PROJECTED EFFECTS OF ENERGY POLICIES ON AGRICULTURAL WATER USE AND IRRIGATION1

ABSTRACT: A national and interregional programming model was used in projecting the impacts of alternative energy policies and prices on agricultural production, land use, and irrigation. The alternatives analyzed include (a) natural gas deregulation, (b) natural gas curtailment, (c) doubled energy prices, and (d) tripled energy prices. These alternatives are compared with a base alternative where prices and conditions are at normal levels. Restraints in the model control availability of water, land, nitrogen fertilizers, and energy. Water production functions were used to adjust water use to conform with projected energy prices and policies. Natural gas curtailment would have the largest effect on nitrogen use on irrigated land. Values or shadow prices for lands that remains in irrigation would increase under all of the alternatives because of reduced supply. Increased energy prices generally would increase use of surface water for irrigation and reduce use of ground water due to higher pumping costs. Reductions of 50 percent or more in ground water use would occur in the South Central and Western regions of the United States. Water supply prices increase under all of the alternatives; with the amount varying by regions and the policy or price situation.     

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF VOLLENWEIDER'S NUTRIENT BUDGET MODEL AND OTHER RELATED MODELS1

ABSTRACT: Early attempts at nutrient budget modeling considered only the case where there was no loss of the material by sedimentation, i.e. the substance was assumed to be conservative. Nonstratified and stratified conditions have both been investigated under these terms. An elegant model, taking into account loss of a substance by sedimentation as well as flushing was presented by Vollenweider in 1969. Although this model has several shortcomings, it is particularly valuable because it can have immediate practical value in terms of water management policy development. These basic shortcomings in the model are analyzed and suggestions are made to alter the model to take these factors into account.     

灰色预测法在南宁市可持续发展趋势分析中的应用

本文运用灰色系统理论 ,建立灰色预测模型 ,对南宁市社会、经济及生态环境发展趋势进行了分析 ,并针对南宁市发展中的不合理状况 ,提出相应的调控对策。     

生态旅游区环境变化与可持续旅游发展——以张家界为例

生态旅游区在扩大接待能力，增加旅游注入的同时，不可避免地破坏了景区生态环境。既要接持更多的过夜游客，增加旅游收入，又要使旅游区生态系统维持在安全的水平上，开发建设规模多大为宜，这是许多生态旅游区亟待解决的问题。本文提出了基于环境脆弱因子的建设规模容限值计量模型，并在典型的生态旅游区张家界进行了验证。通过计算得出了在不同的建设规模条件下，张家界景区最为脆弱的环境因子-总磷含量的变化状态。实证研究表明，宾馆规模容限值模型是分析生态旅游区环境变化可持续发展的有效工具。     

Population dynamics and the economics of invasive species management: the greenhouse whitefly in California-grown strawberries

In agriculture, relatively few efficacious control measures may be available for an invasive pest. In the case of a new insect pest, insecticide use decisions are affected by regulations associated with its registration, insect population dynamics, and seasonal market price cycles. We assess the costs and benefits of environmental regulations designed to regulate insecticide applications on an invasive species. We construct a bioeconomic model, based on detailed scientific data, of management decisions for a specific invasion: greenhouse whiteflies in California-grown strawberries. The empirical model integrates whitefly population dynamics, the effect of whitefly feeding on strawberry yields, and weekly strawberry price. We use the model to assess the optimality of alternative treatment programs on a simulated greenhouse whitefly population. Our results show that regulations may lead growers to "under-spray" when placed in an economic context, and provide some general lessons about the design of optimal invasive species control policies.     

How good is GLASOD?

The Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (GLASOD) has been the most influential global appraisal of land quality in terms of environmental policy. However, its expert judgments were never tested for their consistency and could not be reproduced at unvisited sites, while the relationship between the GLASOD assessments of land degradation and the social and economic impact of that degradation remains unclear. Yet, other methodologies that could respond to urgent calls for an updated assessment of the global environmental quality are not operational or, at best, in progress. Therefore, we evaluate the reliability and social relevance of the GLASOD approach and assess its candidacy for new global environmental assessments. The study concentrates on the African continent, capitalizing on new GIS data to delineate and define the characteristics of GLASOD map units. Consistency is tested by comparing expert judgments on soil degradation hazard for similar combinations of biophysical conditions and land use. Reproducibility is evaluated by estimating an ordered logit model that relates the qualitative land degradation classes to easily available information on explanatory variables, the results of which can be used to assess the land degradation at unvisited sites. Finally, a cross-sectional analysis investigates the relation between GLASOD assessments and crop production data at sub-national scale and its association with the prevalence of malnutrition. The GLASOD assessments prove to be only moderately consistent and hardly reproducible, while the counter-intuitive trend with crop production reveals the complexity of the production-degradation relationship. It appears that increasing prevalence of malnutrition coincides with poor agro-productive conditions and highly degraded land. The GLASOD approach can be improved by resolving the differences in conceptualization among experts and by defining the boundaries of the ordered classes in the same units as independent, quantitative land degradation data.     

Integrated model of simulated occupant injury risk and real medical costs

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to develop an integrated methodology that links occupant injury risk functions, estimated in the laboratory, with real world medical treatment costs by using the abbreviated injury score (AIS). Using our model, the expected medical treatment costs for crash injuries to various body regions and of different severities can be investigated.

Methods

First, the simulation results are compared with NHTSA crash data. We used a modified kinematics simulation model that incorporates an F = E^b function as a supplement to the previous Steffan's model to obtain a more accurate acceleration history a(t). Second, head injury criteria HIC₃₆ can be calculated from a(t), and we use the injury probability P as a function of HIC_36, as proposed by Kuppa, to obtain the injury risk function for various AIS values. Third, medical treatment cost models for various AIS values can be calculated by using a regression cost model with real world data. Finally, the injury risk function and medical treatment cost models are linked through AIS values. We establish an integrated methodology and predict medical costs and car safety data using real world police reports, medical treatment costs, and laboratory simulation results.

Results

Using head injuries in frontal crashes as an example, we focus on simulation parameters for different vehicle models, with and without airbags. We specifically examine impact closing speed, Delta-V, and impact directions.

Conclusion

Simulation results can be used to supplement insufficient real crash data, in particular ΔV, and injury risk results from police crash reports.

Impact on industry

The proposed integrated methodology may provide the vehicle industry with a new safety assessment method. Real crash data coupling provides consumers with more realistic and applicable information.     

基于计划行为理论的自行车不安全行为模型研究

依托国家道路交通安全科技行动计划课题五"全民交通行为安全性提升综合技术及示范"专题,基于计划行为理论,从社会心理学的角度首次对自行车骑行者的不安全行为进行分析。在增加变量的基础上,通过调查问卷的方式,研究自行车骑行者对不安全行为的态度、主观规范、知觉行为控制、行为经验等心理因素,从而构建自行车不安全行为模型。从调查数据的结构方程模型分析和个人属性分析可知,在调查人群中存在对不安全行为没有正确认识、自觉守法能力较弱和普遍有不安全行为经验等问题,同时也确定了参与不安全行为的重点人群。最后,在揭示心理因素作用于行为的基础上提出家庭式安全教育、加强交警管理、提倡榜样学习、加强交通安全宣传等行为矫正手段。     

地铁项目安全绩效关键影响因素分析研究

在分析研究地铁安全事故案例的基础上,识别出对地铁项目安全绩效的48个关键影响因素,将这些影响因素归为五大类,即项目参与各方对安全的影响程度、人员的不安全行为及不安全状态、材料的不安全状态、机械/设备的不安全状态和现场环境的不安全状态;采取调查问卷的方式,运用结构方程建模得出各个指标的重要度及各指标之间的相互影响。研究结果表明:"项目参与各方对安全的影响程度"和"现场环境的状态"对地铁安全绩效的贡献最大,同时,其他因素也有较强的影响,在地铁施工中应以此为重点,加强安全防范。     

Severity models of cross-median and rollover crashes on rural divided highways in Pennsylvania

Introduction

Crossover and rollover crashes in earth-divided, traversable medians on rural divided highways can lead to severe injury outcomes. This study estimated severity models of these two crash types. Vehicle, driver, roadway, and median cross-section design data were factors considered in the models. A unique aspect of the data used to estimate the models were the availability of median cross-slope data, which are not commonly included in roadway inventory data files.

Methods

A binary logit model of cross-median crash severity and a multinomial logit model of rollover crash severity were estimated using five years of data from rural divided highways in Pennsylvania.

Results

The highest probability of a fatal or major injury in cross-median and rollover crashes was found to occur in cases when a driver was not wearing a seatbelt. While flatter cross-slopes and narrower medians were associated with more severe cross-median crash outcomes, steeper cross-slopes and narrower medians significantly increased rollover crash severity outcomes. The presence of horizontal curves was associated with increased probabilities of high-severity outcomes in a median rollover crash.

Impact on Industry

Modeling results in this study confirmed that cross-median and median rollover crash severity outcomes are associated with median cross-section design characteristics. Based on the estimated models, it appears that flatter and narrower medians lead to more severe injury outcomes in cross-median crashes. Steeper median cross-slopes and narrower medians were associated with higher probabilities of more severe outcomes in median rollover crashes. The results presented in this study suggest that there is a trade-off between median cross-section design and cross-median and rollover crashes in earth-divided, traversable medians on rural divided highways. While the severity models can be included in a framework to develop design guidance in relation to this trade-off, models of crash frequency should also be considered.