Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation And Assessment Of Highway Intrusion Technologies, Sogand Hasanzadeh, Behzad Esmaeili, Kyeongsuk Lee, Hrishikesh Pokharkar, Shiva Pooladvand, Woei-Chyi Chang

JTRP Technical Reports

Highway workers face dangers from distracted drivers and challenging work zones, which results in thousands of incidents annually in the U.S. Traditional safety measures, though beneficial, highlight a need for advanced intrusion alert technologies. While many state DOTs are exploring these technologies, research gaps persist regarding their effectiveness in alerting drivers and workers. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency and implications of four commercial intrusion technologies, with a focus on drivers’ and workers’ cognition and response. Results offer practical guidelines and a decision-making tool to assist INDOT in selecting the optimal technology. The ultimate goal is to significantly reduce …

Full-Scale Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer And Pilot Project Implementation, Oscar Moncada, Zainab Imran, Connor Vickers, Konstantina Gkritza, Steven Pekarek, Dionysios Aliprantis, Aaron Brovont, Behnam Jahangiri, John E. Haddock

JTRP Technical Reports

Considering the challenges hindering the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and heavy-duty electric vehicles(HDEVs), the integration of dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) technology into roadways has gained interest. By embedding DWPT components into pavement, electrical power can be delivered to an EV or HDEV as they are in motion. Yet, large-scale implementation depends on further in-depth research, both to explore optimal construction methods and to understand the impact of embedment on the pavement’s resultant behavior. The objective of this project was trifold: (1) design and evaluate a transmitter-receiver topology for DWPT, (2) enhance the understanding of the interaction between …

Performance-Related Specifications For Pavement Milling, Oscar Andrés Moncada, Seonghwan Cho, Vito Francioso, John E. Haddock

JTRP Technical Reports

The primary objective of this research was to evaluate pavement damage that may occur during the pavement milling process, which is critical to the overlay design and performance of asphalt pavements. To achieve this purpose, the most common milling practices in Indiana were implemented on several trial sections and various damage characterization tests performed in the field and laboratory. The research provided a testing methodology to determine if a milling machine was having detrimental effects on the residual pavement and a process to “tune” the particular milling machine to its optimal operational standards to minimize detrimental effects. Finally, this research …

Field Handbook For Maintenance And Preservation Treatments Of Concrete Pavements, Mohammadreza Mirzahosseini, Jan Olek, Dulcy M. Abraham, Prashant Ram, Kurt Smith

JTRP Technical Reports

Information related to maintenance and preservation (M&P) treatments of Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP) has not been uniformly presented across various Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) maintenance-related documents, including INDOT Standard Specifications and the INDOT Design Manual. Since this data is scattered across different documents and frequently incomplete, it is often challenging for field personnel to obtain consistent information which can assist in making decisions related to selection of treatments that can benefit the service life of concrete pavements. To address this gap, the SPR-4601 guidebook was developed to provide succinct descriptions of common distresses and failures observed in concrete …

Statewide Screening Of Signalized Intersections For Capacity Improvements, Saumabha Gayen, Enrique D. Saldivar-Carranza, Rahul Suryakant Sakhare, Jairaj Desai, Jijo K. Mathew, Nathan Shellhamer, Taylor Ruble, Dan Mccoy, Jack Gallagher, Darcy M. Bullock

JTRP Technical Reports

Identification of congested traffic signals that require capital investment to increase capacity has historically been a time-consuming process. Signalized intersections with congestion were analyzed to see if they could be improved through retiming, and capital investment was only considered if retiming is deemed infeasible. Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs), and more recently, signal performance measures (SPMs) derived from connected vehicle (CV) trajectory data, have already been used to streamline the process of identifying signalized intersections that can be improved through retiming. However, to date, similar efforts have not been used to identify intersections that may benefit from capital investment. …

Traffic Management Geocast Study With Connected Vehicles On Indiana Highways, Zhitong He, Abin Mathew, Abhijeet Ingale, Jue Zhou, Feng Li, Yaobin Chen

JTRP Technical Reports

Vehicular communication allows vehicles to interact with road users, roadside infrastructure, and cloud-connected devices.It holds a crucial position in modern transportation systems, impacting both fundamental and advanced aspects and enhancing traffic safety and efficiency. C-V2X is a wireless communication technology that uses cellular networks to enable communication between vehicles and infrastructure. C-V2X can be used for applications such as collision avoidance, traffic management, and remote vehicle diagnostics. This project conducted a feasibility study on the current position of C-V2X in the industry and developed a prototype, RampCast, to fundamentally understand the current C-V2X implementations as part of the 3GPP Release …

Updating Cost Allocation And Revenue Attribution, Isaiah C. Mwamba, Deepak Benny, Ajuna P. John, David O. Holguin Mejia, Dongyoon Song, Jelin Sabu, Jiqian Dong, Mohammadhosein Pourgholamali, Sashank Modali, Richard O. Ajagu, Bismark R. Agbelie, Matthew Volovski, Konstantina Gritzka, Kumares C. Sinha, Samuel Labi

JTRP Technical Reports

This report presents a synopsis of the results from the 2024 study commissioned by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) in fall 2023 at the request of the Indiana General Assembly.

Expenditures: Lighter vehicle classes saw their share of cost responsibility decline between 2015 and 2024, while the heavier vehicle classes saw their responsibilities increase within this period. This change is explained by a diametric shift in expenditure type patterns between the two eras from construction-dominant to maintenance-dominant expenditures. In this context, it is worth noting that these expenditure types have different ratios of attributable costs to common costs.

Revenues: …

Indot Research Program Benefit Cost Analysis–Return On Investment For Projects Completed In Fy 2023, Bob Mccullouch

JTRP Technical Reports

To demonstrate the value of research and its implementation, the Governor’s Office in 2016 requested an annual financial analysis of the INDOT Research Program to determine the return on the research investment (ROI). The INDOT Research & Development (R&D) has continued to publish an annual Return on Investment report. The current financial analysis is for research projects that completed in FY 2023. Analyses on previous year’s projects is necessary primarily due to the time it takes some project outcomes to be implemented and verifiable data generated, extending into the following year. Therefore, the FY 2024 analysis is completed research projects …

Indot Project Change Orders: Root Causes And Recommendations, Suyash Padhye, Aishwarya Sharma, Hesam Arefkhani, Deepak Benny, Konstantina Gkritza, Samuel Labi, Makarand Hastak

JTRP Technical Reports

This study analyzed the historical trends in change orders (COs) associated with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) highway contracts. It also investigated correlations between COs and base factors (district, project type, contract type, award amount, geographical area (rural vs. urban)), and sought to understand the effect of the root causes but not to predict CO based on root causes. Unlike the base factors, the root causes are unknown prior to construction. The study developed models that forecasted CO characteristics—CO likelihood, CO frequency (count), and CO severity (magnitude) and CO impacts (cost overrun and schedule delay). To address these research …

Overweight Divisible Loads: Permit Administration And Impact On Indiana’S Road Infrastructure And Safety, Samuel Labi, Steven R. Dunlop, Thomas F. Brady Jr., Isaiah C. Mwamba, Dutt J. Thakkar, Sandeep Ramachandran, Burklund Edwards, Rohan Cherian, Maria Alicia Chung Li

JTRP Technical Reports

Indiana’s House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1190-2021 was implemented in January 2022 to address concerns regarding the overweight (OW) loading behavior of the freight transportation industry and OW permitting. The Act required the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to adopt emergency rules and a fee structure for the interim period. At the start of the interim period (which is still ongoing at the time of this writing), the permit fee was increased from 7 cents/Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL)-mile to 25 cents/ESAL-mile. INDOT commissioned the current study to provide specific information about the effects of the Act on OW permit and …

Fatigue Strength And Ductility Of Steel Plates With Holes Made From Plasma Cutting Methods, Aurora Ebert, Robert J. Connor, Charles Kieffer Iii

JTRP Technical Reports

A literature review was conducted to evaluate current standards and existing research around the use of plasma arc cutting for holes (PACH) in the context of steel bridge applications. Additionally, an investigation into the state of the practice was conducted to determine if the latest technological advancements and equipment capabilities for plasma cutting could prove PACH to be an acceptable hole making process for bridge applications. Much of the existing research focuses on drilling and punching to make holes, but very limited experimental studies and data exists specifically evaluating plasma arc cutting. The most comprehensive study, including PACH, is discussed …

Comprehensive Pavement Patching Tools And Web-Based Software For Pavement Condition Assessment And Visualization, Sneha Jha, Yaguang Zhang, Tandra Bagchi, Andrew Balmos, Bongsuk Park, John E. Haddock, Seonghwan Cho, James V. Krogmeier

JTRP Technical Reports

It is a common practice among state agencies to manually inspect road segments and decide maintenance requirements based on the pavement condition index (PCI). However, standalone PCI only evaluates the pavement surface condition. When coupled with the variability in human perception of pavement distress, this limits the accuracy of current pavement maintenance practices and undermines the automated pavement maintenance suggestions systems, especially for actionable recommendations related to accurate patching location, depth, and priority. This project explores integrating pavement structural and surface condition assessment with pavement ratings of distress to estimate the appropriate pavement patching strategy for accurate location, depth, and …

In-Service Safety Evaluation Of Indiana Impact Attenuators And Barrier End Treatments, Raul A. Pineda-Mendez, Qiming Guo, Mario A. Romero, Andrew P. Tarko

JTRP Technical Reports

Crashes related to barrier end treatments and impact attenuators generally have higher severity levels than those colliding with barrier faces. To select the most effective end treatments, the in-service safety evaluation of such end treatments under various operational conditions was needed. This study linked 7 years of crash records with the corresponding end treatments using inventory from the Indiana Road Network Dataset. Factors affecting crash severity, including speed, weather, roadway features, and vehicle types, were extracted and integrated with crashes in the modeling sample. Both random parameter and fixed effect ordered logit models were used to estimate the effects of …

Electric Vehicles: Public Perceptions, Expectations, And Willingness-To-Pay, Bruno Cesar Krause Moras, Xiaowei Chen, Kenny Chandra Wijaya, Satish Ukkusuri, Samuel Labi, Konstantina Gkritza

JTRP Technical Reports

The primary objective of this project was to understand Indiana resident’s perspectives on electric vehicles (EVs), including adoption incentives and barriers, awareness of adoption incentives, charging preferences, and general travel patterns. A secondary objective was to establish a framework for identifying EV users, detailing their trips, and generating predictions for EV adoption and usage. To achieve these objectives, a stated preference survey was conducted with 1,217 Indiana residents. Two datasets containing travel behavior data were incorporated to generate synthetic data. The survey results revealed that Indiana EV users are typically middle-aged males living and working in urban areas. EV users …

Evaluating The Potential Benefits Of Implementing Aashto Guide Specifications For The Analysis And Identification Of Fracture Critical And System Redundant Members, Robert J. Connor, Cem Korkmaz, Amit Varma, Charles J. Kieffer Iii, Aurora Ebert

JTRP Technical Reports

An exploratory study was conducted for some bridges in the state of Indiana that evaluated the implementation potential of the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Internal Redundancy of Mechanically-Fastened Built-Up Steel Members (IRM Guide Specification) and the AASHTO Guide Specifications for the Analysis and Identification of Fracture Critical Members and System Redundant Members (SRM Guide Specification). The outcomes for the project included (1) determining if the application of the Guide Specifications on a wider scale would be beneficial to INDOT; (2) identifying which bridges or members were “truly” non-redundant in the selected bridges, thus allowing a more targeted inspection program that …

Business Processes To Prioritize Traffic Signal Retiming And Assess The Impact Of Retiming Activities, Enrique D. Saldivar-Carranza, Tom Platte, Terri Wills, James Sturdevant, Darcy M. Bullock

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) manages over 2,000 traffic signals in the State. It is unfeasible to identify systemwide improvement opportunities by evaluating the performance of thousands of traffic signals on monitoring dashboards. This report describes how a scalable technique based on connected vehicle (CV) trajectory data systematically evaluates performance at the movement level to prioritize retiming and maintenance activities. In total, eleven timing changes were implemented at nine traffic signals over various time-of-day (TOD) periods using the proposed approach. The method achieved average control delay and split failure reductions of up to 53 sec/veh and 30%, respectively. A …

Leveraging Lidar Intensity To Evaluate Roadway Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity, Gregory L. Brinster, Mona Hodaei, Aser M. Eissa, Zechariah Deloach, Joseph E. Bruno, Ayman Habib, Darcy M. Bullock

JTRP Technical Reports

Clearly visible lane markings are important for all road users, particularly autonomous vehicles. In general, nighttime retroreflectivity is one of the most challenging marking visibility characteristics for agencies to monitor and maintain, particularly in cold weather climates when agency snowplows remove retroreflective material during winter operations. Traditional surface-applied paint and glass beads typically only last one season in climates with routine snowplow activity. Recently, transportation agencies in cold weather climates have begun deploying improved recessed, durable pavement markings that can last several years and have very high retroreflective properties. These recessed durable markings are typically either epoxy, thermoplastic or preformed …

Investigating Preservice Secondary Teachers’ Understanding And Enactment Of The Standards‑Based Practices During Microteaching, Deepika Menon, Diana S. Chang, Rosetta W. Ngugi

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Reform efforts in K–12 science education have been gaining pace ever since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The new vision calls for reconsidering teacher preparation programs to prepare future teachers who are confident and competent in delivering NGSS-based instruction. This study investigated the development of 27 preservice secondary science and mathematics teachers’ (PSTs’) knowledge and skills as they understand, interpret, and implement the NGSS, particularly science and engineering practices (SEPs), within the context of microteaching during a STEM methods course. Primary data sources include 12 videos of 40-minute-long microteaching lessons, self-reflections, semistructured and focus-group interviews, and …

Critical Dialogue And Capacity-Building Projects Reduced Alcohol And Substance Use In A Randomized Clinical Trial Among Formerly Incarcerated Men, Alexis Jemal, Kari Kugler, Douglas C Smith, Rogério M Pinto, Salma Musaad

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background:

Rates of alcohol and/or substance use (ASU) among residents of predominantly Black and marginalized communities are similar to ASU rates in White communities. Yet ASU has worse consequences in predominantly Black and marginalized communities (e.g., higher incarceration).

Objective:

We randomized participants to one of 16 intervention conditions using a 2⁴ full factorial design to optimize a multilevel intervention reducing ASU among 602 formerly incarcerated men with substance-use-disorders (SUD). Candidate intervention components included (1) critical dialogue (CD; six weekly 2-hour-long group sessions vs. no CD sessions), (2) Quality of Life Wheel (QLW; six weekly 1-hour-long group sessions vs. no …

Proceedings Of The 11th Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Pushing The Forefront Of Neuromodulation With Functional Network Mapping, Biomarkers For Adaptive Dbs, Bioethical Dilemmas, Ai-Guided Neuromodulation, And Translational Advancements, Kara A Johnson, Nico U F Dosenbach, Evan M Gordon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank XI was held on August 9-11, 2023 in Gainesville, Florida with the theme of "Pushing the Forefront of Neuromodulation". The keynote speaker was Dr. Nico Dosenbach from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He presented his research recently published in Nature inn a collaboration with Dr. Evan Gordon to identify and characterize the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), which has redefined the motor homunculus and has led to new hypotheses about the integrative networks underpinning therapeutic DBS. The DBS Think Tank was founded in 2012 and provides an open platform where clinicians, engineers, and …

Post-Traumatic Stress And Future Substance Use Outcomes: Leveraging Antecedent Factors To Stratify Risk, Henri M Garrison-Desany, Stacey L House, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis) are highly comorbid. Many factors affect this relationship, including sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, other prior traumas, and physical health. However, few prior studies have investigated this prospectively, examining new substance use and the extent to which a wide range of factors may modify the relationship to PTSD.

METHODS: The Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) study is a prospective cohort of adults presenting at emergency departments (N = 2,943). Participants self-reported PTSD symptoms and the frequency and quantity of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use at six total …

Modular Horizontal Network Within Mouse Primary Visual Cortex, Andreas Burkhalter, Weiqing Ji, Andrew M Meier, Rinaldo D D'Souza

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Interactions between feedback connections from higher cortical areas and local horizontal connections within primary visual cortex (V1) were shown to play a role in contextual processing in different behavioral states. Layer 1 (L1) is an important part of the underlying network. This cell-sparse layer is a target of feedback and local inputs, and nexus for contacts onto apical dendrites of projection neurons in the layers below. Importantly, L1 is a site for coupling inputs from the outside world with internal information. To determine whether all of these circuit elements overlap in L1, we labeled the horizontal network within mouse V1 …

Recarving The Future: Bridging Car T-Cell Therapy Gaps With Synthetic Biology, Engineering, And Economic Insights, Alaa Ali, John F Dipersio

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignancies, offering remarkable remission rates in otherwise refractory conditions. However, its expansion into broader oncological applications faces significant hurdles, including limited efficacy in solid tumors, safety concerns related to toxicity, and logistical challenges in manufacturing and scalability. This review critically examines the latest advancements aimed at overcoming these obstacles, highlighting innovations in CAR T-cell engineering, novel antigen targeting strategies, and improvements in delivery and persistence within the tumor microenvironment. We also discuss the development of allogeneic CAR T cells as off-the-shelf therapies, strategies to mitigate adverse effects, and …

Perspectives Of Traditional Herbal Medicines In Treating Retinitis Pigmentosa, Shihui Liu, Toshihiko Matsuo, Chie Matsuo, Takumi Abe, Jinghua Chen, Chi Sun, Qing Zhao

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Medicinal plants, also known as herbs, have been discovered and utilized in traditional medical practice since prehistoric times. Medicinal plants have been proven rich in thousands of natural products that hold great potential for the development of new drugs. Previously, we reviewed the types of Chinese traditional medicines that a Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen (Japanese: Ganjin) brought to Japan from China in 742. This article aims to review the origin of Kampo (Japanese traditional medicine), and to present the overview of neurodegenerative diseases and retinitis pigmentosa as well as medicinal plants in some depth. Through the study of medical history …

Centering Intersectional Breast Cancer Screening Experiences Among Black, Latina, And White Women: A Qualitative Analysis, Sienna Ruiz, Kamilah Abdur-Rashid, Rachel L Mintz, Maggie Britton, Ana A Baumann, Graham A Colditz, Ashley J Housten

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Mammography screening guidelines in the United States highlight the importance of informing and involving women when making their breast cancer screening decisions. However, the complexity of interpreting and applying these population-level guidelines can contribute to patient burden. Patient-centered communication strategies can alleviate patient burden, but few consider perspectives from racially and ethnically marginalized populations. We examine diverse women's perspectives on screening to characterize patient-centered experiences.

METHODS: We conducted 28 focus groups with 134 non-Latina Black (

RESULTS: We identified three themes: (1) personal relationships with primary care providers, (2) potential impacts of cancer on families, and (3) interactions with …

Can Micro-Expressions Be Used As A Biomarker For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mindi Ruan, Na Zhang, Xiangxu Yu, Wenqi Li, Chuanbo Hu, Paula J Webster, Lynn K Paul, Shuo Wang, Xin Li

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Early and accurate diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for effective intervention, yet it remains a significant challenge due to its complexity and variability. Micro-expressions are rapid, involuntary facial movements indicative of underlying emotional states. It is unknown whether micro-expression can serve as a valid bio-marker for ASD diagnosis.

METHODS: This study introduces a novel machine-learning (ML) framework that advances ASD diagnostics by focusing on facial micro-expressions. We applied cutting-edge algorithms to detect and analyze these micro-expressions from video data, aiming to identify distinctive patterns that could differentiate individuals with ASD from typically developing peers. Our computational …

Cell-Type-Specific Consolidation Of Learned Motor Memories In The Neocortex, Rebecca Dicicco

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Motor learning is crucial for diverse behaviors, yet the neural mechanisms that consolidate the learning remain poorly understood. A recent study (Majumder et al., 2023) found that inhibiting Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in pyramidal tract (PT) neurons, but not Intratelencephalic (IT) neurons, in the Anterior Lateral Motor cortex (ALM) disrupt motor learning. This suggests a cell-type-specific reliance on CaMKII for inducing synaptic plasticity during motor skill acquisition. This project aims to explore how the brain consolidates the acquired motor skill as a long-term memory. We hypothesize that following motor learning, CaMKII in PT, but not IT, cells activates the …

“Biological Warfare: Can A War Be Justly Fought Using Biological Weapons?”, Gabrielle Emilio Fagundes

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Biological agents and toxins have been used as weapons offensively as early as 1320 BCE. Modern ability to manipulate and control biological materials has raised concerns as to how wars will be fought in the future. The Geneva Protocol of 1925 and the subsequent Geneva Conventions have clearly determined biological warfare as unethical and illegal due to the devastating effects it has on both combatants and noncombatants. The International Humanitarian Laws, based on the fourth Geneva Convention, are used as guidelines for fighting just and legal wars. Although the use of biological weaponry has been banned for almost a century, …

Are Electric Cars Really More Carbon Efficient Than Gasoline Cars?, Aethena Fitzgerald

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Ever since the invention of the wheel, humans have been trying to find faster and more efficient modes of transportation. The evolution from the first horse-drawn carriages to the currently popular electric vehicles marks a big improvement in speed and reliability. Today, modern society relies heavily on cars, the most popular mode of transportation. There are two main classes of automobiles: fossil fuel (gasoline and diesel) and electric. Fossil fuel cars are known for their carbon inefficiency, which leads to large amounts of greenhouse gases being emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere. In recent years, electric vehicles have gained limited popularity …

Elyrion's Harmony: A 2d Video Game, Jovan Fuller

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Elyrion's Harmony' is a 2D side-scrolling game in the fantasy genre. It takes place on the planet Elyrion. Elyrion is home to multiple countries, including Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. The player plays as Lyra, a citizen of Earth who witnesses her village's destruction by the malevolent sorcerer, Malachor. Seeking to tear the world asunder, Malachor's chaos disrupts the once-harmonious planet. As Lyra, players navigate diverse landscapes and battle elemental challenges to save her world.