Availability bias in road safety systematic reviews and its impact on the meta-analysis findings.

Meta-analyses, which present the best source of information on the effectiveness of interventions, are influenced by several biases. One category relates to the convenience of selective inclusion of those primary studies, which are more easily available than others. This availability bias includes bias from excluding the grey literature, bias from excluding non-English literature, and bias from excluding older studies.

Nonlinear effects of traffic statuses and road geometries on highway traffic accident severity: A machine learning approach.

The purpose of this study is to explore nonlinear and threshold effects of traffic statuses and road geometries, as well as their interactions, on traffic accident severity. In contrast to earlier research that primarily defined road alignment qualitatively as straight or curved, flat or slope, this study focused on the design elements of road geometry at accident locations. Additionally, this study considers the traffic conditions on the day of the accident, rather than the average annual traffic data as previous studies have done.

Seasonal and spatial variations of arsenic and its species in particulate matter in an urban environment of Brno, Czech Republic.

The present paper deals with an analysis of total arsenic concentration using ICP-MS/MS and an analysis of concentration of several arsenic species, arsenite (As), arsenate (As), monomethylarsonate (MMA), dimethylarsenite (DMA), and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), using HPLC-ICP-MS/MS in the PM fraction of airborne urban aerosol. The samples were collected during two campaigns, in the autumn of 2022 and in the winter of 2023, at three locations within the central European city of Brno, with the aim to evaluate the seasonal and spatial variations in the PM composition. The results confirmed only the seasonal variability in the content of the methylated arsenic species in PM influenced by biomethylation processes.

Flexibility and freedom suit me better: food delivery couriers' preferred employment status.

This research examines food delivery couriers' preferred employment status and factors explaining their opinions. Previous studies have used qualitative research methods and are unable to explain couriers' general views on employment status. In this research, a survey of 1,539 Wolt couriers was carried out in Finland with logistic regression, cross-tabulation, and content analysis as analysis methods.

Seasonal variation of arsenic in PM and PM in an urban park: The influence of vegetation-related biomethylation on the distribution of its organic species and air quality.

Arsenic (As) levels in particulate matter (PM) are routinely monitored in cities of developed countries. Despite advances in the knowledge of its inorganic species in PM in urban areas, organic species are often overlooked with no information on their behaviour in urban parks - areas with increased potential for As biomethylation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize As distribution, bioaccessibility, seasonal variation and speciation (As, As, MMA, DMA and TMAO) in PM-PM of an urban park.

Olfactory repellents decrease the number of ungulate-vehicle collisions on roads: Results of a two-year carcass study.

An experimental study was conducted to test the effectiveness of olfactory repellents (ORE) as a mitigation measure to reduce ungulate-vehicle collisions (UVC). In the first phase, an extensive field survey was undertaken while employing the Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) study design. On the basis of ungulate mortality, 134 road sections were monitored on foot along both roadsides once a week.

In vivo assessment of TiO based wear nanoparticles in periprosthetic tissues.

A multimodal approach combining inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), single-particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS), scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Raman spectroscopy enabled a deeper insight into the balance between total titanium (Ti), the soluble titanium fraction and titanium dioxide based particle fraction levels in periprosthetic tissues collected from patients undergoing revision surgery. Hydrofluoric acid usage in the sample digestion allowed for complete digestion of TiO particles, thus enabling accurate estimation of total Ti levels. The TiO fraction represents 38-94% of the titanium load in the six samples where particles were detected, and the fraction is present mainly in samples from patients with aseptically loosened total hip arthroplasty.

Analyzing the impact of bicycle geometry and cargo loading on the rideability and safety of cargo bikes: An investigative study.

Introduction: Electric cargo bikes have become popular for transporting goods and people due to their small size and strong carrying capacity. However, the way they perform, handle, and operate safely can be affected by the weight of the cargo, where it is placed on the bike, and the bike's design.

Method: This paper analyzes the rideability and safety of eight different cargo bikes representing three different design categories, Retrofitted, Long-john, and Long-tail bikes, also considering three different cargo loading locations.

What should I use to calculate vehicle EES?

Comprehensive crash analysis includes calculating impact speed, which requires the determination of kinetic energy expended on the deformation of the vehicle's structural elements at the point of contact during a collision. The accuracy of the input data affects the resulting analysis of the crash. Therefore, this article aims to analyse selected factors influencing the determination of Energy Equivalent Speed (EES) determination using the CRASH3 algorithm: the extent of damage using defined measurement points, deformation width, and also limit speed b0.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions: The disproportionate risk of injury faced by motorcyclists.

We applied a generalized linear mixed-effects model to determine the factors leading to injuries from wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs). We used the Police database representing WVCs which took place on the Czech road network between 2009 and 2022. The majority of WVCs in Czechia are with roe deer, followed by wild boar, i.

Single-bicycle crashes in Finland - Characteristics and safety recommendations.

Problem: Increasing the role of cycling is necessary to reduce physical inactivity. While promoting cycling, attention should also be given to traffic safety. Hence, a better understanding on the underlying factors and safety recommendations of cyclist crashes is needed.

Distraction in road traffic: How Czech media covers the issue.

Road users' inattention is one of the leading factors that contribute to crashes. It has been thoroughly researched from many perspectives, but there is limited information about the factors that influence risk perception and road users' attitudes. These factors are formed by personal and mediated experience, but education and public awareness play important roles.

A review of the best practice in traffic calming evaluation.

Traffic calming (TC) has been applied widely for several decades, although approaches to evaluating its effects on speeds have been inconsistent. This resulted in limited comparable and robust evidence to support practitioner guidance for TC design. To fill this gap and suggest best practices for the evaluation of TC effects on speeds, we performed a systematic review of 158 publications.

Potential Application of Black Soldier Fly Larva Bins in Treating Food Waste.

The increase in the global population has led to a rise in organic waste generation and landfill sites. Consequently, there has been a global shift in focus towards the utilization of BSFL to address these challenges. This study aims to design, develop, and test a user-friendly BSFL bin and identify the optimal MCCM for treating organic waste using BSFL.

An effect of canopy bridges on monkey-vehicle collision hotspots: Spatial and spatiotemporal analyses.

Almost one-quarter of primate species are reported to be involved in vehicle collisions. To mitigate these collisions, canopy bridges are used though their effectiveness is not broadly substantiated. We studied bridge impact on 23 years of vehicle collisions (2000-2022: N = 765) with colobus (Colobus angolensis palliatus), Sykes' (Cercopithecus mitis albogularis), and vervet (Chlorocebus pygerythrus hilgerti) monkeys in Diani, Kenya.

A social-ecological model of working from home during COVID-19.

Working from Home (WFH) is emerging as a critical measure for reducing transport demand. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that trip avoidance measures, especially WFH, could help address Sustainable Development Goal 11.2 (creating sustainable transport systems in cities) by decreasing commuter trips by private motor vehicles.

Kaahaajat: Finnish Attitudes towards Speeding.

People driving in excess of the posted speed limit (referred to as speeding in English or Kaahaajat in Finnish) is a common road user behaviour. In Finland, between 2000 and 2020, speeding was identified as the key contributing factor in 41% of fatal motor vehicle collisions. This may be because disregarding speed limits on motorways and on residential roads are the most common violations performed by Finnish drivers.

Dealing with disruptions in railway track inspection using risk-based machine learning.

Unplanned track inspections can be a direct consequence of any disruption to the operation of on-board track geometry monitoring activities. A novel response strategy to enhance the value of the information for supplementary track measurements is thus established to construct a data generation model. In this model, artificial (synthetic) data is assigned on each measurement point along the affected track segment over a short period of time.

A city-level transport vision for 2050: Reimagined since COVID-19.

Transformative changes are needed in the transport sector to limit global warming. Radical transport disruptions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as greater Working from Home (WFH) and active travel, present a unique opportunity to reimagine more sustainable transport systems. The aim of the current study was to develop a 2050 transport vision and identify short term priorities for Melbourne (Australia) based on in-depth stakeholder interviews.

Development of New Health Risk Assessment of Nanoparticles: EPA Health Risk Assessment Revised.

The concentration of nanoparticles in the ambient air can lead to induced toxicities; however, it appears that nanoparticles’ unique properties are completely omitted when assessing health risks. This paper aims to enhance the EPA health risk assessment by incorporating two new variables that consider the size of nanoparticles: the toxicity multiplier and the size multiplier. The former considers the qualitative aspect of the size of particles within a concentration, whilst the latter takes into account the effects associated with the number of particles of the specific i-th size distribution interval.

Assessment of the Hormetic Effect of Arsenic on Growth and Physiology of Two Cultivars of Maize ( L.).

Although growth stimulation at low arsenic doses was observed in several plants, few studies have focused on this phenomenon in more detail. The effects of different concentrations of arsenic (0-50 mg kg of soil: As0-As50) on the growth and selected physiological parameters of two maize cultivars ( L. cvs.

Common xanthene fluorescent dyes are visible-light activatable CO-releasing molecules.

Fluorescein, eosin Y, and rose bengal are dyes used in clinical medicine and considered (photo-)chemically stable. Upon extensive irradiation with visible light in aqueous solutions, we found that these compounds release carbon monoxide (CO) - a bioactive gasotransmitter - in 40-100% yields along with the production of low-mass secondary photoproducts, such as phthalic and formic acids, in a multistep degradation process. Such photochemistry should be considered in applications of these dyes, and they could also be utilized as visible-light activatable CO-releasing molecules (photoCORMs) with biological implications.

ICT use and spatial fragmentation of activity participation in post-COVID-19 urban societies.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) came to dominate daily activities (e.g., e-working, e-shopping, and e-leisure).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on road freight transportation - A Colombian case study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc worldwide, with profound economic, environmental, and social implications. Fears about the economic situation have called attention to freight transportation performance as a derivative economic development demand. It is critical to economic growth, especially in industrialized countries with a strong positive relationship to road transport.