NASCAR

Cortical parcellation has long been a cornerstone in the field of neuroscience, enabling the cerebral cortex to be partitioned into distinct, non-overlapping regions that facilitate the interpretation and comparison of complex neuroscientific data. In recent years, these parcellations have frequently been based on the use of resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) data. In parallel, methods such as independent components analysis have long been used to identify large-scale functional networks with significant spatial overlap between networks...

The human brain is a complex network that exhibits dynamic fluctuations in activity across space and time. Depending on the analysis method, canonical brain networks identified from resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) are typically constrained to be either orthogonal or statistically independent in their spatial and/or temporal domains. We avoid imposing these potentially unnatural constraints through the combination of a temporal synchronization process ("BrainSync") and a three-way tensor decomposition method ("NASCAR") to jointly analyze rs-fMRI data from multiple subjects...

The goal of this work was to collect on-track driver head kinematics using instrumented mouthpieces and characterize environmental exposure to accelerations and vibrations. Six NASCAR drivers were instrumented with custom-fit mouthpieces to collect head kinematic data. Devices were deployed at four tracks during practice and testing environments and configured to collect approximately 11 minutes of linear acceleration and rotational velocity data at 200 Hz. This continuous data collection, combined with film review, allowed extraction of complete laps of data...

BACKGROUND: There is evidence of a weak placental-fetal barrier to lead, suggesting that maternal lead exposure could affect the fetus. The health consequences for newborns from in utero lead exposure are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: We estimated the effects by trimester, of short-term (<1 week), airborne lead exposure during pregnancy on birth outcomes. METHODS: We use quasi-experimental variation in airborne lead exposure during pregnancy, based on NASCAR's deleading of racing fuel in 2007, in a difference-in-differences model, to estimate the effect of deleading on the birth outcomes of all live births (n = 147,673) in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area between 2004 and 2009...

The default mode network (DMN) mediates self-awareness and introspection, core components of human consciousness. Therapies to restore consciousness in patients with severe brain injuries have historically targeted subcortical sites in the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and basal ganglia, with the goal of reactivating cortical DMN nodes. However, the subcortical connectivity of the DMN has not been fully mapped, and optimal subcortical targets for therapeutic neuromodulation of consciousness have not been identified...

OBJECTIVE: Computational modeling has been shown to be a useful tool for simulating representative motorsport impacts and analyzing data for relative injury risk assessment. Previous studies have used computational modeling to analyze the probability of injury in specific regions of a 50th percentile male driver. However, NASCAR drivers can represent a large range in terms of size and female drivers are becoming increasingly more common in the sport. Additionally, motorsport helmets can be outfitted with external attachments, or enhanced helmet systems (EHS), whose effect is unknown relative to head and neck kinematics...

Brain tissue deformation resulting from head impacts is primarily caused by rotation and can lead to traumatic brain injury. To quantify brain injury risk based on measurements of kinematics on the head, finite element (FE) models and various brain injury criteria based on different factors of these kinematics have been developed, but the contribution of different kinematic factors has not been comprehensively analyzed across different types of head impacts in a data-driven manner. To better design brain injury criteria, the predictive power of rotational kinematics factors, which are different in (1) the derivative order (angular velocity, angular acceleration, angular jerk), (2) the direction and (3) the power (e...

Data from Northeast Scotland for 11,803 cancer patients (diagnosed 2007-13) were linked to UK Censuses to explore relationships between hospital travel-time, timely-treatment and one-year-mortality, adjusting for both area and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES). Adjusting for area-based SES, those living >60 minutes from hospital received timely-treatment more often than those living <15 minutes. Substituting individual-level SES changed little. Adjusting for area-based SES those living >60 minutes from hospital died within one year more often than those living <15 minutes...

Developing therapeutic agents with potent antitumor activity that spare normal tissues remains a significant challenge. Clonal loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a widespread and irreversible genetic alteration that is exquisitely specific to cancer cells. We hypothesized that LOH events can be therapeutically targeted by "inverting" the loss of an allele in cancer cells into an activating signal. Here we describe a proof-of-concept approach utilizing engineered T cells approximating NOT-gate Boolean logic to target counterexpressed antigens resulting from LOH events in cancer...

OBJECTIVE: While well-protected through a variety of safety countermeasures, motorsports drivers can be exposed to a large variety of crash modes and severities. Computational human body models (HBMs) are currently used to assess occupant safety for the general driving public in production vehicles. The purpose of this study was to incorporate a HBM into a motorsport environment using a simulation-based approach and provide quantitative data on relative risk for on-track motorsport crashes...

OBJECTIVE: Motorsport crash events are complex and driver restraint systems are unique to the motorsport environment. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Incorporated (NASCAR®) crash and medical datasets provide an opportunity to assess crash statistics and the relationship between crash characteristics and driver injury. Injury risk curves can estimate driver injury risk and can be developed using vehicle incident data recorder information as inputs. These relationships may provide guidance and insight for at-track emergency response, driver triage and treatment protocols...

Objective: Since 2005, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Incorporated (NASCAR) drivers have been required to use a head and neck restraint system (HNR) that complies with SFI Foundation, Inc. (SFI) 38.1. The primary purpose of the HNR is to control and limit injurious neck loads and head kinematics during frontal and frontal oblique impacts. The SFI 38.1 performance specification was implemented to establish a uniform test procedure and minimum standard for the evaluation of HNRs using dynamic sled testing...

Several studies have examined road rage, but few studies have examined other psychosocial factors that may contribute to the number of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). One study found increases in MVCs in West Virginia following televised NASCAR races but did not account for audience size. This study examined associations between NASCAR's television viewership ratings and the incidence of speed-related MVCs in the USA using generalized estimating equations that controlled for seasonal effects, intoxication, road surface conditions, and lighting conditions...

PURPOSE: Automobile racing is widely known to be physically demanding; however, there is no published information comparing the physical fitness variables of elite-level race car drivers across various competitive championships. METHODS: We documented the body composition, peak oxygen consumption (V˙O2peak), and isometric neck strength in a sample of elite race car drivers currently competing in Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, and International Motor Sports Association sports car racing (IMSA GTD), to determine current human performance benchmarks and establish goals for drivers wishing to compete in these series...

Carlson, LA, Lawrence, MA, and Kenefick, RW. Hydration status and thermoregulatory responses in drivers during competitive racing. J Strength Cond Res 32(7): 2061-2065, 2018-Stock car drivers are exposed to high ambient temperatures, further complicated by the fact that they are encapsulated in protective clothing; however, the hydration status of these drivers has not been determined. This study quantified the degree of fluid losses during a competitive event in hot conditions. Nine male stock car drivers (29...

OBJECTIVE: Since 2000, numerous improvements have been made to the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Incorporated (NASCAR®) driver restraint system, resulting in improved crash protection for motorsports drivers. Advancements have included seats, head and neck restraints (HNRs), seat belt restraint systems, driver helmets, and others. These enhancements have increased protection for drivers from severe crash loading. Extending protection to the driver's extremities remains challenging...

Fatal craniovertebral junction (CVJ) injuries were the most common cause of death in high-speed motor sports prior to 2001. Following the death of a mutual friend and race car driver, Patrick Jacquemart (1946-1981), biomechanical engineer Dr. Robert Hubbard, along with race car driver and brother-in-law Jim Downing, developed the concept for the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device to prevent flexion-distraction injuries during high-velocity impact. Biomechanical testing showed that neck shear and loading forces experienced during collisions were 3 times the required amount for a catastrophic injury...

BACKGROUND: Understanding the position-specific musculoskeletal forces placed on the body of athletes facilitates treatment, prevention, and return-to-play decisions. While position-specific injuries are well documented in most major sports, little is known about the epidemiology of position-specific injuries in National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR) drivers and pit crew. PURPOSE: To investigate position-specific upper extremity injuries in NASCAR drivers and pit crew members...

AIM: To evaluate a new process based on teamwork in a manner similar to the race car pit stop on organization and efficiency during the "Golden Hours" for extremely preterm infants. METHODS: A team designed an improved process focused on checklists, preparation, assigning roles, and best practices, for the care of infants <27 weeks' gestation in the delivery room (DR) through admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Clinical outcomes 2 years before and after implementation were analyzed...

Stock car racing is the largest spectator sport in the United States. As a result, National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing (NASCAR) Sprint Cup teams have begun to invest in strength and conditioning programs for their pit crew athletes. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the physical characteristics of elite NASCAR pit crew athletes, how the NASCAR Sprint Cup season affects basic physiological parameters such as body composition, and what is the most appropriate physical training program that meets the needs of a pit crew athlete...