Sex and gender differences are often overlooked in research design, study implementation and scientific reporting, as well as in general science communication. This oversight limits the generalizability of research findings and their applicability to clinical practice, in particular for women but also for men. This article describes the rationale for an international set of guidelines to encourage a more systematic approach to the reporting of sex and gender in research across disciplines. A panel of 13 experts representing nine countries developed the guidelines through a series of teleconferences, conference presentations and a 2-day workshop. An internet survey of 716 journal editors, scientists and other members of the international publishing community was conducted as well as a literature search on sex and gender policies in scientific publishing. The Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines are a comprehensive procedure for reporting of sex and gender information in study design, data analyses, results and interpretation of findings. The SAGER guidelines are designed primarily to guide authors in preparing their manuscripts, but they are also useful for editors, as gatekeepers of science, to integrate assessment of sex and gender into all manuscripts as an integral part of the editorial process.

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Sex and Gender Equity in Research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use

Abbreviated Injury Scale

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies of subjects with acute whiplash injuries. The aim was to describe the course of recovery, pain and disability symptoms and also to assess the influence of different prognostic factors on outcome. Studies were selected for inclusion if they enrolled subjects with neck pain within six weeks of a car accident and measured pain and/or disability outcomes. Studies were located via a sensitive search of electronic databases; Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane database, ACP Journal club, DARE and Psychinfo and through hand-searches of relevant previous reviews. Methodological quality of all studies was assessed using a six item checklist. Sixty-seven articles, describing 38 separate cohorts were included. Recovery rates were extremely variable across studies but homogeneity was improved when only data from studies of more robust methodological quality were considered. These data suggest that recovery occurs for a substantial proportion of subjects in the initial 3 months after the accident but after this time recovery rates level off. Pain and disability symptoms also reduce rapidly in the initial months after the accident but show little improvement after 3 months have elapsed. Data regarding the prognostic factors associated with poor recovery were difficult to interpret due to heterogeneity of the techniques used to assess such associations and the way in which they are reported. There was also wide variation in the measurement of outcome and the use of validated measures would improve interpretability and comparability of future studies.

Course and prognostic factors of whiplash: A systematic review and meta-analysis

More and more vehicles are being equipped with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems. These systems intend to help the driver avoid or mitigate accidents by automatically applying the brakes prior to an accident. Initially only rear-end collision were addressed but over time more accident types are incorporated and brakes are applied earlier and stronger, in order to increase the velocity reduction before the accident occurs. This paper describes one of the latest AEB systems called Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection (CWAB-PD). It helps the driver with avoiding both rear-end and pedestrian accidents by providing a warning and, if necessary, automatic braking using full braking power. A limited set of accident scenarios is selected to illustrate the theoretical and practical performance of this system. It is shown that the CWAB-PD system can avoid accidents up to 35 km/h and can mitigate accidents achieving an impact speed reduction of 35 km/h. To the best of the authors knowledge CWAB-PD is the only system on the market that automatically can avoid accidents with pedestrians.

Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection - a practical example of Automatic Emergency Braking

This paper presents a model-based algorithm that estimates how the driver of a vehicle can either steer, brake, or accelerate to avoid colliding with an arbitrary object. In this algorithm, the motion of the vehicle is described by a linear bicycle model, and the perimeter of the vehicle is represented by a rectangle. The estimated perimeter of the object is described by a polygon that is allowed to change size, shape, position, and orientation at sampled time instances. Potential evasive maneuvers are modeled, parameterized, and approximated such that an analytical expression can be derived to estimate the set of maneuvers that the driver can use to avoid a collision. This set of maneuvers is then assessed to determine if the driver needs immediate assistance to avoid or mitigate an accident. The proposed threat-assessment algorithm is evaluated using authentic data from both real traffic conditions and collision situations on a test track and by using simulations with a detailed vehicle model. The evaluations show that the algorithm outperforms conventional threat-assessment algorithms at rear-end collisions in terms of the timing of autonomous brake activation. This is crucial for increasing the performance of collision-avoidance systems and for decreasing the risk of unnecessary braking. Moreover, the algorithm is computationally efficient and can be used to assist the driver in avoiding or mitigating collisions with all types of road users in all kinds of traffic scenarios.

Model-Based Threat Assessment for Avoiding Arbitrary Vehicle Collisions

WHIPS-Volvo's Whiplash Protection Study

Rear-end collisions account for a substantial amount of crashes. The vast majority of rear-end collisions occur at speeds up to 30 km/h, mostly in city traffic. A common cause of these crashes is driver distraction. A rear-end collision might lead to soft-tissue neck injuries for the occupants in both vehicles involved, as well as material damages. The objective of this study is to present and discuss the potential benefit of a production system helping the driver to mitigate and in certain situations avoid rear-end collisions in low speed. City Safety monitors the traffic in front with the help of a laser sensor that is built into the windscreen's upper section. It can detect the rear-end of a vehicle in front of the City Safety equipped car. If the driver is about to drive into the vehicle in front and does not react in time, the car brakes itself. The scope for the system is every day low speed scenarios, like queues or entering roundabouts, situations where a large portion of collisions appear due to distracted drivers. City Safety is active at speeds up to 30 km/h. If the relative speed difference between the vehicles is less than 15 km/h it can help the driver to avoid a collision completely. In relative speed differences above 15 km/h up to an absolute speed of 30 km/h the objective is to reduce speed as much as possible before a collision occurs. Independent evaluation has shown that this technology offers the potential benefits of reducing collisions, leading to a substantial reduction in car damage costs and injuries to the occupants. Based on available statistics and dose-response model techniques, the reduction of impact severity is estimated to have the potential to reduce the risk of soft-tissue neck injuries in the rear-end impacted car by approximately 60%. Real-world retrospective studies of the production system will enable more precise quantification of the effect in the future. The full text of this paper may be found at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv21/09-0371.pdf For the covering abstract see ITRD E145407.

City Safety - A System Addressing Rear-End Collisions at Low Speeds

Automotive safety has gained an increasing amount of interest from the general public, governments, and the car industry. This is more than justified by traffic accident statistics, as each year around 1.2 million people die due to road traffic accidents. For these reasons safety remains a core value of Volvo Cars. This paper presents some of the latest active safety developments within Volvo Cars. Rear-end collisions are common accident scenarios and a common cause of these accidents is driver distraction and thus not reacting in time. No vehicle system is a substitute for the most important safety feature in any vehicle: the driver. However, Volvo is harnessing innovative technologies to help alert drivers to avoid potential collisions and reduce the potential impact speed when a collision cannot be avoided. One of those systems is Collision Warning with Auto Brake where the area in front of the vehicle is continuously monitored with the help of a long-range radar and a forward-sensing wide-angle camera fitted in front of the interior rear-view mirror. A warning and brake support will be provided for collisions with other vehicles, both moving and stationary. Additionally, if the driver does not intervene in spite of the warning and the possible collision is judged to be unavoidable; intervention braking is automatically applied to slow down the car. This aims at reducing impact speeds and thus the risk for consequences. This system has been verified using innovative CAE methods and practical tests. Finally, it is discussed how the benefit of such systems can be judged from real-life safety perspective using traffic accident statistics.

Collision Warning with Auto Brake - A Real-Life Safety Perspective

Comparison of car seats in low speed rear-end impacts using the BioRID dummy and the new neck injury criterion (NIC).

Investigations of Conditions that Affect Neck Compression-Flexion Injuries Using Numerical Techniques

Lotta Jakobsson

Papers

WHIPS-Volvo's Whiplash Protection Study

City Safety - A System Addressing Rear-End Collisions at Low Speeds

Collision Warning with Auto Brake - A Real-Life Safety Perspective

Comparison of car seats in low speed rear-end impacts using the BioRID dummy and the new neck injury criterion (NIC).

Investigation of conditions that affect neck compression-flexion injuries using numerical techniques