Health-related quality of life 24 months after sustaining a minor musculoskeletal injury in a road traffic crash: A prospective cohort study

Objectives: A better understanding of the long-term factors that independently predict poorer quality of life following mild to moderate musculoskeletal injuries is needed. We aimed to establish the predictors of quality of life (including sociodemographic, health, psychosocial, and pre-injury factors) 24 months after a noncatastrophic road traffic injury.

Methods: In a prospective cohort study of 252 participants with mild/moderate injury sustained in a road traffic crash, quality of life was measured 24 months following the baseline survey. A telephone-administered questionnaire obtained information on various potential explanatory variables. Health-related quality of life was measured using the European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) and Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form–12 (SF-12). Multivariable linear regression analyses determined the associations between explanatory variables and quality of life measures.

Results: Mean SF-12 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores increased by 7.3 and 2.5 units, respectively, from baseline to 24-month follow-up. Each 10-year increase in baseline age was independently associated with 3.1-unit (P < .001) and 1.5-unit (P = .001) decrease in EQ Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and SF-12 PCS scores at follow-up, respectively. Poor/fair compared to excellent pre-injury health was associated with a 0.16-, 21.3-, and 11.5-unit decrease in EQ-5D summary (P = .03), VAS scores (P = .001), and SF-12 PCS scores (P < .001), respectively. Baseline pain severity ratings and pain catastrophizing scores were inversely associated with 24-month EQ VAS scores (both P < .001). Each unit increase in baseline pain score (P = .001) and pain catastrophizing score (P = .02) was associated with a 1.0- and 4.6-unit decrease in SF-12 MCS scores at 24 months, respectively. Other observed predictors of quality of life measures (EQ-5D summary and/or VAS scores and/ or SF-12 MCS) included marital status, smoking, hospital admission, pre-injury health (anxiety/depression and chronic illness), and whiplash injury.

Conclusion: Sociodemographic indicators, pre-injury health, and biopsychosocial correlates were independently associated with health-related quality of life 24 months following a noncatastrophic road traffic crash injury.     

A spectral power analysis of driving behavior changes during the transition from nondistraction to distraction

Objective: This article investigated and compared frequency domain and time domain characteristics of drivers' behaviors before and after the start of distracted driving.

Method: Data from an existing naturalistic driving study were used. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) was applied for the frequency domain analysis to explore drivers' behavior pattern changes between nondistracted (prestarting of visual–manual task) and distracted (poststarting of visual–manual task) driving periods. Average relative spectral power in a low frequency range (0–0.5 Hz) and the standard deviation in a 10-s time window of vehicle control variables (i.e., lane offset, yaw rate, and acceleration) were calculated and further compared. Sensitivity analyses were also applied to examine the reliability of the time and frequency domain analyses.

Results: Results of the mixed model analyses from the time and frequency domain analyses all showed significant degradation in lateral control performance after engaging in visual–manual tasks while driving. Results of the sensitivity analyses suggested that the frequency domain analysis was less sensitive to the frequency bandwidth, whereas the time domain analysis was more sensitive to the time intervals selected for variation calculations. Different time interval selections can result in significantly different standard deviation values, whereas average spectral power analysis on yaw rate in both low and high frequency bandwidths showed consistent results, that higher variation values were observed during distracted driving when compared to nondistracted driving.

Conclusions: This study suggests that driver state detection needs to consider the behavior changes during the prestarting periods, instead of only focusing on periods with physical presence of distraction, such as cell phone use. Lateral control measures can be a better indicator of distraction detection than longitudinal controls. In addition, frequency domain analyses proved to be a more robust and consistent method in assessing driving performance compared to time domain analyses.     

Comparison study and parameter identification of three battery models for an off-grid photovoltaic system

There is growing interest in solar batteries, especially for photovoltaic (PV) applications. Therefore, an accurate battery model is required for the PV system because of its influence on system efficiency. Several mathematical models of batteries have been described in the scientific literature. However, this paper reviews three electrochemical models most commonly used for PV systems, such as Shepherd, Manegon and Coppetti, in order to define the most appropriate model for PV systems. This paper discusses an application of the pattern search optimization technique to extract the parameters of three battery models derived from experimental test results obtained from sealed gelled lead acid batteries for both charge and discharge modes. A comparative case and regression analysis based on statistical tests and a quantitative method were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the updated model from the three aforementioned. The simulation results and tests performed on the battery charge and discharge modes lead us as well to approve the algorithm’s accuracy regarding the updated model.     

南京冬季云凝结核活化特征及闭合研究

2017年12月~2018年1月在南京地区对气溶胶的云凝结核（CCN）活化特征进行外场观测,并利用4种常用的闭合方法实现对CCN数浓度的预测.结果表明本次观测期间南京地区的气溶胶具有较高的CCN活性,吸湿性参数（κ）的平均值为0.36.对清洁到不同程度雾-霾天气溶胶污染的CCN活化特征进行对比分析,发现随着污染程度的加深,气溶胶的吸湿性逐渐减弱;在同一能见度（VIS）范围内,环境相对湿度（RH）更高的天气类型中气溶胶的吸湿性和活化能力也更高,这可能由于高RH条件能促进大气中非均相及液相反应生成更多的二次无机气溶胶.4种闭合方法的结果显示,利用临界粒径、截断粒径及粒径分辨的活化谱三种方法总体上均有较好的闭合结果.其中,对于低过饱和度（S）下的预测来说,利用截断粒径方法的闭合结果最为理想.     

压载舱锌阳极失效原因分析及实验室研究

目的 找到压载舱锌阳极失效原因,并提出整改方案。方法 对服役环境进行调研、阳极化学成分检测、电化学性能检测以及阳极表面形貌检测。结果 干湿交替以及高温的环境是造成锌阳极发生钝化的主要原因。在干湿交替环境下,阳极腐蚀表面晶粒松散,晶界宽度大,发生晶间腐蚀和晶粒脱落,造成了阳极失效。结论 通过该项目的实验研究,得出了锌阳极的适用条件,在干湿交替的环境以及高温环境(50 ℃)下,不推荐使用锌阳极,建议使用铝阳极。     

Theoretical study on the formation mechanism of polychlorinated dibenzothiophenes/thianthrenes from 2-chlorothiophenol molecules

Homogeneous formation of polychlorinated dibenzothiophenes/thianthrenes(PCDT/TAs),sulfurated compounds analogous to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofurans(PCDD/Fs), has been well-documented to occur via radical–radical coupling reactions from chlorinated thiophenol precursors. However, the current understanding of the formation mechanism of PCDT/TAs is exclusively limited to the inherent point of view that chlorothiophenoxy radicals act as the only required intermediates for PCDT/TAs. This study investigates reaction pathways for the formation of PCDT/TAs involving two new types of radical species, i.e., substituted phenyl radicals and substituted thiophenoxyl diradicals. Taking 2-chlorothiophenol(2-CTP) as a model compound for chlorothiophenols,we found that apart from the mostly discussed chlorothiophenoxy radicals, substituted phenyl radicals and substituted thiophenoxyl diradicals could also be readily formed via the reaction of 2-CTP with H radicals. Furthermore, direct self-and cross-coupling of these radicals can result in the formation of PCDT/TAs, including 1-monochlorothianthrene(1-MCTA), 1,6-dichlorothianthrene(1,6-DCTA), 4,6-dichlorodibenzothiophene(4,6-DCDT)and 1,6-dichlorodibenzothiophene(1,6-DCDT). The pathways proposed in this work are proven to be both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable. Particularly, comparisons were made between the formation mechanisms of sulfurated and oxygenated dioxin systems from an energetic point view, showing that replacing oxygen with sulfur atoms greatly reduces the activation barriers of the rate-controlling steps involved in the PCDT/TA formation processes compared with those involved for PCDD/Fs. The calculated results in this work may improve our understanding of the formation mechanism of PCDT/TAs from chlorothiophenol precursors and should be informative to environmental scientists.     

回流指数在空气质量变化研究中的应用

将回流指数引入珠三角污染气象条件的研究中,尝试使用回流指数判别形成区域大气污染的机理.运用中尺度数值模式WRF得到珠三角精细化的回流指数时空分布,同时与边界层外场观测试验结果进行比对从而验证模式对边界层内风场的模拟效果.最后,分别对干湿季冷高压影响下的污染过程进行分析,湿季选取2013年4月13—16日的珠三角重污染过程,干季选取同年12月8—10日的污染过程.结果表明:在本研究的两次过程中,使用回流指数Rcritical=0.6作为阈值能较好地区分局地污染物回流堆积与上风向污染物输送两种因素在冷高压型污染过程中何者占主导,当区域中回流指数普遍低于0.6则是污染物局地回流堆积作用更明显,若普遍高于0.6则是受上风向污染物的输送影响更明显;在局地回流堆积为主要形成机理的污染过程中,地面污染物浓度与边界层整体回流系数呈反方向变化关系,地面污染物浓度峰值对应边界层回流系数谷值;在污染物输送为主要形成因素的污染过程中,边界层中低层回流系数达到峰值时代表该区域此时受上风向风场输送作用最显著,地面污染物浓度同时达到峰值.     

Lessons learned from a supercritical pressure BLEVE in Nihon Dempa Kogyo Crystal Inc.

On December 7, 2009, a 50-foot-tall high-pressure vessel ruptured in the Nihon Dempa Kogyo Crystal, Inc. facility in Belvidere, Illinois. Several projectiles rapidly traveled outward from the facility, killing a truck driver 650 feet away and injuring an employee in another building 435 feet away. This paper summarizes the lessons learned from this incident both on causal and consequential aspects. Stress corrosion cracking was identified as the failure mechanism by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. After analyzing the operating conditions and the aftermath, this incident has been identified as a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) under a supercritical pressure. A consequence analysis of the incident is performed where overpressure and fragment distance are calculated, together with safety distance estimation. Additionally, other safety-related problems, such as safety culture, management inside the corporation, and communication between this facility and the government are discussed.     

人工湿地在中国的研究进展

人工湿地具有去污效果好、运行费用低及维护简单等特点,现已被广泛运用于污水处理中,具有相当显著的生态环境效益。本文对人工湿地在中国的研究进展进行归纳、阐述,分析其研究中存在的问题,并对其今后的研究和应用进行展望。     

民航不安全事件报告危险源识别模型

为了识别民航不安全事件的发生原因,从民航不安全事件报告出发,提出了一种基于LDA主题模型和Word2Vec模型的民航不安全事件报告危险源识别模型。首先,构建危险源标签分类表,选取民航不安全事件报告与Wiki中文数据库作为数据源,然后利用LDA主题模型得出民航不安全事件报告的主题概率分布与词概率分布,最后利用Wiki中文数据库训练Word2Vec模型得到词向量,进而计算文档主题与不同危险源标签之间的相似度,得出民航不安全事件报告的危险源分类。结果表明,该模型的精准率为77.7%、召回率为86.8%、F为82.0%,能够有效识别各民航不安全事件报告的危险源。