Finding workers, offenders, or students most at-risk for violence: actuarial tests save lives and resources.

147 adults (107 men, 40 women) and 89 adolescents (61 boys, 28 girls), selected randomly from referrals and volunteers, were given the Ammons Quick Test (QT), the Beck Suicide Scale (BSS), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Second (MMPI-2) or Adolescent Versions (MMPI-A), the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, and the Standard Predictor (SP) of Violence Potential Adult or Adolescent Versions. The goals were to: (a) demonstrate computer and paper-and-pencil tests correlated; (b) validate tests to identify at-risk for violence; (c) show that identifying at-risk saves lives and resources; and (d) find which industries benefited from testing at-risk. Paper-and-pencil vs. computer test correlations (.83-.99), sensitivity (.97-.98), and specificity (.50-.97) were computed. Testing at-risk saves lives and resources. Critical industries for testing at-risk individuals may include airlines, energy generating industries, insurance, military, nonprofit-religious, prisoners, trucking or port workers, and veterans.

Ammons quick test validity among randomly selected referrals.

After selection using a random number table, from volunteer referrals, 89 Youth (61 boys, 28 girls; 48 African Americans, 2 Asian Americans, 27 Euro-Americans, 12 Hispanic Americans), and 147 Adults (107 men, 40 women; 11 African Americans, 6 Asian Americans, 124 Euro-Americans, 6 Hispanic Americans) were administered the Ammons Quick Test (QT). Means, confidence intervals, standard deviations, and Pearson product-moment correlations among tests were computed. The Ammons QT was moderately to strongly and significantly correlated statistically with: the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-3b (PPVT-3b); the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2 Parent/Teacher Form; the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-4) or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-4); and the Wide Range Achievement Test-Fourth Edition (WRAT-4) Blue and Green Forms. After 51 years, the original norms for the Ammons QT remain valid measures of receptive vocabulary, verbal intelligence, and auditory information processing useful to clinicians.

Evaluation of the environmental impact of apple pest control strategies using pesticide risk indicators.

Various pesticide risk indicators have been developed for estimating pesticide impact on human health and the environment. The present work applied a pesticide risk indicator to estimate change in pesticide risk in apple production between 2001 and 2009. The "Environmental Impact Quotient" was used, which evaluates potential impacts of pesticide active ingredients on farm workers, consumers, and nontarget organisms. A modified Environmental Impact Quotient was also tested, which accounts for all ingredients in the formulation presenting a health or environmental hazard, as identified in the Security Data Sheet. Irrespective of the rating system applied, an overall average improvement in environmental impact of apple protection strategies was indicated ranging from 23 to 24%. Hazard reduction was more significant when estimated per treatment, and was higher for acaricides and insecticides than for fungicides. Improvement appeared to be a consequence of using more selective and more effective active ingredients, applying alternative pest control techniques, compulsory periodic sprayer calibration, and wider use of dwarfing orchards. The modified Environmental Impact Quotient does not overcome all limitations regarding accuracy of pesticide risk indicators, but its ease of use in relying on official, easily accessible data, and the consistency of its results, makes it a good candidate for monitoring the success of reduced risk policies.