Using a driving simulator to identify older drivers at inflated risk of motor vehicle crashes

PROBLEM: To develop appropriate assessment criteria to measure the performance of older drivers using an interactive PC-based driving simulator, and to determine which measures were associated with the occurrence of motor-vehicle crash. METHOD: One hundred and twenty-nine older drivers residing in a metropolitan city volunteered to participate in this retrospective cohort study. Using the driving simulator, appropriate driving tasks were devised to test the older drivers, whose performances were assessed by 10 reliable assessment criteria. Logistic regression analysis was then undertaken to determine those criteria that influence the self-reported crash outcome. RESULTS: As expected, driving skill of older drivers was found to decline with age. Over 60% of the sample participants reported having at least one motor-vehicle crash during the past year. Adjusting for age in a logistic regression analysis, the cognitive abilities associated with the crash occurrence were working memory, decision making under pressure of time, and confidence in driving at high speed. SUMMARY: The findings of this retrospective study indicated those individuals at inflated risk of vehicle crashes could be identified using the PC-based interactive driving simulator. Prospective studies need to be undertaken to determine whether the driving simulator can predict future crash events. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study demonstrated an economical driving simulator approach to screen out problematic or unsafe older drivers before a more detailed but expensive road test is considered.     

利益相关者的观点:推动组织

清洁生产原则的积极推广,有赖于政府、工业界和"推动组织"(例如金融和教育机构、非政府组织、技术指导人员和咨询人员、工业协会)间有效合作伙伴关系的推动与发展.本文引证了推动组织参与的一些成功行动.迫切希望不同的利益相关者在推动社会向可持续性发展转化中,发挥更积极的作用.     

Tapping the leakages: Methane losses, mitigation options and policy issues for Russian long distance gas transmission pipelines

The Russian natural gas industry is the world's largest producer and transporter of natural gas. This paper aims to characterize the methane emissions from Russian natural gas transmission operations, to explain projects to reduce these emissions, and to characterize the role of emissions reduction within the context of current GHG policy. It draws on the most recent independent measurements at all parts of the Russian long distance transport system made by the Wuppertal Institute in 2003 and combines these results with the findings from the US Natural Gas STAR Program on GHG mitigation options and economics.With this background the paper concludes that the methane emissions from the Russian natural gas long distance network are approximately 0.6% of the natural gas delivered. Mitigating these emissions can create new revenue streams for the operator in the form of reduced costs, increased gas throughput and sales, and earned carbon credits. Specific emissions sources that have cost-effective mitigation solutions are also opportunities for outside investment for the Joint Implementation Kyoto Protocol flexibility mechanism or other carbon markets.     

Contributions of biofilm and suspended sludge to nitrogen transformation and nitrous oxide emission in hybrid sequencing batch system

Hybrid system combines the nature of suspended growth and attached growth has been widely applied to wastewater treatment. In this research, the contributions to N transformation and N2O emission by biofilm and suspended sludge in the hybrid sequencingbatch reactor for a simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal process were investigated. For the hybrid system, nitrification occurred mostly in the suspended sludge, while the biofilm played the major role in denitrification. The interaction of the biofilm and the suspended sludge in the same reactor resulted in a better overall nitrogen removal performance with simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. However, N2O emission was the main end product of nitrogen removal for the hybrid system; while it was N2 for the biofilm. The relative low N2O emissions from the pure biofilm and the pure suspended sludge corresponded to the relatively high nitrate at the end of the aeration period compared with the hybrid system.     

不同温度下异波折板反应器处理生活污水的研究

本实验采用64．8L的厌氧异波折流板反应器处理生活污水,研究了低温对异波折流板反应器运行效能的影响。结果表明,温度从30℃降至20℃反应器运行15d达到稳定后,COD去除率仅从83．6％T降至76．9％。各隔室的VFA浓度均有所上升,前面隔室升幅较大,比甲烷活性略有下降;当温度从20℃下降至10℃时,产氢产乙酸茵和产甲烷菌等受到较大影响,在反应器运行达到稳定后COD去除率从76．9％T降至45％-55％,出水水质受影响较大,比甲烷活性下降幅度较大。     

Bridging Disciplines, Knowledge Systems and Cultures in Pest Management

The success of research in integrated environmental and natural resource management relies on the participation and involvement of different disciplines and stakeholders. This can be difficult to achieve in practice because many initiatives fail to address the underlying social processes required for successful engagement and social learning. We used an action research approach to support a research-based group with a range of disciplinary and stakeholder expertise to critically reflect on their engagement practice and identify lessons around how to collaborate more effectively. This approach is provided here as a guide that can be used to support reflective research practice for engagement in other integration-based initiatives. This paper is set in the context of an integrated wildlife management research case study in New Zealand. We illustrate how multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches can provide a framework for considering the different conversations that need to occur in an integrated research program. We then outline rubrics that list the criteria required in inter- and trans-disciplinary collaborations, along with examples of effective engagement processes that directly support integration through such efforts. Finally, we discuss the implications of these experiences for other researchers and managers seeking to improve engagement and collaboration in integrated science, management and policy initiatives. Our experiences reaffirm the need for those involved in integrative initiatives to attend to the processes of engagement in both formal and informal settings, to provide opportunities for critical reflective practice, and to look for measures of success that acknowledge the importance of effective social process.     

Linking movement, diving, and habitat to foraging success in a large marine predator

Establishing where and when predators forage is essential to understanding trophic interactions, yet foraging behavior remains poorly understood in large marine carnivores. We investigated the factors leading to foraging success in gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the Northwest Atlantic in the first study to use simultaneous deployments of satellite transmitters, time depth recorders, and stomach-temperature loggers on a free-ranging marine mammal. Thirty-two seals were each fitted with the three types of instrumentation; however, complete records from all three instruments were obtained from only 13 individuals, underscoring the difficulty of such a multi-instrument approach. Our goal was to determine the characteristics of diving, habitat, and movement that predict feeding. We linked diving behavior to foraging success at two temporal scales: trips (days) and bouts (hours) to test models of optimal diving, which indicate that feeding can be predicted by time spent at the bottom of a dive. Using an information-theoretic approach, a Generalized Linear Mixed Model with trip duration and accumulated bottom time per day best explained the number of feeding events per trip, whereas the best predictor of the number of feeding events per bout was accumulated bottom time. We then tested whether characteristics of movement were predictive of feeding. Significant predictors of the number of feeding events per trip were angular variance (i.e., path tortuosity) and distance traveled per day. Finally, we integrated measures of diving, movement, and habitat at four temporal scales to determine overall predictors of feeding. At the 3-h scale, mean bottom time and distance traveled were the most important predictors of feeding frequency, whereas at the 6-h and 24-h time scales, distance traveled alone was most important. Bathymetry was the most significant predictor of feeding at the 12-h interval, with feeding more likely to occur at deeper depths. Our findings indicate that several factors predict feeding in gray seals, but predictor variables differ across temporal scales such that environmental variation becomes important at some scales and not others. Overall, our results illustrate the value of simultaneously recording and integrating multiple types of information to better understand the circumstances leading to foraging success.     

Case study: P2 in a manufacturing plant

Pollution prevention is among the most cost‐effective environmental quality management tools —and P2 projects can yield ongoing savings. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Face mask and medical waste generation in the City of Baguio,Philippines: its current management and GHG footprint

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The daily use of facemask to prevent virus transmission increases the negative effect on the environment because of improper waste disposal. Due to...     

Short-duration exposure of 3-µm polystyrene microplastics affected morphology and physiology of watermilfoil (sp. roraima)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Microplastics are one of the most widely discussed environmental issues worldwide. Several studies have shown the effect of microplastic exposure on...