Post-licence driver education for the prevention of road traffic crashes: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

The effectiveness of post-licence driver education for preventing road traffic crashes was quantified using a systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. Searches of appropriate electronic databases, the Internet and reference lists of relevant papers were conducted. The searches were not restricted by language or publication status. Data were pooled from 21 randomised controlled trials, including over 300,000 full licence-holding drivers of all ages. Nineteen trials reported subsequent traffic offences, with a pooled relative risk of 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.94, 0.98). Fifteen trials reported traffic crashes with a pooled relative risk of 0.98 (0.96, 1.01). Four trials reported injury crashes with a pooled relative risk of 1.12 (0.88, 1.41). The results provide no evidence that post-licence driver education is effective in preventing road injuries or crashes. Although the results are compatible with a small reduction in the occurrence of traffic crashes, this may be due to selection biases or bias in the included trials.     

Visibility aids for pedestrians and cyclists: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

This study aims to quantify the effect of visibility aids on the occurrence of pedestrian and cyclist-motor vehicle collisions and injuries, and drivers' responses in detection and recognition. Trial reports were systematically reviewed according to predefined eligibility criteria, including randomised controlled trials or controlled before-and-after trials comparing visibility aids and no visibility aids, and of different visibility aids on pedestrian and cyclist safety, and drivers' responses in detection and recognition. This included trials in which the order of interventions was randomised, or balanced using a Latin square design. Two reviewers independently assessed validity of trials and abstracted data. The main outcome measures were pedestrian and cyclist-motor vehicle collisions and injuries, and drivers'/observers' responses in the detection and recognition time, distance and frequency. No trials which assessed the effect of visibility aids on pedestrian and cyclist-motor vehicle collisions and injuries were identified. Twelve trials examined the effectiveness of daytime visibility aids and 25 trials on night time visibility aids, including 882 participants. Drivers' and observers' detection and recognition improved with visibility aids. For daytime, fluorescent materials in yellow, red and orange colours enhanced detection and recognition. "Biomotion" markings enhanced recognition. Substantial heterogeneity between the trials limits the possibility for meta-analysis. Visibility aids have the potential to improve detection and recognition and would merit further development to gain public acceptance. However, the impact of visibility aids on pedestrian and cyclist safety is unknown and needs to be determined.     

Understanding whiplash injury and prevention mechanisms using a human model of the neck

Objectives

Various models for rear crash simulation exist and each has unique advantages and limitations. Our goals were to: determine the neck load and motion responses of a human model of the neck (HUMON) during simulated rear crashes; evaluate HUMON's biofidelity via comparisons with in vivo data; and investigate mechanisms of whiplash injury and prevention.

Methods

HUMON, consisting of a neck specimen (n = 6) mounted to the torso of BioRID II and carrying a surrogate head and stabilized with muscle force replication, was subjected to simulated rear crashes in an energy-absorbing seat with fixed head restraint (HR) at peak sled accelerations of 9.9 g (ΔV 9.2 kph), 12.0 g (ΔV 11.4 kph), and 13.3 g (ΔV 13.4 kph). Physiologic spinal rotation ranges were determined from intact flexibility tests. Average time–history response corridors (±1 standard deviation) were computed for spinal motions, loads, and injury criteria.

Results

Neck loads generally increased caudally and consisted of shear, compression, and flexion moment caused by straightening of the kyphotic thoracic and lordotic lumbar curvatures, upward torso ramping, and head inertial and head/HR contact loads. Nonphysiologic rotation occurred in flexion at C7/T1 prior to head/HR contact and in extension at C6/7 and C7/T1 during head/HR contact.

Conclusions

HUMON's neck load and motion responses compared favorably with in vivo data. Lower cervical spine flexion–compression injuries prior to head/HR contact and extension–compression injuries during head/HR contact may be reduced by refinement of existing seatback, lapbelt, and HR designs and/or development of new injury prevention systems.     

Sustainable development of process facilities: state-of-the-art review of pollution prevention frameworks

Pollution prevention (P2) strategy is receiving significant attention in industries all over the world, over end-of-pipe pollution control and management strategy. This paper is a review of the existing pollution prevention frameworks. The reviewed frameworks contributed significantly to bring the P2 approach into practice and gradually improved it towards a sustainable solution; nevertheless, some objectives are yet to be achieved. In this context, the paper has proposed a P2 framework 'IP2M' addressing the limitations for systematic implementation of the P2 program in industries at design as well as retrofit stages. The main features of the proposed framework are that, firstly, it has integrated cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) tool with other adequate P2 opportunity analysis tools in P2 opportunity analysis phase and secondly, it has re-used the risk-based cradle-to-gate LCA during the environmental evaluation of different P2 options. Furthermore, in multi-objective optimization phase, it simultaneously considers the P2 options with available end-of-pipe control options in order to select the sustainable environmental management option.     

Effectiveness of community-based injury prevention. Long-term injury rate levels, changes, and trends for 14 Swedish WHO-designated Safe Communities

This study investigates the injury rate levels, changes, and trends between 1987 and 2002 for the 14 Swedish municipalities designated as WHO Safe Communities. The injury rate was defined as the number of injured patients discharged from hospital per 1000 persons. Injury rates were age standardised. Each municipality was compared with its respective municipality group, according to a classification of Sweden's 288 municipalities into nine groups based on numerous structural parameters. The average injury rate levels for the 14 WHO-designated Safe Community municipalities ranged from 11.54 to 19.09 per 1000 population during the study period, which was defined as the time period during which a municipality's injury prevention program has been operational. Eleven of 14 municipalities had higher levels than their corresponding municipality groups. Five of the 14 municipalities "outperformed" their respective municipality groups and achieved a greater relative injury rate decrease during the study period. The trends for the 14 municipalities in relation to their municipality groups showed an inconsistent pattern, with only four municipalities exhibiting overall favourable trends for the study period.     

Impact of real-time traffic characteristics on freeway crash occurrence: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The development of methods for real-time crash prediction as a function of current or recent traffic and roadway conditions is gaining increasing attention in the literature. Numerous studies have modeled the relationships between traffic characteristics and crash occurrence, and significant progress has been made. Given the accumulated evidence on this topic and the lack of an articulate summary of research status, challenges, and opportunities, there is an urgent need to scientifically review these studies and to synthesize the existing state-of-the-art knowledge.     

Preventing childhood falls within the home: Overview of systematic reviews and a systematic review of primary studies

In most countries falls are the most common medically attended childhood injury and the majority of injuries in pre-school children occur at home. Numerous systematic reviews have reviewed evidence of the effectiveness of falls prevention interventions, but this evidence has not been synthesised into an overview, making it difficult for policy makers and practitioners to easily access the evidence. To synthesise all available evidence, we conducted an overview of reviews of home safety interventions targeting childhood falls, extracted data from primary studies included in the reviews and supplemented this with a systematic review of primary studies published subsequent to the reviews. Bibliographic databases, websites, conference proceedings, journals and bibliographies of included studies were searched for systematic reviews of studies with experimental or controlled observational designs. Thirteen reviews were identified containing 24 primary studies. Searches for additional primary studies identified five further studies not included in reviews. Evidence of the effect of interventions on falls or fall injuries was sparse, with only one of three primary studies reporting this outcome finding a reduction in falls. Interventions were effective in promoting the use of safety gates and furniture corner covers. There was some evidence of a reduction in baby walker use. The effect on the use of window safety devices, non-slip bath mats/decals and the reduction of tripping hazards was mixed. There was limited evidence that interventions were effective in improving lighting in corridors, altering furniture layout and restricting access to roofs. Most interventions to prevent childhood falls at home have not been evaluated in terms of their effect on reducing falls. Policy makers and practitioners should promote use of safety gates and furniture covers and restriction of baby walker use. Further research evaluating the effect of interventions to reduce falls and falls-related injuries is urgently required.     

Off-highway vehicle parks: Combining environment,knowledge, and enforcement for all-terrain vehicle injury prevention

The number of off-highway vehicle (OHV) parks continues to grow to meet the recreational needs of ATV enthusiasts and the increasing popularity of the vehicle. Little is known about how OHV park regulations and enforcement affect ATV safety among their users. This study was designed to determine whether there were differences in crash mechanisms and/or compliance with ATV safety laws and regulations when comparing off-road ATV crashes inside and outside state OHV parks. Relative to outside the parks, a smaller percentage of park victims were under the age of sixteen, a lower percentage were passengers, and a dramatically higher percentage were helmeted. Mean injury severity scores were not different inside and outside the parks, but 5% of outside victims had severe brain injuries, as compared to no park victims. Overall, park victims exhibited better compliance with ATV safety laws and regulations and suffered less severe brain injury outcomes. However, park crashes involved more jump-related injuries, suggesting that additional approaches are needed to improve park safety. These findings support the hypothesis that riding environments with safety regulations and effective enforcement can promote safe behaviors and may prevent injuries.     

色谱指纹图谱对香精香料质量控制的研究

烟用香精香料化学成分复杂，现无合适的化学质量控制方法，本文提出色谱指纹图谱这一概念，就其属性特征给予了阐释，指明了色谱指纹图谱质量控制的一般步骤，用一简例说明了指纹图谱的应用，研究结果表明指纹图谱是一种有效的香精香料质量控制模式。     

Two-scale evaluation of remediation technologies for a contaminated site by applying economic input-output life cycle assessment: risk-cost, risk-energy consumption and risk-CO2 emission

A two-scale evaluation concept of remediation technologies for a contaminated site was expanded by introducing life cycle costing (LCC) and economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA). The expanded evaluation index, the rescue number for soil (RN_SOIL) with LCC and EIO-LCA, comprises two scales, such as risk-cost, risk-energy consumption or risk-CO₂ emission of a remediation. The effectiveness of RN_SOIL with LCC and EIO-LCA was examined in a typical contamination and remediation scenario in which dieldrin contaminated an agricultural field. Remediation was simulated using four technologies: disposal, high temperature thermal desorption, biopile and landfarming. Energy consumption and CO₂ emission were determined from a life cycle inventory analysis using monetary-based intensity based on an input-output table. The values of RN_SOIL based on risk-cost, risk-energy consumption and risk-CO₂ emission were calculated, and then rankings of the candidates were compiled according to RN_SOIL values. A comparison between three rankings showed the different ranking orders. The existence of differences in ranking order indicates that the scales would not have reciprocal compatibility for two-scale evaluation and that each scale should be used independently. The RN_SOIL with LCA will be helpful in selecting a technology, provided an appropriate scale is determined.     

Risk of road accident associated with the use of drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from epidemiological studies

This paper is a corrigendum to a previously published paper where errors were detected. The errors have been corrected in this paper. The paper is otherwise identical to the previously published paper. A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that have assessed the risk of accident associated with the use of drugs when driving is presented. The meta-analysis included 66 studies containing a total of 264 estimates of the effects on accident risk of using illicit or prescribed drugs when driving. Summary estimates of the odds ratio of accident involvement are presented for amphetamines, analgesics, anti-asthmatics, anti-depressives, anti-histamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, opiates, penicillin and zopiclone (a sleeping pill). For most of the drugs, small or moderate increases in accident risk associated with the use of the drugs were found. Information about whether the drugs were actually used while driving and about the doses used was often imprecise. Most studies that have evaluated the presence of a dose-response relationship between the dose of drugs taken and the effects on accident risk confirm the existence of a dose-response relationship. Use of drugs while driving tends to have a larger effect on the risk of fatal and serious injury accidents than on the risk of less serious accidents (usually property-damage-only accidents). The quality of the studies that have assessed risk varied greatly. There was a tendency for the estimated effects of drug use on accident risk to be smaller in well-controlled studies than in poorly controlled studies. Evidence of publication bias was found for some drugs. The associations found cannot be interpreted as causal relationships, principally because most studies do not control very well for potentially confounding factors.     

Evaluation of maintenance policies for equipment subject to quality shifts and failures

We develop an economic model for the optimization of maintenance procedures in a production process with two quality states. In addition to deteriorating with age, the equipment may experience a jump to an out-of-control state (quality shift), which is characterized by lower production revenues and higher tendency to failure. The times to quality shift and failure are allowed to be generally distributed random variables. We consider two types of maintenance: minimal maintenance (MM) that upgrades the quality state of the equipment without affecting its age and perfect preventive maintenance (PM) that fully upgrades the equipment to the as-good-as-new condition. We derive the expression for the expected profit per time unit and we investigate, through a large number of numerical examples, the type of the optimal solution. It is concluded that in practically every case the optimal maintenance policy is an extreme one: it either calls for immediate MM as soon as a quality shift occurs (active policy) or it allows operation in the out-of-control state until the time of a scheduled PM action (passive policy).     

烟用香精香料的高效液相色谱-蒸发光散射法质量控制研究

为了监控烟用香精香料的质量,应用高效液相色谱-蒸发光散射仪,Nova-Pak C18柱(4μm,150mm×3.9mm),以烟酸甲酯为内标,乙醇-水(71:29)为流动相,等度洗脱,流速1.0mL/min,对烟用香精香料进行HPLC分析,通过对待测样品与标准样品的指纹图谱谱峰匹配,计算指纹图谱间的相似度考察烟用香精香料质量稳定性。     

Risk assessment of supply chain for pharmaceutical excipients with AHP-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation

Abstract

As the essential components in formulations, pharmaceutical excipients directly affect the safety, efficacy, and stability of drugs. Recently, safety incidents of pharmaceutical excipients posing seriously threats to the patients highlight the necessity of controlling the potential risks. Hence, it is indispensable for the industry to establish an effective risk assessment system of supply chain. In this study, an AHP-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was developed based on the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy mathematical theory, which quantitatively assessed the risks of supply chain. Taking polysorbate 80 as the example for model analysis, it was concluded that polysorbate 80 for injection use is a high-risk ingredient in the supply chain compared to that for oral use to achieve safety application in clinic, thus measures should be taken to control and minimize those risks.     

A simple tool for quality evaluation of the microcrystalline silicon prepared at high growth rate

Silicon thin films were grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at high-pressure (700 Pa), high-power (4– W/cm²) depletion regime using multi-hole cathode. Series of samples were deposited by varying hydrogen/silane ratio or plasma power to study evolution of film structure and transport properties near a-Si:H/μc-Si:H transition. We suggest a simple “μc-Si:H layer quality factor” based on the ratio of subgap optical absorption (1.4 eV)/ (1 eV) measured by constant photocurrent method. This ratio correlates well with the values of ambipolar diffusion lengths measured by surface photovoltage method perpendicularly to the substrate, i.e., in the direction of the collection of the photogenerated carriers in solar cells.     

深港西部通道爆炸挤淤施工中的震动问题及对策

在深港西部通道爆炸挤淤工程中,爆破震动对附近居民有影响,因而一次起爆总药量受到限制。在分析研究爆炸排淤振动速度和振动频率衰减特性的基础上,采用了微差爆破、减小侧爆规模及震动监测和严格的质量控制等技术措施,成功地解决了施工中爆破震动问题。钻孔检测和物探结果表明,堤身落底达到设计要求,微差爆破等以前未用过的技术措施没有影响施工质量。     

爆炸防控技术在爆破工程警务规划和技术评估中应用

通过介绍爆炸防控技术概念的内涵和外延,说明了爆破工程警务规划设计和技术评估的目的,就是有效防止或遏制涉爆事故,维护社会公共安全。在对一项复杂环境下的基础开挖爆破工程实施警务规划设计和技术评估时,警务技术民警对照爆破作业设计施工单位技术方案中的参数,现场核实需要保护的建筑和重要设施,准确测量保护目标与爆区的实际距离,分析是否存在影响爆破工程实施的不稳定因素,确认上述参数符合安全要求后做出准予爆破许可的建议。爆破工程警务规划设计和技术评估的要点就是要通过现场核查,核实爆破有害效应是否可控,能否确保爆破施工时周边保护目标的安全。     

The economic burden of injury: Health care and productivity costs of injuries in the Netherlands

BackgroundDetailed information on health care costs and productivity costs for the whole spectrum of injuries is lacking. We measured the total costs of injuries by external-cause, injury groupings, age and sex.MethodInjury patients visiting an Emergency Department in the Netherlands were included. Health service use and work absenteeism were estimated with national database data and a prospective follow-up study. Health care costs (direct costs) and productivity costs (indirect costs) were determined using the incidence-based Dutch Cost of Injury Model.ResultsTotal costs of injuries were €3.5 billion annually (€210/capita and €4300/patient); €2.0 billion healthcare costs and €1.5 billion productivity costs. Home and leisure injury subcategory falls caused 41% of total costs. Traffic injury was prominent in the 15–54 age group, mainly due to bicycle injuries. Sports injuries, in special football/soccer injuries, resulted in high costs in the 15–24 age group. Although costs per patient were comparable between males and females, health care costs were higher in females, whereas males have more than twice as high productivity costs. Health care costs were highest for hip fractures (€20,000/patient). Extremity fractures had high costs due to high incidences and high productivity costs per patient.ConclusionOur detailed cost model identified known risk groups, such as elderly females with hip fractures resulting from falls, as well as less obvious important high risk groups, such as young children falling from furniture, young males who sustained football/soccer injuries and bicycle injuries among all ages. This information is essential to assess additional priority areas for prevention.