What Factors Influence Seat Belt Usage Rates in the United States?: A Meta-analysis

Problem: The traffic safety community is interested in reducing the number of lives lost and injuries due to automobile accidents. This can be done in two ways, through advancing automobile safety technology and by changing automobile driver behavior (Desai and You 1992). Seat belt laws are thought to be the behavioral solution because they have been proven to increase seat belt usage among automobile occupants. However, studies on the topic have varying answers when it comes to the degree to which these laws increase seat belt usage and factors which influence on seat belt uses. Research Questions: This study uses meta-analytic techniques to explore whether certain variables influence seat belt usage rates. The main research questions posed in this study are: What common independent variables are included in the studies of the impact of seat belt laws? Does the inclusion of certain variables affect the findings of the studies? In what direction do these variables influence the results of the study? The research hypothesis is that the inclusion of independent variables will have an effect on the influence of seat belt laws on seat belt use. Research Design: This study used a meta-analytic technique to pool data from five studies. A multiple regression was used to observe relationships between the dependent variable (percentage point increase in seat belt use) and independent variables such as race, gender, unit of interest, number of years included to the study, number of observations, year of publication and data source. A bivariate regression was used to further explore the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. Additionally, a qualitative review was conducted which included the seat belt law studies selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Findings: The multiple regression procedure using was not successful run due to the limited number of observations in this study. However, a bivariate regression analysis found correlations between percentage point increases in seat belt use and the primary seat belt law, secondary seat belt law, number of observation, unit of interest, and year published variables in a bivariate regression. Conclusion: This study did provide some insight into variables that influence seat belt rates however not many conclusions can be drawn from this study. Further research must be done to gain a better grasp of the factors that influence seat belt usage rates. Future meta-analytic studies on the seat belt laws and seat belt usage rates should include more studies and have broader set of criteria for the inclusion of studies and compare and contrast studies which examine studies that examine only primary or secondary laws

A deep search for planets in the inner 15 au around Vega

We present the results of a deep high-contrast imaging search for planets around Vega. Vega is an ideal target for high-contrast imaging because it is bright, nearby, and young with a face-on two-belt debris disk which may be shaped by unseen planets. We obtained $J-$ and $H-$band data on Vega with the coronagraphic integral-field spectrograph Project 1640 (P1640) at Palomar Observatory. Two nights of data were obtained in 2016, in poor seeing conditions, and two additional nights in more favorable conditions in 2017. In total, we obtained 5.5 hours of integration time on Vega in moderate to good seeing conditions (<1.5"). We did not detect any low mass companions in this system. Our data present the most sensitive contrast limits around Vega at very small separations (2-15 au) thus far, allowing us to place new constraints on the companions which may be sculpting the Vega system. In addition to new constraints, as the deepest data obtained with P1640, these observations form the final legacy of the now decommissioned instrument.Comment: Accepted for publication in A

Training Through Naming: A Process of Psychotherapist Skill Development Utilizing Recursive Frame Analysis

Recursive frame analysis (RFA) is both an advanced qualitative research method and a therapeutic tool that is used to map psychotherapy discourse. RFA tracks the therapeutic conversation to show how the therapy talk moves from one act to another. This paper describes the implementation of a training process for family therapy students in a family therapy clinic and the student therapists’ experiences of learning through this process, called Naming the Session. We present the organic development of the training process, its roots in RFA, and the student therapists’ perceptions of how Naming the Session impacted them as trainees. We further present how Naming the Session was useful in the growth of supervisors-in-training who were also a part of this training process

A Deep Search for Planets in the Inner 15 au around Vega

We present the results of a deep high-contrast imaging search for planets around Vega. Vega is an ideal target for high-contrast imaging because it is bright, nearby, and young with a face-on two-belt debris disk that may be shaped by unseen planets. We obtained J- and H-band data on Vega with the coronagraphic integral-field spectrograph Project 1640 (P1640) at Palomar Observatory. Two nights of data were obtained in 2016, in poor seeing conditions, and two additional nights in more favorable conditions in 2017. In total, we obtained 5.5 hours of integration time on Vega in moderate to good seeing conditions (<1farcs5). We did not detect any low-mass companions in this system. Our data present the most sensitive contrast limits around Vega at very small separations (2–15 au) thus far, allowing us to place new constraints on the companions that may be sculpting the Vega system. In addition to new constraints, as the deepest data obtained with P1640, these observations form the final legacy of the now decommissioned instrument

Recognition of Azole-Resistant Aspergillosis by Physicians Specializing in Infectious Diseases, United States

Infections caused by pan–azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus strains have emerged in Europe and recently in the United States. Physicians specializing in infectious diseases reported observing pan–azole-resistant infections and low rates of susceptibility testing, suggesting the need for wider-scale testing

Parental health spillover effects of paediatric rare genetic conditions

Purpose The complexity and severity of rare genetic conditions pose substantial burden to families. While the importance of spillovers on carers' health in resource allocation decisions is increasingly recognised, there is significant lack of empirical evidence in the context of rare diseases. The objective of this study was to estimate the health spillovers of paediatric rare genetic conditions on parents. Methods Health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) data from children with rare genetic conditions (genetic kidney diseases, mitochondrial diseases, epileptic encephalopathies, brain malformations) and their parents were collected using the CHU9D and SF-12 measures, respectively. We used two approaches to estimate parental health spillovers. To quantify the 'absolute health spillover', we matched our parent cohort to the Australian general population. To quantify the 'relative health spillover', regression models were applied using the cohort data. Results Parents of affected children had significantly lower HRQoL compared to matched parents in the general public (- 0.06; 95% CIs - 0.08, - 0.04). Multivariable regression demonstrated a positive association between parental and child health. The mean magnitude of HRQoL loss in parents was estimated to be 33% of the HRQoL loss observed in children (95% CIs 21%, 46%). Conclusion Paediatric rare genetic conditions appear to be associated with substantial parental health spillovers. This highlights the importance of including health effects on family members and caregivers into economic evaluation of genomic technologies and personalised medicine. Overlooking spillover effects may undervalue the benefits of diagnosis and management in this context. This study also expands the knowledge of family spillover to the rare disease spectrum