What is the relationship between self-reported aberrant driving behaviors,mindfulness, and self-reported crashes and infringements?

Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between self-reported aberrant driving behaviors, mindfulness, and self-reported crashes and infringements.

Methods: Three hundred and eighteen participants (M = 46.0 years, SD = 13.7 years; female: 81.8%) completed an online survey that assessed aberrant driving behaviors, mindfulness (including regular mindfulness meditation [MM]), and self-reported crashes and infringements during the past 2 years. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationship between self-reported aberrant driving behaviors and mindfulness simultaneously, as well as with participants' age and estimated kilometers driven over the past year.

Results: The results of the SEM showed that mindfulness was negatively related to each self-reported aberrant driving behavior, with the strongest relationships being between mindfulness and driving-related lapses (?0.58) and errors (?0.46). Participants who practice MM had significantly fewer crashes in the past 2 years and reported significantly fewer driving-related violations and lapses compared to participants who did not practice MM (crashes: 9.3% vs. 18.8%, P < .05; violations: M = 6.66 [SD = 3.44] vs. M = 7.68 [SD = 4.53], P < .05; errors: M = 5.17 [SD = 3.44] vs. M = 6.19 [SD = 4.12], P < .05).

Conclusions: More research is needed to understand whether MM results in more mindful and attentive drivers or whether individuals who practice MM may have other traits or behaviors that are linked to improved safety.     

Decentralized Groundwater Recharge Systems Using Roofwater and Stormwater Runoff1

Stephens, Daniel B., Mark Miller, Stephanie J. Moore, Todd Umstot, and Deborah J. Salvato, 2011. Decentralized Groundwater Recharge Systems Using Roofwater and Stormwater Runoff. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(1): 134‐144. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00600.x Abstract: Stormwater capture for groundwater recharge in urban areas is usually conducted at the regional level by water agencies. Field and modeling studies in New Mexico indicate that stormwater diverted to retention basins may recharge about 50% of precipitation that falls on the developed area, even in dry climates. Comparable volumes of recharge may be expected at homes, subdivisions, or commercial properties with low‐impact development (LID) technologies for stormwater control that promote recharge over evapotranspiration. Groundwater quality has not been significantly impacted at sites that have been recharging stormwater to aquifers for decades. Distributed recharge systems may be a good alternative to centralized regional facilities where there is limited land for constructing spreading basins or little funding for new infrastructure. LID technologies borrowed from stormwater managers are important tools for groundwater managers to consider to enhance recharge.     

Analysis of the Atmosphere for Light Hydrocarbons

A procedure has been developed for the analysis of trace quantities of light hydrocarbons in air. A freezetrap filled with chromatographic packing was installed in place of the gas sample loop of a flame ionization chromatograph. An air sample 0.1–0.5 liter volume was passed through the trap which was chilled with liquid oxygen. The trap wasthen brought to ice temperature and its contents simultaneously swept into the column. The resulting chrómatogram could be used to determine about 25 hydrocarbons through n-hexane. The minimum detectable concentration was below 1 ppb for these hydrocarbons. With such sensitivity it is possible to make useful measurements even on samples of light air pollution. Air samples from the Riverside area were analyzed in this fashion starting in the summer of 1965. The relative amounts of these hydrocarbons were then compared with the distribution reported for the various known hydrocarbon sources. The attenuation of the more reactive hydrocarbons by photolysis was also observed. A system for irradiating trapped air samples was also constructed. Samples were collected in 5-gallon borosilicate bottles which were then irradiated with ultraviolet radiation and the concentration changes followed.     

A Damaging Explosion of Peroxyacetyl Nitrate

A damaging explosion of the smog component peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) was traced to the presence of liquid PAN in a pressure gauge and pipe fitting attached to the metal container. Some of the PAN vapor had condensed while stored in a cold room at about 0°C over a weekend. Recommendations for avoiding a repetition of this accident are given.     

Remote Sensing Data and a Potential Model of Vehicle Exhaust Emissions

In June 1991, General Motors Research and Development Center (GMR&D) participated in a remote sensing study conducted by the California Air Resources Board and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. During this study, the GMR&D remote sensor was used to measure the carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions from approximately 15,000 vehicles. The vehicle type (passenger car, light-duty truck, or medium/heavy-duty truck), manufacturer, and model year were identified for each vehicle by acquiring registration data from the state of California. Analyses were performed separately for each vehicle type and for passenger cars by separate model years. The data indicate that the passenger cars with the highest 10% of CO emissions generated approximately 58% of the total CO from all cars. Similarly, the 10% highest HC-emitting cars generated 65% of the total HC from cars. It was found that for each model year of vehicle, the distribution of emission concentrations followed a logarithmic relationship. The logarithmic functions that describe these relationships can be used to estimate the fraction of vehicles that emitted at or above any given concentration of CO or HC. However, these logarithmic functions only describe measured distributions for vehicles emitting more than 1% CO and 0.015% HC.     

Herbicide sorption coefficients in relation to soil properties and terrain attributes on a cultivated prairie

The sorption of 2,4-D and glyphosate herbicides in soil was quantified for 287 surface soils (0-15 cm) collected in a 10 x 10 m grid across a heavily eroded, undulating, calcareous prairie landscape. Other variables that were determined included soil carbonate content, soil pH, soil organic carbon content (SOC), soil texture, soil loss or gain by tillage and water erosion, and selected terrain attributes and landform segments. The 2,4-D sorption coefficient (Kd) was significantly associated with soil carbonate content (-0.66; P < 0.001), soil pH (-0.63; P < 0.001), and SOC (0.47; P < 0.001). Upper slopes were strongly eroded and thus had a significantly greater soil carbonate content and less SOC compared with lower slopes that were in soil accumulation zones. The 2,4-D Kd was almost twice as small in upper slopes than in lower slopes. The 2,4-D Kd was also significantly associated with nine terrain attributes, particularly with compounded topographic index (0.59; P < 0.001), gradient (-0.48; P < 0.001), mean curvature (-0.43; P < 0.001), and plan curvature (-0.42 P < 0.001). Regression equations were generated to estimate herbicide sorption in soils. The predicted power of these equations increased for 2,4-D when selected terrain attributes were combined with soil properties. In contrast, the variation of glyphosate sorption across the field was much less dependent on our measured soil properties and calculated terrain attributes. We conclude that the integration of terrain attributes or landform segments in pesticide fate modeling is more advantageous for herbicides such as 2,4-D, whose sorption to soil is weak and influenced by subtle changes in soil properties, than for herbicides such as glyphosate that are strongly bound to soil regardless of soil properties.     

荧光假单胞菌对洞庭湖湿地镉污染土壤碳氮生理类群和微生物活性的影响

为探讨功能微生物对洞庭湖湿地镉污染土壤环境质量的影响,以从洞庭湖湿地植物蒌蒿体中分离获得的荧光假单胞菌(Pseudomonas fluorescens)Y5为对象,通过室内培养试验研究其对洞庭湖湿地镉污染土壤碳氮生理类群和微生物活性的影响。结果表明菌株Y5可明显增加洞庭湖湿地镉污染土壤的氨化菌、硝化菌、好氧性自生固氮菌、好氧性纤维素分解菌的数量,明显提高洞庭湖湿地镉污染土壤的脲酶和蔗糖酶活性,显著增加土壤微生物生物量碳(MBC)、微生物生物量氮(MBN),明显降低土壤基础呼吸及代谢墒,从而有利于改善洞庭湖湿地镉污染土壤的营养状况和环境质量。     

A tale from the Island of Laputa: The UNCHS (Habitat) crowding and health project from the perspective of two reluctant Laputans

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore Canada's response to the global dialogue over sustainable development on two dimensions: policy articulation at the federal and provincial levels and policy implementation at the municipal level. In order to accomplish these goals, this analysis begins by outlining a critical framework for understanding and assessing local sustainable development. Next, it examines the evolution of Canadian federal and provincial policies supportive of sustainable development, including the role played by non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) in enhancing this process. It then contrasts the Canadian promise and experience with that of the USA. In analysing local responses to the call for sustainable communities, it offers a case study of the Hamilton‐Wentworth Vision 2020 sustainable community programme—a North American showcase of sustainable community initiatives.     

Towards the characterisation of heavy metals in dredged canal sediments and an appreciation of 'availability': two examples from the UK.

Canal sediments can act as sinks for a wide range of contaminants including heavy metals from various sources (e.g. industrial and waste water discharges). Dredging of canals is required to maintain navigational depth and prevent flooding. The sediments removed from canals are often disposed of to land, being deposited either straight on to the banks of the canal or, in recent years, in licensed disposal sites. The aim of this work was to investigate the nature of dredged sediment-derived soils and the heavy metals present in them. Two disposal sites in the United Kingdom (UK) were investigated and soil samples taken. A variety of analytical techniques were used, including Aqua regia digestion and sequential extraction, in order to assess the concentrations and associations of metals present. Diethylene triaminepenta-acetic acid extracts, performed to illustrate plant-available metal concentrations, reveal that up to 40% of the total extracted metals were in an 'available' form. Variations in metal concentrations with depth in the soil cores show a significant correlation with total organic carbon content.