ALTERNATIVES AND CONSEQUENCES OF HEALTH CARE PROTOTYPES AND DEVELOPING A PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATION PROGRAM

Health Economics and Policy,

What are the factors that contribute to road accidents? An assessment of law enforcement views, ordinary drivers’ opinions, and road accident records

What are the main contributing factors to road accidents? Factors such as inexperience, lack of skill, and risk-taking behaviors have been associated with the collisions of young drivers. In contrast, visual, cognitive, and mobility impairment have been associated with the collisions of older drivers. We investigated the main causes of road accidents by drawing on multiple sources: expert views of police officers, lay views of the driving public, and official road accident records. In Studies 1 and 2, police officers and the public were asked about the typical causes of road traffic collisions using hypothetical accident scenarios. In Study 3, we investigated whether the views of police officers and the public about accident causation influence their recall accuracy for factors reported to contribute to hypothetical road accidents. The results show that both expert views of police officers and lay views of the driving public closely approximated the typical factors associated with the collisions of young and older drivers, as determined from official accident records. The results also reveal potential underreporting of factors in existing accident records, identifying possible inadequacies in law enforcement practices for investigating driver distraction, drug and alcohol impairment, and uncorrected or defective eyesight. Our investigation also highlights a need for accident report forms to be continuously reviewed and updated to ensure that contributing factor lists reflect the full range of factors that contribute to road accidents. Finally, the views held by police officers and the public on accident causation influenced their memory recall of factors involved in hypothetical scenarios. These findings indicate that delay in completing accident report forms should be minimised, possibly by use of mobile reporting devices at the accident scene

Press Statement of Major League Presidents Joseph E. Cronin and Charles S. Feeney Regarding Curt Flood Lawsuit

Press Statement of Major League Presidents Joseph E. Cronin and Charles S. Feeney Regarding Curt Flood Lawsuit

Exploiting Network Topology for Accelerated Bayesian Inference of Grain Surface Reaction Networks

In the study of grain-surface chemistry in the interstellar medium, there exists much uncertainty regarding the reaction mechanisms with few constraints on the abundances of grain-surface molecules. Bayesian inference can be performed to determine the likely reaction rates. In this work, we consider methods for reducing the computational expense of performing Bayesian inference on a reaction network by looking at the geometry of the network. Two methods of exploiting the topology of the reaction network are presented. One involves reducing a reaction network to just the reaction chains with constraints on them. After this, new constraints are added to the reaction network and it is shown that one can separate this new reaction network into subnetworks. The fact that networks can be separated into subnetworks is particularly important for the reaction networks of interstellar complex-organic molecules, whose surface reaction networks may have hundreds of reactions. Both methods allow the maximum-posterior reaction rate to be recovered with minimal bias

Feasibility and initial efficacy of project-based treatment for people with ABI

Background: Communication impairments are common and pervasive for people a long time following acquired brain injury (ABI). These impairments have a significant impact on a person's quality of life (QOL) post‐injury. Project‐based treatment is a treatment approach that could have an impact on communication skills and QOL for people with ABI a long‐term post‐injury. This treatment is embedded in a context of meaningful activities chosen by people with ABI, whereby, as a group, they work collaboratively to achieve a tangible end product. Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of project‐based treatment on improving the communication skills and QOL for people with ABI. Methods & Procedures: An exploratory controlled trial with alternate allocation of groups, and follow‐up at 6–8 weeks, was completed. Twenty‐one people with chronic ABI were recruited in groups of two to three from community settings, allocated to either a TREATMENT (n = 11) or WAITLIST group (n = 10). Participants attended a 20‐h group‐based treatment over 6 weeks where they worked towards achieving a project that helped others. To determine feasibility, four criteria were used: demand, implementation, practicality and acceptability. A range of communication and QOL outcomes was used to determine a fifth feasibility criterion, initial efficacy. Some of these criteria were additionally used to evaluate the feasibility of the outcomes. Outcomes & Results: All participants received the treatment as allocated with high attendance and no dropouts. The treatment was feasible to deliver as intended and was highly acceptable to participants. Medium and large effect sizes were found from pre‐ to post‐treatment, and from pre‐treatment to follow‐up for measures of conversation, perceived communicative ability and QOL. Conclusions & Implications: Project‐based treatment is feasible with indications of initial efficacy for both communication skills and QOL. The treatment provides a promising new approach for improving communication skills and QOL in people with chronic acquired brain injuries in the community setting

Gambling and the Millennial Generation: A Segmentation Study

This presentation will discuss the results of a segmentation study done in Minnesota on the gambllng habits of the Millennial Generation. While much of the work done on this generation (or others)focuses on central tendencies, this study was designed to explore the diversity in the gambling behavior, motivations, and attitudes of Minnesotans between the ages of 18 and 35. The authors will demonstrate the wide range of gambling behavior and beliefs within this generation, and discuss the importance of understanding these differences for the gambling industry, public policy, responsible gambling, and problem gambling awareness, treatment, and prevention