Human factors in driving accidents: A cognitive investigation in the Gulf context

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S137-S138
Author(s):  
Y. Alotaibi

IntroductionHuman factors have been reported as the reason behind the majority of car accidents. However, to date, no studies at least in the Arab world generally and Gulf area specifically, conducted a comprehensive examination of cognitive functioning as potential predictors of car accidents and driving violations.ObjectivesExamining the role of cognitive functions e.g., verbal working memory, attentional control as predictors of traffic accidents and driving violations.AimsExamining the predictability of individual's cognition of occurrence of driving violations and accidents.MethodsThe study was carried on a sample of hundred and thirty two participants whose age ranged between 24 and 31 years. They were classified into groups of violators and non-violators, accident free and accident involved as well. Cognitive functioning were measured using self-reports and task performance, and a series of ANOVAS as well as stepwise multiple regressions were conducted to test the research hypothesis.ResultsFindings showed significant differences between violators and non-violators and between the accident free and accident involved groups in almost all of the considered factors, except for the decision making factor. Moreover, Pearson product-moment correlations showed that there were significant negative correlations between age, driving violations, and cognitive performance and the accidents.ConclusionsHuman cognition such as executive functioning and mental planning are key factors for predicting driving behavior and traffic accidents. The study results have many implications in diagnosing and preventing or at least reducing driving violations and road accidents.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S557-S557
Author(s):  
B. Abuhamda ◽  
A. Soliman

IntroductionThe suppression of negative feelings and traumatic events has detrimental effect on mental and physical health. One of the promising techniques to reduce stress related to trauma is expressive writing. Expressive writing has been found successful with different types of maladaptive behaviors e.g., pain, depression, anxiety and cognitive dysfunctioning.ObjectivesThis study investigates the impact of different categories of expressive writing on improving every day memory performance and cognitive functioning.AimsExamining the impact of cognitive functioning and everyday memory.MethodsA sample of 90 participants took part in this study. The participants aged (21 and 65 yrs.) 47 of them are females aged between average of (21.64 yrs.), and 43 males aged between average of (21, 49 yrs.). The participants were classified randomly into three groups (a control group, and two experimental groups [pen and oral writing]). The three groups were administered the Every Memory Questionnaire and Taranto Alexithymia Scale.ResultsThe results showed that there were no significant differences among the three groups in each of the Alexithymia and Everyday memory, which indicates random distribution of the three groups. The results showed that both of the experimental groups were improved on everyday memory functioning. More importantly, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between using pen or figures in expressive writing to improve Everyday memory.ConclusionStudy results showed the significant impact of expressive writing on every day memory functioning, furthermore, the study results are used to empathize on the cognitive rehabilitation of the individuals as well as to improve self-esteem on general psychological individual cases.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


Author(s):  
И.Б. Алчинова ◽  
М.В. Полякова ◽  
И.Н. Сабурина ◽  
М.Ю. Карганов

Механизм терапевтического действия мультипотентных мезенхимных стволовых клеток (ММСК) на облученный организм в последнее время вызывает повышенный интерес исследователей. В качестве активного участника паракринного механизма реализации этого эффекта предлагают рассматривать внеклеточные везикулы, секретируемые практически всеми клетками живого организма. Цель работы: выделить и охарактеризовать внеклеточные везикулы, продуцируемые стволовыми клетками различной природы. Материалы и методы. Суспензии внеклеточных везикул, выделенных по модифицированному протоколу дифференциального центрифугирования из культуральных жидкостей от культур ММСК костного мозга человека 2-го пассажа и ММСК жировой ткани крысы 4-го пассажа, были проанализированы методом просвечивающей электронной микроскопии и методом анализа траекторий наночастиц. Результаты. Исследование показало наличие в обоих образцах микрочастиц размерами до и около 100 нм, однако процентное содержание частиц разных размеров в суспензии различалось для двух анализируемых типов клеток. Заключение. Полученные результаты могут свидетельствовать о специфике секреции, обусловленной клеточным типом. A mechanism of the therapeutic effect of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MMSC) on irradiated body has recently arisen much interest of researchers. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by almost all cells of a living organism were suggested to actively contribute to the paracrine mechanism of this effect. The aim of the study was isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles produced by various types of stem cells. Materials and methods. Suspensions of EVs were isolated from culture media of passage 2 human bone marrow-derived MMSC and passage 4 rat adipose tissue-derived MMSC using a modified protocol of differential centrifugation and then studied using transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Results. The study showed the presence of microparticles with a size of >100 nm in the examined samples. However, the percent content of particles with different sizes in the suspension was different in two analyzed types of cell culture. Conclusion. The study results might reflect a specificity of secretion determined by the cell type.


CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S69-S69
Author(s):  
V. Tsang ◽  
K. Bao ◽  
J. Taylor

Introduction: Whole-body computed tomography scans (WBCT) are a mainstay in the work-up of polytrauma or multiple trauma patients in the emergency department. While incredibly useful for identifying traumatic injuries, WBCTs also reveal incidental findings in patients, some of which require further diagnostic testing and subsequent treatment. Although the presence of incidental findings in WBCTs have been well documented, there has been no systematic review conducted to organize and interpret findings, determine IF prevalence, and document strategies for best management. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, PUBMED, and EMBASE. Specific journals and reference lists were hand-mined, and Google Scholar was used to find any additional papers. Data synthesis was performed to gather information on patient demographics, prevalence and type of incidental findings (IFs), and follow-up management was collected. All documents were independently assessed by the two reviewers for inclusion and any disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results: 1231 study results were identified, 59 abstracts, and 12 included in final review. A mean of 53.9% of patients had at least one IF identified, 31.5% had major findings, and 68.5% had minor findings. A mean of 2.7 IFs per patient was reported for articles that included number of total IFs. The mean age of patients included in the studies were 44 years old with IFs more common in older patients and men with more IFs than women. IFs were most commonly found in the abdominal/pelvic region followed by kidneys. Frequency of follow-up documentation was poor. The most common reported mechanisms of injury for patients included in the study were MVA and road traffic accidents (60.0%) followed by falls from >3m (23.2%). Conclusion: Although there is good documentation on the mechanism of injury, patient demographics, and type of IF, follow-up for IFs following acute trauma admission lacks documentation and follow-up and is an identified issue in patient management. There is great need for systematic protocols to address management of IFs in polytrauma patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S457-S458
Author(s):  
N. Zvereva ◽  
N. Simashkova ◽  
A. Koval-Zaitsev

IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder and early onset schizophrenia have many similar symptoms, however, these are different disorders. It is important to identify the main similarities\differences in the structure of cognitive impairment to define further assistance these children correctly. We distinguished two options for cognitive defect (total and partial) in children with schizophrenia.AimsComparison of cognitive functions at children with autism spectrum disorder and early onset schizophrenia.ObjectivesTwo groups with autism spectrum disorder (ASD1 – 22 patients of MHRC mean age 8.9; ASD2 – 27 pupils of special school mean age 7,4). Two groups with early onset schizophrenia (F20.8 – 16 patients of MHRC mean age 10,2; F21 – 18 patients of MHRC mean age 10.0).MethodsBattery of pathopsychological tests for assessing cognitive functions (memory, attention, thinking), test figures of Leeper for visual perception. Z-scales were used for estimation of cognitive deficit or defect.ResultsPatients demonstrate variety of cognitive functioning. Normal cognitive functioning: ASD1* – 22%, F20.8 – 18%, F21* – 50% (* – P ≤ 0.05); partial cognitive defect: ASD1 – 27%, F20.8 – 18%, F21 – 22%; total cognitive defect: ASD1** – 50%, F20.8 – 64%, F21** – 27% (** – P ≤ 0.01). ASD1 and F20 were the worth in thinking. Children ASD1 and ASD2 demonstrate similar success in recognizing Leeper's figures.ConclusionsThere are some common features of cognitive development in children with severe forms of ASD and early onset schizophrenia, first of all in thinking.No significant differences obtained between severe – mild forms of autistic disorders in visual perception (ASD1 and ASD2).Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S603-S603
Author(s):  
D. Torres ◽  
G. Martinez-Ales ◽  
M. Quintana ◽  
V. Pastor ◽  
M.F. Bravo

IntroductionSuicide causes 1.4% of deaths worldwide. Twenty times more frequent, suicide attempts entail an important source of disability and of psychosocial and medical resources use.ObjectiveTo describe main socio-demographical and psychiatric risk factors of suicide attempters treated in a general hospital's emergency room basis.AimsTo identify individual features potentially useful to improve both emergency treatments and resource investment.MethodsA descriptive study including data from 2894 patients treated in a general hospital's emergency room after a suicidal attempt between years 2006 and 2014.ResultsSixty-nine percent of the population treated after an attempted suicide were women. Mean age was 38 years old. Sixty-six percent had familiar support; 48.5% had previously attempted a suicide (13% did not answer this point); 72.6% showed a personal history of psychiatric illness. Drug use was present in 38.3% of the patients (20.3% did not answer this question); 23.5% were admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit. Medium cost of a psychiatric hospitalization was found to be 4900 euros.ConclusionThis study results agree with previously reported data. Further observational studies are needed in order to bear out these findings, rule out potential confounders and thus infer and quantify causality related to each risk factor.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-13
Author(s):  
Zack Z. Cernovsky ◽  
Milad Fattahi

Background: Survivors of high impact car accidents, when traveling in cars as passengers, may exhibit the phantom brake reaction. The reaction consists of involuntarily pressing the foot on the floor of the car in a reflexive attempt "to brake", even though there is no brake pedal in front of the passenger seat. This study examines the incidence and correlates of this special phenomenon. Method: De-identified data of 114 survivors (37 men, 77 women; mean age 38.6, SD=12.4) of high impact motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) were available, with their responses to the Brief Pain Inventory, Insomnia Severity Index, Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire, Subjective Neuropsychological Symptoms Scale (SNPSS), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), ratings of depression and of generalized anxiety, and 3 questionnaire measures of driving anxiety, i.e., Whetstone’s, Steiner’s, and the Driving Anxiety Questionnaire (DAQ). One item of the DAQ assesses the phantom brake phenomenon on a 4-point scale (0=No, 1=Mild, 2=Moderate, 3=Severe): this is the key variable in the present study. Results: Mild to severe forms of the phantom brake reaction were reported by 92.1% of the post-MVA patients. Significant correlations (p<0.05, 2-tailed) were found of the intensity of phantom brake reaction to the intensity of post-MVA pain (rs from 0.20 to 0.33), insomnia (r=0.40), the Rivermead post-concussion scale (r=.29), other post-concussive and whiplash symptoms as measured by the SNPSS (r=0.19), depression (r=0.30), generalized anxiety (r=0.32), and to DAQ (r=0.47) and Whetstone’s (r=0.50) measures of driving anxiety. No significant relationships were found of the phantom brake reaction to age and gender. Discussion and Conclusion: The phantom brake reaction was reported by almost all post-MVA patients and can be considered as a part of their post-MVA polytraumatic symptom pattern.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-250
Author(s):  
Dinh Hiep ◽  
Vu V. Huy ◽  
Teppei Kato ◽  
Aya Kojima ◽  
Hisashi Kubota

Introduction: One of the significant characteristics of schools in Vietnam is that almost all parents send their children to school and/or pick up their children from school using private vehicles (motorcycles). The parents usually stop and park their vehicle on streets outside the school gates, which can lead to serious congestion and increases the likelihood of traffic accidents. Methods: The objective of this study is to find out factors affecting the picking up of pupils at primary school by evaluating the typical primary schools in Hanoi city. A binary logistic regression model was used to determine factors that influence the decision of picking up pupils and the waiting duration of parents. The behavior of motorcyclists during the process of picking up pupils at the primary school gate has been identified and analyzed in detail by the Kinovea software. Results and Discussion: The study showed that, on the way back home, almost all parents use motorbikes (89.15%) to pick up their children. During their waiting time (8.48 minutes in average), they made a lot of illegal parking actions on the street there by, causing a lot of “cognitive” errors and “crash” points surrounding in front of the primary school entrance gate. Risky picking-up behaviors were significantly observed, i.e. picking-up on opposite side of the school, making a U-turn, backing-up dangerously, parking on the middle of street, and parking on the street next to sidewalk). Conclusion: Based on the analyzed results, several traffic management measures have been suggested to enhance traffic safety and reduce traffic congestion in front of school gates. In addition, the results of the study will provide a useful reference for policymakers and authorities.


Author(s):  
Peter Flynn

In 2006 my university academic IT support group was approached by an academic colleague wanting to start a new journal, which would be available in electronic form only. There were restrictions imposed by the technical capabilities of the pool of authors, the requirements of the discipline, and — unsurprisingly — the lack of financial resources. The decision was made to implement a system using only open source software, and building largely from scratch, as the existing open source journal publishing systems at the time, although comprehensive and well-established, were seen as far too large and complex for the task. This paper is a case study describing the process and explaining the background to the decisions made. It attempts to draw some conclusions about the technical viability of creating a small-scale publishing system which attempted to retain XML throughout the workflow, and about the human factors which influenced the decisions.


Author(s):  
Mekuannet Belay Kebede ◽  
Degefa Gebissa

Genetic improvement in components of economic importance along with maintaining a sufficient amount of variability is always the desired objective in the any maize (Zea mays L.) breeding program which will be handled under the conditions of Haramaya, Eastern Ethiopia. Therefore, an experiment was conducted using (27) and (3) check/control varieties to determine the genetic variability of maize genotypes at Haramaya, eastern Ethiopia. The study results revealed that significantly the tallest plant heights for (PH) were recorded from (3) (170 cm) and (18) (167.5 cm) genotypes whereas the shortest PH were recorded from (13) (117.5 cm) and (23) genotypes (120 cm). Good plant aspects (PA) were obtained from genotype 12, 22 and 26 (PA-1.5) and poor PA were attained from genotype 1 (PA-2.5). Besides, genetic and phenotypic variances were estimated for seven components. The highest genotypic coefficients variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) were calculated from grain yield (GY – 23.39%). Comparatively the higher GY were attained from the genotypes of 3, 9 and 12. It can be concluded that almost all components of the PCV are greater than the GCV. Superior selected genotypes are recommended to the researchers /breeders to develop disease resistant and high yielder varieties to increase maize production by farmers under Haramaya and other similar agroecologies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-178
Author(s):  
Aref Shayganmehr ◽  
◽  
Fatemeh Hazratian ◽  
Robabeh Emrouzi ◽  
◽  
...  

Background: Nowadays, industrialization, using cars and consequently traffic jams are part of human life which grows every day. Along with the expansion of communication and transportation speed, the number and severity of traffic accidents increases. According to the World Health Organization, traffic accidents are now recognized as the ninth cause of death worldwide. In Iran, traffic accidents after cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was designed and implemented to determine driver’s views and opinions in two cities of Warsaw, Poland, and Tabriz, Iran, about driver’s high-risk behaviors. This study was conducted using in-depth interviews with 27 drivers. The study results were divided into four main questions about driving behaviors, reasons for driving abnormal behaviors, the prevalence and causes of abnormal behaviors, and suggested measures to correct these behaviors. Results: The study results were divided into six main themes of driving norms, individual factors, social factors, external factors, driving skills, and driving laws. Our findings indicate that drivers are more likely to rely on individual skills in driving in unacceptable conditions. In other words, they ignore the rules and regulations. But, when driving in high standards conditions and good facilities, drivers accept the rules and prioritize them. Conclusion: Internal control should be considered a helpful complement to external control, and that external control provides the highest efficiency when it comes with internal control. To internalize norms and observe driving laws and regulations, the authors suggest removing obstacles such as distrust among drivers regarding the effectiveness of driving laws, unawareness of breaking the laws, lack of job satisfaction, low level of participation, and structural barriers. Also, roads and vehicle safety must be improved along with a better track of the drivers’ behavior.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document