Measures of speeding from a GPS-based travel behavior survey

Objective: Lacking information about actual driving speed on most roads in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region, we determine car speeds using observations from a Global Positioning System (GPS)-based travel survey. Speed of travel determines the likelihood and consequences of collisions. We identify the road segments where speeding occurs. This article then analyzes the relationship between link length, traveler characteristics, and speeding using GPS data collected from 152 individuals over a 7-day period as part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul Travel Behavior Inventory.

Methods: To investigate the relationship, we employed an algorithm and process to accurately match the GPS data with geographic information system (GIS) databases. Comparing actual travel speed from GPS data with posted speed limits, we measure where and when speeding occurs and by whom. We posit that link length and demographics shape the decision to speed.

Results: Speeding is widespread under both high speed limits (e.g., 60?mph [97?km/h]) and low speed limits (less than 25?mph [40?km/h]); in contrast, speeding is less common at 30–35?mph (48–56?km/h). The results suggest that driving patterns depend on the road type. We also find that when there are many intersections, the average link speed (and speeding) drops. Long links are conducive to speeding. Younger drivers and more educated drivers also speed more, and speeding occurs more often in the evening.

Conclusions: Road design and link length (or its converse, frequency of intersections) affect the likelihood of speeding. Use of increasingly available GPS data allows more systematic empirical analysis of designs and topologies that are conducive to road safety.     

FRACTALS AND THE RIVER-LENGTH CATCHMENT-AREA RATIO1

ABSTRACT: The fractal nature of stream-length and catchment-area measurement is investigated using eight rivers in Missouri. The fractal dimension for the length measurement was found to average 1.158 and for area to average 1.0105. These values are close to those hypothesized by Mandeibrot (1983).     

MODIS气溶胶光学厚度对城市空气质量的指示

空气污染指数API(Air Pollution Index)是关系大众生产生活的一个重要指标,论证了一种由MODIS(中分辨率成像光谱仪)反演的气溶胶光学厚度产品AOT(Aerosol Optics Thickness)预报空气质量的方法,即依据API的分级标准,将API用特定的步长分组,再把各组的AOT和API均值建立相关模型,并用该模型来预测空气质量指数,经验证,预测值和实际值之间的精度为77.59%,基本达到业务运行的要求。     

Male tail streamer length predicts fertilization success in the North American barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster)

In socially monogamous species, extra-pair paternity has the potential to increase the variance in male reproductive success, thereby affecting the opportunity for sexual selection on male extravagant ornamentation. In the European barn swallow (Hirundo rustica rustica), the tail streamer length is a sexually selected male ornament and an honest indicator of viability. The North American barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) also shows sexual dimorphism in tail streamer length, but whether this trait holds the same signalling function in this subspecies is a controversial issue, and the available literature is presently scarce. Here, we present data on paternity in the North American barn swallow, including a complete sampling of extra-pair sires in four colonies. We analysed how extra-pair paternity affected the variance in male fertilization success and examined whether male tail streamer (i.e. the outermost tail feather) length correlated with fertilization success (n=86 males). Extra-pair paternity constituted 31% of all offspring and significantly increased the variance in male fertilization success. The number of offspring sired by extra-pair males accounted for almost half of the total variance in male fertilization success. Males with naturally long tail streamers had a higher fertilization success than males with shorter tail streamers, and this pattern was mainly caused by a higher extra-pair success for males with long tail streamers. Males with long tail streamers also paired with early breeding females in prime body condition. These results are consistent with the idea that there is directional sexual selection on male tail streamer length, possibly mediated through male extra-pair mating success or the timing of breeding onset.     

The influence of confounding factors on the relationship between muscle contraction level and MF and MPF values of EMG signal: a review

The purpose of this article is to gather results of studies on the relationship between median frequency (MF) and mean power frequency (MPF) and the level of muscle contraction, and to use those results to discuss the differences in the trends according to factors related to measurement technique and subject. Twenty-one studies with 63 cases for upper limb muscles and nine studies with 31 cases for lower limb muscles were analysed. Most results showed an increase in parameters with an increased level of muscle contraction, only some studies showed a decrease. The influence on parameters of the level of muscle contraction and factors such as subjects, type of contraction, muscle length and electrodes was analysed for each muscle. It was concluded that when analysing the influence of different factors on MF and MPF, because those factors interact they should be considered together, not separately.     

考虑地形和土地覆盖影响的参数化台风风场模拟

现有参数化台风风场模型通常采用单一地表粗糙度假设,忽略地形和土地覆盖的影响,使得参数化台风风场模型不能真实反映台风风场。本文基于GTOPO30(Global Topographic Data of 30 arc seconds)全球数字高程数据和USGS(U.S.Geological Survey)全球土地覆盖数据,将地形地貌效应等效为地表粗糙长度,建立了受西北太平洋台风影响的东亚地区的地表粗糙长度空间分布;并对比验证了3个典型地貌的地表粗糙长度。然后,对参数化台风风场模型进行了适当修正,使其能耦合地形起伏对风场产生的抬升和沉降作用。以WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting)模式的模拟结果为基准,采用3个历史台风案例,考察了地形地貌对参数化台风风场模拟的影响。对比结果表明,考虑地形地貌效应可以显著提升参数化台风风场模型对台风空间结构的模拟能力。考虑地形地貌影响的参数化台风风场模型的模拟结果与实测结果吻合较好。     

Hierarchy length in orphaned colonies of the ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Temnothorax nylanderi</Emphasis>

Workers of the ant Temnothorax nylanderi form dominance orders in orphaned colonies in which only one or a few top-ranking workers begin to produce males from unfertilized eggs. Between one and 11 individuals initiated 80% of all aggression in 14 queenless colonies. As predicted from inclusive fitness models (Molet M, van Baalen M, Monnin T, Insectes Soc 52:247–256, 2005), hierarchy length was found to first increase with colony size and then to level off at larger worker numbers. The frequency and skew of aggression decreased with increasing size, indicating that rank orders are less pronounced in larger colonies.     

Diversity and community composition of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) in the sediments of the Sanshiliujiao Lake reservoir北大核心CSCD

The diversity and community composition of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) in the sediments of the Sanshiliujiao Lake reservoir in Pingtan island, Fujian Province, were investigated by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) methods combined with the construction of clone libraries. The diversity of PAOs in summer samples was significantly higher than that in winter. The dominant terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) of PAOs were in the range of 200 to 300 bp in summer, while they were in the range of 150 to 200 bp in winter. Cloning sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the main phyla of PAOs in the sediment of the Sanshiliujiao Lake reservoir were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. Anaeromyxobacter, Azospirillum, Microlunatus phosphovorus, and Burkholderia were the dominant genera in the summer samples. Anaeromyxobacter, Methylobacterium, Solibacter, Azospirillum, and Microlunatus phosphovorus were the dominant genera in sediment samples in winter. The results of this study demonstrated that the diversity and community composition of PAOs in the sediments of the Sanshiliujiao Lake reservoir had specific seasonal characteristics. Various forms of phosphorus also showed their influence on the diversity of PAOs, especially Fe/Al-P. Our findings lays a scientific foundation for the future disclosure of microbial mechanisms involved in the phosphorus metabolic cycle in the sediments of reservoirs. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

含水雾横向风作用下双喷口射流扩散火焰特性

为探究在横向风作用下不同超细水雾含量对双喷口射流扩散火焰燃烧特性的影响,利用高速摄像机拍摄火焰几何形态,分析不同喷口间距和横向风中的超细水雾含量对火焰形态演化、火焰长度和火焰吹熄极限的影响,并基于前人数学模型,推导与增长区域试验数据具有较好相关性的火焰拉伸长度变化的经验公式.结果 表明:随着横向风中雾通量的增加,双喷口...     

基于RAPD技术检测不同烃链长度咪唑基离子液体对日本三角涡虫的遗传毒性

RAPD标记通常用于遗传作图、分类和系统发育研究,该技术也可用于检测DNA损伤或突变。本研究利用RAPD技术检测了4种不同烃链长度的咪唑基离子液体对日本三角涡虫(Dugesia japonica)的遗传毒性。在20条随机引物中共筛选出11条用于RAPD扩增,其中对照组共扩增出65条带。与对照组相比,离子液体处理组的RAPD图谱变化表现在条带亮度增强或减弱以及新带的出现和正常带的消失。各处理组多态性带及变异带的总数随离子液体烃链碳原子数增加而增加,而基因组模板稳定性则随离子液体烃链长度增加而降低,这说明咪唑基离子液体对涡虫有遗传毒性,且随着离子液体烃链长度增加其对涡虫的遗传毒性增强。同时研究结果也证明RAPD分析是一种检测环境污染物对动物DNA损伤的灵敏方法。