The impact of the graduated driver licence scheme on road traffic accident youth mortality in New Zealand

This paper examines the impact of the introduction of New Zealand’s Graduated Driving Licence System (GDLS) on patterns of road traffic accident mortality amongst the young driving population from 1980 to 2001. Results show that the mortality rate has declined, but that rates in New Zealand are three times greater than in England and Wales and twice those of Scotland. When the data is adjusted to take account of differences in the minimum driving age, rates remain consistently higher in New Zealand and the proportional reduction in road traffic accident youth mortality is not significantly better than that experienced in Great Britain

Determining the Degree to Which Ideational Behavior Predicts Occupational Identity Achievement in Emerging Adult College Students Preceding Entry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution Workforce

As emerging adults transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) workforce, it is essential to understand the factors that predict successful occupational identity achievement, as automation will impact human occupational identity crises. This descriptive cross-sectional study implemented a correlation design to determine the degree to which ideational behavior predicts occupational identity achievement preceding entry into the 4IR workforce. Using a sample of 166 emerging adult college students from a Mid-Atlantic, diverse, four-year university, data were collected using Runco’s Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS) and Melgosa’s Occupational Identity Achievement subscale (OIA). Results showed that ideational behavior significantly predicted occupational identity achievement (p \u3c .016), as it was uncovered that emerging adults’ degree of ideational behavior explains 3.5% of the variance of their occupational identity achievement (R2 \u3c .035), as higher levels of ideational behavior are related to higher levels of occupational identity achievement. The results also concluded that emerging adults’ demographics showed no significance after a multiple linear regression analysis (p \u3c .246), but total ideational behavior scores remained significant (p \u3c .015). These findings suggest that ideational behavior is a strong predictor of emerging adults’ occupational identity achievement proceeding entry into the 4IR workforc

Using parent metaphors for learning about the neonatal care experience: an interpretive perspective

© 2019 The Author(s). The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Journal of Child Health Care by Sage Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. It is available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493519875853.This study focuses on how metaphors are used by parents who have had a premature baby to describe their neonatal care experience and how these can contribute to empathic learning of health professionals. In health, metaphors are commonly used to communicate and explain difficult topics. When patients tell their story, metaphor can be a means of expression from which we can learn about their experience of illness or hospitalisation. Limited research exits on how metaphor can improve our understanding of parent’s emotional experience in neonatal care and subsequently inform education in this field. Employing narrative inquiry within an interpretive, constructivist paradigm, 20 narrative interviews with 23 parents of premature babies were analysed using a process of metaphor identification. Findings revealed common metaphors used to describe experience. Metaphor clusters used by parents in order of frequency were journeying, altered reality, darkness, breaking, connections, fighting, salvation and being on the edge. Parents widely used compelling and emotive metaphors to describe and express both difficult and challenging times as well as progression forward. Metaphors serve as a powerful way for health professionals to learn about the emotional experiences of parents and potentially enhance their empathic understanding.Peer reviewe

Increased Frequency of the MZ Phenotype of Alpha-l-Protease Inhibitor in Juvenile Chronic Polyarthritis

Pi phenotypes of alpha-1-protease inhibitor were determined by isoelectric focusing and print immunofixation in 96 English children suffering from juvenile chronic polyarthritis. A significantly increased frequency of the MZ phenotype (10.41%) was found in comparison with a geographically matched control population (1.6%). The results of this study suggest that the possession of a Z-deficient allele of alpha-l-protease inhibitor could be a predisposing, aggravating, or perpetuating factor in the articular damage occurring in juvenile chronic polyarthritis

Assessing the Usability of Union Web Sites

This study examines the usability of union websites. Unions have suffered steep declines in membership, and some see the internet as a potential ally in the attempt to reverse these declines. However, there are questions concerning unions’ use of cyberspace to revitalize organizing. This study applies the Microsoft Usability Guidelines in a framework developed by Agarwal and Venkatesh (2002) to assess the usability of union websites. The union sites examined in this study scored high in terms of usability, when compared to previously assessed sites, indicating that unions are putting effort into creating useful web sites

Affordable Rotating Fluid Demonstrations for Geoscience Education: The DIYnamics Project

Demonstrations using rotating tanks of fluid can help demystify otherwise counterintuitive behaviors of atmospheric, oceanic, and planetary interior fluid motions. But the expense and complicated assembly of existing rotating table platforms limit their appeal for many schools, especially those below the university level. Here, we introduce Do-It-Yourself Dynamics (DIYnamics), a project developing extremely low-cost rotating tank platforms and accompanying teaching materials. The devices can be assembled in a few minutes from household items, all available for purchase online. Ordering, assembly, and operation instructions are available on the DIYnamics website. Videos using these and other rotating tables to teach specific concepts such as baroclinic instability are available on the DIYnamics YouTube channel—including some in Spanish. The devices, lesson plans, and demonstrations have been successfully piloted at multiple middle schools, in a university course, and at public science outreach events. These uses to date convince us of the DIYnamics materials’ pedagogical value for instructors from well-versed university professors to K–12 science teachers with little background in fluid dynamics

Results of the psychiatric, select-out evaluation of US astronaut applications

The psychiatric exclusion criteria for astronauts are based on NASA Medical Psychiatric Standards for space flight. Until recently, there were no standardized methods to evaluate disqualifying psychopathology in astronaut applicants. Method: One hundred and six astronaut applicants who had passed the intitial screening were evaluated for Axis 1 and Axis 2 DSM-3-R diagnoses using the NASA structured psychiatric interview. The interview consisted of three parts: (1) an unstructured portion for obtaining biographical and historical information, (2) the schedule for effective disorders-lifetime version (SASDL), specially modified to include all disqualifying Axis 1 mental disorders; and, (3) the personality assessment schedule (PAS) also modified to evaluate for Axis 2 disorders. Results: Nine of 106 candidates (8.5 percent) met diagnostic criteria for six Axis 1 disorders (including V code) or Axis 2 disorders. Two of these disorders were disqualifying for the applicants. 'Near' diagnoses (where applicants met at least 50 percent of the listed criteria) were assessed to demonstrate that clinicians using the interview were able to overcome applicants' reluctance to report symptomatomatology. Conclusion: The use of the NASA structured interview was effective in identifying past and present psychopathology in a group of highly motivated astronaut applicants. This was the first time a structured psychiatric interview had been used in such a setting for this purpose

Towards a method for rigorous development of generic requirements patterns

We present work in progress on a method for the engineering, validation and verification of generic requirements using domain engineering and formal methods. The need to develop a generic requirement set for subsequent system instantiation is complicated by the addition of the high levels of verification demanded by safety-critical domains such as avionics. Our chosen application domain is the failure detection and management function for engine control systems: here generic requirements drive a software product line of target systems. A pilot formal specification and design exercise is undertaken on a small (twosensor) system element. This exercise has a number of aims: to support the domain analysis, to gain a view of appropriate design abstractions, for a B novice to gain experience in the B method and tools, and to evaluate the usability and utility of that method.We also present a prototype method for the production and verification of a generic requirement set in our UML-based formal notation, UML-B, and tooling developed in support. The formal verification both of the structural generic requirement set, and of a particular application, is achieved via translation to the formal specification language, B, using our U2B and ProB tools