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To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) in patients with very early and early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (VES-HCC).A retrospective analysis was performed for all TACE procedures done at King's College Hospital, a tertiary liver centre, for VES-HCC during a 5-year period (January 2014-December 2018). Patients with solitary tumours ≤5 cm and patients with 2-3 tumours (each ≤3 cm) were included.Two hundred and thirty-seven eligible patients were included. Technical success was achieved in 233 (98.3%) procedures. TACE using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) was performed in 192 (82.4%) procedures. A complete response was achieved in 109 (45.9%) patients. The recurrence rate was 44% (48 cases), during a median imaging follow-up of 31.9 months (IQR 15.9-44.7). Median overall survival was 71.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 62.9-79.3). Median recurrence-free survival was 58.9 months (95% CI: 47.1-70.7). Sixty-six (27.8%) patients eventually underwent transplantation, and six (2.5%) patients underwent surgical resection. Mild, moderate, and severe adverse events were encountered in 2.9%, 5.4%, and 0.8% of cases, respectively. No 30-day mortality was encountered.DEB-TACE is safe and effective for treating VES-HCC patients, who are unsuitable for thermal ablation or surgery, and may offer comparable survival benefit. It can also be used as a bridge to transplantation for these patients.

The risk of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) has largely been extrapolated from disease cohorts, which underestimate the population prevalence of pathogenic primary LHON variants as a result of incomplete disease penetrance. Understanding the true population prevalence of primary LHON variants, alongside the rate of clinical disease, provides a better understanding of disease risk and variant penetrance. We identified pathogenic primary LHON variants in whole-genome sequencing data of a well-characterized population-based control cohort and found that the prevalence is far greater than previously estimated, as it occurs in approximately 1 in 800 individuals. Accordingly, we were able to more accurately estimate population risk and disease penetrance in LHON variant carriers, validating our findings by using other large control datasets. These findings will inform accurate counseling in relation to the risk of vision loss in LHON variant carriers and disease manifestation in their family. This Matters Arising paper is in response to Lopez Sanchez et al. (2021), published in The American Journal of Human Genetics. See also the response by Mackey et al. (2022), published in this issue.

Worldwide, smartphone use is a major contributing factor to road crash among young drivers. While young drivers may be aware of their heightened crash risk and the legal penalties associated with this behaviour, young drivers continue to engage with their smartphones. The development of novel interventions targeting this behaviour is therefore crucial. The current 2 × 2 between groups experimental study (N = 153, 107F, 43 M, 1 other) investigated the concept of cognitive dissonance in relation to smartphone use among young drivers aged 17–25 years (Mage = 20.66 SD = 2.26). Specifically, it applied the induced hypocrisy paradigm to this context. The induced hypocrisy paradigm elicits cognitive dissonance by asking participants to both advocate for the desired behaviour and identify their engagement in the undesired behaviour. Participants are then motivated to change their behaviour to reduce the feelings of dissonance. The current study investigated the efficacy of both the traditional in-person methodology with a new online methodology. Analyses (e.g., ANCOVA) found that the online conditions were more effective than the in-person groups at eliciting dissonance and that the intervention conditions were more effective in reducing both intention and change in behaviour (from pre- to post-intervention) than the control groups. The intervention groups were also more likely to take/request a flyer about driver distraction. While more research is needed to corroborate these findings, these initial results suggest that cognitive dissonance occurs when young drivers use their smartphones and that the induced hypocrisy paradigm may be an effective intervention. In particular, this study’s findings suggest that an online version of the induced hypocrisy paradigm has merit and may form part of future cost-effective, mass interventions.

Drivers who have higher levels of hazard perception skill also tend to have fewer crashes. Training designed to improve this skill has therefore been proposed as a strategy for reducing crash risk. To date, however, hazard perception training has only been evaluated in supervised settings. This means that improvements in hazard perception skill resulting from such training may not generalize to unsupervised situations, which may limit opportunities for large scale roll-out via automated delivery methods. In the present study, we investigated whether a brief video-based training intervention could improve hazard perception skill when drivers completed it online without supervision. The training involved drivers watching videos of traffic scenes, while generating a commentary of what they were searching for, monitoring, and anticipating in each scene. Drivers then compared their own commentary to a pre-recorded commentary generated by an expert driver, hence allowing for performance feedback without an instructor present. A convenience sample of 93 drivers (who did not receive any performance-related incentives) participated in a randomized control study. The training was found to significantly improve response times to hazards in stimuli from the official hazard perception test used for driver licensing in Queensland, Australia, which is known to predict crash involvement. That is, the training was effective in improving hazard perception skill (Cohen's d = 0.50), even though participants were aware that no one was monitoring the extent to which they engaged in the intervention. Given that the training could, in principle, be deployed at scale with minimal resources (e.g. via any online platform that allows video streaming), the intervention may represent a practical and effective opportunity to improve road safety.

Risky driving behaviours such as mobile phone use and speeding remain common among young people, thereby contributing to their over-representation in road crashes. There is much evidence that similar-aged peer passengers can have a negative impact on a young driver’s behaviour; however, there is also research that supports the positive influence that peer passengers can have when they speak up about risky behaviours. Road safety education programs, such as the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland’s (RACQ) Docudrama program, aim to help young people understand the important role they play as peer passengers and, thus, the importance of being willing to speak up to a driver who may be engaging in risky behaviours. Extending on a previous evaluation of the RACQ Docudrama program, the current study uses an Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour framework to evaluate the program’s effectiveness in influencing peer passengers’ intentions and self-reported behaviour in speaking up against risky driving behaviours, including mobile phone use and speeding. A repeated-measures design compared participants’ responses over 3 time-points: Time 1 (one month before participating in the program), Time 2 (immediately after having participated in the program), and Time 3 (three months after program participation). The results indicate that levels of anticipated regret for having not spoken up were higher following participation in the program suggesting that it encouraged young people to consider how they would feel if something was to happen and they, as passengers, had not tried to prevent it by speaking up. Three months after participating in the program, the majority of participants reported that they were positively influenced by the program in terms of engaging in safer behaviours as passengers; although the significant effects regarding improvements were observed only immediately after participating in the program. The implications of such findings are discussed in terms of the need for some type of ‘booster’ post-program participation to capitalise on the positive immediate effects that the program evokes.

This research implemented both qualitative and quantitative methods to 1) explore young drivers’ (aged between 17 and 25 years) awareness and perceptions of legal sanctions associated with phone use while driving and 2) identify whether the accuracy of their knowledge influences deterrence-related perceptions. In the qualitative phase, 60 Queensland motorists participated in focus groups. The findings of the focus groups highlighted that greater awareness of the penalty for phone use while driving would enable this punishment to act as a more salient deterrent. More specifically, the penalty for hands-free phone use was considered too high, whereas when the penalty was applied to hand-held phone use it was considered reasonable, with some commenting that increasing the fine could be a greater deterrent. However, the penalty also appeared to be linked to the perceived legitimacy of the rule. The quantitative phase utilised a cross-sectioanl survey design and consisted of 503 drivers. Overall, more participants appear to be underestimating (63% underestimated the fine and 37% underestimated the demerit points) as opposed to overestimating (14% overestimated the fine and 22% overestimated the demerit points) the penalty for phone use while driving. As expected, compared to those who accurately estimated the extent of the punishment (both the monetary sanction and the number of demerit points) associated with phone use while driving, drivers who underestimated the phone punishment (points and fine) had significantly lower perceptions of the severity of punishment. These findings suggest that some young drivers do not have sufficient knowledge of mobile phone sanctions, which has significant implications for ongoing attempts to maximise deterrent mechanisms.

In many jurisdictions with Graduated Driver Licensing systems, such as those in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, parents play an important role in teaching their child how to drive and facilitating their access to formal driver education. This study explored parents’ views on these processes in a theoretically grounded manner using the Goals for Driver Education (GDE) Framework. The GDE framework groups influences on young driver behaviour into four interconnected hierarchical levels: vehicle manoeuvring (Level 1), mastery of traffic situations (Level 2), goals and contexts for driving (Level 3) and goals for life and skills for living (Level 4). Fourteen parents of novice drivers participated in five focus groups held in urban and regional locations in South East Queensland, Australia. A six-step thematic analysis was used consisting of (1) familiarisation with the data, (2) generation of initial codes, (3) searching for themes, (4) reviewing themes, (5) defining and naming themes and (6) producing the report. Parents indicated that they were more likely to outsource the teaching of skills at Levels 1 and 2 of the GDE to professional driving instructors as they were concerned that they would pass bad habits onto their child or they were unaware of the road rules that their child was required to follow. Parents believed that they were able to more effectively teach skills located on Levels 3 and 4 of the GDE framework because they had a greater knowledge of their child when compared with professional educators. The study findings can be used to develop an intervention that would support parents to more effectively supervise learner drivers.

Movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases are a variety of conditions that involve progressive neuronal degeneration, injury, or death. Establishing the correct diagnosis of a movement disorder or neurodegenerative process can be difficult due to the variable features of these conditions, unusual clinical presentations, and overlapping symptoms and characteristics. MRI has an important role in the initial assessment of these patients, although a combination of imaging and laboratory and genetic tests is often needed for complete evaluation and management. This document summarizes the imaging appropriateness data for rapidly progressive dementia, chorea, Parkinsonian syndromes, suspected neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, and suspected motor neuron disease. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Summary Rat embryonic stem cells (rESCs) are capable of contributing to all differentiated tissues, including the germ line in chimeric animals, and represent a unique, authentic alternative to mouse embryonic stem cells for studying stem cell pluripotency and self-renewal. Here, we describe an EGFP reporter transgene that tracks expression of the benchmark naive pluripotency marker gene Rex1 (Zfp42) in the rat. Insertion of the EGFP reporter gene downstream of the Rex1 promoter disrupted Rex1 expression, but REX1-deficient rESCs and rats were viable and apparently normal, validating this targeted knockin transgene as a neutral reporter. The Rex1-EGFP gene responded to self-renewal/differentiation factors and validated the critical role of β-catenin/LEF1 signaling. The stem cell reporter also allowed the identification of functionally distinct sub-populations of cells within rESC cultures, thus demonstrating its utility in discriminating between cell states in rat stem cell cultures, as well as providing a tool for tracking Rex1 expression in the rat., Highlights • Rex1-EGFP transgene is a neutral reporter of pluripotency and self-renewal in the rat • Rex1-EGFP transgene responds appropriately to self-renewal and differentiation signaling • Rex1-EGFP transgene allows the discrimination between rat ESC pluripotent states, Rat embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiate into all adult cells, including functional gametes, and uniquely qualify as a comparator with mouse ESCs to study self-renewal and pluripotency. In this article, Burdon and colleagues generated a Rex1-EGFP stem cell reporter as a sensitive tool to monitor and interrogate the regulation of rat ESCs, and contribute to understanding stem cells and fate determination in mammals.

Professional driver education and training has often been found in evaluations to not provide additional safety benefits for young drivers. However, it is possible that identifying how psychosocial factors affect perceptions of driver education may contribute to improve program design, content and implementation. The Goals for Driver Education (GDE) framework was used in this research to explore the impact of various psychosocial factors, such as sensation seeking, normlessness, attitudes towards driver risk taking and positive attitudes towards speeding on the perceptions of young drivers participating in a professional driver education courses. One hundred and fourteen young drivers (Mage = 17.89, SD = 0.85) who had attended a driver education course within the past three years completed an online survey that collected socio-demographic information, perceptions of the benefits of education for individuals learning to drive at each level of the GDE framework, and information about psychosocial factors. Overall, the results suggested that psychosocial factors do affect young driver perceptions of driver education and training. Higher levels of sensation seeking predicted that participants thought it beneficial for novice driver education to focus on vehicle manoeuvring (Level 1), mastery of traffic situations (Level 2) and goals and contexts for driving (Level 3) but not the highest level of the GDE matrix, goals for life. Higher levels of normlessness predicted participants believing it was more beneficial for new drivers to learn about the goals and contexts for driving. This suggests there is a need for driver educators to consider personalising their programs as much as possible to take into account the psychosocial differences between individuals, which may impact on the way they respond to the education they receive.

The current research investigated mindfulness, savoring and temporal balance and how they are related to temporal perspective (TP) in materialistic individuals in a sample of 404 University students. Recent research on materialism and TP has found that highly materialistic individuals are more likely to have a past-negative or present fatalistic perspective rather than a balanced temporal perspective which is considered the most adaptive. Given these findings, it was hypothesized that materialism is negatively related to mindfulness and savoring, which involve having a clear focus on the present moment. It was also hypothesized that materialism is positively associated with the unbalanced types of TP, the “reminiscer”, “futurist” and “time restrictive” and that materialism is associated with deviation from the balanced time perspective (DBTP). In addition, it was hypothesized that mindfulness and savoring mediate the relationship between DBTP and materialism. The results are consistent with these hypotheses as mindfulness was negatively related to materialism and savoring the moment was related to lower levels of materialism. Materialism was also associated with higher DBTP scores and the “reminiscer” and “futurist” unbalanced temporal styles. Mindfulness, savoring the moment and anticipation-savoring were found to be mediators in the DBTP and materialism relationship.

Summary Normative data for vocal attack time (VAT) have previously been presented, but descriptive statistics and assessments of statistical significance of differences have previously been based on a data corpus that included both negative- and positive-valued VATs. Negative VAT values denote a glottal vocal attack, but, at the present time, the signification of the magnitude of a negative VAT value is unknown. The magnitude of a positive VAT value, on the other hand, conveys useful information about glottal behavior at the time of voice onset and is much more likely to be of use, especially in the clinical domain. We present descriptive statistics for the set of positive-valued VATs and demonstrate that the VAT differences between genders and among tone categories in Cantonese remain valid.

Driver inattention and distraction are recognised as two of the most critical factors for road safety worldwide. While roadside advertising is often identified as a potential source of distraction, it has received less attention compared to other types of distractions such as texting or calling while driving. Therefore, this study focused on the impact of roadside advertising signs on driver behaviour and road safety. To examine this, a theory-driven systematic literature review was undertaken. In total, 90 unique documents were identified and reviewed using the Task-Capability Interface (TCI) Model to explain the potential safety impact of roadside advertising. The findings confirmed that the TCI model is a useful tool for describing the relationship between roadside advertising and driver behaviour. From this perspective, roadside advertising signs can be considered environmental clutter, which adds additional demands to the driving task. In particular, roadside advertising signs impaired eye movement patterns of drivers. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the impact of roadside advertising on driving behaviour is greatly moderated by individual differences among drivers. Of great importance was that young drivers invest more attentional resources in interacting with roadside advertising, which suggests a lower capacity to discriminate between relevant and irrelevant driving information. Based on the available evidence, however, it is not possible to definitively conclude that there is a direct relationship between the driving behaviour changes attributed to roadside advertising and road crashes. Nonetheless, while most studies remain inconclusive, there is an emerging trend in the literature suggesting that roadside advertising can increase crash risk, particularly for those signs that have the capacity to frequently change (often referred to as digital billboards). Lastly, it is important to mention that most of the empirical studies undertaken to date feature strong methodological limitations. Consequently, there is an urgent need for more research in this area, given that roadside technology and the transport system are changing rapidly.

Knee valgus alignment has been associated with lower-limb musculoskeletal injury. This case-control study aims to: assess biomechanical differences between patients with patellar tendinopathy and healthy controls.43 military participants (21 cases, 22 controls) were recorded using 3D-motion capture performing progressively demanding, small knee bend, single leg and single leg decline squats. Planned a priori analysis of peak: hip adduction, knee flexion, pelvic tilt, pelvic obliquity and trunk flexion was conducted using MANOVA. Kinematic and kinetic data were graphed with bootstrapped t-tests and 95% CI's normalised to the squat cycle. ANOVA and correlations in SPSS were used for exploratory analysis.On their symptomatic side cases squatted to less depth (-6.62°, p 0.05) than controls with exploratory curve analysis revealing a pattern of increased knee valgus collapse throughout the squatting movement (p 0.05). Greater patella tendon force was generated by: the eccentric than concentric phase of squatting (+30-43%, ES 0.52-1.32, p 0.01), declined (plantarflexed) compared to horizontal surface (+36-51%, ES 1.19-1.68, p 0.01) and deeper knee flexion angles (F ≥ 658.3, p 0.01) with no difference between groups (F ≤ 1.380, p 0.05). Cases experienced more pain on testing on decline board (ES = 0.69, p 0.01). For symptomatic limbs pain (rKnee valgus alignment is a plausible risk factor for patellar tendinopathy. Conclusions relating to causation are limited by the cross-sectional study design. Increasing squat depth, use of a declined surface and isolating the eccentric phase enable progression of loading prescription guided by pain.

The main aim of this study was to concept test nine public education messages; with three different messages targeting each of three salient underlying beliefs in accordance with the Step Approach to Message Design and Testing (SatMDT) framework. The underlying beliefs were: (1) believing you are a good driver would encourage a young driver to monitor/read and respond to social interactive technology while driving; (2) slow-moving traffic would encourage a young driver to monitor/read and respond to social interactive technology while driving; and, (3) friends and peers would approve of a young driver monitoring/reading and responding to communications on their smartphone. Consistent with the SatMDT, the testing aimed to establish which three messages (each targeting a different underlying belief) young drivers reported as being the most effective. A mixed methods approach was utilised to provide an in-depth examination of individuals’ thoughts and feelings about the messages, with such responses assessed via an individual self-report survey and focus group discussions/interviews. Participants (N = 33; 19F, 14 M) were aged 17–25 years, had a current driver's licence, owned a smartphone, and resided in the Australian state of Queensland. Means for each of the survey items were compared across message concepts to determine which ones were rated highest. Focus group discussion/interview responses underwent a data-led thematic analysis. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analyses were integrated to identify three messages that were deemed the most effective, one for each of the three underlying beliefs. Each of these three messages elicited positive emotion and modelled positive behaviour. This research highlights the importance of concept testing message content with the target audience. The results support current research that suggests road safety messages modelling positive behaviour and eliciting positive emotions may be especially persuasive for young drivers.

Affect regulation problems have been found to play an important role in the onset of problematic behavior, such as sexual abuse. The role of emotion and maladaptive coping has become relevant in both research and treatment interventions. Forensic treatments have been strongly influenced by conceptualizations of affect regulation that emphasize the control of emotional experience and expression. For a long time, emotions were treated as less important than cognition. However, the view of emotion as an adaptive resource and meaning system is now emerging in the forensic literature. General psychotherapy research has shown that improved affect regulation and deeper experiencing is associated with better outcomes in psychotherapy. These findings, in combination with the role of emotions in behavioral and relational functioning, are leading to a shift in forensic treatment approaches. In this paper, we review the literature on affect regulation in treatment programs for individuals who have committed sexual offenses. The implications of this work for forensic practice will be considered. Finally, Emotion-Focused Therapy will be presented as a promising therapeutic approach for forensic treatment programs to promote clients' emotional engagement and processing, and to improve treatment outcomes.

Background Easy access to effective over-the-counter (OTC) treatments allows self-management of some conditions, however inappropriate or incorrect supply or use of OTC medicines can cause harm. Pharmacy personnel should support consumers in their health-seeking behaviour by utilising effective communication skills underpinned by clinical knowledge. Objective To identify interventions targeted towards improving communication between consumers and pharmacy personnel during OTC consultations in the community pharmacy setting. Methods Systematic review and narrative analysis. Databases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, Psycinfo, Cochrane Central Register and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for literature published between 2000 and 30 October 2014, as well as reference lists of included articles. The search was re-run on 18 January 2016 and 25 September 2017 to maximise the currency. Two reviewers independently screened retrieved articles for inclusion, assessed study quality and extracted data. Full publications of intervention studies were included. Participants were community pharmacy personnel and/or consumers involved in OTC consultations. Interventions which aimed to improve communication during OTC consultations in the community pharmacy setting were included if they involved a direct measurable communication outcome. Studies reporting attitudes and measures not quantifiable were excluded. The protocol was published on Prospero Database of Systematic Reviews. Results Of 4978 records identified, 11 studies met inclusion criteria. Interventions evaluated were: face-to-face training sessions (n = 10); role-plays (n = 9); a software decision making program (n = 1); and simulated patient (SP) visits followed by immediate feedback (n = 1). Outcomes were measured using: SP methodology (n = 10) and a survey (n = 1), with most (n = 10) reporting a level of improvement in some communication behaviours. Conclusion Empirical evaluation of interventions using active learning techniques such as face-to-face training with role-play can improve some communication skills. However interventions that are not fully described limit the ability for replication and/or generalisability. This review identified interventions targeting pharmacy personnel. Future interventions to improve communication should consider the consumer's role in OTC consultations.

Biosolarization is an alternative to chemical fumigation that couples solarization and organic amendments to control diseases by increasing temperature and microbial activity. A field study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of biosolarization, using almond processing residues from two varieties, to control propagules of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of lettuce. Peak soil temperatures of solarized and biosolarized soils were 6–15 °C higher than control soils, and biosolarized soils experienced 1 to 3 °C higher temperatures on average and 10 to 27°C-day higher cumulative temperatures than soil solarized without amendment. Residues were high in endogenous organic acids, between 144 and 298 mM combined acetic, lactic, succinic, and butyric acids. After eight days of treatment, solarized soils only reduced the population of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae by 9% compared to the average non-treated non-amended control plots; whereas soils solarized and amended with residues from pollinator varieties of almonds showed a greater pathogen reduction of 63%. In this instance, Fusarium wilt had no effect on plant health due to low pressure and moderate innate plant resistance. Soils amended with nonpareil residues had similar lettuce biomass and health scores to untreated plots, but lower health scores than the solarized treatments. This may be due to residual organic acids detected in biosolarized plots 3–4 weeks after treatments (1–57 mM), which significantly correlated to poor lettuce health score. Roughly, one year after soil treatment, solarized plots continued to out-perform pollinator-residue amended plots. Germination assays indicate biosolarization outcomes may be improved with increased aerobic remediation time.

Objectives To situate the current status of accreditation in four key international societies, ASPASP, FEPSAC, AASP, and ISSP, in a historical backdrop and then to draw on these approaches to propose future directions and developments relating to practical standards. Design A review of the origins and current status of accreditation in four international sport psychology societies is utilized to situate the recent prominence of professional standards and the importance of these in our global professional community. This review is written temporally from past, to present, to future prospects. Method A presentation of societal accreditation foci is situated temporally using the following structure: (a) emergence and historical backdrop from each society, (b) emergence and reasoning for accreditation, (c) current societal standards/status of accreditation, (d) future developments in the society's accreditation system, and (e) reflections and recommendations for global standards, with suggestions of how this might be accomplished. Results The presentation of scholarship is intended to serve as a form of advocacy for improved accreditation standards within the global professional community. The societal perspectives call for a balance between localized cultural infusion and proposed global guidelines upon which professionals might meet a converged reasonable practice threshold. Conclusions Sport psychology accreditation is increasingly important as the applied realm of this profession spans community physical activity/recreation, and developmental and elite/professional sport. Accredited practices must integrate universal and local approaches.

In a randomized between-subjects design, we evaluated the effectiveness of each of three non-confrontational handling interventions compared to no intervention control on the behavior of horses during a single-trial simulated mildly aversive health care scenario. These handling interventions included withers scratching (WITHERS, n = 12), face and eye rubbing (EYES, n = 12), and feeding (FEED, n = 12) for comparison with no intervention control (CON, n = 12). The simulated health care scenario included confinement in a novel clinical environment away from pasture mates, along with a 3-min exposure to a mildly aversive auditory stimulus (electric sheep shears hand held at a standard 3 m from the horse, 85 dB at ear level of horse). Sessions were video recorded for subsequent detailed quantitative evaluation of avoidance/stress behavior responses during the 3-min auditory stimulus. Additionally, heart rate was telemetrically recorded at 5-s intervals during the 3-min auditory stimulus. Mean (+/− SE) avoidance/stress response frequency was 13.7 (3.2) for FEED, 26.9 (2.7) for EYES, 30.4 (5.2) for WITHERS, and 44.2 (5.3) for CON. FEED, EYES and WITHERS each differed significantly from CON (P

A probabilistic model for ice forces on a caisson platform in the Beaufort Sea was used to evaluate two different approaches for describing pack ice pressure. The ridge-building equation in the ISO Arctic offshore structures standard was compared to a more recently derived exceedance curve (EC) approach. The results indicated that the EC approach yielded a wider range of pack ice pressures compared to ISO estimates; however, when these results were used to determine the ultimate ice force on the platform, the effect of the pack ice approach selected was minimal. The influence of floe size in affecting the pack ice pressure did not yield agreement amongst several data sets examined. Furthermore, the influence of adfreeze was examined but no definite relationship was quantified. The paper discusses the engineering implications of these results in the context of offshore structure design. When evaluating the ice loads at a candidate site for offshore development, relevant information on floe size distribution and pack ice thickness, concentration, and movement are required in order to assess the influence of pack ice pressure on design calculations.

This study was guided by an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and identified factors that predict young, predominantly university student drivers' intentions to engage in initiating, monitoring/reading, and responding to social interactive technology (e.g., Facebook, email) on a smartphone. Participants (N = 114) were aged 17–25 years. The standard TPB constructs of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control were assessed in an online survey, as well as the additional predictors of anticipated regret, moral norm, mobile phone involvement, and cognitive capture. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed the standard constructs accounted for 67%, 56%, and 65% of variance in intentions to initiate, monitor/read, and respond, respectively, with the extended variables contributing additional variance. For initiating behaviour, for example, attitude, subjective norm, PBC, and cognitive capture all had significant, positive relationships with intention, while moral norm had a significant, negative relationship. For responding behaviour, attitude, subjective norm, PBC, and cognitive capture all had significant, positive relationships with intention, while anticipated action regret had a significant, negative relationship. These different combinations of significant predictors of intentions for each of the three behaviours (i.e., initiating, monitoring/reading, and responding) suggest that they may be distinct and require different public education message content to influence young drivers’ behaviours.

Young driver speeding behaviour remains a large contributor to road trauma worldwide. In order to provide a more-in depth understanding of how to deter young drivers from this behaviour, this study developed and tested a model of the legal and non-legal factors that influence young driver’s intentional speeding behaviour (exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 km/hr). A prospective survey design was conducted to measure the impact of perceptions of legal factors (including classical deterrence and reconceptualised deterrence variables) and non-legal factors (including the variables of fear of physical loss, material loss and perceived social sanctions, as well as the perception that it is safe to engage in the behaviour without being involved in a crash) at time 1, on engagement in speeding behaviour at time 2, which occurred 3 months later. A total of 200 participants aged 17–25 years completed both surveys (Mean age = 20.44 years). Using structural equation modelling, a unique model combining classical and extended deterrence theory, as well as prominent non-legal factors was created, and the variables were able to explain 41% of the variance in speeding behaviour. A high perceived severity of the punishment, experiencing direct punishment avoidance and perceiving that it is safe to speed were significant direct predictors. Meanwhile, there were also numerous significant partially mediated relationships found for both legal and non-legal variables. These findings provide important implications for both the application of deterrence-based theories in road safety and for improving countermeasures to deter young drivers more effectively from engagement in speeding.

Young drivers are more likely than any other age group to access social interactive technology (e.g., Facebook, email) on a smartphone while driving. The current study formed part of a larger investigation and was guided by the The Step Approach to Message Design and Testing (SatMDT) to evaluate the relative effectiveness of three different public education messages aimed at reducing smartphone use among young drivers. The messages were each adapted to the specific behaviours of monitoring/reading and responding to social interactive technology on smartphones. Participants (N = 288; 199F, 89M) were drivers aged 17 to 25 years who resided in the Australian state of Queensland. Message acceptance (i.e., intention and effectiveness) and message rejection were both assessed using a self-report survey. Multivariate analyses found that, overall, the messages targeting monitoring/reading behaviour were considered more effective than those targeting responding behaviour. The message that challenged the underlying motivation that believing you are a good driver makes it easier to monitor/read social interactive technology while driving was considered particularly effective by young male drivers.

In Australia, young drivers aged 17 to 25 years comprise 13% of the population yet account for 22% of all road deaths with young males overrepresented in such trauma. Speeding represents a major contributing factor and advertising campaigns have long focused on promoting anti-speeding messages in the effort to reduce drivers’ speeds. Positioned within a larger program of research aimed at developing, piloting, and evaluating a range of theoretically-informed anti-speeding messages, the current study reports results relating to the final phase of the research, the evaluation. Six messages were devised in accordance with the guiding framework, the Step approach to Message Design and Testing ([SatMDT]; Lewis et al., 2016) and based on the findings emerging from earlier qualitative and quantitative studies within the program of research. N = 938 licensed drivers (n = 455 males, 48%) aged 17-62 years completed an online survey. To ensure a controlled test of the persuasiveness of the message content, the messages were presented in an audio-based format and thus were devoid of potential confounds, such as images. The messages sought to address a particular belief (i.e., behavioural, normative, control) and to focus either on emphasising the positive aspects which make speeding less likely or challenging the negative aspects which make speeding more likely. Thus, key to this evaluation was to test the persuasiveness of the message content in terms of the particular belief and focus it was addressing. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Control condition (i.e., no exposure to a message) or the Intervention condition (i.e., exposed to one of the six messages presented as an audio-recorded message within the survey). Persuasiveness was assessed via a range of outcome measures including both direct (i.e., third-person perceptions, message rejection) as well as indirect measures (i.e., intentions, willingness to speed). Age, gender, and message type were independent variables (IVs), together with issue involvement as a covariate (or IV) in the study’s analyses. Overall, positive persuasive effects, and a relative absence of any negative, dissuasive effects, were found for two messages, Glass Cars and The Lift. These messages addressed the same salient belief, control beliefs, with the former emphasising the factors which discourage speeding and the latter message challenging those factors which encourage speeding. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the insights they offer for the key content of future anti-speeding messages.

This study compared measures of achievement motivation, life satisfaction, academic stress, and locus of control across 307 U.S. and international undergraduate students. Descriptive statistics and MANOVA were used to analyze the variables. A hierarchical multiple regression was employed to determine the extent to which locus of control, academic stress, and life satisfaction predicted achievement motivation. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between U.S. and international students as related to achievement motivation. Further analysis revealed significant relationships among predictor and criterion variables. Locus of control, academic stress, and life satisfaction significantly explained 18% of the variance in achievement motivation. However, a comparison of model fit between U.S. and international students revealed no statistically significant differences.

Demands for greater accountability and transparency in health care are increasing the visibility of professional case managers, including to fulfill the crucial care coordination role. While the competency of professional case managers can be assured through board certification, there is a growing need for preparation of case managers as they transition into the practice. This concern is also highlighted by recent research in the case management field, in which 89% of respondents said they use on-the-job training as their primary method to learn case management. Given the interdisciplinary nature of case management, there is a greater need to address how health and human services professionals are prepared for the advanced practice of case management. With few formal education programs in case management, greater dialogue and cooperation among interprofessional educators and case management leaders are needed to ensure a robust case management workforce development pipeline is established, with more professionals from multiple disciplines entering at earlier stages in their careers.

We have an active undergraduate research program at the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory (UCIBAL) focused on the study of environmental materials. Accelerator-based ion-beam analysis (IBA) is a powerful tool for the study of environmental pollution because it can provide information on a broad range of elements with high sensitivity and low detection limits, is non-destructive, and requires little or no sample preparation. It also provides excellent training for the next generation of environmental scientists. Beams of protons and alpha particles with energies of a few MeV from the 1.1-MV tandem Pelletron accelerator (NEC Model 3SDH) in the UCIBAL are used to characterize environmental samples using IBA techniques such as proton-induced X-ray emission, Rutherford back-scattering, and proton-induced gamma-ray emission. Recent projects include the characterization of atmospheric aerosols in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, the study of heavy metal pollutants in river sediment, measurements of Pb diffusion in sulfide minerals to help constrain the determination of the age of iron meteorites, and the search for heavy metals and toxins in artificial turf.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are a rapidly growing global market advertised as a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes. However, comprehensive investigations of END aerosol physicochemical and toxicological properties have not been fully explored across brands to assess relative safety. In this study, we evaluated aerosols collected from three ENDS – Juul Fruit Medley (5% nicotine), Logic Power (2.4% nicotine), and Mistic (1.8% nicotine). ENDS aerosols were generated using standard machine puffing regimen and collected with a novel fluoropolymer condensation trap. Triple quadrupole-inductively coupled plasma-mass determined the presence of heavy metals in collected aerosols. The toxicological effects of ENDS aerosols on normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) were investigated using cellular viability, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress assays, along with DNA damage assessments using the CometChip(©). Results indicated the total metal concentrations within collected ENDS aerosols were higher for Mistic and Logic compared to Juul. Logic Power aerosols elicited higher reactive oxygen species levels than Mistic and Juul in NHBE after 24-hr exposure. Similar dose-dependent reductions of cellular viability and total glutathione were found for each exposure. However, Logic and Juul aerosols caused greater single stranded DNA damage compared to Mistic. Our study indicates that regardless of brand, ENDS aerosols are toxic to upper airway epithelial cells and may pose a potential respiratory hazard to occasional and frequent users.

Trajectory estimation of an oil spill in ice-covered waters is essential for response planning and risk assessment. This paper presents the preliminary development of a new computational model for the estimation of spreading and surface transport of oil in the presence of ice. A new approach for the estimation of spreading in 0.8–0.95 ice concentration range is proposed. Additionally, for the first time the pumping of floating in‑leads oil onto or under ice floes with closing leads is modelled. The model is able to estimate the mobilization of under-ice oil and its potential subsequent surfacing and works as a stand-alone model with any rectangular-grid ice-ocean model. The model was used to simulate trajectories of two real-life spill events, a field experiment in the Barents Sea where oil and ice were observed to move together and an accidental spill in the Gulf of Finland. Model results were generally consistent with observations.

Extracellular vesicles (EV), including exosomes and microvesicles, are nano-sized intercellular communication vehicles that participate in a multitude of physiological processes. Due to their biological properties, they are also promising candidates for the systemic delivery of therapeutic compounds, such as cytokines, chemotherapeutic drugs, siRNAs and viral vectors. However, low EV production yield and rapid clearance of administered EV by liver macrophages limit their potential use as therapeutic vehicles. We have used a hollow-fiber bioreactor for the efficient production of bioactive EV bearing the heterodimeric cytokine complex Interleukin-15:Interleukin-15 receptor alpha. Bioreactor culture yielded ∼40-fold more EV per mL conditioned medium, as compared to conventional cell culture. Biophysical analysis and comparative proteomics suggested a more diverse population of EV in the bioreactor preparations, while serum protein contaminants were detectable only in conventional culture EV preparations. We also identified the Scavenger Receptor Class A family (SR-A) as a novel monocyte/macrophage uptake receptor for EV. In vivo blockade of SR-A with dextran sulfate dramatically decreased EV liver clearance in mice, while enhancing tumor accumulation. These findings facilitate development of EV therapeutic methods.