Evaluating the effectiveness of a logger safety training program

INTRODUCTION: Logger safety training programs are rarely, if ever, evaluated as to their effectiveness in reducing injuries. METHOD: Workers' compensation claim rates were used to evaluate the effectiveness of a logger safety training program, the West Virginia Loggers' Safety Initiative (LSI). RESULTS: There was no claim rate decline detected in the majority (67%) of companies that participated in all 4 years of the LSI. Furthermore, their rate did not differ from the rest of the WV logging industry that did not participate in the LSI. Worker turnover was significantly related to claim rates; companies with higher turnover of employees had higher claim rates. Companies using feller bunchers to harvest trees at least part of the time had a significantly lower claim rate than companies not using them. Companies that had more inspections per year had lower claim rates. CONCLUSIONS: High injury rates persist even in companies that receive safety training; high employee turnover may affect the efficacy of training programs. The logging industry should be encouraged to facilitate the mechanization of logging tasks, to address barriers to employee retention, and to increase the number of in-the-field performance monitoring inspections. Impact on industry There are many states whose logger safety programs include only about 4-8 hours of safe work practices training. These states may look to West Virginia's expanded training program (the LSI) as a model for their own programs. However, the LSI training may not be reaching loggers due to the delay in administering training to new employees and high levels of employee turnover. Regardless of training status, loggers' claim rates decline significantly the longer they work for a company. It may be that high injury rates in the state of West Virginia would be best addressed by finding ways to encourage and facilitate companies to become more mechanized in their harvesting practices, and to increase employee tenure. Increasing the number of yearly performance inspections may also be a venue to reduce claim rates. Future research could investigate in better detail the working conditions of West Virginia loggers and identify barriers to job tenure, particularly for workers whose primary job task is chainsaw operation. A larger-scale study of the effect of performance monitoring inspections on claim rates is also warranted.     

我国特种劳动防护用品产业分布特点分析

为了解我国特种劳动防护用品产业分布特点和产业市场集中程度,基于生产企业统计数据,估算我国特种劳动防护用品产业市场集中度;对比2017年和2010年数据,统计分析我国特种劳动防护用品产业的区域、产品种类、企业注册资金规模和企业从业人员数量的分布和变化,分析总结了产业发展呈现的特点,提出了加快我国特种劳动防护用品产业发展的相应建议。结果表明:当前我国特种劳动防护用品产业市场结构尚属于低集中竞争型;各区域生产企业数量按照东部、中部、西部和东北的顺序依次递减,东部生产企业占据全国企业总数的65%以上;一半以上企业的注册资金均大于1 000万元;以从业人员数量看,80%以上企业属于小型企业规模;与2010年相比,2017年我国特种劳动防护用品生产企业从业人员数量增加了6.67%,企业从业人员规模分布变化不明显,企业注册资金规模已由约7成企业在500万元以下转变为近7成超过500万元,产品种类增加了40%。研究结果可为我国劳动防护用品产业和安全产业的发展提供科学参考。     

海河综合开发改造与多功能生态堤岸建设

以多功能生态堤岸为基础的城市滨河地带的规划与改造已成为世界各国景观设计、生态规划的焦点。分析了海河堤岸现状的问题，针对海河综合开发改造方案提出了生态堤岸与亲水景观建设的有关建议。     

Abundance and arm loss of the infaunal brittlestar Ophiophragmus filograneus (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea), with an experimental determination of regeneration rates in natural and planted seagrass beds

The regeneration rate of arms of the infaunal brittlestar Ophiophragmus filograneus was determined in natural and planted beds of the seagrass (Halodule wrighttii) in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA in 1990. Annually, brittlestar densities did not differ on average between the two beds, but they did show marked differences on individual dates. Rates of arm loss could not be determined for the two sites separately, but were estimated for the entire area. Between 52 and 94% of the brittlestars collected showed evidence of arm regeneration. Approximately one-third of those collected were regenerating one arm, with smaller proportions regenerating two or more arms. Regeneration rate was greater overall for individuals that had lost more tissue; however, the rate of soft-tissue regeneration per arm regenerated was significantly greater for those that had lost one arm compared to those that had lost three arms. The rate of soft-tissue regeneration did not differe between individuals from the two seagrass beds, and regeneration rate was lower than reported for other infaunal brittlestars. Skeletal regeneration per arm was similar in both arm-removal treatments. This result supports the hypothesis that echinoderm skeleton is energetically inexpensive and may help to lengthen arms during early regeneration. The rate of skeletal production was three-fold greater in individuals from the planted seagrass than in those from the natural. bed. As increased skeletal regeneration requires some additional energy, this indicates a greater energy expenditure and differential allocation by brittlestars regenerating in the planted seagrass areas.     

Estimating the complexity of bird song by using capture-recapture approaches from community ecology

Repertoire size, the number of unique song or syllable types in the repertoire, is a widely used measure of song complexity in birds, but it is difficult to calculate this exactly in species with large repertoires. A new method of repertoire size estimation applies species richness estimation procedures from community ecology, but such capture-recapture approaches have not been much tested. Here, we establish standardized sampling schemes and estimation procedures using capture-recapture models for syllable repertoires from 18 bird species, and suggest how these may be used to tackle problems of repertoire estimation. Different models, with different assumptions regarding the heterogeneity of the use of syllable types, performed best for different species with different song organizations. For most species, models assuming heterogeneous probability of occurrence of syllables (so-called detection probability) were selected due to the presence of both rare and frequent syllables. Capture-recapture estimates of syllable repertoire size from our small sample did not differ significantly from previous estimates using larger samples of count data. However, the enumeration of syllables in 15 songs yielded significantly lower estimates than previous reports. Hence, heterogeneity in detection probability of syllables should be addressed when estimating repertoire size. This is neglected using simple enumeration procedures, but is taken into account when repertoire size is estimated by appropriate capture-recapture models adjusted for species-specific song organization characteristics. We suggest that such approaches, in combination with standardized sampling, should be applied in species with potentially large repertoire size. On the other hand, in species with small repertoire size and homogenous syllable usage, enumerations may be satisfactory. Although researchers often use repertoire size as a measure of song complexity, listeners to songs are unlikely to count entire repertoires and they may rely on other cues, such as syllable detection probability.Communicated by A. Cockburn     

Experimental assessment of wind erosion after soil stabilization treatments at Eneabba,Western Australia

Wind tunnel experiments on rehabilitation surfaces at Eneabba, Western Australia evaluated the techniques used by Associated Minerals Consolidated Ltd. (AMC) and Allied Eneabba Ltd. (AEL) to stabilize regions being revegetated following heavy mineral sand mining. Newly landscaped areas proved to be the most erodible, beginning to erode at 9 m sec⁻¹ and producing a soil flux of 10 kg m⁻¹ min⁻¹ at 18 m sec⁻¹ wind speeds. Sandier, more organically-rich, surfaces in the rehabilitation areas were somewhat less erodible with losses of only 2 kg m⁻¹ min⁻¹ at wind speeds of 18 m sec⁻¹. The mining companies use various nurse crops and top dressing mulch for surface stabilization. Rows of oats, sparse plantings of the grass cultivar “SUDAX” (Dekalb ST6) supplied by Westfarmers Ltd. and applications of Terolas, a cold, bituminous surface binding material supplied by Shell Co. of Australia Ltd., all proved successful in reducing wind erosion in this semi-arid region where more than 25% of summer days experience winds greater than 8 m sec⁻¹.     

Growth responses of three legume species exposed to simulated acid rain

Seedlings of Vicia faba L., Phaseolus multiflorus L. and Pisum sativum L. were raised during exposure to simulated acid rainfall treatments of pHs 5.6, 4.5, 3.5 and 2.5 at a rate of 30 mm per week. All three species were found to be adversely affected by the more acid pH 3.5 and pH 2.5 treatments after 7-8 weeks of exposure. There were total plant dry weight reductions of 40% for V. faba, 31% for P. sativum and 28% for P. multiflorus exposed to the pH 2.5 treatment, as compared to those grown in the control (pH 5.6 treatment). In addition, V. faba was found to be sensitive to the pH 4.5 treatment with an 18% reduction in total plant weights (compared to plants grown in the pH 5.6 treatment). In P. multiflorus, reduction in the dry weights of shoots in response to increasing acidity of rain was not accompanied by reduction in root weights, indicating an interference in the partitioning of assimilates. It is concluded that these three species, and V. faba in particular, may be growing below their potential in much of the UK.     

颤振飞行试验激励技术发展的回顾和展望

首先对颤振发生机理、颤振飞行试验实施过程及颤振激励的重要性进行了简单介绍,然后对颤振激励方法的发展历程进行了回顾,对不同颤振激励技术的特点进行了详细分析,并提出了激励技术的选择原则和方法,得出不同激励方法的最佳适用对象。最后,结合新型飞机技术发展需求,对颤振激励技术的发展趋势进行了展望。不同的颤振激励技术服务、支持了不同型号飞机的飞行试验工作,随着各种超高速、轻型化、智能化飞机的出现,对各种新型颤振激励技术的需求会层出不穷,文中的工作对不同特点试验飞机颤振激励技术的选用给出有益的建议和参考。     

生物炭的制备及其镁改性对污染物的吸附行为研究

以小麦和玉米秸秆为原料,于不同温度下制备了生物炭样品,并采用氯化镁(MgCl_2)、乙酸镁(Mg(CH_3COO)_2)和硝酸镁(Mg(NO_3)_2)对秸秆及其生物炭进行改性.通过分析各生物炭产率、pH、元素分析、比表面积、CEC、XRD及FT-IR,探究了生物炭理化性质的变化规律.各样品对氨氮、Pb(Ⅱ)及乙草胺的吸附试验结果表明:小麦秸秆经Mg(CH_3COO)_2改性后得到的生物炭的饱和吸附量最大;对3种吸附质的吸附过程均符合准二级吸附动力学方程;低浓度下吸附过程均可自发进行,对氨氮的吸附符合Langmuir模型且以离子交换作用为主,对Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附符合Freundlich模型且以离子交换作用为主,对乙草胺的吸附符合Langmuir模型且以分配、氢键和π-π电子受体供体作用为主.     

我国纸包装废物产生特性和回收状况研究

纸包装被广泛应用于各个领域,消费量巨大,废物的产生量也巨大,但我国对其产生特性和回收体系研究较少。首先分析纸包装的生产量、消费量、废物产生量和回收量,指出我国纸包装废物回收率,远高于废纸的统计回收率;其次,综合分析纸包装废物的回收特性和回收体系状况,指出纸包装废物主要流向和关键环节;然后,对纸包装消费趋势进行预测,最后,提出纸包装废物回收存在的问题和对策措施。