Railway Suicide in The Netherlands Lower Than Expected

Abstract. Background: Increasing rail transportation requires appropriate railway suicide preventive measures. Aims: The investigation of trends in railway suicide during 2008–2018, a period in which preventive measures were taken by Dutch railway infrastructure manager ProRail. Methods: Generalized linear regression models for railway suicide were developed for the period 1970–2007 with general suicide rate, railway traffic intensity, and a combination of these variables as regressors. Subsequently, the best-fitting model was used to investigate trends in railway suicide after 2007 by comparing in retrospect observed values with the expected outcomes of the regression model. Results: An adequate regression model for railway suicide was obtained using both general suicide rate and railway traffic intensity as regressors. Based on this model, while national suicide mortality and railway traffic increased, a distinct relative decline in railway suicides was found from 2012 onward. Conclusions: This decline of railway suicides in the Netherlands may indicate that preventive measures taken by ProRail were effective and prevented around 85 railway suicides annually, a reduction of 30%.

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Registration of Blood Exposure Accidents in the Netherlands by a Nationally Operating Call Center

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1086/667728 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 33 (10) ◽

pp. 1017-1023

Author(s):

Peter M. Schneeberger ◽

Annemarie E. Meiberg ◽

Janet Warmelts ◽

Sander C. A. P. Leenders ◽

Paul T. L. van Wijk

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Call Center ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Hepatitis B Vaccination ◽

Occupational Health Services ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Call Center Employees

Objective.Healthcare providers and other employees, especially those who do not work in a hospital, may not easily find help after the occurrence of a blood exposure accident. In 2006, a national call center was established in the Netherlands to fill this gap.Methods.All occupational blood exposure accidents reported to the 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week call center from 2007, 2008, and 2009 were analyzed retrospectively for incidence rates, risk assessment, handling, and preventive measures taken.Results.A total of 2,927 accidents were reported. The highest incidence rates were reported for private clinics and hospitals (68.5 and 54.3 accidents per 1,000 person-years, respectively). Dental practices started reporting incidents frequently after the arrangement of a collective financial agreement with the call center. Employees of ambulance services, midwife practices, and private clinics reported mostly high-risk accidents, whereas penitentiaries frequently reported low-risk accidents. Employees in mental healthcare facilities, private clinics, and midwife practices reported accidents relatively late. The extent of hepatitis B vaccination in mental healthcare facilities, penitentiaries, occupational health services, and cleaning services was low (<70%).Conclusions.The national call center successfully organized the national registration and handling of blood exposure accidents. The risk of blood exposure accidents could be estimated on the basis of this information for several occupational branches. Targeted preventive measures for healthcare providers and other employees at risk can next be developed.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(10):1017-1023

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Environmental Citizenship and Energy Efficiency in Four European Countries (Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12031154 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 1154

Author(s):

Ibolya Czibere ◽

Imre Kovách ◽

Gergely Boldizsár Megyesi

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Energy Use ◽

European Countries ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Financial Barriers ◽

Self Identity ◽

Horizon 2020 ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

The Social

In our paper we aim at analysing the social factors influencing energy use and energy efficiency in four different European countries, using the data from the PENNY research (Psychological social and financial barriers to energy efficiency—Horizon 2020). As a part of the project, a survey was conducted in four European countries (Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary) to compare environmental self-identity, values and attitudes toward the energy use of European citizens. Previous research has examined the effect of a number of factors that influence individuals’ energy efficiency, and attitudes to energy use. The novelty of our paper that presents four attitudes regarding energy use and environmental consciousness and compares them across four different regions of Europe. It analyses the differences between the four attitudes among the examined countries and tries to understand the factors explaining the differences using linear regression models of the most important socio-demographic variables. Finally, we present a typology of energy use attitudes: four groups, the members of which are basically characterised by essentially different attitudes regarding energy use. A better understanding of the diversity of energy use may assist in making more accurate policy decisions.

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1649: Revolutionary Turnpike

How the Old World Ended ◽

10.12987/yale/9780300243598.003.0018 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 300-308

Author(s):

Jonathan Scott

Keyword(s):

Eighteenth Century ◽

The Netherlands ◽

American Frontier ◽

South Eastern ◽

Relative Decline ◽

The Baltic ◽

City Of London ◽

The City ◽

And Diffusion ◽

Dramatic Growth

This concluding chapter discusses how the Anglo-Dutch revolution of 1649–1702 stood at the centre of a succession of wider transformations which were agricultural, political, and commercial. All of these had their origins in the Netherlands before spreading to south-eastern England and across the Atlantic. Understanding their development and diffusion has required attention to religion, migration, and war as well as to economic, social, and cultural life. The result connected a series of unique local human environments, including the Dutch water world, the city of London, and the American frontier into a world-altering imperial system. By the later eighteenth century the Atlantic reorientation of the European economy had thrown the Baltic into relative decline, sparking the dramatic growth of Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow while Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam stagnated.

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Trends in Suicide Mortality in Montenegro From 2000 to 2018

10.21203/rs.3.rs-89461/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lidija Injac Stevović ◽

Selman Repišti ◽

Tamara Radojičić ◽

Olivera Injac

Keyword(s):

Labor Market ◽

Unemployment Rate ◽

Suicide Rate ◽

Ecological Study ◽

Suicide Mortality ◽

Average Salary ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Males And Females ◽

Methods Of Suicide ◽

Cultural Features

Abstract Background: This is an ecological study that analyzes suicides committed in Montenegro during the 2000-2018 period, taking into account gender, age and methods of suicide. Methods: Suicide rates and trends up until 2009 were obtained from the official registers of Bureau of Statistics of Montenegro (MONSTAT) while the later data were obtained from the Department of Interior’s. MONSTAT also provided data on unemployment and average salary. As per statistical methods, descriptive and correlations were calculated. Results: The average crude suicide rate was 21.06, for males 29.93 and for females 12.42. Crude suicide rates were not associated with unemployment rate or average salary. However, the unemployment rate was significantly correlated with lethal methods of suicide, namely suicide by firearm and by hanging. Average net salary was negatively correlated with suicide by firearm. Conclusions: The ratio of males and females who committed suicide was 2.41. In the last three years, this ratio continues to rise in favor of males (reaching 4.29 in 2018). This could be explained by specific cultural features where males are expected to be the main financial contributors to the households. The labor market of Montenegro does not offer adequate opportunities to set and maintain a stable economic situation which puts additional pressure and stress on males.

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Machine Learning for Mortality Prediction in Pediatric Myocarditis

Frontiers in Pediatrics ◽

10.3389/fped.2021.644922 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Fu-Sheng Chou ◽

Laxmi V. Ghimire

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Regression Model ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

External Validation ◽

Model Development ◽

Kidney Injury ◽

High Specificity ◽

Mortality Prediction ◽

Linear Regression Models

Background: Pediatric myocarditis is a rare disease. The etiologies are multiple. Mortality associated with the disease is 5–8%. Prognostic factors were identified with the use of national hospitalization databases. Applying these identified risk factors for mortality prediction has not been reported.Methods: We used the Kids' Inpatient Database for this project. We manually curated fourteen variables as predictors of mortality based on the current knowledge of the disease, and compared performance of mortality prediction between linear regression models and a machine learning (ML) model. For ML, the random forest algorithm was chosen because of the categorical nature of the variables. Based on variable importance scores, a reduced model was also developed for comparison.Results: We identified 4,144 patients from the database for randomization into the primary (for model development) and testing (for external validation) datasets. We found that the conventional logistic regression model had low sensitivity (~50%) despite high specificity (>95%) or overall accuracy. On the other hand, the ML model struck a good balance between sensitivity (89.9%) and specificity (85.8%). The reduced ML model with top five variables (mechanical ventilation, cardiac arrest, ECMO, acute kidney injury, ventricular fibrillation) were sufficient to approximate the prediction performance of the full model.Conclusions: The ML algorithm performs superiorly when compared to the linear regression model for mortality prediction in pediatric myocarditis in this retrospective dataset. Prospective studies are warranted to further validate the applicability of our model in clinical settings.

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Contextual factors that shape uptake of COVID-19 preventive measures by persons of Ghanaian and Eritrean origin in The Netherlands: a focus group study

Journal of Migration and Health ◽

10.1016/j.jmh.2021.100070 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100070

Author(s):

Marieke Torensma ◽

Janneke Harting ◽

Linda Boateng ◽

Charles Agyemang ◽

Yordi Lassooy Tekle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Focus Group Study

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Estimation in Dynamic Linear Regression Models with Infinite Variance Errors

Econometric Theory ◽

10.1017/s0266466600007982 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 570-588 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Keith Knight

Keyword(s):

Asymptotic Behavior ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Regression Model ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Regression Models ◽

Infinite Variance ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Asymptotically Normal ◽

Second Moments ◽

True Values

This paper considers the asymptotic behavior of M-estimates in a dynamic linear regression model where the errors have infinite second moments but the exogenous regressors satisfy the standard assumptions. It is shown that under certain conditions, the estimates of the parameters corresponding to the exogenous regressors are asymptotically normal and converge to the true values at the standard n−½ rate.

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Changes in cannabis potency and first-time admissions to drug treatment: a 16-year study in the Netherlands

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717003877 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (14) ◽

pp. 2346-2352 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Tom P. Freeman ◽

Peggy van der Pol ◽

Wil Kuijpers ◽

Jeroen Wisselink ◽

Ravi K. Das ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Drug Treatment ◽

Time Dependent ◽

Time Lags ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Treatment Data ◽

Treatment Entry ◽

Positive Time ◽

First Time ◽

Ongoing Monitoring

AbstractBackgroundThe number of people entering specialist drug treatment for cannabis problems has increased considerably in recent years. The reasons for this are unclear, but rising cannabis potency could be a contributing factor.MethodsCannabis potency data were obtained from an ongoing monitoring programme in the Netherlands. We analysed concentrations of δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the most popular variety of domestic herbal cannabis sold in each retail outlet (2000–2015). Mixed effects linear regression models examined time-dependent associations between THC and first-time cannabis admissions to specialist drug treatment. Candidate time lags were 0–10 years, based on normative European drug treatment data.ResultsTHC increased from a mean (95% CI) of 8.62 (7.97–9.27) to 20.38 (19.09–21.67) from 2000 to 2004 and then decreased to 15.31 (14.24–16.38) in 2015. First-time cannabis admissions (per 100 000 inhabitants) rose from 7.08 to 26.36 from 2000 to 2010, and then decreased to 19.82 in 2015. THC was positively associated with treatment entry at lags of 0–9 years, with the strongest association at 5 years, b = 0.370 (0.317–0.424), p < 0.0001. After adjusting for age, sex and non-cannabis drug treatment admissions, these positive associations were attenuated but remained statistically significant at lags of 5–7 years and were again strongest at 5 years, b = 0.082 (0.052–0.111), p < 0.0001.ConclusionsIn this 16-year observational study, we found positive time-dependent associations between changes in cannabis potency and first-time cannabis admissions to drug treatment. These associations are biologically plausible, but their strength after adjustment suggests that other factors are also important.

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The germicidal effect of the open air in different parts of The Netherlands

Journal of Hygiene ◽

10.1017/s0022172400056072 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 78 (2) ◽

pp. 175-187 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

G. de Mik ◽

Ida de Groot

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Wind Direction ◽

Traffic Intensity ◽

Industrial Areas ◽

Different Parts

SUMMARYUsing the microthread technique the survival ofEscherichia coliMRE 162 in open air was measured in different parts of The Netherlands.The presence of bactericidal compounds (open air factor = OAF) could be demonstrated on several days and quantitated in relative units of OAF concentration.In the absence of ozone the OAF concentration was always low. In the presence of ozone the OAF concentration was dependent on wind direction. At the selected microthread exposure sites air from areas with high traffic intensity contributed more to OAF production than air from industrial areas. OAF production is probably related to the nature of hydrocarbons in the air.

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Lipoprotein(a) is a strong risk factor for Aortic Valve Calcium

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.1873 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

Y Kaiser ◽

S.S Singh ◽

K.H Zheng ◽

R Verbeek ◽

M Kavousi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aortic Valve ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Medical Center ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Population Based ◽

Public Institution ◽

Western World ◽

Funding Source ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Lipoprotein A

Abstract Background Aortic valve calcium (AVC) is an important hallmark of aortic valve stenosis, which is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world. Studies suggesting an important role for lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in the etiology of AVC are accumulating, yet population-based evidence is scarce. Therefore, we investigated the association of Lp(a) with the presence of AVC in two large cohorts. Methods A total of 2412 participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study (52% women, mean age=69.6±6.3), and 859 asymptomatic persons from the Amsterdam Medical Center outpatient clinic for familial premature (non-valvular) atherosclerosis (57%women, mean age=45.9±11.6) underwent blood sampling to determine serum Lp(a) and non-enhanced cardiac CT-scan to assess AVC. We combined both cohorts and investigated the association of Lp(a) with the presence and amount of AVC using logistic and linear regression models, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol and use of antihypertensive medication. Results Out of a total of 3271 subjects with an average age of 63.4±7.98, AVC was present in 844 (25.8%) individuals. Higher levels of Lp(a) were associated with the presence of AVC, independent of age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors [Odds ratio (OR) per 1-SD increase in Lp(a): 1.39 (95% CI:1.27; 1.51). In persons with AVC, a higher level of Lp(a) was also related to larger volume of AVC [β per 1-SD increase in Lp(a): 0.76 (95% CI:1.27; 1.51)]. All findings were similar across both cohorts. Conclusion Lp(a) is a prominent and independent marker of the presence and amount of AVC in the general population. Future studies investigating the effect of Lp(a) lowering on the progression of AVC are warranted. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): NESTOR program for geriatric research, the Netherlands Heart Foundation, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, the Health Research and Development Council (28-2975 and 97-1-364), and the Municipality of Rotterdam

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