BTEX Concentrations and Associated Health Risks at Urban Vegetative Sites in Delhi,India

Abstract

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds are known for their toxic effects. The ambient BTEX levels were studied at various urban vegetative locations of Delhi to assess the health risks involved. The average concentrations were higher for toluene and xylene among BTEX compounds. The cancer risks for benzene exceeded the benchmark limits of USEPA and WHO. The study suggests that the vegetative areas in Delhi are not safe for public health and regulatory bodies need to initiate some action.     

Exposure of Air Pollution and Its Health Effects in Traffic Police Persons of Gwalior City,India

This article examines the perceived health effects of air pollution among traffic police persons of Gwalior city, India. The first part of the results reveals the health effects of air pollution on respondents and the second part reports the awareness of respondents regarding air pollution, pollutants, particulate pollutants, gaseous pollutants, and sources of pollutants etc. This perceptional study examines twenty-two types of health effects and an option for other health effects was also included. Eye irritation and sleeplessness were found consistently while difficulty in concentration, headache, sneezing, and nose irritation were found in less extant. A part of health effects were very serious and not curable. Traffic police persons were neither aware adequately regarding air pollutants nor used any type of personal protective equipment. The study covers respondents of four age categories: 15–24, 25–34, 35–44, and 45-above.     

DRIVING WHILE BLACK: EFFECTS OF RACE,ETHNICITY, AND GENDER ON CITIZEN SELF‐REPORTS OF TRAFFIC STOPS AND POLICE ACTIONS*

Are African‐American men, compared with white men, more likely to report being stopped by police for traffic law violations? Are African‐American men and Hispanic drivers less likely to report that police had a legitimate reason for the stop and less likely to report that police acted properly? This study answers these questions using citizen self‐reports of their traffic stop encounters with the police. Net of other important explanatory variables, the data indicate that police make traffic stops for Driving While Black and male. In addition, African‐American and Hispanic drivers are less likely to report that police had a legitimate reason for the stop and are less likely to report that police acted properly. The study also discusses the validity of citizen self‐report data and outlines an agenda for future research.     

Fatal traffic injuries among children and adolescents in three cities (capital Budapest, Vilnius, and Tallinn)

Motor vehicle accidental injuries are a frequent cause of death among young children and adolescents. The goal of this study was to compare patterns of injury between three capitals (Budapest, Vilnius, and Tallinn). Information on 190 fatal traffic accidents (69 pedestrians, 14 bicyclists, and 107 motor vehicle occupants) between 2002 and 2006 was collected from databases of medico-legal autopsies. The role of victims in accidents, the location of injuries, cause of death, survival period, and blood alcohol levels were evaluated. One-hundred and forty-one (74%) victims had a passive role in traffic as pedestrians, passengers in cars, or public transport. In victims who died at the scene, the rate of head injury was higher than in cases who received medical treatment (odds ratio = 2.58, CI = 1.2-5.55, p = 0.0127). These results underline the importance of postmortem studies to examine the pathomechanism of fatal traffic accidental injuries and to provide information for the prevention of road traffic accidents against children and adolescents.     

建立城市公共安全系统的研究

城市公共安全系统是涉及到生产、生活和生存安全的各个领域的安全系统。对城市公共安全系统的研究包括七个方面，分别是城市工业危险源、城市公共场所、城市公共基础设施、城市自然灾害、城市道路交通、城市突发公共卫生事件和恐怖袭击与破坏。城市公共安全研究的理论基础是风险理论，通过对可能发生的城市公共事故灾害进行风险分析；制定保障城市安全和城市经济社会协调发展的安全规划；实施风险减缓对策措施的风险管理；建立城市事故应急救援系统及公共安全信息管理系统，从而实现建设和建立城市公共安全系统的目的。     

Race, driving, and police organization: Modeling moving and nonmoving traffic stops with citizen self-reports of driving practices

A rapidly growing body of police scholarship has found evidence of racial disparities in traffic stop patterns using police-generated data. Despite the empirical consensus, the question of whether race inappropriately influences traffic stop patterns remains open, largely as a result of methodological weaknesses. The current article helps to address this issue by employing self-report data about citizens' driving practices and traffic stops. It presents a series of models that predict the likelihood of a self-reported traffic stop disaggregated by police organizational type and the reason for the stop. Results suggest that moving and nonmoving driving practices are associated with the likelihood of police stops for moving and nonmoving reasons, respectively. As expected, differences between local police and state police models emerge. Finally, Black drivers and younger drivers are especially vulnerable to traffic stop risk for nonmoving stops by local police, even after controlling for driving behaviors.     

Profiling of volatile impurities in tetramethylenedisulfotetramine (TETS) for synthetic-route determination

In recent years, alcohol consumption has been considered an important public health problem. Ethanol, the alcohol used in beverages, is a drug that affects the central nervous system (CNS) and impairs driving skills and co-ordination, increasing risk of deaths and injuries derived from crashes and road accidents. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is implicated with premature deaths, injuries and damages caused by motor vehicle crashes, which result in high costs to government and society. Considering that alcohol consumption is the main responsible factor for deaths and disabilities in young people, the aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of blood alcohol in offenders and/or fatal and non-fatal victims of traffic occurrences in the region of Ribeir?o Preto, S?o Paulo State, from 2005 to 2007. The results revealed that in 2134 cases investigated, blood alcohol positivity was generally found in young adults, 25-45 years old and male. The study showed the high risk of drinking and driving and the importance in establishing actions of prevention and intervention to promote the reduction in the number of traffic occurrences related to consumption of alcoholic beverages.     

Sociocultural Determinants of Policewomen–Taxi Drivers’ Interactions on the Major Highways in Ibadan Metropolis,Nigeria

This study investigated the sociocultural determinants of policewomen–taxi drivers’ interactions on the major highways in Ibadan metropolis. Purposive sampling technique was utilized for the selection of 11 policewomen and 35 taxi drivers. Data were generated through key informant interview and focus group discussion methods. Findings revealed that gender had no impact on the ability of policewomen to enforce traffic law. Policewomen were adjudged to be strict on traffic law enforcement. However, the size of the accolade generated by this feat has been slightly attenuated by the action of officers who habitually demand for bribe from apprehended taxi drivers.     

论道路交通事故损害赔偿责任归责原则的博弈分析

道路交通事故责任分担关系到社会资源配置的公正与效率。从博弈论的研究视角出发,比较了多种不同的责任制度。交通事故责任规则能否达到预期目的,主要取决于该规则对行为人产生的激励和约束效应。     

Occupational workplace and traffic fatalities in Alsace, France (2000–2005): Results of toxicological investigations

France ranks as leader country in Europe for the consumption of cannabis as well as of psychoactive medications. Whereas the relationship between psychotropics and road accidents is now well-established, few data are still available on the influence of drugs on occupational accidents. The purpose of the present study was to measure the prevalence of psychoactive drug intake (alcohol excepted) among victims of occupational fatalities (including workplace accidents + traffic accidents, i.e. on the way to and from work) occurred in the region Alsace over the period 2000–2005. Data were collected by compiling files on occupational accidents from two different public agencies (CRAM, Regional Sickness Fund Alsace-Moselle; DRTEFP, Regional Department of Work, Employment and Professional Training) together with those from the Medico-Legal Institute of Strasbourg over the period tested. Data analysis showed that 3% of the victims of workplace fatalities were under the influence of drugs (alcohol excluded) at the time of accident, as well as 5% of the victims of occupational traffic accidents. Our results also highlight a low rate of toxicological analyses, since these investigations were requested by the authorities in 41% of traffic victims and only 15% of workplace victims. In France, the relevance of psychoactive drug intake in occupational deaths is much better targeted in the case of traffic fatalities (due to the existence of specific regulations, e.g. compulsory urinalysis for drugs of abuse in drivers involved in a road accident) than in those occurred at workplace (no specific regulations).     

再议交通事故认定行为的法律性质

对于交警部门在履行处理交通事故职责中作出的交通事故责任认定究竟为何属性,众说纷纭,因为它直接关系到当交通事故认定出现偏差时,可否司法审查进而有效地维护交通事故当事人的合法权益,监督交警部门依法履行职责,正确处理交通事故的问题。根据交通事故处理法律、法规的规定,交通事故认定行为的法律性质是具体行政行为。     

Police Misconduct,Media Coverage,and Public Perceptions of Racial Profiling: An Experiment

The purpose of this study was: (1) to assess the impact of an incident of racial profiling on residents’ attitudes about profiling; and (2) to examine the effects of exposure to a video clip of deliberation about the incident on residents’ beliefs about the causes of profiling. All residents, White and minority, were less likely to believe that Chicago police officers engaged in profiling after the incident. These findings suggest that attitudes about the prevalence of racial profiling are susceptible to the manner in which the media construct incidents of police misconduct. Exposure to the video clip was not related to differences in residents’ beliefs about the causes of profiling, but was related to differences in perceptions of the dangerousness of traffic stops. The findings highlight the need for more research on how media constructions of police misconduct influence attitudes about profiling and impact community–police relations.     

Risk terrain modeling for road safety: identifying crash-related environmental factors in the province of Cádiz,Spain

Environmental Criminology has developed a robust framework that provides the scientific support and necessary foundation for crime analysis through crime mapping. This theoretical approach focuses on the situational and temporal characteristics of criminal opportunity rather than on the offender’s behavior for crime prevention. In the scope of road safety and traffic crashes, few studies have adopted this approach. This study used risk terrain modeling (RTM), developed by the Rutgers Center on Public Security, to determine the relative importance of varying environmental risk factors on alcohol-related crashes and traffic accidents. The independent variables consisted of a set of potential environmental risk factors, while the dependent variable comprised all DWI crashes and traffic accidents in the province of Cádiz in 2012. According to the results of the current study, restaurant locations are spatially associated with the occurrence of drunk driving crashes, while proximity restaurants and recreational lodging centers correlate with the sites of traffic accidents.     

高速公路交通安全智能监管系统建设研究

本文简要介绍了当前我国高速公路建设及其交通安全管理方面的基本概况和存在问题，结合国内外高速公路交通安全管理工作的实际情况以及作者多年以来的工作经验与体会，率先提出了：建立、健全与当地社会经济以及道路交通客观现实及其发展的本质需求相适应并且适度超前的高速公路交通安全智能监管系统，是有效解决我国高速公路交通安全“老大难”问题的根本出路；并就其建设的基本对策、总体方案及基本要求等进行了比较深入的研讨，飧以同仁交流与探讨。     

Opening the Black Box of Officer Decision-Making: An Examination of Race,Criminal History,and Discretionary Searches

Recent evidence suggests that police officers engage in discretionary searches of minority citizens at a disproportionate rate; however, the impact of citizen criminal history on this relationship is largely unknown. Using the theoretical framework of officer suspicion, this study examines the impact of citizen race on the likelihood of a discretionary search and whether this relationship is mediated by citizen criminal history. A series of multilevel models were computed on officer-initiated traffic stops in a manner that conforms to Baron and Kenny's recommendations to test for mediation effects. Results indicated that while citizen race was predictive of a discretionary search, this effect was mediated by consideration of criminal history. These findings have implications for understanding the decision-making process of officers, the influence of citizen race on these decisions, and the role of officer suspicion in police-citizen encounters.     

Traffic Stops in the Pacific Northwest

ABSTRACT

This study examines the distribution of police traffic warning citations in a large northwestern city. Warning tickets were instituted to document the exercise of police discretion in the disposition of traffic stops. The paper tests three competing hypotheses about how these citations are distributed: law enforcement, traffic enforcement, and group threat. The findings show greater support for the group threat explanation. African Americans were disproportionately ticketed in the more affluent areas of the city with a higher per capita income and a higher percentage of home ownership. The data also demonstrated that traffic officers were more active than patrol officers in predominately white beats while patrol officers concentrated more on African American and Asian areas of the city.     

骑跨伤在机动车碰撞自行车事故中的特征及生物力学分析

目的以真实案例为基础,研究自行车与机动车碰撞交通事故中,不同机动车型、交通方式等因子造成自行车骑车人下肢内侧骑跨伤的特征,分析其生物力学机制。方法选取上海地区发生的自行车与机动车碰撞交通事故案例140例,全面收集现场、自行车、机动车、人体、交通方向等信息,运用回顾性研究方法分析,同时,选取其中典型案例,通过计算机仿真技术模拟事故发生过程,提取人体各受伤部位的动力学响应数值,如加速度、力和力矩等,与案例研究结果对比。结果全部事故中出现骑跨伤与无骑跨伤案例频数相等;侧面撞击与前后方向撞击骑跨伤的发生情况无显著性差别;大型车辆撞击事故中出现骑跨伤频率较低;骑跨伤的发生频率随车速加大而增高;就骑跨伤的分布来说,撞击侧下肢骑跨伤位置低(链条、脚蹬管等损伤),而对侧骑跨伤位置高(鞍座损伤),在小型车辆撞击时该特点更明显。结论分析自行车骑车人的骑跨伤特征和生物力学机制有望对道路交通行为方式鉴定提供新依据。     

Intimate partner violence, PTSD, and adverse health outcomes

The high prevalence of adverse health outcomes related to intimate partner violence (IPV) is well documented. Yet we know little about the pathways that lead to adverse health outcomes. Research concerning the psychological, biological, neurological, behavioral, and physiological alterations following exposure to IPV--many of which are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)--represents a promising area of empirical discovery. New technologies and interdisciplinary collaborative efforts are required to integrate diverse methodologies and to apply new findings to improving the health and well being of those affected by IPV. This article focuses on victimization by IPV and addresses the most important research findings in the last 20 years (health and mental health burden of IPV), the most important research issue for the next decade (pathways between IPV and adverse health outcomes), and the most promising methodological innovation for the study of IPV (integrated, interdisciplinary, biobehavioral methodology).     

Inequality, privacy, and mental health

The state's mental health power is standardly understood in terms of the state's power to intervene with persons or populations to address mental health problems. This article advances a more expansive view of the state's mental health power, one which seeks to capture those exercises of state power that do not directly concern mental health but that nevertheless can have a profound effect on mental well-being. The article considers two features of contemporary American society that implicate the state in conditions that undermine, or threaten to undermine, mental health. The first concerns the impact of poverty and inequality on mental health. The second concerns the threat to the self posed by measures that would significantly erode privacy. The article argues that a greater commitment to liberal principles of equality and tolerance is crucial to overcoming the perils for mental health that poverty and losses of privacy generate.     

Risk,response, and mental health policy: learning from the experience of the United Kingdom

Policy makers in the United States and the United Kingdom recognize that mentally disordered offenders present special challenges to law enforcement, mental health, and social service systems, as well as the community. Although various policy initiatives have advanced over the past twenty years to improve the management of mentally disordered offenders, mental health policy has chronically failed in both countries. Because safety concerns have emerged as the mental health system has been "deinstitutionalized," debate is growing about whether the community-care approach works-for the community. This study argues that mental health policy fails because policy makers focus on the wrong risks and design policies that manage these risks in ways that increase the possibility of adverse clinical and economic outcomes. The argument made here uses the case of persons with severe mental illness in the United Kingdom as an example of the complex relationship between risk and policy making in democratic governance. Emphasis is on the nature of risk in mental health policy and how government responds to policy and political risks. Mental health policy in Britain is then analyzed in terms of its response to and management of risks. Mental health policy has historically mismanaged the risk issue in the United Kingdom and as such has set in motion the growing community-care backlash. The path to a better outcome lies in the responsible management of the right risks. Lessons from the United Kingdom experience can be usefully applied to mental health issues in many industrial democracies.