Development of a method to rate the primary safety of vehicles using linked New Zealand crash and vehicle licensing data

Objective: Vehicle safety rating systems aim firstly to inform consumers about safe vehicle choices and, secondly, to encourage vehicle manufacturers to aspire to safer levels of vehicle performance. Primary rating systems (that measure the ability of a vehicle to assist the driver in avoiding crashes) have not been developed for a variety of reasons, mainly associated with the difficult task of disassociating driver behavior and vehicle exposure characteristics from the estimation of crash involvement risk specific to a given vehicle. The aim of the current study was to explore different approaches to primary safety estimation, identifying which approaches (if any) may be most valid and most practical, given typical data that may be available for producing ratings.

Methods: Data analyzed consisted of crash data and motor vehicle registration data for the period 2003 to 2012: 21,643,864 observations (representing vehicle-years) and 135,578 crashed vehicles. Various logistic models were tested as a means to estimate primary safety: Conditional models (conditioning on the vehicle owner over all vehicles owned); full models not conditioned on the owner, with all available owner and vehicle data; reduced models with few variables; induced exposure models; and models that synthesised elements from the latter two models.

Results: It was found that excluding young drivers (aged 25 and under) from all primary safety estimates attenuated some high risks estimated for make/model combinations favored by young people. The conditional model had clear biases that made it unsuitable. Estimates from a reduced model based just on crash rates per year (but including an owner location variable) produced estimates that were generally similar to the full model, although there was more spread in the estimates. The best replication of the full model estimates was generated by a synthesis of the reduced model and an induced exposure model.

Conclusions: This study compared approaches to estimating primary safety that could mimic an analysis based on a very rich data set, using variables that are commonly available when registered fleet data are linked to crash data. This exploratory study has highlighted promising avenues for developing primary safety rating systems for vehicle makes and models.     

管制员认知偏差测评量表的编制与应用

利用信息加工模型,结合管制工作的特殊性,编制出管制员认知偏差测评量表。利用该量表对管制员认知偏差进行测量,结果表明管制员管制过程中存在较大的认知偏差;不同性别及年龄的管制员在认知偏差方面存在显著差异。     

基于信息熵和GM(1,1)的上海市城市生态系统演化分析与灰色预测

城市生态系统是典型的"自然-社会-经济系统",城市的可持续发展依托于城市生态系统结构和功能的不断协调与完善.新一轮"城市化"进程中,城市生态系统将面临生态用地减少、环境衰退等诸多挑战,生态环境和经济发展之间的矛盾可能日益突出.因此,把握城市生态系统的演化方向,对于促进城市可持续发展和生态文明建设意义重大.本研究以"国际化大都市"上海市为研究对象,运用"耗散结构理论"和"信息熵"分析模型,构建包括支持型输入熵、压力型输出熵、氧化型代谢熵、还原型代谢熵4方面的"上海市城市生态系统演化指标体系",以统计资料和政府公报为数据来源,对上海市2003—2013年的城市生态系统演化进行了熵变分析;基于集成层次分析法(AHP)和熵权法(EVM)"综合赋权"的"综合发展度"和"协调发展度"模型对城市生态系统可持续发展状况进行了评价;采用"相关分析法"对城市生态系统熵变与可持续发展协同演化过程进行量化分析;并引入GM(1,1)灰色预测模型对上海市城市生态系统(2014—2020)年的演化趋势和方向做出了预测.研究得出以下结论:12003—2013年,上海市城市生态系统"熵流、熵产生和总熵变",均整体呈波动下降趋势.上海市城市生态系统有序度不断提高,总体朝健康态势发展.22003—2013年,上海市城市生态系统总体可持续发展态势良好,不断向健康可持续方向演进;环境与经济整体效益不断提高,但环境与经济发展之间的协调能力近年来有所下降.3上海市城市生态系统(2014—2020)期间的演化趋势预测:城市生态系统整体继续向健康、有序方向演进.城市生态系统可持续发展整体保持协调发展态势,但未来发展协调度可能从"初级协调"衰退为"勉强协调".最后,基于指标"熵权"和熵变时序提出了上海市城市生态系统的针对性优化措施:积极扶持城市生态农业发展,扩大进出口贸易规模,促进娱乐教育文化服务产业增长;进一步提高居民生态环保意识,提倡低碳生活;加强工业"三废"的达标排放,提高资源利用率,巩固城市绿化率,加大环保投资规模.本研究旨在为上海市城市生态系统健康可持续发展和优化调控提供一定的科学参考.     

Designing regional-level stakeholder engagement processes: striving for good governance while meeting the challenges of scale

Stakeholder engagement processes have sought to ensure that state government meets public trust and good governance obligations to citizens. As the expectations of stakeholders and state agencies change, and management focuses on landscape-level interventions, a change in the level at which agencies engage the public is needed. This involves tradeoffs, as different levels call for different engagement design and implementation considerations. To understand how these differences affect decision making, we examine a regional engagement model for deer management in New York that was piloted to replace a sub-regional model. We identify concerns with the old model, objectives for the redesigned model, and explain the logistical and good governance considerations that informed its design. We share our evaluation of the model's process and outcomes, including implications for program design and scale. Overall, despite the pilot model's attention to design components aimed at addressing potential barriers to regional engagement as well as limitations of the previous engagement model, the pilot did not meet many of its objectives, especially those related to representation, resulting in some of the same concerns associated with the model it was intended to enhance and replace. Implications of this for regional-level engagement efforts are discussed.     

Iowa Statewide Stream Nitrate Load Calculated Using In Situ Sensor Network

Various techniques exist to estimate stream nitrate loads when measured concentration data are sparse. The inherent uncertainty associated with load estimation, however, makes tracking progress toward water quality goals more difficult. We used high‐frequency, in situ nitrate sensors strategically deployed across the agricultural state of Iowa to evaluate 2016 stream concentrations at 60 sites and loads at 35 sites. The generated data, collected at an average of 225 days per site, show daily average nitrate‐N yields ranging from 12 to 198 g/ha, with annual yields as high as 53 kg/ha from the intensely drained Des Moines Lobe. Thirteen of the sites that capture water from 82.5% of Iowa's area show statewide nitrate‐N loading in 2016 totaled 477 million kg, or 41% of the load delivered to the Mississippi–Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Considering the substantial private and public investment being made to reduce nitrate loading in many states within the MARB, networks of continuous, in situ measurement devices as described here can inform efforts to track year‐to‐year changes in nitrate load related to weather and conservation implementation. Nitrate and other data from the sensor network described in this study are made publicly available in real time through the Iowa Water Quality Information System.     

Can zoning resolve nature use conflicts? The case of the Numto Nature Park in the Russian Arctic

In the Russian Arctic, nature protection is important to preserve valuable ecosystems and indigenous lifestyles against the rapidly expanding oil and gas activities. In this regard, zoning legitimately balances influential stakeholders versus weak ones, and can leverage stakeholders to exercise their rights. This study explores how various stakeholders employ zoning in the Numto Nature Park in the oil-rich Russian Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug–Yugra to advance their interests and how they use scientific information to achieve this. Through stakeholder interviews, analysis of electronic media and literature review, we conclude that a participatory and science-based zoning exercise stimulates the necessary deliberation. However, legal ambiguity, deficient law implementation and informal practices limit the zoning's potential to balance stakeholders’ interests. All the stakeholders calculatingly used scientific information to legitimize their own ambitions, activities and claims. Hence, zoning and the underlying information claims should be interpreted as both a resource and a battleground in nature-use conflicts.     

基于调节聚焦理论的生物农药推广有效性研究

化学农药在提高单位耕地面积农产品产量和效益的同时,由于过量施用、利用效率低下等污染了生态环境、危害农产品安全和损害消费者健康等问题,而具有低残留、低污染和环境友好性优势的生物农药逐渐得到公共部门和业界的重视。但生物农药能否得到大范围推广和施用,关键在于能否改变农户的农药施用行为和农药生产企业的积极参与。由于生物农药施用涉及农户的当前利益和长期利益、个人利益和社会利益等相关因素,使农户的农药施用决策具有突出的心理距离属性。本文引入调节聚焦理论,建立了心理距离与农户农药施用决策和心理动机的关系,实证研究生物农药推广对农户农药施用决策、支付愿意(WTP)、农药生产企业态度和再次施用意愿的影响。结论如下:1施用生物农药给农户带来的收益是长期的、全社会的和不确定的,而多数农户农药施用决策所考虑的利益是当前的、私人的。因此,二者在心理距离、调节聚焦以及利益追求方面是不匹配的,这揭示了当前生物农药推广过程中出现的"叫好不叫座"的原因;2农药生产企业能够从生物农药推广中获利。如果生物农药推广得当,将会提高农户对生物农药以及农药生产企业的积极评价,其对生物农药的愿意支付价格和再次施用意愿也会提升;3调节聚集信息诉求和心理距离的匹配,对农户生物农药施用决策存在显著影响。当预防(或促进)聚焦信息诉求与近(或远)心理距离匹配时,农户对生物农药信息诉求的认同度较高,施用意愿也更高。因此,要提高生物农药的推广效果,针对农户农药施用决策具有近心理距离的特点,公共部门及农药生产企业在推广生物农药时应该强化预防聚焦信息,而弱化促进聚焦信息;此外,生物农药推广过程中,公共部门及农药生产企业也可以通过宣传策略,延长农户农药施用决策时的心理距离与改善生态环境的促进聚焦目标相匹配,从而提高农户施用生物农药的积极性。     

中国陆地生态信息空间化技术研究(Ⅰ)——气象/气候信息的空间化技术途径

论文提出了构建中国陆地生态系统空间化信息系统的基本设想,并且在回顾国内外气象/气候信息空间化研究的现状基础上,评价了已有的气象/气候信息要素空间化技术的发展,探讨了中国陆地生态系统气象/气候信息空间化的技术途径,概要地介绍了研究小组在近年来的工作中所取得的阶段性研究成果,展望了这些成果的应用前景。我国陆地生态信息空间化技术研究和数据产品的开发是生态学、资源科学和环境科学发展的迫切需求。但建立一个适应于不同科学研究的精度、时空分辨率要求的陆地生态信息空间数据库需要较长期的努力和多学科领域的合作,也需要大量的作为科学研究基础数据平台建设的国家投资。     

The importance of tangible and intangible factors in human–carnivore coexistence

Conflict with humans is one of the major threats facing the world's remaining large carnivore populations, and understanding human attitudes is key to improving coexistence. We surveyed people living near Hwange National Park about their attitudes toward coexisting with lions. We used ordinal regression models with the results of the survey to investigate the importance of a range of tangible and intangible factors on attitudes. The variables investigated included the costs and benefits of wildlife presence, emotion, culture, religion, vulnerability, risk perception, notions of responsibility, and personal value orientations. This was for the purpose of effectively tailoring conservation efforts but also for ethical policy making. Intangible factors (e.g., fear and ecocentric values) were as important as, if not more important than, tangible factors (such as livestock losses) for understanding attitudes, based on the effect sizes of these variables. The degree to which participants’ fear of lions interfered with their daily activities was the most influential variable. The degree to which benefits accrue to households from the nearby protected area was also highly influential, as was number of livestock lost, number of dependents, ecocentric value orientation, and participation in conflict mitigation programs. Contrary to what is often assumed, metrics of livestock loss did not dominate attitudes to coexistence with lions. Furthermore, we found that socioeconomic variables may appear important when studied in isolation, but their effect may disappear when controlling for variables related to beliefs, perceptions, and past experiences. This raises questions about the widespread reliance on socioeconomic variables in the field of human–wildlife conflict and coexistence. To facilitate coexistence with large carnivores, we recommend measures that reduce fear (through education and through protective measures that reduce the need to be fearful), reduction of livestock losses, and ensuring local communities benefit from conservation. Ecocentric values also emerged as influential, highlighting the need to develop conservation initiatives tailored to local values.     

美国加州空气质量政府管理模式及对中国的启示

中国城市空气污染呈区域化和恶化趋势,亟需突破当前空气质量管理模式的制约.从管理体制和管理内容两方面对美国空气质量政府管理模式的先进经验进行了分析,并与北京市空气质量管理模式进行了初步比较,得出中国空气质量政府管理模式缺乏外部性的考虑；政府部门内部机构按照行政管理过程划分,导致管理成本偏高；决策机制与执行机制未分离,影响行政效率；对污染源的管理不专业；缺乏信息公开和公众参与等问题.建议成立空气质量管理分局,对固定源实行排污许可证管理,对移动源实行统一综合管理,细化面源的管理,建立空气质量管理信息公开平台.