An application of the Pareto method in surveys to diagnose managers’ and workers’ perception of occupational safety and health on selected Polish construction sites

The construction industry is an important sector of the economy in Poland. According to the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) data of 2014, the number of victims of fatal accidents in the construction sector amounted to 80 as compared with 187 injured in all other sectors of economy in Poland. This article presents the results of surveys on the impact of construction worker behaviour on the occupational safety and health outcomes. The surveys took into account the point of view of both construction site management (tactical level) and construction workers (operational level). For the analysis of results, the method of numerical taxonomy and Pareto charts was employed, which allowed the authors to identify the areas of occupational safety and health at both an operational and a tactical level, in which improvement actions needed to be proposed for workers employed in micro, small, medium and large construction enterprises.     

Essential hazard and process safety assessment of para-toluene sulfonic acid through calorimetry and advanced thermokinetics

Para-toluene sulfonic acid is a typical intermediary for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and dyes and is a catalyst for organic synthesis. The consumption of para-toluene sulfonic acid used in organic synthesis has increased substantially. The toluene sulfonation process is the central path for synthesizing para-toluene sulfonic acid in China. However, the process has risks and has resulted in numerous disasters. This study utilized a reaction calorimeter 1 to reproduce the commercial toluene sulfonation process in a laboratory. The para-toluene sulfonic acid product was examined with an accelerating rate calorimeter and through differential scanning calorimetry. Both differential and integral isoconversional methods were used to determine the thermal stability of and appropriate thermokinetic models for para-toluene sulfonic acid. The safety parameters of para-toluene sulfonic acid were estimated. The research findings can be used for optimization of the toluene sulfonation process and for safe handling of para-toluene sulfonic acid.     

Development of inherent safety and health index for formulated product design

The numerous formulated products which are introduced to the market consist of chemical ingredients that may cause various safety and health hazards to the consumers. Therefore, it is extremely important to practice a systematic methodology to formulate products with acceptable safety and health performances. This work presents an index-based methodology to assess the safety and health hazards of the ingredients during the early formulation stage of product design. Hence, new inherent safety and health sub-indexes are introduced to improve the current safety and health hazards that are needed in formulated product design. The inherent safety and health sub-indexes are assigned with scores based on the degree of potential hazards. A higher score indicates a higher safety risk or severe health effect, and vice versa. The proposed methodology will greatly assist the users to identify the adverse safety and health effects caused by the ingredients. Hence, it is pivotal to eliminate or reduce the safety and health impacts from product usage. A case study on common ingredients used in the formulation of paint is presented on this study to describe the proposed method.     

Effects of age and sex ratios on offspring recruitment rates in translocated black rhinoceros

Success of animal translocations depends on improving postrelease demographic rates toward establishment and subsequent growth of released populations. Short‐term metrics for evaluating translocation success and its drivers, like postrelease survival and fecundity, are unlikely to represent longer‐term outcomes. We used information theory to investigate 25 years of data on black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) translocations. We used the offspring recruitment rate (ORR) of translocated females—a metric integrating survival, fecundity, and offspring recruitment at sexual maturity—to detect determinants of success. Our unambiguously best model (AICω = 0.986) predicted that ORR increases with female age at release as a function of lower postrelease adult rhinoceros sex ratio (males:females). Delay of first postrelease reproduction and failure of some females to recruit any calves to sexual maturity most influenced the pattern of ORRs, and the leading causes of recruitment failure were postrelease female death (23% of all females) and failure to calve (24% of surviving females). We recommend translocating older females (≥6 years old) because they do not exhibit the reproductive delay and low ORRs of juveniles (<4 years old) or the higher rates of recruitment failure of juveniles and young adults (4–5.9 years old). Where translocation of juveniles is necessary, they should be released into female‐biased populations, where they have higher ORRs. Our study offers the unique advantage of a long‐term analysis across a large number of replicate populations—a science‐by‐management experiment as a proxy for a manipulative experiment, and a rare opportunity, particularly for a large, critically endangered taxon such as the black rhinoceros. Our findings differ from previous recommendations, reinforce the importance of long‐term data sets and comprehensive metrics of translocation success, and suggest attention be shifted from ecological to social constraints on population growth and species recovery, particularly when translocating species with polygynous breeding systems.     

Female oviposition-site preference and egg hatching success in the damselfly Calopteryx splendens xanthostoma

By removing males and controlling the rate of water flow past oviposition patches in an experimental area, we showed that female Calopteryx splendens xanthostoma preferred to oviposit in fast flowing water rather than slow flowing water. A series of manipulations revealed the fitness benefits to females for this preference: eggs placed in fast-flowing water developed significantly faster and showed significantly lower mortality than eggs placed in slow-flowing water. A major factor determining this difference was the deposition and growth of encrusting algae which prevented the successful hatching of eggs in slow-flowing water.     

The Toad-Headed Agama Phrynocephalus guttatus (Reptilia: Agamidae): The Correlates of Survival in a Translocated Population in the Southwestern Kalmyk Republic

Observations of a translocated population of toad-headed agamas (Phrynocephalus guttatus) in the south of the Kalmyk Republic (1998–2001) have shown that seasonal differences in animal survival are manifested only in juveniles and the survival rate of juveniles is higher than that of adult individuals. A significant correlation between survival rate and sex is also characteristic only of juveniles: survival rate is higher in females than in males. In adult males, survival positively correlates with the level of activity; in juvenile males, with body size. In adult females, survival inversely correlates with body size and weight.     

乐山市区大气硫氧化物污染状况及相关因子分析

本文研究了乐山市区较大面积范围内的大气硫氧化物相对污染水平。通过分析绘出了较详细的污染图谱;在得出SO_x时间分布规律基础上,了解了与它相关的因子;用模糊聚类方法,对乐山城区大气SO_2监测点提出了优化方案;并针对乐山市的大气状况,提出了对策。     

基于210Pb和137Cs计年法的黄河下游湿地沉积速率研究初探

本文利用²¹⁰Pb和¹³⁷Cs计年方法分析探讨黄河下游湿地沉积速率演化与上游水沙变化的响应关系。结果表明，²¹⁰Pb比活度大致指数衰减趋势以及¹³⁷Cs蓄积峰的鉴出，表明放射性核素手段在黄河下游湿地的沉积学研究具有一定可行性。基于²¹⁰Pb的CIC模式和CRS模式得出的沉积速率分别为1.68 cm/a和0.67~2.76 cm/a；基于¹³⁷Cs剖面的1963年和1986年两个蓄积峰，计算自下而上沉积速率分别为2.67 cm/a、1.08 cm/a和1.21 cm/a。研究发现，近几十年黄河下游湿地沉积速率呈逐渐减小趋势，这与黄河流域气候变化、上游流域建坝、水土保持和下游水资源利用存在密切关系。此外，水库调度方式也在一定程度上影响下游沉积速率，虽然下游淤积量不变，但洪峰的"削平"导致泥沙难以淤积于湿地。     

判别符合率递增法辅助酚类化合物构效关系研究

计算了酚类化合物的分子连接性指数及其在正辛醇和水之间的分配系数ｌｏｇＰ，运用新近提出的数学方法－判别符合率递增法，对酚类化合物的构效关系进行了研究，所得结果优于逐步判别法及穷举法。     

大气监测仪器维护检修能力的评价

一直以来,环境大气监测的数据精度与维护成本,始终是数据应用部门和数据提供部门的难题之一.作者谷学先生根据多年的实档践,首次提出,运用数据对大气监测仪器维护管理进行评价的可行性,并试图建立仪器维护管理作业量化的评价系统.在仪器维护管理中,任何时候,都很难完全排除技术水平比较低的仪器维护检修人员,为了回避这种实际情况,作者通过对数字的分析指出,急需构建环境大气监测仪器维护管理业务能力的评价系统,并期待地方自制体通过评价手段,来选择和指导监测仪器维护管理人员.从而提高数据的精度和减低运转经费的开支.