Determination of riding comfort on cycleways using a smartphone application

Well maintained cycleways will encourage more people to cycle,as the condition of cycleways is important for the safety,accessibility and riding comfort of cyclists.Despite that,only a few models used to describe the quality of service for cyclists take the surface condition into account.Objective measuring methods are needed to enable reliable and effective assessment of surface conditions,and measurable performance criteria related to the needs of cyclists should be developed.The purpose of this study has been to test the reliability and validity of using accelerometers in smartphones to assess the riding comfort on cycleways.A smartphone application converting three-dimensional accelerometer measurements into a single indicator for cycleways has been used to assess road surfaces in two field studies,in Sweden and Norway,respectively.Both studies assessed test sections of varying quality.To relate the measurements to subjective riding comfort assessments by cyclists,recruited cyclists collected quantitative data using the app,whilst also rating their perceived riding comfort by completing a survey.Measurements were also related to standard road surface condition indicators,generated from a road surface tester equipped with 19 laser sensors:international roughness index(IRI),mega-and macrotexture.The results show that it is possible to describe the unevenness of a cycleway using the technology present in smartphones.A software application can be used to collect and analyse data from the acceleration sensors in the phone,which can then be used to describe the riding comfort of cyclists.It is mainly the unevenness in the 50-1000 mm sizerange that create the greatest discomfort for cyclists,and intermittent vibrations are perceived as more uncomfortable than more evenly distributed vibrations.Therefore,IRI is not a relevant measurement for describing the riding comfort of cyclists.

IKKβ binds NLRP3 providing a shortcut to inflammasome activation for rapid immune responses

Dear Editor,A rapid immune response to signals released from pathogens and injuries is critical for maintaining tissue integrity and restoring homeostasis.This response is largely mediated by the concerted action of pattern recognition receptors(PRRs).Such cooperativity has been described for Toll-like receptors(TLRs)and NACHT,LRR,and pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3),but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood.Inflammasomes are multi-protein complexes defined by a cytosolic innate immune sensor,usually a PRR,which recruits the adaptor molecule apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain(ASC)to activate the effector caspase-1 leading to the release of matured IL-1βand IL-18.Active caspase-1 further cleaves gasdermin D(GSDMD)allowing the N-terminal domain of GSDMD(GSDMD-N)to form pores in the plasma membrane,thus facilitating the release of matured IL-1βand IL-18.Pore-forming GSDMD-N further induces pyroptosis,an inflammatory form of cell death.