Tracking the prevalence of rollover protective structures on U.S. farm tractors: 1993, 2001, and 2004

Problem

Between 1992 and 2005, 1412 workers on farms died from tractor overturns. A Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) is a proven intervention to reduce overturn deaths. However, farm characteristics that are associated with the adoption of ROPS are not well understood.

Methods

ROPS prevalence statistics were derived from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) surveys that tracked ROPS use on farms. Data were from the years 1993, 2001, and 2004.

Results

In 1993, 38% of tractors were equipped with ROPS. This increased to 51% by 2004. ROPS prevalence rates were higher on farms in the Southern region of the United States, on farms where the operator was 25-34 years old, and on farms with $100,000 or more of farm sales. Low ROPS prevalence rates were associated with farm operators 65 years old or older and with farms with less than $10,000 of farm product sales.

Summary

The increase in ROPS prevalence between 1993 and 2004 has not been sufficient to decrease the rate of tractor overturn deaths on farms. Incentive programs targeting older farm operators and low-income farm operations are suggested to increase ROPS use on tractors.

Impact on Industry

The study provides farm characteristics associated with low ROPS prevalence rates. The results can be used to target farms for future ROPS promotion activities.     

Have flood mortality qualitative characteristics changed during the last decades? The case study of Greece

Despite the dramatic increase in recorded flood events in Greece in the last decades, recent findings show that related mortality does not show a corresponding rise. This work develops and studies a database of flood-related fatalities to investigate qualitative changes in flood mortality in the country between 1960 and 2010. Observations show a shift in the circumstances under which fatal incidents occurred and in the demographics of the victims. In particular, indoor fatalities and cases in urban environments gradually decrease in favour of incidents occurring outdoors, in rural settings, mostly using motor vehicles. The number of fatalities per flood event show a decline, indicating that multiple-fatality incidents are gradually disappearing and that advances in protection have an impact on mortality. The increase in the use of vehicles, the improvements in the structural integrity of buildings and the advances in early warning and civil protection practices are found to influence mortality both in qualitative and in quantitative terms.     

Mercuric chloride effects on adult rat oval cells-induced apoptosis

In the present investigation, the toxicity of mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) was evaluated in adult oval cells isolated from rat utilizing the 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy technique. Isolated oval cells were incubated with 5 μM of HgCl₂ for 8 hr to elucidate in vitro cytotoxic responses. Recently, autophagic cell death was found in rat hepatocytes in vitro within 30 min of incubation with 5 μM of mercury (Hg) which triggered apoptosis and necroptosis in a time-dependent manner. Nuclear degradation occurred within 30 min of incubation and progressed with time until 8 hr. Apoptosis evidenced by activation of caspase-dependent pathway between 30 min to 8 hr of incubation was mediated via interchange of death domain signaling pathways. Receptor-interacting protein played a positive role to modulate the death domain receptors in the scenario of apoptotic death of oval cells until 6 hr. Autophagic marker proteins ATG12 and LC3B exerted a significant role in triggering apoptosis in 5 μM Hg-treated oval cells. No apparent expression of apoptosis-inducing-factor (AIF) and HMGB1 indicated absence of caspase-independent apoptosis and necrosis in the rat oval cells between 30 min and 8 hr. Thus a low concentration of Hg modulates programmed cell death in adult rat oval cells by altering expression of proteins involved in the molecular mechanisms of cellular functions.     

Effect on fatality risk of changing from secondary to primary seat belt enforcement

BACKGROUND: Most seat belt use laws originally passed in the United States contained language restricting enforcement to drivers already stopped for some other reason. States that have since removed this secondary enforcement restriction have reported increased seat belt use. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the effect of these law changes on driver fatality rates. METHOD: Trends in passenger vehicle driver death rates per billion miles traveled were compared for 10 states that changed from secondary to primary seat belt enforcement and 14 states that remained with secondary enforcement. RESULTS: After accounting for possible economic effects and other general time trends, the change from secondary to primary enforcement was found to reduce annual passenger vehicle driver death rates by an estimated 7% (95% confidence limits 3.0-10.9). CONCLUSION: The majority of U.S. states still have secondary enforcement laws. If these remaining secondary laws were amended, an estimated 696 deaths per year could be prevented.     

天然气管道失效个人生命风险评价技术研究

为研究天然气长输管道失效个人生命风险,提出一种以人员伤亡概率为指标的天然气管道失效后果风险评价方法。基于天然气管道的失效概率和失效致死长度参数,建立天然气长输管道生命风险评价模型。用该模型,对国内某城市住宅小区内带腐蚀缺陷的天然气管线进行定量风险分析。借鉴英国天然气输送公司数据,确定天然气管线个人生命风险值。案例证明,用所建立的天然气管道失效个人生命风险评价模型能够有效地分析带缺陷天然气管道失效后果,实现天然气管道的个人安全生命风险全定量评价。     

Using mRNA to investigate the effect of low-pressure ultraviolet disinfection on the viability of E. coli

UV can induce damages on mRNA consistently among different genes. SOS response was more active after UV treatment. Programmed cell death was not found to be more active after UV treatment. The efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection has been analyzed and validated by numerous studies using culture-based methods, yet the discovery of the viable but nonculturable state necessitates the investigation of UV disinfection based on viability parameters. Paired regulators of the SOS response system, recA-lexA, and the programmed cell death system, mazEF, in Escherichia coli were chosen as the target genes, and the effect of UV irradiation on the mRNAs of the four genes was studied. This research showed that, after UV irradiation, the responses of the mRNAs were highly consistent, with reduction percentages of approximately 60% at 20 mJ/cm², 70% at 40 mJ/cm², and 90% at 80 mJ/cm², and these reductions were believed to be the result of direct UV damage to nucleic acids. After 24 h of dark incubation, recA and lexA were both upregulated but to a lesser extent for repressor lexA; and mazE and mazF were both downregulated. This result implies that UV irradiation induces the dark repair system more actively, and the cells will proceed to death at a rate similar to that associated with natural decay.     

细胞凋亡的线粒体途径调控

细胞凋亡是近年来研究的一个热点问题，涉及到细胞内许多复杂的生化过程．线粒体是真核生物能量和代谢的中心，也是细胞凋亡信号传导途径中起关键调节作用的细胞器，对细胞凋亡的线粒体途径调控机制进行研究具有重要意义．本文综述了细胞凋亡过程中线粒体途径的信号传导及其调控机制、线粒体对细胞凋亡信号的反应、细胞凋亡过程中线粒体功能丧失几方面的研究进展．图1参43     

安徽省宁国市元竹枯死原因与防治对策研究

文章探讨了安徽省宁国市中溪镇元竹大面积枯死的原因.在现场调查、污染监测和综合分析的基础上,排除了污染、病虫害致死和元竹而开花死亡的可能性,得出该区元竹枯死是由于非污染生态工程道路改建、水利水电工程和河道采砂等人为活动所导致元竹区的局部生态系统破坏,致使该区地下水位的不正常变动,从而引起大面积不规则分布的元竹干枯或浸泡死亡.文中最后根据该区生态环境状况,给出了防治元竹枯死的生态对策与建议,为防治其它地区的元竹枯死提供了参考和经验.     

基于动态毒性负荷的人员疏散安全评估方法

毒气泄漏事故在高含硫气田及化工园区频繁发生,一旦发生事故,周边公众迅速进行疏散是应急的首要任务。我国很多地区制定了疏散方案,但是如何评估疏散的安全性和可行性,是亟待解决的问题。分析了我国泄漏事故特点和周边居民情况,对以往评估方法缺陷进行了剖析,提出基于动态毒性负荷分析的安全疏散评估方法。该方法在毒气扩散的精确3d模拟及疏散模拟的基础上,用差分法对人员行走过程中的毒性负荷Pc进行的计算,最终得出相应的致死概率Pr,并通过一个实例验证该方法的可行性。结果表明,运用该方法能够详尽、准确规划疏散区域、搬迁区域和避难区域。