An Interactive Tool to Compare and Communicate Traffic Safety Risks: TrafficSTATS

TrafficSTATS (www.traffic-stats.us) is a publicly-available, interactive, web-based query tool that provides estimates of passenger vehicle and other traffic safety risks. Using "cube" database technology, TrafficSTATS houses publicly-available government data on traffic fatalities from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and personal travel behavior from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and calculates risk statistics in real time for user-specified queries. We describe the motivation for developing the tool, explain the technology developed to store the data and facilitate the queries, and provide a series of examples of the types of comparisons that can be made quickly and efficiently

Connexin32 is a Myelin-Related Protein in the PNS and CNS

We have examined the expression of a gap junction protein, connexin32 (Cx32), in Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes. In peripheral nerve, Cx32 is found in the paranodal myelin loops and Schmidt-Lanterman incisures of myelinating Schwann cells, and the levels of Cx32 protein and mRNA change in parallel with those of other myelin-related genes during development, Wallerian degeneration, and axonal regeneration. In the central nervous system, Cx32 is found in oligodendrocytes and their processes, but not in compact myelin, and the levels of Cx32 protein and mRNA increase during development in parallel with those of the other myelin genes. Thus, Cx32 is expressed as part of the myelinating phenotype of both Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes, indicating that this gap junction protein plays in important role in the biology of myelin-forming cells

Evaluating lotteries, risks, and risk-mitigation programs

Two experiments were designed to explore the existence of systematic differences in risk perceptions and risk attitudes between Chinese and US participants. The first experiment involved ranking monetary lotteries using measures of perceived riskiness and willingness to pay (WTP). Several simple heuristics were evaluated to predict perceived riskiness and WTP. Using WTP responses, Cumulative Prospect Theory functions were determined for participants from both countries. The second experiment involved ranking multi-attribute real-world risks and associated risk-mitigation programs using measures of concern and preference,respectively. Compared to their US counterparts, Chinese participants are found to be less risk averse, more concerned about risks with higher catastrophic potential, and more in favor of risk-mitigation programs with greater scope of benefit. The results also reveal higher within-group agreement by Chinese participants for all tasks. For both national groups, the within-group agreement was highest when ranking risk-mitigation programs, but lowest when ranking lotteries with negative expected value. The implications of cross-cultural versus cross-task variation are discussed

water quality

environmental sensor network to determine drinkin

An Interactive Tool to Compare and Communicate Traffic Safety Risks: TrafficSTATS

TrafficSTATS (www.traffic-stats.us) is a publicly-available, interactive, web-based query tool that provides estimates of passenger vehicle and other traffic safety risks. Using “cube” database technology, TrafficSTATS houses publicly-available government data on traffic fatalities from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and personal travel behavior from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and calculates risk statistics in real time for user-specified queries. We describe the motivation for developing the tool, explain the technology developed to store the data and facilitate the queries, and provide a series of examples of the types of comparisons that can be made quickly and efficiently

An Interactive Tool to Compare and Communicate Traffic Safety Risks: TrafficSTATS

TrafficSTATS (www.traffic-stats.us) is a publicly-available, interactive, web-based query tool that provides estimates of passenger vehicle and other traffic safety risks. Using "cube" database technology, TrafficSTATS houses publicly-available government data on traffic fatalities from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and personal travel behavior from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and calculates risk statistics in real time for user-specified queries. We describe the motivation for developing the tool, explain the technology developed to store the data and facilitate the queries, and provide a series of examples of the types of comparisons that can be made quickly and efficiently

Distortion of probability and outcome information in risky decisions

Substantial evidence indicates that information is distorted during decision making, but very few studies have assessed the distortion of probability and outcome information in risky decisions. In two studies involving six binary decisions (e.g., banning blood donations from people who have visited England, because of "mad cow disease"), student and nonstudent participants distorted their evaluations of probability and outcome information in the direction of their preferred decision alternative and used these biased evaluations to update their preferences. Participants also evaluated the utilities of possible outcomes more positively when the outcomes could follow only from the preferred alternative and more negatively when they could follow only from the competing alternative. Such circular reasoning is antithetical to the normative consequentialist principles underlying decision analysis. Presenting numerical information as precise values or as ranges of values did not significantly affect information distortion, apparently because the manipulation did not affect perceived ambiguity as intended.Information distortion Bidirectional reasoning Implied dominance Decision analysis Expected utility theory Consequentialism Ambiguity Multilevel modeling