Relation between riding pleasure and vehicle dynamics - Results from a motorcycle field test.

Powered two-wheelers are a common means of transport all over the world. In several countries, primary motorcycles with high displacement involve another purpose, namely motorcycling is a leisure activity. Motorcycles are used as tools of transport pleasure as opposed to being purely used for individual commuting purposes. The aim of the current study involves investigating the relation between experienced riding pleasure and riding behavior in a field test. Specifically, N = 12 motorcyclists between 21 and 66 years of age were observed while riding for approximately 8 h on public roads. The measurement setup included a logger for vehicle dynamics and vehicle handling data, GNSS data, video data, and subjective measures recorded as audio comments at predefined points of interest along the round course. A comprehensive dataset with more than 6000 km of motorcycling was gathered. The results indicate that parameters of lateral vehicle behavior, such as the maximum lean angle, reflected riding pleasure. Interestingly, this is applicable for curvy sections as well as straight roads. High ratings of riding pleasure correlated with riding in snaky lines as a type of self-stimulation on straight sections. Longitudinal vehicle dynamics, such as the range of accelerations, tend to increase with the riding pleasure in curves. Hence, the effects are smaller than those for lateral vehicle behavior and not visible on straight sections. Generally, curvy sections on rural roads produce higher pleasure than straight roads. On a global level, riding pleasure increases during the first few hours of riding and subsequently decreases with respect to the time on task. The results are discussed in the context of studies on driving pleasure from the automotive sector and more fundamental psychological theories that explain pleasure as a physiological stimulation or flow. Several individuals ride motorcycles to experience pleasure. A better understanding of rider behavior in these situations can aid in deriving proper assistance and to provide individual support to a rider, thereby increasing riding pleasure as well as safety.

Twenty-four new cases of WT1 germline mutations and review of the literature: genotype/phenotype correlations for Wilms tumor development.

We report here 24 new Wilms tumor (WT) patients with germline WT1 alterations and a synopsis of our own previously described and literature cases in whom age of tumor-onset, gender, and laterality were known. This combined database contains 282 patients, 117 patients with and 165 without WT1 germline alterations. Using this information we have determined the median age of tumor-onset for patients with (12.5 months) and without WT1 gene alterations (36 months). The earliest onset was in patients with truncation (12 mo, 66 patients), followed by missense mutations (18 mo, 30 patients) and deletions (22 mo, 21 patients). Patients with the two most frequent nonsense mutations R362X and R390X and the Denys-Drash syndrome (DDS) hot spot mutation R394W/Q/L had a very early onset (9, 12, and 18 mo, respectively). The highest number of bilateral tumors was observed in the group of truncation mutations, with a higher percentage of bilateral tumors when truncations occurred in the 5' half of the WT1 gene. In addition to genital tract anomalies (GU), early onset nephrotic syndrome with diffuse mesangial sclerosis and stromal-predominant histology, tumor bilaterality, and early age of onset can now be added to the list of risk factors for carrying a germline WT1 mutation.