The aim of this study was to examine the effects of age, calendar period of death and birth cohort in motor vehicle mortality in Taiwan over the period 1974-1992. A log-linear model modified from the method of Osmond and Gardner (Stat. Med. 1: 245-259; 1982) was used. Age turned out to be a significant predictor of motor vehicle mortality. The most risky group (over 70 years) had 27.1 and 16.3 ...

This study evaluated a range of portable wheelchair ramps to highlight the effect of different product features on ease of use when wheelchair users climb curbs or access vehicles. Twelve portable ramps were evaluated. Although all the ramps were designed to load powered wheelchairs into motor vehicles, they were manufactured in different designs. The ramps were based on a "singlewide" platform...

The effects of a symbolic "yield here to pedestrians" sign and advance yield pavement markings on pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts, motorists' yielding behavior, and the distance motorists' yield in advance of crosswalks were evaluated at multilane crosswalks at uncontrolled T intersections. In Experiment 1, the sign, when used alone, reduced pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and increased m...

Our society's environmental and economic progress depends on the development of high-performance materials such as lightweight alloys, high-energy-density battery materials, recyclable motor vehicle and building components, and energy-efficient lighting. Meeting these needs requires us to understand the central role of crystal structure in a material's properties. Despite more than 50 years of ...

Using electric vehicles, in addition to decreasing the environmental concerns, can play an important role in decreasing the peak and filling the off-peaks of the daily load characteristics. In other words, in smart grids' infrastructure, the load characteristics can be improved by scheduling the charge and discharge process of electric vehicles. In smart grids, the customers are instantaneously...

Many police agencies have enacted measures designed to reduce racial profiling, yet little empirical evidence exists regarding the effects of such programs. In this paper I use the occurrence of a racial profiling scandal in New Jersey to quantify the effect of a move towards more race-neutral policing. Using a quadrupledifferences approach, I estimate that the scandal and subsequent reforms le...

Individual differences in temperament and personality are closely linked to motor vehicle safety. However, 13% of Americans who die in transportation-related injuries are not killed in motor vehicle crashes, but rather in pedestrian injuries. This study was designed to study links between two individual difference measures, attentional control and high intensity pleasure, and pedestrian injury ...

BACKGROUND Exposure measurement error is a concern in long-term PM2.5 health studies using ambient concentrations as exposures. We assessed error magnitude by estimating calibration coefficients as the association between personal PM2.5 exposures from validation studies and typically available surrogate exposures. METHODS Daily personal and ambient PM2.5, and when available sulfate, measureme...

One Woman's journey through the Trials and Triumphs of Disability , Disabled Peoples International 8th World Assembly 2011 Durban, South Africa, October 10-13, 2011. When embarking on my career as a teacher at a special school in South Africa, I never thought that a motor vehicle accident would place me in the position where my learners with disabilities suddenly saw me as an ally. Little did I...