Flashing in-curb LEDs and beacons at unsignalized crosswalks and driver's visual attention to pedestrians during nighttime.

Driver's visual attention (eye movements) and driving behaviour (kinematic data) were assessed when approaching an experimental crosswalk that included flashing white in-curb LED strips, flashing orange beacons, backlit 'Yield here to pedestrians' vertical signs, and enhanced lighting when a staged pedestrian attempted to cross. An experimental condition in which all devices were active was compared with a control condition in which only enhanced lighting and backlit vertical signs were active. The results showed a significant increase of motorists' yielding compliance, distance of first fixation to the pedestrian area, standard deviation for horizontal eye movements in the experimental condition.

A Bayesian approach for monitoring epidemics in presence of undetected cases.

One of the key indicators used in tracking the evolution of an infectious disease is the reproduction number. This quantity is usually computed using the reported number of cases, but ignoring that many more individuals may be infected (e.g.

Driver's visual attention to different categories of roadside advertising signs.

Roadside advertising signs are a salient potential source of driver's distraction. Previous research has mainly investigated driver's visual attention to billboards, which represents only one category of advertising signs. In this study, driver's visual attention was assessed in a naturalistic driving setting for six categories of roadside advertising signs: vendor signs, billboards, movable display boards, single and multiple commercial directional signs, and gas price LED displays.

EEG-Based Mental Workload Neurometric to Evaluate the Impact of Different Traffic and Road Conditions in Real Driving Settings.

Car driving is considered a very complex activity, consisting of different concomitant tasks and subtasks, thus it is crucial to understand the impact of different factors, such as road complexity, traffic, dashboard devices, and external events on the driver's behavior and performance. For this reason, in particular situations the cognitive demand experienced by the driver could be very high, inducing an excessive experienced mental workload and consequently an increasing of error commission probability. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that human error is the main cause of the 57% of road accidents and a contributing factor in most of them.

The role of peripheral vision in vertical road sign identification and discrimination.

The role of peripheral vision in road sign identification and discrimination was investigated in two studies. Peripheral vision plays an important role in road signs perception due to their lateral positioning. In the first study 20 participants identified road signs presented at five levels of horizontal eccentricity (1.

Fixation distance and fixation duration to vertical road signs.

The distance of first-fixation to vertical road signs was assessed in 22 participants while driving a route of 8.34 km. Fixations to road signs were recorded by a mobile eye-movement-tracking device synchronized to GPS and kinematic data.

Incorporation of Rubber Powder as Filler in a New Dry-Hybrid Technology: Rheological and 3D DEM Mastic Performances Evaluation.

In recent years, the use of crumb rubber as modifier or additive within asphalt concretes has allowed obtaining mixtures able to bind high performances to recovery and reuse of discarded tires. To date, the common technologies that permit the reuse of rubber powder are the wet and dry ones. In this paper, a dry-hybrid technology for the production of Stone Mastic Asphalt mixtures is proposed.

A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Impact of the Retzius-sparing Approach on Early Urinary Continence Recovery After Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

Background: Retzius-sparing (posterior) robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) may expedite postoperative urinary continence recovery.

Objective: To compare the short-term (≤3 mo) urinary continence (UC), urinary function (UF), and UF-related bother outcomes of posterior RARP compared with standard anterior approach RARP.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A total of 120 patients aged 40-75 yr with low-intermediate-risk prostate cancer (per the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines) underwent primary RARP at a tertiary care institution.

Geometric Baryogenesis from Shift Symmetry.

We present a new scenario for generating the baryon asymmetry of the Universe that is induced by a Nambu-Goldstone (NG) boson. The shift symmetry naturally controls the operators in the theory while allowing the NG boson to couple to the spacetime geometry as well as to the baryons. The cosmological background thus sources a coherent motion of the NG boson, which leads to baryogenesis.

Reflective Tape Applied to Bicycle Frame and Conspicuity Enhancement at Night.

Objective: Four studies were conducted to assess bicyclist conspicuity enhancement at night by the application of reflective tape (ECE/ONU 104) to the bicycle rear frame and to pedal cranks.

Background: Previous studies have tested the benefits of reflective markings applied to bicyclist clothing. Reflective jackets however need to be available and worn while reflective markings enhance conspicuity without any active behavior by the bicyclist.

Percutaneous suprapubic tube bladder drainage after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a step-by-step guide.

Objective: To describe our technique of maintaining bladder drainage after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using a percutaneous suprapubic tube (PST) in place of a urethral catheter.

Methods: A watertight anastomosis permits placement of the PST. Contraindications include morbid obesity, concomitant inguinal hernia mesh repair, anticoagulation therapy, limited hand dexterity in the patient, bladder neck reconstruction and extensive adhesiolysis at RARP.

Laser scanning on road pavements: a new approach for characterizing surface texture.

The surface layer of road pavement has a particular importance in relation to the satisfaction of the primary demands of locomotion, such as security and eco-compatibility. Among those pavement surface characteristics, the "texture" appears to be one of the most interesting with regard to the attainment of skid resistance. Specifications and regulations, providing a wide range of functional indicators, act as guidelines to satisfy the performance requirements.

Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing percutaneous suprapubic tube drainage after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Unlabelled: Study Type - Therapy (case series). Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? • Initial reports of percutaneous suprapubic tube (PST) drainage following RARP demonstrated feasibility and short-term safety, while decreasing patient discomfort and utilization of anti-cholinergic medication. • This study demonstrates the long-term safety and efficacy of bladder drainage by PST; splinting the urethrovesical anastomosis is simply not essential if mucosal apposition is ensured.

Safety profile of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: a standardized report of complications in 3317 patients.

Background: Previous studies attempting to assess complications after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) are limited by their small numbers, short follow-up, or lack of risk factor analysis.

Objective: To document complications after RARP by strict application of standardized reporting criteria.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Between January 2005 and December 2009, 3317 consecutive patients underwent RARP at a tertiary referral center.

Pseudo-Dirac dark matter leaves a trace.

Pseudo-Dirac dark matter is a viable type of dark matter which originates from a new Dirac fermion whose two Weyl states get slightly split in mass by a small Majorana term. The decay of the heavier to the lighter state naturally occurs over a detectable length scale. Thus, whenever pseudo-Dirac dark matter is produced in a collider, it leaves a clear trace: a visible displaced vertex in association with missing energy.

Personal PM10 exposure in asthmatic adults in Padova, Italy: seasonal variability and factors affecting individual concentrations of particulate matter.

Personal exposure to PM(10) measured in different seasons in a sample of asthmatic subjects living in Padova (Northern Italy) was compared with simultaneously measured outdoor PM(10) concentrations. The specific contribution of ambient PM(10) and other factors to individual exposure was evaluated in one of the areas of Europe with the worst air pollution. Thirty-one asthmatic subjects (21 non-smokers and 10 smokers) carried personal PM(10) monitors for six 24-hr sessions, in different seasons of the year.

Left ventricle myocardial mechanics and textural properties in patients with Williams syndrome.

Objective: To study left ventricular mechanics and textural properties in patients with Williams syndrome to define the impact of left ventricular hypertrophy on the functional findings.

Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 16 Williams syndrome patients (aged 1-25 years, mean 10 +/- 6 years), four with associated supravalvular aortic stenosis and seven with systemic hypertension. Fifteen age- and body surface area-matched subjects were selected as control group.

Myocardial ultrasound tissue characterization in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: noninvasive evidence of electrical and textural substrate for ventricular arrhythmias.

Background: Although in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) pathologic studies seem to suggest a correlation between morphologic findings and arrhythmias, it has never been confirmed in the clinical setting.

Objective: We sought to noninvasively assess the electrical and textural properties of the myocardium and to define their potential relationship in patients with HCM.

Methods: We studied 48 patients: 22 with HCM (mean age: 22 +/- 5.