Prevalence and concentrations of drugs in older suspected drugged drivers

Objective: Older drivers are somewhat more likely to be involved in car crashes than middle-aged drivers but less likely to be involved than younger drivers. This study aimed to assess the extent of drug use in older suspected drunk and drugged drivers, with respect to which drugs were detected and at which concentrations.

Methods: Blood samples from older suspected drunk and drugged drivers taken between February 1, 2012, and May 22, 2013, were identified from the database at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and were retrospectively analyzed for a broad repertoire of drugs relevant for impairment. The prevalence of different drugs among the suspected drunk and drugged drivers was studied. Regarding drug concentrations, the findings in older drivers (>65 years) were compared to a reference group of apprehended drivers aged 20–40 years.

Results: Four hundred and ten older suspected drunk and drugged drivers were included. Any drug (including ethanol) was detected in 92% of blood samples, and ethanol was detected in 81%. Benzodiazepines were found in 15% of the older drivers and z-hypnotics (zopiclone or zolpidem) were detected in 13%. The most frequent single legal drugs found in blood samples taken from older impaired drivers were zopiclone (9.8%) and diazepam (9.3%). Regarding drug combinations, older drivers used a mean number of 1.4 drugs, and 20% of ethanol-positive cases showed at least one other drug. High drug concentrations of clonazepam and diazepam were more frequently seen in the younger group.

Conclusions: This study showed that drugs were detected in the vast majority of older drivers suspected for drunk or drugged driving. Ethanol was the most frequent drug detected, followed by zopiclone and diazepam. Older drivers combine drugs to a lesser degree than younger drivers, but their combination of ethanol and other drugs represents a considerable traffic risk. Lower concentrations of benzodiazepines are seen in older compared to younger drivers.     

天津滨海新区再生资源产业发展对策

天津滨海新区再生资源产业以废弃物流通、加工利用为主营内容,具有补链特征与技术先进性,主要为滨海新区提供生产性服务。为了适应滨海新区发展所提出的要求,再生资源产业应不断提高资源供给能力,扩展服务对象,提高资源流通和集散能力,并挖掘向再制造产业延伸的潜力。建议尽快制定滨海新区再生资源产业发展规划和实施指导方案,实行优先采购制度,并鼓励再生资源企业参与社会回收体系的建立,完善再生资源产业运输和物流系统,不断提高产业的升级能力。     

Motorcycle safety among motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists in developing countries: A case study of Maoming,South China

Objective: An increasing number of motorcycle taxis have been involved in traffic crashes in many developing countries. This study examines the characteristics of both motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists, investigates the risks they pose to road safety, and provides recommendations to minimize their risks.

Methods: Based on the data collected from a questionnaire survey of 867 motorcycle taxi drivers and 2,029 nonoccupational motorcyclists in Maoming, South China, comparisons were made to analyze differences of personal attributes, attitudes toward road safety, and self-reported behavior of the 2 groups.

Results: Results of the chi-square tests show that not only motorcycle taxi drivers but also nonoccupational motorcyclists in Maoming held poor attitudes toward road safety and both groups reported unsafe driving behavior. There is much room for improving local road safety education among all motorcyclists in Maoming. Yet, motorcycle taxi drivers were more likely to pose road safety risks than nonoccupational motorcyclists under some circumstances, such as speeding late at night or early in the morning, not requiring passengers to wear helmets, and running a red light. The results of the binary logistic regression model show that possessing a vehicle license for a motorcycle or not was the common significant predictor for unsafe driving behavior of motorcycle taxi drivers and nonoccupational motorcyclists. Therefore, enforcement against all motorcyclists not showing vehicle licenses for their motorcycles should be stepped up.

Conclusion: Motorcycle safety is largely poor in Maoming. Therefore, efforts to improve motorcycle safety should be strengthened by targeting not only motorcycle taxi drivers but also nonoccupational motorcyclists.     

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.     

COMPARISON OF MODELS FOR ESTIMATING FLOOD QUANTILES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND VERMONT1

We develop and compare three regression models for estimating flood quantiles at ungaged stream reaches in New Hampshire and Vermont. These models emerge from systematic analysis and validation of relations between flood magnitude and six candidate predictors reflecting basin size, topography, and climate and channel size at 36 gaging stations with record lengths exceeding 20 years. Of the candidate predictors, bank full width is most highly correlated with flood magnitude and the best prediction equation is based on width. Thus channel geometry is closely related to the current hydrologic regime in spite of geologically recent glaciation and apparently non-alluvial bank materials. We also develop models that use information obtainable from maps or GIS. The best of these uses drainage area and drainage-basin elevation as predictors, but it is substantially less precise than the width-based relation. A third relation using only drainage area as a predictor is even less precise but may be useful for some purposes. No other single predictors or combinations yielded useful predictions, although some had been included in previously-established models for the region. Model comparison included examination of residuals generated by regression using one-at-a-time suppression of data points and comparison with precision obtainable with gaging records of varying lengths.     

驾驶员心理特征与驾驶安全的关系研究

随着人-车-环境系统复杂性的增加和交通事故数量的上升,新型交通工具对驾驶员的要求随之提高。从人的心理与控制的关系及汽车驾驶员的心理特征出发,具体分析心理各特征因素对驾驶员的影响,在此基础上建立汽车驾驶员安全评价模型,最后提出了在考虑心理因素的前提下提高道路行车安全的具体措施。     

天津市滨海新区地震地质灾害评价与分区研究

收集了天津市滨海新区大量的工程地质勘察资料,针对滨海新区场地工程地质条件,从地震地质背景、历史震害的影响出发,依照相应规范和地质类比等方法,通过滨海新区活动断层影响、砂土液化、软土震陷的评判,探讨了滨海新区在未来强震作用下可能出现的地震地质灾害类型及空间分布特征。     

国家级新区产城融合的耦合协调评价--以舟山群岛新区和青岛西海岸新区为例

国家级新区具有产城融合发展的示范作用,这种示范作用是否达到政策预期是值得探讨的。研究基于产城相互作用机制,构建了产城融合指标体系,运用熵值法、耦合协调度模型对舟山群岛新区和西海岸新区两个地区2014—2018年产业发展与城市功能的发展水平,以及两者之间的协调度进行了测度和分析。结果发现:①两新区初期均呈现出不同程度的不平衡状况,但整体趋于良性发展。②后期两区在一定程度上实现了产城融合,不过发展空间仍然较大。③两新区由于发展条件不一,呈现出不同的发展态势。鉴于此,国家级新区在推进城市产城融合时应遵循因地制宜的原则,及时根据新区的发展现状采取相应的发展调控策略。     

Key features of new particle formation events at background sites in China and their influence on cloud condensation nuclei

New particle formation (NPF) event at multi rural sites in China Identifying the characteristics of NPF event Comparing NPF event between clean and polluted conditions Quantifying contribution to the cloud condensation nuclei Implication of climate and air quality Long-term continuous measurements of particle number size distributions with mobility diameter sizes ranging from 3 to 800 nm were performed to study new particle formation (NPF) events at Shangdianzi (SDZ), Mt. Tai (TS), and Lin’an (LAN) stations representing the background atmospheric conditions in the North China Plain (NCP), Central East China (CEC), and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) regions, respectively. The mean formation rate of 3-nm particles was 6.3, 3.7, and 5.8 cm⁻³·s⁻¹, and the mean particle growth rate was 3.6, 6.0, and 6.2 nm·h⁻¹ at SDZ, TS, and LAN, respectively. The NPF event characteristics at the three sites indicate that there may be a stronger source of low volatile vapors and higher condensational sink of pre-existing particles in the YRD region. The formation rate of NPF events at these sites, as well as the condensation sink, is approximately 10 times higher than some results reported at rural/urban sites in western countries. However, the growth rates appear to be 1–2 times higher. Approximately 12%–17% of all NPF events with nucleated particles grow to a climate-relevant size (>50 nm). These kinds of NPF events were normally observed with higher growth rate than the other NPF cases. Generally, the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration can be enhanced by approximately a factor of 2–6 on these event days. The mean value of the enhancement factor is lowest at LAN (2–3) and highest at SDZ (~4). NPF events have also been found to have greater impact on CCN production in China at the regional scale than in the other background sites worldwide.     

新中国成立以来的新疆土地开发

新中国成立以来,新疆的土地开发经历了三个时期:①1950-1977年以开荒扩大耕地面积为主,耕地面积虽不断增加,但经历了"大跃进"和"十年动乱"干扰,农业生产水平低,粮食仅能实现低水平自给,个别年份还要调入;②1978-1995年耕地面积没有增加,以提高单产为主,粮食单产大幅提高,并逐步压缩粮食面积,增加棉花播种面积,不仅实现粮食自给,还建成全国棉花基地;③1995-2009年,实行提高单产与扩大耕地面积并举,粮棉产量进一步大幅提高,粮食单产高于全国平均水平,建成全国最大的产棉区,总产占全国近二分之一。60多年来新疆土地开发虽取得了巨大成绩,但对生态环境破坏严重,现有耕地已达到水资源承载能力,今后总体上不宜再开荒,而应通过土地整合,提高绿洲内净耕地利用系数,发展节水灌溉,不断提高土地生产力。