Infrastructure and spatial effects on the frequency of cyclist-motorist collisions in the Copenhagen region

Promoting cycling aims at reducing congestion and pollution and encouraging healthy and sustainable lifestyles, but generally clashes with the perception of crash risk while riding a bicycle that is still the most significant disincentive to cycling. The current study analyzed the factors contributing to increase crash risk while riding a bicycle by focusing on the variation of 5349 cyclist-motorist collisions within 269 traffic zones in the Copenhagen Region. The model controlled for traffic exposure for both bicycles and motorized transport modes, evaluated the effects of infrastructure and socio-economic characteristics of the zones, and accounted for heterogeneity and spatial correlation across the zones. A Poisson-lognormal model with second-order CAR priors confirmed the existence of the safety in numbers phenomenon, contradicted previous literature about bicycle facilities not being helpful in reducing crash risk, highlighted the need for Copenhagen-style bicycle paths especially in suburban areas, and emphasized how heterogeneity and spatial correlation play a significant role in explaining the probability of cyclist-motorist crash occurrence

Infrastructure and spatial effects on the frequency of cyclist-motorist collisions in the Copenhagen region

Promoting cycling aims at reducing congestion and pollution and encouraging healthy and sustainable lifestyles, but generally clashes with the perception of crash risk while riding a bicycle that is still the most significant disincentive to cycling. The current study analyzed the factors contributing to increase crash risk while riding a bicycle by focusing on the variation of 5349 cyclist-motorist collisions within 269 traffic zones in the Copenhagen Region. The model controlled for traffic exposure for both bicycles and motorized transport modes, evaluated the effects of infrastructure and socio-economic characteristics of the zones, and accounted for heterogeneity and spatial correlation across the zones. A Poisson-lognormal model with second-order CAR priors confirmed the existence of the safety in numbers phenomenon, contradicted previous literature about bicycle facilities not being helpful in reducing crash risk, highlighted the need for Copenhagen-style bicycle paths especially in suburban areas, and emphasized how heterogeneity and spatial correlation play a significant role in explaining the probability of cyclist-motorist crash occurrence

Sikker trafik gennem træning - Kørsel i simulator og på køreteknisk anlæg

En af mulighederne for at få en mere sikker trafik, er at lade førere øve sig inden de slippes løs i den rigtige trafik. Dette kan foregå dels i en køresimulator og dels på køreteknisk anlæg. I dette forsøg har vi ladet de samme professionelle chauffører køre på køreteknisk anlæg og i køresimulator for at klarlægge om deres køretekniske færdigheder bliver større ved at gennemgå disse øvelser. Formålet med øvelserne var at besvare følgende spørgsmål: Har det en effekt på kørselspræstationen at modtage træning i simulator inden træning på køreteknisk anlæg – og omvendt Bliver kursisterne bedre til de forskellige discipliner undervejs i gennemløbene? Empirisk grundlag og metoder.Datamaterialet stammer fra gennemførte kurser på AMU-Djurslands køretekniske anlæg og i simulator sammesteds. 104 professionelle chauffører – 10 kvinder og 94 mænd – gennemførte i foråret 2004 ti forskellige øvelser på både køreteknisk anlæg og i simulator. Øvelserne er gennemført to gange i simulator og fire gange på køreteknisk anlæg. Kursisterne har for hvert gennemløb fået tildelt karakterer på en semikvantitativ skala fra et til fem for fire discipliner i hver øvelse, nemlig hastighed, bremsning, styring og undgåelse af forhindring. Karaktererne er givet så objektivt som muligt af erfarne instruktører fra AMU-Djursland. Til besvarelse af de fem spørgsmål ovenfor er brugt variansanalyse og lineær og multipel regression. De uafhængige variable er for eksempel køn, alder, arbejdsmæssig tilknytning, mens den afhængige variabel i disse analyser vil være præstation eller præstationsforbedring inden for en given disciplin. Kursisterne fik signifikant bedre karakterer af at gennemføre samme øvelse flere gange. Dette gælder alle discipliner og både for køreteknisk anlæg og simulator. Kursisterne fik bedre karakterer af at gennemføre øvelser på det ene anlæg inden de samme øvelser på det andet anlæg. Tendensen er klarest for kursister der gennemførte øvelser på det køretekniske anlæg efter øvelser i simulator. Præstationsforbedringen var signifikant bedre på køreteknisk anlæg end i simulator. Om dette skyldes anlæggets karakter eller at der på køreteknisk anlæg var fire gennemløb og i simulatoren kun to, kan ikke afgøres

Fritid er produktiv tid i den audiovisuelle mediekultur

On the basis of a theoretical discussion about the concepts of leisure and media use, the article investigates how so-called ordinary people apply different media to disclose part of their leisure time and everyday life for public consumption not only in order to construct a personal identity formation, but also in order to commercialize the self. The interaction and everyday actions of participants in reality programmes on television and creators of Vlogs on YouTube are objects for observation and recording leisure behaviour with the intention to entertain and engage other people in their free time. There are two principal aspects of this: first, the functionality of the leisure time in the present media culture, in which performing and presenting the self in various situations become a serious matter for the reality star or Vlogger. Second, power and control of the performance are significant aspects of understanding this functionality, which furthermore involves a distinction regarding the specific affordances of television and YouTube as media platforms. The article’s theoretical fundament framework draws on Colin Campbell’s revision of Max Weber, and especially the notion of modern hedonism

Radioactive seed localization of renal cell carcinoma in a patient with Von Hippel-Lindau disease

This report describes the case of a patient, who had successful radioactive seed localization (RSL) performed to improve the identification and excision of a renal cell carcinoma. RSL is a new method of preoperative localization, which can ease the surgical procedure, minimize tissue trauma, and ultimately benefit the patient

Profiling of VEGFs and VEGFRs as Prognostic Factors in Soft Tissue Sarcoma: VEGFR-3 Is an Independent Predictor of Poor Prognosis

BACKGROUND: In non-gastrointestinal stromal tumor soft tissue sarcoma (non-GIST STS) optimal treatment is surgery with wide resection margins. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and receptors (VEGFRs) are known to be key players in the initiation of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. This study investigates the prognostic impact of VEGFs and VEGFRs in non-GIST STS with wide and non-wide resection margins. METHODS: Tumor samples from 249 patients with non-GIST STS were obtained and tissue microarrays were constructed for each specimen. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expressions of VEGF-A, -C and -D and VEGFR-1, -2 and -3. RESULTS: In the univariate analyses, VEGF-A (P=0.040) in the total material, and VEGF-A (P=0.018), VEGF-C (P=0.025) and VEGFR-3 (P=0.027) in the subgroup with wide resection margins, were significant negative prognostic indicators of disease-specific survival (DSS). In the multivariate analysis, high expression of VEGFR-3 (P=0.042, HR=1.907, 95% CI 1.024-3.549) was an independent significant negative prognostic marker for DSS among patients with wide resection margins. CONCLUSION: VEGFR-3 is a strong and independent negative prognostic marker for non-GIST STSs with wide resection margins