The Sino-Laos Railway and the Connectivity Potential for a Small State

The Laos National Railway network is a milestone in the country’s transportation history. From the Chinese perspective, the China–Laos Economic Corridor (CLEC) is a vital sub-component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). From the Laotian perspective, the Southeast Asian country intends to transform from a land-locked country (the only country within ASEAN or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) into a land-linked country with Chinese equipment and infrastructure inputs. Through the railway system, Laos will be connected to maritime ports in China, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, potentially benefiting its tourism industry, workforce mobility, land sales, services/retail outlets and intra- as well as extra-ASEAN trade and investments. Laos has proven to be the most politically stable, regime-reliable, perhaps complementary entity that has a stake in the success of the pan-Asian railway for the sake of its own economic development at the moment. At least, it does not require complicated diplomatic efforts, unlike the cases of Vietnam and Myanmar at this point of time. Thus, it may turn out to be a win–win situation for both the Laotians and the Chinese.

Assessment and Analysis of Precambrian Basement Soil Deposits Using Grain Size Distribution

The article presents the grain size distribution of soil samples from the Precambrian basement within the purview of the textural properties, deduced transportation history and the numerical assessments using statistical parameters. The fourteen soil samples collected from the study area were subjected to sieve analysis in the laboratory for the determination of their grain size distribution. The statistical parameters’ study includes the graphic mean, skewness, sorting and kurtosis. The result of the analysis of the soil samples ranged from coarse to fine-grained samples, moderately and poorly sorted, positively and negatively skewed and the kurtosis also shows leptokurtic as the most dominant which suggests the samples poorly distributed and moderately sorted at the centre of the grain size distribution. These results also suggest the geological environment of the soil samples could be responsible for the poorly and moderately sorted exhibited by the samples deposited in the location.

Characterization of Equine Parvovirus in Thoroughbred Breeding Horses from Germany

An equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) has been recently identified in association with equine serum hepatitis, also known as Theiler’s disease. The disease was first described by Arnold Theiler in 1918 and is often observed with parenteral use of blood products in equines. However, natural ways of viral circulation and potential risk factors for transmission still remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of EqPV-H infections in Thoroughbred horses in northern and western Germany and aimed to identify potential risk factors associated with viral infections. A total of 392 Thoroughbreds broodmares and stallions were evaluated cross-sectionally for the presence of anti-EqPV-H antibodies and EqPV-H DNA using a luciferase immunoprecipitation assay (LIPS) and a quantitative PCR, respectively. In addition, data regarding age, stud farm, breeding history, and international transportation history of each horse were collected and analysed. An occurrence of 7% EqPV-H DNA positive and 35% seropositive horses was observed in this study cohort. The systematic analysis of risk factors revealed that age, especially in the group of 11–15-year-old horses, and breeding history were potential risk factors that can influence the rate of EqPV-H infections. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis showed a high similarity on nucleotide level within the sequenced Thoroughbred samples. In conclusion, this study demonstrates circulating EqPV-H infections in Thoroughbred horses from central Europe and revealed age and breeding history as risk factors for EqPV-H infections.

Automated Vehicle Legislative Issues

This paper provides a synthesis of issues addressed by state legislation in relation to automated vehicles (AV); technologies are rapidly evolving and many states have developed legislation to govern AV testing and deployment and assure safety on public roads. The expected benefits of AV include increased safety, increased capacity, decreased congestion, increased productivity because of hands-free travel, and increased mobility for people who cannot drive. The projected economic impact of AV is significant, with an estimated market of $7 trillion by 2050. Potential challenges include increased costs, liability and licensing issues, privacy considerations, security and cybersecurity concerns, and potential job losses. Legislative responses to AV technology have varied significantly, depending on the state. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation related to AV, and six states have executive orders. Even after federal AV legislation is passed, there will still be an important role for states in AV licensure, registration, insurance, traffic laws, enforcement, infrastructure, and emergency response. The objective of this research is to identify and synthesize current state legislation related to AV, which shows diverse responses and has led to a patchwork of operating conditions from state to state. The information presented in this paper provides important information as agencies and decision makers develop strategic plans for AV activities at every level, and serves an important function by documenting the evolution of issues related to AV which is an important part of transportation history.

The Suspension Bridges of Andrew Smith Hallidie

Andrew Smith Hallidie (1836–1900) played a central role in the development of the suspension bridge, not only in California but across the United States. While Hallidie did not invent the suspension bridge, he made improvements in the manufacture of iron and steel cables for such bridges. He also built at least eight substantial bridges, all in remote regions of California and elsewhere in the late 1850s and early 1860s. He made a meaningful contribution to the transportation history of the Mother Lode, building bridges that were able to withstand the ferocious floods that decimated the region during the early 1860s.

Helmet efficacy against concussion and traumatic brain injury: a review

Helmets are one of the earliest and most enduring methods of personal protection in human civilization. Although primarily developed for combat purposes in ancient times, modern helmets have become highly diversified to sports, recreation, and transportation. History and the scientific literature exhibit that helmets continue to be the primary and most effective prevention method against traumatic brain injury (TBI), which presents high mortality and morbidity rates in the US. The neurosurgical and neurotrauma literature on helmets and TBI indicate that helmets provide effectual protection against moderate to severe head trauma resulting in severe disability or death. However, there is a dearth of scientific data on helmet efficacy against concussion in both civilian and military aspects. The objective of this literature review was to explore the historical evolution of helmets, consider the effectiveness of helmets in protecting against severe intracranial injuries, and examine recent evidence on helmet efficacy against concussion. It was also the goal of this report to emphasize the need for more research on helmet efficacy with improved experimental design and quantitative standardization of assessments for concussion and TBI, and to promote expanded involvement of neurosurgery in studying the quantitative diagnostics of concussion and TBI. Recent evidence summarized by this literature review suggests that helmeted patients do not have better relative clinical outcome and protection against concussion than unhelmeted patients.

Education Support by Research in Local Transportation History

Aim of the article is to present our research dealing with virtual reality modeling and education activities. It involves a chain of development steps: taking pictures of objects, collecting information, creation of 3D models and panoramas, setting up the interactive virtual reality environment along with educational support and testing the user experience with students. Methodology/methods of work: the creation of 3D models and panoramas is done by taking pictures of real objects and using them as textures. The education materials are created as interactive presentations and the usability testing of these presentations should be planned. Scientific goal is to measure the quality of interaction by this education support in order to derive rules testing effectiveness of support, interactive applications and presentations. Findings: 3D models and other educational support materials may be created voluntarily by teachers. The open source library for many different models should be created by whole community provided suitable interfaces of modeling tools will be arranged. Conclusions: Complex educational and interactive materials including virtual reality and panoramas are satisfactory when combined with easy 3D models that are made from taken pictures, which could be made by teachers themselves and/or open communities by existing cameras.