An application of the theory of planned behaviour to understand compliance with daytime running headlights law among motorcycle riders.

Fatal motorcycle crashes are a persistent problem in Southeast Asia. In many respects, road safety experts have acknowledged conspicuity issue as one of the main causes of such accidents. To mitigate this deficiency, daytime running headlights (DRHs) law has been documented among the widely exercised countermeasures. The present study aimed to explore socio-psychological factors shaping intentions towards use of DRHs among Malaysian motorcyclists, because compliance level with this rule has remained constant since 1996 (80%). For this purpose, a model was constructed through the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to evaluate factors affecting motorcyclists' intentions towards compliance with DRHs law. A series of statistical analyses were performed to explain the effect of these factors and to predict degree of compliance with this rule. The model applied on a sample of university students (N = 398) demonstrated that the TPB components could significantly predict motorcycle riders' behaviours and degree of compliance with DRHs law. Moreover, it would be of assistance to policy-makers to recognize groups of motorcyclists more likely to cause an increase in traffic accidents. In general, regular educational campaigns were recommended to raise awareness regarding consequences of not using DRHs and also to nurture factors influencing motorcyclists' attitudes towards DRHs.

In-Use Photostability Practice and Regulatory Evaluation for Pharmaceutical Products in an Age of Light-Emitting Diode Light Sources.

This article describes how the increased use of energy-efficient solid-state light sources (e.g., light-emitting diode [LED]-based illumination) in hospitals, pharmacies, and at home can help alleviate concerns of photodegradation for pharmaceuticals. LED light sources, unlike fluorescent ones, do not have spurious spectral contributions <400 nm. Because photostability is primarily evaluated in the International Council of Harmonization Q1B tests with older fluorescent bulb standards (International Organization for Standardization 10977), the amount of photodegradation observed can over-predict what happens in reality, as products are increasingly being stored and used in environments fitted with LED bulbs. Because photodegradation is premised on light absorption by a compound of interest (or a photosensitizer), one can use the overlap between the spectral distribution of a light source and the absorption spectra of a given compound to estimate if photodegradation is a possibility. Based on the absorption spectra of a sample of 150 pharmaceutical compounds in development, only 15% would meet the required overlap to be a candidate to undergo direct photodegradation in the presence of LED lights, against a baseline of 55% of compounds that would, when considering regular fluorescent lights. Biological drug products such as peptides and monoclonal antibodies are also expected to benefit from the use of more efficient solid-state lighting.

Planning and Measuring Luminance Contrast in Staircases.

Norwegian legislation has requirements concerning luminance contrast for different elements in staircases. This paper investigates how architects work to meet the requirements, how to measure the actual built luminance contrasts and finally 21 staircases are measured using two different methods. The results show that some architects do not reflect on luminance contrasts at all, some use their "experience" and some try to measure the reflectance value of different materials during planning. The investigations also reveal that there is not any official predefined way to control luminance contrast, and this investigation shows that different approaches will give different results. To perform the measuring of the built staircases, it has been necessary to develop a defined measuring method. The results of the measuring generally shows that only a few of the staircases studied fully meet the legislation requirements.

Lighting requirements of dwellings: a comparison between Russian federation and Italy.

Good lighting is a key factor for indoor health and wellness. Hygienic regulations regarding illumination requirements have been elaborated much time ago and in different countries. The authors describe these requirements in Italy and in the Russian Federation, analysing their contents and issues and comparing them. The results show that the Russian ones are updated, more precise and complete. In conclusion, the authors stress the strong need for a revision and update of the specific Italian hygienic and sanitary regulations.

[Light wellbeing in hospital: research, development and indications]. / Benessere luminoso in ospedale: ricerca, sviluppo e indicazioni di riferimento.

Aim of the research is to form design indicators to guarantee light comfort in hospital environments for inpatients as well for workers. The research is articulated in different phases: drawing up, elaboration and distribution of a questionnaire to study indoor natural and artificial lighting, and effects on human being; architectural and lighting analyses of the investigated hospitals; elaboration -through graphics- of the questionnaire answers; drawing up of design indications for visual comfort in hospitals. These indications relates natural lighting, artificial lighting, indoor spaces and human being.

The paradoxes of patenting at General Electric: Isador Ladoff's journey from Siberian exile to the heart of corporate capitalism.

Isador Ladoff (1857-1918) worked briefly in the General Electric Company Research Laboratory, from 1901 to 1903. Since he was not employed to invent, Ladoff maintained that he, not the company, owned his invention of a new arc lamp electrode, eventually winning his case on appeal in 1911. The conduct and course of this patent litigation are examined in the light of Ladoff's remarkable life as a prisoner of the czar in Siberia before his escape to the United States in 1891 and as a socialist activist and writer thereafter. In showing that Ladoff's socialist principles activated his struggle with GE, the essay brings out the ironies of his defense of individualism against the incipient socialism of the laboratory supposedly espoused by officials of the company. The case is interesting in relation to the shift from the ideology, and the reality, of heroic individual invention to that of corporate invention in U.S. industrial research. That shift in turn was a crucial landmark in the longer history of the place of science in negotiation and contest about the relationship between creativity and intellectual property.

The effect of firearm muzzle gases on the backspatter of blood.

Injuries caused by gunshots can produce what bloodstain pattern analysts know as "backspatter." Observations about the presence or absence of backspatter on an individual may be used in court as evidence of guilt or innocence. The discharge of three firearms (.22 caliber revolver, .38 caliber revolver, and .308 caliber rifle) and the resulting impact of bullets on a blood source were recorded using high-speed digital video imaging. Blood droplets, firearm muzzle gases, and ballistic shock waves were visualized using standard reflected light and shadowgraphy imaging techniques. A significant interaction between air currents, muzzle gases, and particulate material emanating from the firearms upon discharge with backspattered blood was observed. Blood droplets, initially spattered back toward the firearm and the shooter, were observed to change direction under the influence of firearm-induced air currents and were blown forward toward and beyond their original source location. Implications for experts testifying in court and for bloodstain pattern instructors are discussed.

A survey of the optical hazards associated with hospital light sources with reference to the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010.

Workplace exposure to coherent and incoherent optical radiation from artificial sources is regulated under the Artificial Optical Radiation Directive (AORD) 2006/25/EC, now implemented in the UK under the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations (AOR) 2010. These regulations set out exposure limit values. Implementing the AOR (2010 Health and Safety Statutory Instrument No 1140 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/1140/pdf/uksi_20101140_en.pdf) requirements in a hospital environment is a potentially complex problem because of the wide variety of sources used for illumination, diagnosis and therapy. A survey of sources of incoherent optical radiation in a large hospital is reported here. The survey covers examples of office lighting, operating theatre lighting, examination lamps, and sources for ultraviolet phototherapy and visible phototherapies, including photodynamic therapy and neonatal blue-light therapy. The results of the survey are used to inform consideration of the strategy that a hospital might reasonably adopt both to demonstrate compliance with the AOR (2010) and to direct implementation effort.

[Emission limits and standards regarding endoilluminators]. / Endoilluminationssysteme. Grenzwerte und rechtliche Bestimmungen bei ihrer Verwendung.

Endoillumination systems have to follow international standards and guidelines to protect both patient and operator safety. These standards classify the illumination systems according to their hazard potential and name fundamental requirements and test methods for optical radiation safety. Due to technical developments these standards have been updated recently or are in draft. This article discusses the requirements of and changes to these standards regarding light sources and accessories for endoillumination.

Beyond low-level activity: on a "non-radioactive" gas mantle.

Gas mantles for camping gas lanterns sometimes contain thorium compounds. During the last years, the use of thorium-free gas mantles has become more and more popular due to the avoidance of a radioactive heavy metal. We investigated a gas mantle type that is declared to be "non-radioactive" and that can be bought in Austria at the moment. Methods used were Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), gamma-spectroscopy, and Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC). We found massive thorium contents of up to 259 mg per gas mantle. Leaching experiments showed that only 0.4% of the Th but approximately 90% of the decay products of (232)Th can be leached under conditions simulating sucking and chewing with human saliva. In this paper, the investigation of these gas mantles including the consideration of the environmental hazard caused by disposed mantles and the health hazard for unsuspecting consumers is presented and legal consequences are discussed for this fraud.

[Project, natural lighting and comfort indoor]. / Illuminazione naturale e benessere indoor: valutazione ed aggiornamento degli strumenti normativi locali.

The present research aims at analyzing the relationship between the project, the natural lighting, and the residential indoor environments. The reasons that lead to this research are to be found in the complex relationship between natural lighting, sunlight, and health in indoor environments and in the oncoming research of project and technological solutions in order to guarantee an adequate level of indoor health while preserving the environment. After describing the physical and hygienic characteristics of the natural lighting, the various laws (in particular the Italian ones) were taken into account according to the definition of the minimal performance and project requirements concerning the natural lighting of the indoor residential environments. The minimal requirements for the Coefficient of Daily Lighting--CDL (illumination levels on horizontal surface inside the room/illumination levels on the same horizontal surface situated outside, closed to the windows) were satisfied on average during the project phase with a lighting ratio (area of the windows hole/floor area) more than 12.5% (1/8) for every habitable rooms. An analysis based on CDL was then performed, since it is able to estimate the level of lighting of different indoor environments for dimensional and geometric aspects, for specific characteristics of each window opening and for the context situation of the building. During the analysis, the CDL of some rooms (42) was taken and analyzed according to the specific features of the indoor environment in order to evaluate the appropriateness of the current laws on the subject, which are too often recognized as only prescriptive. In conclusion, the current laws, considering the complex reciprocity between natural lighting and indoor environments, are not very adequate in orienting the architect towards more innovative quality and performance oriented choices. According to these deficiencies, it was proposed to integrate those laws with more adequate indications for the computation of the windows surface, and to write a document on the project phase in order to support the architect in her architectonic choices. Such instrument, coming from work in depth of analysis and observation of the behaviour of the natural light in order to better understand the factors able to condition its penetration into the indoor environments, could then be used along with the legislative instruments in order to improve those aspects of indoor health related to natural lighting.

Raised speed limits, speed spillover, case-fatality rates, and road deaths in Israel: a 5-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the 5-year, nationwide impact on road deaths of the raise in the speed limit (November 1, 1993) on 3 major interurban highways in Israel from 90 to 100 kph. METHODS: We compared before-after trends in deaths as well as case fatality-an outcome independent of exposure (defined as vehicle-kilometers traveled). RESULTS: After the raise, speeds rose by 4.5%-9.1%. Over 5 years, there was a sustained increase in deaths (15%) and case fatality rates (38%) on all interurban roads. Corresponding increases in deaths (13%) and case fatality (24%) on urban roads indicated "speed spillover." CONCLUSIONS: Immediate increases in case fatality predicted and tracked the sustained increase in deaths from increased speeds of impact. Newtonian fourth power models predicted the effects of "small" increases in speed on large rises in case fatality rates. Countermeasures and congestion reduced the impact on deaths and case-fatality rates by more than half.

Evaluación y control de ruido e iluminación en Planta de Colchones roSen. Temuco / Noise evaluations and control in Rosen Plant's of Mattress, Temuco, Chile

Se realizaron evaluaciones de ruido e iluminación en la Fábrica de colchones roSen de Temuco, Chile, aplicando el Decreto Supremo N° 594 del Ministerio de Salud. Concluyendo que la iluminación en sección Costura presenta niveles de iluminación bajo la norma vigente, dificultando las labores de costuras en los turnos de noche; y en sector de Metalurgia, Zopanda y área de Armado, se realizaron pruebas de medición acústica presentando todos los puestos de trabajo dosis diarias de ruido que sobrepasa el límite máximo permisible dado en el D.S. N° 594. Además, se desarrollaron "Procedimientos de Trabajos" para conocimiento de los trabajadores, de algunas actividades, de manera de efectuar sus labores de manera correcta y segura y haciendo algunas indicaciones generales respecto a Protección de Máquinas.

The effectiveness of the 'ride-bright' legislation for motorcycles in Singapore.

This paper examines the effectiveness of the 'ride-bright' legislation implemented in Singapore in November 1995. The odds ratio test is used to investigate if there is any significant difference in the number of daytime motorcycle accidents by severity before and after the implementation of the legislation. The findings indicate that although there is insignificant change in the number of slight injury accidents, the legislation is effective in reducing the number of fatal and serious injury accidents.

[The environmental characteristics of patients' rooms and their interactions with the lifting of patients]. / Caratteristiche ambientali del reparto di degenza e loro interazioni con la movimentazione del paziente.

The Law (Presidential Decree) of 14/1/97 requested the regions of Italy to define and develop procedures for the accreditation of their health facilities. Since accreditation promotes the quality of the system, the support of ergonomics can be fundamental. Ergonomics, whose quality objective is harmony of the environment-man-object relationship, is in a position to make a major contribution to the complete application of the procedures for quality certification (ISO regulation 9000) and of the regulations regarding mandatory safety regulations (Law 626/94). The present paper analyzes the tasks of health workers vis-a-vis patients, highlighting the improvement or worsening effect of environmental features which not only have a direct effect on movements and general activity but also have an indirect effect on psychological and behavioural conditions. The first requirement that should be taken into consideration in environments that are also used by patients is that everything that can facilitate or make their walking and access to facilities self-sufficient will certainly make the healthcare workers' tasks easier, which can then be limited to lifting required for treatment and washing. The ward, especially, is an area that is extremely important from the point of view of design because it is where the patient does practically everything and where the staff, too, are mainly engaged in hygiene/treatment tasks, involving both patients and their relatives. The bed must be able to be easily used by potentially disabled patients who have difficulty in walking and moving. The beds should therefore be equipped with or have close by handles and rails that assist the patient to lie down, get up and move from the bed; the bed should also have a manual or electrical device to adjust the height (from 40 to 70 cm) and have four wheels (that can each be blocked) to make it easier to move. The supporting legs should occupy as little space as possible and should not interfere with wheelchairs or other walking aids or with the movements of the staff. The head and foot-boards should have parts that can be used as grips. The space between both sides of the beds should be at least 90 cm and the space between headboard and wall 120 cm; bedside tables should be no deeper than 30 cm and be fitted with wheels. On the question of space distribution design, another important requirement is flexibility. Adequate flexibility of space distribution together with adaptable technological systems mean that the spaces and equipment of the ward can be easily adapted to the great variety of needs.

Medical devices; exemptions from premarket notification; surgical lamps--FDA. Notice.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is publishing an order denying a petition requesting an exemption from the premarket notification requirements for surgical lamps. FDA is publishing this notice in accordance with procedures established by the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA).