The sensitivity of the calculation of ΔV to vehicle and impact parameters

AbstractΔV is frequently used to describe collision severity, and is often used by accident investigators to estimate speeds of vehicles prior to a collision, and by researchers looking for correlations between severity and outcome. This study identifies how ΔV varies over a wide range of input uncertainties allowing the direct comparison of different methods of input data collection in terms of their effect on uncertainty in the calculation of ΔV.Software was developed to implement this sensitivity analysis and was validated against examples presented in the CRASH3 manual. The findings are therefore representative of, and relevant to, commercially available tools such as CRASH3 and AIDamage.It is possible to measure the vehicle and collision parameters with sufficient accuracy to determine ΔV to a level of precision that is useful to predict occupant fatality. In many cases, ΔV is largely insensitive to the input parameter and category values or values determined from photographs may be used. A vehicle specific value of the stiffness parameter B should be used. Direct measurement of crush measurements and vehicle mass (including the best estimates of fluid loss) should be used. Similarly the mass of occupants and cargo should be measured directly rather than estimated from 50th centile values. Calculation of ΔV is sensitive to PDOF which should be measured with a precision of better than ±6°

Recovered memories, satanic abuse, Dissociative Identity Disorder and false memories in the UK: a survey of Clinical Psychologists and Hypnotherapists

An online survey was conducted to examine psychological therapists’ experiences of, and beliefs about, cases of recovered memory, satanic / ritualistic abuse, Multiple Personality Disorder / Dissociative Identity Disorder, and false memory. Chartered Clinical Psychologists (n=183) and Hypnotherapists (n=119) responded. In terms of their experiences, Chartered Clinical Psychologists reported seeing more cases of satanic / ritualistic abuse compared to Hypnotherapists who, in turn, reported encountering more cases of childhood sexual abuse recovered for the first time in therapy, and more cases of suspected false memory. Chartered Clinical Psychologists were more likely to rate the essential accuracy of reports of satanic / ritualistic abuse as higher than Hypnotherapists. Belief in the accuracy of satanic / ritualistic abuse and Multiple Personality Disorder / Dissociative Identity Disorder reports correlated negatively with the belief that false memories were possible

Galaxy Clusters Associated with Short GRBs. II. Predictions for the Rate of Short GRBs in Field and Cluster Early-Type Galaxies

We determine the relative rates of short GRBs in cluster and field early-type galaxies as a function of the age probability distribution of their progenitors, P(\tau) \propto \tau^n. This analysis takes advantage of the difference in the growth of stellar mass in clusters and in the field, which arises from the combined effects of the galaxy stellar mass function, the early-type fraction, and the dependence of star formation history on mass and environment. This approach complements the use of the early- to late-type host galaxy ratio, with the added benefit that the star formation histories of early-type galaxies are simpler than those of late-type galaxies, and any systematic differences between progenitors in early- and late-type galaxies are removed. We find that the ratio varies from R(cluster)/R(field) ~ 0.5 for n = -2 to ~ 3 for n = 2. Current observations indicate a ratio of about 2, corresponding to n ~ 0 - 1. This is similar to the value inferred from the ratio of short GRBs in early- and late-type hosts, but it differs from the value of n ~ -1 for NS binaries in the Milky Way. We stress that this general approach can be easily modified with improved knowledge of the effects of environment and mass on the build-up of stellar mass, as well as the effect of globular clusters on the short GRB rate. It can also be used to assess the age distribution of Type Ia supernova progenitors.Comment: ApJ accepted versio