HGSYSTEM: a review, critique, and comparison with other models

HGSYSTEM is a package of computer models for modeling release and atmospheric dispersion of hazardous substances, which has capabilities that may not be found together elsewhere (e.g., hydrogen fluoride/air/water thermodynamics, aerosol release, release and dispersion of mixtures, multi-component evaporation, downward vertical jets, plume lift-off, deposition, and street-canyon). There are, however, some shortcomings in its spill models and in the transition from a spill to a dispersion model. The model's strong and weak points and limited comparisons with ALOHA and DEGADIS are discussed herein.     

Railroad injury: Causes, costs, and comparisons with other transport modes

Safety regulators in the railroad industry need comprehensive injury costs by cause, and cost comparisons to other modes of transport to gain policy insights. This study links case-level data from the Federal Railroad Administration to monetary costs and consequences of specific injuries. Lost quality of life was estimated from physicians' ratings of injury impairment and the value of fatal risk reduction. Railroad injuries and illnesses cause an average of $3 billion in fatality costs and $650 million in nonfatal incident costs annually. Impacts at rail-highway crossings impose three times as much cost as the next highest cause. Commercial air travel is the safest per passenger mile. Trains, second lowest, have injury costs six times higher, but only one-fifth as high as cars. The relative safety of trains and airplanes in transport means highway modes enjoy implicit price subsidies. Better injury cost recovery through taxation or insurance would make the subsidies explicit. More informed modal choices and thus enhanced economic efficiency would result.     

Involuntary retirement,bridge employment,and satisfaction with life: A longitudinal investigation

The increased popularity of bridge employment has raised questions about its consequences for well‐being in late adult life. This research explored the consequences of bridge employment for the level of life satisfaction of older adults during the retirement transition period. Changes in life satisfaction were considered to be a function of the different intentions and motives for taking bridge jobs. Furthermore, the impact of bridge employment was empirically examined conditional on the voluntariness of the exit from the career job. Panel data on Dutch retirees (N = 1248) were investigated using conditional change models. The results demonstrate that older adults willing to prolong their work careers but unable to find bridge jobs reported lower levels of life satisfaction compared with full retirees not considering bridge employment. In addition, participation in bridge employment for financial motives was associated with decreases in life satisfaction compared with postretirement working based on intrinsic motives. Moreover, compared with voluntary retirement, involuntary retirement was detrimental to life satisfaction, but participation in a bridge job was found to mitigate this negative shock. These findings contribute to the understanding of the consequences of various postretirement employment trajectories for older individuals. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The interactive relationship of competitive climate and trait competitiveness with workplace attitudes,stress, and performance

There has been a considerable debate about the individual and organizational benefits of competition. Adopting a person–environment fit perspective, this research examined the influence of competition as an interaction between trait competitiveness and competitive climate. Using a sample of information technology workers, competitive climate was considered as both an individual level variable and a workgroup variable. Results show that the effect of competitive climate depended on trait competitiveness and the level at which climate was assessed for four of the outcomes assessed: job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job dedication, and supervisor‐rated task performance. In general, the effect of competitive climate was more negative for individuals lower in trait competitiveness. Competitive psychological climate was associated with greater stress regardless of the level of trait competitiveness but was not directly related to self‐rated task performance. Findings suggest that managers should be cautious in encouraging competitive climate. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toyota drivers' experiences with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control,Pre-Collision System,and Lane-Keeping Assist

IntroductionAdvanced crash avoidance and driver assistance technologies potentially can prevent or mitigate many crashes. Previous surveys with drivers have found favorable opinions for many advanced technologies; however, these surveys are not necessarily representative of all drivers or all systems. As the technologies spread throughout the vehicle fleet, it is important to continue studying driver acceptance and use of them.MethodThis study focused on 2010–2013 Toyota Sienna and Prius models that were equipped with adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance, and lane departure warning and prevention (Prius models only). Telephone interviews were conducted in summer 2013 with 183 owners of vehicles with these technologies.ResultsAbout 9 in 10 respondents wanted adaptive cruise control and forward collision avoidance on their next vehicle, and 71% wanted lane departure warning/prevention again. Males and females reported some differences in their experiences with the systems; for example, males were more likely to have turned on lane departure warning/prevention than females, and when using this system, males reported more frequent warnings than did females. Relative to older drivers, drivers age 40 and younger were more likely to have seen or heard a forward collision warning.ConclusionsConsistent with the results in previous surveys of owners of luxury vehicles, the present survey found that driver acceptance of the technologies was high, although less so for lane departure warning/prevention. Experiences with the Toyota systems differed by driver age and gender to a greater degree than in previous surveys, suggesting that the responses of drivers may begin to differ as crash avoidance technology becomes available on a wider variety of vehicles.Practical applicationCrash avoidance technologies potentially can prevent or mitigate many crashes, but their success depends in part on driver acceptance. These systems will be effective only to the extent that drivers use them.     

Driving concerns among older adults: Associations with driving skill,behaviors, and experiences

Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to determine what older adults find most concerning about driving as they age and how these concerns are related to driving skill, behaviors, and experiences.

Methods: In partnership with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, a sample of 751 older adults ages 65 and older completed an online survey between October 2017 and May 2018. A content analysis was used to code open-ended responses about driver concerns, and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between driving concerns and driving skill, behavior, and experiences.

Results: Eighty-four percent of participants reported at least one driving concern, with 44% concerned about others’ driving, 34% concerned about their own driving, and 24% concerned about driving conditions. The most frequently mentioned driving concerns were other drivers in general, driving at night, visual ability and awareness, and other drivers being aggressive or reckless. Being concerned with their own driving was significantly associated with decreased perceived driving skill and increased odds of experiencing negative driving experiences in the past year. Being concerned about others’ driving was associated with increased odds of wearing a seat belt (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]?=?2.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02, 7.00), having high perceived driving skills in emergency situations (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI, 1.14, 2.12), and getting in a near crash or collision in the past year (AOR = 1.50; 95% CI, 1.04, 2.18).

Conclusions: Older adult drivers are frequently concerned about their own driving as well as the driving of others. Implications for future research and health practice are discussed.     

Routinization,work characteristics and their relationships with creative and proactive behaviors

Researchers have claimed that routinization hinders creativity. However, empirical evidence for this assumption is sparse. In this study, we argue that routinization may be beneficial for creativity and related behavior due to available resources that can be used to develop new ideas while working. We examine the relationship between routinization and four work characteristics (job control, job complexity, time pressure, and supervisor support) on the one hand and a range of creative and proactive behaviors on the other hand in a randomly selected sample of 278 employees of a German high‐tech company. Regression analyses reveal that in addition to work characteristics, routinization is generally positively related to creative and proactive behaviors. Ways to enhance routinization and thereby creative and proactive behaviors are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

以人为本，救防兼备，科学发展——本刊独家专访国防部发言人胡昌明

汶川大地震的救灾行动中,中国人民解放军担负了最为艰巨的任务。参加救灾行动的全体官兵发扬我军“特别能吃苦．特别能战斗”的优良作风,出色地完成了各种急、难、险、重的任务,写下了我军历史上的又一页辉煌篇章。为了深入研究此次救灾行动中,我军官兵和受灾群众的生命防护问题,为今后的此类活动提供有益的经验,本刊副主编田风同志对国防部新闻发言人、国防部新闻事务局局长胡昌明大校进行了专访。     

Ankle fracture patterns in drivers are associated with femoral fracture,higher BMI,and advanced age

Objective: Despite advances in vehicle safety systems, motor vehicle crashes continue to cause ankle fractures. This study attempts to provide insight into the mechanisms of injury and to identify the at-risk population groups.

Methods: A study was made of ankle fractures patients treated at an urban level 1 trauma center following motor vehicle crashes, with a concurrent analysis of a nationally representative crash data set. The national data set focused on ankle fractures in drivers involved in frontal crashes. Statistical analysis was applied to the national data set to identify factors associated with fracture risk.

Results: Malleolar fractures occurred most frequently in the driver's right foot due to pedal interaction. The majority of complex/open fractures occurred in the left foot due to interaction with the vehicle floor. These fractures occurred in association with a femoral fracture, but their broad injury pattern suggests a range of fracture causation mechanisms. The statistical analysis indicated that the risk of fracture increased with increasing driver body mass index (BMI) and age.

Conclusions: Efforts to reduce the risk of driver ankle injury should focus on right foot and pedal interaction. The range of injury patterns identified here suggest that efforts to minimize driver ankle fracture risk will likely need to consider injury tolerances for flexion, pronation/supination, and axial loading in order to capture the full range of injury mechanisms. In the clinical environment, physicians examining drivers after a frontal crash should consider those who are older or obese or who have severe femoral injury without concurrent head injury as highly suspicious for an ankle injury.     

Refinery wastewater degradation with titanium dioxide,zinc oxide,and hydrogen peroxide in a photocatalytic reactor

This paper presents the photo-catalytic degradation of real refinery wastewater from National Refinery Limited (NRL) in Karachi, Pakistan, using TiO₂, ZnO, and H₂O₂. The pretreatment of the refinery effluent was carried out on site and pretreated samples were tested at 32–37 °C in a stirrer bath reactor by using ultra-violet photo oxidation process. The degradation of wastewater was measured as a change in initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) and with time. Optimal conditions were obtained for catalyst type, and pH. The titanium dioxide proved to be very effective catalysts in photo-catalytic degradation of real refinery wastewater. The maximum degradation achieved was 40.68% by using TiO₂ at 37 °C and pH of 4, within 120 min of irradiations. When TiO₂ was combined with H₂O₂ the degradation decreased to 25.35%. A higher reaction rate was found for titanium dioxide. The results indicate that for real refinery wastewater, TiO₂ is comparatively more effective than ZnO and H₂O₂. The experiments indicated that first-order kinetics can successfully describe the photo-catalytic reaction. The ANOVA results for the model showed satisfactory and reasonable adjustment of the second-order regression model with the experimental data. The ANOVA results also showed that pH is significant than reaction time and catalyst dosage of TiO₂; and in case of ZnO, reaction time is significant than pH and catalyst dosage. This study proves that real refinery wastewater reacts differently than synthetic refinery wastewater, oil field produced water or oil water industrial effluent.     

Job demands,job resources,and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi‐sample study

This study focuses on burnout and its positive antipode—engagement. A model is tested in which burnout and engagement have different predictors and different possible consequences. Structural equation modeling was used to simultaneously analyze data from four independent occupational samples (total N = 1698). Results confirm the hypothesized model indicating that: (1) burnout and engagement are negatively related, sharing between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of their variances; (2) burnout is mainly predicted by job demands but also by lack of job resources, whereas engagement is exclusively predicted by available job resources; (3) burnout is related to health problems as well as to turnover intention, whereas engagement is related only to the latter; (4) burnout mediates the relationship between job demands and health problems, whereas engagement mediates the relationship between job resources and turnover intention. The fact that burnout and engagement exhibit different patterns of possible causes and consequences implies that different intervention strategies should be used when burnout is to be reduced or engagement is to be enhanced. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

石羊河流域的生态环境问题、引发原因与治理对策

石羊河是甘肃省三大内陆河之一,在河西乃至全省经济社会发展中起着十分重要的作用.目前该流域出现森林面积减少,雪线上升,水土流失加重,地下水位下降,水体污染,水质恶化,荒漠化蔓延等一系列生态环境问题,已经严重影响和制约到流域及其周边地区的经济建设和社会安定团结.为实现流域生态大系统及其子系统稳定、健康、持续发展,应坚持"南保水源,中建绿洲,北治风沙"的基本原则.对流域大系统,要切实加强流域水资源统一管理,完善政策体系,加强环境保护的执法、宣传,提高流域民众的生态意识,加强生态建设工程的科技支撑.对流域南部祁连山区,要加强林区管理,理顺体制,加强山区植被保护和建设,提高水源涵养能力,减少水土流失,合理调整水库,减少汛期蓄水.对中部绿洲,要发展二三产业,加快小城镇建设,调整农业产业结构,加强农田防护林体系建设,加大节水力度,实施外流域调水工程.对北部荒漠区,要恢复、重建退化固沙植被,退耕还草还荒,严禁新的土地开垦,适度发展沙产业.     

A new THOR shoulder design: a comparison with volunteers, the Hybrid III, and THOR NT

OBJECTIVE: Since the shoulders are rarely seriously injured in frontal or oblique collisions, they have been given low priority in the development of frontal impact crash test dummies. The shoulder complex geometry and its kinematics are of vital importance for the overall dummy kinematics. The shoulder complex also influences the risk of the safety belt slipping off the shoulder in oblique forward collisions. The first aim of this study was to develop a new 50th percentile male THOR shoulder design, while the second was to compare the new shoulder, mounted on a THOR NT dummy, with volunteer, THOR NT, and Hybrid III range of motion and stiffness data. The third aim was to test the repeatability of the new shoulder during dynamic testing and to see how the design behaves with respect to belt slippage in a 45 degrees far-side collision. METHODS: The new 50th percentile THOR shoulder design was developed with the aid of a shell model of the seated University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) 50th percentile male with coordinates for joints and bony landmarks (Schneider et al., 1983). The new shoulder design has human-like bony landmarks for the acromion and coracoid processes. The clavicle curvature and length are also made similar to that of a male human, as is the range of motion in the anterior-posterior, superior-inferior, and medial-lateral directions. The new shoulder design was manufactured and tested under the same conditions that T?rnvall et al. (2005b) used to compare the shoulder range of motion for the volunteers, Hybrid III, and THOR Alpha. The new design was also tested in two dynamic test configurations: the first was a 0 degrees full-frontal test and the second was a 45 degrees far-side test. The dummy tests were conducted with an R-16 seat with a three-point belt, the Delta V was 27.0+/-0.5 km/h and the maximum peak acceleration was approximately 14.6+/-0.5 g for each test. RESULTS: A new shoulder design with geometry close to that of humans was developed to be retrofitted to the THOR NT dummy. The results showed that the range of motion for the new shoulder complex during static loading was larger by at least a factor of three, for the maximum load (200 N/arm), than that of either the Hybrid III or the THOR NT; this means it was more similar to the volunteers' range of motion. It was observed that the THOR NT with the new shoulder did not slide out of the shoulder belt during a far-side collision. The performance of the new shoulder was reasonably repeatable and stable during both the static tests and the sled tests. CONCLUSION: A new shoulder for the THOR NT has been designed and developed, and data from static range of motion tests and sled tests indicate that the new shoulder complex has the potential to function in a more human-like manner on the THOR dummy.     

Comparing the work values of engineers with managers,production, and clerical workers: A multivariate analysis

Engineers and scientists have been compared in previous research on their work attitudes. Conceivably the interest in comparing these two groups of professionals was a result of the joint work they often do in research and development departments. The present framework suggests that engineers who work in production departments would have work values and attitudes which would be more similar to those of managers. Survey data was collected from 432 employees in two industrial corporations in Israel. Profile analysis showed that the work values of engineers were similar to those of managers and different from those of production and clerical workers. Furthermore, work values were also related to behavioral outcomes such as performance and tardiness. Implications regarding the study of engineering as a profession and the use of work values in organizational research are discussed.