Making in-class skills training more effective: the scope for interactive videos to complement the delivery of practical pedestrian training

Skills and awareness of young pedestrians can be improved with on-street practical pedestrian training, often delivered in schools in the United Kingdom by local authorities with the intention of improving road safety. This training is often supplemented by in-class paper based worksheet activities which are seen to be less effective than practical training in that they focus on knowledge acquisition rather than directly improving the correct application of safe pedestrian skills at the roadside. Previous research indicates that interactive video tools have the potential to develop procedural skills whilst offering an engaging road safety educational experience, which could positively impact on road crossing behaviour.In this paper, the design and development of a hazard-identification interactive road safety training video targeting child road crossing skills is presented. The interactive video was shown to be an engaging training resource for 6-7 year old children. The tool’s scope for improving pedestrians’ roadside skills is considered along with the wider implications for interactive video to aid safety training in other areas

A GIS-Based Risk Assessment for Fire Departments: Case Study of Richland County, SC

Risk assessments enable fire departments to be better prepared for future incidents and to engage in more effective prevention activities. A combination of physical, demographic, and behavioral risk factors combined form a community’s level of risk. This research shows how spatial and nonspatial statistical methods can be used within a GIS framework to create such a risk assessment, with the Columbia-Richland Fire Department in Richland County, SC being used as a case study. Hot spot analysis and thematic mapping of incident rates were used to assess the first research question – what is the spatial variability of structure fires, carbon monoxide incidents, and emergency medical calls? Correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and factor analysis were applied to a few dozen social and physical risk factors at the block group level to assess the second research question - how are the risk factors correlated with each other, and how are these risk factors varied across the county? The results of all types of methods were compared against each other to assess how risk factors correlated with incident types. These methods were able to map hot and cold spots of incidents, identify the most relevant risk factors, and show which risk factors were most prevalent in hot spot areas. The primary hot spot for EMS and fire incidents was found in northern Columbia, with a secondary hot spot located in far Lower Richland. PCA identified nine primary factors, the top three of which were related to systematic hard times, older homeowners, and rural location. Factor analysis was able to cluster block groups into fourteen groupings of similar risk traits. There were very clear differences in incident rates between the fourteen groupings, although hot spots contained block groups from multiple groupings. Given the snapshot in time nature of risk assessments, this research builds a baseline for future risk assessments, both in terms of methods and results

Mosquito Surveillance Program Using Ovitraps Detected Aedes aegypti at the Honolulu International Airport in 2012

mosquito surveillance program using ovitraps at the Honolulu In- ternational Airport (HIA), Hawaii, USA May 2010 to June 2012 revealed that A. albopictus egg counts fluctuated over time during the surveillance program and the highest oviposition was observed from February to May 2011 and the lowest was from September to November 2011. Positive correlations found between a given week’s rainfall and egg counts 1 and 2 weeks later suggested that rainfall triggered the hatching of eggs which were laid before the rainfall, rather than di- rectly stimulating adult oviposition. In January and June 2012, Aedes aegypti was discovered from a small vegetated area located between terminals for out-of-state and within-state flights. This species had not been confirmed present on Oahu at least since 1948. This finding has led us to intensify our surveillance program at the airport, with the hope that we would improve our understanding of the nature of mosquito introductions at this important port of entry for the Hawaiian Islands

Illness perceptions, cardiac rehabilitation and quality of life in cardiac surgery patients

Background: Previous research indicates that for some individuals, quality of life (QoL) post-cardiac surgery (CABG or PTCA ) declines from pre-surgery levels. Using the framework of Leventhal's Common-Sense Model, this longitudinal study examined the associations between patients' illness perceptions and coping strategies, their QoL, attendance at cardiac rehabilitation and lifestyle changes. It was hypothesised that a more negative profile of illness beliefs (weaker control beliefs, belief in more severe consequences, poorer understanding of the condition, and negative emotional representations) together with the use of more emotional coping strategies would be associated with poorer QoL. It was also hypothesised that attendance at cardiac rehabilitation would be associated with greater control beliefs, more severe consequences and a causal attribution of lifestyle. Sample and Methods: 113 patients (93 male, mean age 66 (8.93) who were about to undergo cardiac surgery were recruited from two hospitals. Questionnaire measures of illness perceptions (IPQ-R), coping (CHIP) and cardiac-specific QoL (MacNew) were administered at four time points: pre-surgery, post-surgery, post cardiac rehabilitation, and one-year follow up. Data on attendance at rehabilitation and health behaviours were collected via hospital records and patient report. Results: The best predictors of QoL were not cognitive representations of the cardiac problems, but negative emotional representations and associated emotion-focussed coping strategies, implying that an emotion-regulation intervention could be targeted to improve outcome. The predictive ability of initial QoL on QoL at later stages implies this might be best introduced pre-surgery. Having less severe consequence beliefs prior to surgery predicted greater attendance at cardiac rehabilitation. A better understanding of the cardiac condition predicted attendance at cardiac rehabilitation. There was no evidence of change in lifestyle post-rehabilitation.Discussion: The findings that emotional representations of cardiac problems and the use of emotion focussed coping strategies were predictors of quality of life suggest that interventions to foster adaptive emotion regulation may improve outcome in these patients. Findings with respect to attendance at rehabilitation varied somewhat from the previous literature, possibly because the present study sampled patients who were having elective surgery, rather than those who had recently had a heart attack. The importance of studying defined populations and also the issue of when measures are obtained in relation to cardiac events were also highlighted.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Interpersonal Violence Against Women With Spinal Cord Injury: Adding Insult to Injury

BACKGROUND: Mounting empirical evidence suggests that, compared to women without disabilities, women with disabilities are more likely to experience interpersonal violence (IPV). However, there is extremely limited research attention on IPV against women with spinal cord injury (SCI), a particularly understudied and underserved population. OBJECTIVES: To conduct the first known examination of lifetime IPV experience in women with SCI, to explore demographic and disability-related correlates of IPV, and to examine the health impacts of IPV. METHODS: The sample included 175 women with traumatic SCI from across the United States who enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of an online psychological health promotion intervention. The data, which included a brief measure of lifetime abuse, were collected as part of the baseline survey administered prior to randomization to the intervention or control conditions. RESULTS: The majority (55%) of the women described experiencing some abuse in their lifetime, with 43% reporting physical abuse, 32% reporting sexual abuse, and 23% reporting disability-related abuse. Sixteen percent of the women indicated that they had experienced all three (physical, sexual, disability) types of abuse. Few demographic and disability characteristics were related to overall lifetime IPV experience; however, disability characteristics were associated with disability-related IPV victimization. In addition, those with a history of IPV had poorer self-reported health and greater depression. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that IPV is common among women with SCI. More research is needed to understand the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of IPV against women with SCI to help inform policy and practice

TRA-953: AUTOMATION IN DRIVING FOR ENHANCING RESILIENCY IN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

The ability of the transportation system to continue to serve traffic under disruptive conditions is a resilience characteristic of infrastructure and traffic management. In the context of this research, resilience is defined as the ability to resist the loss of traffic-serving capability by using traffic (including geometric) and control system design advances (i.e. the inherent resilience) and by activating capacity-enhancing measures (i.e. the dynamic resilience). Vulnerabilities in road traffic networks cause the loss of capability to serve demand overloads. On the other hand, intelligent technology and associated methodology can potentially prevent or reduce this loss of capability. An outstanding research question is the role of automation in driving for enhancing the resilience of urban road traffic network. This paper reports research in-progress on improving resilience of adaptive capacity in traffic networks with intelligent systems and advanced methods. An introduction is provided to vulnerabilities in traffic network, and available information is used as empirical evidence of vulnerabilities. Inherent and dynamic resilience measures of the traffic system are defined at the scales of corridors and networks that can potentially overcome vulnerabilities. Features of autonomous driving are presented as resilience-enhancing measures. Finally, conclusions are presented on the potential of automation in driving to enhance the resilience of urban traffic network so that it can withstand high predictive imbalances of demand vs. capacity as well as stochastic traffic overloads and recover functionality at a tolerable level of performance within an acceptable time period

TRA-952: ENHANCING RESILIENCE OF TRAFFIC NETWORKS WITH CONNECTED VEHICLES

Improving resilience of transportation infrastructure is a multifaceted subject. One of these addresses the traffic serving capability of the transportation system. As the profession progresses in finding ways to improve infrastructure resilience in physical terms, an associated thought process is underway to enhance the adaptive capacity in traffic networks with intelligent systems and advanced related methods in order to cope with shocks in the traffic environment caused by nature-induced or other events. This paper reports research in-progress on measures for enhancing the resilience of road traffic networks with applications of connected vehicles. The need for resilient road traffic networks is defined in order to reduce the risk of severe loss of capability to serve demand. Resilience is the ability to resist the loss of traffic-serving capability by using traffic (geometric) and control system design advances (i.e. the inherent resilience) and by dynamically activating capacity-enhancing measures (i.e. the dynamic resilience). There is a need to go beyond the adaptive traffic control of intersections by enhancing inherent plus dynamic resilience of the traffic system at a broader spatial scale of a corridor or a wide-area road network. Connected vehicle technology and associated methods that yield resiliency measures (i.e. adaptive capacity attributes) are described. Ideas are advanced on how to apply these resiliency measures in practice in order to address efficiency and other issues in urban transportation. Finally, concluding remarks are presented on the technical feasibility of implementing the research ideas presented in this paper

Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women with Spinal Cord Injury

This study represents the first known research addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. Women in this population face unique barriers that put them at elevated risk for compromised quality of life, risk that was magnified by physical and social restrictions imposed during the pandemic. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of women with SCI and the effect of the pandemic on their lives. The predominantly White and relatively well-educated sample of 105 women with traumatic SCI was diverse in age, injury characteristics, and geographic representation. Recruited across the USA, participants in an online psychological health intervention trial were asked to respond to the item, Please tell us how COVID-19 has affected you and your life , administered May-October, 2020. An overall sentiment rating of impact was coded as well as the impact of COVID-19 on eight individual themes: Physical Health, Mental Health, Social Health, Activities of Daily Living, Exercise, Work, Activities Outside the Home, and Activities at Home. Sentiment responses were rated as positive, negative, a mixture of positive and negative impacts, or neutral impact. Participants described the overall impact of COVID-19 as negative (54%), positive (10%), mixed (21%) or neutral (15%). Sentiment ratings to individual themes were also described. Our findings highlight the importance of providing access to disability-sensitive and affordable support, resources, and interventions for women with SCI, especially during a public health crisis

The effect of spring burning on competitive ranking of prairie species

A common explanation for the changes in species abundance following a fire is a shift in competitive ranking. However, experimental tests have been inconsistent and generally do not support this explanation. I examined the competitive ability of an abundant C 4 grass, Andropogon gerardii , and a C 3 forb, Ratibida pinnata , in a prairie remnant in northern Ohio, USA, for each of three years following a spring burn in 1996. While the abiotic environment directly influenced both species similarly, relative competitive abilities in terms of growth changed markedly: in 1996 Andropogon was less inhibited by neighbors; in 1997 both Andropogon and Ratibida had similar competitive abilities; and in 1998 Ratibida was less inhibited by neighbors. This shift in competitive response ranking paralleled the changes in relative abundance for the two species. In contrast, the effect of neighbors on survival changed markedly over time but did not differ among the two species. Thus, fire may influence species abundance through changing species competitive response ranking, at least in terms of growth.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72362/1/3236873.pd

Self-Esteem in Second Life: An inWorld Group Intervention for Women with Disabilities

We are developing and investigating the feasibility of a self-esteem enhancement intervention in Second Life for women with physical disabilities. We adapted the curriculum of a previously tested workshop intervention to include features unique to this environment. Results of the beta test were very positive. Everyone involved showed considerable enthusiasm for exploring the new world of SL. The group leaders were challenged to resolve technical problems on every occasion, but these diminished and were perceived as manageable as the intervention progressed. Beta testers gave positive ratings to the information presented, organization, and usefulness of the intervention and found it very enjoyable although fatigue and stress limited the participation of some. They appreciated the use of Internet technology as an accommodation to their disability, in place of requiring transportation and additional energy expenditure to attend face-to-face meetings. Research issues related to engagement, measurement, and participant safety, as well as future research directions, are discussed. We conclude that SL has great potential for delivering health promotion interventions to women with physical disabilities