Associations between driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,speeding and seatbelt use among fatally injured car drivers in Norway

Since 2005, all fatal road traffic crashes in Norway have been analyzed in-depth by multidisciplinary investigation teams organized by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA). During the period 2005–2010, 608 drivers of cars or vans were killed in road traffic crashes. Blood samples were collected from 372 (61%) of the drivers and analyzed for alcohol and a large number of psychoactive drugs at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). After coupling the analytical results with the NPRA crash database, 369 drivers with a fatal outcome were identified and included. Alcohol or drug concentrations in blood above the legal limits were found in 39.8% of the drivers who were investigated for alcohol or drug impairment; 33.9% had blood alcohol concentrations above 0.5 g/L or concentrations of drugs above the equivalent Norwegian legal impairment limits or concentrations of amphetamines above 200 μg/L. Among drivers with a fatal outcome who had been impaired by alcohol or drugs, 64.6% were unbelted and 71.7% were speeding when the crash occurred; whereas 24.2% and 33.2% of the sober drivers were unbelted or speeding, respectively. Statistically significant associations were found between impairment by alcohol or amphetamines and driving unbelted or speeding. Excessive speeding is one of the main reasons for road traffic crashes and together with being unbelted the main reasons for a fatal outcome. This behavior might in many cases be due to increased risk-taking or negligence of safety measures as a result of alcohol or drug use.     

Are Perceived Sensory Dimensions a Reliable Tool for Urban Green Space Assessment and Planning?

Environmental psychologists have developed varying methods for landscape assessment according to how it is perceived and experienced. In the Nordic countries, eight perceived sensory dimensions are increasingly being used as a methodological framework for expert assessments. These are serene, nature, rich in species, space, prospect, refuge, social and culture. Using an onsite questionnaire distributed to green space visitors in Helsingborg, Sweden, this study is the first to examine the representation of the eight sensory dimensions in different types of urban green spaces as experienced by lay people and their relationships with green space attributes. The results showed that (1) prospect then serene and space were the most common, and culture and social the least; (2) the experience of the sensory dimensions varied across the six study sites and was related to their diversity of biotopes and overall size; and (3) respondent experience of the sensory dimensions was consistent across gender, age and frequency and type of recreational use. These results grant legitimacy to the method in assessment and mapping of recreational experience of urban green space.     

A comparison of partially acetylated nanocellulose,nanocrystalline cellulose,and nanoclay as fillers for high‐performance polylactide nanocomposites

Partially acetylated cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were chemically extracted from sisal fibers and the performance of those CNF as nanofillers for polylactide (PLA) for food packaging applications was evaluated. Three PLA nanocomposites; PLA/CNF (cellulose nanofibers), PLA/CNC (nanocrystalline cellulose), and PLA/C30B (Cloisite^TM 30B, an organically modified montmorillonite clay) were prepared and their properties were evaluated. It was found that CNF reinforced composites showed a larger decrease on oxygen transmission rate (OTR) than the clay‐based composites; (PLA/CNF 1% nanocomposite showed a 63% of reduction at 23°C and 50% RH while PLA/C30B 1% showed a 26% decrease) and similar behavior on terms of water vapor barrier properties with 46 and 43%, respectively of decrease on water vapor transmission rate at 23°C and 50% RH (relative humidity). In terms of mechanical and thermomechanical properties, CNF‐based nanocomposites showed better performance than clay‐based composites without affecting significantly the optical transparency. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43257.     

Analysis of particle cloud height dynamics in a stirred tank

Local and temporal variations of the particle cloud formed in a cylindrical mixing vessel were investigated experimentally. Different particle sizes (0.5, 1, and 2 mm) and volumetric concentration up to 20 vol % were evaluated at different impeller speeds. The time‐averaged cloud height was linear with impeller frequency and with volume concentration. Suspensions with larger particles had a lower average cloud height, while the standard deviation for the temporal cloud height variation was larger. Two strong periodic phenomena were identified to be dominating the particle cloud height variations. The frequencies were linear with impeller speed, resulting in dimensionless frequencies of S₁=0.02–0.03 and S₂=0.05–0.06. The frequencies were affected by neither the particle size nor the volumetric concentration. The amplitude showed no dependency on the particle size, but the S₂ amplitude significantly decreases and S₁ increases with increasing solid concentration. The results were compared to LES/discrete element method simulations and showed a fair agreement. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 338–348, 2016     

Bioavailability Studies and in vitro Profiling of the Selective Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter Subtype 1 (EAAT1) Inhibitor UCPH‐102

Although the selective excitatory amino acid transporter subtype 1 (EAAT1) inhibitor UCPH‐101 has become a standard pharmacological tool compound for in vitro and ex vivo studies in the EAAT research field, its inability to penetrate the blood–brain barrier makes it unsuitable for in vivo studies. In the present study, per os (p.o.) administration (40 mg kg^?1) of the closely related analogue UCPH‐102 in rats yielded respective plasma and brain concentrations of 10.5 and 6.67 μm after 1 h. Three analogue series were designed and synthesized to improve the bioavailability profile of UCPH‐102, but none displayed substantially improved properties in this respect. In vitro profiling of UCPH‐102 (10 μm ) at 51 central nervous system targets in radioligand binding assays strongly suggests that the compound is completely selective for EAAT1. Finally, in a rodent locomotor model, p.o. administration of UCPH‐102 (20 mg kg^?1) did not induce acute effects or any visible changes in behavior.     

Purification of Biorefinery Lignin with Alcohols

After hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw, a slurry rich in lignin but with a high content of inorganic substances, especially silica, and residual carbohydrates is produced. This slurry was used to develop an ethanol organosolv separation method to produce silica-free lignin fractions. The addition of para toluene sulphonic acid (PTSA) and the use of two alternative long-chain alcohols, oleyl alcohol or nonylphenol, were tested. In every reaction, two lignin fractions were produced and their molecular size and elemental composition were characterized. The yield of each fraction and the change in MWD were studied as a function of temperature and solid to liquid ratio. At 100, 150, and 200°C and with the use of PTSA, high-purity lignin fractions were obtained. After lignin fractionation with nonylphenol, a liquid silica-free product with high lignin content was obtained in yields between 17 and 72%.     

Geothermal use of an Alpine aquifer—Davos pilot study

Grundwasser - Topographically induced Alpine regional groundwater flow systems below the unconsolidated valley fillings constitute a substantial unused geothermal resource. Within the...     

Identification,Synthesis, and Behavioral Activity of 5,11-Dimethylpentacosane,A Novel Sex Pheromone Component of the Greater Wax Moth,Galleria Mellonella (L.)

The greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (L.), is a serious and widespread pest of the honeybee, Apis mellifera L. In contrast to most moths, for which long-range mate finding is mediated by female-produced sex pheromones, G. mellonella males attract conspecific females over long distances by emitting large amounts of a characteristic scent in combination with bursts of ultrasonic calls. The male scent for this species was previously identified as a blend of nonanal and undecanal. When these compounds were bioassayed, characteristic short-range sexual behavior, including wing fanning, was triggered in conspecific females, but the aldehyde blend failed to elicit attraction over longer distances. We identified, via analysis and synthesis, a third male-specific compound, 5,11-dimethylpentacosane. We show that it acts as a behavioral synergist to the aldehydes. In wind tunnel experiments, very few female moths responded to the aldehyde blend or to 5,11-dimethylpentacosane tested separately, but consistently showed orientation and source contact when a combination of all three compounds was applied. The level of attraction to the three-component mixture was still lower than that to male extract, indicating that the composition of compounds in the synthetic blend is suboptimal, or that additional pheromone components of G. mellonella are yet to be identified. The identification of 5,11-dimethylpentacosane is an important step for the development of an efficient long-range attractant that will be integrated with other environmentally safe strategies to reduce damage to beehives caused by wax moths.