Source Apportionment in the Town of La Spezia (Italy) by Continuous Aerosol Sampling and PIXE Analysis

We describe the results of an aerosol sampling campaign performedin 1999 in the medium-size industrial town of La Spezia, in theNorthwest of Italy. We used two-stage continuous streakersamplers in three different sites and periods of the year. This kind of samplers allows the separation of the PM₁₀ andPM_2.2 fractions of the particulate matter. Moreover, the hourly resolution in the aerosol collection is particularly useful inan urban environment where, typically, many pollution sourceswith fast variations are present. Up to 1700 samples have beenanalysed by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) at the INFNaccelerator facility in Florence, obtaining hourly concentrationfor about 20 elements from Na to Pb, with a sensitivity rangingfrom below 1 to about 10 ng m^-3. The total hourly aerosolmass has been estimated with an optical analysis of the samesamples performed (before the PIXE analysis) by an equipment designed and mounted in Genoa. An extensive statistical analysisof the data included standard and Absolute Principal ComponentFactor Analysis (PCFA and APCFA) to deduce the compositionand the weight of the major aerosol sources in both fractions.Thorough different statistical approaches, we generally resolvedcontributions from vehicle emission, fossil fuel combustion,soil-road dust and sea salt aerosol.     

SWAT‐LUT: A Desktop Graphical User Interface for Updating Land Use in SWAT

Long‐term simulations of agricultural watersheds have often been done assuming constant land use over time, but this is not a realistic assumption for many agricultural regions. This paper presents the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT)‐Landuse Update Tool (LUT), a standalone, user‐friendly desktop‐based tool for updating land use in the SWAT model that allows users to process multi‐year land use data. SWAT‐LUT is compatible with several SWAT model interfaces, provides users with several options to easily prepare and incorporate land use changes (LUCs) over a simulation period, and allows users to incorporate past or emerging land use categories. Incorporation of LUCs is expected to provide realistic model parameterization and scenario simulations. SWAT‐LUT is a public domain interface written in Python programming language. Two applications at the Fort Cobb Reservoir Experimental Watershed located in Oklahoma and pertinent results are provided to demonstrate its use. Incorporating LUCs related to implementation of recommended conservation practices over the years reduced discharge, evapotranspiration, sediment, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus loads by 59%, 9%, 68%, 53%, and 88%, respectively. The user’s manual is included in this article as Supporting Information. The SWAT‐LUT executable file and an example SWAT project with three land use rasters and the user’s manual are available at the United States Department of Agriculture‐Agricultural Research Service Grazinglands Research Laboratory website under Software. Editor’s note : This paper is part of the featured series on Optimizing Ogallala Aquifer Water Use to Sustain Food Systems. See the February 2019 issue for the introduction and background to the series.     

国内外群体建筑物震害预测方法研究现状综述

群体建筑物震害预测是确定一个城市或地区某一类建筑在确定强度或某一确定时期内的地震作用下,发生某种破坏程度的概率,其目的是分析建筑物在遭受不同地震烈度影响时可能产生的破坏。系统梳理了现今为止国内外群体建筑物震害预测的学术研究现状,总结归纳了国内外传统的群体建筑物震害预测方法和近二十年来国内对于传统震害预测方法的改进研究进展,以期为城市群体建筑物震害预测研究提供新的视角和基础资料。     

亚甲基蓝分光光度法测定硫化物校准曲线斜率、截距参考值研究

通过近三年实验室采用亚甲基蓝分光光度法测定硫化物校准曲线制作的一系列原始数据的收集,并通过数理统计方法对校准曲线、-余标准偏差、斜率扩展不确定度、截距扩展不确定度开展了详细讨论,得出亚甲基蓝分光光度法测定硫化物校准曲线斜率(b)参考范围为:0.019 1±0.00044,截距(a)参考值范围:0.003 3±0.005 0.此结果对实验室分析人员判定硫化物项目校准曲线制作是否合格具有一定的参考价值.     

Factors affecting adolescents’ use of urban public spaces in their leisure time: an exploratory study from the city of Vienna

Urban public spaces are important areas for leisure, recreation and physical activity and therefore contribute to the quality of life in cities. In particular, for adolescents they provide important spaces to meet with their peers, away from parental or school control. In many cities worldwide, public spaces have undergone severe developmental processes, and often a withdrawal from public space is noted. With regard to the opportunities those spaces provide for adolescents, it is necessary to investigate their current meaning for adolescents in a leisure context. In this article, qualitative research methods were used to investigate factors affecting adolescents’ use of public spaces in Vienna, Austria. In total 45 adolescents were interviewed. Results show that public open spaces are not regarded as important leisure spaces, and data reveal a strong retreat to private areas for leisure purposes. Perceived insecurities and fears support these processes and often result in avoidance of public spaces but also the wish for more control by authorities.     

Creating Pedestrian Crash Scenarios in a Driving Simulator Environment

Objective: In 2012 in the United States, pedestrian injuries accounted for 3.3% of all traffic injuries but, disproportionately, pedestrian fatalities accounted for roughly 14% of traffic-related deaths (NHTSA 2014 NHTSA. Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Pedestrians. Washington, DC: Author; 2014. DOT HS 811 888. [Google Scholar]). In many other countries, pedestrians make up more than 50% of those injured and killed in crashes. This research project examined driver response to crash-imminent situations involving pedestrians in a high-fidelity, full-motion driving simulator. This article presents a scenario development method and discusses experimental design and control issues in conducting pedestrian crash research in a simulation environment. Driving simulators offer a safe environment in which to test driver response and offer the advantage of having virtual pedestrian models that move realistically, unlike test track studies, which by nature must use pedestrian dummies on some moving track.

Methods: An analysis of pedestrian crash trajectories, speeds, roadside features, and pedestrian behavior was used to create 18 unique crash scenarios representative of the most frequent and most costly crash types. For the study reported here, we only considered scenarios where the car is traveling straight because these represent the majority of fatalities. We manipulated driver expectation of a pedestrian both by presenting intersection and mid-block crossing as well as by using features in the scene to direct the driver's visual attention toward or away from the crossing pedestrian. Three visual environments for the scenarios were used to provide a variety of roadside environments and speed: a 20–30 mph residential area, a 55 mph rural undivided highway, and a 40 mph urban area.

Results: Many variables of crash situations were considered in selecting and developing the scenarios, including vehicle and pedestrian movements; roadway and roadside features; environmental conditions; and characteristics of the pedestrian, driver, and vehicle. The driving simulator scenarios were subjected to iterative testing to adjust time to arrival triggers for the pedestrian actions. This article discusses the rationale behind creating the simulator scenarios and some of the procedural considerations for conducting this type of research.

Conclusions: Crash analyses can be used to construct test scenarios for driver behavior evaluations using driving simulators. By considering trajectories, roadway, and environmental conditions of real-world crashes, representative virtual scenarios can serve as safe test beds for advanced driver assistance systems. The results of such research can be used to inform pedestrian crash avoidance/mitigation systems by identifying driver error, driver response time, and driver response choice (i.e., steering vs. braking).     

质量块对动态力传感器校准的影响特性

校准质量块是动态力传感器校准中的关键部件,其加速度分布的均匀性直接影响动态力传感器的校准准确度,采用有限元分析方法结合实验对比方法,研究了质量块形状尺寸、密度、弹性模量及比模量等参数对质量块加速度分布均匀性的影响,给出了各因素的影响特性。实验结果表明,使用重质合金质量块可提高动态力传感器的校准准确度。     

Exploring guerrilla gardening: gauging public views on the grassroots activity

The literature on guerrilla gardening is developing rapidly. The majority of these accounts currently derive from North America, with little academic exploration apparent beyond this context: they focus explicitly on the grass-roots gardeners and show little regard for those surrounding the action's location. Guerrilla gardeners often colonise land not only without the permission from authorities, but also with little regard for those who surround the space; transforming areas without consulting with the local communities. This paper explores those affected by guerrilla gardening; grounding our argument in evidence gathered from the activities of three guerrilla groups. In doing so, we investigate the public's views of several informal gardening projects, questioning their value and impact on the surrounding areas. The emerging responses are very mixed, ranging from positive comments about improving aesthetics, to negative remarks surrounding the practices of some groups. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates how, although often promoted and perceived to be a constructive activity, guerrilla gardening can result in adverse impacts on those who surround colonised sites.     

气候友好型环境影响评价方法研究与探讨

通过环境影响评价手段开展温室气体控制具有一定的可操作性和现实意义。本文主要从技术角度,研究和探讨温室气体环境影响评价整体思路、评价指标与评价基准的选取、排放源强的识别和估算等内容。从而提出气候友好型环境影响评价技术方法的初步观点,为相关技术规范制订做好技术储备,为适应国际应对气候变化形势、适合我国国情需要的监管制度提供必要的技术支撑。     

地方政府投融资平台信息披露问题研究

地方政府投融资平台在促进地方经济发展，推动城市化进程，应对国际金融危机等方面发挥了重要作用。但由于缺乏统一的管理，各地方政府投融资平台财务状况披露不公开、不透明，债务风险急剧扩大，引起了有关部门和专家学者的高度关注。各地方政府应将融资平台的各种信息，特别是债务情况，定期向主管部门报告，建立地方投融资平台信用评价方法，使得投融资平台朝着健康、良性的方向发展。