Preferred modes of travel among older adults: What factors affect the choice to walk instead of drive?

Introduction

There are many factors that influence older adults' travel choices. This paper explores the associations between mode of travel choice for a short trip and older adults' personal characteristics.

Methods

This study included 406 drivers over the age of 64 who were enrolled in a large integrated health plan in the United States between 1991 and 2001. Bivariate analyses and generalized linear modeling were used to examine associations between choosing to walk or drive and respondents' self-reported general health, physical and functional abilities, and confidence in walking and driving.

Results

Having more confidence in their ability to walk versus drive increased an older adult's likelihood of walking to make a short trip by about 20% (PR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.06-1.40), and walking for exercise increased the likelihood by about 50% (PR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.22-1.91). Reporting fair or poor health decreased the likelihood of walking, as did cutting down on the amount of driving due to a physical problem.

Discussion

Factors affecting a person's decision to walk for exercise may not be the same as those that influence their decision to walk as a mode of travel. It is important to understand the barriers to walking for exercise and walking for travel to develop strategies to help older adults meet both their exercise and mobility needs. Impact on Industry: Increasing walking over driving among older adults may require programs that increase confidence in walking and encourage walking for exercise.     

中美职业安全健康法对比

通过对中美职业安全健康立法目的和背景的考察,对比分析职业安全健康法涉及的6项具体内容,即体例结构、适用范围、监管方式、监管体制、教育与培训、法律责任,并指出国情不同是造成中美职业安全健康法立法巨大差异的原因之一。经对比分析,可得出几点结论:从中国国情出发,走逐步完善的职业安全健康立法路径,建立独立的职业安全健康法律体系,是我国安全生产的治本之策;对从业人员的职业安全健康保护具有首要性,须明晰保护劳动者的上层法律要求,《安全生产法》并不能代替《职业安全健康法》;完善中国职业安全健康法律制度须走一体化整合的道路。     

打造零事故的建筑安全文化

在研讨安全文化和建筑安全文化内涵,分析国内外建筑安全文化研究与国内实施现状的基础上,研究了5家国际建筑企业的安全创新活动,包括:企业背景、方案、实施过程等。结合利害关系者原理、风险管理和安全知识管理,笔者提出:要实现安全行为,应注重塑造员工的安全信念、态度和承诺;应有高层管理人员强有力的支持,将整个建筑业供应链的利害关系者都纳入到安全管理中,风险管理和安全知识管理的运用可促进零事故安全文化的形成。同时提出构建在我国实现零事故的建筑安全文化的流程,即承认-启动-执行-监督-更新的步骤,给出了一种提高员工安全知识、坚定员工安全信念、塑造员工安全态度、形成安全行为并最终打造健全安全文化的整体策略。     

基于混合指标值TODIM方法的东营市生态系统健康评价

城市生态系统健康评价是城市可持续发展以及城市生态文明建设的需要。在当今各种"城市病"频发的背景下,研究城市生态系统健康水平,不仅有利于协调城市发展与城市生态系统健康之间的矛盾,而且对于指导城市建设规划编制,监控城市生态环境的可持续发展具有重要的现实意义。鉴于此,论文在原有的城市生态系统健康评价指标的基础上,通过基于混合指标值的TODIM方法评价东营市2007—2013年间的城市生态系统健康状况,并分析活力、组成结构、恢复力、维持生态系统服务功能以及生态系统认知的构成指标对城市生态系统健康状况的影响。为了避免主观判断对城市生态系统健康评价的不确定性,文章采用兼顾客观信息和主观信息的组合权重赋权法确定各个指标的权重;根据东营市城市生态系统健康评价指标的特性和数据特点,建立了混合多属性决策TODIM方法的数学模型;采用扩展的TODIM方法对东营市城市生态系统健康状况进行评价,并分析了各个指标在城市生态发展过程中的作用。研究表明:(1)东营市的城市生态系统健康状况一直向好,由脆弱状态逐渐过渡到亚健康状态,但是生态状况仍然不容乐观,距离健康状态仍有较大的差距;(2)环保投入力度不足、污染物排放量增加、产业结构仍不完善、建成区人口密度过高等成为制约东营市城市生态系统健康发展的突出问题。文章提出了相应的对策建议,以促进城市生态系统的健康发展。     

Assessing stress response of Stylophora pistillata towards oil and phosphate pollution in the Gulf of Aqaba,using molecular and biochemical markers

Crude oil (from oil terminal) and raw phosphate (from phosphate port) pollution are responsible for the lowered health conditions of coral reefs at their vicinity in the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Both in situ incubations and ex situ laboratory exposure experiments were used to study the effects of those pollutants on corals, by using molecular and biochemical biomarkers in the coral Stylophora pistillata. For ex situ part of the experiment, crude oil and raw phosphate were added to a final concentration of 500?ppm for both pollutants. The DNA damage was assessed by Comet assay, while biochemical stress markers were reassessed by lipid peroxidation (LPO) test. Although the corals looked healthy from outside, the use of stress biomarkers indicated that they are under high pressure at the cellular level. The corals incubated with oil and phosphate had more DNA damage and LPO in comparison with the control samples. The results obtained suggest that the use of stress biomarkers can be used as important prognostic tools for examining the sub-lethal stress on corals before their death.     

珠江三角洲4种淡水养殖鱼类重金属的残留及食用风险评价

为全面了解珠江三角洲淡水水产品中重金属污染现状,评估其生态风险与食用安全,于2014年8月至2015年8月采集罗非鱼、草鱼、乌鳢及鳜鱼主要养殖鱼类样品共计57份,采用原子荧光光谱仪(AFS),电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)仪进行分析测定,并采用单因子污染指数(Pi)、重金属污染指数(MPI)、每周可耐受摄入量(PTWI)以及食入健康风险指标(Ri总)分别评估其污染程度、食用安全性与健康风险。结果表明,样品中Cr、Ni、Cu、Zn、As、Cd、Hg、Pb的含量范围分别为0.020~3.240,0.020~0.800,0.110~1.100,0.190~19.970,0.030~1.480,nd~0.606,0.003~0.118,0.040~0.803 mg·kg-1(湿重),Cr、As、Cd、Pb在水产品中超标率大小依次为As(7.0%),Pb(7.0%),Cd(5.3%),Cr(1.8%)。Pi结果表明,目前珠江三角洲养殖水域水产品中Cu与Zn残留处于正常范围内,Cr和Hg有少量样品为轻度污染,Pb、Cd与As存在重度污染样品,所占比例为2.86%、6.02%和5.74%。MPI结果显示不同水产品污染程度为乌鳢>鳜鱼>罗非鱼>草鱼,总体上各种水产品MPI依然处于较低的水平;食用安全性结果显示,目前成人每周摄入水产品是安全的,但乌鳢Cr,罗非鱼As含量较高分别达到PTWI的37.76%和19.51%,表明水产品中Cr、As残留可能存在一定的食用安全隐患。健康风险模型结果显示,所有样品均未超过国际辐射防护委员会(ICRP)的推荐的最大可接受水平(5×10-6a-1)。综合分析珠江三角洲淡水养殖主要水产品可知,其尚未出现明显的污染安全问题,但As与Cr等元素的潜在风险值得进一步关注。     

3种镉超富集植物毛状根体系对镉胁迫响应的比较

近年来,转基因毛状根组织被越来越多地应用于重金属和有机污染物的植物修复技术研究中,已成为进行污染物毒性响应机制研究的便捷的实验室工具。为了探究龙葵、油菜、芥菜3种镉(cadmium,Cd)超富集植物对Cd毒性胁迫响应的差异,以诱导出的3种植物毛状根为研究材料,从毛状根的生长状态、富集Cd的能力、根组织细胞的凋亡程度和抗氧化酶活性等方面进行了探讨。结果表明:Cd浓度为0~50μmol·L-1时,龙葵、油菜、芥菜毛状根受Cd毒害的影响都不明显;Cd浓度为75~100μmol·L-1时,龙葵、油菜、芥菜毛状根均表现出对Cd胁迫的防御响应。在较高的Cd浓度(100μmol·L-1)下,龙葵毛状根的生物量受Cd毒害的影响最小,芥菜次之,油菜受影响最大;同时龙葵毛状根富集的Cd含量最高(745.0μg·g-1),芥菜次之(681.4μg·g-1),油菜最差(505.2μg·g-1)。龙葵、油菜、芥菜毛状根在Cd胁迫下的细胞凋亡水平均随Cd浓度的升高而升高,当Cd浓度为100μmol·L-1时,龙葵毛状根比油菜和芥菜毛状根的细胞凋亡程度均低。同时3种植物毛状根在不同浓度Cd处理下抗氧化酶活性的变化有一定差异。从上述结果综合来看,龙葵毛状根受Cd毒害的影响最小、富集Cd的能力最好,是进一步开展Cd超富集植物转基因改造研究的较好的实验室载体。     

重金属Cr(Ⅵ)、Pb及Cu胁迫对双齿围沙蚕体腔细胞的DNA损伤

为探讨重金属Cr(Ⅵ)、Pb以及Cu对沙蚕体腔细胞DNA的毒性效应,以双齿围沙蚕为受试动物,重金属按不同剂量水平,Cr(Ⅵ):10、100和200 mg· L-1,Pb:5、50和100 mg·L-1,Cu:1、10和20 mg· L-1,分别胁迫沙蚕24 h,以不加任何重金属离子的海水为对照,采用单细胞凝胶电泳技术,检测其体腔细胞DNA损伤程度.结果表明,与空白对照组相比,3种重金属离子的各浓度组都能引起沙蚕体腔细胞DNA损伤,且3种重金属胁迫浓度与细胞DNA损伤程度之间存在显著的剂量-效应关系.双齿围沙蚕可以作为单细胞凝胶电泳的实验材料用于重金属所致环境污染的生物监测指示生物.     

太原市土壤六六六和滴滴涕的暴露格局及健康风险

为研究六六六(HCHs)和滴滴涕(DDTs)在太原市不同功能区土壤中的暴露格局、来源以及对周围人群的健康风险,在太原市化工区、灌区、矿区、生态区周边荒地土壤中进行采样,分析测定了土壤中HCHs和DDTs含量,根据太原市人群实际情况的暴露参数和USEPA的部分参数,对土壤HCHs和DDTs的健康风险进行评价。结果表明:1)太原市表层土壤中HCHs的平均含量大小依次为化工区>灌区>矿区>生态区;DDTs平均含量的大小依次为化工区>灌区>矿区>生态区,仅6%的HCHs和3%的DDTs和的平均残留水平均高于我国土壤质量标准一级标准,但均不超过二级标准值;2)土壤中HCHs残留主要源于历史上林丹的使用,DDTs残留则来源于历史和新污染源的共同影响;3)太原市表层土壤HCHs和DDTs致癌风险大小为化工园区>矿区>灌区>生态区。非致癌风险大小为化工区>矿区>灌区>生态区。3种暴露途径的在不同功能区的健康风险贡献率大小均为经口摄入>呼吸吸入>皮肤接触;综合来看太原市表层土壤中的HCHs和DDTs并未对人类造成非致癌风险,但有一定的致癌风险。本文的研究结果可为太原市土壤质量评价和环境污染防治提供科学指导,并对太原市人群的健康风险防治提供依据。     

Urinary 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine concentrations after frying of bacon,a pilot study

Cooking fumes contain compounds that may give rise to oxidative stress and mutations when inhaled. The aim of this study was to evaluate if cooking fumes from frying of bacon induce oxidative stress by measurement of urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 deoxyguanosine, a marker of oxidatively damaged DNA. Three non-smoking women fried bacon for 3 h. Urine samples were taken as early morning void at the same time on four days; the morning before frying, the morning after first frying, the morning after three days of frying and one week after first urine sample. 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 deoxyguanosine, 1-hydroxypyrene and 2-hydroxyphenanthrene, metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 deoxyguanosine correlated weakly with concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene (r = 0.31, p = 0.042), but it did not correlate with 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (r = ?0.074; p = 0.64). Average urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 deoxyguanosine concentrations increased from the day before frying (16.3 ± 4.2 nmol/L) to the third day of frying (26.2 ± 10.2 nmol/L), although not statistically significantly. Our pilot study shows that frying of bacon may result in increased oxidative stress which further emphasises the possible carcinogenic potential of cooking fumes.