Using Genetic Algorithm and Proposing a Novel CAD-Based Risk Stratification System of Thyroid Nodules.

The thyroid nodule risk stratification guidelines used in the literature are based on certain well-known sonographic features of nodules and are still subjective since the application of these characteristics strictly depends on the reading physician. These guidelines classify nodules according to the sub-features of limited sonographic signs. This study aims to overcome these limitations by examining the relationships of a wide range of ultrasound (US) signs in the differential diagnosis of nodules by using artificial intelligence methods. An innovative method based on training Adaptive-Network Based Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS) by using Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to differentiate malignant from benign thyroid nodules. The comparison of the results from the proposed method to the results from the commonly used derivative-based algorithms and Deep Neural Network (DNN) methods yielded that the proposed method is more successful in differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules. Furthermore, a novel computer aided diagnosis (CAD) based risk stratification system for the thyroid nodule's US classification that is not present in the literature is proposed.

Where is the opportunity in opportunity zones?

AbstractIn December 2017, the U.S. Congress passed into law the Opportunity Zone (OZ) program. As an OZ, designated low‐income census tracts provide considerable tax breaks to property investors, intending to attract investments and spur economic growth. As the success of the program is dependent on investors' responses, we analyze market reactions in a difference‐in‐differences framework. We identify two potential effects on property markets: tax breaks for investors and expected land value appreciation. Our results show that tax breaks are priced efficiently. Qualified properties increase by 7–20% in price, while vacant land increase up to 37%. In contrast, we find limited signs of expected land value appreciation.

Integrated Graphical Representation of Highway Scenarios to Improve Trajectory Prediction of Surrounding Vehicles

Varying numbers and types of vehicles, various road structures and traffic rules bring difficulties to an autonomous vehicle driving in highway traffic scenarios. It is important to simultaneously consider all these elements in an integrated framework when predicting the future trajectories of surrounding vehicles. This paper presents a unified graphical representation method for dynamic traffic scenarios based on integrating not only the constraints from vehicles but also the collision risk implied behind road structures and traffic rules. Different from previous studies which ignores road structures and traffic rules or separately represent them in a qualitative way, this method can make better use of the influences of these environment elements in a quantitative way to improve trajectory prediction of surrounding vehicles in highway scenarios. Specifically, this method first assesses the permissibility and passability of different types of roads and vehicles, and then defines their collision risk level based on traffic rules like speed limit or priority signs. Secondly, the bird-view scenarios are rasterized and rendered as color-scaled feature maps based on this risk level. Finally, multiple feature maps with various spatial and temporal perspective field are sequentially fed to a convolutional long short-term memory (LSTM) network to predict trajectories for surrounding vehicles. We implement the model on NGSIM dataset and achieve satisfying prediction accuracy, for example, the error over 5s time prediction horizon can be reduced to less than 2.78m in longitudinal and 0.26m in lateral direction.

Remote Psychotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Changes Experienced by Austrian Psychotherapists

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated measures to contain the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus required a change in treatment format from face-to-face to remote psychotherapy. This study investigated the changes experienced by Austrian therapists when switching to psychotherapy at a distance. A total of 217 therapists participated in an online survey on changes experienced when switching settings. The survey was open from 26 June until 3 September 2020. Several open questions were evaluated using qualitative content analysis. The results show that the setting at a distance was appreciated by the therapists as a possibility to continue therapy even during an exceptional situation. Moreover, remote therapy offered the respondents more flexibility in terms of space and time. Nevertheless, the therapists also reported challenges of remote therapy, such as limited sensory perceptions, technical problems and signs of fatigue. They also described differences in terms of the therapeutic interventions used. There was a great deal of ambivalence in the data regarding the intensity of sessions and the establishment and/or maintenance of a psychotherapeutic relationship. Overall, the study shows that remote psychotherapy seems to have been well accepted by Austrian psychotherapists in many settings and can offer benefits. Clinical studies are also necessary to investigate in which contexts and for which patient groups the remote setting is suitable and where it is potentially contraindicated.

Mapping and analysis of laws influencing built environments for walking and cycling in Australia

BackgroundPhysical inactivity is a significant public health concern, with limited signs of improvement despite a global commitment to achieving the World Health Organization’s target of 15% reduction by 2030. A systems approach is required to tackle this issue, involving the creation of environments that are conducive to physical activity. Laws represent an important tool for regulating the built environment for physical activity, are a mechanism for systems change, and have the capacity to reorient the goals and rules of a system. However, they are understudied and potentially underutilised for physical activity. Scientific legal mapping is a first step towards understanding how laws could impact the built environment to facilitate greater population physical activity.MethodWe conducted a legal assessment of state and territory laws in Australia, to systematically characterise how they address built environment considerations with specific relevance to walking and cycling. An interdisciplinary team of researchers with public health, law and urban planning expertise was formed to complete the multistage process. Key steps included a systematic search of laws using a combination of original legal research, consultation of secondary sources, and review and verification by an urban planning expert; development of a coding scheme; and completion of coding and quality control procedures.ResultsMost jurisdictions in Australia do not currently embed objectives in primary legislation that would promote physical activity and support an integrated approach to land use and transport planning that encourages active and sustainable lifestyles. Only two jurisdictions addressed the large majority of evidence-based standards that promote active living. Of the standards addressed in law, few fully met evidence-based recommendations. While most jurisdictions legislated responsibility for enforcement of planning law, few legislated obligations for monitoring implementation.ConclusionIncreasing physical activity is a systems issue, requiring actions across multiple sectors. An in-depth examination of the legal environment is an important step towards understanding and influencing the existing physical activity system, why it may not be generating desired outcomes, and potential opportunities for improvement. Our findings reveal opportunities where laws could be strengthened to promote more active environments. Updating this dataset periodically will generate longitudinal data that could be used to evaluate the impact of these laws on the built environment and physical activity behaviours.

Over-Dimension and Overloading Truck Accident Model with Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square

Road accidents are an unavoidable problem, especially accidents caused by Over-dimension and Overloading trucks. This study involved environmental factors, driver factors, vehicle factors, and road factors which had previously been analyzed using the multinomial logistic regression method with questionnaire data of 194 respondents and resulted in 6 indicators including road surface conditions, traffic flow volume, accident history, vehicle load, vehicle dimension, and speed limit signs. The purpose of this study was to find out relationship between latent variables using the Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square (SEM PLS) method to obtain a model of the factors causing Over-dimension and Overloading truck accidents. The model results obtained indicate that weather conditions, road surface conditions, lighting condition, certified training, driver's physical condition, vehicle type, vehicle dimension, vehicle load, road geometry, accident location, traffic facilities, as well as vehicle dimension, and speed limit signs were the variables that had the greatest influence.The model obtained was good and fit (fit model) based on the R2 and Chi-Square values of 65.7% and 76.3%, respectively.Keywords: Over-dimension and Overloading Trucks; Road Accidents; SEM PLS; Factors Causing Accidents

Nutrients and chlorophyll-a in the Gulf of Oman: High seasonal variability in nitrate distribution

As part of comprehensive oceanographic studies on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, this article documented the seasonal and vertical distribution of nutrients, chlorophyll-a, and nitrogen deficiency in the Strait of Hormuz and northern part of Gulf of Oman. During the three consecutive research cruises of RV Kavoshgar Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf Explorer) in September–October 2018, December 2018, and May 2019, 7–18 stations were surveyed. During the southwest monsoon season, the water column is characterized by a 10–20 m shallow mixed layer and high spatial variation in nutrients and their ratio in the upper 100 m. Shallow remineralization of nitrogen-rich organic matter and lateral advection from the Arabian Sea upwelling system lead to nutrient accumulation, and enrichment of nitrate-nitrogen compared to P and Si in the euphotic zone with some sign of Si limitation. On the other hand, deepening of the mixed layer due to the cool convective mixing during the northeast monsoon, brings nutrients to the surface and stimulate the phytoplankton blooms (i.e. with surface chlorophyll-a maximum of 1.46 ± 0.57 μg l−1). So, the primary production is likely to be controlled by grazing rather than nutrient availability during the northeast monsoon. In the spring inter-monsoon, the multilayer structure of the water column with a less well-characterized mixed layer has a surface layer severely depleted in nitrite and nitrate with low yet detectable concentrations of silicate (0.77 ± 0.44 μM) and phosphate (0.29 ± 0.09 μM). The distribution of surface chlorophyll-a concentration was patchy with generally low concentrations of 0.37 ± 0.10 μg l−1 with highly variable subsurface maxima occurring at 10–25 m depth level. Primary production seemed to be potentially limited by inorganic nitrogen availability in spring inter-monsoon, as severe nitrogen deficiencies extended from the surface to the bottom layer (17.54 ± 4.39 μM at 400–1000 m depth level).

Réactivation de tuberculose après traitement immunomodulateur pour une infection sévère à SARS-CoV-2

We report cases of tuberculosis reactivation after COVID-19 treated with corticosteroids and tocilizumab. Both patients had lymphopenia and limited clinical signs. Radiological findings were unusual but microbiological samples were positive. As screening for latent tuberculosis with IGRA seems inappropriate in this context, latent tuberculosis treatment should be discussed while introducing immunomodulatory treatment for patients at risk.