Evaluating the impact of criminalizing drunk driving on years of life lost due to road traffic deaths in one megacity,China

Objective: Road safety is an important public health issue worldwide. However, few studies have analyzed the association between criminalizing drunk driving and years of life lost (YLL) due to road traffic deaths (RTDs). Our study can provide useful information about this policy.

Methods: We used interrupted time-series analysis to find the changes in monthly YLL and RTD before and after law enforcement began using RTD data from 2008 to 2014 in Tianjin.

Results: After adjustment for seasonality, months, holidays, and the number of people in each district, criminalizing drunk driving was followed by a 11.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–21.1%) reduction in risk of RTDs and a corresponding 778.1-year (95% CI, 200–1,355.1) reduction in monthly YLL. The reduction in YLL was especially significant among males, those aged 16–64 years old, and suburban residents.

Conclusions: This study highlights that the law can lead to a reduction in YLL due to RTDs in Tianjin, China. Large immediate public health benefits resulted from the new road traffic law in China. YLL provides a complementary measure for examining the effect of criminalization on drunk driving RTDs.     

Fuelwood assessment at micro-watershed level in Northeast Himalaya:a case study in Manipur,India

Fuelwood is one of the major sources of energy in the domestic sector across the rural areas,especially in the developing regions across the world.The Northeastern Himalayan state of Manipur is dominated by the tribal population that largely depends on fuelwood from the nearby forest area.The entire dependence on forests for energy resources is affecting the sustainability of the forest ecosystem in the region,thus indicating the livelihood conditions.Since land-use land-cover change is the key driver to the change in resource availability of a region,the present study has tried to analyze the landcover changes over a period 28 years.The second major component affecting resource availability is the increasing population pressure that leads to changes in the land dynamics,which directly affect the resource production.Based on the existing consumption pattern,the total consumption of fuelwood in the watershed ranges fiom a minimum of 289.992 tons/year to a maximum of 3545.719 tons/year with an average of 1561.956 tons/year in the year 2009 and simulated fuelwood consumption for the year 2021 is around 1469.260 tons/year.Nine different probable scenarios of resource are proposed to calculate the stress value that can be used by the policy-makers and planners for suitable policy implementation at the micro level with a complex social system.     

覆盖层甲烷氧化动力学和甲烷氧化菌群落结构

基于实际填埋场覆盖土建立了可实时在线监测生物气的模拟覆盖层系统,连续监测了不同垂直梯度生物气浓度变化.甲烷通量不变时,覆盖层内不同梯度生物气浓度基本保持不变,系统持续稳定运行,甲烷通量变化后2~3 h生物气可再次持续稳定.考察了覆盖层甲烷氧化特性与甲烷通量的关系,深度大于20 cm,氧气浓度随甲烷通量的增大呈减小趋势,表层氧气浓度与甲烷通量无相关性,不同梯度的甲烷氧化速率与甲烷通量呈正相关(R2变化范围0.851~0.999).为避免覆盖土脱离系统环境造成的误差,以动态连续监测结果为基础,利用双基质Michaelis-Menten方程拟合了覆盖层甲烷氧化动力学(R2范围为0.902~0.955),得到覆盖土半饱和常数Km为0.157~0.729,Km随深度的增加而增大.利用高通量测序技术分析了原始覆盖土和经模拟覆盖层运行后的甲烷氧化菌群落结构,运行后甲烷氧化菌OUT数量显著增多,优势菌群为Ⅰ型菌的Methylobacter和Methylophilaceae及Ⅱ型菌Methylocystis.     

连续流动分析法测定水中硫化物的显色剂配制方法研究

针对连续流动分析法测定水中硫化物方法中显色剂N,N-二甲基-1,4苯二胺二盐酸盐保质期短的问题,研究了不同体积比盐酸或硫酸介质对延长显色剂保质期的影响,确定了延长保质期的试剂配制方法,并对该方法的适用性进行了检验.结果显示,体积比10％硫酸介质的显色剂优于盐酸介质显色剂,可以存放一周.使用此显色剂进行硫化物分析检出限为0.003 mg/L,线性范围0.000 mg/L ～2.00 mg/L,平行测定相对偏差0.0％ ～11.8％,加标回收率82.0％～102％,可以满足环境样品分析需求.     

零价铁-过二硫酸盐连续运行体系去除水中硝基苯

水中硝基苯(NB)的高毒性对人体健康具有极大的危害,因此,本文建立了零价铁-过二硫酸盐(Fe0-PS)连续运行体系以降解水中NB.研究结果表明,单独Fe0柱可还原降解NB,Fe0对不同浓度NB的还原效果均较好,随着流速的减慢及初始pH的降低,NB还原效果变好;但还原体系中总有机碳(TOC)基本没有去除,只是生成了中间产物苯胺(AN).Fe0-PS联合体系中,随着PS的投加,产生的Fe2+活化PS,发生了类Fenton反应,从而使还原产物AN得以氧化降解,TOC去除率可达54.8%;随着Fe0填充量的增加,氧化产物Fe2+随之增加,还原产物AN随之减少.可见,Fe0-PS连续运行体系,以Fe2+为媒介巧妙结合还原与氧化作用,能有效去除NB.     

Decontamination of alachlor herbicide wastewater by a continuous dosing mode ultrasound/Fe2+/H2O2 process

We used a ultrasound/Fe2+/H2O2 process in continuous dosing mode to degrade the alachlor.Experimental results indicated that lower pH levels enhanced the degradation and mineralization of alachlor. The maximum alachlor degradation(initial alachlor concentration of 50 mg/L) was as high as 100% at pH 3 with ultrasound of 100 Watts, 20 mg/L of Fe2+, 2 mg/min of H2O2 and 20℃ within60 min reaction combined with 46.8% total organic carbon removal. Higher reaction temperatures inhibited the degradation of alachlor. Adequate dosages of Fe2+and H2O2 in ultrasound/Fe2+/H2O2process not only enhance the degradation efficiency of alachlor but also save the operational cost than the sole ultrasound or Fenton process. A continuous dosing mode ultrasound/Fe2+/H2O2 process was proven as an effective method to degrade the alachlor.     

The economics of adoption and management of alley cropping in Haiti

The Haitian people are facing serious problems of environmental degradation that threaten the economic livelihoods of many resource-poor farmers. Structures to retard the process of soil loss have been adopted reluctantly and, even when adopted, the management and maintenance have been less than desirable. We evaluate the factors that influence the adoption and management of alley cropping in Haiti. Results of the adoption model show that institutional factors, such as membership in a local peasant organization and training in soil conservation practices, favorably influence adoption. Socio-economic factors such as gender, per capita income, and interaction between education and per capita income also significantly influence adoption of alley cropping in Gaita and Bannate. The management of alley cropping is influenced by demographic, socio-economic, institutional, and physical factors. The relative importance of each factor on the probability of adoption and management of alley cropping varies from one variable to another. The study generates important information for resource allocation in the establishment of alley cropping as a soil conservation structure.     

沿海地区1～3年强震危险性的层次分析

对我国沿海地区１～３ａ强震危险性给出三级层次分析结果。首先分析地震大开势，其次分区研究强震概率增益，最后以华南为例对小层次即潜在震源未来１～３ａ强震概率进行计算。     

QUALITY ASSURANCE TECHNIQUES FOR ELECTRONIC DATA ACQUISITION1

ABSTRACT: Electronic instruments are increasingly being used to gather water quality data. Quality assurance protocols are needed which provide adequate documentation of the procedures followed in calibration, collection, and validation of electronically acquired data. The level of precision of many data loggers exceeds the technology which is commonly used to make field measurements. Overcoming this problem involves using laboratory quality equipment in the field or enhanced quality control at the time of instrument servicing. Time control procedures for data loggers are needed to allow direct comparisons of data between instruments. Electronic instruments provide a mechanism to study transient events in great detail, but, without time controls, multiple loggers produce data which contain artifacts due to timing errors. Individual sensors deployed with data loggers are subject to different degrees of drift over time. Certain measurements can be measured with defined precision and accuracy for long periods of time, while other sensors are subject to loss of both precision and accuracy with increasing time of use. Adequate quality assurance requires the levels of precision and accuracy be documented, particularly those which vary with increasing time deployment.     

SMOOTHED DATA AND GRADIENTS USING SLIDING POLYNOMIALS WITH OPTIONAL CONTROLS1

ABSTRACT: Sliding polynomials differ from other piecewise interpolation and smoothing methods in their functional continuity at the nodes. This functional continuity was used to establish optional spacing of nodes and optional boundary controls in data smoothing while still maintaining mathematically continuous rates or gradients. Cyclic as well as noncyclic data can be smoothed. Variance of the individual nodal values. derived through least-squares optimization, can be calculated using the rigorously determined weighting coefficients between data points and nodes. Such nodal variances are estimates of localized uncertainty in the data which complement the localization of smoothing through use of piecewise functions. Choice of controls in smoothing and calculation of variance have been incorporated in a computer program for user convenience.