How environmental management driving forces affect environmental and economic performance of SMEs: a study in the Northern China district

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the core of societal and economic development. However, most people query on the implementation and performance of environmental management. In this paper, the manufacturing SMEs in Northern China with different pollution levels are studied to explore the main forces (e.g., government, society, market, and enterprise itself) driving SMEs for promoting environmental management. It focuses on the correlation between environmental management and economic performance for SMEs at different pollution levels. The results show that SMEs of different pollution levels have significant differences in the relationship of driving forces and performance. First, for SMEs with high-pollution levels, social and market driving forces and government incentives are revealed having a significant effect on their environmental performance. Driving forces from within the enterprise itself and the market provide a positive effect on the economic performance, while social forces have a negative effect. Second, for SMEs with light pollution, social and market driving forces, and government assistance play a supporting role on corporate environmental performance improvement. It is also found that the driving force of the enterprise itself does not have a significant effect on the environmental performance for SMEs with different pollution levels. In addition, the environmental performance and economic performance for SMEs with high or light-pollution levels are positively correlated. Further, it shows that the environmental performance is moderately correlated with financial indices, but not significantly with the non-financial indices.     

Agricultural waste pulverised biomass: MEC and flame speeds

A modified Hartmann dust explosion tube was employed to determine the Minimum Explosible Concentration (MEC) and the flame speed for three Pakistani agricultural wastes: bagasse, rice husk and wheat straw. Agricultural biomass had a higher ash content than for woody biomass and this influenced the MEC. The dispersion, ignition and MEC were influenced by the particle size distribution, as also demonstrated by high speed video. There was a strong linear correlation between the MEC and the sum of the ash and moisture content of these and other biomasses, indicating that this inert mass in the particles acted to reduce the flame temperature and reduce the lean flammability limit or MEC. Comparison of the results was made with non-agricultural waste pulverized biomass. Peak flame speeds were approximately 2.5 m/s. The lean limits for these pulverised agricultural waste biomasses were comparable to that of pulverised wood but were much leaner than those for coal and hydrocarbon fuels, which indicate that these biomasses are highly reactive.     

Cannabis use and self-reported collisions in a representative sample of adult drivers

PROBLEM: This study examines the relationships between collision involvement and several measures of cannabis use, including driving after using cannabis, among drivers, based on a population survey of Ontario adults in 2002 and 2003. METHOD: Logistic regression analyses examined self-reported collision involvement in the last 12 months by lifetime use of cannabis, past year use of cannabis, and past year driving after using cannabis, while controlling for demographic characteristics. RESULTS: We found that the odds of reporting collision involvement was significantly higher among cannabis users, and among those who reported driving after cannabis use. Some evidence for a dose-response relationship was seen as well. DISCUSSION: Cannabis users and people who report driving after cannabis use are also more likely to report being involved in a collision in the past year. These observations suggest that collision prevention efforts could be aimed at these groups. Additional work to determine the causal pathways involved in the relationships observed here is needed. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: None.     

The combined effects of on-road and simulator training with feedback on older drivers' on-road performance: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Objective: A number of training programs that seek to improve driving performance among older drivers are available accompanied by a growing interest in their effectiveness. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the combined effect of (1) basic in-class training (BT); (2) on-road training with individualized feedback (OR); and (3) training on a driving simulator (S).

Methods: Using a randomized controlled trial study design, 78 older drivers were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups (BT, BT + OR, or BT + OR + S). All participants completed a pre- and postintervention on-road driving evaluation on a standardized route. The driving evaluations were recorded using video and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and were scored by a blind assessor.

Results: The results indicated a significant reduction of approximately 30% in overall number of driving errors/omissions among participants in the BT + OR and the BT + OR + S groups in comparison to participants in the BT group.

Conclusions: This study adds to the mounting evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of individualized driver training in improving safe driving among older adults.     

A quantitative correlation of evaluating the flame speed for the BST method in vapor cloud explosions

In recent decades, vapor cloud explosions (VCEs) have occurred frequently and resulted in numerous personnel injuries and large property losses. As a main concern in the petrochemical industry, it is of great importance to assess the consequence of VCEs. Currently, the TNT equivalency method (TNT EM), the TNO multi-energy method (TNO MEM), and the Baker-Strehlow-Tang (BST) method are widely used to estimate the blast load from VCEs. The TNO MEM and BST method determine the blast load from blast curves based on the class number and the flame speed, respectively. To quantitatively evaluate the flame speed for the BST method, the experimental data is adopted to validate the confinement specific correlation (CSC) for the determination of the class number in the TNO MEM. As a bridge, a quantitative evaluation correlation (QEC) between CSC correlation and the flame speed is established and the blast wave shapes corresponding to different flame speeds are proposed. CFD software FLACS was used to verify the quantitative correlation with the numerical models of three geometrical scales. It is found that the calculated flame speeds by the QEC are in good agreement with the simulated ones. A petrochemical plant is selected as a realistic scenario to analyze the TNT EM, TNO MEM, BST method and FLACS simulations in terms of the positive-phase side-on overpressure and impulse at different distances. Compared with the flame speed table, the predicted overpressure from BST curves determined by the proposed QEC is closer to that from FLACS and more conservative. Furthermore, the predicted results of different methods are compared with each other. It is found that the estimated positive-phase side-on overpressure and impulse by the TNO MEM are the largest, and the estimated impulse by the TNT EM is the smallest. Moreover, the estimated overpressure and impulse are larger in the higher reactivity gas.     

Examining driver behavior using data gathered from red light photo enforcement cameras

INTRODUCTION: To develop an effective driver assistance system that can prevent red light violations, it is important to have a thorough understanding of contributing factors and circumstances surrounding such violations. METHODS: Red light violation behavior was examined using about 47,000 violation records that were captured by photo enforcement cameras from 11 signalized intersections in the city of Sacramento, California, over a four-year period. This examination identified factors with strong correlation to red light running behavior. RESULTS: Key findings based on Sacramento's red light violation records include: (a) younger drivers showed a higher tendency of running the red light and were more likely to commit such a violation at speeds above the posted speed limit; (b) off-peak time period between 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. had lower violation counts, but red light violators in this time frame had a higher propensity of racing through intersections at high speeds; (c) also during the time period between 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., violators showed a higher probability of entering intersections two or more seconds after the onset of red light; and (d) violators were less likely to cross high traffic-volume intersections with speeds greater than the posted speed limit. DISCUSSION: Sacramento's data suggest that some red light violators might have committed such an offense unintentionally. The top three violation speeds were all below 20 mph and more than 94% of red light runners crossed intersections within 2 seconds after the onset of the red light. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: In the next several years, studies will be executed to assess whether a red light violation warning system can reduce "unintentional red light running" such as drivers who made incorrect judgment regarding the adequate time to clear the intersection and inattentive motorists who fail to observe the presence and status of the red light.     

Health, safety, self-regulation and the older driver: It's not just a matter of age

Problem

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of age and health on patterns of driving and self-regulation among older adults who still drive.

Method

This analysis presents the results of a nationwide survey of drivers who are 50 + (N = 3,824, 53.11% response rate), focusing on questions about the impact of their self-reported health on attitudes toward and self-regulation of driving.

Results

The data indicate that as age increases, so too does reported self-regulation of driving, increasing sharply among those ages 70 and older. The data also indicate that respondent's reported confidence in driving and their enjoyment of driving decline as they age. Health status bears a significant relationship with all three of these variables, positively related to confidence in driving skills and to enjoyment in driving, but negatively related to self-regulation reports. As self-reported health declines, respondent's report engages in greater voluntary restrictions of their driving.

Discussion

All too often, the driving decision is linked primarily to chronological age. Analysis done here indicates that age alone is not the best indicator of self-regulation and how older adults change their driving behaviors.

Summary

This research presents the results of a nationwide survey of 50+ drivers and their self-reported driving, self-regulation behaviors, and health status. Strong support was found for the argument that chronological age is not an adequate measure of self-regulating behaviors and driver safety among those 50+. In particular, it was found that a person's health status and the interaction between age and health are essential considerations in the decisions around self-regulation and driving. People tend to self-regulate more with age, but the effect becomes much more pronounced as health status declines.

Impact on industry

In the coming years, if older adults can't get to where they want to go and continue to be viable consumers in our national fabric, all industries will eventually suffer. Transportation is a key component to the nation's social contract with older individuals and their families.     

Mass spectral chemical fingerprints reveal the molecular dependence of exhaust particulate matters on engine speeds

Particulate matters(PMs) emitted by automobile exhaust contribute to a significant fraction of the global PMs. Extractive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry(EAPCI-MS) was developed to explore the molecular dependence of PMs collected from exhaust gases produced at different vehicle engine speeds. The mass spectral fingerprints of the organic compounds embedded in differentially sized PMs(e.g., 0.22–0.45, 0.45–1.00, 1.00–2.00, 2.00–3.00, 3.00–5.00, and 5.00–10.00 μm) generated at different engine speeds(e.g., 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 r/min) were chemically profiled in the mass range of mass to charge ratio(m/z) 50–800. Organic compounds,including alcohols, aldehydes, and esters, were detected in all the PMs tested, with varied concentration levels for each individual PM sample. At relatively low engine speeds(≤ 1500 r/min), the total amount of organic species embedded in PMs of 0.22–1.00 μm was greater than in PMs of other sizes, while more organic species were found in PMs of5.00–10.00 μm at high engine speeds(≥ 3000 r/min), indicating that the organic compounds distributed in different sizes of PMs strongly correlated with the engine speed. The experimental data showed that the EAPCI-MS technique enables molecular characterization of PMs in exhaust, revealing the chemical dependence of PMs on the engine speeds(i.e., the combustion conditions) of automobiles.     

金坛区景观格局时空变化及驱动力分析

基于2010—2015年江苏省常州市金坛区高分辨率遥感影像,综合分析了生态系统空间分布格局及其演变特征,初步揭示了生态系统的驱动力及其对生态系统格局变化的影响。结果表明,金坛区生态系统类型主要由农田、湿地、城镇构成,3者合占总面积的87. 8%; 2010年以来,金坛加快实施城市"东扩南移"战略,原有农田不断被蚕食,生态系统的聚集度、边界密度有所上升,城镇更加连片分布,城镇面积已接近2020年18 604. 7 hm~2的建设红线。     

Development pattern and enhancing system of automotive components remanufacturing industry in China

Along with the increasing number of automotive output and End-of-Life vehicles (ELVs) in China, resources shortage and environmental pollution are aggravating, so the tremendous need to reuse automotive components gives birth to the industry. The Chinese government becomes to realize that it is necessary to build a conservation-oriented and environment-friendly harmonious society. As the ultimate form of recycling, remanufacturing will be an effective method to promote the development of Chinese circular economy. The automotive remanufacturing industry in China is just at the preliminary stage, this paper presents some problems before remanufacturing, during remanufacturing and after remanufacturing, and then it points out several barriers, such as restrictive policies and regulations, consumer acceptance, scarcity of technologies, etc. Like many other developed countries, Chinese remanufacturing industry will also experience the primary stage, growth stage and developed stage. while the emphasis of resources input will not be the same. By analyzing the resources input characteristics at different development stages, three development patterns, such as the Government Incenting Pattern, Technology Driving Pattern and Market Leading Pattern, are put forward. At present, the cooperation of the government, industry, universities and research institutes, etc, will jointly construct the enhancing system of automotive components remanufacturing industry in China. Finally, it concludes with a summary and some suggestions in the field.