Finnish Transport Safety Agency

In the differentiation of osteoclasts the differentiation factor (RANKL) interacts with the receptor activator of NF-kappaB (RANK) in a direct cell-to-cell contact between osteoblast and (pre)osteoclast. This is inhibited by soluble osteoprotegerin (OPG). The mRNA levels of both RANKL (p < 0.01) and RANK (p < 0.05) were high in peri-implant tissue and RANKL+ and RANK+ cells were found in such tissue. Double labelling also disclosed soluble RANKL bound to RANK+ cells. We were unable to stimulate fibroblasts to express RANKL in vitro, but monocyte activation with LPS gave a fivefold increase in RANK mRNA levels. In contrast to RANKL and RANK expression in peri-implant tissue, expression of OPG was restricted to vascular endothelium. Endothelial cell OPG mRNA levels were regulated by TNF-alpha and VEGF, but not by hypoxia. It is concluded that activated cells in the interface tissue overproduce both RANKL and RANK and they can interact without interference by OPG.

This paper presents study of 115 grounding accident reports from the Safety Investigation Authority of Finland and Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the UK, as well as 163 near-miss grounding reports from ForeSea and Finnpilot incident databases. The objective was to find the type of knowledge that can be extracted from such sources and discuss the usability of accident and incident reports for evidence-based risk modeling. A new version of Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is introduced as a framework to review the accident reports. The new positive taxonomy as Safety Factors, which are based on high level positive functions that are prerequisite for safe transport operations, is used for reviewing the incident reports. Accident reports are shown as a reliable source of evidence to extract the most significant contributing factors in the events. Mandatory incident reports are considered useful for understanding the effective barriers as risk control measures. Voluntary incident reports, though, are seen as not very reliable in their current form to be used for evidence-based risk modeling.

Mycolactone is a diffusible lipid secreted by the human pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans, which induces the formation of open skin lesions referred to as Buruli ulcers. Here, we show that mycolactone operates by hijacking the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) family of actin-nucleating factors. By disrupting WASP autoinhibition, mycolactone leads to uncontrolled activation of ARP2/3-mediated assembly of actin in the cytoplasm. In epithelial cells, mycolactone-induced stimulation of ARP2/3 concentrated in the perinuclear region, resulting in defective cell adhesion and directional migration. In vivo injection of mycolactone into mouse ears consistently altered the junctional organization and stratification of keratinocytes, leading to epidermal thinning, followed by rupture. This degradation process was efficiently suppressed by coadministration of the N-WASP inhibitor wiskostatin. These results elucidate the molecular basis of mycolactone activity and provide a mechanism for Buruli ulcer pathogenesis. Our findings should allow for the rationale design of competitive inhibitors of mycolactone binding to N-WASP, with anti-Buruli ulcer therapeutic potential.

Urban transportation in the next few decades will shift worldwide toward electrification and automation, with the final aim of increasing energy efficiency and safety for passengers. Such a big change requires strong collaboration and efforts among public administration, research and stakeholders in developing, testing and promoting these technologies in public transportation. Working in this direction, this work provides a review of the impact of the introduction of driverless electric minibuses, for the first and last mile transportation, in public service. More specifically, this paper covers the state of the art in terms of technological background for automation, energy efficiency via electrification and the current state of the legal framework in Europe with a focus on the Baltic Sea Region.

Totally absorbable internal fracture fixation devices were introduced clinically in the treatment of fractures and osteotomies of the extremities at our department in 1984. A total of 2,500 patients were managed using bone or ligament fixation devices made of self-reinforced (matrix and fibers of same polymer) absorbable alpha-hydroxy polyesters between November 5, 1984, and January 12, 1994. The devices used included cylindrical rods or pins, screws, tacks, plugs, and wires. The most common indication for the use of absorbable implants was displaced malleolar fracture of the ankle. Transphyseal fixation with small-diameter polyglycolide pins was used in children. The postoperative clinical course was uneventful in over 90% of the patients. The complications included bacterial wound infection in 3.6% and failure of fixation in 3.7%. In one-fifth of these cases, however, reoperation was not necessary. The occurrence of noninfectious foreign-body reactions 2 to 3 months postoperatively has been observed in 2.3% of the patients operated in the last years with polyglcolide implants but in none of the patients with polylactide implants. This inflammatory tissue response often required aspiration with a needle or small incision but did not influence the ultimate functional or radiologic result of treatment. Owing to the biodegradability of these internal fixation devices, over 1,000 implant removal procedures were avoided during the 9-year period under review, allowing medical personnel at these facilities to focus on other procedures. Avoidance of removal procedures results in financial benefits and psychological advantages. The benefits of absorbable implants for war surgery are the same as for civilian life. Absorbable implants can also be used in open fractures and infection operations.

Managing product information for product items during their whole lifetime is challenging, especially during their usage and end-of-life phases. The main difficulty is to maintain a communication link between the product item and its associated information as the product item moves over organizational borders and between different users. As network access will typically not be continuous during the whole product-item lifecycle, it is necessary to embed at least a globally unique product identifier (GUPI) that makes it possible to identify the product item anytime during its lifecycle. A GUPI also has to provide a linking mechanism to product information that may be stored in backend systems of different organizations. GUPIs are thereby a cornerstone for enabling the Internet of Things, where ‘intelligent products’ can communicate over the Internet. In the current paper, we analyse and compare the three main currently known approaches for achieving such functionality, i.e. the EPC Network, DIALOG and WWAI.

We analyzed the clinical, vocational and radiologic outcomes of 63 consecutive posterolateral lumbosacral fusions performed with transpedicular fixation. The indication for surgery was long-standing intractable lumbar and/or radiating pain with spondylolysis-olisthesis in 31 cases, degenerative disc disease and/or facet joint arthrosis in 23 cases and pain after laminectomy/decompression in 9 cases. Radiographic union was finally achieved in 30 out of the 63 cases. Fixation device-related complications, such as screw misplacement, breakage, bending and loosening, occurred in 33 cases. 15 patients underwent refusion. 43 patients obtained good pain relief. There was no correlation between bony healing and a good clinical outcome. 28/49 preoperatively employed patients returned to work. There was no correlation between relief of pain and return to work. 20 patients retired on a full disability pension. The clinical results were best in the spondylolysis-olisthesis group. Only 2/15 patients with markedly reduced spondylolisthesis maintained the reduction. In 3 patients, progressive disc degeneration above the level of fusion was observed. We conclude that posterolateral lumbosacral fusion with transpedicular fixation provides a satisfactory clinical outcome in patients with spondylolysis-olisthesis, but the high incidence of complications related to the fixation device in the other indications studied is a serious drawback of the method.

A measurement-instrumented car was used to test the hypothesis that older drivers organise their car-controlling movements in a more serial way in order to reduce the momentary mental workload produced by complex traffic situations. Forty-two older drivers (65+, mean age 67.5) and 36 young middle-aged drivers (26-49, mean age 36.8) drove a measurement-instrumented car around a 7.4 km route in normal traffic. The use of car controls (e.g. clutch, brake) was registered by sensors connected to a computer. In the most complex parts of the test route (e.g. during which three or more controls were in use simultaneously), the older drivers tended to use three controls rather than four or more, whereas the younger group had a greater percentage of four or more controls. This percentage was positively related to speed. However, although older drivers drove more slowly in general, in pairs matched for speed, they still drove in a less parallel manner. Irrespective of age, parallel use of controls was positively related to the level of skill as indicated by the amount of cumulated driving experience. The shift towards more serial operation of controls possibly represents an empirical demonstration of a compensatory mechanism allowing older drivers to maintain their level of performance.

Parasite infections are often more common in male vertebrates than in females. Sexual selection leading to dimorphism can cause sexual differences in immune defence, behaviour or body size. Possible proximate explanations for male bias in parasitism are the immunosuppressive effect of male sex hormones and the large body size of males which increases the likelihood of being parasitized. To evaluate these hypotheses, we studied the prevalence and abundance of intestinal helminth parasites in three boreal grouse species, the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus , the black grouse Tetrao tetrix , and the hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia . The first two are sexually dimorphic polygynous species while the latter species is sexually monomorphic and monogamous. We found a male‐bias in the prevalence and abundance of the nematode Ascaridia compar . The bias was most pronounced in the polygynous black grouse and capercaillie. In the monogamous hazel grouse, there was a slight male‐bias in occurrence of ascarids, but no bias in abundance. In juvenile grouse, the male‐bias was larger than in adult grouse. No sexual bias was found in regard to the cestodes ( Skrjabinia cesticillus , Paroniella urogalli and Hymenolepis spp.). However, age was a factor in cestode prevalence: juvenile grouse were more commonly infected than adults. Differences in growth rates and body size are potential factors that may lead to male‐biased parasitism in these grouse species, and their impact requires further studies.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo reducir la Escala de autoevaluación de Desempeño en el trabajo, como también controlar el direccionamiento de respuesta y aprobación, utilizando la técnica de viñetas y elementos invertidos. Para la reducción de la escala, se utilizó el banco de datos de la escala original, compuesta por 20 elementos divididos en dos factores: tarea y contexto. Para la reducción, fueron elegidos los 10 elementos con mayores cargas factoriales y thresholds. La escala reducida fue estimada por un factor general y dos dimensiones específicas: Tarea y contexto, representando un modelo bifactor, con indicadores de ajustes adecuados (RMSEA = 0,05; TLI = 0,98). Para controlar el direccionamiento de respuesta y aprobación, fue realizada una colecta de datos, en la cual las respuestas fueron recodificadas y realizados análisis factoriales con la finalidad de realizar una comparación de los resultados con y sin la utilización de viñetas y elementos invertidos. Los resultados apuntaron a que las viñetas mejoraron las cargas factoriales de los análisis, y que los elementos invertidos no tuvieron mejores resultados además de las viñetas. This paper aims to reduce the job performance self-assessment scale as well as control the response and acquiescence bias using vignettes anchors and inverted items. For the reduction of the scale, the original scale database was used, composed of 20 items divided into two factors: task and context. For the reduction, the 10 items with higher factor loads and thresholds were chosen. The reduced scale was estimated by a general factor and two specific dimensions: task and context, representing a bifactor model, with adequate adjustment indicators (RMSEA = 0.05; TLI = 0.98). To control response bias and acquiescence, a second study was carried out, in which the responses were recoded and factor analyses were performed in order to make a comparison of the results with and without the use of the vignettes and inverted items. The results indicated that the vignettes improved the factorial loads, however, the inverted items did not perform better than the vignettes.

Efficient response to maritime incidents and accidents requires good communication processes and situation awareness by all involved parties, in particular between the Search and Rescue (SAR) response operators and the crew of the distressed vessel. In this paper, a method is proposed for enhancing the communication between the involved parties, by focusing on the safety status of the vessel. Borrowing ideas from well-established working methods in especially emergency medicine, the Vessel TRIAGE method has been established through a broad stakeholder consultation process. Its intended application is to assess and communicate whether a vessel can provide a safe environment for the people onboard. Using a set of threat factors and a four-level ship safety categorization, the method aims to establish a shared understanding of the nature of the distress situation, which in turn has implications for the operational focus of the SAR operators and vessel crew. An evaluation of the proposed method indicates a positive reception among various maritime stakeholders, suggesting that implementing the Vessel TRIAGE method in maritime SAR procedures may act as a useful tool to assist in the management of maritime distress situations.

The ability to perform meaningful empirical studies is of essence in research in spatio-temporal query processing. Such studies are often necessary to gain detailed insight into the functional and performance characteristics of proposals for new query processing techniques. We present a collection of spatio-temporal data, collected during an intelligent speed adaptation project, termed INFATI, in which some two dozen cars equipped with GPS receivers and logging equipment took part. We describe how the data was collected and how it was modified to afford the drivers some degree of anonymity. We also present the road network in which the cars were moving during data collection. The GPS data is publicly available for non-commercial purposes. It is our hope that this resource will help the spatio-temporal research community in its efforts to develop new and better query processing techniques.

OBJECTIVE: A new law took effect in Finland at the beginning of 2003 which prohibits the handheld use of mobile phones while driving a motor vehicle. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the law on phone usage and self-reported safety during the first few months and 16 months later to determine whether the initial level of compliance with the law had been sustained. METHODS: Data were collected by Gallup home poll before (spring 2002) and after legislation took effect (spring 2003 and 2004). A representative sample of drivers who owned a cell phone (n = 836 to 966) was interviewed each time. On-road observations were also collected in four cities for 2003 and 2004. RESULTS: Just after the law, 97% of drivers were aware of the new hands free legislation. In sharp contrast to the pre-law rate of 16%, 43% reported not using the phone while driving immediately after the law and 41% one year later. The occasional users especially reduced their use of phones while driving. The law was correlated to reductions in self-reported handheld use of cell phones while driving, from 55.6% pre-law to 15.2% immediately after passage. In spite of this change, however, the hands free legislation did not reduce self-reported involvement of Finnish drivers in phone-related hazards. Handheld usage was still lower in 2004 than pre-law (20.0%), but the 32% increase from 2003 was significant. Observational data collected in Finland in 2003 and 2004 showed an even higher upward trend in handheld use (87% increase, from 3.1% to 5.8%; pre-law data were not available), and matched a similar increase reported by McCartt and Geary (2004) in their observational evaluation of New York's handheld mobile phone law. CONCLUSION: The self-reports indicate that the hands-free law reduced handheld phone use, among occasional users especially, but did not reduce phone-related hazards. The effect of the law on phone use substantially declined within one year.

The increasing number of registered road crashes involving cyclists during the last decade, and the high proportion of road crashes resulting in severe injuries and fatalities among cyclists constitutes a global issue for community health, urban development, and sustainability. Nowadays, the incidence of many risk factors for road crashes of cyclists remains largely unexplained. Given the importance of this issue, the present study has been conducted with the aim of determining relationships between infrastructural, human factors and safety outcomes of cyclists. Objectives: This study aimed, first, to examine the relationship between key infrastructural and human factors present in cycling, bicycle-user characteristics, and their self-reported experience with road crashes. And second, to determine whether a set of key infrastructural and human factors may predict their self-reported road crashes. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, a total of 1064 cyclists (38.8% women, 61.2% men; M = 32.8 years of age) from 20 different countries across Europe, South America and North America, participated in an online survey composed of four sections: demographic data and cycling-related factors, human factors, perceptions on infrastructural factors, and road crashes suffered. Results: The results of this study showed significant associations between human factors, infrastructural conditions and self-reported road crashes. Also, a logistic regression model found that self-reported road crashes of cyclists could be predicted through variables such as age, riding intensity, risky behaviors, and problematic user/infrastructure interactions. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that self-reported road crashes of cyclists are influenced by features related to the user and their interaction with infrastructural characteristics of the road.

Legislation which now makes the wearing of seat belts compulsory for occupants of motor vehicles for whom belts are available was introduced in New South Wales, Australia, at the end of 1971. A simple regression model has been used as a predictor for the “expected” number of deaths of motor vehicle occupants in 1972. The actual number of deaths of vehicle occupants that year was 25% below the predicted figure, and this drop is shown to be statistically significant. There was no accompanying drop In the total population of New South Wales, the number of licensed drivers, the number of vehicles on the register, the annual number of registrations of new vehicles, or the annual consumption of motor spirit. It is probable that the legislation requiring the wearing of seat belts was responsible for the drop in deaths.

The main objective of this study is to examine how widths of cycle tracks influence the behaviour, flow and capacity of bicycle traffic. Empirical data has been collected by video observations at 8 different cycle tracks of varying widths (1.85m-2.85m excl. kerb between cycle track and carriageway). The locations are characterised by high bicycle traffic volumes on the track, no traffic lights / junctions / bus stops / zebra crossing nearby, and no dividing verge between cycle track and carriageway. Speed and lateral positions has been measured for 8,925 cyclists. The average speed is 21.6km/h but differs slightly between locations. Women ride 2-3km/h slower than men but also with a smaller dispersion. The traffic volume does not affect average speed, but dispersion decrease with increasing bicycle traffic volumes. At narrow cycle tracks cyclists are riding closer to the footpath and closer to each other during overtaking compared to cycle tracks of a larger width. Car parking in the road side next to the cycle track reduces “the effective width” of cycle track with about 10-15cm. High bicycle traffic volumes are only observed in short time spans and it seems like the capacity limit is not reached. Flows as high as 20 bicycles per 10 sec are observed at a 2-lane cycle track (width: 2.35m) and still with an average speed of about 21km/h. Controlling factors are used when calculating capacity from short time spans, and the hourly capacity of a 2-lane cycle track has been estimated to about 3,000bicycles/h. The width does not affect the capacity much unless the number of lanes are reduced or increased. A cargo bike has an average speed of 16.3km/h and its headway is 1.3 times as big as the headway of a traditional bicycle. Due to the speed and the size of a cargo bike it reduces capacity equally to 3-4 traditional bicycles. Based on the data minimum and recommended widths of bicycle tracks are found.

OBJECTIVE: A remarkable portion of children's traffic-related deaths occurred when travelling in as passengers in vehicles, but so far, few studies have focused on crash characteristics and crash risks of drivers with child passengers. It has been assumed that drivers with child passengers drive responsibly, but on the contrary, children in vehicles can distract drivers, increasing crash risks. In this study, we examined fatal crash characteristics and fatal crash risks of drivers with child passengers. METHODS: Fatal crash data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 1996-2015 were used. Only passenger-vehicle drivers aged 23-46 years old were included in the analysis because they represent the typical age of drivers with 0-9-year-old child passengers in the database. Prevalence of crash characteristics and the odds of being at fault were examined for drivers with only child passengers and compared to drivers with only adult passengers, with no passengers and with both adult and child passengers. Analyses were done separately for intersection crashes and non-junction crashes. RESULTS: Female drivers were involved in twice as many fatal crashes alone with child passengers compared to male drivers. Drivers with only child passengers were more often reported as being inattentive, but for them, risk-taking behaviours were less typical than for drivers without child passengers. Our results showed that these differences were more evident in non-junction crashes than in intersection crashes. When risk-taking behaviours were controlled, both male and female drivers with only child passengers had higher odds of being at fault than drivers with adult passengers (with or without children) in non-junction crashes, but these differences were not significant in intersection crashes. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers with child passengers represent a specific driver population. They have a higher tendency to engage in distractions while driving, but they have fewer risk-taking behaviour-related fatal crashes compared to drivers with no child passengers. Our results indicate that the effects of child-passenger-related distractions on fatal crash risks are more relevant outside intersections, presumably because drivers may try to self-regulate their interactions with child passengers and focus on driving in more demanding traffic situations.

Implementing safety management (ISM Code) aims to promote a good safety culture in the maritime industry. However, although this has improved safety, it has also paradoxically increased bureaucracy and overlooked operative personnel. At the same time, safety science has undergone a paradigm shift from Safety-I, which is traditional and error based, to Safety-II, which focuses on the potential of the human element. To determine whether Safety-I is dominant in the prevailing culture, or whether any Safety-II ideas are emerging, we studied the current thinking and the prerequisites for improving maritime safety culture and safety management. We interviewed 17 operative employees and 12 safety and unit managers (n = 29), both individually and in groups, in eight Finnish maritime organisations representing the maritime system (shipping companies, authorities, vessel traffic service, association). We also analysed 21 inspection documents to capture practical safety defects. To the employees, safety culture meant openness and well-functioning, safe work. However, this was not always the case in practice. Safety management procedures were portrayed as mainly technical/authority focused, and as neglecting the human element, such as the participation of operative personnel in safety improvements. We also found several factors that support improving maritime safety culture. The ISM code seems to have supported traditional methods of safety management (Safety-I), but not the creation of a positive safety culture, which the Safety-II paradigm has highlighted. System-wide safety improvement, participation of the operative personnel and open sharing of safety data were the areas in need of development. These were already being created in and among maritime organisations. To improve maritime safety culture in a concrete way and to achieve Safety-II in practice, we need a new focus and competence. Policy, procedures, and practical tools and models should use the human element as potential.

Over-reliance in high-risk industries on prescriptive emergency procedures and the capacity of high-fidelity simulation has initiated the search for new steps for training for unexpected and escalating situations. This chapter outlines a theoretical framework describing the adaptive and flexible competencies that add up to an organisation’s resilience in escalating situations. To make the framework practically useful the chapter also presents guidelines for scenario design aimed at the training of generic competencies in unexpected and escalating situations. We finally show the potential of using training programmes, adhering to the given scenario guidelines, for securing front-end resilience in unexpected and escalating situations by presenting an experiment that was performed with Swedish Fire Safety Engineers.

Purpose The entire sector of railway transport is in a state of flux in Europe as deregulation and structural changes are affecting the traditional transport mode. Even though the aim has been to increase railway freight competition, markets have changed only slightly, and the market shares of incumbent railway companies are remaining high. Some EU countries have not attracted any new entrants, which is also the current situation in Finland. This paper aims to assess how the Finnish railway freight competition develops and to analyze different views on railway transport policy. Design/methodology/approach This research work analyses a Delphi questionnaire directed at 52 Finnish experts in this branch. Responses on the questionnaire were gathered during year 2005 (competition in Finland in railway freight started 2007) within two rounds with appropriate amount of response rate. Respondents were from the public and private sectors, actors working closely with railway transports and logistics. With an expert profiling matrix, three different railway transport policy viewpoint groups are identified, and character descriptions for these are constructed. Findings Based on a qualitative expert profiling analysis, it is argued that there exist three different argument types in Finnish railway transport policy. The authors have constructed character descriptions for each group based on material collected by the Delphi technique. They conclude that the policy definitions have followed the views of the moderate group and the realization of the deregulation process has been slow, even though a great amount of competition was expected. Research limitations/implications The research work is limited to the Finnish railway freight transport market, where development of competition on rails has been sluggish. To further confirm the used methodology, and the identified railway freight competition policy group types, the research work should be repeated in some other country, and particularly in an environment where competition has shown activity immediately after deregulation. Originality/value The research represents methodology to foresee the future development of deregulated industries, and especially in the transportation sector. The paper's approach can be used to divide stakeholders into groups and to make policy analysis. The problem with to‐be‐deregulated industry is often lack of competition, new actors and governmental actions, and therefore the used Delphi technique offers potential to gather empirical material before any activity has actually started in the observed industry.