What's wrong with virtual trees? Restoring from stress in a mediated environment

Restorative environments are environments that can help restore depleted attention resources or reduce emotional and psychophysiological stress. These effects have been demonstrated not only in real environments, but also in mediated (projected, broadcasted, etc.) environments. However, the importance of simulation qualities to restoration outcomes has not been systematically studied. The present experiment investigates the importance of immersion in a mediated environment in relation to restoration. Is a projected natural environment more restorative when one is more immersed in it, and hence feels more present in it? The hypothesis was that a more immersive projection would show stronger stress-reducing effects of a mediated restorative environment. After performing a stress-inducing task, participants watched a nature film on either a high or low immersive screen. Physiological measurements (heart period and skin conductance level) were taken throughout the experiment. In addition, we measured self-reported affect and presence using the ITC-Sense of Presence Questionnaire. Significant effects of the screen size manipulation appeared on physiological measures, but not on self-reported affect. The data showed an interaction between screen size and restorative phase on heart period and skin conductance level, indicating stronger restoration for the immersive screen condition over time. We therefore conclude that immersion enhances restorative potential of a mediated natural environment. Self-reported affect did correlate significantly with experienced presence, illustrating the relevance of this experiential counterpart of immersion, although a mediating effect of presence has not yet been established.     

Safety evaluation of different acids in high-density polyethylene container loading

To reduce costs, high-purity chemical suppliers wash and reuse HDPE containers collected from users. To determine the lifetime of a container, the appearance of that container and the manufacturer's recommendations for its lifetime are generally considered. Guidelines for determining the lifetime of an HDPE container have not been clearly defined. The lack of these specifications may result in the leakage of high-purity chemicals in the storage, transportation and use of HDPE containers. To understand the effects of using high-purity chemicals (sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and nitric acid (HNO₃)) on HDPE, this study revealed its effects by mechanical and thermal performance tests. According to the mechanical properties test results, the ductility and tensile strength of HDPE soaked H₂SO₄ and HNO₃ decreased. HDPE immersed in HNO₃ exhibited the lowest thermal stability by thermal performance testing. In summary, the degradation of HDPE is affected by storage conditions. For this study, HDPE only needs 60 days of immersion in HNO_3, and its ductility and tensile strength will decline obviously. This study shows that when these containers are used for long-term storage of high purity chemicals, the mechanical properties (including ductility, ductility, and tensile strength) of HDPE containers tend to decrease. To decrease accidental leakage of chemicals due to aging of HDPE, comprehensive and approved regulations should be established for the loading, transport, and storage of HDPE containers.     

Land-traffic crash leading to passenger vehicle submersion,drowning and other fatal injuries: A 44-year study based on records from the Finnish Crash Data Institute

Background: Land motor traffic crash (LMTC) -related drownings are an overlooked and preventable cause of injury death. The aim of this study was to analyze the profile of water-related LMTCs involving passenger cars and leading to drowning and fatal injuries in Finland, 1972 through 2015. Materials and methods: The database of the Finnish Crash Data Institute (FCDI) that gathers detailed information on fatal traffic accidents provided records on all LMTCs leading to drowning during the study period and, from 2002 to 2015, on all water-related LMTCs, regardless of the cause of death. For each crash, we considered variables on circumstances, vehicle, and fatality profiles. Results: During the study period, the FCDI investigated 225 water-related LMTCs resulting in 285 fatalities. The majority of crashes involved passenger cars (124), and the cause of death was mostly drowning (167). Only 61 (36.5%) fatalities suffered some–generally mild–injuries. The crashes frequently occurred during fall or summer (63.7%), in a river or ditch (60.5%), and resulted in complete vehicle’s submersion (53.7 %). Half of the crashes occurred in adverse weather conditions and in over 40% of the cases, the driver had exceeded the speed limit. Among drivers, 77 (68.8%) tested positive for alcohol (mean BAC 1.8%). Conclusion: Multidisciplinary investigations of LMTCs have a much higher potential than do exclusive police and medico-legal investigations. The risk factors of water-related LMTCs are similar to those of other traffic crashes. However, generally the fatal event in water-related LMTC is not the crash itself, but drowning. The paucity of severe physical injuries suggests that victims’ functional capacity is usually preserved during vehicle submersion. Practical Applications: In water-related LMTCs, expansion of safety measures is warranted from general traffic-injury prevention to prevention of drowning, including development of safety features for submerged vehicles and simple self-rescue protocols to escape from a sinking vehicle.     

碱片-离子色谱法测定硫酸盐化速率影响因素

采用碱片-离子色谱法测定空气的硫酸盐化速率,方法在硫酸盐质量浓度为1.00~20.0 mg/L范围内线性良好(r≥0.999 0);碱片剪碎或不剪碎对空白碱片中硫酸根离子质量浓度的测定无明显影响,且高低两种加标浓度的回收率均在80.0%~120%之间;对于碱片实际样品,碱片剪碎更有利于硫酸根离子的快速溶出;随浸泡时间的延长,碱片中溶出的硫酸根离子质量浓度呈上升趋势,7 h硫酸根离子基本溶出完全,从保证结果质量和节省时间的角度考虑,确定最佳浸泡时间为3.5 h,建议碱片全部采取剪碎处理。