Structural equation model analysis for the evaluation of overall driving performance: A driving simulator study focusing on driver distraction

Objective: The present research relies on 2 main objectives. The first is to investigate whether latent model analysis through a structural equation model can be implemented on driving simulator data in order to define an unobserved driving performance variable. Subsequently, the second objective is to investigate and quantify the effect of several risk factors including distraction sources, driver characteristics, and road and traffic environment on the overall driving performance and not in independent driving performance measures.

Methods: For the scope of the present research, 95 participants from all age groups were asked to drive under different types of distraction (conversation with passenger, cell phone use) in urban and rural road environments with low and high traffic volume in a driving simulator experiment. Then, in the framework of the statistical analysis, a correlation table is presented investigating any of a broad class of statistical relationships between driving simulator measures and a structural equation model is developed in which overall driving performance is estimated as a latent variable based on several individual driving simulator measures.

Results: Results confirm the suitability of the structural equation model and indicate that the selection of the specific performance measures that define overall performance should be guided by a rule of representativeness between the selected variables. Moreover, results indicate that conversation with the passenger was not found to have a statistically significant effect, indicating that drivers do not change their performance while conversing with a passenger compared to undistracted driving. On the other hand, results support the hypothesis that cell phone use has a negative effect on driving performance. Furthermore, regarding driver characteristics, age, gender, and experience all have a significant effect on driving performance, indicating that driver-related characteristics play the most crucial role in overall driving performance.

Conclusions: The findings of this study allow a new approach to the investigation of driving behavior in driving simulator experiments and in general. By the successful implementation of the structural equation model, driving behavior can be assessed in terms of overall performance and not through individual performance measures, which allows an important scientific step forward from piecemeal analyses to a sound combined analysis of the interrelationship between several risk factors and overall driving performance.     

近52a西南地区潜在蒸散发时空变化特征

潜在蒸散发对水资源评价和气候变化均具有重要意义。采用Penman-Monteith公式和气象观测资料计算了中国西南地区90个气象站的潜在蒸散发,并采用多种统计方法分析了潜在蒸散发的时空变化特征。结果表明:(1)西南地区近52a的平均潜在蒸散发为3 209.8 mm,其中云南省潜在蒸散发最高(3 664.7 mm),其次为四川省(3 015.0 mm)、重庆市(2 972.4 mm)、贵州省(2 958.0 mm)。四季潜在蒸散发空间分布特征与年不同,从大到小排序为夏季,春季,秋季,冬季。(2)西南地区整体呈增加趋势(0.9 mm/10 a),其中31个站点呈减少趋势(p0.1),17个站点呈增加趋势(p0.1),其余站点变化趋势不显著。大部分站点春季(55.6%)和夏季(63.3%)呈减少趋势,秋季(62.2%)和冬季(58.9%)则呈增加趋势。(3)经MannKendall突变检验,该区整体潜在蒸散发的突变时间为1995年(p0.05);单个站点突变检验显示,76个站点发生突变,突变年份集中于1980s,未发生突变的站点主要分布于青藏高原东缘。整体上看,近52a来西南地区潜在蒸散发略呈增加趋势,并存在突变点,但部分站点存在相反的变化趋势,这和复杂的地形环境和气候特征有较大关系,体现出西南地区水文气象变化的独特性。     

Elite cues,media coverage,and public concern: an integrated path analysis of public opinion on climate change, 2001–2013

To analyze the factors affecting US public concern about the threat of climate change between January 2002 and December 2013, data from 74 separate surveys are used to construct quarterly measures of public concern over global climate change. Five factors should account for changes in levels of concern: extreme weather events, public access to accurate scientific information, media coverage, elite cues, and movement/countermovement advocacy. Structural equation modeling indicates that elite cues, movement advocacy efforts, weather, and structural economic factors influence the level of public concern about climate change. While media coverage exerts an important influence, it is itself largely a function of elite cues and economic factors. Promulgation to the public of scientific information on climate change has no effect. Information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern, while political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is critical in influencing climate change concern.     

Sorption of 3,4-dichloroaniline on four contrasting Greek agricultural soils and the effect of liming

Sorption of 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA) on four typical Greek agricultural soils, with distinct texture, organic matter content and cation exchange capacities, was compared by using sorption isotherms and the parameters calculated from the fitted Freundlich equations. The sorption process of 3,4-DCA to the soil was completed within 48–72 h. The 3,4-DCA sorption on all soils was well described by the Freundlich equation and all sorption isotherms were of the L-type. The sandy clay loam soil with the highest organic matter content and a slightly acidic pH was the most sorptive, whereas the two other soil types, a high organic matter and neutral pH clay and a low organic matter and acidic loam, had an intermediate sorption capacity. A typical calcareous soil with low organic matter had the lowest sorption capacity which was only slightly higher than that of river sand. The 3,4-DCA sorption correlated best to soil organic matter content and not to clay content or cation exchange capacity, indicating the primary role of organic matter. The distribution coefficient (K _d) decreased with increasing initial 3,4-DCA concentration and the reduction was most pronounced with the highly sorptive sandy clay loam soil, suggesting that the available sorption sites of the soils are not unlimited. Liming of the two acidic soils (the sandy clay loam and the loam) raised their pH (from 6.2 and 5.3, respectively) to 7.8 and reduced their sorption capacity by about 50 %, indicating that soil pH may be the second in importance factor (after organic matter) determining 3,4-DCA sorption.     

外源硅对不同pH水田土壤吸附铅的影响

通过等温吸附实验,研究了加硅对2种不同pH水田土壤吸附铅特性的影响。实验中用硝酸中和硅酸钠的碱性,各处理间钠离子和硝酸根离子的差异以硝酸钠补齐,消除了因硅酸盐的加入改变体系pH及伴随离子对土壤吸附铅可能产生的影响。结果表明,在本实验条件下,Langmuir方程、Freundlich方程和Temkin方程都能较好地描述不同硅浓度条件下两种土壤对铅的吸附特征,但以Freundlich模型为最优;加硅促进了酸性土壤对铅的吸附,抑制了碱性土壤对铅的吸附。     

Combining sap flow and eddy covariance approaches to derive stomatal and non-stomatal O3 fluxes in a forest stand

Stomatal O₃ fluxes to a mixed beech/spruce stand (Fagus sylvatica/Picea abies) in Central Europe were determined using two different approaches. The sap flow technique yielded the tree-level transpiration, whereas the eddy covariance method provided the stand-level evapotranspiration. Both data were then converted into stomatal ozone fluxes, exemplifying this novel concept for July 2007. Sap flow-based stomatal O₃ flux was 33% of the total O₃ flux, whereas derivation from evapotranspiration rates in combination with the Penman-Monteith algorithm amounted to 47%. In addition to this proportional difference, the sap flow-based assessment yielded lower levels of stomatal O₃ flux and reflected stomatal regulation rather than O₃ exposure, paralleling the daily courses of canopy conductance for water vapor and eddy covariance-based total stand-level O₃ flux. The demonstrated combination of sap flow and eddy covariance approaches supports the development of O₃ risk assessment in forests from O₃ exposure towards flux-based concepts.     

钢渣吸附处理苯酚废水的研究

采用恒温振荡的方法,考察了钢渣粒径、吸附温度、振荡速度、溶液pH值、溶液初始浓度对苯酚去除率的影响。结果表明,在粒径为120~180目、pH=4.0、苯酚溶液浓度在500 mg/L以内、苯酚/钢渣质量比为1∶1 000时吸附效果最好。钢渣对苯酚的吸附能较好地符合Langmuir和Freundlich吸附等温线,线性相关系数分别为0.9971和0.9916,吸附机理为表面吸附。     

4种人工湿地基质对马拉硫磷的吸附特性

通过基质对马拉硫磷的等温吸附和吸附动力学实验,研究天然土壤、煤渣、沸石、砾石对马拉硫磷的吸附特性,为人工湿地处理含马拉硫磷废水提供理论依据.结果表明:马拉硫磷浓度为2.25 ～ 90 mg/L条件下,Langmuir和Freundlich方程均能较好地拟合4种基质对马拉硫磷的等温吸附过程,并且Freundlich方程的拟合效果要好于Langmuir方程.马拉硫磷的理论饱和吸附量大小依次为天然土壤(9.9304 mg/g)＞煤渣(1.6173 mg/g)＞沸石(0.6039 mg/g)＞砾石(0.3965 mg/g).4种基质对马拉硫磷的缓冲能力大小依次为天然土壤＞煤渣＞沸石＞砾石,即当进水马拉硫磷浓度波动较大时,作为湿地基质天然土壤使人工湿地系统维持稳定出水水质的能力最强.马拉硫磷浓度为4.5 mg/L条件下,吸附动力学模型Elovich方程能较好地拟合4种基质对马拉硫磷的吸附动力学特征,说明4种基质对马拉硫磷的吸附是表面吸附和内部扩散吸附共同作用的结果.因此,天然土壤和煤渣适宜作为处理含马拉硫磷废水的人工湿地基质.     

水泥窑协同处置过程中Pb、Cd的挥发特性

对铅、镉2种重金属的氧化物开展了热重实验、熟料煅烧以及熟料消解实验,以重金属的挥发率为主要指标,研究了水泥窑协同处置过程中铅、镉在等温条件下随时间的挥发特性。结果表明,2种重金属的挥发率均是随温度的升高,时间的增加而增大。Pb的挥发率为96%,Cd的挥发率达到98%,根据等温动力学及阿累尼乌斯方程,对Pb,Cd的挥发率随时间变化的规律进行动力学模拟,得到较好的线性拟合效果,其中,Pb挥发反应的表观活化能E为88.73 kJ/mol,Cd挥发反应可以分2个部分：1 200℃以下的表观活化能E为61 kJ/mol;1 250℃以上的表观活化能E为184.6 kJ/mol。     

Use of fugacity model to analyze temperature-dependent removal of micro-contaminants in sewage treatment plants

Effluents from sewage treatment plants (STPs) are known to contain residual micro-contaminants including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) despite the utilization of various removal processes. Temperature alters the efficacy of removal processes; however, experimental measurements of EDC removal at various temperatures are limited. Extrapolation of EDC behavior over a wide temperature range is possible using available physicochemical property data followed by the correction of temperature dependency. A level II fugacity-based STP model was employed by inputting parameters obtained from the literature and estimated by the US EPA’s Estimations Programs Interface (EPI) including EPI’s BIOWIN for temperature-dependent biodegradation half-lives. EDC removals in a three-stage activated sludge system were modeled under various temperatures and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) for representative compounds of various properties. Sensitivity analysis indicates that temperature plays a significant role in the model outcomes. Increasing temperature considerably enhances the removal of β-estradiol, ethinyestradiol, bisphenol, phenol, and tetrachloroethylene, but not testosterone with the highest biodegradation rate. The shortcomings of BIOWIN were mitigated by the correction of highly temperature-dependent biodegradation rates using the Arrhenius equation. The model predicts well the effects of operating temperature and HRTs on the removal via volatilization, adsorption, and biodegradation. The model also reveals that an impractically long HRT is needed to achieve a high EDC removal. The STP model along with temperature corrections is able to provide some useful insight into the different patterns of STP performance, and useful operational considerations relevant to EDC removal at winter low temperatures.