Road trauma among young Australians: Implementing policy to reduce road deaths and serious injury

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the likely reduction in road trauma associated with the implementation of effective interventions to reduce road trauma among young Australians.

Methods: A desktop evaluation was conducted to model the likely reduction in road trauma (deaths and serious injuries resulting in hospitalization) among young people aged 17–24 years residing in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. Potential interventions were identified using a rapid literature review and assigned a score based on evidence of effectiveness and implementation feasibility with the 3 highest scoring interventions included in the modeling. Likely reduction in road trauma was estimated by applying the average risk reduction effect sizes for each intervention to baseline risk (passenger or driver death or serious injury per 100,000 population) of road trauma for young Australians. Point estimates were calculated for the potential number of deaths and serious injuries averted in each state and per 100,000 population, with a one-way sensitivity analysis conducted using uncertainty ranges identified.

Results: Peer passenger and night driving restrictions as well as improved vehicle safety measures had the greatest potential to reduce road trauma. Peer passenger restrictions could avert 14 (range: 5–24) and 24 (range: 8–41) hospitalizations per year in Queensland and New South Wales, respectively, and night driving restrictions could avert 17 (range: 7–26), 28 (range: 12–45), and 13 (range: 6–21) hospitalizations annually in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. These interventions reduced fatalities by less than 1 death annually in each state. Improved vehicle safety measures could avert 0–3, 0–4, and 0–3 deaths and 3–91, 4–156, and 2–75 hospitalizations in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Conclusions: Key elements of graduated licensing (peer passenger and night driving restrictions) along with vehicle safety interventions offer modest but practically significant reductions in road trauma for young Australians. State governments need to revise current legislation to ensure that these reductions in road trauma can be realized.     

Local and Indigenous management of climate change risks to archaeological sites

Hundreds of thousands of significant archaeological and cultural heritage sites (cultural sites) along the coasts of every continent are threatened by sea level rise, and many will be destroyed. This wealth of artefacts and monuments testifies to human history, cosmology and identity. While cultural sites are especially important to local and Indigenous communities, a stall in coordinated global action means adaptation at a local scale is often unsupported. In response, this paper produces a practical climate change risk analysis methodology designed for independent, community-scale management of cultural sites. It builds on existing methods that prioritise sites most at risk from climate impacts, proposing a field survey that integrates an assessment of the relative cultural value of sites with assessment of exposure and sensitivity to climate impacts. The field survey also stands as a monitoring program and complements an assessment of organisational adaptive capacity. The preliminary field survey was tested by Indigenous land managers in remote northern Australia at midden and rock art sites threatened by sea level rise, extreme flood events and a range of non-climactic hazards. A participatory action research methodology—incorporating planning workshops, semi-structured interviews and participant observations—gave rise to significant modifications to the preliminary field survey as well as management prioritisation of 120 sites. The field survey is anticipated to have global application, particularly among marginalised and remote Indigenous communities. Well-planned and informed participation, with community control, monitoring and well-informed actions, will contribute significantly to coordinated global and regional adaptation strategies.     

Air pollution exposure monitoring and estimation. Part V. Traffic exposure in adults

In Oslo, traffic has been one of the dominating sources of air pollution in the last decade. In one part of the city where most traffic collects, two tunnels were built. A series of before and after studies was carried out in connection with the tunnels in use. Dispersion models were used as a basis for estimating exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in two fractions. Exposure estimates were based on the results of the dispersion model providing estimates of outdoor pollutant concentrations on an hourly basis. The estimates represent concentrations in receptor points and in a square kilometre grid. The estimates were used to assess development of air pollution load in the area, compliance with air quality guidelines, and to provide a basis for quantifying exposure-effect relationships in epidemiological studies. After both tunnels were taken in use, the pollution levels in the study area were lower than when the traffic was on the surface (a drop from 50 to 40 micrograms m-3). Compliance with air quality guidelines and other prescribed values has improved, even if high exposures still exist. The most important residential areas are now much less exposed, while areas around tunnel openings can be in periods exposed to high pollutant concentrations. The daily pattern of exposure shows smaller differences between peak and minimum concentrations than prior to the traffic changes. Exposures at home (in the investigation area) were reduced most, while exposures in other locations than at home showed only a small decrease. Highest hourly exposures are encountered in traffic.     

Coastal retreat and/or advance adjacent to defences in England and Wales

Retreat and advance of shoreline position occurs naturally, and also as a result of defences which are constructed to prevent erosion and flooding. Retreat more commonly manifests itself down-drift of defences due to a sediment deficit causing the coast to become ‘set-back’. Advance normally develops due to sediment accumulation up-drift of a barrier inhibiting longshore drift, resulting in the coast becoming ‘set-forward’. Many examples of set-backs and set-forwards are recorded, but their location, number and cause is not known on a national scale. Using the Futurecoast aerial photographs, approximately 200 localities were identified as set-back or set-forward in England and Wales, with half situated in the Eastern and South East regions of England. Half of the total set-backs or set-forwards were on cliffed coasts, and half on low-lying coasts. Without local knowledge it is difficult to distinguish between set-backs and set-forwards. Set-backs often indicate higher retreat rates, thus threatening cliff-top infrastructure which requires defence upgrade and extensions, as well as raising maintenance costs. Monitoring set-backs is important for shoreline management, because as retreat continues, set-backs evolve and artificial headlands form and grow. This is reinforced by the shift from hard defence policies towards softer engineering approaches, managed realignment and limited intervention.     

ELISA AND GC/MS ANALYSIS OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN NORTH CAROLINA1

ABSTRACT: Studies were conducted to analyze the presence of 11 pesticide residues in 12 surface waters in the Piedmont and coastal plain regions of North Carolina. Samples were assayed using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). All ELISA results of one part per billion (ppb, μg/L) or greater were confirmed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCIMS). ELISA detection limits were approximately an order of magnitude higher than GCJMS methods. Of the 5,035 analytical results from 742 surface water samples, atrazine was detected in approximately 45 percent of the samples, five of which were at or above the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3‐ppb. Metolachlor was detected in 64 percent of the samples. Aldicarb, 2,4‐D, chlorpyrifos, and chlorothalonil were also detected, and each was found in less than 12 percent of the samples. The remaining pesticides, including carbaryl, acetochior, methomyl, carbofuran, and alachlor, were not detected during the study period.     

Enhancement of conservation knowledge through increased access to botanical information

Herbarium specimens are increasingly recognized as an important resource for conservation science and virtual herbaria are making specimens freely available to a wider range of users than ever before. Few virtual herbaria are designed with conservation use as a primary driver. Exceptionally, Brazil's Reflora Virtual Herbarium (RVH) was created to increase knowledge and conservation of the Brazilian flora. The RVH is closely integrated with the Flora of Brazil 2020 platform on which Brazil's new national Flora is under construction. Both resources are accessible via the Reflora home page and thousands of users move seamlessly between these Reflora resources. To understand how the Reflora resources are currently used and their impact on conservation science, we conducted a literature review and an online survey. We searched for publications of studies in which Reflora resources were used and publications resulting from Brazilian researchers who were part of Reflora's research and mobility program. The survey contained multiple choice questions and questions that required a written response. We targeted Reflora webpage visitors with the survey to capture a wider range of Reflora users than the literature review. Reflora resources were used for a variety of conservation-relevant purposes. Half the 806 scientific publications in which Reflora was cited and 81% of the 1069 survey respondents accessing Reflora resources mentioned conservation-relevant research outputs. Most conservation-relevant uses of the Reflora resources in scientific publications were research rather than implementation focused. The survey of Reflora users showed conservation uses and impacts of virtual herbaria were more numerous and diverse than the uses captured in the literature review. Virtual herbaria are vital resources for conservation science, but they must document use and impacts more comprehensively to ensure sustainability.     

Assessment of the Applicability of Capsid-Integrity Assays for Detecting Infectious Norovirus Inactivated by Heat or UV Irradiation

Food and Environmental Virology - Human noroviruses are the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis. In the absence of a practical culture technique for routine analysis of infectious noroviruses,...     

Recent trends and projections of primary NO2 emissions in Europe

An assessment of recent trends in primary NO₂ emissions has been carried out for ten case study locations across the European Union. Estimates of the percentage of NO_x from road traffic emitted as primary NO₂ (f-NO₂) have been derived for 1995, 2000 and 2005 by combining the results of a literature survey of primary NO₂ emission factors for different vehicle types and technologies with an emission inventory. Estimates of f-NO₂ have also been derived from ambient monitoring data at roadside sites in each case study location using a model.The results of the analysis of trends show that f-NO₂ has increased in recent years and that the rate of increase has been greatest since 2000. f-NO₂ has increased from 8.6% in 2000 to 12.4% in 2004 as an average across the monitoring sites and from an average of 6.3% in 2000 to 10.6% in 2005 as an average of the emission inventory based calculations for the case study countries. f-NO₂ is predicted to increase further to an average of 19.6% in 2010 and 32.0% in 2020 as a result of the further penetration of exhaust after treatment technologies for diesel vehicles in the fleets. This increase is expected to be offset by the large reduction in NO_x emissions over this period, resulting in an increase in NO₂ emissions from road traffic to 2015, followed by a decline to close to 2004 levels by 2020. Estimates of future ambient NO₂ concentrations have also been calculated for the roadside monitoring sites included in the study. At 29 out of 45 of these sites the annual mean NO₂ limit value is predicted to be exceeded in 2010. At 22 of these sites, the annual mean concentration is expected to remain above the limit value until 2020 and beyond.