Using state administrative data to study nonfatal worker injuries: challenges and opportunities

PROBLEM: Administrative data from states have the potential to capture broader representation of worker injury, facilitating examination of trends, correlates, and patterns. While many states use their workers' compensation (WC) data to document frequency and type of injury, few conduct in-depth examinations of patterns of injury and other etiologies. Administrative data are generally an untapped resource. METHOD: Comparisons are made among four state databases used in a study linking worker injuries and patient outcomes in hospitals and nursing homes. RESULTS: Worker injury data varies in terms of inclusion criteria, variables, and coding schemes used. Linkages to organizational level characteristics can be difficult. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limitations, data can be used to study injury patterns and etiologies. Users must be knowledgeable and recognize how database characteristics may influence results.     

The relationship between environmental management strategies and environmental compliance at Marine Corps installations

Environmental compliance requirements periodically impact the military's ability to use all installation resources. In response, environmental management strategies have been developed to ensure compliance and allow site closure. This study examines the relationship between environmental management strategies and environmental compliance at U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) installations via analysis of environmental compliance audit scores. Five environmental scores of interest from 1998 to 2004 audits—which include total compliance, total management, audit management, policy management, and training management—were subjected to statistical analysis. Results showed the USMC met environmental compliance and management standards, despite limited resources. High management strategy scores were moderately correlated with high total compliance scores. Total management scores improved over time, and noncompliance was most often associated with a lack of resources and plans. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Modulation of attention and urgent decisions by affect-laden roadside advertisement in risky driving scenarios

In road safety literature the effects of emotional content and salience of advertising billboards have been scarcely investigated. The main aim of this work was to uncover how affect-laden roadside advertisements can affect attention – eye-movements – and subsequent risky decisions – braking – on the Honda Riding Trainer motorcycle simulator. Results indicated that the number of fixations and total fixation time elicited by the negative and positive emotional advertisements were larger than the neutral ones. At the same time, negative pictures got later gaze disengagement than positive and neutral ones. This attentional capture results in less eye fixation times on the road relevant region, where the important driving events happen. Finally, the negative emotional valence advertisements sped up braking on subsequent risky situations. Overall results demonstrated how advertisements with emotional content modulate attention allocation and driving decisions in risky situations and might be helpful for designing roadside advertisements regulations and risk prevention programs.     

Arsenic tissue concentration of immature mice one hour after oral exposure to gold mine tailings

A potentially high bioavailability of arsenic in gold mine tailings from a site in northern California has been suggested by solubility studies. To help address this issue, an in vivo dosing study was conducted using 12dayold Swiss Webster mouse pups (n=8/group). A sample of sizefractionated mine tailings from the site (<20m particle size, 691g g^–1 arsenic) was prepared as an aqueous suspension and administered by gavage in a volume that provided 4mg As/kg body weight. The control group received the same volume of a commercial soil (1g g^–1 As) of similar particle size (<60m). No mortality or toxic signs were noted in either group. Tissue samples were collected 1h after gavage, freezedried, microwavedigested and analysed for arsenic by ICP/MS (detection limit 2ng As g^–1 dry weight). Arsenic concentrations (ng As g^–1 dry weight) in tissues from the pups who received mine tailings were significantly higher than in control tissues. The mean elevation in arsenic concentration was highest in the liver (3364% of control, p<0.0001), followed by blood (818 of control, p<0.0001), skin (207% of control, p=0.07), and brain (143% of control, p<0.0001). The carcass arsenic concentration (excluding the GI tract, liver, brain and skin) was 138 of control (p=0.02). The data indicate uptake of arsenic from weathered mine tailings by the immature mouse pups after oral exposure.     

Dealing with pollution from conflict: Analysis of discourses around the 2006 Lebanon oil spill

In July 2006 a war between Lebanon and Israel resulted in severe environmental damage in Lebanon from Israeli bombing raids. An attack on the Lebanese Jiyyeh Power Plant released 15,000 tons of heavy fuel oil into the Mediterranean Sea. Remarkably, a clean-up operation was effected despite a continued state of war and lack of capacity in the Lebanese government. Civil society environmentalists played a key role in dealing with the pollution and complying with pollution-control legislation. In this study we use Q-methodology to analyse discourses on the effectiveness of pollution legislation during times of conflict using the Jiyyeh oil spill as an example. We interviewed 35 people from eight different stakeholder groups involved in environmental issues. Five distinct discourses were generated covering compensation schemes, need for new legislation, role of stakeholders during wartime and strengthening government ministries.     

Ultrasound diagnosis of the pena shokeir phenotype at 14 weeks of pregnancy

This report describes the early prenatal diagnosis of the Pena Shokeir phenotype in an at-risk patient at 14 weeks' gestation. The diagnosis was based on an abnormal fetal movement profile, in association with an abnormal position of the fetal limbs. Pena Shokeir phenotype describes an inherited condition characterized by arthrogryposis and dysmorphic features as a result of fetal akinesia. It is a lethal abnormality and early diagnosis allows safer surgical methods of termination.     

Using negative emotional feedback to modify risky behavior of young moped riders

Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate whether the use of messages with negative emotional content is effective in promoting safe behavior of moped riders and how exactly these messages modulate rider behavior.

Methods: Participants received negative feedback when performing risky behaviors using a computer task. The effectiveness of this treatment was subsequently tested in a riding simulator.

Results: The results demonstrated how riders receiving negative feedback had a lower number of traffic accidents than a control group. The reduction in accidents was accompanied by a set of changes in the riding behavior. We observed a lower average speed and greater respect for speed limits. Furthermore, analysis of the steering wheel variance, throttle variance, and average braking force provided evidence for a more even and homogenous riding style. This greater abidance of traffic regulations and friendlier riding style could explain some of the causes behind the reduction in accidents.

Conclusions: The use of negative emotional feedback in driving schools or advanced rider assistance systems could enhance riding performance, making riders aware of unsafe practices and helping them to establish more accurate riding habits. Moreover, the combination of riding simulators and feedback—for example, in the training of novice riders and traffic offenders—could be an efficient tool to improve their hazard perception skills and promote safer behaviors.     

Catalysts for change: the emerging role of participatory research in land management

Land management is a complex process which involves the interaction of biophysical and social variables. New demands are being placed on biophysical researchers working in land management to communicate more effectively with the public and to involve the public in the research process. The catalysts for change in the practice of land management research are clearly outlined with respect to pressures from new government policies, from institutions funding research, from communities in which the research is occurring and from within the academic environment itself. In order to meet these new demands, collaborative efforts – incorporating different academic disciplines and between researchers and communities – must occur. Traditional scientific approaches can benefit from the incorporation of techniques and approaches used within participatory research. The concept of participation and its relevance to biophysical research in land management is discussed, as well as the key characteristics of participatory research. Examples, predominantly from Australia, are provided; however the global scope of the changes is highlighted.It is increasingly recognized that agriculture is a complex social process, not simply a complex, diverse and risky technical activity. This implies new theoretical as well as methodological challenges..(present author's emphasis) (Scoones and Thompson, 1994, p. 5).