Pedestrian Injury and Human Behaviour: Observing Road-Rule Violations at High-Incident Intersections

Background Human behaviour is an obvious, yet under-studied factor in pedestrian injury. Behavioural interventions that address rule violations by pedestrians and motorists could potentially reduce the frequency of pedestrian injury. In this study, a method was developed to examine road-rule non-compliance by pedestrians and motorists. The purpose of the study was to examine the potential association between violations made by pedestrians and motorists at signalized intersections, and collisions between pedestrians and motor-vehicles. The underlying hypothesis is that high-incident pedestrian intersections are likely to vary with respect to their aetiology, and thus are likely to require individualized interventions – based on the type and rate of pedestrian and motorist violation. Methods High-incident pedestrian injury intersections in Vancouver, Canada were identified using geographic information systems. Road-rule violations by pedestrians and motorists were documented at each incident hotspot by a team of observers at several different time periods during the day. Results Approximately 9,000 pedestrians and 18,000 vehicles were observed in total. In total for all observed intersections, over 2000 (21%) pedestrians committed one of the observed pedestrian road-crossing violations, while approximately 1000 (5.9%) drivers committed one of the observed motorist violations. Great variability in road-rule violations was observed between intersections, and also within intersections at different observation periods. Conclusions Both motorists and pedestrians were frequently observed committing road-rule violations at signalized intersections, suggesting a potential human behavioural contribution to pedestrian injury at the study sites. These results suggest that each intersection may have unique mechanisms that contribute to pedestrian injury, and may require targeted behavioural interventions. The method described in this study provides the basis for understanding the relationship between violations and pedestrian injury risk at urban intersections. Findings could be applied to targeted prevention campaigns designed to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries at signalized intersections

Inequitable walking conditions among older people: examining the interrelationship of neighbourhood socio-economic status and urban form using a comparative case study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Supportive neighbourhood walking conditions are particularly important for older people as they age and who, as a group, prefer walking as a form of physical activity. Urban form and socio-economic status (SES) can influence neighbourhood walking behaviour. The objectives of this study were: a) to examine how urban form and neighbourhood SES inter-relate to affect the experiences of older people who walk in their neighbourhoods; b) to examine differences among neighbourhood stakeholder key informant perspectives on socio-political processes that shape the walkability of neighbourhood environments.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An embedded comparative case study examined differences among four Ottawa neighbourhoods that were purposefully selected to provide contrasts on urban form (inner-urban versus suburban) and SES (higher versus lower). Qualitative data collected from 75 older walkers and 19 neighbourhood key informants, as well as quantitative indicators were compared on the two axes of urban form and SES among the four neighbourhoods.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>Examining the inter-relationship of neighbourhood SES and urban form characteristics on older people's walking experiences indicated that urban form differences were accentuated positively in higher SES neighbourhoods and negatively in lower SES neighbourhoods. Older people in lower SES neighbourhoods were more affected by traffic hazards and more reliant on public transit compared to their higher SES counterparts. In higher SES neighbourhoods the disadvantages of traffic in the inner-urban neighbourhood and lack of commercial destinations in the suburban neighbourhood were partially offset by other factors including neighbourhood aesthetics. Key informant descriptions of the socio-political process highlighted how lower SES neighbourhoods may face greater challenges in creating walkable places. These differences pertained to the size of neighbourhood associations, relationships with political representatives, accessing information and salient neighbourhood association issues. Findings provide evidence of inequitable walking environments.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Future research on walking must consider urban form-SES inter-relationships and further examine the equitable distribution of walking conditions as well as the socio-political processes driving these conditions. There is a need for municipal governments to monitor differences in walking conditions among higher and lower SES neighbourhoods, to be receptive to the needs of lower SES neighbourhood and to ensure that policy decisions are taken to address inequitable walking conditions.</p

Macrosocial determinants of population health in the context of globalization

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55738/1/florey_globalization_2007.pd

Respiratory heat loss in the sheep: a comprehensive model

A model is presented for the respiratory heat loss in sheep, considering both the sensible heat lost by convection (C-R) and the latent heat eliminated by evaporation (E-R). A practical method is described for the estimation of the tidal volume as a function of the respiratory rate. Equations for C-R and E-R are developed and the relative importance of both heat transfer mechanisms is discussed. At air temperatures up to 30 degreesC sheep have the least respiratory heat loss at air vapour pressures above 1.6 kPa. At an ambient temperature of 40 degreesC respiratory loss of sensible heat can be nil; for higher temperatures the transfer by convection is negative and thus heat is gained. Convection is a mechanism of minor importance for the respiratory heat transfer in sheep at environmental temperatures above 30 degreesC. These observations show the importance of respiratory latent heat loss for thermoregulation of sheep in hot climates

Accuracy of direct digital radiography for detecting occlusal caries in primary teeth compared with conventional radiography and visual inspection: an in vitro study

Objectives: The diagnosis of caries lesions is still a matter of concern in dentistry. The diagnosis of dental caries by digital radiography has a number of advantages over conventional radiography; however, this method has not been explored fully in the field of paediatric dentistry. This in vitro research evaluated the accuracy of direct digital radiography compared with visual inspection and conventional radiography in the diagnosis of occlusal caries lesions in primary molars. Methods: 50 molars were selected and evaluated under standardized conditions by 2 previously calibrated examiners according to 3 diagnostic methods (visual inspection, conventional radiography and direct digital radiography). Direct digital radiographs were obtained with the Dixi3 system (Planmeca, Helsinki, Finland) and the conventional radiographs with InSight film (Kodak Eastman Co., Rochester, NY). The images were scored and a reference standard was obtained histologically. The interexaminer reliability was calculated using Cohen`s kappa test and the specificity, sensitivity and accuracy of the methods were calculated. Results: Examiner reliability was good. For lesions limited to the enamel, visual inspection showed significantly higher sensitivity and accuracy than both radiographic methods, but no significant difference was found in specificity. For teeth with dentinal caries, no significant differences were found for any parameter when comparing visual and radiographic evaluation. Conclusions: Although less accurate than the visual method for detecting caries lesions confined to the enamel, the direct digital radiographic method is as effective as conventional radiographic examination and visual inspection of primary teeth with occlusal caries when the dentine is involved. Dentomaxillofacial Radiology (2010) 39, 362-367. doi: 10.1259/dmfr/2286587

Association of laser phototherapy with PRP improves healing of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws in cancer patients: A preliminary study

The aim of this study was to compare retrospectively the effect of three different treatments on the healing outcome of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) in cancer patients. Twenty-two cancer patients were treated for BRONJ with one of the following protocols: clinical (pharmacological therapy), surgical (pharmacological plus surgical therapy), or PRP plus LPT (pharmacological plus surgical plus platelet rich plasma (PRP) plus laser phototherapy (LPT). The laser treatment was applied with a continuous diode laser (InGaAlP, 660 nm) using punctual and contact mode, 40 mW, spot size 0.042 cm(2), 6 J/cm(2) (6 s) and total energy of 0.24 J per point. The irradiations were performed on the exposed bone and surrounding soft tissue. The analysis of demographic data and risk factors was performed by gathering the following information: age, gender, primary tumor, bisphosphonate (BP) used, duration of BP intake, history of chemotherapy, use of steroids, and medical history of diabetes. The association between the current state of BRONJ (with or without bone exposure) and other qualitative variables was determined using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test. In all tests, the significance level adopted was 5%. Most BRONJ lesions occurred in the mandible (77%) after tooth extraction (55%) and in women (72%). A significantly higher percentage of patients reached the current state of BRONJ without bone exposure (86%) in the PPR plus LPT group than in the pharmacological (0%) and surgical (40%) groups after 1-month follow-up assessment. These results suggest that the association of pharmacological therapy and surgical therapy with PRP plus LPT significantly improves BRONJ healing in oncologic patients. Although prospective studies with larger sample sizes are still needed, this preliminary study may be used to inform a better-designed future study. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved