Analysis of Accident-Reduction Factors on California State Highways

Author(s):  
Kevin E. Hanley ◽  
A. Reed Gibby ◽  
Thomas C. Ferrara

Accident reduction factors (ARFs) are mechanisms that the California Department of Transportation employs in calculating Traffic Safety Index values, which are used to prioritize safety-improvement projects on California state highways. Many factors that affect motorist safety have changed over the nearly 30 years in which ARFs have been used in the Traffic Safety Index Program. It is therefore appropriate to review and update, as needed, these accident-reduction factors. The research focused on four accident-reduction factors that are currently in use (rumble-strip installation, shoulder widening, superelevation correction, and curve correction). An accident-reduction factor was developed for a fifth treatment category (wet-pavement treatments). Data were gathered for all projects proposed for funding in the state of California’s Safety Improvement Program from 1985 through 1995. Projects completed from 1988 through 1992 were considered for inclusion in a before-and-after study that employed empirical Bayesian statistical analysis. A Bayesian statistical software package, BEATS (Bayesian Estimation of Accidents in Transportation Studies), was used in the analysis. The study reviewed scope of work for each of the projects of interest that were completed from 1988 to 1992. Thirty projects—the most frequently occurring individual treatments and treatment combinations—were categorized by treatment type and analyzed. Accident-reduction factors of sufficient statistically significant strength were found for wet-pavement treatments, rumble-strip installations, and shoulder-widening projects. Data for shoulder widening, superelevation correction, and curve correction projects also are presented, but small sample size hampered statistical significance for these projects. Results of the study revealed the importance of improving curve radius during superelevation correction and lane- and/or shoulder-widening treatments.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Restumy Amri ◽  
Desna Aromatica ◽  
Roni Ekha Putera

This research supports the design of a program to improve traffic safety by the Padang City Transportation Department. This program is an effort made by the Department of Transportation to replace the number of traffic accidents that are felt to be very high. Efforts in the future are directed at countermeasures that support efforts to foster, improve, regulate and enforce the law. This program is guided by Law Number 22 Year 2009 Concerning Traffic and Road Transportation Safety and Security Culture. This study used descriptive qualitative method. Data collection techniques used were interviews and documentation. The results showed how the implementation of the traffic safety improvement program conducted by the Padang City Transportation Office has not been going well. It can be seen from the meeting that the objectives of this program have not been successful because the number of accidents in the City of Padang has increased, the acquisition of resources in the implementation of this program has not well approved because the specified budget and human resources from the Padang City Transportation Office are still classified as inadequate because the demands from the Transportation Office are very large for the Padang City area. The internal process in the implementation program has been well approved in the process of communication between employees and a high commitment in managing transportation in the city of Padang. Strategic constituency satisfaction has not been well approved because it involves community participation in program implementation and self-safety.


2021 ◽  
pp. 039156032110351
Author(s):  
Alessandro Uleri ◽  
Rodolfo Hurle ◽  
Roberto Contieri ◽  
Pietro Diana ◽  
Nicolòmaria Buffi ◽  
...  

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) staging is challenging. There is an important need for available and affordable predictors to assess, in combination with imaging, the presence of locally-advanced disease. Objective: To determine the role of the De Ritis ratio (DRR) and neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) in the prediction of locally-advanced disease defined as the presence of extravescical extension (pT ⩾ 3) and/or lymph node metastases (LNM) in patients with BC treated with radical cystectomy (RC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical and pathological data of 139 consecutive patients who underwent RC at our institution. Logistic regression models (LRMs) were fitted to test the above-mentioned outcomes. Results: A total of 139 consecutive patients underwent RC at our institution. Eighty-six (61.9%) patients had a locally-advanced disease. NLR (2.53 and 3.07; p = 0.005) and DRR (1 and 1.17; p = 0.01) were significantly higher in patients with locally-advanced disease as compared to organ-confined disease. In multivariable LRMs, an increasing DRR was an independent predictor of locally-advanced disease (OR = 3.91; 95% CI: 1.282–11.916; p = 0.017). Similarly, an increasing NLR was independently related to presence of locally-advanced disease (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.027–1.591; p = 0.028). In univariate LRMs, patients with DRR > 1.21 had a higher risk of locally advanced disease (OR = 2.83; 95% CI: 1.312–6.128; p = 0.008). Similarly, in patients with NLR > 3.47 there was an increased risk of locally advanced disease (OR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.374–6.651; p = 0.006). In multivariable LRMs, a DRR > 1.21 was an independent predictor of locally advanced disease (OR = 2.66; 95% CI: 1.12–6.35; p = 0.027). Similarly, an NLR > 3.47 was independently related to presence of locally advanced disease (OR = 2.24; 95% CI: 0.95–5.25; p = 0.065). No other covariates such as gender, BMI, neoadjuvant chemotherapy or diabetes reached statistical significance. The AUC of the multivariate LRM to assess the risk of locally advanced disease was 0.707 (95% CI: 0.623–0.795). Limitations include the retrospective nature of the study and the relatively small sample size.


Author(s):  
Jerome P. Breyer

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recognizes that a new paradigm in highway safety evaluation was brought about by the advent of advanced technologies such as photo log, geographic information systems (GIS), and global-positioning satellite systems. Whereas these technologies are known to serve distinct singular purposes in a highway agency, ADOT has endeavored to explore the possibilities of integrating these technologies for the purpose of providing an all-encompassing perspective of crash history and roadside characteristics in a multimedia display of GIS maps and related photo imagery. The research provides the account of an analytic tool-development process aimed at improving the recognition of highway safety hazards. These hazards might otherwise be apparent if not for the relative complexity of existing relational databases and spatial GIS infrastructure at ADOT. Previous methods of mining data from the ADOT crash databases were limited in functionality as well as in reliability. By promoting the “visualization” of highway safety conditions, the advanced technologies open a wealth of new opportunities in identifying problematic roadside conditions and crash histories. This is expected to lead to an improved economy of implementing safety improvements that are designed properly to mitigate the “real” conditions that can be identified. The research is a companion to the larger, FHWA-sponsored research into establishing a corridor safety-improvement program for Arizona (FHWA Report FHWA-AZ 98-458).


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Ziliak

AbstractStudent's exacting theory of errors, both random and real, marked a significant advance over ambiguous reports of plant life and fermentation asserted by chemists from Priestley and Lavoisier down to Pasteur and Johannsen, working at the Carlsberg Laboratory. One reason seems to be that William Sealy Gosset (1876–1937) aka “Student” – he of Student'st-table and test of statistical significance – rejected artificial rules about sample size, experimental design, and the level of significance, and took instead an economic approach to the logic of decisions made under uncertainty. In his job as Apprentice Brewer, Head Experimental Brewer, and finally Head Brewer of Guinness, Student produced small samples of experimental barley, malt, and hops, seeking guidance for industrial quality control and maximum expected profit at the large scale brewery. In the process Student invented or inspired half of modern statistics. This article draws on original archival evidence, shedding light on several core yet neglected aspects of Student's methods, that is, Guinnessometrics, not discussed by Ronald A. Fisher (1890–1962). The focus is on Student's small sample, economic approach to real error minimization, particularly in field and laboratory experiments he conducted on barley and malt, 1904 to 1937. Balanced designs of experiments, he found, are more efficient than random and have higher power to detect large and real treatment differences in a series of repeated and independent experiments. Student's world-class achievement poses a challenge to every science. Should statistical methods – such as the choice of sample size, experimental design, and level of significance – follow the purpose of the experiment, rather than the other way around? (JEL classification codes: C10, C90, C93, L66)


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 465-465
Author(s):  
Arpit Rao ◽  
Julie Elaine McGrath ◽  
Joanne Xiu ◽  
Andre Luiz De Souza ◽  
Shuchi Gulati ◽  
...  

465 Background: UTUC is a rare genitourinary malignancy and a number of studies, limited by small sample sizes, have attempted to characterize its mutational landscape. Because immunotherapy is commonly used for this disease type, we evaluated the prevalence of microsatellite instability and characterized the mutational landscapes of UTUC in a large contemporary patient cohort. Methods: UTUC tumor samples were analyzed using next generation sequencing (NGS) (NextSeq, 592 gene panel) or whole exome sequencing (WES) (NovaSeq) (Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ). Mismatch repair status (deficient [dMMR] or proficient [pMMR]) and microsatellite instability status (MSI-high or stable [MSS]) were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), fragment analysis, and NGS. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was measured by counting all somatic mutations found per tumor (high cutoff ≥ 10 mutations per MB). PD-L1 expression was tested by IHC using PD-L1 antibody clones 22c3 (Agilent; positive cutoff CPS ≥ 10) and SP142 (Ventana; positive cutoff ≥ 5% IC). Pathogenic fusion events were detected using whole transcriptome sequencing (NovaSeq). Statistical significance was determined using the Chi-square test and adjusted for multiple comparison. Results: 538 patients with included – median (range) age 71.5 (30-89) years and 37.5% female/62.5% male. Prevalence of dMMR/MSI-H was 3.9% (21/538) and TMB-high was 22.7% (96/423). Significant molecular differences were not detected in primary vs metastatic disease or in male vs female cases. dMMR/MSI-H tumors had higher frequency of TMB-high compared to MSS tumors (100% vs. 19%, p = 0.00003). dMMR/MSI-H tumors also had a higher frequency than MSS tumors for mutations in genes involved in chromatin remodeling (ASXL 82.4%, CREBBP 60%, SMARCA4 40%, KMT2D 95%, ARIDIA 100%, KMT2A 20%, KMT2C 35.3%, NSD1 20%), DNA-damage repair (FANCG 10%, ATM 45%, ATRX 40%) and other biological pathways (RNF43 10%, PTCH1 21.4%, ERBB3 30%, CDKN2A 25%, TSC2 15%, FLNC 15%, HNF1A 20%, CIC 15%, DNMT3A 17.6%); all adjusted p < 0.05. Pathogenic fusions were detected in 3.8% (17/443) cases, with FGFR3 fusion being the most common, occurring in 2.7% (12/443) cases. PD-L1 positivity was identified in 33.2% (133/400) cases tested by 22c3 antibody and 28.4% (89/313) cases tested by SP142 antibody. No difference was seen in PD-L1 positivity between MSI-H/dMMR vs. MSS tumors. Conclusions: In the largest analysis to date, we found a 3.9% prevalence of dMMR/MSI-high rate in UTUC. All dMMR/MSI-H tumors displayed TMB-high. PD-L1 positivity was comparable between dMMR/MSI-H and MSS tumors. dMMR/MSI-H tumors had a significantly higher rate of mutations in genes involved in chromatin remodeling and DDR biological pathways. These results could inform design of targeted therapy trials in UTUC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalia Machado ◽  
Henrique Gomide ◽  
Heder Bernardino ◽  
Telmo Ronzani

BACKGROUND Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death. Governments and healthcare providers should make available more and accessible resources to help tobacco users stop. OBJECTIVE This study describes a pilot longitudinal study that evaluated the efficacy of a computerized intervention compared to the brief intervention for smoking cessation among Brazilians. METHODS Smokers were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the two intervention groups. RESULTS The results showed similar rates of cessation and reduction for both intervention groups. The internet-based intervention was a little more effective for smoking cessation, while the brief intervention was more effective in reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Despite this, this difference was small and had no statistical significance even after adjusting for intention-to-treat analysis. These results should be interpreted with caution, especially due to the small sample size. CONCLUSIONS Forty-nine smokers were enrolled in this study (25 in the brief intervention group; 24 in the internet-based intervention group). The mean age was 44.46 years old; most were male (59.2%), had elementary school (44.9%), smoked an average of 14.5 cigarettes per day, had a mean score of 4.65 for nicotine dependence, and score of 5.7 for motivation to quit. Measures were drawn from comparing cessation rate, motivation score and sought treatment between groups. Thirty-five participants answered the follow up 1 and 19 answered to the second.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 5013-5018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald W. Whang ◽  
Loren G. Miller ◽  
Neil M. Partain ◽  
James A. McKinnell

ABSTRACTBloodstream infections due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE-BSI) result in substantial patient mortality and cost. Daptomycin and linezolid are commonly prescribed for VRE-BSI, but there are no clinical trials to determine optimal antibiotic selection. We conducted a systematic review for investigations that compared daptomycin and linezolid for VRE-BSI. We searched Medline from 1966 through 2012 for comparisons of linezolid and daptomycin for VRE-BSI. We included searches of EMBASE, clinicaltrials.gov, and national meetings. Data were extracted using a standardized instrument. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using a fixed-effects model. Our search yielded 4,243 publications, of which 482 contained data on VRE treatment. Most studies (452/482) did not present data on BSI or did not provide information on linezolid or daptomycin. Among the remaining 30 studies, 9 offered comparative data between the two agents. None were randomized clinical trials. There was no difference in microbiologic (n= 5 studies, 517 patients; OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.4 to 1.7;P= 0.95) and clinical (n= 3 studies, 357 patients; OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.7 to 2.0;P= 0.7) cures between the two antibiotics. There was a trend toward increased survival with linezolid compared to daptomycin treatment (n= 9 studies, 1,074 patients; OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.8;I2= 0 [whereI2is a measure of inconsistency]), but this did not reach statistical significance (P= 0.054). There are limited data to inform clinicians on optimal antibiotic selection for VRE-BSI. Available studies are limited by small sample size, lack of patient-level data, and inconsistent outcome definitions. Additional research, including randomized clinical trials, is needed before conclusions can be drawn about treatment options for VRE therapy.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Gaffney

In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) estimated there were 157,500 cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Of those, ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) had declined with increased efforts aimed at prevention, while nonventilator pneumonia (NV-HAP) did not have such prevention interventions and escalated, with approximately 2300 cases and 5600 respectively reported in one state (Baker&Quinn, 2018). The 2012 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample reported only 4 million people were at risk for VAP, while approximately 35 million more people were at risk for NV-HAP in the United States. The purpose of this project was to evaluate surgical unit registered nurses’ knowledge related to incentive spirometer (IS) in the prevention of NV-HAP postoperatively. The design of this quality improvement, program development project included a pretest, an evidence-based educational intervention specific to IS and a posttest administered to a small sample of RNs, guided by the Logic Model Framework. The results indicated that RNs’ perspectives on patients’ use of IS can be influenced following an educational session related to IS; however, the results showed a decrease in agreement reflecting the new knowledge of the nurses of the present evidence as it relates to incentive spirometry. These results also supported previous research findings and contribute to a body of knowledge validating nurses’ need for endorsed guidelines on appropriate usage of IS to prevent postoperative pneumonia. The Advanced Practice Nurse has a unique role that can directly impact the prevention of postoperative pneumonia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-185
Author(s):  
Sahima Nazneen ◽  
Mahdi Rezapour ◽  
Khaled Ksaibati

Background: Historically, Indian reservations have been struggling with higher crash rates than the rest of the United States. In an effort to improve roadway safety in these areas, different agencies are working to address this disparity. For any safety improvement program, identifying high risk crash locations is the first step to determine contributing factors of crashes and select corresponding countermeasures. Methods: This study proposes an approach to determine crash-prone areas using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques through creating crash severity maps and Network Kernel Density Estimation (NetKDE). These two maps were assessed to determine the high-risk road segments having a high crash rate, and high injury severity. However, since the statistical significance of the hotspots cannot be evaluated in NetKDE, this study employed Getis-Ord Gi* (d) statistics to ascertain statistically significant crash hotspots. Finally, maps generated through these two methods were assessed to determine statistically significant high-risk road segments. Moreover, temporal analysis of the crash pattern was performed using spider graphs to explore the variance throughout the day. Results: Within the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, some parts of the US highway 13, BIA Route 1, and US highway 2 are among the many segments being identified as high-risk road segments in this analysis. Also, although some residential roads have PDO crashes, they have been detected as high priority areas due to high crash occurrence. The temporal analysis revealed that crash patterns were almost similar on the weekdays reaching the peak at traffic peak hours, but during the weekend, crashes mostly occurred at midnight. Conclusion: The study would provide tribes with the tool to identify locations demanding immediate safety concerns. This study can be used as a template for other tribes to perform spatial and temporal analysis of the crash patterns to identify high risk crash locations on their roadways.


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