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Abstract In the present study road safety impact analysis for certain advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) was conducted. Based on a literature review, expert interviews and current adaptations in legislation, the most promising nine ADAS were selected. The impact was analysed based on statistical crash data from Austria. Factors such as infrastructure and weather conditions, market penetration, expected functionality of sensors, user acceptance and risk homeostasis were considered. A software tool was developed to calculate the crash reduction potential of the selected ADAS for the scenarios 2025, 2030 and 2040. The results show that the ADAS related to warning/braking have the greatest future reduction potential and could lead to a reduction of up to 8,700 crashes and 70 fatalities in Austria in 2040. In addition, the Intelligent Speed Assistance system would lead to an overall crash reduction of 8% compared to current crash numbers in Austria in 2040. The Turning Assistant for heavy goods vehicles shows the lowest reduction in crashes and casualties, but due to the highest severity per crash (93 fatalities per 1,000 crashes), it nevertheless provides an important contribution to the reduction of fatalities in road traffic. However, to benefit from the ADAS safety potential, it is highly relevant that these systems are used in a correct manner. In the future, it will be necessary to provide users with more information on the correct use, benefits and limitations of the respective ADAS and to integrate the use of these systems into driver education procedures and tests.

Abstract One of the major consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the significant incidence of persistent fatigue following resolution of an acute infection (i.e. post-COVID fatigue). We have shown previously that, in comparison to healthy controls, those suffering from post-COVID fatigue exhibit changes in muscle physiology, cortical circuitry, and autonomic function. Whether these changes preceded infection, potentially predisposing people to developing post-COVID fatigue, or whether the changes were a consequence of infection was unclear. Here we present results of a 12-month longitudinal study of 18 participants from the same cohort of post-COVID fatigue sufferers to investigate these correlates of fatigue over time. We report improvements in self-perception of the impact of fatigue via questionnaires, as well as significant improvements in objective measures of peripheral muscle fatigue and autonomic function, bringing them closer to healthy controls. Additionally, we found reductions in muscle twitch tension rise times, becoming faster than controls, suggesting that the improvement in muscle fatigability might be due to a process of adaptation rather than simply a return to baseline function.

Leguminous tree root nodule nitrogen-fixing bacteria are critical for recuperation of soil C and N cycle processes after disturbance in tropical forests, while other nodule-associated bacteria (NAB) may enhance nodule development and activity, and plant growth. However, little is known of these root nodule microbiomes. Through DNA analysis, we evaluated the bacterial taxa associated with the root nodules of the 1-year-old, 2-year-old, 13-year-old, and old growth Inga punctata trees in a cloud forest. Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens was the dominant taxon found in all nodules at 63.16% to 85.71% mean percent sequences (MPS) of the total nodule bacterial DNA and was found in the youngest nodules examined (1 year old), suggesting that it is the primary nodular bacteria. There were 26 other NAB genera with collective MPS levels between 7.4% to 12.2%, while 15 of these genera were found in the Bulk Forest soils at collective MPS levels of 4.6%. These bacterial community compositions were different between the NAB and Bulk Forest soils, suggesting the NAB became concentrated within the root nodules, resulting in communities with different compositions from the Bulk Forest soils. Twenty-three of the 26 NAB genera were previously identified with the potential to perform 9 plant growth promoting (PGP) activities, suggesting their importance in root nodule development and plant growth. These NAB communities appeared to successionally develop over time into more complex taxonomic communities, which is consistent with the outcome of advanced microbial communities following succession. The presence of both B. diazoefficiens and the NAB communities in the nodules across all ages of tree roots, and the potential for PGP activities linked with most of the NAB genera, suggest the importance of B. diazoefficiens and the NAB community for nodule development and enhanced development and growth of I. punctata throughout its lifespan, and most critically in the younger plants., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press.)

Mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain (NP) are complex with multiple genes, their interactions, environmental and epigenetic factors being implicated. Transcriptional changes in the trigeminal (TG) and dorsal root (DRG) ganglia have been implicated in the development and maintenance of NP. Despite efforts to unravel molecular mechanisms of NP, many remain unknown. Also, most of the studies focused on the spinal system. Although the spinal and trigeminal systems share some of the molecular mechanisms, differences exist. We used RNA-sequencing technology to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the TG and DRG at baseline and 3 time points following the infraorbital or sciatic nerve injuries, respectively. Pathway analysis and comparison analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed pathways. Additionally, upstream regulator effects were investigated in the two systems. DEG (differentially expressed genes) analyses identified 3,225 genes to be differentially expressed between TG and DRG in naïve animals, 1,828 genes 4 days post injury, 5,644 at day 8 and 9,777 DEGs at 21 days postinjury. A comparison of top enriched canonical pathways revealed that a number of signaling pathway was significantly inhibited in the TG and activated in the DRG at 21 days postinjury. Finally, CORT upstream regulator was predicted to be inhibited in the TG while expression levels of the CSF1 upstream regulator were significantly elevated in the DRG at 21 days postinjury. This study provides a basis for further in-depth studies investigating transcriptional changes, pathways, and upstream regulation in TG and DRG in rats exposed to peripheral nerve injuries. PERSPECTIVE: Although trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia are homologs of each other, they respond differently to nerve injury and therefore treatment. Activation/inhibition of number of biological pathways appear to be ganglion/system specific suggesting that different approaches might be required to successfully treat neuropathies induced by injuries in spinal and trigeminal systems., (Copyright © 2023 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)