AbstractObjective: With the overall goal to harmonize prospective effectiveness assessment of active safety systems, the specific objective of this study is to identify and evaluate sources of variation in virtual precrash simulations and to suggest topics for harmonization resulting in increased comparability and thus trustworthiness of virtual simulation-based prospective effectiveness assessment.Methods: A round-robin assessment of the effectiveness of advanced driver assistance systems was performed using an array of state-of-the-art virtual simulation tools on a set of standard test cases. The results were analyzed to examine reasons for deviations in order to identify and assess aspects that need to be harmonized and standardized. Deviations between results calculated by independent engineering teams using their own tools should be minimized if the research question is precisely formulated regarding input data, models, and postprocessing steps.Results: Two groups of sources of variations were identified; one group (mostly related to the implementation of the system under test) can be eliminated by using a more accurately formulated research question, whereas the other group highlights further harmonization needs because it addresses specific differences in simulation tool setups. Time-to-collision calculations, vehicle dynamics, especially braking behavior, and hit-point position specification were found to be the main sources of variation.Conclusions: The study identified variations that can arise from the use of different simulation setups in assessment of the effectiveness of active safety systems. The research presented is a first of its kind and provides significant input to the overall goal of harmonization by identifying specific items for standardization. Future activities aim at further specification of methods for prospective assessments of the effectiveness of active safety, which will enhance comparability and trustworthiness in this kind of studies and thus contribute to increased traffic safety. 相似文献
Background: Alcohol use is pervasive among motorists on the road in Ghana; however, we do not know the extent to which this behavior is implicated in road accidents in this country.
Objectives: The main objective of this research was to establish the prevalence of alcohol in the blood of nonfatally injured casualties in the emergency departments (EDs) in northern Ghana.
Method: Participants were injured road traffic crash victims, namely, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers seeking treatment at an ED. The study sites were 2 level III trauma centers located in Wa and Bolgatanga. Participants were screened for alcohol followed by breath tests for positive participants using breathalyzers.
Results: Two hundred and sixty-two accident victims visited EDs, 58% of whom were in Wa. Among the victims, 41% were hospitalized and 57% experienced slight injuries. The vast majority (76%) of the casualties were motorcyclists, 13% were pedestrians, 8% were cyclists, and 2% were drivers. Casualties who had detectable alcohol in their blood were predominantly vulnerable road users. In all, 34% of participants had detectable blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and the mean BAC for all casualties who tested positive and could give definitive BACs was 0.2265 (226 mg/dl). The prevalence of alcohol use was 53% among cyclists, 34% among motorcyclists, 21% among pedestrians, and 17% among drivers. Male casualties were more likely to test positive for alcohol than females. In addition, the prevalence of alcohol was significantly higher among injured casualties in Bolgatanga compared to Wa.
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of alcohol use among nonfatally injured casualties in northern Ghana and injury severity increased with BAC. AUDIT screening in the hospital, alcohol consumption guideline, road safety education with an emphasis on minimizing or eliminating alcohol consumption, and enhanced enforcement of the BAC limit among motorists are recommended. 相似文献
Endocrine disrupting chemical(EDC) pollution in river-based artificial groundwater recharge using reclaimed municipal wastewater poses a potential threat to groundwater-based drinking water supplies in Beijing, China. Lab-scale leaching column experiments simulating recharge were conducted to study the adsorption, biodegradation, and transport characteristics of three selected EDCs: 17β-estradiol(E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol(EE2) and bisphenol A(BPA). The three recharge columns were operated under the conditions of continual sterilization recharge(CSR), continual recharge(CR), and wetting and drying alternative recharge(WDAR). The results showed that the attenuation effect of the EDCs was in the order of WDAR CR CSR system and E2 EE2 BPA, which followed first-order kinetics. The EDC attenuation rate constants were 0.0783, 0.0505, and 0.0479 m-1 for E2, EE2 and BPA in the CR system, respectively. The removal rates of E2, EE2, and BPA in the CR system were 98%, 96% and 92%, which mainly depended on biodegradation and were affected by water temperature.In the CR system, the concentrations of BPA, EE2, and E2 in soil were 4, 6 and 10 times higher than in the WDAR system, respectively. According to the DGGE fingerprints, the bacterial community in the bottom layer was more diverse than in the upper layer, which was related to the EDC concentrations in the water-soil system. The dominant group was found to be proteobacteria, including Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, suggesting that these microbes might play an important role in EDC degradation. 相似文献
Drought is a significant natural hazard that slowly evolves over time. Because of its character, drought is difficult to monitor and impacts are often poorly documented. Agriculture is one of the most sensitive sectors that are prone to drought. The objective of this research is to assess the impacts of drought on soybean production and revenue in Kentucky. Soybeans are one of Kentucky’s most important commodities. In this study, impacts of 1930–1931, 1940–1942, 1952–1955, 1987–1988, 1999–2000, and 2007 droughts were considered. It was found that over the recent years, up to 56 % of the revenue from soybeans was lost due to drought. During the first half of the twentieth century, revenue loss reached up to 77 %. This research is valuable to the general public as well as planners and policy makers. Proper documentation of impacts of past droughts will help identify drought vulnerabilities and results in better risk management and mitigation. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Natural steroid estrogens (NSEs), including free estrogens (FEs) and conjugated estrogens (CEs), are of emerging concern globally among public and... 相似文献
Direct decomposition of N2O by perovskite-structure catalysts including La2NiO4, LaSrNiO4, and La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 was investigated. The catalysts were prepared by the Pechini method and characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), BET, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and O2-TPD. Experimental results indicate that the properties of La2NiO4 are significantly improved by partially substituting La with Sr and Ce. N2O decomposition efficiencies achieved with LaSrNiO4 and La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 are 44 and 36%, respectively, at 400ºC. As the temperature was increased to 600ºC, N2O decomposition efficiency achieved with LaSrNiO4 and La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 reached 100% at an inlet N2O concentration of 1,000 ppm, while the space velocity was fixed at 8,000 hr?1. In addition, effects of various parameters including oxygen, water vapor, and space velocity were also explored. The results indicate that N2O decomposition efficiencies achieved with LaSrNiO4 and La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 are not significantly affected as space velocity is increased from 8,000 to 20,000 hr?1, while La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 shows better tolerance for O2 and H2O(g). On the other hand, N2 yield with LaSrNiO4 as catalyst can be significantly improved by doping Ce. At a gas hour space velocity of 8,000 hr?1, and a temperature of 600ºC, high N2O decomposition efficiency and N2 yield were maintained throughout the durability test of 60 hr, indicating the long-term stability of La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 for N2O decomposition.
Implications:Nitrous oxide (N2O) not only has a high global warming potential (GWP100 = 310), but also potentially destroys ozone in the stratosphere. Pervoskite-type catalysts including La2NiO4, LaSrNiO4, and La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 are applied for direct N2O decomposition. The results show that N2O decomposition can be enhanced as Sr and Ce are doped into La2NiO4. At 600ºC, N2O decomposition efficiencies achieved with LaSrNiO4 and La0.7Ce0.3SrNiO4 reach 100%, demonstrating high activity and good potential for direct N2O decomposition. Effects of O2 and H2O(g) contents on catalytic activities are also evaluated and discussed. 相似文献
Metachronal swimming, in which adjacent appendages stroke in sequence, is widespread among crustaceans inhabiting the transitional
flow realm in which both viscosity and inertia effects are important. However, the design and operation of this propulsion
system in response to various hydrodynamic, energetic, and behavioral needs have not been well investigated. We examine free-swimming
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) as a model species and identify three distinct behavioral swimming gaits. The pleopod kinematics of these gaits, hovering,
fast-forward swimming, and upside-down swimming, are quantified via image analysis of high-speed video. Pleopod stroke amplitude
and frequency were found to vary significantly among these swimming modes. In order to increase swimming speed, krill were
found first to increase stroke amplitude and secondarily to increase beat frequency. The kinematics of these distinct swimming
modes provide insight as we consider multi-appendage metachronal swimming from a design standpoint. The ratio of the distance
between adjacent appendage bases and appendage length is identified as a key parameter in metachrony, the value of which is
constrained to a narrow range for a wide variety of species. 相似文献