26,948 research outputs found

    Frontal vehicle illumination via rear-facing lighting reduces potential for collisions with white-tailed deer

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    nimal–vehicle collisions cause many millions of animal deaths each year worldwide and present a substantial safety risk to people. In the United States and Canada, deer (Odocoileus spp.) are involved in most animal–vehicle collisions associated with human injuries. We evaluated a vehicle-based collision mitigation method designed to decrease the likelihood of deer–vehicle collisions during low-light conditions, when most collisions occur. Specifically, we investigated whether the use of a rear-facing light, providing more complete frontal vehicle illumination than standard headlights alone, enhanced vehicle avoidance behaviors of white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). We quantified flight initiation distance (FID), the likelihood of a dangerous deer–vehicle interaction (FID ≀ 50 m), and road-crossing behavior of deer in response to an oncoming vehicle using only standard high-beam headlights and the same vehicle using headlights plus an LED light bar illuminating the frontal surface of the vehicle. We predicted that frontal vehicle illumination would enhance perceived risk of deer approached by the vehicle and lead to more effective avoidance responses. We conducted 62 vehicle approaches (31 per lighting treatment) toward free-ranging deer over ~14 months. Although FID did not differ across treatments, the likelihood of a dangerous deer–vehicle interaction decreased from 35% of vehicle approaches using only headlights to 10% of vehicle approaches using the light bar. The reduction in dangerous interactions appeared to be driven by fewer instances of immobility (freezing) behavior by deer in response to the illuminated vehicle (n = 1) compared with approaches using only headlights (n = 10). Because more deer moved in response to the illuminated vehicle, road-crossing behavior likewise increased when the light bar was on, although these road crossings primarily occurred at FIDs \u3e 50 m and thus did not increase collision risk. Road-crossing behavior was influenced heavily by proximity to concealing cover; deer only crossed when the nearest cover was located on the opposite side of the road. We contend that frontal vehicle illumination via rearfacing lighting has potential to greatly reduce vehicle collisions with deer and other species. Future work should explore fine-tuning the method with regard to the visual capabilities of target species

    Linking Disability and Intercultural Studies: the adaptation journey of the visually impaired migrant in Ireland

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    This study focuses on the lived experiences of the visually impaired migrant in Ireland and this is the first study to document the lives of these members of Irish society. It examines how visually impaired migrants are simultaneously adapting to their disability and a new cultural environment while living in Ireland. In so doing this study aims to link the two academic fields of Intercultural Studies and Disability Studies and theoretical underpinnings for this study are drawn and woven together from both fields. As such this study draws from the development of theories relating to disability as well as the intercultural aspects of migration. Qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants living in the larger Dublin region, which comprised of two groups; migrant users and providers of services for the visually impaired. Data analysis was assisted through the software package Atlas.ti. A grounded theory approach to collecting and analysing data was adopted as this facilitates the flow from raw data to codes to concepts. Purposive sampling was employed and the typical method of grounded theory of constant comparison was not used, rather interviews were analysed individually once they were all completed then compared. Research findings indicate that the cultural perceptions of disability may help or hinder the individual’s adaptation process both to their visual impairment and to living and integrating into a new culture in Ireland. Findings cluster around the three areas of cultural perceptions of disability, support networks and cultural barriers to adaptation. Synergising theoretical concepts and data steered the development of a new integrative model which identifies the inhibitors and facilitators for the process of adaptation to visual impairment for a migrant in Ireland

    Exploratory Study of the Privacy Extension for System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA-Priv) to elicit Privacy Risks in eHealth

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    Context: System Theoretic Process Analysis for Privacy (STPA-Priv) is a novel privacy risk elicitation method using a top down approach. It has not gotten very much attention but may offer a convenient structured approach and generation of additional artifacts compared to other methods. Aim: The aim of this exploratory study is to find out what benefits the privacy risk elicitation method STPA-Priv has and to explain how the method can be used. Method: Therefore we apply STPA-Priv to a real world health scenario that involves a smart glucose measurement device used by children. Different kinds of data from the smart device including location data should be shared with the parents, physicians, and urban planners. This makes it a sociotechnical system that offers adequate and complex privacy risks to be found. Results: We find out that STPA-Priv is a structured method for privacy analysis and finds complex privacy risks. The method is supported by a tool called XSTAMPP which makes the analysis and its results more profound. Additionally, we learn that an iterative application of the steps might be necessary to find more privacy risks when more information about the system is available later. Conclusions: STPA-Priv helps to identify complex privacy risks that are derived from sociotechnical interactions in a system. It also outputs privacy constraints that are to be enforced by the system to ensure privacy.Comment: author's post-prin

    Choosing how to choose : Institutional pressures affecting the adoption of personnel selection procedures

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    The gap between science and practice in personnel selection is an ongoing concern of human resource management. This paper takes OliverÂŽs framework of organizationsÂŽ strategic responses to institutional pressures as a basis for outlining the diverse economic and social demands that facilitate or inhibit the application of scientifically recommended selection procedures. Faced with a complex network of multiple requirements, practitioners make more diverse choices in response to any of these pressures than has previously been acknowledged in the scientific literature. Implications for the science-practitioner gap are discussed

    China Employment Law Update - February 2016

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    In This Issue Significant Changes to China’s Family Planning Law will Impact Employee Leave Entitlements New Regulations on Residence Permits for PRC-Nationals Take Effect Supreme People’s Court Clarifies Issues Relating to Crimes of Jeopardizing Work Safety Highest Court in Shenzhen Issues Clarification on Labor Dispute Matters Highest Court in Nanjing Finds Labor Dispatch Arrangement Invalid Court Dismisses Employee’s Claim for Compensation Due to Delayed Income Tax Beijing Court Ruled Employer Cannot Deem Team Outing as Annual Leave Beijing Court Rules Against Employee’s Claim After Signing Settlement Agreement Court Ruled Termination Unlawful Even in Office Shut Down Situatio

    ABAKA : a novel attribute-based k-anonymous collaborative solution for LBSs

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    The increasing use of mobile devices, along with advances in telecommunication systems, increased the popularity of Location-Based Services (LBSs). In LBSs, users share their exact location with a potentially untrusted Location-Based Service Provider (LBSP). In such a scenario, user privacy becomes a major con- cern: the knowledge about user location may lead to her identification as well as a continuous tracing of her position. Researchers proposed several approaches to preserve users’ location privacy. They also showed that hiding the location of an LBS user is not enough to guarantee her privacy, i.e., user’s pro- file attributes or background knowledge of an attacker may reveal the user’s identity. In this paper we propose ABAKA, a novel collaborative approach that provides identity privacy for LBS users considering users’ profile attributes. In particular, our solution guarantees p -sensitive k -anonymity for the user that sends an LBS request to the LBSP. ABAKA computes a cloaked area by collaborative multi-hop forwarding of the LBS query, and using Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (CP-ABE). We ran a thorough set of experiments to evaluate our solution: the results confirm the feasibility and efficiency of our proposal

    The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community online: discussions of bullying and self-disclosure in YouTube videos

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    Computer-mediated communication has become a popular platform for identity construction and experimentation as well as social interaction for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The creation of user-generated videos has allowed content creators to share experiences on LGBT topics. With bullying becoming more common amongst LGBT youth, it is important to obtain a greater understanding of this phenomenon. In our study, we report on the analysis of 151 YouTube videos which were identified as having LGBT- and bullying-related content. The analysis reveals how content creators openly disclose personal information about themselves and their experiences in a non-anonymous rhetoric with an unknown public. These disclosures could indicate a desire to seek friendship, support and provide empathy

    Recruitment Revealed: Fundamental Flaws in the H-2 Temporary Worker Program and Recommendations for Change

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    This report reveals the reality of international labor recruitment for low-wage, temporary jobs in the United States, examining recruitment in Mexico, home to the largest number of temporary migrants who labor under H-2 visas in the U.S.The findings are based on data gathered by Centro de los Derechos Migrante, Inc., (CDM) through a groundbreaking survey and lengthy interviews of hundreds of H-2 workers. The report's key findings are summarized below. THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWEDEmployers, recruiters and their agents charge illegal recruitment fees and fail to reimburse visa, travel and recruitment-related expenses incurred by workers. Despite bans on recruitment fees in both U.S. and Mexican law, it remains standard practice in Mexico for recruiters to charge workers for their services. Fifty-eight percent of workers surveyed reported paying a recruitment fee to their recruiter. The average recruitment fee charged was $590. Regardless of legal precedent requiring reimbursement for travel, visa, and recruitment costs that reduce wages below the applicable minimum wage, H-2 workers rarely receive reimbursements for the often staggering costs they pay for their jobs in the U.S.Employers, recruiters, and their agents often misrepresent terms of employment. Recruiters often make false promises to workers about employment conditions in hopes of attracting more workers and charging higher recruitment fees. More than half of workers surveyed did not receive a copy of their job contract.Recruitment fraud causes economic harm in migrant communities. The lack of transparency in the visa certification process, paucity of government oversight of recruitment activities, and scarcity of information available to workers about their rights puts workers at serious risk for recruitment fraud by con artists posing as recruiters, bonafide recruiters and U.S. employers. One out of every 10 workers surveyed reported having paid a recruitment fee for a nonexistent job.Workers arrive to the United States in debt. Many workers take out loans, often at high interest rates and using property deeds as collateral. These loans, combined with workplace abuses, may lead to situations of forced labor, debt servitude or human trafficking. Almost half of all workers surveyed reported borrowing money to cover their recruitment costs

    Criminal liability of employees of financial intermediaries for money laundering: a British perspective

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    The money laundering rules, both those contained in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (and the legislation which preceded it) and the provisions of the Money Laundering Regulations 1993, impose considerable liabilities not just on institutions but on their individual officers and employees. Although the Money Laundering Reporting Officer / Compliance Officer has particular responsibilities, this does not absolve the other employees of the firm from the requirement to exercise considerable diligence on their own account
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