A baseline assessment of emergency planning and preparedness in Italian universities

Besides offering teaching and research services, schools and universities also must provide for the safety and security of their employees, students, and visitors. This paper describes emergency preparedness in a sample of Italian universities. In particular it examines risk perception within a specific professional category (university safety and security officers) in a specific cultural context (Italy). In addition, it discusses the transposition and implementation in a European Union (EU) member state of EU Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989, on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers. The findings highlight heterogeneous and fragmented emergency management models within the Italian university system, underlining the need for a stricter framework of standardised safety protocols and emergency management guidelines. The study also points out that enhancing emergency planning and preparedness in Italian universities entails increasing safety leadership, employee engagement and individual responsibility for safety and security; essentially, it necessitates improving the culture of risk prevention.     

Anisotropy of environmental perception caused by spatial changes during locomotion

Daily perception entails an immediate awareness of the environment surrounding the body. To explore its dynamic nature during locomotion, this study tests the hypothesis that significant changes in spatial volume induce the directional focusing (i.e., anisotropy) of environmental perception. To capture perceptual activity in its natural state, we have attempted an approach using the feeling of visual pressure (i.e., felt presence) caused by the surrounding environment. In the present experiment that uses a virtual reality setup, participants were required to continuously rate their feelings while moving along a virtual outdoor route. Their ratings were analyzed in relation to environmental measurements along the route, such as the visible area of buildings and the horizontal extent of surrounding space. The relationship between the ratings and measurements was explored by using two prediction models: with and without consideration of perceptual anisotropy. The results suggested that a consideration of anisotropy improved the prediction accuracy, thereby supporting our hypothesis.     

Forest Cover and Stream Flow in a Headwater of the Blue Nile: Complementing Observational Data Analysis with Community Perception

This study analyses the relation of forest cover and stream flow on the 266 km² Koga watershed in a headwater of Blue Nile Basin using both observed hydrological data and community perception. The watershed declined from 16% forest cover in 1957 to 1% by 1986. The hydrological record did not reveal changes in the flow regime between 1960 and 2002 despite the reduction in forest area. This agrees with the perception of the downstream community living near the gauging station. The upstream community, however, reported both decreases in low flows and increases in high flows shortly after the forest cover was reduced. The upstream deforestation effect appeared to have been buffered by a wetland lower in the watershed. This study concludes that community perception can be a complement to observational data for better understanding how forest cover influences the flow regime.     

水质综合评价的遗传投影寻踪插值模型

为解决各单项水质评价指标评价结果的不相容问题 ,提高水质综合评价各层次的分辩力和评价模型的精度 ,本研究采用大样本数据 ,利用投影寻踪、遗传算法、插值型曲线和水质评价标准 ,为水质综合评价建立了一种新的数学模型———遗传投影寻踪插值模型 (GPPIM)。实例研究表明 ,GPPIM建模方法直观、可靠、精度高 ,既具有较强的分类功能 ,又具有较好的排序功能 ,可广泛应用于各种环境质量的综合评价。     

风险感知对非适应性应急疏散行为的影响

为研究安全风险感知对非适应性应急疏散行为的影响机制,提升应急疏散的安全性,进而保障公众生命财产安全,建立包含风险感知、心理韧性、安全氛围、群体恐慌和非适应性应急疏散行为5个变量的理论模型,采用问卷调查法研究5个变量之间的关系,应用AMOS软件搭建结构方程模型,并结合调研数据进行分析。研究结果表明：风险感知对发生突发事件后人的非适应性应急疏散行为产生主要正向作用,群体恐慌通过调节作用提高风险感知,也会对人的非适应性应急疏散行为产生相应正向影响;安全氛围和心理韧性通过风险感知的中介作用会,对人的非适应性应急疏散行为产生一定负向影响;可通过加强安全氛围建设、安全知识科普、提高现场管理人员能力等方法,减少突发事件中非适应性应急疏散行为的产生。     

Official sources,news outlets,or search engines? Rumour validation on social media during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

This study, based on data collected from a representative sample of adults in the United States, explores the social cognitive variables that motivated Americans to validate rumours on social media about Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, both of which struck in August/September 2017. The results indicate that risk perception and negative emotions are positively related to systematic processing of relevant risk information, and that systematic processing is significantly related to rumour validation through search engines such as Google. In contrast, trust in information about the hurricane is significantly related to validation through official sources, such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), and major news outlets such as The New York Times. Trust in information is also significantly related to systematic processing of risk information. The findings of this study suggest that ordinary citizens may be motivated to validate rumours on social media, which is an increasingly important issue in contemporary societies.     

网络视域下突发事件对旅游目的地形象的影响过程研究

突发事件直接影响旅游目的地形象,关系到目的地的可持续发展。基于网络视域,从旅游者感知角度,建立突发事件影响目的地形象的过程模型。根据突发事件网络传播的效应——信息爆炸效应和舆论聚合效应,将模型分解为对目的地形象的强化过程和反馈过程。突发事件的网络传播会加速目的地形象感知的过程并深化目的地形象感知的内容,从而强化对目的地形象的感知,反馈过程导致目的地形象的调整。分析表明,网络视域下突发事件对目的地形象的影响更加显著。最后总结网络信息时代目的地遭遇突发事件时维护自身形象的策略。     

物联网感知安全应用的研究与展望

为拓展物联网行业应用、加快发展中国物联网产业,基于提前感知,超前防范对安全科学与工程的重要性,介绍物联网感知安全应用的研究现状,深入分析物联网感知安全行业应用所需要的关键技术和研究方向;在分析国内外物联网发展路径的差异、现有标准及新标准制定的基础上,研究顶层设计、资源部署、应用标准建设等感知安全应用系统建设亟待解决的问题;提出物联网应用示范研究的内容、目标;提出在公共安全和安全生产领域应用物联网技术,对防范重特大事故、安全监管、事故应急救援的重要现实意义。     

The Lyon-Turin High-Speed Rail: The Public Debate and Perception of Environmental Risk in Susa Valley,Italy

When the construction of the Lyon-Turin segment of the new European high-speed rail network was first publicly announced at the beginning of the 1990s, it immediately found fierce opposition from the inhabitants of Susa Valley, Italy, one of the areas to be cut across by such infrastructure. At issue were the project’s potential environmental impact and its consequences on public health. This study intends to clarify environmental risk perception and public debate between the national government, local advocacy groups, and the inhabitants of Susa Valley. Two major phases of public reaction were identified: (1) an initial rebellious period of no real dialog among the project’s major stakeholders (exemplified by the popular “No TAV” [No High Speed Train] movement), followed by (2) a yielding period of intense multilateral negotiations centered on the activities of the “Lyon-Turin Environmental Observatory.” The results of a qualitative cross analysis of the residents’ perception of the proposed high-speed rail revealed that public acceptance of risk in Susa Valley was influenced by the characteristics of hazards perceived by the residents and by the communicative approach used by the project’s various stakeholders. It also emerged that early dialog among all the parties involved was critical in forming a personal viewpoint on risk, which, once consolidated, defied new information and perspectives. Likely, a greater and earlier care taken by the other stakeholders to inform and consult the local population about the railway would have greatly eased the public debate.     

Residents' perception of local brownfields in rail corridor area in the City of Roanoke: the effect of people's preconception and health concerns factors

This article examines preferences of residents for nearby brownfield sites and the factors affecting preferences. 200 residents in neighborhoods along the railyard in the City of Roanoke, Virginia, participated in a survey of their preferences for different brownfield scenes. Results indicate that scenes with historical landmarks and maintained landscapes received the highest ratings, regardless of preconceptions and health concerns. These are viewed less critically and thus could mask possible harms. In contrast, scenes with scruffy vegetation and rundown buildings revealed mixed preferences. For these types, participant preferences for change versus preservation fluctuated. Lastly, scenes with industrial remnants were preferred the least. Participants tended to associate these types with toxic pollutants that may adversely affect health. This suggests that planners need to convince people that these sites can be reused if they are cleaned up. The results are used to develop more effective engagement strategies for increasing support for brownfield redevelopment projects.