Prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers based on random breath tests in a roadside survey

Sobriety checkpoints are not usually randomly located by traffic authorities. As such, information provided by non-random alcohol tests cannot be used to infer the characteristics of the general driving population. In this paper a case study is presented in which the prevalence of alcohol-impaired driving is estimated for the general population of drivers. A stratified probabilistic sample was designed to represent vehicles circulating in non-urban areas of Catalonia (Spain), a region characterized by its complex transportation network and dense traffic around the metropolis of Barcelona. Random breath alcohol concentration tests were performed during spring 2012 on 7,596 drivers. The estimated prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers was 1.29%, which is roughly a third of the rate obtained in non-random tests. Higher rates were found on weekends (1.90% on Saturdays, 4.29% on Sundays) and especially at night. The rate is higher for men (1.45%) than for women (0.64%) and the percentage of positive outcomes shows an increasing pattern with age. In vehicles with two occupants, the proportion of alcohol-impaired drivers is estimated at 2.62%, but when the driver was alone the rate drops to 0.84%, which might reflect the socialization of drinking habits. The results are compared with outcomes in previous surveys, showing a decreasing trend in the prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers over time.

The European Social Survey. Methodological aspects

From a scientific point of view, surveys are undoubtedly a valuable tool for the knowledge of the social and political reality. They are widely used in the social sciences research. However, the researcher's task is often disturbed by a series of deficiencies related to some technical aspects that make difficult both the inference and the comparison. The main aim of the present paper is to report and justify the European Social Survey's technical specifications addressed to avoid and/or minimize such deficiencies. The article also gives a characterization of the non-respondents in Spain obtained from the analysis of the 2002 fieldwork data file.

How important are tobacco prices in the propensity to start and quit smoking? An analysis of smoking histories from the Spanish National Health Survey

This paper analyses the effect of tobacco prices on the propensity tostart and quit smoking using a pool of the 1993, 1995 and 1997 editionsof the Spanish National Health Surveys. The estimates for severalparametric models of the hazard rate for starting and quitting suggestthat i) The public health measures applied as of 1992 have had asignificative effect on both reducing the hazard of starting andincreasing the hazard of quitting, ii) Prices have a very weak effect onthe hazard of starting in the male population and no significant effectin the female population, iii) The price floor of cigarrettes, proxiedby the average price of a pack of black cigarrettes, has a significanteffect on the quitting hazard which is robust across specifications andapplies to both men and women. The implied price elasticity of the timeup to quitting is situated around -1.4.

Subset correspondence analysis: Visualizing relationships among a selected set of response categories from a questionnaire survey

It is shown how correspondence analysis may be applied to a subset of response categories from a questionnaire survey, for example the subset of undecided responses or the subset of responses for a particular category. The idea is to maintain the original relative frequencies of the categories and not re-express them relative to totals within the subset, as would normally be done in a regular correspondence analysis of the subset. Furthermore, the masses and chi-square metric assigned to the data subset are the same as those in the correspondence analysis of the whole data set. This variant of the method, called Subset Correspondence Analysis, is illustrated on data from the ISSP survey on Family and Changing Gender Roles.

Photometric Bgr survey of the distant clusters of galaxies CL 1613+3104 and CL 1600+4109

We present a set of photometric data concerning two distant clusters of galaxies: Cl 1613+3104 (z=0.415) and Cl 1600+4109 (z=0.540). The photometric survey extends to a field of about 4' x 3'. It was performed in 3 filters: Johnson B, and Thuan-Gunn g and r. The sample includes 679 objects in the field of Cl 1613+3104 and 334 objects in Cl 1600+4109.

Photometric and spectroscopic survey of the cluster of galaxies Abell A2218

We present new photometric and spectroscopic observations of objects in the field of the cluster of galaxies Abell 2218. The photometric survey, centered on the cluster core, extends to a field of about 4 x 4 arcmin. It was performed in 5 bands (B,g,r,i and z filters). This sample, which includes 729 objects, is about three times larger than the survey made by Butcher and collaborators (Butcher et al., 1983, Butcher and Oemler, 1984) in the same central region of the field. Only 228 objects appear in both catalogues since our survey covers a smaller region. The spectral range covered by our filters is wider and the photometry is much deeper, up to magnitude 27 in r. The spectroscopic survey concerns 66 objects, on a field comparable to that of Butcher and collaborators. From our observations we calculate the mean redshift of the cluster, 0.1756, and its velocity dispersion, 1370 km/s. The spectral types are determined for many galaxies in the sample by comparing their spectra with synthetic ones from Rocca-Volmerange and Guiderdoni (1988).

The Coordinated Radio and Infrared Survey for High-Mass Star Formation (The CORNISH Survey). I. Survey Design

We describe the motivation, design, and implementation of the CORNISH survey, an arcsecondresolution radio continuum survey of the inner galactic plane at 5 GHz using the Very Large Array (VLA). It is a blind survey coordinated with the northern SpitzerGLIMPSE I region covering 10° survey, which covers a wide range of fairly low declinations. Two snapshots separated by 4 h kept the beam elongation to less that 1.5 over 75% of the survey area and less than 2 over 98% of the survey. The prime scientific motivation is to provide an unbiased survey for ultra-compact H II regions to study this key phase in massive star formation. A sensitivity around 2 mJy will allow the automatic distinction between radio-loud and radio-quiet midIR sources found in the Spitzersurveys. This survey has many legacy applications beyond star formation, including evolved stars, active stars and binaries, and extragalactic sources. The CORNISH survey for compact ionized sources complements other Galactic plane surveys that target diffuse and nonthermal sources, as well as atomic and molecular phases to build up a complete picture of the interstellar medium in the Galaxy.

Changes in leisure time and occupational physical activity over 8 years: The Cornellà health Interview Survey Follow-Up Study

Aim: To describe changes in leisure time and occupational physical activity status in an urban Mediterranean population-based cohort, and to evaluate sociodemographic, health-related and lifestyle correlates of such changes. Methods: Data for this study come from the Cornellè Health Interview Survey Follow-Up Study, a prospective cohort study of a representative sample (n¿=¿2500) of the population. Participants in the analysis reported here include 1246 subjects (567 men and 679 women) who had complete data on physical activity at the 1994 baseline survey and at the 2002 follow-up. We fitted Breslow-Cox regression models to assess the association between correlates of interest and changes in physical activity. Results: Regarding leisure time physical activity, 61.6% of cohort members with ¿sedentary¿ habits in 1994 changed their status to ¿light/moderate¿ physical activity in 2002, and 70% who had ¿light/moderate¿ habits in 1994 did not change their activity level. Regarding occupational physical activity, 74.4% of cohort members who were ¿active¿ did not change their level of activity, and 64.3% of participants with ¿sedentary¿ habits in 1994 changed to ¿active¿ occupational physical activity. No clear correlates of change in physical activity were identified in multivariate analyses. Conclusion: While changes in physical activity are evident in this population-based cohort, no clear determinants of such changes were recognised. Further longitudinal studies including other potential individual and contextual determinants are needed to better understand determinants of changes in physical activity at the population level.

Wage curves for Spain evidence from the family budget survey

This study explores the existence of a wage curve for Spain. To quantify this relationship for the Spanish economy, we used individual datafrom the EPF 1990-1991. The results show the presence of a wage curve with an elasticity of -0.13. The availability of very detailed information on wages and unemployment has also shown that less protected labour market groups -young workers, manual workers and building sector workers- have a higher elasticity of wages to local unemployment. These results could be interpreted as a greater facility of firms in these segments to settle wages as a function ofthe unemployment rate

Wage curves for Spain evidence from the family budget survey

This study explores the existence of a wage curve for Spain. To quantify this relationship for the Spanish economy, we used individual datafrom the EPF 1990-1991. The results show the presence of a wage curve with an elasticity of -0.13. The availability of very detailed information on wages and unemployment has also shown that less protected labour market groups -young workers, manual workers and building sector workers- have a higher elasticity of wages to local unemployment. These results could be interpreted as a greater facility of firms in these segments to settle wages as a function ofthe unemployment rate

A productivity map of cognitive pretest methos for improving survey questions

Interest in cognitive pretest methods for evaluating survey questionnaires has been increasing for the last three decades. However, analysing the features of the scientific output in the field can be difficult due to its prevalence in public and private institutes whose main mission is not scientific research. The aim of this research is to characterize the current state of scientific output in the field by means of two bibliometric studies for the period from 1980 to 2007. Study 1 analysed documents obtained from the more commonly used bibliographic databases. Study 2 supplemented the body of documents from Study 1 with documents from non-indexed journals, conference papers, etc. Results show a constant growth in the number of publications. The wide dispersion of publication sources, together with the highlighted role of the public and private institutions as centres of production, can also be identified as relevant characteristics of the scientific output in this field.

Satisfaction survey of Directed Experiential Learning (DEL)

The aim of this questionnaire is to assess your experience of the DEL learning process as developed by your university. The questionnaire is anonymous and it should not take more than fifteen minutes to complete.

Satisfaction survey with DNA cards method to collect genetic samples for pharmacogenetics studies

Background: Pharmacogenetic studies are essential in understanding the interindividual variability of drug responses. DNA sample collection for genotyping is a critical step in genetic studies. A method using dried blood samples from finger-puncture, collected on DNA-cards, has been described as an alternative to the usual venepuncture technique. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the implementation of the DNA cards method in a multicentre clinical trial, and to assess the degree of investigators' satisfaction and the acceptance of the patients perceived by the investigators.Methods: Blood samples were collected on DNA-cards. The quality and quantity of DNA recovered were analyzed. Investigators were questioned regarding their general interest, previous experience, safety issues, preferences and perceived patient satisfaction. Results: 151 patients' blood samples were collected. Genotyping of GST polymorphisms was achieved in all samples (100%). 28 investigators completed the survey. Investigators perceived patient satisfaction as very good (60.7%) or good (39.3%), without reluctance to finger puncture. Investigators preferred this method, which was considered safer and better than the usual methods. All investigators would recommend using it in future genetic studies. Conclusion: Within the clinical trial setting, the DNA-cards method was very well accepted by investigators and patients (in perception of investigators), and was preferred to conventional methods due to its ease of use and safety.