scholarly journals Suicide on the Railways in Belgium: A Typology of Locations and Potential for Prevention

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2074
Author(s):  
Mathieu Strale ◽  
Karolina Krysinska ◽  
Gaëtan Van Overmeiren ◽  
Karl Andriessen
Keyword(s):  
Average Length ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Psychiatric Facility ◽  
Railway Network ◽  
Railway Traffic ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Railway Suicide ◽  
Psychiatric Facilities

Suicide on railway networks comprises a serious public health problem. However, the geographical distribution and the environmental risk factors remain unclear. This study analyzed the geographic distribution of railway suicides in Belgium from 2008–2013 at the level of a railway section (average length of 3.5 km). Principal component analysis (PCA) identified three groups of correlations that helped explain the variance of railway suicide. The three groups are related to characteristics of urban spaces, psychiatric facilities, and railway traffic density. Based on the PCA results, the study found four types of railway sections. The density of railway suicide was average and low in the urban and rural/industrial sections, respectively. However, it was high in the suburban sections and the sections close to psychiatric facilities. As the geographical proximity of a psychiatric facility comprises a specific risk factor for suicide on railways, preventative measures should target these sections and establish collaborations with psychiatric facilities. The typology of locations found in this study constitutes crucial information for national and local suicide prevention on the Belgian railway network.

Railway Suicide in Belgium 1998–2009

Crisis ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Andriessen ◽  
Karolina Krysinska
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Railway Network ◽  
Railway Suicide

Background: Belgium is a country with a high suicide rate (19.1/100,000 in 2004), and railway suicide poses a substantial safety and public health problem. This problem was addressed by the Suicide Prevention Unit of Infrabel (Manager of the Belgian Railway Infrastructure), which collects relevant data and implements a prevention program. Aims: To present data on fatal and nonfatal suicidal behavior on the Belgian railway network, including monthly and regional distribution and identification of hotspots; and to present the Infrabel suicide prevention program. Methods: Analysis of Infrabel data on railway suicide (1998–2009) and comparison with data on suicide in Belgium. Results: A total of 1,092 railway suicides (1998–2009) and 557 suicide attempts (2003–2009) in Belgium (fatality rate of 54%) were studied. Monthly fluctuations were observed, with the majority of suicides occurring in Flanders, followed by Wallonia and Brussels. We identified 34 hotspots accounting for 35% of cases, mostly in Flanders. Conclusions: In 2004 railway suicide accounted for 5.3% of all suicides in Belgium (railway suicide rate of 1.03/100,000). Such a major human and economic loss warrants implementation of prevention measures. Infrabel has initiated a comprehensive suicide prevention program which focuses mainly on safeguarding the suicide hotspots.

scholarly journals Suicides on the Austrian railway network: hotspot analysis and effect of proximity to psychiatric institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 160711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus J. Strauss ◽  
Peter Klimek ◽  
Gernot Sonneck ◽  
Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Track Length ◽  
Hotspot Analysis ◽  
Railway Network ◽  
Psychiatric Institutions ◽  
Spatial Risk ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Railway Suicide ◽  
Psychiatric Beds

Railway suicide is a significant public health problem. In addition to the loss of lives, these suicides occur in public space, causing traumatization among train drivers and passengers, and significant public transport delays. Prevention efforts depend upon accurate knowledge of clustering phenomena across the railway network, and spatial risk factors. Factors such as proximity to psychiatric institutions have been discussed to impact on railway suicides, but analytic evaluations are scarce and limited. We identify 15 hotspots on the Austrian railway system while taking case location uncertainties into account. These hotspots represent 0.9% of the total track length (5916 km/3676 miles) that account for up to 17% of all railway suicides ( N =1130). We model suicide locations on the network using a smoothed inhomogeneous Poisson process and validate it using randomization tests. We find that the density of psychiatric beds is a significant predictor of railway suicide. Further predictors are population density, multitrack structure and—less consistently—spatial socio-economic factors including total suicide rates. We evaluate the model for the identified hotspots and show that the actual influence of these variables differs across individual hotspots. This analysis provides important information for suicide prevention research and practice. We recommend structural separation of railway tracks from nearby psychiatric institutions to prevent railway suicide.

Effects of the CMS’ Public Reporting Program for Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities on Targeted and Nontargeted Safety: Differences Between For-Profits and Nonprofits

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755872199892
Author(s):  
Morgan C. Shields
Keyword(s):  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Public Reporting ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Psychiatric Facility ◽  
Quality Reporting ◽  
Performance Reporting ◽  
Reporting Programs ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Inpatient Psychiatric Facility ◽  
Psychiatric Facilities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting Program in 2012, which publicly reports facilities’ performance on restraint and seclusion (R-S) measures. Using data from Massachusetts, we examined whether nonprofits and for-profits responded differently to the program on targeted indicators, and if the program had a differential spillover effect on nontargeted indicators of quality by ownership. Episodes of R-S (targeted), complaints (nontargeted), and discharges were obtained for 2008-2017 through public records requests to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Using difference-in-differences estimators, we found no differential changes in R-S between for-profits and nonprofits. However, for-profits had larger increases in overall complaints, safety-related complaints, abuse-related complaints, and R-S-related complaints compared with nonprofits. This is the first study to examine the effects of a national public reporting program among psychiatric facilities on nontargeted measures. Researchers and policymakers should further scrutinize intended and unintended consequences of performance-reporting programs.

scholarly journals Ampelographic description of cluster, berry and seed of merlot cultivar (Vitis vinifera L.) and its selected clones

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55
Author(s):  
Dragan Vujovic ◽  
Dragoljub Zunic ◽  
Boris Pejin ◽  
Jelena Popovic-Djordjevic
Keyword(s):  
Clonal Selection ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Vegetation Period ◽  
Vitis Vinifera L ◽  
Cluster Number ◽  
The Third ◽  
Third Phase ◽  
Shoot Number

During a four-year period, ampelographic experiments focusing on the berry cluster (average length of grape cluster, number of grape clusters per shoot, number of berries per grape cluster and length of peduncle), berry (length of berry and berry juice yield), length of pedicel and seed (length of berry seed) of Merlot cultivar (used as a relevant standard) and 11 clones (Nos. 022, 023, 025, 026, 027, 028, 029, 030, 031, 033 and 034) were performed in order to establish the differences among them. These experiments were actually conducted in the third phase of individual clonal selection of Merlot cultivar carried out in Serbia. The lengths of grape cluster and pedicel as well as berry must yields differed significantly among the examined clones. The cluster and principal component analyses classified 12 samples into three divergent clusters/groups, respectively. The clones belonging to the cluster II /the second group/ had significantly higher values of numbers of grape clusters per shoot and berries per grape cluster; lengths of peduncle and berry; berry must yield and length of pedicel, compared both to standard Merlot /the cluster I, the first group/ and the clones of the cluster III /the third group/. The phenological observations showed no significant differences in the beginnings and durations of phenological stages and vegetation period of the examined clones. The obtained results indicate the real need for further research work focused both on the agrobiological and technological properties of the grapes and wines aiming to better describe the selected clones.

Railway’s Impact on Regional Socio-Economic Systems: Impact Degree Evaluation—A Case Study of Beijing-Shanghai Existing Line

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuemei Li ◽  
Dandan Liang ◽  
Yaodong Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Future Planning ◽  
Railway Network ◽  
The Third ◽  
Operational Management ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Resource And Environment

This article establishes railway’s impact aggregative indicators by using Correlation Analysis and Principal Component Analysis. With the correlative data of Beijing-Shanghai existing line from 2000 to 2008, the paper evaluates the level of railway’s impact on regional socioeconomic systems through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. According to the DEA results, it can be divided into three levels: first level is Beijing and Shanghai; second is Tianjin, Jiangsu and Shandong; and the third is Hebei and Anhui. The results of this paper could be used as references for the future planning and operational management of Chinese railway network: (1) Railway’s influence on the starting and end station is stronger than that on the intermediate stations. In view of this, more railways or higher technical railways could be considered to build in the higher impact areas; (2) In order to meet the needs of passenger and freight transport, it’s better to separate passenger and freight lines; (3) Although the overall influence is lower at the middle stations, the impact on the systems of resource and environment is high.

Statistics of Ship Collisions

1978 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Cockcroft
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Collision Avoidance ◽  
Considerable Increase ◽  
Plane Surface ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Appreciable Increase ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Post War

FOR traffic proceeding in random directions on a plane surface the frequency of collisions, if no avoiding action is taken, is approximately proportional to the square of the traffic density and directly proportional to the size and speed of the craft. Avoiding action is normally taken and the rate of collisions is therefore also governed by additional factors such as the visibility, the effectiveness of the collision-avoidance rules, the competence of personnel, the manoeuvrability of the craft and the efficiency of radar and other equipment.In the post-war years there has been a considerable increase in the number of merchant ships. The number of vessels of ioo tons gross and upwards increased from less than 30,000 in 1948 to over 65,000 in 1976. When considering the population of ships at risk it is necessary to deduct special types of non-trading vessels and ships laid up. The number of trading ships in service has increased by approximately 100 per cent since 1950 (Fig. 1) and the greatest increase has been for large ships. The average length of trading ships has increased by approximately 40 per cent in the same period and there has also been an appreciable increase in the mean speed of ships.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome Based on an Artificial Intelligence Model

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Chen ◽  
Shenghua Xiong ◽  
Xuan Ren
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Biochemical Index ◽  
Develop Technology

Metabolic syndrome is worldwide public health problem and is a serious threat to people's health and lives. Understanding the relationship between metabolic syndrome and the physical symptoms is a difficult and challenging task, and few studies have been performed in this field. It is important to classify adults who are at high risk of metabolic syndrome without having to use a biochemical index and, likewise, it is important to develop technology that has a high economic rate of return to simplify the complexity of this detection. In this paper, an artificial intelligence model was developed to identify adults at risk of metabolic syndrome based on physical signs; this artificial intelligence model achieved more powerful capacity for classification compared to the PCLR (principal component logistic regression) model. A case study was performed based on the physical signs data, without using a biochemical index, that was collected from the staff of Lanzhou Grid Company in Gansu province of China. The results show that the developed artificial intelligence model is an effective classification system for identifying individuals at high risk of metabolic syndrome.

scholarly journals Road traffic injuries in China from 2007 to 2016: the epidemiological characteristics, trends and influencing factors

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Wang ◽  
Huiting Yu ◽  
Chan Nie ◽  
Yanna Zhou ◽  
Haiyan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Traffic Accident ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Road Traffic Accidents ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Cement Concrete Pavement ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Background Road traffic accidents are one of the serious disasters that cause public injury, fatality and great economic loss. They are a growing public health problem around the world. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine epidemiological characteristics, tendency and possible influencing factors of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in China, so as to give target suggestions on preventative measures. Methods Road traffic accident data were obtained from National Bureau of Statistics of China and Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China. Descriptive statistic such as RTIs frequency, trends of different accident types from 2007 to 2016; the RTIs difference between different regions and road surfaces were compared; and the possible influencing factors of RTIs were also explored. Results Over the past decade, with the mileage of constructed highway increased, the frequency of road traffic accidents have declined substantially in China, and the death toll from road traffic accidents with motor vehicles has declined from 2007 to 2015, Conversely, the number of deaths from non-motor vehicle accidents has risen rapidly since 2012. Our study showed that the traffic accident related mortality in Guizhou province was different from the level of the whole nation, and the Eastern, Central and Western areas of China were all significantly different (P < 0.001). Linear regression suggested a significant affected of gross domestic product (GDP)-per-capita, education level, the number of health institutions, populations, and car ownership status on traffic accident death tolls (P < 0.001). Moreover, cement concrete pavement roads were associated with the highest occurrence rates of RTI, and RTIs was statistically significant (P < 0.001) on different road surfaces. Conclusion Even though the frequency of road traffic accidents has declined, RTIs remain an urgent public health problem in China. Thus, the government should give some target preventative measures to reduce RTIs, aiming at different regions, the increasing trend of the death toll related to non-motor vehicles and the highest occurrence on cement concrete pavement roads.

scholarly journals Breakfast Dietary Pattern Is Inversely Associated with Overweight/Obesity in European Adolescents: The HELENA Study

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Leandro Teixeira Cacau ◽  
Pilar De Miguel-Etayo ◽  
Alba M. Santaliestra-Pasías ◽  
Natalia Giménez-Legarre ◽  
Dirce Maria Marchioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
The Body ◽  
Principal Component Factor Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Obesity in children and adolescents is a public health problem and diet can play a major role in this condition. We aimed to identify sex-specific dietary patterns (DP) and to evaluate the association with overweight/obesity in European adolescents. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis with 2327 adolescents aged between 12.5 to 17.5 years from a multicenter study across Europe. The body mass index was categorized in “normal weight” and “overweight/obesity”. Two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls were collected with a computerized self-reported software. Principal component factor analysis was used to identify DP. Mixed-effect logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the sex-specific DP and overweight/obesity outcome. As a result, we found three DP in boys (snacking and bread, Mediterranean diet, and breakfast) and four DP in girls (convenience, plant-based and eggs, Western, and breakfast). The association between DP and overweight/obesity highlights that those adolescents with higher adherence to the breakfast DP had lower odds for overweight/obesity, even after the inclusion of covariables in the adjustments. In European adolescents, the breakfast DP positively characterized by breakfast cereals, fruit, milk, and dairy and negatively characterized by sugar-sweetened beverages in boys and negatively characterized by cereals (pasta, rice, and others) in girls, was inversely associated with overweight/obesity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document