An evaluation scheme for assessing the effectiveness of intersection movement assist (IMA) on improving traffic safety

Objective: Intersection movement assist (IMA) has been recognized as one of the prominent countermeasures to reduce angle crashes at intersections, which constitute 22% of total crashes in the United States. Utilizing vehicle-based sensors, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, IMA offers extended vision to provide early warning for an imminent crash. However, most of IMA-related research implements their methods and strategies only in simulations, test tracks, or driving simulator studies that have quite a few assumptions and limitations and hence the effectiveness evaluations reported may not be transferable or comparable.

Methods: This study seeks to develop a generalized evaluation scheme that can be used not only to assess the effectiveness of IMA on improving traffic safety at intersections but to facilitate comparisons across similar studies. The proposed evaluation scheme utilizes the concepts of traffic conflict in terms of time-to-collision (TTC) as a crash surrogate. This approach avoids the issue of having insufficient crash frequency data for system evaluation. To measure the effectiveness of IMA on reducing traffic conflicts, a relative risk is calculated for comparing the risk of with/without using the IMA. As a proof-of-concept study, this study applied the proposed evaluation scheme and reported the effectiveness of IMA on improving traffic safety in a field operation test (FOT). Seven test scenarios were conducted at 4 intersections, and a total of 40 participants were recruited to use the IMA for 6 months.

Results: It was estimated that IMA users have 26% fewer conflicts with TTC less than 5 s and have 15% fewer conflicts with TTC less than 4 s. However, the results vary across different sites and different definitions of conflicts in terms of TTC.

Conclusions: Overall, IMA is promising to effectively reduce angle crashes related to sight obstruction and has potential to reduce not only crash frequency but crash severity.     

Factors affecting the quantitative uncertainty of the estimated short-term intake. Part I—Calculation methods

ABSTRACT

The calculation of the combined uncertainty of the international estimated short-term intake (IESTI) of ethephon residues in apples is shown as an example. The ethephon residues in apples were reported by the Joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organization) Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). The apple consumption data were taken from the IESTI (international short-term intake) calculation template used by the JMPR. The IESTI was calculated with the currently used method (case 2a) and a proposed one recommended by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)/RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health) Scientific Workshop co-sponsored by FAO and WHO. In this example, the ratio of IESTI_proposed/IESTI_current and their combined relative uncertainty are about 2.8, and 1.7, respectively. The larger IESTI and uncertainty obtained with the proposed equation are the consequence of calculation only with the large portion (LP) instead of its combination with unit mass, and the MRL instead of the highest residue (HR). The LP is the major contributor to the combined uncertainty. Both the calculated IESTI and its combined uncertainty depend on the actual food – pesticide residue combination, and should be calculated for each case.     

城市再生资源利益相关者满意度评价模型及实证

城市再生资源的利用已成为世界各国谋求可持续发展的重要课题,而如何使城市再生资源利益相关者在其处理流程中达到各自的最大满意程度是实现其有效利用的重要途径,因此本文对城市再生资源利益相关者满意度进行了深入研究。本文首先构建了城市再生资源利益相关者满意度的评价指标体系,并且用G1法与熵值法的组合方式确定了指标体系的权重,然后以模糊数学原理为基础构建了利益相关者满意度的综合评价模型,对大连的城市再生资源利益相关者满意度进行了实证研究。结果显示,模糊综合评价适合城市再生资源利益相关者满意度的评价,而且评价结果与实际相符合。大连市六个方面的城市再生资源利益相关者满意度排序依次为:政府、社区、回收企业、加工企业、科研机构、消费者,同时也对满意度的结果进行了分析,找出了大连在发展中存在的问题,并提出了相应的发展策略,最后对评价模型的运用进行了总结。     

Impact of demographic dynamics on CO_2 emissions in Sichuan,China

Global climate change is one of the major environmental issues faced by humans.Existing evidence indicates that the anthropogenic push for a rise in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases(GHGs)(particularly CO_2)has been a primary cause for global warming.Aside from economic and teclinological factors,demographic dynamics(including human consumption in a broad demographic sense)has been a major driver for CO_2 emissions.In this paper,we performed both nonlinear regression analysis(based on the STIRPAT model)and gray correlation degree analysis(based on gray system theory)on the impact of demographic dynamics on CO_2 emissions.Our results reveal that CO_2 emissions are positively correlated with population size and GDP per capita and negatively correlated with energy intensity.We also show that gray correlation degree with CO_2 emissions for five variables(i.e.,household consumption,urbanization rate,household size,population aging rate,population size)varies substantially:household consumptionurbanization ratehousehold sizepopulation aging ratepopulation size,with household consumption being the highest,and population size the lowest.To mitigate the impact of demographic dynamics on CO_2 emissions,it is of vital significance to nurture people's awareness of sustainable consumption and to adhere to current population control policies.     

基于相对资源承载力的青岛市主体功能区区划

本文根据相对资源承载力研究方法,以全国作为参照区域计算了2005～2008年青岛市主要辖区相对自然资源承载力、相对经济资源承载力和综合承载力.分析结果表明:①对于相对自然资源承载力而言,平度市处于富余状态;莱西市处于临界状态;胶州市、即墨市、胶南市处于超载状态:青岛市市区则处于严重超载状态.相对自然资源承载力序列(由富余到超载):平度市>莱西市>胶州市>胶南市>即墨市>市区.②青岛市各辖区相对经济资源承载力全部处于富余状态,其中市区的相对经济资源承载能力最大.相对经济资源承载力序列(由富余到超载):市区>胶州市>胶南市>即墨市>藁西市>平度市.③青岛市各主要辖区综合承载力全部处于富余状态,且基本保持稳定.综合承载力序列(由大到小):市区>平度市>即墨市>胶州市>胶南市>莱西市.在此基础上.本文对青岛市2005-2008期间主要辖区的主体功能区进行了区划,结果显示青岛市所辖6市区均属于优化开发区,在"十二五"期间.产业调整与优化仍是区域可持续发展的重中之重.     

山东省东营市生态环境与经济发展协调度评估

东营市是黄河三角洲地区最为重要的经济增长区域.该区是我国东部沿海最大的石油、天然气产区,三次产业之间极不协调,第二产业比重过高,其中石油工业占东营市经济总量的70%,第三产业偏低,产业结构升级、优化缓慢.该区生态环境脆弱,在保持经济发展的同时,必须协调环境与经济之间的关系.该文在分析东营市经济发展与产业结构的基础上,利用协调度计量模型计算得出:2008年东营市经济发展指数为1.89,相应的环境质量指数为1.04,综合环境经济发展指数为1.82,环境经济协调度为0.35,表明东营市生态环境与经济发展处于失调状态.因此,提出东营市生态环境与经济协调发展建议:①依靠现代农业技术,推进生态农业建设;②以产品对环境危害最小化、生产工艺清洁化、排放物低“三废”化、技术高科技化为目标,加快绿色油田建设;③依托黄河三角洲湿地生态旅游,推动以生态旅游为核心的三产发展.     

中国西部矿产资源产业集聚度与竞争力研究

促进矿产资源产业集聚是推动我国西部矿产资源产业发展的主要路径之一,开展我国西部矿产资源产业集聚度与产业竞争力相关性的研究可以为西部矿产资源产业竞争力提升提供相关决策指导.为分析矿产资源产业集聚对矿产资源产业竞争力和区域经济的推动作用,本文选取区位熵反映矿产资源产业集聚度,具体地,选择企业数量区位熵反映矿产资源产业区域集聚度.选取产业产值区位熵反映矿产资源产业经济集聚度;矿产资源产业竞争力则选取产值利润率借以反映.通过衡量我国西部9个矿产资源产业的区域集聚度、经济集聚度和产值利润率,得出我国西部大部分矿产资源产业仍停留于企业"扎堆"的区域集聚,经济集聚不足,尤其是下游加工业,这导致我国西部矿产资源产业集聚效应难以充分发挥,产值利润率低下;进一步的相关性分析表明,西部矿产资源产业集聚度与产业竞争力正相关,且经济集聚对产业竞争力的推动作用更强.因而,不仅要发展下游加工业,而且要提高产业集聚度尤其是经济集聚度,以更有效地推动我国西部矿产资源产业竞争力的提升.     

三峡库区汛期极端降水非均匀性特征

利用极端降水量集中度和集中期讨论三峡库区汛期极端降水量的非均匀性分布特征。结果表明: 三峡库区极端降水量空间分布表现为西南部和东北部地区相对较少,中部、东南部相对较多。库区汛期极端降水集中度和集中期的空间差异不大,集中程度总体较差,东北部和西部地区极端降水相对集中,中部相对分散。库区极端降水主要集中在6月底和7月上中旬,东北部和西部偏西地区集中期相对较晚,中部地区集中期相对较早。库区汛期极端降水量的分配状况与同期极端降水量存在较好的关系,即极端降水量越少,则极端降水量越集中、集中期越早;反之极端降水量越多,则极端降水量越分散、集中期越晚,尤其是在库区东北部地区最为显著。三峡库区蓄水后极端降水集中程度在空间上一致性较好,表现为蓄水后更为分散;极端降水量和集中期则在空间上差异显著,大致表现为蓄水后东北部极端降水增加并延迟;西南部极端降水减少并提前     

近49年中国夏季制冷度日数的变化

利用全国531个气象站1960~2008年逐日平均气温资料,分析了近49 a来我国夏季制冷度日数的变化趋势,并以浙江省为例分析了制冷度日数与夏季空调降温电力负荷的关系。主要结论如下：我国日平均温度等于或高于26℃的日数（1971~2000年平均）大于10 d,夏季有制冷需求的站点主要分布在新疆、四川盆地和太行山 巫山 雪峰山一线以东地区,以及云南干热河谷地区。1960~2008年我国黄河以北地区夏季有制冷需求的站点6~9月平均气温从20世纪90年代中期开始呈现出较明显的上升趋势,使得制冷日数和度日数都相应增加;黄河以南、南岭以北地区近49 a来6~9月平均气温线性趋势不明显,制冷度日数变化不大;南岭以南地区6~9月气温持续上升,夏季制冷度日数的增加最为显著。以浙江省为例的分析显示,制冷度日数与夏季空调降温电力负荷有很好的线性相关关系,可以用来预测降温耗电量。
     

2008年低温雨雪冰冻对武汉城市公共交通的影响评估

为了对2008年低温雨雪期间气象条件对城市交通运输的影响给出定量评估,运用天气分析及统计学方法,分析了低温雨雪冰冻期间武汉市主要气候特征,利用2008年初持续低温雨雪期间武汉城市公共交通线路（包括公交车、轮渡、汽渡）逐日停运数据,定义了持续低温雨雪冰冻过程城市公共交通影响度,通过统计分析,找到了关键气象因子、关键期和低温临界指标,建立了气象评估模型。结果表明：在持续低温雨雪冰冻过程中,初发时期是公共交通影响的关键时期之一,影响度与积雪深度关系最密切,在公交车、轮渡、汽渡3种交通工具中,公交车影响度与气象要素的相关最密切,对武汉城市公交车造成明显影响的临界气温是17℃。该结论在实际的气象灾害评估业务工作中进行了运用,效果良好