Airbag deployment–related eye injuries

Objective: We studied the correlation between airbag deployment and eye injuries using 2 different data sets.

Methods: The registry of the Finnish Road Accident (FRA) Investigation Teams was analyzed to study severe head- and eyewear-related injuries. All fatal passenger car or van accidents that occurred during the years 2009–2012 (4 years) were included (n = 734). Cases in which the driver's front airbag was deployed were subjected to analysis (n = 409). To determine the proportion of minor, potentially airbag-related eye injuries, the results were compared to the data for all new eye injury patients (n = 1,151) recorded at the Emergency Clinic of the Helsinki University Eye Hospital (HUEH) during one year, from May 1, 2011, to April 30, 2012.

Results: In the FRA data set, the unbelted drivers showed a significantly higher risk of death (odds ratio [OR] = 5.89, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.33–10.9, P = 2.6E-12) or of sustaining head injuries (OR = 2.50, 95% CI, 1.59–3.97, P = 3.8E-5). Only 4 of the 1,151 HUEH patients were involved in a passenger car accident. In one of the crashes, the airbag operated, and the belted driver received 2 sutured eye lid wounds and showed conjunctival sugillation. No permanent eye injuries were recorded during the follow-up. The calculated annual airbag-related eye injury incidence was less than 1/1,000,000 people, 4/100,000 accidents, and 4/10,000 injured occupants.

Conclusions: Airbag-related eye injuries occurred very rarely in car accidents in cases where the occupant survived and the restraint system was appropriately used. Spectacle use did not appear to increase the risk of eye injury in restrained occupants.     

淮海经济区城乡空间融合格局及形成机制

城乡融合发展是解决城乡差距过大、城乡不平衡不协调问题的关键举措,也是城乡动态均衡的发展过程。聚落镶嵌、交通可达、发展均衡是城乡融合发展的空间表象。基于空间视角构建城乡融合发展的评价指标体系,综合运用景观分析、可达性分析和耦合协调分析等方法揭示淮海经济区城乡空间融合发展的要素格局特征,并结合回归模型探究其形成机制。结论如下：（1）城乡空间融合是城乡结构优化的进程,可以从城乡聚落连通性、城乡交通便捷性和城乡发展均衡性等方面研判城乡空间融合发展的综合水平。（2）淮海经济区城乡空间融合发展的各要素指标存在较大差异,综合水平指标由中心向外围递减,可划分为协调融合型、协调关联型和欠协调分割型三种地域类型。（3）经济发展水平、城乡规模、产业关联是影响该区域城乡空间融合的关键动力因素,而传统农业和工业的推动作用不显著。镇域和村域尺度城乡融合发展的理论和实证研究是后续工作的重要方向。     

“流空间”视域下淮海经济区城乡融合发展驱动机制

从要素流动多维重构淮海经济区城乡融合评价体系,以动态耦合协调度模型测度城乡融合水平并分析其时空分异规律,最后从“流空间”视角探索城乡融合发展驱动机制。结果表明：（1）研究区城乡融合水平整体较低但趋势向好,其正向空间关联和局域内向集聚特征明显。（2）流空间视角下区域呈多中心网络结构,且在人流和资金流下相对紧密,而物流和信息流下“核—辐”结构突出。（3）推动核心区集聚效应转向扩散效应,发挥各城市节点比较优势,合理调节要素流动强度、方向和质量,并在实施地方和国家政策时配套相关制度,方能实现淮海经济区城乡融合“量”“质”同升。     

“一带一路”重点地区全要素能源效率-测算、分解及影响因素分析

将“一带一路¹”国内重点地区作为研究对象,从“一带”和“一路”角度分析重点地区全要素能源效率.遵循测算、分解及影响因素分析的研究路径,考虑水体和大气污染两方面的三种非期望产出,采用超效率SBM模型测算重点地区2005-2015年的全要素能源效率,以Malmquist指数分解全要素能源效率变动,通过Tobit模型对10种影响因素进行回归分析.研究发现：2005-2015年,“一带一路”重点地区全要素能源效率未见进步.以经济带划分的全要素能源效率存在差异,“一路”地区全要素能源效率最高,“一带一路”重点地区总体次之,“一带”地区最低,分别稳定在0.96,0.82和0.76的水平;大部分重点地区的Malmquist指数大于1,显示生产效率进步,可能存在“回弹效应”;经济发展、产业结构、对外开放和能源价格可以促进重点地区全要素能源效率提高,研究开发、政府干预、生产要素比没有带来正面影响,工业污染显示显著负影响.最终.     

Restraint use in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Objectives: This study set out to examine seat belt and child restraint use in the Dammam Municipality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on the premise that an increase in seat belt use would significantly reduce personal injury in traffic crashes. It was expected that local data would help identify intervention strategies necessary to improve seat belt use in the region.

Methods: The research involved 2 methodologies. First, 1,389 face-to-face interviews were conducted with male and female adults in regional shopping plazas regarding their own and their children's restraint use in their vehicles and reasons for these attitudes and beliefs. Second, 2 on-road observation studies of adult and child restraint use were conducted by trained observers. Occupants of approximately 5,000 passenger vehicles were observed while stopped at representative signalized traffic intersections.

Results: The findings showed front seat belt use rates of between 43 and 47% for drivers and 26 to 30% for front seat passengers; rear seat belt use rates were lower. While there seemed to be some knowledge about the purpose and reasons for restraining both adults and children in suitable restraints, this failed to be confirmed in the on-road observations.

Conclusions: Reasons for these rates and findings are discussed fully, and recommendations for improving seat belt use in the Dammam Municipality are included.     

Predicting vehicle belt fit for children ages 6–12

Objective: To predict shoulder belt fit and lap belt fit as a function of child age, vehicle seat characteristics, and belt geometry.

Methods: In a previous study, the lap belt and shoulder belt fit of 44 children aged 5–12 were measured in a simulated vehicle seat while varying cushion length, cushion angle, seatback angle, and belt anchorage geometry. A regression model was developed to predict lap belt fit and shoulder belt fit as a function of vehicle parameters and child stature. These regression models were applied to the stature distribution of 6- to 12-year-olds using a range of vehicle geometry data to predict the proportion of children expected to achieve good belt fit in the second-row, outboard seating positions of 46 vehicles when not using belt-positioning boosters.

Results: Across the ranges observed in vehicles, lap belt angle had the strongest effect on lap belt fit, although vehicle cushion length also contributed. Shoulder belt fit was most strongly affected by D-ring location. Vehicles with the geometric conditions most suitable for children are estimated to provide good lap belt fit for 25% of children aged 6 to 12. In 20% of vehicles, the shoulder belt is too far inboard for the target child population; 20% of vehicles are estimated to have shoulder belt fit too far outboard for children ages 6 to 12.

Conclusions: Based on this geometric analysis, the rear seats of most vehicles are unlikely to provide good lap belt fit for up to 75% of children ages 6–12. Shoulder belt fit is outside the target range for 40% of children. Consequently, children under 12 years of age are likely to experience markedly poorer belt fit when transitioning out of a booster seat.     

Seat belt use among car drivers in Iranian safe communities: An observational study

Objective: The number of road traffic injuries and fatalities in Iran is high. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rate of drivers' seat belt use and a number of related factors in Kashmar, Bardaskan, and Khalilabad (Iranian Safe Communities).Methods: In 2014, driver observations were made at 48 road sites on intercity roads, main streets, side streets, and rural roads in these 3 cities.Results: A total of 10,255 vehicles were observed, with the overall rate of seat belt use being 51.8%. The rates in Kashmar, Bardaskan, and Khalilabad were 51.4, 56.3, and 47.7%, respectively. In Kashmar, the odds of seat belt use were higher among drivers who were female, older, and taxi drivers. Higher use was also found during the afternoon, and lower use was observed on rural roads. In Khalilabad the odds of seat belt use were higher among females, older drivers, taxis, and private car drivers. Seat belt use was also higher on weekends and during the morning but was significantly lower on rural roads. Similarly, in Bardaskan the odds of using a seat belt were higher among females, older drivers, taxis, and private car drivers. Seat belt use was also higher during the afternoon but was significantly lower on rural roads, in comparison to main streets and intercity roads.Conclusions: The rate of seat belt use in these 3 cities was found to be low, despite these cities being designated as International Safe Communities. Therefore, seat belt promotion programs, tougher regulations, stronger enforcement, public awareness campaigns, and more research are needed to promote seat belt use in these Iranian cities.     

Experimental investigation of the effect of occupant characteristics on contemporary seat belt payout behavior in frontal impacts

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the occupant characteristics on seat belt force vs. payout behavior based on experiment data from different configurations in frontal impacts.

Methods: The data set reviewed consists of 58 frontal sled tests using several anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and postmortem human subjects (PMHS), restrained by different belt systems (standard belt, SB; force-limiting belt, FLB) at 2 impact severities (48 and 29 km/h). The seat belt behavior was characterized in terms of the shoulder belt force vs. belt payout behavior. A univariate linear regression was used to assess the factor significance of the occupant body mass or stature on the peak tension force and gross belt payout.

Results: With the SB, the seat belt behavior obtained by the ATDs exhibited similar force slopes regardless of the occupant size and impact severities, whereas those obtained by the PMHS were varied. Under the 48 km/h impact, the peak tension force and gross belt payout obtained by ATDs was highly correlated to the occupant stature (P =.03, P =.02) and body mass (P =.05, P =.04), though no statistical difference with the stature or body mass were noticed for the PMHS (peak force: P =.09, P =.42; gross payout: P =.40, P =.48). With the FLB under the 48 km/h impact, highly linear relationships were noticed between the occupant body mass and the peak tension force (R² = 0.9782) and between the gross payout and stature (R² = 0.9232) regardless of the occupant types.

Conclusions: The analysis indicated that the PMHS characteristics showed a significant influence on the belt response, whereas the belt response obtained with the ATDs was more reproducible. The potential cause included the occupant anthropometry, body mass distribution, and relative motion among body segments specific to the population variance. This study provided a primary data source to understand the biomechanical interaction of the occupant with the restraint system. Further research is necessary to consider these effects in the computational studies and optimized design of the restraint system in a more realistic manner.     

青藏高原东缘的隆升及其水系的响应

本文基于ASTER GDEM数据,采用简单数学函数拟合龙门山地区15条河流的河流纵剖面形态,并结合基岩水力侵蚀模型来分析龙门山不同段落的地形形态特征。初步获得以下几点认识:(1)通过对龙门山地区河流纵剖面的分析,龙门山整体上具有较强的隆升速率,导致这一地区强烈的河流侵蚀作用;(2)龙门山中段和南段的河流双对数图以上凸型为主,说明该区域未达到均衡状态,处于前均衡期;(3)龙门山北段的河流双对数图呈直线形态,说明该区域达到均衡状态,处于均衡期;(4)龙门山中段和南段具有更强的构造活动性、更高的隆升速率,控制了该地区地貌、水系演化过程,并且导致这一地区容易发生地质灾害。     

长江经济带土地开发均衡度及限度评价研究

基于长江经济带11个省市2005~2015年土地变更调查数据,从土地开发均衡度和土地开发限度两方面对该地区的土地开发强度进行综合评价。研究表明:(1)长江经济带各省市土地均衡度呈现两极分化,东部和西部地区土地开发失衡,中部地区土地开发相对均衡;(2)长江经济带整体土地开发限度为5.58%,11省市均超过或临近极限值,未来需建立集约型土地开发模式;(3)长江经济带不同地区的土地开发强度差异显著,呈现出下游高上游低,东部高集聚的空间格局。因此,应参考各省市土地开发限度对规划进行修编;增强土地供给能力,为建设用地紧张地区挖掘新的开发潜力;建立跨区域的土地开发体制等,通过完善政策法规促进土地的合理开发利用。