A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Urban Growth:A Case Study for Jinan Municipality,China

China is experiencing a process of rapid industrialization and urbanization at the cost of agricultural land and environment,particularly in the costal areas. This study takes Jinan as a case presenting a time-series analysis of urban land expansion from 313 to 2003. The results show that the urban expansion of Jinan city mainly took place in the last 100 years, especially after the economic reform in 1978. Social development and economic growth,urban population growth and migration policies were factors driving the urban land expansion. Urban sprawl resulted in a disappearance of wetlands and a great loss of agricultural land, and over-pumping of ground water that led to disappearance of the city‘s feature,namely “the city of springs“.     

Flame acceleration in pipes containing bends of different angles

Bend structures are common in process industries. These bends containing three typical angles (90°, obtuse angle and acute angle) are often incorporated into pipes or ducts at different positions. In our experiments, the effect of both the bend angle and bend position on flame acceleration was studied. Flame acceleration in a pipe bend can be divided into three stages. The flame speeds increased before the bend and increased again after decreasing for a short distance in the bend. Flame reversing decreased the flame speeds in the bend and led to additional turbulence, which enhanced flame acceleration after the bend. The flame acceleration in three different pipe bend angles had similar trends. The decreasing amplitude of the flame speed in the bend increased with a decrease in the bend angles. The flame speeds in the bend were ordered such that 52° <90° <145°. However, the maximum flame speeds in the pipe were in the opposite order. Additionally, both the flame speeds in the bends and the maximum flame speeds in the whole pipes increased as the bend’s position away from ignition point increased.     

Identifying risky drivers with simulated driving

Objective: The present study aimed to examine whether high-risk drivers differ from low-risk drivers in driving behavior in a simulated environment.

Method: The 2 risk groups including 36 drivers (18 males and 18 females) performed driving tasks in a simulated environment. The simulated driving behaviors are compared between the 2 risk groups.

Results: The high-risk drivers drove much faster and exhibited larger offsets of the steering wheel than did the low-risk drivers in events without incidents. Additionally, the high-risk drivers used turn signals and horns less frequently than the low-risk drivers.

Conclusions: The present study revealed that the high-risk group differed from the low-risk group in driving behavior in a simulated environment. These results also suggest that simulated driving tasks might be useful tools for the evaluation of drivers’ potential risks.     

The on-road experiences and awareness of sleepiness in a sample of Australian highway drivers: A roadside driver sleepiness study

Objective: Driver sleepiness contributes substantially to road crash incidents. Simulator and on-road studies clearly reveal an impairing effect from sleepiness on driving ability. However, the degree to which drivers appreciate the dangerousness of driving while sleepy is somewhat unclear. This study sought to determine drivers' on-road experiences of sleepiness, their prior sleep habits, and personal awareness of the signs of sleepiness.

Methods: Participants were a random selection of 92 drivers traveling on a major highway in the state of Queensland, Australia, who were stopped by police as part of routine drink driving operations. Participants completed a brief questionnaire that included demographic information, sleepy driving experiences (signs of sleepiness and on-road experiences of sleepiness), and prior sleep habits. A modified version of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to assess subjective sleepiness in the 15 min prior to being stopped by police.

Results: Participants' ratings of subjective sleepiness were quite low, with 90% reporting being alert to extremely alert on the KSS. Participants were reasonably aware of the signs of sleepiness, with many signs of sleepiness associated with on-road experiences of sleepiness. Additionally, the number of hours spent driving was positively correlated with the drivers' level of sleep debt.

Conclusions: The results suggest that participants had moderate experiences of driving while sleepy and many were aware of the signs of sleepiness. The relationship between driving long distances and increased sleep debt is a concern for road safety. Increased education regarding the dangers of sleepy driving seems warranted.     

State all-driver distracted driving laws and high school students' texting while driving behavior

Objective: Texting while driving is highly prevalent among adolescents and young adults in the United States. Texting while driving can significantly increase the risk of road crashes and is associated with other risky driving behaviors. Most states have enacted distracted driving laws to prohibit texting while driving. This study examines effects of different all-driver distracted driving laws on texting while driving among high school students.

Methods: High school student data were extracted from the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Distracted driving law information was collected from the National Conference of State Legislatures. The final sample included 6,168 high school students above the restricted driving age in their states and with access to a vehicle. Logistic regression was applied to estimate odds ratios of laws on texting while driving.

Results: All-driver text messaging bans with primary enforcement were associated with a significant reduction in odds of texting while driving among high school students (odds ratio = 0.703; 95% confidence interval, 0.513–0.964), whereas all-driver phone use bans with primary enforcement did not have a significant association with texting while driving (odds ratio = 0.846; 95% confidence interval, 0.501–1.429).

Conclusions: The findings indicate that all-driver distracted driving laws that specifically target texting while driving as opposed to all types of phone use are effective in reducing the behavior among high school students.     

Delays in DUI blood testing: Impact on cannabis DUI assessments

Objective: This study examined the time from law enforcement dispatch to the first blood draw in cases of driving under the influence (DUI) vehicular homicide and a subset of DUI vehicular assault cases in Colorado in 2012. Laboratory toxicology results were also examined to understand the implications of delays in blood draws in cases of driving while under the influence of marijuana's delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Methods: Colorado court records were reviewed and information regarding charges, presence of alcohol and/or drugs, time of law enforcement contact and blood draw, crash location, and other contextual factors were identified. The distributions of first blood draw times were studied by charge and by responding law enforcement agency. Toxicology data from a different cohort of DUI traffic arrests in Colorado and Washington were examined to determine the proportion of blood tests for THC that were above specified legal limits in those states.

Results: The average time from law enforcement dispatch to blood draw in cases of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault was 2.32 h (SD ± 1.31 h), with a range of 0.83 to 8.0 h and a median of 2.0 h. Data from DUI traffic arrests found that between 42 and 70% of all cannabinoid-positive traffic arrests tested below 5 ng/ml THC in blood, which is the legal limit in Colorado and Washington.

Conclusion: Given the current delays to blood testing in cases of arrests for vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in Colorado, many blood tests are unlikely to confirm that drivers who are impaired from smoking marijuana have THC levels above established legal limits.     

风速及风向对城市热岛强度的影响研究

为研究气象参数风对城市热岛效应影响,利用2008—2013年长沙气象局提供的相关气象数据,采用统计方法,首次研究了风速和风向对热岛强度分布规律的影响。结果表明:长沙热岛效应主要发生在晚间;热岛强度值随风速的增大而降低;处于顺风方向上的南北方向,两者热岛强度的差值随风速的增大而逐渐减少;处于与风向垂直方向上的东西方向,两者热岛强度的差值不受风速大小的影响。气象参数风对城市热岛强度和空间分布影响显著。     

纯电动汽车驱动电机全生命周期评价

基于生命周期评价(LCA)理论,运用Ga Bi 6软件建模,对荣威E50纯电动汽车驱动电机全生命周期环境排放和资源消耗进行了评价,对比分析在中国不同区域使用下驱动电机生命周期过程资源环境影响,并对驱动电机生命周期过程中的生产制造能耗、使用能耗和原材料回收率做敏感性分析.结果表明,驱动电机全生命周期过程各环境影响类型指数排序为APGWPPOCPEPODP,且对环境的影响主要发生在使用阶段,其次是原材料获取和制造阶段.各大区域电网下驱动电机全生命周期过程环境排放影响从大到小为华东电网东北电网西北电网华北电网南方电网华中电网.从敏感性分析结果可知,使用能耗对驱动电机生命周期环境排放影响的敏感度大于生产制造能耗;铜的回收率对矿产资源消耗影响的敏感度远大于钢和铝的回收率.     

黑土区小流域土壤氮素空间分布及主控因素研究

在经典统计学和地统计学的基础上,结合"3S"技术,对黑土区海沟河小流域土壤表层(0~20 cm)中全氮(TN)、碱解氮(AN)的空间变异、分布特征及主控因素进行深入探讨.结果表明:海沟河小流域土壤TN含量处于较高水平,AN含量为中等水平;TN和AN的变程分别为900 m和1282 m,其空间变异均受地形、成土母质等结构性要素影响较大,在东-西(E-W)方向的空间变异相对剧烈;TN含量与坡度等地形指标显著性相关,AN含量与高程等地形要素显著性相关;回归协同克里格插值结果显示,TN自东向西呈现"高-低"交替的带状格局,与土地利用方式在东西方向上的演替相近,AN的高值在东部山区,低值在中部旱地分布集中的区域,呈现"两边高,中间低"的特征;水系、居民点等环境要素对TN和AN的空间分布存在明显的作用距离,土地利用方式及坡位对TN和AN含量分布影响显著,且存在较大差异.     

基于社区分类的厦门市家庭生活垃圾产量及其形成机制

家庭生活垃圾与公众生活密切相关,是城市固体废弃物的重要组成部分.明确家庭垃圾产量的影响因素对于理解垃圾产生格局和和后续的管理评价有重要意义.社区是家庭生活垃圾管理的最基本单元,而我国的城市化进程引起了城市社区的多样化.因此,本文根据住房制度改革进程中的不同阶段,将社区分为建于20世纪80年代福利分房时代的旧式社区,2000年改革后的后市场力量主导的商业社区和介于上述两种社区之间的过渡社区.通过空间抽样选取厦门市20个居住小区,分别于夏季和冬季进行为期1周的采样.结果发现,家庭生活垃圾产量呈不均衡分布.通过多元回归建立了家庭生活垃圾产量驱动模型,结果表明,旧式社区的家庭生活垃圾产生以经济驱动为主,过渡社区以家庭结构的驱动为主,商业社区以生活习惯的驱动为主.通过社区分类,可以更好地解释家庭生活垃圾产生的机制,有助于进一步对家庭生活垃圾管理和减量引导做出科学决策.