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Background: To our knowledge, no agreed-upon best practices exist for joining U.S. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and U.S. Postal Service ZIP Codes (ZIPs). One-to-one linkage using 5-digit ZCTA identifiers excludes ZIPs without direct matches. "Crosswalk" linkage may match a ZCTA to multiple ZIPs, avoiding losses. Methods: We compared noncrosswalk and crosswalk linkages nationally and for mortality and health insurance in California. To elucidate selection implications, generalized additive models related sociodemographics to whether ZCTAs contained nonmatching ZIPs. Results: Nationwide, 15% of ZCTAs had nonmatching ZIPs, i.e., ZIPs dropped under noncrosswalk linkage. ZCTAs with nonmatching ZIPs were positively associated with metropolitan core location, lower socioeconomics, and non-White population. In California, 34% of ZIPs in the mortality and 25% in the health insurance data had ZCTAs with nonmatching ZIPs; however, these ZIPs constitute only 0.03% of total mortality and 0.44% of total insurance enrollees. Conclusions: Our study findings support the use of crosswalk linkages and ZCTAs as a unit of analysis. One-to-one linkage may cause bias by differentially excluding ZIPs with more disadvantaged populations, although affected population sizes seem small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study presents the outcomes of empirical investigations pertaining to human-vehicle interactions involving an autonomous vehicle (AV) equipped with both internal and external Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) within a crosswalk scenario. The internal and external HMIs were integrated with implicit communication techniques, incorporating a combination of gentle and aggressive braking manoeuvres within the crosswalk. Data were collected through a combination of questionnaires and quantifiable metrics, including pedestrian decision to cross related to the vehicle distance and speed. The questionnaire responses reveal that pedestrians experience enhanced safety perceptions when the external HMI and gentle braking manoeuvres are used in tandem. In contrast, the measured variables demonstrate that the external HMI proves effective when complemented by the gentle braking manoeuvre. Furthermore, the questionnaire results highlight that the internal HMI enhances passenger confidence only when paired with the aggressive braking manoeuvre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The problem of transcoding is recurrent when researchers wish to link occupational data from cohorts to Job-Exposure Matrices (JEMs) which were not set up in the same classifications. The Occupational Asthma-specific JEM (OAsJEM) is a JEM developed for assessing exposure to agents known at risk for asthma for jobs coded with ISCO88 occupation classification. To apply the OAsJEM in the CONSTANCES cohort, in which jobs and industries were coded with French PCS2003 and NAF2008 classifications respectively, we developed a crosswalk to convert jobs from PCS2003 into ISCO88 classification. Methods This work was carried out by 2 skilled coders and 1 novice coder who have worked independently by using different tools and transcoding strategies defined a priori. Consensus meetings were organized with skilled coders to define the final crosswalk. This work was elaborated in 2 steps: (i) for 38 ISCO88 codes classified as potentially exposed to cleaning and disinfection products by the OAsJEM, and (ii) for all jobs from the ISCO88 classification. A comparison between the 3 initial coder's crosswalk proposals and the final crosswalk was made for the 38 ISCO codes in step (i). Results The final crosswalk provided 998 matches between the 482 4-digit PCS2003 codes, 308 4-digit ISCO88 codes, and 31 3-digit ISCO88 codes. Information regarding the NAF2008 industry classification was also used in some cases to improve the final crosswalk. For the selected 38 ISCO88 codes, the final crosswalk provided 110 combinations, but the number of proposed ISCO88–PCS2003 couples by each of the 3 coders varied greatly from 68 to 153. In addition, an important variability between the 3 coders were observed among the number of common combinations between the initial coder's proposals and the final crosswalk (from 47% to 78%). Discussion We have developed a crosswalk specifically for an application of the OAsJEM in population-based surveys using the PCS2003 occupation classification. The development of this crosswalk is of great interest for the use of OAsJEM on the data of the CONSTANCES cohort and on any other survey with occupational data coded according to the French classifications. This OAsJEM crosswalk could be used by other teams to evaluate occupational exposures known to be at risk of asthma from occupational calendars coded with French classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assemble and present the status of the published information available regarding pedestrian safety near crosswalks and bus stops through a comprehensive search of various databases. It focuses on the influence of crossing environment and bus stops, underlining land-use components, crosswalk quality, traffic control, placement of facilities, and other aspects of pedestrian crossing safety. It also offers a detailed discussion of various study designs and statistical modeling techniques implemented in this context over the years, followed by the suggested interventions to improve safety at such high-risk locations. The existing literature elucidates that traffic management strategies and designs have often prioritized the movement of motorized vehicles, resulting in higher risk to pedestrians. This is especially true for low- and middle-income countries. Also, previous research is mostly aligned with offering solutions with limited reference to the reported crash data. Thus, a holistic approach is needed to identify the contributing factors associated with fatal crashes, assess the safety performance at such locations, and thereby offer sustainable planning and design for pedestrian facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that road safety is a major problem in cities, resulting in a large number of accidents with significant injuries and loss of life. Much of this problem occurs when vehicles interact with pedestrians. To try to minimize this problem to a large extent, a combined system using resins and a photoluminescent additive was proposed. To confirm the goodness of this material, a characterisation was carried out covering luminance, vibroacoustic and mechanical properties and a study of its photogrammetry under real conditions of use. A luminance of 68 mcd/m2 at 20 min was confirmed, which would allow, by a wide margin, a pedestrian crossing to be observed in a vehicle more than 100 m away. The acoustic vibration test confirmed that the proposed system would provide a very efficient audible warning to pedestrians and would reduce the average vehicle speed by about 37 % overall, while in cases where vehicles have to stop for pedestrians, this reduction would be about 28 %. With the mechanical characterisation, it was possible to determine a vertical displacement of always less than 2 mm in vehicles with a wheel load of 12.5 kN, reaching a compressive and tensile strength of more than 56 MPa. The results obtained confirm a potential reduction in mortality of close to 110 %, and injuries by approximately 55 %, as a consequence of the reduction in vehicle speed. In addition, improved night-time visibility of pedestrian crossings would reduce deaths by 35 % and injuries by 26 %, while in the most favourable situations, these values would be 14 % and 10 % for deaths and injuries respectively. All this confirms the great advantage of the system for improving road safety in urban environments.

The location of curb ramps, crosswalk markings, and curb radius are important contributors to pedestrian safety at intersections, particularly for conflicts and crashes involving right turns. Drivers tend to have higher turning speeds at locations with larger curb radii, which also requires greater stopping sight distance. If the crosswalk is placed further away from the intersection corner (i.e., offset or setback from the intersection corner), it could potentially provide drivers better visibility of pedestrians and increase the available stopping distance. However, no study has previously been conducted to investigate the relationship between crosswalk location and curb radius. This paper presents the results of research that quantifies the relationship between the offset of crosswalks (setback crosswalk) and indirect safety measures (driver stopping, yielding, and speed selection) at intersections with the consideration of other characteristics during simulated driving. The study included field-based observations and driving simulator experiments. A driving simulator experiment with 50 participants was conducted to determine how setback distances, sharpness of curb radii, and presence of pedestrians affect driver stopping decision and position, and speed choice. Approximately 12 h of video (7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.) were collected at nine study sites that closely matched the designs tested in the driving simulator. Comparisons of drivers' speed in a similar scenario obtained from field and simulator data were performed to benchmark the observations from the driving simulator against field data. Stop line speeds were found to be consistent between experiments and turning speeds were found to be slightly higher in the driving simulator experiment. The research results suggest that curb radius should be smaller [less than 9 m (30 ft)] to control driver speed. Additionally, a setback distance of 6 m (20 ft) is a suitable upper bound for crosswalk placement when reconstructing intersections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS 2.0) have been widely used to measure functional impairment and disability. To ensure that the scores from these two scales are practically exchangeable across diseases, therapies, and care programmes, the current study aimed to examine the linkage of the WHODAS 2.0 with the SDS and develop a simple and reliable conversion table for the two scales in people with mental disorders. A total of 798 patients (mean age = 36.1, SD = 12.7) were recruited from outpatient clinics of the Institute of Mental Health, and the Community Wellness Clinic in Singapore. Using a single-group design, an equipercentile equating method with log-linear smoothing was used to establish a conversion table from the SDS to the WHODAS 2.0 and vice versa. The conversion table showed that the scores were consistent for the entire range of scores when the scores were converted either from the SDS to the WHODAS 2.0 or from the WHODAS 2.0 to the SDS. The agreement between the WHODAS 2.0's raw and converted scores and SDS's raw and converted scores were interpreted as good with intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.711 and 0.725, respectively. This study presents a simple and reliable method for converting the SDS scores to the WHODAS 2.0 scores and vice versa, enabling interchangeable use of data across these two disability measures. • To ensure that the scores from these two scales are exchangeable across treatments and diseases, a conversion is important. • We present a simple and reliable conversion table to convert SDS to WHODAS scores or vice versa using equipercentile equating method. • The scores were consistent for the entire range of scores when the SDS scores were converted to the WHODAS or vice versa. • This is the first study that provided an algorithm that enable data across these two disability measures to be used interchangeably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating pedestrian exposure for all the intersections in a jurisdiction is crucial for developing strategies with a focus on pe- destrians. Some engineering applications require the annual average daily pedestrian traffic (AADPT) to be disaggregated per crosswalk. When continuous counts are available at the intersection, this indicator can be calculated directly. However, when only short-term counts (STCs) or no information on pedestrian volume is available, the AADPT per crosswalk cannot be calculated and must be estimated using other means. This work (1) evaluated the degree of confidence for estimating the pedestrian volume in each crosswalk based on point es- timates of percentage shares per crosswalk obtained from STCs; and (2) developed models to estimate the percentage share of pedestrian volume per crosswalk as a function of attributes of the intersection that commonly are available for jurisdictions, referred to as the land-use (LU) model. The two methods were evaluated using continuous count data from three different jurisdictions, and a naive estimate assuming equal shares per crosswalk was used as a benchmark. The performance of each method was measured as the fraction of the intersection AADPT that was allocated wrongly to each crosswalk. The use of the LU model generated an average wrong allocation of 0.301, a statisti- cally significant improvement of 11.4% compared with the naive estimate. The use of a STC from a single day produced an average wrong allocation of 0.153, an improvement of 54.9% from the naive estimate. Increasing the number of days of STCs to two or three resulted in average performance indicators of 0.117 and 0.106, respectively. The benefits of using STCs for more than three days are minimal. The STC method was developed using STCs from the same 1-year period in which the observed share was averaged. In practice, STCs are likely to be between 1 and 5 years old. Analysis using STCs from previous years showed that estimation error in practice may be as much as twice as large as the aforementioned errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users and are over-represented in casualty statistics, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. To ensure the safety of pedestrians, it is necessary to identify the factors underlying pedestrian behavior while crossing. Hence, this study aims to predict the pedestrian decision regarding crosswalks using supervised machine learning techniques namely, Classification and Regression Tree (CART), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boost (XGBoost). A questionnaire survey was conducted in twelve important locations of Dhaka, Bangladesh using 8 attributes related to crosswalk behavior. Analysis suggests RF model is the most effective in terms of prediction performances, specifically having a 96.00% F1 score and 95.83% MCC value. It has been found that unsuitability of crosswalk location, absence of guard rails on median, and inadequate lightning at night near crosswalks are the most important features for preferring to use crosswalks. The findings of the study will help policymakers and transport planners to plan accordingly in order to develop safe crosswalks.

To progressively analyze the urban factors on different levels of crosswalk road safety, the study focused on developing a video-based safety methodology using a pedestrian and vehicle tracking approach for calculating time-to-collision (TTC) and post-encroachment time (PET) to improve safety in crosswalk areas. The study area is limited to Thammasat University in an urban environment where pedestrian and vehicle traffic across the crosswalk is simulated in controlled scenarios. The dataset was collected using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at locations in the study area. The YOLOv8x with BOT-SORT was used to track pedestrians and vehicles from the CCTV videos. The overall mAP was 0.861 with a precision of 0.899, a recall of 0.785, and the objects classifier’s average accuracy of 0.786. The TTC and PET values were calculated based on the collected data. These metrics can be used to determine the time required for a vehicle or pedestrian to come to a stop or avoid a collision, as well as the time it takes a vehicle or pedestrian to recover from an evasive movement or when the pedestrian has been hit by the vehicle. The 30 videos of near-miss accident scenarios, where 15 videos of pedestrians and vehicles and 15 videos from disordered persons and vehicles, were used to analyze the TTC and PET values to identify areas for further improvement. From the results, the TTC calculation achieved an accuracy of high risk at 90 percent in all scenarios, while PET values higher than 1.0 second resulted in 18 scenarios.

This Report from the Field introduces a collaboratively authored set of documentation that compares digital publishing platforms that are typically used by library publishers. This report discusses how we created this set of crosswalks that compare 10 publishing platforms, most of which are academy-owned and open-source. These platforms are used to create eBooks, digital humanities projects, journals, collections, and community projects, and the crosswalks compare a set of common features each has, including hosting options and cost, ingestion options, interactivity, archive and preservation features, export options, accessibility, and other features. We walk readers through how to use this Creative-Commons-licensed tool to compare platforms, features, and project types, with the hopes that users (be they librarians or authors) can easily compare and make decisions about which platform might best suit their publishing needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are different types of crosswalks for pedestrians to cross the street and different methods of operation. Signalization can be used in the operation of at-grade and controlled crosswalk. In these crosswalks, signaling is activated by pedestrians pressing buttons placed on the crosswalks. In this type of crossing, pedestrians press the button to cross the road and the signaling system detects the request. Within a reasonable time, the system turns red for vehicles and green for pedestrians, allowing pedestrians to cross the street safely. However, these systems have some drawbacks. Various observation and data collection studies were carried out at the pilot pedestrian crossing on Atatürk Boulevard in Atakum district of Samsun province. In these studies, 227 pedestrians crossing the crosswalk and 791 vehicles stopped at red lights during the crossing of pedestrians were examined. As a result of the data obtained in line with pedestrian and driver behaviors, it is aimed to determine the operational problems in signalized crosswalk with pedestrian warning and to increase efficiency with the studies to be carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the information paradigm has shaken many of the principles of archival theory and practice. One key issue is knowing to which extent can digital information be trusted. Digital resources are represented by metadata, and trust consists in demonstrating their authenticity. Since the traditional elements used to verify the authenticity of analog records are not suitable in the digital world, the field faces a major challenge. The use of abundant, pertinent and constantly captured metadata seems to one of the most relevant solutions. This article aims to contribute to tackle this issue by setting the goal of proposing a model that attempts to include the most relevant metadata elements to capture the information that contributes for ascertaining the authenticity of digital archival descriptions. To that end, mixed methods methodology are employed. A qualitative documentary research is used to collect, analyze and interpret a corpus of scientific literature. As a complement, the quantitative technique requirements engineering is used to extract from international description standards the metadata requirements that can assist in the presumption of authenticity. Both approaches are then combined through a critical lens into a single unifying model for authenticity that is deemed as complete as necessary but as simple as possible. The model can be used by organizations or as a contribution to the discussion of authenticity and trustworthiness in digital archival descriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connected Automated Vehicles (CAVs) have drawn much attention in recent years. High reliable automatic technologies can help CAVs to follow given trajectories well. However, safety and efficiency are hard to be ensured since the interactions between CAVs and pedestrians are complex problems. Thus, this study focuses on cooperative intersection management for CAVs and pedestrians. To avoid the effects of uncertainty about pedestrian behaviors, an indirect way is to use pedestrians’ signal lights to guide the movements of pedestrians, and such lights with communication devices can share information with CAVs to make decisions together. In time domains, a general conflict-free rule is established depending on the positions of CAVs and crosswalks. Geometric analysis with coordinate calculation is used to accurately determine the feasible vehicle trajectories and the reasonable periods for signal lights turning green. Four control strategies for the same conditions are compared in simulation experiments, and their performances are analyzed. We demonstrate that the proposed cooperative strategy not only balances the benefits of vehicles and pedestrians but also improves the traffic efficiency at the intersection.

Background The recent COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) pandemic dramatically underlined the multi-faceted nature of health research, requiring input from basic biological sciences, pharmaceutical technologies, clinical research), social sciences and public health and social engineering. Systems that could work across different disciplines would therefore seem to be a useful idea to explore. In this study we investigated whether metadata schemas and vocabularies used for discovering scientific studies and resources in the social sciences and in clinical research are similar enough to allow information from different source disciplines to be easily retrieved and presented together. Methods As a first step a literature search was performed, exemplarily identifying studies and resources, in which data from social sciences have been usefully employed or integrated with that from clinical research and clinical trials. In a second step a comparison of metadata schemas and related resource catalogues in ECRIN (European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network) and CESSDA (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives) was performed. The focus was on discovery metadata, here defined as the metadata elements used to identify and locate scientific resources. Results A close view at the metadata schemas of CESSDA and ECRIN and the basic discovery metadata as well as a crosswalk between ECRIN and CESSDA metadata schemas have shown that there is considerable resemblance between them. Conclusions The resemblance could serve as a promising starting point to implement a common search mechanism for ECRIN and CESSDA metadata. In the paper four different options for how to proceed with implementation issues are presented.

Periodic revisions of the international classification of diseases (ICD) ensure that the classification reflects new practices and knowledge; however, this complicates retrospective research as diagnoses are coded in different versions. For longitudinal disease trajectory studies, a crosswalk is an essential tool and a comprehensive mapping between ICD-8 and ICD-10 has until now been lacking. In this study, we map all ICD-8 morbidity codes to ICD-10 in the expanded Danish ICD version. We mapped ICD-8 codes to ICD-10, using a many-to-one system inspired by general equivalence mappings such that each ICD-8 code maps to a single ICD-10 code. Each ICD-8 code was manually and unidirectionally mapped to a single ICD-10 code based on medical setting and context. Each match was assigned a score (1 of 4 levels) reflecting the quality of the match and, if applicable, a "flag" signalling choices made in the mapping. We provide the first complete mapping of the 8596 ICD-8 morbidity codes to ICD-10 codes. All Danish ICD-8 codes representing diseases were mapped and 5106 (59.4%) achieved the highest consistency score. Only 334 (3.9%) of the ICD-8 codes received the lowest mapping consistency score. The mapping provides a scaffold for translation of ICD-8 to ICD-10, which enable longitudinal disease studies back to and 1969 in Denmark and to 1965 internationally with further adaption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrians in general have priority to the cars on unsignalized intersections and roundabouts. Roundabout capacity highly depends on pedestrians, which can interrupt traffic flow whenever they step on the crosswalk. If there are pedestrian crossings on each approach, vehicles should stop to allow them to cross the road. In some cases, vehicle stopped on the exiting lane can even block the central circle of the roundabout, causing serious deterioration of the capacity and level of service. Position of the crosswalk on the entering and exiting lane can reduce influence of pedestrian interruption of car flow. Analysis of pedestrian influence on exiting lane capacity has not been researched before and the aim of this paper is to show how pedestrian flow and the crosswalk location influence on the roundabout capacity and level of service. In addition, comparison of the crosswalk location related to the centre of the roundabout was given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to map the disease-specific Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) onto the three- and five-level EuroQol five-dimension (EQ-5D-3 L and EQ-5D-5 L), Health Utility Index Mark 3 (HUI3) and Short Form six-dimensional (SF-6D) preference-based instruments to inform future cost-utility analyses for treatment of patients with schizophrenia. Data from 251 outpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders was included for analysis. Ordinary least square (OLS), Tobit and beta regression mixture models were employed to estimate the utility scores. Three regression models with a total of 66 specifications were determined by goodness of fit and predictive indices. Distribution of the original data to the distributions of the data generated using the preferred estimated models were then compared. EQ-5D-3 L and EQ-5D-5 L were best predicted by the OLS model, including SQLS domain scores, domain-squared scores, age, and gender as explanatory predictors. The models produced the best performance index and resembled most closely with the observed EQ-5D data. HUI3 and SF-6D were best predicted by the OLS and Tobit model respectively. The current study developed mapping models for converting SQLS scores into generic utility scores, which can be used for economic evaluation among patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recent COVID-19 pandemic dramatically underlined the multi-faceted nature of health research, requiring input from basic biological sciences, pharmaceutical technologies, clinical research), social sciences and public health and social engineering. Systems that could work across different disciplines would therefore seem to be a useful idea to explore. In this study we investigated whether metadata schemas and vocabularies used for discovering scientific studies and resources in the social sciences and humanities and in clinical research are similar enough to allow information from different source disciplines to be easily retrieved and presented together. Methods: As a first step a literature search was performed, exemplarily identifying studies and resources, in which data from social sciences and the humanities have been usefully employed or integrated with that from clinical research and clinical trials. In a second step a comparison of metadata schemas and related resource catalogues in ECRIN (European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network) and CESSDA (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives) was performed. The focus was on discovery metadata, here defined as the metadata elements used to identify and locate scientific resources. Results: A close view at the metadata schemas of CESSDA and ECRIN and the basic discovery metadata as well as a crosswalk between ECRIN and CESSDA metadata schemas have shown that there is considerable resemblance between them. Conclusions: The resemblance could serve as a promising starting point to implement a common search mechanism for ECRIN and CESSDA metadata. In the paper four different options for how to proceed with implementation issues are presented.

Vehicles tend to produce more pollutants especially particles at an urban intersection than other segments. Meanwhile, pedestrians at an intersection are inevitably exposed to high particle level and suffered from the health problem. Especially, some particles can deposit in different thoracic areas of the respiratory system and cause serious health problems. Hence, in this paper, the particles from 0.3 to 10 μm in 16 channels were measured to compare the spatio-temporal characteristics of them on the crosswalk and the roadside. Based on the roadside of fixed measurements, submicron particles (< 1 μm) are discovered to have a high relation with traffic signal and exhibit a bimodal distribution pattern in the green phase. On the crosswalk of mobile measurements, submicron particles present decreasing trend along the crosswalk while crossing. Additionally, mobile measurements were conducted across six time intervals that correspond to different pedestrian's journey when passing the crosswalk. The results showed that all size particles in the first three journeys present high concentrations than that in other journeys. Furthermore, pedestrian exposure to all 16 channel particles was assessed. The total and regional deposition fractions of these particles in different sizes and age groups are determined. What ought to be paid attention to is that these real-world measurement results contribute to advancing the understanding of pedestrian exposure to size-fractionated particles on crosswalk and assisting the pedestrian to make better informed choice so as to limit particle exposure in these pollution hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher education standards are designed to guide the preparation of pre-service teachers to acquire knowledge and develop skills required for delivering high-quality educational experiences to all learners. Analysing how critical thinking (CT) is positioned in educator preparation standards is an initial step towards understanding the conceptualisation and operationalisation of CT in teacher education. In this study, a team of researchers analysed U.S. educator preparation standards across multiple disciplines and learner populations through a crosswalk standards database for the presence of CT, gaps in the standards, and relation among standards. Results indicate that most CT-related standards focus on preparing teachers to perform strategies that promote CT for students. Less prevalent, or missing, are standards that prepare teachers with essential knowledge of the role of CT in the classroom, using assessment to monitor CT, or the role of planning to provide CT learning experiences. Implications for these gaps are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian accidents contribute significantly to the high number of annual traffic casualties. It is therefore crucial for pedestrians to use safety measures, such as a crosswalk, and to activate pedestrian signals. However, people often fail to activate the signal or are unable to do so – those who are visually impaired or have occupied hands may be unable to activate the system. Failure to activate the signal can result in an accident. This paper proposes an improvement to crosswalk safety by designing a system that can detect pedestrians and trigger the pedestrian signal automatically when necessary. In this study, a dataset of images was collected in order to train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to distinguish between pedestrians (including bicycle riders) when crossing the street. The resulting system can capture and evaluate images in real-time, and the result can be used to automatically activate a system such as a pedestrian signal. A threshold system is also implemented that triggers the crosswalk only when the positive predictions pass the threshold. This system was tested by deploying it at three real-world environments and comparing the results with a recorded video of the camera's view. The CNN prediction model is able to correctly predict pedestrian and cyclist intentions with an average accuracy of 84.96% and had an absence trigger rate of 0.037%. The prediction accuracy varies based on the location and whether a cyclist or pedestrian is in front of the camera. Pedestrians crossing the street were correctly predicted more accurately than cyclists crossing the street by up to 11.61%, while passing (i.e., non-crossing) cyclists were correctly ignored more than passing pedestrians, by up to 18.75%. Based on the testing of the system in real-world environments, the authors conclude that it is feasible as a back-up system that can complement existing pedestrian signal buttons, and thereby improve the overall safety of crossing the street. Further improvements to the accuracy can be achieved with a more comprehensive dataset for a specific location where the system is deployed. Implementing different computer vision techniques optimized for tracking objects should also increase the accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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BackgroundPedestrian-related injuries are a significant contributor to preventable mortality and disability in children. We hypothesized that interactive pedestrian safety education is associated with increased knowledge, safe crosswalk behaviors, and lower incidence of pedestrian-related injuries in elementary school-aged children.MethodsAn interactive street-crossing simulation was implemented at target elementary schools in Los Angeles County beginning in 2009. Mixed-methods were used to evaluate the impact of this intervention. Multiple-choice examinations were used to test pedestrian safety knowledge, anonymous observations were used to assess street-crossing behaviors, and statewide traffic records were used to report pedestrian injuries in elementary school-aged (4-11 y) children in participating school districts. Pedestrian injury incidence was compared 1 y before and after the intervention, standardized to the incidence in the entire City of Los Angeles.ResultsA total of 1424 and 1522 children completed the pretest and post-test, respectively. Correct answers increased for nine of ten questions (all P

The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) grade better risk stratifies geriatric trauma patients, but it is only reported in patients scheduled for surgery. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), however, is available for all patients. This study aims to create a crosswalk from the CCI to ASA-PS. Geriatric trauma cases, aged 55 years and older with both ASA-PS and CCI values (N = 4223), were used for the analysis. We assessed the relationship between CCI and ASA-PS, adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and body mass index. We reported the predicted probabilities and the receiver operating characteristics. A CCI of zero was highly predictive of ASA-PS grade 1 or 2, and a CCI of 1 or higher was highly predictive of ASA-PS grade 3 or 4. Additionally, while a CCI of 3 predicted ASA-PS grade 4, a CCI of 4 and higher exhibited greater accuracy in predicting ASA-PS grade 4. We created a formula that may accurately situate a geriatric trauma patient in the appropriate ASA-PS grade after adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and body mass index. In conclusion, ASA-PS grades can be predicted from CCI, and this may aid in generating more predictive trauma models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers are studying CNN (convolutional neural networks) in various ways for image classification. Sometimes, they must classify two or more objects in an image into different situations according to their location. We developed a new learning method that colored objects from images and extracted them to distinguish the relationship between objects with different colors. We can apply this method in certain situations, such as pedestrians in a crosswalk. This paper presents a method for learning pedestrian situations on CNN using Mask R-CNN (Region-based CNN) and CDA (Crosswalk Detection Algorithm). With this method, we classified the location of the pedestrians into two situations: safety and danger. We organized the process of preprocessing and learning images into three stages. In Stage 1, we used Mask R-CNN to detect pedestrians. In Stage 2, we detected crosswalks with the CDA and placed colors on detected objects. In Stage 3, we combined crosswalks and pedestrian objects into one image and then, learned the image to CNN. We trained ResNet50 and Xception using images in the proposed method and evaluated the accuracy of the results. When tested experimentally, ResNet50 exhibited 96.7% accuracy and Xception showed 98.7% accuracy. We then created an image that simplified the situation with two colored boxes of crosswalks and pedestrians. We confirmed that the learned CNN with the images of colored boxes could classify the same test images applied in the previous experiment with 96% accuracy by ResNet50. This result indicates that the proposed system is suitable for classifying pedestrian safety and dangerous situations by accurately dividing the positions of the two objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The District of Columbia currently uses the standard pedestrian warning signs and diagonal arrow plaques at a substantial number of uncontrolled crosswalks within the City. However, the widespread use of these measures appears to be ineffective in curbing the incidence of pedestrian involved crashes or pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. To compensate for the perceived lack of effectiveness of the standard pedestrian warning sign the District Department of Transportation developed a new side-of-street crossing sign to improve driver compliance based on pedestrian right-of-way laws.This study was aimed at determining the effectiveness (defined as the proportion of drivers approaching a crosswalk who stop or yield the right of way to a pedestrian in the crosswalk) of the experimental side-of-street pedestrian crossing sign compared to the standard sign, with and without rectangular rapid flashing beacons. Effectiveness of the side-of-street pedestrian sign and standard sign were observed at a total of 32 locations in the District over a one-year period using the “control” and “experimental” comparison approach. Video data for each location was obtained from March 2018 through February 2019 during typical weekdays for the morning and afternoon peak periods. The results of the study showed that the experimental signs with RRFBs provided higher driver compliance rates (yielding to pedestrians) compared to the standard signs for both the morning and afternoon peak periods. However, the differences in compliance rates for the experimental and standard signs were not statistically significant at a 95% confidence interval. Further evaluation of the signs is recommended using the “before” and “after” approach in addition to an assessment of crash statistics at the selected locations.

In the last decade, pedestrian fatalities at night, especially at midblock locations, have been increasing at an alarming rate. Lighting is an effective countermeasure in reducing nighttime crashes. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of crosswalk lighting on pedestrian visibility at midblock locations. There is an existing need to develop lighting designs that increase pedestrian visibility. Further, the safety effects of lighting have never been directly compared to other pedestrian-crossing treatments (such as flashing signs, rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs), etc.). Thus, in order to make effective recommendations for increasing nighttime pedestrian visibility, it is important to compare the visibility benefits of crosswalk lighting designs with and without pedestrian-crossing treatments. This study evaluated the visual performance of five midblock crosswalk lighting designs along with two pedestrian safety countermeasures at three light levels on a realistic midblock crosswalk. Visual performance was measured by calculating the distance at which the participants could detect a child-sized mannequin under the evaluated conditions. The results showed that midblock crosswalks should be illuminated to an average vertical illuminance of 10 lux to ensure optimal pedestrian visibility. Lighting designs that render the pedestrian in positive contrast (area in front of the crosswalk is illuminated) are recommended to increase pedestrian visibility. It is also recommended that pedestrian-crossing treatments, such as RRFBs and flashing signs, should be used with lighting to increase nighttime visibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) are two commonly used self-rating outcome instruments in patients with lumbar spinal disorders. No formal crosswalk between them exists that would otherwise allow the scores of one to be interpreted in terms of the other. We aimed to create such a mapping function. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of ODI and COMI data previously collected from 3324 patients (57 ± 17y; 60.3% female) at baseline and 1y after surgical or conservative treatment. Correlations between scores and Cohen's kappa for agreement (κ) regarding achievement of the minimal clinically important change (MCIC) score on each instrument (ODI, 12.8 points; COMI, 2.2 points) were calculated, and regression models were built. The latter were tested for accuracy in an independent set of registry data from 634 patients (60 ± 15y; 56.8% female). Results: All pairs of measures were significantly positively correlated (baseline, 0.73; 1y follow-up (FU), 0.84; change-scores, 0.73). MCIC for COMI was achieved in 53.9% patients and for ODI, in 52.4%, with 78% agreement on an individual basis (κ = 0.56). Standard errors for the regression slopes and intercepts were low, indicating excellent prediction at the group level, but root mean square residuals (reflecting individual error) were relatively high. ODI was predicted as COMI × 7.13–4.20 (at baseline), COMI × 6.34 + 2.67 (at FU) and COMI × 5.18 + 1.92 (for change-score); COMI was predicted as ODI × 0.075 + 3.64 (baseline), ODI × 0.113 + 0.96 (FU), and ODI × 0.102 + 1.10 (change-score). ICCs were 0.63–0.87 for derived versus actual scores. Conclusion: Predictions at the group level were very good and met standards justifying the pooling of data. However, we caution against using individual values for treatment decisions, e.g. attempting to monitor patients over time, first with one instrument and then with the other, due to the lower statistical precision at the individual level. The ability to convert scores via the developed mapping function should open up more centres/registries for collaboration and facilitate the combining of data in meta-analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The choice of patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) used in shoulder studies varies based on clinician's preference and location. This creates difficulties when attempting to compare studies which have used different PROMs as their outcome measure. This study aims to assess the agreement between the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (ASES) and the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), and identify factors associated with agreement. Methods: Patients with shoulder pathology were identified from a multi-cohort observational practice registry. 1050 paired ASES and OSS pre-treatment scores were prospectively collected. Linear regression was performed to assess the agreement between the PROMs. Mixed-effects analysis of variance was performed to assess the influence of factors associated with agreement. Results: Regression for mean total and mean function ASES and OSS demonstrated good fit (adjusted R2 57.7%, P < 0.001; and 63.9%, P < 0.001). Mean pain subscore demonstrated a poorer fit (adjusted R2 39.4%, P < 0.001). Crosswalks to convert between mean scores were produced with reasonable precision. Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey score, age and diagnosis cohort influenced agreement. Conclusion: Mean total and mean function ASES and OSS scores agree well with each other. This allows for a more informed comparison of studies using either PROMs as their outcome measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We develop a crosswalk between the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS)‐27, TICS‐30, and TICS‐40 for adults 65 years and older. Methods: We examined the scores of 1809 participants, with and without cognitive impairment, who completed the MMSE and the TICS assessment in the 2016 Health and Retirement Study and the 2016 Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol study. Crosswalks between MMSE and TICS‐27/30/40 were developed via equipercentile equating. Results: We present crosswalks for MMSE and TICS‐27/30/40 for the 65+ population representative of the US elderly. While monotonic, the pattern of the TICS‐30 to MMSE crosswalk differs from the other two crosswalks (MMSE to TICS‐27/40). Conclusion: Our analysis offers an empirical crosswalk between two commonly used cognitive measures—the MMSE and TICS. Our findings suggest the need for validated and robust measures that allow for the comparison of scores on different cognitive scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The overarching goal of the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) is to standardize patient-reported outcomes (PROs) across settings and health conditions globally. Following this purpose, the Reha-Toolbox study aimed to link item subsets of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), the Indicators of Rehabilitation Status (IRES-3), and the Hamburg Modules for the Assessment of Psychosocial Health (HEALTH-49) to the standardized metrics provided by PROMIS., Design: Cross-sectional, single-group linking study SETTING: Online survey PARTICIPANTS: Five experts mapped items from the three rehabilitation measures to PROMIS scales. Data were collected online from a sample of 1000 individuals from the general population. Items from the rehabilitation measures and their corresponding PROMIS short forms were administered to facilitate item linkage., Interventions: Not applicable MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: WHODAS 2.0, IRES-3, HEALTH-49, PROMIS scales RESULTS: Overall, 96 of 171 outcome Items (56%) from the legacy measures and one additional IRES-3 item were mapped to nine PROMIS domains, including pain interference, physical function, dyspnea, fatigue, depression, anxiety, cognitive function, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and satisfaction with participation in social roles and activities. 95 items fulfilled the linking assumptions of construct similarity, unidimensionality, and measurement invariance. The legacy items were successfully calibrated on the corresponding PROMIS metrics using graded-response models. The range and precision of the measures varied, depending on the number of items in each domain. Domains that were assessed with four or more items achieved sufficient reliability for group-based analyses. Crosswalk tables were created for each measure and domain. We discussed the reasons for and implications of the fact that the rehabilitation measures were only partially linked to the PROMIS metrics., Conclusion: The study achieved robust linking between subsets of WHODAS 2.0, IRES-3, HEALTH-49 items, and nine PROMIS scales., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The Political Parties Crosswalk (PPC) maps party codes used in questions about party preferences in European cross-national public opinion surveys to Party Facts IDs, which are commonly used identifiers of parties in political science datasets. The PPC, a data linkage tool, supports research that combines data on party support from surveys with characteristics of parties, and in particular, facilitates research that combines data from different survey projects. PPC v.1 covers surveys conducted in Europe in the following projects: European Social Survey, European Values Study, World Values Survey, Asia Europe Survey, Consolidation and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, Integrated and United, Life in Transition Surveys, New Baltic Barometer, New Europe Barometer, and selected waves from the Candidate Countries Eurobarometer, Eurobarometer, and the International Social Survey Programme. In addition to describing the scope and properties of PPC, as well as the steps of data processing and quality assurance, we present case studies that illustrate possible applications in substantive and methodological research.

In this article, the authors assumed that the "iGeneration" is the leading driving force for the SMART orientation of modern cities. Dynamic and multidirectional technical and technological processes introduce a new level of changes in urban space, adapting it to the present and future requirements of its inhabitants in a sustainable manner. An important infrastructure element of the urban space is the crosswalk, being an inseparable element of everyday life in the city. As part of a clear emphasis on the issue of vulnerable road users' protection, the aim of the article is to examine the perception of users regarding crosswalks in Poland, based on the example of Szczecin. The main aim of the article is to identify the dimensions of crosswalk perception. The specific objectives include the determination of the state of knowledge about the essence and typology of crosswalks and the identification of good practices in their designation. Literature analysis, questionnaire research, and a case study were used. In the adopted research methodology, the use of the questionnaire made it possible to identify key intersections (Five Stars), each different in their form, and to learn about the perception dimensions of this element of urban space. In the context of the Smart City concept implementation, the perception of crosswalks by young city residents, i.e., the "iGeneration", was examined. The obtained results allowed to perform a systematic analysis that focuses on individual behavioral aspects and subjectivism of the assessment of crosswalks in comparison with the commonly dominant architectural, engineering, and legal perspectives. The research allowed to assess the topology of intersections as well as the indication of safety improvement recommendation lists, taking into account intergenerational optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to explore quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and subsequent cost-effectiveness estimates based on the more physical health-focused EQ-5D 5-level version (EQ-5D-5L) value set for England or cross-walked EQ-5D 3-level version UK value set scores or more mental health recovery-focused Recovering Quality of Life Utility Index (ReQoL-UI), when using alternative within-trial statistical methods. We describe possible reasons for the different QALY estimates based on the interaction between item scores, health state profiles, preference-based scores, and mathematical and statistical methods chosen.Methods: QALYs are calculated over 8 weeks from a case study 2:1 (intervention:control) randomized controlled trial in patients with anxiety or depression. Complete case and with missing cases imputed using multiple-imputation analyses are conducted, using unadjusted and regression baseline-adjusted QALYs. Cost-effectiveness is judged using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and acceptability curves. We use previously established psychometric results to reflect on estimated QALYs.Results: A total of 361 people (241:120) were randomized. EQ-5D-5L crosswalk produced higher incremental QALYs than the value set for England or ReQoL-UI, which produced similar unadjusted QALYs, but contrasting baseline-adjusted QALYs. Probability of cost-effectiveness <£30 000 per QALY ranged from 6% (complete case ReQoL-UI baseline-adjusted QALYs) to 64.3% (multiple-imputation EQ-5D-5L crosswalk unadjusted QALYs). The control arm improved more on average than the intervention arm on the ReQoL-UI, a result not mirrored on the EQ-5D-5L nor condition-specific (Patient-Health Questionnaire-9, depression; Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, anxiety) measures.Conclusions: ReQoL-UI produced contradictory cost-effectiveness results relative to the EQ-5D-5L. The EQ-5D-5L's better responsiveness and "anxiety/depression" and "usual activities" items drove the incremental QALY results. The ReQoL-UI's single physical health item and "personal recovery" construct may have influenced its lower 8-week incremental QALY estimates in this patient sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Ghana, road crossing accidents account for more than 70% of all pedestrian fatalities as the task of road crossing is challenging, even in so-called 'protected' midblock crosswalks. This paper assesses pedestrians perception of midblock crosswalks safety along major arterials in the Sunyani municipality. Following the identification and ranking of twenty-four (24) pedestrian crash-prone locations using the MAAP IV software, identified pedestrian crosswalks were inventorized, their degree of utilization were investigated and some active pedestrians were interviewed. There is a strong correlation between pedestrian perceptions and use behavior behaviour as over 90% of pedestrians stated they did not use the midblock crosswalks, and about 77% stated the location of the facility influenced their crossing behaviour. In the strict use of designated midblock crosswalks, only 8.7% of active pedestrians complied. Findings suggest that the incorporation of pedestrian views into the design and construction of pedestrian facilities could significantly improve the use of these facilities and consequently the occurrence of crashes. These findings have implication particularly for transport managers in developing countries with limited budgets for infrastructure provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many forestry models require the input of stand size class information, a variable with multiple definitions across forest inventories. This work describes a crosswalk between stand age class and stand size class for several forest type groups in Minnesota to facilitate consistency and availability of the latter information. Refinements to the crosswalk include ratio adjustments that redistribute the number of plots (or hectares) from one estimated size class to another, based on known crosswalk error rates. The results showed that 61.9% of all plots were correctly classified, and 95.5% were within one size class. Correct classifications for individual forest type/size class combinations ranged from 16.7–79.2%. Applying the crosswalk to a validation dataset produced percent errors from −46.4% to 49.4%, but with the ratio adjustment, errors dropped to −20.1% to 14.4%. These results suggest that the crosswalk and ratio adjustments provide a coarse, yet reasonable, substitute to using more complex stand size classification methodologies, particularly when forecasting future stand conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Perceptions of safety and comfort are strongly related but distinct. • Bicycle (vs. car) interactions are seen as safer and more comfortable. • Individual perceptions of yielding are strong determinants of safety and comfort. • Perceptions of yielding are most determined by which road user crosses first. Interactions with other road users influence the perceived safety and comfort of pedestrians. Yet the relationships among perceptions of yielding, safety, and comfort are poorly understood. To enhance understanding of these key concepts, the objectives of this study are to determine how perception of pedestrian safety at unsignalized crosswalks differs from perception of comfort, and the relationship of each with perception of yielding. A generalized structural equations model is developed using data from an online survey in which 366 participants (i.e., "perceivers") rated yielding, safety, and comfort for sample videos of pedestrian interactions with motor vehicles and bicycles. Results show that an individual's perception of yielding plays a crucial role in mediating the effects of interaction attributes (e.g., vehicle speed, proximity) and perceiver attributes (e.g., travel habits) on their perceptions of pedestrian safety and comfort. For example, people who bicycle more frequently perceive pedestrians as more comfortable than people who walk more frequently, rooted in misalignment on what constitutes adequate yielding. Strategies to address pedestrian comfort can focus on a set of key yielding behaviors by drivers and cyclists – particularly allowing the pedestrian to cross first. Motor vehicle drivers must exhibit stronger yielding behavior (e.g., allow a larger time gap) than bicycles to achieve the same level of perceived pedestrian safety and comfort. Although perceptions of safety and comfort are strongly related and similarly impacted by yielding, researchers should be cautious about using the concepts interchangeably because they are differently impacted by attributes of the interaction and perceiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to an analysis of accidents involving pedestrians in traffic. An analysis of the statistical data of accidents involving pedestrians in the Republic of Belarus has been made. The main patterns and trends of accidents involving pedestrians are identified. A detailed analysis of the accident rate at pedestrian crossings and intersections was carried out, which made it possible to establish the most dangerous types of collisions during the interaction of transport and pedestrian flows. Experimental studies of collision situations were also carried out, which made it possible to establish the dependence of the violation rate on the composition of the right-handed traffic flow, on the type of traffic signal that regulates traffic on the right, as well as on the size of groups of pedestrians in front of cars.

Researchers are studying CNN (convolutional neural networks) in various ways for image classification. Sometimes, they must classify two or more objects in an image into different situations according to their location. We developed a new learning method that colored objects from images and extracted them to distinguish the relationship between objects with different colors. We can apply this method in certain situations, such as pedestrians in a crosswalk. This paper presents a method for learning pedestrian situations on CNN using Mask R-CNN (Region-based CNN) and CDA (Crosswalk Detection Algorithm). With this method, we classified the location of the pedestrians into two situations: safety and danger. We organized the process of preprocessing and learning images into three stages. In Stage 1, we used Mask R-CNN to detect pedestrians. In Stage 2, we detected crosswalks with the CDA and placed colors on detected objects. In Stage 3, we combined crosswalks and pedestrian objects into one image and then, learned the image to CNN. We trained ResNet50 and Xception using images in the proposed method and evaluated the accuracy of the results. When tested experimentally, ResNet50 exhibited 96.7% accuracy and Xception showed 98.7% accuracy. We then created an image that simplified the situation with two colored boxes of crosswalks and pedestrians. We confirmed that the learned CNN with the images of colored boxes could classify the same test images applied in the previous experiment with 96% accuracy by ResNet50. This result indicates that the proposed system is suitable for classifying pedestrian safety and dangerous situations by accurately dividing the positions of the two objects.