Heavy trucks, conspicuity treatment, and the decline of collision risk in darkness

IntroductionThe influence of amendments to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, requiring conspicuity treatments on heavy tractors and trailers, was determined in analyses of the odds of fatal collisions in darkness.MethodComparisons were made between crashes in which conspicuity treatment was likely relevant, and those in which it was likely irrelevant.ResultsOver 23 years, the odds that a fatal collision involving a heavy truck occurred in darkness declined by 58% among relevant crashes, while little decline was observed for irrelevant crashes. Disaggregation into crash types revealed the largest declines occurred in fatal rear-end and angle collisions. A parallel analysis of light vehicles also found declines but no differences among crash type. Similar trends were also observed for nonfatal rear end collisions.ConclusionThe results suggest that detection failure may have contributed to the risk of striking a tractor-semitrailer in darkness, and that conspicuity treatments have reduced this risk.Impact on IndustryConspicuity treatments appear to reduce risk of collision into heavy trucks in darkness. It is likely that this benefit would also extend to other vehicles that are not included in the FMVSS 108 regulation (e.g., buses, single unit trucks, recreational vehicles), although many are so equipped, regardless of the regulation.     

Stress among air traffic controllers: Occupational sources of coronary heart disease risk

This study attempts to assess the sources of occupational stress on air traffic controllers. It is based on data collected from a majority of air traffic controllers at a large U.K. airport. There are two unique methodological features described in this article. First, the use of the repertory grid technique as a method of generating work stressor variables, and second, the use of the multiple logistic equation as a coronary heart disease risk index.     

In situ ammonia removal in bioreactor landfill leachate

Although bioreactor landfills have many advantages associated with them, challenges remain, including the persistence of NH(3)-N in the leachate. Because NH(3)-N is both persistent and toxic, it will likely influence when the landfill is biologically stable and when post-closure monitoring may end. An in situ nitrogen removal technique would be advantageous. Recent studies have shown the efficacy of such processes; however, they are lacking the data required to enable adequate implementation at field-scale bioreactor landfills. Research was conducted to evaluate the kinetics of in situ ammonia removal in both acclimated and unacclimated wastes to aid in developing guidance for field-scale implementation. Results demonstrate that in situ nitrification is feasible in an aerated solid waste environment and that the potential for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (even under low biodegradable C:N conditions) in field-scale bioreactor landfills is significant due to the presence of both aerobic and anoxic areas. All rate data fit well to Monod kinetics, with specific rates of removal of 0.196 and 0.117 mgN/day-g dry waste and half-saturation constants of 59.6 and 147 mgN/L for acclimated and unacclimated wastes, respectively. Although specific rates of ammonia removal in the unacclimated waste are lower than in the acclimated waste, a relatively quick start-up of ammonia removal was observed in the unacclimated waste. Using the removal rate expressions developed will allow for estimation of the treatment times and volumes necessary to remove NH(3)-N from recirculated landfill leachate.     

Hot Spots of Perforated Forest in the Eastern United States

National assessments of forest fragmentation satisfy international biodiversity conventions, but they do not identify specific places where ecological impacts are likely. In this article, we identify geographic concentrations (hot spots) of forest located near holes in otherwise intact forest canopies (perforated forest) in the eastern United States, and we describe the proximate causes in terms of the nonforest land-cover types contained in those hot spots. Perforated forest, defined as a 0.09-ha unit of forest that is located at the center of a 7.29-ha neighborhood containing 60–99% forest with relatively low connectivity, was mapped over the eastern United States by using land-cover maps with roads superimposed. Statistically significant (P < 0.001) hot spots of high perforation rate (perforated area per unit area of forest) were then located by using a spatial scan statistic. Hot spots were widely distributed and covered 20.4% of the total area of the 10 ecological provinces examined, but 50.1% of the total hot-spot area was concentrated in only two provinces. In the central part of the study area, more than 90% of the forest edge in hot spots was attributed to anthropogenic land-cover types, whereas in the northern and southern parts it was more often associated with seminatural land cover such as herbaceous wetlands.     

ENHANCEMENTS OF NONPOINT SOURCE MONITORING OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN GROUND WATER1

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled a national retrospective data set of analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water of the United States. The data are from Federal, State, and local nonpoint‐source monitoring programs, collected between 1985–95. This data set is being used to augment data collected by the USGS National Water‐Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program to ascertain the occurrence of VOCs in ground water nationwide. Eleven attributes of the retrospective data set were evaluated to determine the suitability of the data to augment NAWQA data in answering occurrence questions of varying complexity. These 11 attributes are the VOC analyte list and the associated reporting levels for each VOC, well type, well‐casing material, type of openings in the interval (screened interval or open hole), well depth, depth to the top and bottom of the open interval(s), depth to water level in the well, aquifer type (confined or unconfined), and aquifer lithology. VOCs frequently analyzed included solvents, industrial reagents, and refrigerants, but other VOCs of current interest were not frequently analyzed. About 70 percent of the sampled wells have the type of well documented in the data set, and about 74 percent have well depth documented. However, the data set generally lacks documentation of other characteristics, such as well‐casing material, information about the screened or open interval(s), depth to water level in the well, and aquifer type and lithology. For example, only about 20 percent of the wells include information on depth to water level in the well and only about 14 percent of the wells include information about aquifer type. The three most important enhancements to VOC data collected in nonpoint‐source monitoring programs for use in a national assessment of VOC occurrence in ground water would be an expanded VOC analyte list, recording the reporting level for each analyte for every analysis, and recording key ancillary information about each well. These enhancements would greatly increase the usefulness of VOC data in addressing complex occurrence questions, such as those that seek to explain the reasons for VOC occurrence and nonoccurrence in ground water of the United States.     

Evaluation and valuation of wildlife resources

Issues of resource conservation and development are essentially about choice between alternative uses of land. Resource evaluation in rural planning has usually been based on assessments of land quality or capability in relation to a variety of alternative uses. In the case of wildlife, choices have to be made as to whether the wildlife resource is worth conserving at all and if so, which sites should be used. Considerable efforts have been made to rationalise, improve and make explicit the way in which choices are made, and this paper reviews the current position and draws attention to issues and developments which could lead to improvements in current practice.     

Biodegradation of nitrogen-enriched lignite

Biodegradation of nitrogen-enriched lignite by soil bacteria previously acclimated in hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid lignitic substrate was carried out to assess the effects of nitrogen functional groups on the biodegradation of lignite. Chlorination, oxidation plus nitration, and ammoniation were applied in an attempt to modify the chemical structure of lignite so as to obtain a lignitic substrate that is more compatible to the enzymatical system of ordinary soil bacteria than that of unmodified lignite. Incorporation of nitrogen containing functional groups into lignite structure achieved 4.71 wt%, a value five times higher than that usually found in unmodified (raw) lignite. Data collected through a 16 day incubation time, monitoring production as well as depletion of both nitrate and organic acids, concluded that biodegradation was expedited by the incorporation of nitrogen into the structure of lignite. Twenty-eight compounds were identified based on the results from GC/MS analysis of the products.     

REAL-TIME SNOW SIMULATION MODEL FOR THE MONONGAHELA RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: The Pittsburgh District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is responsible for operating two multipurpose reservoirs in the 7384 square mile (19198 square kilometer) Monongahela Basin. A third reservoir, presently under construction, will soon be operating. The real-time forecasting of runoff for operational purposes requires simulation of snow accumulation and snowmelt throughout the Basin during the winter season. This article describes capabilities of SNOSIM, a model being developed for performing such simulation. The application of this model as part of a comprehensive system of water control software, and some initial simulation results are presented.