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With increasing risks from natural hazards in alpine regions in Austria OEBB‐Infra and Hoffmann‐Consult have developed a consistent methodology for condition assessment, prediction, and life cycle optimization of protective structures. Based on a thorough assessment of the asset stock standardized life cycles for key structures like rockfall and avalanche protection structures have been derived. The developed life cycle models allow a generalized assessment of asset condition, residual service life, and remaining asset value. In contrast to typical transport assets, protective structures are both subject to natural aging processes and random events with a certain occurrence rate. Beyond standardized life cycles on network level an adjustment to project level is necessary to account for actual condition development and asset specific events. The paper provides an overview on the developed generic life cycle with application to rockfall protection structures with prices 2022 in Austria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing pavement management systems (PMSs) aggregate short survey sections into long homogeneous sections (typically 1–5 km), aiming to reduce the amount of data and formulate a tractable optimisation problem. However, assuming that sections in a similar condition will undergo a similar deterioration of this condition is incorrect, resulting in imprecise predictions and violations of thresholds. Thus, any maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) optimisation approach based on long road sections and a single condition indicator (aggregated or not) cannot provide applicable results at the project level. This paper provides a holistic model framework and consistent methodology for a new PMS, abolishing the need for composite condition indices, data aggregation and homogeneous sections in the M&R optimisation process. The proposed bottom-up optimisation is based on short survey sections (25–50m) and solves for optimal treatment type, timing, work-zone length and layout, minimising agency, road user and environmental life cycle costs. Instead of using just one condition indicator, the method models the effects of each treatment on multiple distress types and their combinations. Moreover, the short survey sections are grouped into larger work zones based on purely economic criteria (i.e. economies-of-scale costs). Treatment cost, temporary traffic control cost, and work-zone user cost models are derived as a function of the project size and calibrated for actual prices in Austria. Genetic algorithms are employed as a part of the solution algorithm, being capable of handling an unlimited number of road sections. Furthermore, the approach can be extended to account for budget restrictions, risk and cross-asset allocation of funds for any aging repairable infrastructure system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The nuclear protein heterogeneous nuclear RNP A2/B1 (hnRNP A2/B1) is involved in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. It is constitutively expressed in lymphoid organs and highly upregulated in the synovial tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who may also generate autoantibodies to this protein. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential involvement of hnRNP A2/B1 in the pathogenesis of autoimmune arthritis, by silencing hnRNP A2/B1 expression in 2 animal models of RA. Methods. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and the K/BxN serum-transfer model were used as animal models of RA. Efficient silencing of hnRNP A2/B1 was achieved using a liposome-based carrier system for delivery of small interfering RNAs. Expression of hnRNP A2/B1 was analyzed by flow cytometry, reverse transcription- quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The number of osteoclasts was determined by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining. Cytokine levels and anticollagen antibody levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. Efficient silencing of hnRNP A2/B1 was achieved in all lymphoid organs. In both experimental models, the incidence and severity of arthritis were largely reduced and bone erosion was not detectable as compared to the control groups. Down-modulation of hnRNP A2/B1 significantly interfered with the production of proinflammatory cytokines from monocyte/macrophages, but not from T cells. Consistent with these findings, production of T cell cytokines was not impaired when cells were restimulated in vitro with type II collagen. Furthermore, levels of anticollagen antibodies were not affected by hnRNP A2/B1 silencing. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that hnRNP A2/B1 has an important role in regulation of the innate immune system, especially at the level of monocyte/macrophage activation. Therefore, down-modulation of hnRNP A2/B1 seems to affect primarily the effector phase of autoimmune arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]