Adult-supervised practice driving for adolescent learners: The current state and directions for interventions

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to quantify and identify correlates to the amount of parent-supervised behind-the-wheel practice hours by novice teen drivers.MethodsA national survey of 945 parents of recently licensed teen drivers was conducted. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors related to the number of practice hours completed.ResultsSixty-one percent of parents reported practicing 50 or more hours with their teen. Two-parent involvement was associated with more practice hours, though use of a professional driving instructor was not. Parents of teens licensed in states mandating 50 or more hours of practice driving were more likely to report at least 50 practice hours than those in states mandating 20–40 hours or in states without mandates.Impact on IndustryThe findings underscore the integral role of parents in the learning to drive process and provide further support for GDL requirements for practice hours.     

干燥条件下高硫煤低温氧化特性研究

为进一步揭示不同环境条件下高硫煤的低温氧化特性,选取含硫量较低、自燃倾向性较高的褐煤,向其添加不同比例的FeS2,配制成含量分别为3%,5%,7%的混合高硫煤样,利用中国矿业大学自行研制的煤氧化模拟试验系统,测试分析干燥混合煤样在低温氧化过程中,交叉温度和指标气体CO产生量体积的变化。试验结果表明,在低温干燥的条件下,随着FeS2含量的增加,煤样的氧化特性受到抑制:交叉点温度升高;指标气体CO产生量在相同温度时体积降低。因此,在高硫煤层自燃火灾防治过程中,应尽量控制煤层周围环境的干燥度。     

Application of the Red List Index for conservation assessment of Spanish vascular plants

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI) is used to measure trends in extinction risk of species over time. The development of 2 red lists for Spanish vascular flora during the past decade allowed us to apply the IUCN RLI to vascular plants in an area belonging to a global biodiversity hotspot. We used the Spanish Red Lists from 2000 and 2010 to assess changes in level of threat at a national scale and at the subnational scales of Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and peninsular Spain. We assigned retrospective IUCN categories of threat to 98 species included in the Spanish Red List of 2010 but absent in the Spanish Red List of 2000. In addition, we tested the effect of different random and taxonomic and spatial Spanish samples on the overall RLI value. From 2000 to 2010, the IUCN categories of 768 species changed (10% of Spanish flora), mainly due to improved knowledge (63%), modifications in IUCN criteria (14%), and changes in threat status (12%). All measured national and subnational RLI values decreased during this period, indicating a general decline in the conservation status of the Spanish vascular flora. The Canarian RLI value (0.84) was the lowest, although the fastest deterioration in conservation status occurred on peninsular Spain (from 0.93 in 2000 to 0.92 in 2010). The RLI values based on subsamples of the Spanish Red List were not representative of RLI values for the entire country, which would discourage the use of small areas or small taxonomic samples to assess general trends in the endangerment of national biotas. The role of the RLI in monitoring of changes in biodiversity at the global and regional scales needs further reassessment because additional areas and taxa are necessary to determine whether the index is sufficiently sensitive for use in assessing temporal changes in species’ risk of extinction.     

Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) spawning seasonality in European waters of the northeast Atlantic

Egg data from ichthyoplankton monitoring sites in the western English Channel (1988–2003) and northern Spain (1990–2000) and macroscopic maturity data from biological samples of purse seine landings in western and southern Iberia (1980–2004) are used to describe the spawning seasonality of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in European waters of the northeast Atlantic using generalised additive models. The fitted models reveal a double peak in spawning activity during early summer and autumn in the western Channel, a wider spring peak off northern Spain and a broad winter season in the western and southern Iberian Peninsula. At all sites, a high probability of spawning activity was observed over at least 3 months of the year, with the duration of the season increasing with both decreasing latitude and increasing fish size. Off western and southern Iberia there are indications that the spawning season has been of longer duration in recent years for all size classes (reaching in some cases 8 months of the year for large fish). These patterns are in general agreement with existing literature and theoretical expectations of sardine spawning being driven locally by the seasonal cycle of water temperature, assuming preferences for spawning at 14 –15°C and avoidance for temperatures below 12°C and above 16°C. Regional quotient plots indicated that spawning tolerance to higher temperatures increases progressively with decreasing latitude. Despite the weak evidence for geographical differences in temperature tolerance that may have some genetic origin, the degree of spatio-temporal overlap in sardine-spawning activity within Atlantic European waters is unlikely to promote any reproductive isolation in that area.     

Ultraviolet-H2O2 oxidation of surfactants

This paper describes a study of the treatment of surfactant synthetic solutions by chemical and photolytic oxidation. Synthetic solutions of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) are treated in this work as this is a model compound commonly used in the formulation of detergents, with a great presence in urban and industrial waste-waters. The application of ultraviolet (UV) radiation combined with hydrogen peroxide to oxidize linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) is shown to be suitable as a primary oxidation step since conversions of about 50% of the original compounds are achieved in the most favorable cases. Initially, the influence of the operating variables on the degradation levels is analyzed in this work. A kinetic model that considers the contributions of both direct photolysis and radical attack is also worked out. Direct photolysis is performed to determine the quantum yield in the single photodecomposition reaction. In addition, the rate constant of the reaction between hydroxyl radicals and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates in the oxidizing system H₂O₂/UV is determined for different operational conditions. Finally, the contribution of each oxidation pathway is quantified, resulting in a higher contribution of the radical reaction than of photolysis in all cases.     

SO2衍生物对蚕豆根尖细胞不同分裂阶段的遗传损伤

研究SO2体内衍生物-亚硫酸钠和亚硫酸氢钠混合液[c(Na2SO3):c(NaHSO3)=3:1]对蚕豆根尖细胞不同分裂时期的遗传损伤效应；结果表明：SO2衍生物（c=0.17-15.0mmolL^-1)诱发蚕豆根尖细胞遗传损伤在细胞分裂的不同阶段有不同的表现形式。间期异常主要是微核和核芽，分裂期异常包括微核，染色体断片，粘连及滞后等，研究结果表明：SO2衍生物处理组蚕豆根尖中，间期微核细胞数，分裂期具有染色体断裂，粘连或滞后的细胞数均明显多于对照组，而且易于观察分析，可以作为环境监测指标。