Road Safety Management at Work Zones : Final report

Accidents nearby work zones are a persistent road safety problem in many European countries. The Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR) has initiated and finances the IRIS project (Incursion Reduction to Increase Safety in road work zones) with the aim to collect and share information about best practices in temporary traffic management at road works. An analysis of work zone accidents and a review of best practices were made. Psychological issues to improve safety at work zones were studied by a literature review. Interviews with stakeholders were carried out in eight European countries to gather information on guidelines, standards and procedures in temporary traffic management. Best practice findings cover organizational/management issues, work zone safety reviews, establishment/de-establishment of a road work zone, informing/warning and guiding road users through work zone areas, speed management, protecting devices for road workers’ and road users’ safety and incursion warning systems

Comparison of non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) Quantification, and 2D-shear wave elastography (2D-SWE)

Purpose: Although it has been known for decades that patients with alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) have an increased risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, limited data exist on non-invasive imaging-based methods for assessing liver fibrosis such as magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) quantification, and no data exist on 2D-shear wave elastography (2D-SWE). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the applicability of different elastography methods for the assessment of AATD-related liver fibrosis. Methods: Fifteen clinically asymptomatic AATD patients (11 homozygous PiZZ, 4 heterozygous PiMZ) and 16 matched healthy volunteers were examined using MRE and ARFI quantification. Additionally, patients were examined with 2D-SWE. Results: A high correlation is evident for the shear wave speed (SWS) determined with different elastography methods in AATD patients: 2D-SWE/MRE, ARFI quantification/2D-SWE, and ARFI quantification/MRE (R = 0.8587, 0.7425, and 0.6914, respectively; P <= 0.0089). Four AATD patients with pathologically increased SWS were consistently identified with all three methods-MRE, ARFI quantification, and 2D-SWE. Conclusion: The high correlation and consistent identification of patients with pathologically increased SWS using MRE, ARFI quantification, and 2D-SWE suggest that elastography has the potential to become a suitable imaging tool for the assessment of AATD-related liver fibrosis. These promising results provide motivation for further investigation of non-invasive assessment of AATD-related liver fibrosis using elastography

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Tools for Road Safety Audits and Road Safety Inspections at Work Zones

Road Safety Audits (RSA) and Road Safety Inspections (RSI) are effective means of Road Infrastructure Safety Management. They are preventive tools, consisting of systematic, safety assessments, carried out by trained, independent safety expert teams, resulting in a formal report on detected road hazards and safety issues, requiring a formal response by the relevant road authority. Yet, current regulations, procedures and protocols vary considerably between countries. The prerequisites for a good RSA/RSI practice are a number of defined regulatory, administrative, financial and technical issues. Since road work zones represent elevated hazards, running systematic and effective RSA/RSI procedures is vital to provide safe environments for both road users and road workers. A Work Zone Road Safety Audit (WZRSA) assesses a project’s temporary elements that will eventually be removed once the active work zone phase is completed. Hence, a WZRSA team should focus on work zone safety, design, and operations; it should not focus on permanent geometric design elements. WZRSAs can be done during all project phases – from planning through an active work zone. Due to the temporary nature of work zones, the WZRSA team must record its findings and submit recommendations to the road owner in a timely fashion

Guidance document on temporary traffic management

This report aims at providing information on principles that should be considered during planning, establishment and maintenance of work zones, and inspection works. An extensive literature review has been done within the project and some of the results, e.g. of previous CEDR-projects, are included in IRIS. However, not all findings of recent studies are mentioned, as the goal was to keep the report short and recommendations concise. The report builds on literature reviews, interviews with practitioners and experts in eight European countries (Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, and United Kingdom), and discussions with stakeholders. The report corresponds to the current situation. It does not cover probable future problems like the big topic of autonomous vehicles. These vehicles might pose a problem at work zones in the future, as autonomous vehicles, at current state, have difficulties in detecting road works where signage and road marking have not been sufficiently changed to reflect the layout during the work zone. On the other hand, remotely controlled vehicles and automation, that can be used to reduce exposure of road workers are included in possible measures to improve work zone safety. Finally, the topic is not only covered from road user’s point of view. Safety at work zones includes aspects of work safety, thus some issues of road worker’s safety, human factors and recommendations for educational measures are also part of the report

Different Designs of Floor Markings: A Successful Low Cost Measure Against Motorcycle Crashes in Rural Left Hand Curves

Previous research found that less than five percent of motorcycle riders chose their trajectories in left-hand curves far enough to the right. Floor markings have a reputation of being slippery. Although they are not, riders avoid riding over them. The intervention, which was evaluated within this research, makes use of this stereotype. A set of nine curves was selected in three different regions of Austria, based on an accident analysis. After sound investigation, two types of floor markings were selected, the so-called “psycho-brake” and specific oval markings, both in order to keep riders away from the centre line. By automatic image processing, trajectories and driving speeds were determined before and after the intervention within more than 14,000 single observations. Both types of floor markings achieved significant changes of the riders’ trajectories. Riding speed hardly changed. A complementary survey collected rider’s impressions and opinions. The results suggest application of floor markings on areas riders should not drive over as a cheap and effective measure to improve road safety

On the efficient use of Road Safety Inspections on rural roads

Road safety on the trans-European road network (TERN) is continuously assessed and improved under Directive 2008/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on Road Infrastructure Safety Management by means of Road Safety Inspections (RSI), an effective intervention conducted by specifically trained and certified experts, who systematically scan existing roads for potential risks. For Austrian rural roads, a network 40 times the length of the Austrian part of the TERN, there is no such inspection obligation. Yet about 50 % of all road accidents in which people are injured occur on rural roads. Nonetheless, subjecting the complete rural road network to RSIs is neither necessary nor practicable. The objective of this research was therefore to develop and test theoretical methods for detecting and prioritizing sections of the road that would benefit most from such inspections. The findings (high-risk sections, mostly suitable for low-cost-measures) of one method were verified by an RSI and a comparison to low-risk sections

Do the Impacts Justify Point-to-Point Speed Enforcement on Rural Roads?

Point-to-point speed enforcement is applied in Austria since 2003; and commonly called “Section Control”. Speed is determined by taking two pictures at different locations along a road, automatically recognising the number plates and calculating speed from the distance between the two cameras and the time elapsed between the two photo shots. Currently, there are about two dozen of Section Control devices in operation in Austria, half of them are stationary units. The mobile units are used at roadwork sections on highways. In 2012, a Section Control device was installed on a rural road for the first time. In order to determine criteria for further application, this device and four stationary units were included in a before-and-after-study about impacts of Section Control on road safety and its applicability on rural road. In addition, crash records of tunnels with and without speed enforcement by Section Control were compared as well as speed behaviour at roadwork sections on highways. The analysis used four parameters: Crash density, crash rate, rate of injuries and rate of crash costs. These numbers were calculated for the road sections concerned as well as for 5 kilometres ahead and after respectively, in order to capture potential displacement effects. Nearly all of these numbers were lower for the after than for the before period. The same applies for roadwork areas: Both, crash rate and injury rate were much lower with Section Control. A comparison of driving speeds at four different locations of roadwork areas showed lower values for average speed, 85-percentile speed as well as the share of offenders. It was found that none of the crash parameters allows for a sole assessment. Decisions about whether to install a Section Control or not have to consider all crash parameters in order to fulfil the legal requirement of a “particular local risk”. Such a holistic assessment also requires investigation of crash records, daily traffic and speed behaviour on the respective road section. Particular road sections like tunnels, bridges or roadwork areas justify use of Section Control even if the benefit-cost ratio is poor. The results of the study suggest that these recommendations apply to highways and rural roads equally

Safety management at road work zones : Best-practice recommendations.

Accidents nearby work zones are a persistent road safety problem in many European countries. The Conferenceof European Directors of Roads (CEDR) has initiated and finances the IRIS project (Incursion Reduction toIncrease Safety in road work zones) with the aim to collect and share information about best practices in temporarytraffic management at road works. An analysis of work zone accidents and a review of best practices were made.Psychological issues to improve safety at work zones were studied by a literature review. Interviews withstakeholders were carried out in eight European countries to gather information on guidelines, standards andprocedures in temporary traffic management. Best practice findings cover organizational/management issues,work zone safety reviews, establishment/de-establishment of a road work zone, informing/warning and guidingroad users through work zone areas, speed management, protecting devices for road workers’ and road users’safety and incursion warning systems