Anthropometry for WorldSID A World-Harmonized Midsize Male Side Impact Crash Dummy

The WorldSID project is a global effort to design a new generation side impact crash test dummy under the direction of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The first WorldSID crash dummy will represent a world-harmonized mid-size adult male. This paper discusses the research and rationale undertaken to define the anthropometry of a world standard midsize male in the typical automotive seated posture. Various anthropometry databases are compared region by region and in terms of the key dimensions needed for crash dummy design. The Anthropometry for Motor Vehicle Occupants (AMVO) dataset, as established by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), is selected as the basis for the WorldSID mid-size male, updated to include revisions to the pelvis bone location. The proposed mass of the dummy is 77.3kg with full arms. The rationale for the selected mass is discussed. The joint location and surface landmark database is appended to this paper

Long-term exposure to ultrafine particles and natural and cause-specific mortality

BACKGROUND: Health implications of long-term exposure to ubiquitously present ultrafine particles (UFP) are uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between long-term UFP exposure and natural and cause-specific mortality (including cardiovascular disease (CVD), respiratory disease, and lung cancer) in the Netherlands. METHODS: A Dutch national cohort of 10.8 million adults aged >/= 30 years was followed from 2013 until 2019. Annual average UFP concentrations were estimated at the home address at baseline, using land-use regression models based on a nationwide mobile monitoring campaign performed at the midpoint of the follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard models were applied, adjusting for individual and area-level socio-economic status covariates. Two-pollutant models with the major regulated pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and fine particles (PM(2)(.)(5) and PM(10)), and the health relevant combustion aerosol pollutant (elemental carbon (EC)) were assessed based on dispersion modelling. RESULTS: A total of 945,615 natural deaths occurred during 71,008,209 person-years of follow-up. The correlation of UFP concentration with other pollutants ranged from moderate (0.59 (PM(2)(.)(5))) to high (0.81 (NO(2))). We found a significant association between annual average UFP exposure and natural mortality [HR 1.012 (95 % CI 1.010-1.015), per interquartile range (IQR) (2723 particles/cm(3)) increment]. Associations were stronger for respiratory disease mortality [HR 1.022 (1.013-1.032)] and lung cancer mortality [HR 1.038 (1.028-1.048)] and weaker for CVD mortality [HR 1.005 (1.000-1.011)]. The associations of UFP with natural and lung cancer mortality attenuated but remained significant in all two-pollutant models, whereas the associations with CVD and respiratory mortality attenuated to the null. CONCLUSION: Long-term UFP exposure was associated with natural and lung cancer mortality among adults independently from other regulated air pollutants

Air pollution exposure estimation using dispersion modelling and continuous monitoring data in a prospective birth cohort study in the Netherlands

Previous studies suggest that pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of air pollution. A prospective cohort study in pregnant women and their children enables identification of the specific effects and critical periods. This paper describes the design of air pollution exposure assessment for participants of the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study from early pregnancy onwards in 9778 women in the Netherlands. Individual exposures to PM10 and NO2 levels at the home address were estimated for mothers and children, using a combination of advanced dispersion modelling and continuous monitoring data, taking into account the spatial and temporal variation in air pollution concentrations. Full residential history was considered. We observed substantial spatial and temporal variation in air pollution exposure levels. The Generation R Study provides unique possibilities to examine effects of short- and long-term air pollution exposure on various maternal and childhood outcomes and to identify potential critical windows of exposure

Seasonal influence on the performance of low-cost NO2 sensor calibrations

Low-cost sensor technology has been available for several years and has the potential to complement official monitoring networks. The current generation of nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) sensors suffers from various technical problems. This study explores the added value of calibration models based on (multiple) linear regression including cross terms on the performance of an electrochemical NO(2) sensor, the B43F manufactured by Alphasense. Sensor data were collected in duplicate at four reference sites in the Netherlands over a period of one year. It is shown that a calibration, using O(3) and temperature in addition to a reference NO(2) measurement, improves the prediction in terms of R(2) from less than 0.5 to 0.69–0.84. The uncertainty of the calibrated sensors meets the Data Quality Objective for indicative methods specified by the EU directive in some cases and it was verified that the sensor signal itself remains an important predictor in the multilinear regressions. In practice, these sensors are likely to be calibrated over a period (much) shorter than one year. This study shows the dependence of the quality of the calibrated signal on the choice of these short (monthly) calibration and validation periods. This information will be valuable for determining short-period calibration strategies

Identification and spatial mapping of tracers of PM10 emission sources using a high spatial resolution distributed network in an urban setting

We employed an experimental approach for high spatial resolution sampling and analysis of PM10, allowing identification and spatial mapping of tracers of PM10 emission sources. Very-low-volume samplers were used at 17 sites in Amersfoort and at one regulatory reference site in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in a 5-month monitoring period (from September 2018 to February 2019), to assess the monthly spatial distribution of PM10 mass and PM10 chemical compounds. By performing principal component analysis on the obtained spatially-resolved data, selective and reliable source tracers were identified for soil dust (Ca+, Cl−, insoluble Al, Ce, Li, U and V), brake dust (insoluble Fe, Mn, Mo, Nb, Sb, Sn, W and Zr, water-soluble Fe, Mn, Mo and Sb), industrial and/or agricultural emissions (NH4+, water-soluble As, Co, Fe, Mn, Mo, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn and Ti), secondary organic and inorganic aerosols (water-soluble organic carbon, NO3− and SO42−), biomass domestic heating (water-soluble organic carbon, levoglucosan, water-soluble Cs, Li, Rb and Tl) and New Year's Eve fireworks (K+, Mg2+, Na+, water-soluble Al, Ba, Bi, Cr, Cu and Sr). The autumn and winter spatial mapping of the identified source tracers allowed us to effectively assess and localize the impact of the different PM10 sources and to evaluate the diffusion of the PM10 particles. This approach proved to be very effective to trace low-intensity PM10 sources and to map their seasonal spatial distribution. The obtained spatially-resolved chemical data can be used in further studies to evaluate spatial relationships between the concentration of PM10 air pollutants and adverse outcomes for human health. This approach promises to be a powerful tool for obtaining seasonal and spatially-resolved information about PM composition and sources in several study areas, having high impact on the air quality management

DOMINO, doxycycline 40 mg vs. minocycline 100 mg in the treatment of rosacea: a randomized, single-blinded, noninferiority trial, comparing efficacy and safety

Background There is a lack of evidence for minocycline in the treatment of rosacea. Objectives To compare the efficacy and safety of doxycycline 40 mg vs. minocycline 100 mg in papulopustular rosacea. Methods In this randomized, single-centre, 1 : 1 allocation, assessor-blinded, noninferiority trial, patients with mild-to-severe papulopustular rosacea were randomly allocated to either oral doxycycline 40 mg or minocycline 100 mg for a 16-week period with 12 weeks of follow-up. Our primary outcomes were the change in lesion count and change in patient's health-related quality of life (using RosaQoL). Intention-to-treat and per protocol analyses were performed. Results Of the 80 patients randomized (40 minocycline, 40 doxycycline), 71 were treated for 16 weeks. Sixty-eight patients completed the study. At week 16, the median change in lesion count was comparable in both groups: doxycycline vs. minocycline, respectively 13 vs. 14 fewer lesions. The RosaQoL scores were decreased for both doxycycline and minocycline, respectively by 0.62 and 0.86. Secondary outcomes were comparable except for Investigator's Global Assessment success, which was seen significantly more often in the minocycline group than in the doxycycline group (60% vs. 18%, P <0.001). At week 28, outcomes were comparable, except for RosaQoL scores and PaGA, which were significantly different in favour of minocycline (P = 0.005 and P = 0.043, respectively), and fewer relapses were recorded in the minocycline group than in the doxycycline group (7% and 48%, respectively; P <0.001). No serious adverse reactions were reported. Conclusions Minocycline 100 mg is noninferior to doxycycline 40 mg in efficacy over a 16-week treatment period. At follow-up, RosaQoL and PaGA were statistically significantly more improved in the minocycline group than in the doxycycline group, and minocycline 100 mg gives longer remission. In this study there was no significant difference in safety between these treatments; however, based on previous literature minocycline has a lower risk-to-benefit ratio than doxycycline. Minocycline 100 mg may be a good alternative treatment for those patients who, for any reason, are unable or unwilling to take doxycycline 40 m