Tire-pavement interface variability. Volume I - summary report. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Booster seat evaluation: belt anchorage location effect and performance in rear-facing seats. Final report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Evaluation of front seat back force/deflection characteristics. Final report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Tire break-in procedures for handling tests. Summary report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Improved design for safety belts. Final report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Baseline fuel economy and emissions tests of a Chrysler 1978, 225 CID engine. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Development and evaluation of Hybrid III multi-point thoracic deflection measurement sensors. Final report.

Mode of access: Internet.

Sublethal injury patterns in the baboon restrained with a three-point harness (-Gx impact). Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Earnings management in response to the introduction of the Australian gold tax

Earnings from gold mining in Australia remained tax-exempt for almost seven decades until January 1, 1991. In the early 1980s, rapid economic prosperity induced by escalated gold prices brought the Australian gold-mining industry under intense political scrutiny. Using a variant of the modified Jones model, this paper provides evidence of significant downward earnings management by Australian gold-mining firms, which is consistent with their attempts to mitigate political costs during the period from June 1985 to May 1988. In contrast, test of earnings management over a similar period in a control sample of Canadian gold-mining firms produced insignificant results. Further, empirical results are robust to several sensitivity tests performed. During the period from June 1988 to December 1990, the Australian firms were found to have engaged in economic earnings management. This is consistent with the sample firms' incentive of maximizing economic earnings immediately prior to the introduction of income tax on gold mining. The findings of this study help to understand the impact of earnings management on the efficient resource allocation in an economy. They also contribute toward understanding the linkage between regulation of accounting for special purposes and general-purpose financial. reporting.

Effects of Helicobacter pylori eradication among adults with intellectual disability

Background Compared to the general population, Helicobacter pylori infection is more common among adults with intellectual disability (ID) and is associated with greater levels of disability, maladaptive behaviour, and institutionalization. Little information exists about the effects of eradication therapy in this group, so we aimed to evaluate: (1) success of a standard H. pylori eradication protocol; (2) frequency of side-effects; and (3) impact of eradication on level of functional ability and maladaptive behaviour. Method A cohort of adults with ID underwent assessment of their levels of function and maladaptive behaviour, medical history, physical examination, and H. pylori testing using serology and faecal antigen tests. Some received standard H. pylori eradication therapy. Twelve months later, participants underwent repeat assessment, were grouped by change in H. pylori status and compared. Results Of 168 participants, 117 (70%) were currently infected with H. pylori at baseline, and 96 (82%) of the 117 were given standard H. pylori eradication therapy. The overall eradication rate was 61% but 31% reported side-effects. Institutional status of the participants, their level of behaviour or function, and number of comorbid medical conditions were not associated with failure of eradication. There were no statistically significant differences in level of behaviour or function, ferritin, or weight between the groups in whom H. pylori was eradicated or stayed positive. Conclusion Adults with ID have lower H. pylori eradication and higher side-effect rates than the general population. Levels of maladaptive behaviour and disability did not improve with eradication and thus greater levels of maladaptive behaviour or disability appear to be risk factors for, rather than consequences of, H. pylori infection.

Privatisation and sustainable competitive advantage in the emerging economies of Central Europe

Extant research on the impact of privatization in the Central Europe (CE) region has focused on improvements in efficiency and the nature of cost-based advantages. This study argues that the development of a vibrant privatized sector requires attention to the broader resource configurations of domestic enterprises. Empirical research was conducted on a large sample of firms in Poland, Hungary and Slovenia. Foreign investment was found to significantly impact on resource accumulation with implications for the development of strategic capabilities and competitive advantage. Foreign direct investment is an effective vehicle for the transfer of financial resources, reputation and new brands but not organizational capabilities. In terms of practice, this study demonstrates the important role of outside investment in the development of a firm's resource base (Frydman et al. 1999). Companies can gain a competitive advantage in their domestic markets through gaining access to the resources of foreign investors.

Elasto-plastic impact of fine particles and fragmentation of small agglomerates

Surface deposition of dense aerosol particles is of major concern in the nuclear industry for safety assessment. This study presents theoretical investigations and computer simulations of single gas-born U3O8 particles impacting with the in-reactor surface and the fragmentation of small agglomerates. A theoretical model for elasto-plastic spheres has been developed and used to analyse the force-displacement and force-time relationships. The impulse equations, based on Newton's second law, are applied to govern the tangential bouncing behaviour. The theoretical model is then incorporated into the Distinct Element Method code TRUBAL in order to perform computer simulated tests of particle collisions. A comparison of simulated results with both theoretical predictions and experimental measurements is provided. For oblique impacts, the results in terms of the force-displacement relationship, coefficients of restitution, trajectory of the impacting particle, and distribution of kinetic energy and work done during the process of impact are presented. The effects of Poisson's ratio, friction, plastic deformation and initial particle rotation on the bouncing behaviour are also discussed. In the presence of adhesion an elasto-plastic collision model, which is an extension to the JKR theory, is developed. Based on an energy balance equation the critical sticking velocity is obtained. For oblique collisions computer simulated results are used to establish a set of criteria determining whether or not the particle bounces off the target plate. For impact velocities above the critical sticking value, computer simulated results for the coefficients of restitution and rebound angles of the particle are presented. Computer simulations of fracture/fragmentation resulting from agglomerate-wall impact have also been performed, where two randomly generated agglomerates (one monodisperse, the other polydisperse), each consisting of 50 primary particles are used. The effects of impact angle, local structural arrangements close to the impact point, and plastic deformation at the contacts on agglomerate damage are examined. The simulated results show a significant difference in agglomerate strength between the two assemblies. The computer data also shows that agglomerate damage resulting from an oblique impact is determined by the normal velocity component rather than the impact speed.

Patient experiences of serious adverse drug reactions and their attitudes to medicines:a qualitative study of survivors of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in the UK

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) cause significant morbidity and mortality and account for around 6.5% of hospital admissions. Patient experiences of serious ADRs and their long-term impact on patients' lives, including their influence on current attitudes towards medicines, have not been previously explored. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of survivors of serious ADRs, using drug-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) as a paradigm. Methods: A retrospective, qualitative study was undertaken using detailed semi-structured interviews. Fourteen adult survivors of SJS and TEN, admitted to two teaching hospitals in the UK, one the location of a tertiary burns centre, were interviewed. Interview transcripts were independently analysed by three different researchers and themes emerging from the text identified. Results: All 14 patients were aware that their condition was drug induced, and all but one knew the specific drug(s) implicated. Several expressed surprise at the perceived lack of awareness of the ADR amongst healthcare professionals, and described how the ADR was mistaken for another condition. Survivors believed that causes of the ADR included (i) being given too high a dose of the drug; (ii) medical staff ignoring existing allergies; and (iii) failure to monitor blood tests. Only two believed that the reaction was unavoidable. Those who believed that the condition could have been avoided had less trust in healthcare professionals. The ADR had a persisting impact on their current lives physically and psychologically. Many now avoided medicines altogether and were fearful of becoming ill enough to need them. © 2011 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved. Conclusions: Life-threatening ADRs continued to affect patients’ lives long after the event. Patients’ beliefs regarding the cause of the ADR differed, and may have influenced their trust in healthcare professionals and medicines. We propose that clear communication during the acute phase of a serious ADR may therefore be important.

The impact of eliminating extraneous sound and light on students' achievement: An empirical study

The impact of eliminating extraneous sound and light on students’ achievement was investigated under four conditions: Light and Sound controlled, Sound Only controlled, Light Only controlled and neither Light nor Sound controlled. Group, age and gender were the control variables. Four randomly selected groups of high school freshmen students with different backgrounds were the participants in this study. Academic achievement was the dependent variable measured on a pretest, a posttest and a post-posttest, each separated by an interval of 15 days. ANOVA was used to test the various hypotheses related to the impact of eliminating sound and light on student learning. Independent sample T tests on the effect of gender indicated a significant effect while age was non- significant. Follow up analysis indicated that sound and light are not potential sources of extraneous load when tested individually. However, the combined effect of sound and light seems to be a potential source of extrinsic load. The findings revealed that the performance of the Sound and Light controlled group was greater during the posttest and post-posttest. The overall performance of boys was greater than that of girls. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between group and gender on treatment subjects. However gender alone was non-significant. Performance of group by age had no significant interaction and age alone was non-significant in the posttest and post-posttest. Based on the results obtained sound and light combined seemed to be the potential sources of extraneous load in this type of learning environment. This finding supports previous research on the effect of sound and light on learning. The findings of this study show that extraneous sound and light have an impact on learning. These findings can be used to design better learning environments. Such environments can be achieved with different electric lighting and sound systems that provide optimal color rendering, low glare, low flicker, low noise and reverberation. These environments will help people avoid unwanted distraction, drowsiness, and photosensitive behavior.

The impact of the MARINET initiative on the development of Marine Renewable Energy

Marine Renewable Energy Conversion systems comprise wave energy and tidal stream converters as well as offshore-wind turbines for electrical generation. These technologies are currently at different stages of development but are mostly at the pre-commercial stage and require research to be undertaken at a series of scales along the path to commercialization. However each of these technologies also needs specific research infrastructures in order to conduct this research. The aim of the MARINET initiative is to coordinate research and development at all scales (small models through to prototype scales, from laboratories through to open sea tests) and to allow access for researchers and developers to infrastructures which are not available universally in Europe, including test facilities for components such as power take-off systems, grid integration, moorings and environmental monitoring so as to ensure a focusing of activities in this area. The initiative offers researchers and developers access to 45 research facilities as well as to the associated network of expertise at all scales in Offshore Marine Renewable Energy technology research and development. The aim of this paper is to present this MARINET initiative that was started in 2011, bringing together a network of 29 partners spread across twelve countries. Details of the MARINET Transnational Access (TA) program are presented, for which over 260 applications were received throughout the 5 official calls for proposals. In particular, statistics on applications and completed projects are presented which provide an overview of the global development progress of the different offshore renewable energy conversion technologies at a European level. It also provides a good overview of the current research activity, as well as evidence of the requirement for specialised research facilities, in this burgeoning field.