The psychological distress of the young driver: a brief report

Objective: To explore the role of psychological distress in the self-reported risky driving of young novice drivers. Design: Cross-sectional online survey of 761 tertiary students aged 17-25 years with an intermediate (Provisional) driving licence who completed Kessler’s Psychological Distress Scale and the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale. Setting: Queensland, Australia, August-October 2009. Main outcome measures: Psychological distress, risky driving. Results: Regression analyses revealed that psychological distress uniquely explained 8.5% of the variance in young novice’s risky driving, with adolescents experiencing psychological distress also reporting higher levels of risky driving. Psychological distress uniquely explained a significant 6.7% and 9.5% of variance in risky driving for males and females respectively. Conclusions: Medical practitioners treating adolescents who have been injured through risky behaviour need to aware of the potential contribution of psychological distress, whilst mental health professionals working with adolescents experiencing psychological distress need to be aware of this additional source of potential harm. The nature of the causal relationships linking psychological distress and risky driving behaviour are not yet fully understood, indicating a need for further research so that strategies such as screening can be investigated

Valley palm

In the critical introduction of this thesis, I explore how choices and consequences affect a life, my life. This leads to a discussion of the struggle I had with labeling my work nonfiction. I also explore the effect structure has on the narrative arc and characters in a work, and discuss my process of deciding on a form for my creative thesis. Highlighted in this discussion is the influence of feminism and feminist authors. Finally, I intimate my issues with my cultural identity, and how this is reflected in my story and my place in the literary world. These are all aspects that have fueled and shaped my work, and are present in one way or another throughout the whole. Valley Palm is a memoir composed of organic memories thematically linked through essays and chapters

Evaluation of the Efficiency of and Preference for Analog versus Mand Training on the Acquisition of Mands for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The present study provides a systematic replication of the Jennett, Harris, and Delmolino (2008) study comparing discrete trial instruction (DTI) and mand training on the acquisition of mands for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An adapted alternating treatment design was implemented across three participants. Independent mands, variation in requested items, and duration of sessions were assessed across conditions. Generalization probes were conducted to assess generalization across communication partners (e.g., novel research assistants), along with a maintenance probe one-week post-training. Furthermore, a concurrent-chains arrangement was implemented to assess participants’ preference for teaching strategies. All participants reached mastery criterion quickest with mand training. Implications, limitations, and areas of future research are discussed

An Investigation of Communications Laws and the Mississippi Business Manager

This study sought to determine if Mississippi business managers were versed in maintaining a legal workplace with their knowledge of 15 major United States laws relating specifically to the area of business communication. It also sought to gather relevant information based upon personal views related to two critical communications laws; the Civil Rights Act of 1964- Title VII Equal Employment Opportunity and the Age Discrimination Act of 1967. The study went on to determine if the 15 laws were actually being used in the workplace by Mississippi business managers. After proper approval by the University of Mississippi Office of Research and Sponsored Programs- Institutional Review Board, the study was conducted. Mississippi business managers were randomly selected from the D&B Million Dollar list; and the managers were given the opportunity to respond by means of an internet based survey on the site, SurveyMonkey.com. The findings of this research indicated an overall lack of knowledge of the 15 communications laws. With only half of the questions, proving that managers had the necessary knowledge needed to operate lawfully under them. In the grand scheme of the study, Mississippi business managers proved they were lacking vital information needed to prove their ability as a manager in the area of business communications law. Thus, the study indicates that there is a strong need for business mangers to update their current knowledge bank in order to be competitive from a national standpoint

School Discipline 101: Students\u27 Due Process Rights in Expulsion Hearings

Upholding the principle that school districts, as state actors, shall not deprive a student of liberty or property without due process of law, courts have expanded for more than four decades the Fourteenth Amendment\u27s due process protection of public school students. Understanding this principle is essential to representing children in school discipline proceedings. Before presenting a practical guide to representing students in these proceedings, we offer a brief history of due process protection for children

‘Standing back’ or ‘stepping up’? Exploring climate change education policy influence in England

This paper explores the nature of climate change education-related policy influence in England at a time when public consciousness about the need to accelerate climate change action was heightened, and as the 2018 climate strikes gathered momentum around the world. Informed by Foucault's concept of ‘governmentalities’, and using data generated through 24 exploratory interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, we examine the extent to which influential individuals were advocating for policy change. We discuss the nature of policy influence with particular reference to the ‘stances’ that individuals adopted relative to climate change education policy influence and noting a common tendency exhibited amongst participants which was a tendency towards ‘deference’. Coupling our insights with theorisations of dissent, we consider how ‘infra-political dissent’ could support key individuals to ‘step up’ and influence for more effective policy relative to climate change education, and to other areas of education or environment policy

Working with external partners to support climate change education through a focus on design

In this paper we reflect on the opportunities and potential pitfalls encountered when schools work in partnership with external organisations. To illustrate wider issues, we examine the implementation of a pilot project aimed at introducing the role of design in the context of climate change in the primary setting. Our data comprise observational field notes of activities in situ, interviews with participating teachers, focus groups with children, and interviews with designers who led the activities across five different schools in England. In reviewing the data, we highlight the need for partners to build upon each other’s skills, genuinely co‐creating activities and co‐leading lessons. Most importantly, we call for all climate change initiatives to be grounded in children’s realities and provide ample opportunities for children to be agentic

Initial Findings on Visual Acuity Thresholds in an African Elephant (\u3cem\u3eLoxodonta africana\u3c/em\u3e)

There are only a few published examinations of elephant visual acuity. All involved Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and found visual acuity to be between 8′ and 11′ of arc for a stimulus near the tip of the trunk, equivalent to a 0.50 cm gap, at a distance of about 2 m from the eyes. We predicted that African elephants (Loxodonta africana) would have similarly high visual acuity, necessary to facilitate eye-trunk coordination for feeding, drinking and social interactions. When tested on a discrimination task using Landolt-C stimuli, one African elephant cow demonstrated a visual acuity of 48′ of arc. This represents the ability to discriminate a gap as small as 2.75 cm in a stimulus 196 cm from the eye. This single-subject study provides a preliminary estimate of the visual acuity of African elephants

Forward-Looking Strategies for Safely Adopting Digital Transformation in Aviation

Aviation leaders in the U.S. federal government face challenges in adopting technical evolution and advancing modernization while adhering to the rigor of a deeply entrenched safety culture. The purpose of this qualitative modified Delphi study was to determine how a panel of 21 aerospace experts based in Washington, DC viewed strategies for adopting to new technologies while ensuring safety. The management concepts that framed the study were safety culture and digital transformation. The study addressed the research question of how a panel of aviation experts viewed the desirability, feasibility, and importance of forward-looking strategies for adopting digital transformation while adhering to the rigor of a deeply entrenched safety culture in aviation. Data analysis included content analysis of narrative responses to the digital transformation statements, statistical analysis of desirability and feasibility ratings to determine consensus, weighted average calculations to determine the importance ranking, and statistical analysis to determine confidence in the final results. The purposively selected panelists completed four rounds of data collection and reached consensus on the 10 most desirable, feasible, and important strategies in four categories derived from the Federal Aviation Administration Strategic Plan for 2019–2022. Aviation leaders may use the results to positively impact the safe adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and impact social change by fostering stronger economic conditions for aviation customers and improving quality of life for travelers