Assessment of older drivers: relationships among on-road errors, medical conditions and test outcome

PROBLEM: It is essential that driver licensing authorities have a valid and reliable system for evaluating older drivers' continuing competency; road tests are usually required as part of such a system. This study sought to find information about the nature of driving errors made during license review tests, and about relationships between error type and test outcome for older drivers. METHOD: Data from licensing authority files from 533 road tests during a 12-month period were analyzed; medical and other referral information was included. Average driver age was 76 years. Performance scores were generated for intersection negotiation, lane changing, low speed manoeuvres, positioning and speed control, safety margin, and car control. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that test outcome was well predicted by a subset of driving performance scores; adding driver age to the model explained very little variance. Age alone was strongly associated with outcome. Relationships between referral information and test outcome are also reported. IMPACT: Results highlight several factors relevant to the development of more valid and reliable road tests for older drivers.     

原油油气职业卫生标准研究

我国目前尚未制订原油油气卫生标准,多数引用溶剂汽油卫生标准,研究表明原油油气毒性较溶剂汽油大,为保障油运装卸作业人员的健康,科学地监测与控制油气污染,确定合理的作业环境,制订原油油气卫生标准是十分必要的。该研究通过色-质联用分析,表明原油蒸气成份大多为C9以下烷烃、环烷烃及少量的芳香烃。采用大、小鼠为对象的急性毒性实验研究,获得大庆、胜利、渤海3种原油油气的LC50分别为49.54g/m3、77.54g/m3、417.50g/m3;亚慢性毒性实验研究表明,原油油气对动物神经系统的影响较为突出。现场劳动卫生学调查统计表明油轮、油码头作业人员,除了在装船、装罐作业状态下受到较大油气浓度危害外,大部分时间处于100mg/m3以下油气浓度环境,但长期从事油运装卸作业,表现出一定的健康异常,其主要症状是神衰症候群发生率明显增高,植物神经功能障碍,血象异常,其次为心率、心电图的改变等。根据上述研究结果,该研究认为原油装卸贮运作业场所原油油气时间加权平均容许浓度确定为100mg/m3(以总烃计)较为适宜。     

基于虚拟碰撞试验分析燃料电池轿车车身结构的安全性

在燃料电池轿车的车身结构配合动力驱动系统的改进而不断改进的过程中,需要从碰撞安全性角度去分析结构方案的优劣.本文采用虚拟正面碰撞试验方法,研究经过改进后的燃料电池轿车的半承载式车身是否满足国家被动安全法规,并通过与第1代燃料电池轿车的整车碰撞模拟结果的对比,分析车身结构改进对正面碰撞安全性的影响,从而为进一步的结构改进提供有价值的建议.     

环氧丙烷储罐空气泡沫灭火试验研究

环氧丙烷为低沸点水溶性可燃液体,由于其饱和蒸汽压大,灭火困难,此前,国内外未对环氧丙烷进行过大型工程应用灭火试验研究。为研究空气泡沫对环氧丙烷储罐的灭火性能,分别对环氧丙烷进行了0．25m^2油盘探索性试验、1．73m^2油盘泡沫灭火剂选型试验和直径3．5m储罐工程应用灭火试验。试验结果表明,空气泡沫难以扑灭环氧丙烷储罐火灾,在直径3．5m储罐上,虽然采用了灭火性能较好的泡沫液,且使用了较大的供给强度和较长的供给时问,但仍难灭火。在试验基础上,对环氧丙烷储罐的消防要求提出了建议。     

环境温度对车用压缩天然气瓶火烧试验的影响

环境温度是研究车用压缩天然气瓶火烧试验机理的一个重要因素,因此有必要定量的研究环境温度对火烧试验的影响。在已有火烧试验数据的基础上,分析了环境温度对车用压缩天然气瓶火烧试验安全泄放压力和火烧持续时间两个关键指标的影响,结果表明安全泄放压力、火烧持续时间和环境温度均呈反比关系。     

本煤层瓦斯抽采渗流模型及数值模拟

在研究煤层瓦斯抽采时,假定煤岩为具有孔隙裂隙的双重介质,在运动方程、连续性方程和辅助方程基础上,以煤岩体应变为耦合媒介建立了考虑裂隙瓦斯渗流、微孔隙吸附瓦斯解吸扩散和煤岩变形的渗流模型.借助多物理场分析软件COMSOL Multiphysics,将模型转化为偏微分方程组,结合沙曲矿24305工作面瓦斯赋存条件进行分析求解.结果表明,进行煤层瓦斯预抽时,抽采初期瓦斯压力下降较快,抽采孔间距对抽采效果影响比较显著,距离抽采孔越远瓦斯压力下降越慢,抽采时瓦斯渗流速度变化可分3个阶段.参考模拟结果现场布置孔距为6m的顺层钻孔,抽采稳定时瓦斯纯量达5～7 m3/min,抽采效果比较理想.     

饱水煤样巴西劈裂强度和能量特征试验研究

针对赵固二矿二1煤层煤样在自然和饱水状态下进行巴西劈裂试验,分析了饱水对煤体劈裂强度和能量特征的影响。试验结果表明:加载过程采用载荷控制时峰值前拉应力与时间呈良好线性关系,达到峰值后应力瞬间跌落为零,表现出明显脆性破坏特征;采用位移控制时峰值前拉应力与时间呈非线性关系,峰值后出现分次破坏特征,但两种控制方式在试验破坏前没有本质区别;并得出两种状态下煤样抗拉强度和峰值能率存在差异,自然状态下抗拉强度为1.52MPa,峰值能率为881J/m2,但饱水后,煤样抗拉强度平均软化系数为0.65,平均峰值能率降幅为36.0%;两种状态下煤样抗拉强度与峰值能率大致呈线性关系,表明煤样抗拉强度越高,需要更多能量才能使煤样劈裂破坏。     

二氧化碳灭火系统扑灭风电机组舱内火灾试验研究

为有效遏制全国多地风力发电机组火灾事故的势头,基于灭火系统在风电机组防火设计中的重要性,提出采用二氧化碳灭火系统对风电机舱进行灭火保护的解决方案。在建造国内首台风电机组火灾模拟试验装置的基础上,通过试验研究二氧化碳灭火系统在常温状态和低温状态下对风电机组火灾的灭火能力。结果表明,该灭火系统能够对风力发电机组进行全淹没灭火保护,适用于空间狭小且结构复杂的风电机舱;在低温条件下,其喷放时间和灭火时间虽比常温状态下长,但灭火效能并未降低。     

重质油储罐固定式泡沫灭火系统设计优化研究

通过重质油储罐的实体火灭火试验,获得了氟蛋白泡沫液和水成膜泡沫液的供给强度与灭火时间对应关系数据,确定了每种泡沫液扑救重质油储罐火灾的最低泡沫供给强度;以10 000 m3固定顶重质油储罐为例进行了泡沫系统设计计算,将优化设计方案与原有设计方案进行了对比,主要变化是泡沫发生器数量从4只提高至6~8只,泡沫主管线管径从DN200提高至DN250,泡沫消防泵流量也相应提高。优化后的储罐泡沫灭火系统提高了泡沫灭火能力,提升了系统的可靠性,降低了储罐火灾风险。     

Investigation of long-term river water quality variations using different urbanization indices and assessment of common scientific perspectives of urbanization on water quality

This study investigated the water quality variation spanning 30 years (1986–2017) in 16 catchments of Hong Kong against different urbanization indices, namely, built area fraction; population; and product of population and built area fraction. Pearson correlations of three different periods of time (1988–1990, 1998–2000, and 2015–2017) indicated that water quality trends were dependent on the urbanization index. Total solids, nitrite-nitrogen, total phosphorus, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and flow rate had significant deteriorative trends (Pearson r > 0.5 and p < 0.05) with population and product of built area and population. Results also interpreted that built area fraction and product of built area and population were the worst and best indices that represented urbanization and/or its impacts, respectively. Mann-Kendall test for the entire 30 year period showed that water quality had improved with time with respect to certain water quality parameters (e.g., dissolved oxygen, ammoniacal nitrogen and total suspended solids). The results portrayed that although the urbanization of catchments had increased with time, the river water quality with respect to many parameters showed signs of improvement and the legislative measures implemented seemed to be effective in controlling pollution.