sport

Diabetes downregulates peptide transporter 1 in the rat jejunum: possible involvement of cholate-induced FXR activation




sport

Reduction of depression-like behavior in rat model induced by ShRNA targeting norepinephrine transporter in locus coeruleus




sport

Arrange transportation of 9.5k migrant workers to home states, will pay their fare: Delhi Congress to CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Congress wrote to the chief minister and the Delhi government's chief secretary as well, expressing its readiness to pay for the train fares of the migrants, said the Delhi Congress president. Delhi government in last few days arranged train travel of 1,200 migrant workers from Bihar and over 1,000 from MP, who were sheltered at government facilities.




sport

Highlights: New transportation technologies bring rewards and risks

New technologies are transforming the transportation sector. These include autonomous vehicles, ride-sharing services, remote sensors, and unmanned aerial systems, among other developments. As is true with many technologies, however, the products have advanced faster than the policies and regulations surrounding them. On September 10, The Center for Technology Innovation hosted a panel discussion featuring Brookings…

       




sport

Remaking urban transportation and service delivery

Major changes are taking place in urban transportation and service delivery. There are shifts in car ownership, the development of ride-sharing services, investments in autonomous vehicles, the use of remote sensors for mobile applications, and changes in package and service delivery. New tools are being deployed to transport people, deliver products, and respond to a…

       




sport

Banning cars won’t solve America’s bigger transportation problem: Long trips

Cars are a fact of life for the vast majority of Americans, whether we’re commuting to work or traveling to just about anywhere. But a new development outside Phoenix is looking to change that. Culdesac Tempe, a 1,000-person rental community, aims to promote a new type of walkable neighborhood by banning residents from driving or…

       




sport

What growing up with a sports-obsessed mother taught me about life and learning

Blog
While Amma is passionate about sports, Appa just cannot understand what the hype is all about. But she has allies in my sister and me.
Amma looking at the Football World Cup schedule pasted on the door.
It was June 9, 1990. Cameroon had done the unthinkable. They had defeated World Cup champions Argentina, led by the great Diego Maradona. Two images remain engraved in my memory forever. One that was playing on the television - Claudio Caniggia brought down by Benjamin Massing, which also meant the end of my footballing hero Maradona’s career. Another was playing at home the tension between Amma and Appa. Appa believed that sports were another form of entertainment (now that I think of it he was so right!!). He ardently believed that it makes us unproductive. He simply could not understand the 'adrenaline rush' that is associated with sports. And, on the other hand, Amma loved sports and learned to appreciate games like cricket, football and tennis by observing and listening to the commentary. She loved Sunil Gavaskar, Maradona and Martina Navratilova. Appa, whose sleep was broken by the commotion, was surprised to see his son crying, but was aghast to see his otherwise stoic wife heartbroken for an alien sport and for a faraway country, Argentina. I will never forget his reaction all my life. Amma, Meenakshi, born in Coimbatore, was born in a middle-class Tamil family. She was a promising student; however, economic conditions and the general apathy towards girl children’s education means she did not study beyond Class 10. But that did not stop her from learning. Binaca Geetmala and Ameen Sayani were her windows to Bollywood. After her marriage, radio commentary became her medium to fall in love with cricket. The Football World Cup and Wimbledon television telecast helped her fall in love with more 'alien' sports like tennis and football. The fact that her husband was not attracted to sports meant that she learned about the game by meticulously watching the proceedings and listening to the commentary closely. She would follow it up by reading about it in the newspaper or a sports magazine. She often tells me how she struggled to understand the idea of a deuce and advantage in tennis as she was not aware of the existence of a word ‘deuce’. It took her a great bit of persistent observation to decipher this unique format in tennis to break a tie.   Amma at the Centre Court in Wimbledon. At times her battle was lonely as not many in the family had similar likings as her. It was not until my sister and I grew up that she found someone to share her passion for sports with. It is with extreme doggedness that she seeks to learn new things. Years later we went to see Wimbledon; we saw a game at the Centre Court. She was as excited as a child when we got tickets for the London Olympics. I had promised her a trip to Europe and asked her to select the places of her choice. She chose Switzerland (her love for Bollywood, I guess), Paris and then she asked me if we could watch a football match at Camp Nou. She wanted to see her favourite Lionel Messi play. Amma and the author at the London Olympics. This year, I am home in Coimbatore for the Football World Cup. Amma has meticulously updated her knowledge about the teams (Panama and Iceland playing their first World Cup) and had stuck the schedule of the tournament on the door.   I ask her who should win. Amma says, "I want Messi to win, a player of his calibre needs a cup to sign off. A bit like Tendulkar needed a cup before he retired." How could I argue with her? Nothing has changed - her spirit, her keenness to learn and her strong opinion. I remember she always made coffee for me during the late-night games. I told her to take a nap for I can wake her up and make coffee for her; after all, I can do this bit for the lady who taught me to observe, learn, and keep learning. She is still a child, and I am holding on to the one in me. SS Venkateswaran returned to India after an 8-year stint in the UK. Before moving to Bengaluru, he will watch the Football World Cup 2018 with his Amma in Coimbatore.




sport

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is Not Alone in its Financial Struggles

Even in comfortable times, the service cutbacks and fare increases being proposed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would have sparked outrage from New Yorkers. Coming in the depths of the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression, things seem that much worse.

Not that it's any consolation to frustrated New York transit riders and taxpayers, but you are not alone. Transit agencies like the MTA are reeling nationwide; all are suffering from factors at least some of which they really can't control without some legislative help.

This is not to deny the pain that could occur unless the state comes up with a rescue plan. In its 2009 budget, the agency proposes painful service cutbacks and fare increases to help cover a projected deficit of around $1.5 billion.

No fewer than 51 transit agencies around the country are in the same financial situation. For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority that runs Boston's smaller transit system is chewing over major service cuts and fare increases if the state doesn't help cover its $160 million deficit.

The fact that so many transit agencies are struggling may come as a surprise. After all, didn't Washington just pump a lot of money into infrastructure as part of the $787-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? Wasn't public transit a big part of that law?

Yes. The stimulus package provides $8.4 billion to be spent on transit this year. That's a helpful shot in the arm to metropolitan transit agencies that Washington ordinarily relegates to second-class status. And the MTA will receive the largest portion of this money: more than $1 billion. Even by today's standards, that's nothing to sneeze at.

But how much will it really help? Federal rules in effect since 1998 stipulate that this money can be spent only on capital improvement projects and not to finance gaps in day-to-day operating expenses.

Surely there is no transit service without capital - the buses, trains, tracks and other facilities that make the system run. However, operating costs - which are generally about twice as high as capital expenses for the largest transit agencies - cover the salaries of the workers who keep the system running, as well as the debt contracted to pay for capital projects.

So as the federal government aims to put Americans back to work on shovel-ready, temporary construction jobs, transit agencies are looking at the likelihood of laying people off from stable, permanent positions.

Why the disconnect?

The response in Washington is predictably stubborn: Recovery money cannot be used for operating expenses because operating is not a federal role.

You would think that the pressure of this policy would lead to transit agencies that are self-sufficient - where passenger fares pay the full costs of operating the system.

But large metropolitan transit agencies generally "recover" only about one-third of their costs from subway riders and about one-quarter from bus passengers. The MTA has the highest cost-recovery ratio among all subway operators - its fares pay for two-thirds of operating costs.

For large bus systems, the MTA's New York City Transit ranks second only to New Jersey's in terms of the share of operating costs paid for by riders. The Long Island Rail Road is the seventh among the 21 commuter rail systems in the country, recovering from fares close to half of its operating costs.

So what should be done to close the MTA's budget gap?

For one thing, lawmakers in Albany need to recognize that the state contributes a lower proportion of the MTA's budget from its general revenue than other states provide to their transit agencies from general revenue. In New York, about 4 percent of all the MTA operating costs are covered by the state budget; in other states, transit agencies are getting closer to 6 percent.

Raising state general fund support to national levels would be a good place to start helping the MTA.

Another idea is to get Washington to help. Not in doling out more money, but in stepping aside and empowering metropolitan agencies to spend their federal money in ways that best meet their own needs.

Specifically, the federal rules could be changed to allow transit agencies to spend their transit capital stimulus dollars on operating expenses. Certainly, agencies have capital needs as well, but particularly in these stressful economic times they should have the short-term flexibility to use those federal dollars to meet their immediate problems.

Over the long term, some form of federal competitive funding for operating assistance also might provide the right incentive - or reward - to states and localities to commit to funding transit.

Based on their level of commitment, metropolitan agencies, localities and states that legislatively dedicate a stable stream of funds could potentially receive federal operating assistance, perhaps as a matching grant. The federal government would be helping those who help themselves.


The New York metropolitan area cannot afford to have a transit system that is hampered from operating at its fullest and most efficient potential.

An extensive transit network like the MTA provides important transportation alternatives to those who have options and basic mobility for those who don't. It can help mitigate regional air-quality problems by lowering overall automobile emissions and slowing the growth in traffic congestion.

It also can provide economic benefits by creating development opportunities around transit stations and help enhance regional economic competitiveness as an important and attractive metropolitan amenity.

Such a functioning network plays a fundamental role in attracting highly skilled labor and talent, which we know is so important in 21st century metropolitan America.

Publication: Newsday
      
 
 




sport

Weakening environmental reviews for transportation infrastructure is a bridge too far

This January, the Trump administration published a proposed rule to update long-standing government-wide regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—the law which requires public disclosure and discussion of environmental impacts before undertaking a so-called “federal action.” All types of infrastructure—from roads and bridges to dams to conventional and renewable energy developments on public lands—are…

       




sport

If Missouri Has Transportation Needs, Where Did Amendment 7 Go Wrong?


Earlier this month, Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected a 10-year, 3/4 cent sales tax increase to boost statewide transportation investment. With local referendums an increasingly popular method to raise transportation funding in an era of federal uncertainty, the result has lessons for Missouri’s transportation interests and the country as a whole.

Like many states, Missouri has a clear infrastructure deficit. A legislatively-mandated citizens committee found the state needs an additional $600 million to $1 billion in investment per year. The problem is finding the money. Outside of federal funds, the state primarily relies on a 17.3 cent gasoline tax and local property taxes to fund transportation projects, plus location-specific revenue streams like a half-cent sales tax in St. Louis city and county. Yet with Missouri residents driving less in recent years—down 5 percent per capita between 2000 and 2012-—there is less money available to fund critical projects.

This vote offered one remedy. The statewide bump in sales tax would’ve generated upwards of $5 billion over the ten-year period. The new monies would go to 800 projects across Missouri, primarily for roadways. The governance was a similarly unequal split, with the state department of transportation directly controlling all but 10 percent of the new revenue.

And this is where the referendum’s problems become clear. While each of the state’s seven transportation districts managed their own project list, there was no guarantee local sales taxes would be spent on local projects. There were also legitimate questions whether a heightened focus on roadways made sense in the face of falling statewide driving. This was at the heart of the opposition argument, led by Missourians for Better Transportation Solutions.

In many ways, the Missouri results reflect what happened in a failed 2012 Atlanta referendum. That transportation package contained a hodgepodge of road and rail projects, barely increased connectivity across the sprawling metro region and couldn’t align local interest groups. Much like Missouri, Atlanta has clear transportation needs—but voters sensed the current plan wouldn’t do enough to adequately improve their commutes and livability.

As Missouri’s transportation leaders regroup, they’d be wise to follow the “economy-first” lesson of successful referendums in places like Los Angeles, Denver and Oklahoma City. The common thread in all three was a great job proving the need for greater infrastructure investment. But as my colleagues outlined in a recent report, they also captured how transportation could support industrial growth and metro-wide economic health. Americans have proven time and again they’ll pay for transportation projects, but they want to know what they’re getting and how it will benefit their communities.

In this sense, I’m heartened by a recent Kansas City Star editorial related to their failed streetcar vote the same day. Even with a failed vote, the metro area still needs a better infrastructure network. The key is for public, private and civic leaders to continue working with the public to determine which transportation investments will best support regional economic growth for decades to come.

Ballot measures may fail, but they’ll always provide lessons to improve the plans that will pass.

Authors

Image Source: © Jim Young / Reuters
      
 
 




sport

Don’t dismiss Obama’s clean transportation plan

President Obama recently unveiled an ambitious new plan to pump $32 billion more annually into sustainable 21st century transportation infrastructure. With a dual focus on jumpstarting economic investment and reducing carbon pollution, the plan aims to drive innovations in public transit, intercity rail, and electric vehicle technology, and other clean fuel alternatives. In short, the…

       




sport

Pathways to opportunity: Housing, transportation, and social mobility

Two important factors connecting communities to employment, education, and vital services are affordable housing and transportation. While improving proximity and access to jobs alone certainly won’t solve our social mobility challenges, it can ameliorate problems like segregation, concentrated poverty, and low-density sprawl that pose real barriers to economic progress for low-income families. Both the U.S.…

       




sport

Pathways to opportunity: Linking up housing and transportation

Although the U.S. economy experienced 71 consecutive months of job growth, many people and households are not better off. This is particularly true if you are poor and physically isolated from jobs and good schools. The barriers facing many Americans are multiple, and creating effective pathways to opportunity requires action on a wide range of…

       




sport

Remaking urban transportation and service delivery

Major changes are taking place in urban transportation and service delivery. There are shifts in car ownership, the development of ride-sharing services, investments in autonomous vehicles, the use of remote sensors for mobile applications, and changes in package and service delivery. New tools are being deployed to transport people, deliver products, and respond to a…

       




sport

Moving to Access: Is the current transport model broken?

For several generations, urban transportation policymakers and practitioners around the world favored a “mobility” approach, aimed at moving people and vehicles as fast as possible by reducing congestion. The limits of such an approach, however, have become more apparent over time, as residents struggle to reach workplaces, schools, hospitals, shopping, and numerous other destinations in […]

      
 
 




sport

Transportation and the Economy

Opportunity 08 hosted U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters for a discussion of America's transportation infrastructure. Secretary Peters focused on the challenges facing the nation’s transportation network, and how local, state and national leaders can take advantage of new technology and approaches to unleash a new wave of transportation investments in this country.

      
 
 




sport

Moving to Access: Is the current transport model broken?

For several generations, urban transportation policymakers and practitioners around the world favored a “mobility” approach, aimed at moving people and vehicles as fast as possible by reducing congestion. The limits of such an approach, however, have become more apparent over time, as residents struggle to reach workplaces, schools, hospitals, shopping, and numerous other destinations in…

       




sport

Boosting Jobs with the Right Kind of Housing and Transportation Efforts

Last week, President Obama called for “any idea, any proposal, any way we can get the economy growing faster so that people who need work can find it faster.” There is a tried and true idea that has always been used in past recoveries; activate the building of the built environment … but with a major…

       




sport

Is NYC’s Bold Transportation Commissioner a Victim of Her Own Success?

The New York Times’ profile of celebrated and embattled New York City Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, shows how getting things done in a democracy can be bad for your political future. Sadik-Khan has increased the amount of bike lanes by over 60 percent, removed cars from congested places like Herald and Times squares enabling them…

       




sport

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood Leaves a Legacy

Lahood presided over "the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized."




sport

Innovative prefabricated bamboo trusses hold up this new sports hall

Marrying the traditional material of bamboo with modern engineering, this impressive sports hall in Thailand was constructed without steel reinforcements or connections.




sport

"Passivhaus is a team sport"- the idea is simple, the execution is a bit tougher

It's one thing to design to the Passivhaus standard; it is another thing altogether to prove it.




sport

The latest in multi-modal transportation: The Belt Scooter

Hold on to your pants as we show you how to solve the last mile problem.




sport

DIY Pod-Tainer microhome sports two space-expanding bump-outs (Video)

Compared to conventional shipping container homes, the Pod-Tainer has a relatively spacious interior, thanks to pop-outs on both sides.




sport

This concentrated solar power plant is totally tubular & easily transported

The HELIOtube is a radical departure from conventional CSP technology, as it is based around tubes of inflatable plastic film.




sport

Slow Biking is actually a competitive sport

In the Netherlands it is actually a thing, to ride your bike as slowly as possible without falling over.




sport

Aluminum Lume travel trailer sports retractable roof for stargazing (Video)

This stylish and durable trailer looks like a cross between a mini-Airstream and a horse trailer, and has a kitchen in the back.




sport

Electrostatic film harvests energy, makes you better at sports

A new wearable sensor technology that measures things like stance and force for sports also has the potential to harvest energy from waves, machinery or human movement.




sport

British Columbia promotes active transportation (e-bikes! scooters! skateboards!), Vision Zero, $850 incentive for e-bikes

There is so much in their new strategy that I can't get it all in the title.




sport

The $149 SolSource Sport is a powerful portable solar cooker

The latest product from One Earth Designs weighs just 10 pounds and packs down into a small carrying bag, but still delivers high performance fuel-free cooking.




sport

MOVE: The Transportation Expo Looks at How We Will Get Around in the Future

A remarkable exhibition of the future of transportation is mounted in the middle of industrial archaeology.




sport

Green Power Sports Tour 2008

One man. One veggie-oil powered car. Four months. 20,000 miles. Today Joe Connor, freelance sports-writer, leaves San Diego for his 3rd Annual Green Power Sports Tour, kicking off at a pre-season Raiders game in Bakersfield. Loaded




sport

Two transportation tragedies show how it is time to put pedestrians first

On National Walking Day, a look at how putting cars first kills people who walk and drive.




sport

Electrification is not enough: Decarbonizing transport requires a systems approach

Lloyd Alter would be so proud.




sport

Should eating on public transport be banned? (Survey)

It is recommended in the UK to reduce obesity. I recommend it to reduce obnoxious smells and garbage.




sport

Next transportation mode ripe for revolution: e-boats

Templar Marine introduces a Torqeedo powered dayboat that is a thing of beauty.




sport

Can SUBSPORT Help Chemical Companies Move Towards Safer Alternatives?

The Substitution Support Portal SUBSPORT launched this week, intending to give business improved tools for substituting hazardous chemicals with safer substitutes.




sport

Solavore Sport solar oven offers zero-carbon cooking in a lightweight package (review)

Simmer like a crock pot and bake like an oven, using the clean energy of sunlight.




sport

Join Authors Jarrett Walker and Darrin Nordahl for a Discussion of Public Transportation and Community

Whether urban, suburban, or rural, transportation systems dictate and define human interaction and community. Join BookHugger for a panel discussion of this phenomena.




sport

Costa Rica to Ban Sport Hunting

Exceptions will be made for subsistence hunting and fishing.




sport

Train Accident in Buenos Aires Leaves 51 Dead and 703 Injured, Sheds Light on State of Public Transport

A train that reportedly left a workshop yesterday failed to brake when entering a major station and crashed against the end-of-the-line barrier




sport

Heavy industry and heavy-duty transport could reach zero emissions by mid-century

Ambitious progress is possible, even in society's hardest to abate sectors.




sport

New report questions whether we should bring back supersonic transport

A number of companies are flying SST Trial balloons, but we should all pop them now.




sport

Transportation is the killer of a 1.5 degree lifestyle

Part of a series where I try to calculate the carbon footprint of my life.




sport

Water sports center is built from old shipping containers

The project in Denmark is a good object lesson.




sport

Alcoa, Major World Polluter, Brings Sustainable Transport to Bauxite Mine & Feeds Energy into Grid

It may sound like an oxymoron, bringing sustainable practices to mining operations, but unless we all stop consuming resources immediately, mining is also not going anywhere. So this is good news: since 2007, Alcoa's Jamalco




sport

A picture is worth: Space required to transport 60 people by car, uber and AV

A hilarious remix of a classic image demonstrates that the new high-tech alternatives are not solving every problem.




sport

UK Report: Active transportation can fight climate change, air pollution and traffic congestion

It talks a lot about cycling, but notes that we don't do nearly enough about walking.




sport

Berlin public transport system sponsors shoe with an annual transport pass

An advertising gimmick that gives a whole new meaning to the words "training shoes."




sport

Let's Learn From Medellín, Colombia’s Sustainable Transportation Capital!

Medellín has a great sustainable transportation vision for the future, and so far they seem to be executing it extremely well.