Poststaphylococcal coagulase negative reactive arthritis: a case report

We report a case of a 49-year-old patient who developed poststaphylococcal coagulase negative reactive arthritis. The woman presented with constitutional symptoms, arthritis, urinary infection and conjunctivitis. The blood culture was positive for the staphylococcal coagulase negative infection. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were elevated, whereas the rheumatoid factor was negative. Radiographic findings confirmed diagnosis of pleuropneumonia, and one year later of chronic asymmetric sacroileitis. Physicians should be aware of possible reactive arthritis after staphylococcal coagulase negative bacteremia

Driver profiles based on values and traffic safety climate and their relationships with driver behaviors

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Drivers have an important place in the traffic system when the human factor is taken into consideration. Drivers from different cultures are exposed to different values, norms, and traffic systems, and these differences may form various driver behaviors. Thus, traffic climate and individual values can impact driver behaviors. In this study, the relationships between Schwartz's individual values and traffic climate dimensions were examined. Clusters were then created from the traffic climate dimensions and individual values, and the differences in driver behavior within these clusters were investigated. In order to examine similarities and differences between countries, the results from 5 countries (Estonia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey)are presented. Correlational analyses indicated that, while internal requirements and self-transcendence are positively related in all countries, external affective demands and conservation are positively related in Estonia, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey. Additionally, external affective demands and self-transcendence are positively related in Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey. A three-cluster structure fitted the data well in all of the five countries. Within-country differences were observed in clusters of Russian and Turkish data in terms of driver behaviors. The detailed results are presented and discussed in relation to the literature

Road users’ evaluations and perceptions of road infrastructure, trip characteristics, and daily trip experiences across countries

Governments in every country have made attempts to encourage road safety, and road users’ perceptions of these attempts are crucial to understanding community needs and the effectiveness of road safety initiatives. However, while many studies compare countries with respect to fatality rates or possible causative factors related to these fatalities, little is known about how road users in different countries evaluate and perceive their tangible road environments from their own points of view. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to statistically explore drivers’-motorcyclists’, pedestrians’, cyclists’ and public transport users’ evaluations and perceptions of road infrastructure, trip characteristics and daily trip experiences in Estonia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey. In total, 1221 participants completed a questionnaire battery that included different sets of questions for different types of road users. Chi-Square analysis was used to examine the similarities and differences in the evaluations and perceptions of different road users across five countries. The main findings suggest that all road users across the five countries evaluated environmental characteristics significantly differently from each other. No similar trend could be observed within and between road users and countries. This is a quantitative study that provides descriptive information about road users’ perceptions and evaluations across countries, which can be used for both conceptual and practical purposes. In future studies, this study finding can be used for system-based interventions and may inform government regulation on human or human-environmental interactive factors in order to improve regional and overall road safety

Cross-cultural differences in driver aggression, aberrant, and positive driver behaviors

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd The present study investigated differences in driver aggression for self and others within countries and cultural differences between driver aggression, aberrant, and positive driver behaviors across five countries (Estonia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey). It was predicted that drivers from these five countries differ significantly in terms of driver aggression for self and others, aberrant, and positive driver behaviors. In the study, 743 participants completed the questionnaire package, including the Driver Aggression Indicators Scale (DAIS), the short version of the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) with items from the Positive Driver Behavior Scale, and the Demographic Information Form. Paired samples T-tests were conducted to examine the differences in driving aggression between self and others in the five countries. The results indicated that, except for Russian drivers, drivers reported that other drivers had higher driver aggression than themselves. To examine the cross-cultural differences, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests were conducted for the two dimensions of the DAIS (hostile aggression and revenge, and aggressive warnings) and the three dimensions of the DBQ with items from the Positive Driver Behavior Scale (errors, violations, and positive driver behaviors). Cross-country item-based comparisons were then made for the DAIS and the DBQ. The ANCOVA results showed significant differences in both item-based and subscale comparisons. Russian drivers were significantly different from other drivers in terms of hostile aggression and the revenge subscales of the DAIS and positive driver behaviors. Turkish drivers were significantly different from other drivers in several items of the DBQ, including errors and violations. The findings suggest that culture-specific strategies might be conducted for traffic-related anger management. Furthermore, differences in errors and violations among the five countries may be due to cultural differences. Positive driver behaviors might be better promoted in countries by drawing on their distinct cultural road safety strategies

A comparison of the relationship between individual values and aggressive driving in five countries

© 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC and The University of Tennessee. Values are supposed to transcend specific situations and contexts. A country-independent relationship is expected between individual values and aggressive driving. The purpose of this novel study was to investigate the relationship between individual values and aggressive driving. The data were collected from five countries, namely, Estonia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey. The number of participants was 124 in Estonian, 272 in Greek, 107 in Kosovar, 132 in Russian, and 87 in Turkish samples. Participants filled out a demographic information form, Driver Anger Indicators Scale, and Short-Schwartz’s Value Survey. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that values are related to aggressive driving (i.e., aggressive warnings, hostile aggression and revenge) of self and not to perceived aggressive behaviours of others. Value types were not related to aggressive driving, whereas higher-order values were. Conservation was negatively associated with aggressive warnings of self in the Greek sample, and self-transcendence was negatively associated with hostile aggression and revenge of self in Turkish as well as Greek samples. Social focus was negatively and personal focus was positively associated with both types of aggressive driving in the Greek sample. Social focus was also negatively associated with hostile aggression and revenge in the Russian sample. Growth anxiety-free was negatively associated with hostile aggression and revenge of self in Russian and Turkish samples. The relationships between values and aggressive driving (of self) were not country-independent for the five countries, even though the lack of significant relationships between values and aggressive driving (of others) were country-independent

Cross-cultural differences in pedestrian behaviors in relation to values: A comparison of five countries

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd This study compared pedestrian behaviors in five countries (Estonia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, and Turkey) and investigated the relationships between these behaviors and values in each country. The study participants were 131 pedestrians for Estonia, 249 for Greece, 112 for Kosovo, 176 for Russia, and 145 for Turkey. The principal component analyses revealed that the four-factor structure of the Pedestrian Behavior Scale (PBS) was highly consistent across the five countries. ANCOVA results revealed significant differences between countries on the PBS items and scale scores. Specifically, Greek and Turkish participants reported transgressive pedestrian behaviors more frequently than Estonian, Kosovar, and Russian pedestrians while Kosovar participants reported transgressive pedestrian behaviors less frequently than Estonian pedestrians. In addition, Turkish and Russian pedestrians reported lapses and aggressive behaviors more frequently than Estonian, Greek, and Kosovar pedestrians. Finally, Turkish and Estonian pedestrians reported positive behaviors more frequently than Kosovar pedestrians. Unexpectedly, the regression analyses showed that values have varying effects on pedestrian behavior in the five countries. That is, context or country may determine the effect of values on pedestrian behaviors. The results are discussed in relation to the previous literature