“I drove after drinking alcohol” and other risky driving behaviours reported by young novice drivers

Background: Volitional risky driving behaviours such as drink- and drug-driving (i.e. substance-impaired driving) and speeding contribute to the overrepresentation of young novice drivers in road crash fatalities, and crash risk is greatest during the first year of independent driving in particular. Aims: To explore the: (1) self-reported compliance of drivers with road rules regarding substance-impaired driving and other risky driving behaviours (e.g., speeding, driving while tired), one year after progression from a Learner to a Provisional (intermediate) licence; and (2) interrelationships between substance-impaired driving and other risky driving behaviours (e.g., crashes, offences, and Police avoidance). Methods: Drivers (n = 1076; 319 males) aged 18–20 years were surveyed regarding their sociodemographics (age, gender) and self-reported driving behaviours including crashes, offences, Police avoidance, and driving intentions. Results: A relatively small proportion of participants reported driving after taking drugs (6.3% of males, 1.3% of females) and drinking alcohol (18.5% of males, 11.8% of females). In comparison, a considerable proportion of participants reported at least occasionally exceeding speed limits (86.7% of novices), and risky behaviours like driving when tired (83.6% of novices). Substance-impaired driving was associated with avoiding Police, speeding, risky driving intentions, and self-reported crashes and offences. Forty-three percent of respondents who drove after taking drugs also reported alcohol-impaired driving. Discussion and Conclusions: Behaviours of concern include drink driving, speeding, novice driving errors such as misjudging the speed of oncoming vehicles, violations of graduated driver licensing passenger restrictions, driving tired, driving faster if in a bad mood, and active punishment avoidance. Given the interrelationships between the risky driving behaviours, a deeper understanding of influential factors is required to inform targeted and general countermeasure implementation and evaluation during this critical driving period. Notwithstanding this, a combination of enforcement, education, and engineering efforts appear necessary to improve the road safety of the young novice driver, and for the drink-driving young novice driver in particular.     

Judgments about estrogen replacement therapy: The role of age, cognitive abilities, and beliefs.

This study investigated age, cognitive abilities, health beliefs, and other factors in women's judgments about effective treatments for menopause. Women (N?=?102) ranging in age from 20 to 79 read a vignette about a woman facing a decision about Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) and then made judgments about what should be done. Participants also completed a battery of questions pertaining to ERT and cognitive abilities. Path-analytic techniques were used to determine the role of specific cognitive abilities and the representation of menopause and its treatment in making judgments about ERT treatments. Cognitive abilities had direct effects on treatment decisions. Education affected the number of perceived options for treatment. Age and education indirectly affected treatment decisions, operating through cognitive abilities. Factors related to the mental representation of menopause had no direct effects and few indirect effects on treatment decisions. Potential mechanisms that can help older adults compensate for declines in cognitive abilities in medical decisions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing a public health approach to delay onset and progression of adolescent substance use: Latent transition and log-linear analyses of longitudinal family preventive intervention outcomes.

This study examined the effects of the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) and the Preparing for the Drug-Free Years program (PDFY) on young adolescent transitions from nonuse of substances to initiation and progression of substance use. Analyses incorporated 3 waves of data collected over a 2.5-year period from 329 rural young adolescents. Outcomes were analyzed by using log-linear models that incorporated substance use status frequencies derived from latent transition analyses. Effects on delayed substance use initiation were shown for both the ISFP and the PDFY at a 2-year follow-up. Also at this follow-up, the PDFY showed effects on delayed progression of use among those previously reporting initiation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying the Patterns of Emergency Shelter Stays of Single Individuals in Canadian Cities of Different Sizes

The study analyzed the patterns of emergency shelter stays of single persons in three Canadian cities of different sizes (i.e., Toronto, Ottawa, and Guelph). Similar to findings of previous research conducted in large American cities in the early 1990s, cluster analyses defined three clusters with distinct patterns of shelter stays (temporary, episodic, and long stay). A temporary cluster (88–94 per cent) experienced a small number of homeless episodes for relatively short periods of time. An episodic cluster (3–11 per cent) experienced multiple homeless episodes also for short periods of time. A long-stay cluster (2–4 per cent) had a relatively small number of homeless episodes but for long periods of time. Despite their relatively small size, the episodic and long-stay clusters used a disproportionately large number of total shelter beds. The study extends findings from previous American research to a Canadian context and to small- and medium-size cities. Implications of the findings for program and policy development are discussed.     

Students' Perceptions of E‐Mail Interaction During Student‐Professor Advising Sessions: The Pursuit of Interpersonal Goals

This study investigated students' preference for e‐mail over face‐to‐face (FtF) communication for interpersonal goal achievement (i.e., instrumental, relational, self‐presentational) with faculty advisors. An exploratory analysis of undergraduate students revealed that they did not prefer computer‐mediated communication (i.e., e‐mail) over FtF communication with advisors when addressing all 3 interpersonal goal types. Significant gender differences were also found, with women reporting more use of e‐mail, and men preferring to address self‐presentational goals in FtF settings. It also was found that compared to Caucasians, African Americans did not prefer CMC to FtF interaction in achieving instrumental and self‐presentational goals. Results of this study suggest that despite the ubiquity of e‐mail communication, undergraduates did not prefer e‐mail over FtF contact with faculty advisors.     

Project Network Interdependency Alignment: New Approach to Assessing Project Effectiveness

The engineering and construction industry has evolved to a task-centric approach to evaluating the effectiveness of projects. However, a narrow task-based view of project network logic neglects the coordination of communication and knowledge exchanges across the project organizational network. This paper departs from traditional approaches to introduce a new approach to assessing project effectiveness that focuses on alignment of actual knowledge exchanges with knowledge exchange requirements across task-organization network dyads. A new modeling approach is introduced, called Project Network Interdependency Alignment. Project Network Interdependency Alignment identifies potentially excessive or insufficient communication and knowledge exchanges that can make projects ineffective. The modeling approach is introduced and retrospectively validated by using a building renovation construction project. The case study demonstrates that the approach can provide project managers with the capacity to analyze task and organizational network interdependence on projects and the critical capability to identify misalignments that impede project effectiveness.     

New Insights in the Pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis—Role of Acrolein in Neuronal and Myelin Damage

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by an inappropriate inflammatory reaction resulting in widespread myelin injury along white matter tracts. Neurological impairment as a result of the disease can be attributed to immune-mediated injury to myelin, axons and mitochondria, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuropathy remain incompletely understood. Incomplete mechanistic knowledge hinders the development of therapies capable of alleviating symptoms and slowing disease progression in the long-term. Recently, oxidative stress has been implicated as a key component of neural tissue damage prompting investigation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers as a potential therapeutic option. Despite the establishment of oxidative stress as a crucial process in MS development and progression, ROS scavengers have had limited success in animal studies which has prompted pursuit of an alternative target capable of curtailing oxidative stress. Acrolein, a toxic β-unsaturated aldehyde capable of initiating and perpetuating oxidative stress, has been suggested as a viable point of intervention to guide the development of new treatments. Sequestering acrolein using an FDA-approved compound, hydralazine, offers neuroprotection resulting in dampened symptom severity and slowed disease progression in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice. These results provide promise for therapeutic development, indicating the possible utility of neutralizing acrolein to preserve and improve neurological function in MS patients.     

Analysis of Residential Irrigation Distribution Uniformity

Irrigation has become commonplace for residential homeowners desiring high quality landscapes in Florida. The goal of this project was to document irrigation system uniformity in Central Florida and to quantify distribution uniformity of residential sprinkler equipment under controlled conditions. The catch-can testing procedure used was a modified version of both the American Society of Agricultural Engineers standard and Florida Mobile Irrigation Laboratory (MIL) procedures. The modified version included a larger sample size to ensure complete sample collection over the entire irrigated area. The standard MIL procedure may overestimate the uniformity for residential systems. From the tests on residential irrigation systems, the average low quarter distribution uniformity (DUlq) value was calculated as 0.45. Rotary sprinklers resulted in significantly higher DUlq compared to fixed pattern spray heads with 0.49 compared to 0.41, respectively. From uniformity tests performed on rotor and spray heads under ideal conditions, rotor heads had more uniform distributions than the spray heads of 0.55 compared to 0.49, respectively. Spray heads had better uniformity when fixed quarter circle nozzles were used as opposed to adjustable nozzles. Both residential irrigation system and controlled tests resulted in (DUlq) at the low end of industry guidelines. Residential irrigation system uniformity can be improved by minimizing the occurrence of low pressure in the irrigation system and by ensuring proper spacing is used in design and installation.