Applications of the theory of planned behaviour to drivers' speeding behaviour

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1985, 1988, 1991) provides apotentially useful approach for investigating the links between drivers' attitudes andbehaviour and for informing road safety interventions that aim to promote 'safe' driving. This paper presents a review of previous research studies in which the TPBhas been applied to drivers'speeding behaviour. Some conceptual andmethodological limitations of the studies are raised. We then summarise two studiesthat we have recently conducted to overcome these limitations and discuss theimplications for road safety

Adolescent road user behaviour : a survey of 11-16 year olds

This study was carried out to investigate the safety related behaviour of road users aged 11-16. A self-completion questionnaire was designed to measure the frequency with which children from the target population carry out 43 different road using behaviours and a number of other variables including children's beliefs about the safety of their own road using behaviour. Two thousand four hundred and thirty three children from eleven secondary schools within England completed the questionnaire in lesson time at school. Factor analysis showed that scores on the 43 behaviour items were best represented by a three-factor solution. The three factors were named unsafe road crossing behaviour, dangerous playing in the road, and planned protective behaviour. Analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that demographic variables and exposure variables had statistically significant effects on how often these behaviours were carried out. More interesting was the finding that respondents had realistic perceptions of their own behaviour as road users. The more respondents believed their road using behaviour to be unsafe and irresponsible, the more often they reported carrying out road using behaviour that was undesirable from a road safety point of view. These results and their implications for road safety interventions and further research are discussed

The accident risk of motorcyclists

This report contains the findings of a study to explore and quantify the interacting influences which determine motorcyclist accident liabilities. It was conducted on behalf of Road Safety Division, Department for Transport. The study first reviewed existing data sources to investigate the trends in motorcycling accidents over the last decade or so. The main part of the study was to carry out a survey of nearly 30,000 current motorcyclists in order to explore the relationship between accident risk and variables such as annual mileage, age, experience, journey type, training, personal characteristics of the riders, and the self-reported behaviours and attitudes of the riders. The numbers of accidents reported by riders within the past 12-months of riding were modelled using generalised linear techniques to take into account factors such as mileage, age, experience, bike size and the conditions prevailing when they rode. Models of rider behaviour were developed using other statistical modelling techniques. These models investigated how attitudes/motivations/perceptions and rider style influence rider behaviour, and how rider behaviour influences the likelihood of accident involvement. The influence of age, sex and experience on attitudes and behaviours, and as direct or indirect influences on accidents were also investigated. Accident risk was also directly influenced by the number of miles ridden in the past 12-months. The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the safety of motorcycle riders

Developing a tradition of scholarship : the emergence and evolution of the AHRD-sponsored journals

The Problem Research and theory are the lifeblood of academic disciplines along with the peer-reviewed journals that disseminate such scholarship. Journals become critical repositories that capture the histories and evolution of such disciplines, and their scholarly contributions generate new knowledge that can stimulate further research and improve practice. The Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) sponsors four peer-reviewed journals that have contributed to the birth and evolution of the discipline of human resource development (HRD). Yet, little is known about how they came into being, how they have evolved, and what their impact has been within the field of HRD. The Solution This article captures the histories of the emergence and evolution of the four refereed journals sponsored by the AHRD through the unique voices of current and recent past editors of these journals. It then considers common themes of scholarship across the four journals that have helped to shape HRD. The Stakeholders Students, researchers, and scholar-practitioners in the field of HRD and related fields who are interested in learning more about the histories of the journals sponsored by the AHRD, along with their contributions to the scholarship in HRD, will benefit from reading this article

A Quantum-Mechanical Equivalent-Photon Spectrum for Heavy-Ion Physics

In a previous paper, we calculated the fully quantum-mechanical cross section for electromagnetic excitation during peripheral heavy-ion collisions. Here, we examine the sensitivity of that cross section to the detailed structure of the projectile and target nuclei. At the transition energies relevant to nuclear physics, we find the cross section to be weakly dependent on the projectile charge radius, and to be sensitive to only the leading momentum-transfer dependence of the target transition form factors. We exploit these facts to derive a quantum-mechanical ``equivalent-photon spectrum'' valid in the long-wavelength limit. This improved spectrum includes the effects of projectile size, the finite longitudinal momentum transfer required by kinematics, and the response of the target nucleus to the off-shell photon.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Changes in muscle activation following balance and technique training and a season of Australian football

Objectives: Determine if balance and technique training implemented adjunct to 1001 male Australian football players’ training influenced the activation/strength of the muscles crossing the knee during pre-planned and unplanned sidestepping. Design: Randomized Control Trial. Methods: Each Australian football player participated in either 28 weeks of balance and technique training or ‘sham’ training. Twenty-eight Australian football players (balance and technique training, n = 12; ‘sham’ training, n = 16) completed biomechanical testing pre-to-post training. Peak knee moments and directed co-contraction ratios in three degrees of freedom, as well as total muscle activation were calculated during pre-planned and unplanned sidestepping. Results: No significant differences in muscle activation/strength were observed between the ‘sham’ training and balance and technique training groups. Following a season of Australian football, knee extensor (p = 0.023) and semimembranosus (p = 0.006) muscle activation increased during both pre-planned sidestepping and unplanned sidestepping. Following a season of Australian football, total muscle activation was 30% lower and peak valgus knee moments 80% greater (p = 0.022) during unplanned sidestepping when compared with pre-planned sidestepping. Conclusions: When implemented in a community level training environment, balance and technique training was not effective in changing the activation of the muscles crossing the knee during side stepping. Following a season of Australian football, players are better able to support both frontal and sagittal plane knee moments. When compared to pre-planned sidestepping, Australian football players may be at increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury during unplanned sidestepping in the latter half of an Australian football season

Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) and intracranial self-stimulation in C57BL/6J mice: Comparison to cocaine

The recreational use of cathinone-derived synthetic stimulants, also known as "bath salts", has increased during the last five years. A commonly abused drug in this class is mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone or "meow-meow"), which alters mood and produces euphoria in humans. Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) measures the behavioral effects of neuroactive compounds on brain reward circuitry. We used ICSS to investigate the ability of mephedrone and cocaine to alter responding for electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle in C57BL/6J mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice (n=6) implanted with unipolar stimulating electrodes at the level of the lateral hypothalamus responded for varying frequencies of brain stimulation reward (BSR). The frequency that supported half maximal responding (EF50), the BSR threshold (θ(0)), and the maximum response rate were determined before and after intraperitoneal administration of saline, mephedrone (1.0, 3.0, or 10.0 mg/kg), or cocaine (1.0, 3.0, or 10.0 mg/kg). Mephedrone dose-dependently decreased EF50 (max. effect=72.3% of baseline), θ(0) (max. effect=59.6% of baseline), and the maximum response rate (max. effect=67.0% of baseline) beginning 15 min after administration. Beginning immediately after administration, cocaine dose-dependently lowered EF50 (max. effect=66.4% of baseline) and θ(0) (max. effect=60.1% of baseline) but did not affect maximum response rate. These results suggest that mephedrone, like cocaine, potentiates BSR, which may indicate its potential for abuse. Given the public health concern of stimulant abuse, future studies will be necessary to determine the cellular and behavioral effects of acute and chronic mephedrone use

Biological anthropology in the Indo-Pacific Region: New approaches to age-old questions

Biological anthropological research, the study of both modern and past humans, is a burgeoning field in the Indo-Pacific region. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the unique environments of the Indo-Pacific have resulted in an archaeological record that does not necessarily align with those in the northern hemisphere. New, regionally-specific archaeological models are being developed, and biological anthropological research has an important role to play in establishing past human experience within these models. In the Indo-Pacific, research using ancient and modern human tissues is adding insight into global processes of prehistoric settlement and migrations, subsistence change and human biosocial adaptation. This review synthesises current themes in biological anthropology in this region. It highlights the diverse methods and approaches used by biological anthropologists to address globally-relevant archaeological questions. In recent decades a collaborative approach between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and local communities has become the norm in the region. The many positive outcomes of this multi-disciplinary approach are highlighted here through the use of regionally-specific case studies. This review ultimately aims to stimulate further collaborations between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and the communities in the region, and demonstrate how the evidence from Indo-Pacific research may be relevant to global archaeological models

Levetiracetam results in increased and decreased alcohol drinking with different access procedures in C57BL/6J mice

The antiepileptic, levetiracetam (LEV), has been investigated for the treatment of alcohol abuse. However, little is known about how LEV alters the behavioral effects of alcohol in laboratory animals. The acute effects of LEV on alcohol drinking by male C57BL/6J mice were investigated using two different drinking procedures, limited access (drinking-in-the-dark, or DID) and intermittent access (IA) drinking. In the first experiment (DID), mice had access to a single bottle containing alcohol or sucrose for four hours every-other day. In the second experiment (IA), mice had intermittent access to two bottles, one containing alcohol or sucrose and one containing water, for 24 h on Mon/Wed/Fri. In both experiments, mice were administered LEV (0.3 – 100 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle 30 min before access to the drinking solutions. In the DID mice, LEV increased alcohol intake from 4.3 to 5.4 g/kg, while in the IA mice LEV decreased alcohol intake from 4.8 to 3.0 g/kg in the first 4 h of access and decreased 24 h alcohol intake from 20 g/kg to approximately 15 g/kg. These effects appear specific to alcohol, as LEV did not affect sucrose intake in either experiment. LEV appears to differentially affect drinking in animal models of moderate and heavier alcohol consumption

Delivery of non-invasive ventilation to people living with motor neuron disease in the UK

Objective Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) improves survival and quality of life in motor neuron disease (MND), but many patients fail to receive effective ventilation. This study aimed to map the respiratory clinical care for MND patients at a service and individual healthcare professional (HCP) level to understand where attention may be needed to ensure all patients receive optimal care. Methods Two online surveys of HCPs working with MND patients in the UK were conducted. Survey 1 targeted HCPs providing specialist MND care. Survey 2 targeted HCPs working in respiratory/ventilation services and community teams. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Responses from 55 HCPs providing specialist MND care who worked at 21 MND care centres and networks and 13 Scotland Health Boards were analysed from Survey 1. Responses from 85 HCPs from respiratory/ventilation services and 73 HCPs from community teams, representing 97 services were analysed from Survey 2. Significant differences in practice were identified at each stage of the respiratory care pathway as well as evidence of the need for improvement. This included when patients were referred to respiratory services, the time taken waiting to commence NIV, the availability of sufficient NIV equipment and provision of services, particularly out of hours. Conclusion We have highlighted significant disparity in MND respiratory care practices. Increased awareness of the factors that influence NIV success and the performance of individuals and services is important for optimal practice