The analysis of influence of individual and environmental factors on 2-wheeled users’ injuries

Objective: Powered 2-wheeled motor vehicles (PTWs) are one of the most vulnerable categories of road users. Bearing that fact in mind, we have researched the effects of individual and environmental factors on the severity and type of injuries of PTW users. The aim was to recognize the circumstances that cause these accidents and take some preventive actions that would improve the level of road safety for PTWs.

Methods: In the period from 2001 to 2010, an analysis of 139 road accidents involving PTWs was made by the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering in Belgrade. The effects of both individual (age, gender, etc.) and environmental factors (place of an accident, time of day, etc.) on the cause of accidents and severity and type of injuries of PTWs are reported in this article. Analyses of these effects were conducted using logistic regression, chi-square tests, and Pearson's correlation.

Results: Factors such as categories of road users, pavement conditions, place of accident, age, and time of day have a statistically significant effect on PTW injuries, whereas other factors (gender, road type; that is, straight or curvy) do not. The article also defines the interdependence of the occurrence of particular injuries at certain speeds. The results show that if PTW users died of a head injury, these were usually concurrent with chest injuries, injuries to internal organs, and limb injuries.

Conclusions: It has been shown that there is a high degree of influence of individual factors on the occurrence of accidents involving 2-wheelers (PTWs/bicycles) but with no statistically significant relation. Establishing the existence of such conditionalities enables identifying and defining factors that have an impact on the occurrence of traffic accidents involving bicyclists or PTWs. Such a link between individual factors and the occurrence of accidents makes it possible for system managers to take appropriate actions aimed at certain categories of 2-wheelers in order to reduce casualties in a particular area. The analysis showed that most of the road factors do not have a statistically significant effect on either category of 2-wheeler. Namely, the logistic regression analysis showed that there is a statistically significant effect of the place of accident on the occurrence of accidents involving bicyclists.     

温岭市高架道路交通噪声空间分布规律与防治对策研究

为评价温岭市东环高架道路交通噪声的环境影响,采用实测法对东环高架附近代表性点位及不同时间段进行噪声监测,记录等效连续A声级(Leq),以及同步监测车流量、车型等相关数据.根据《声环境质量标准》(GB 3096-2008),由所得监测数据,推测其交通噪声空间分布规律.结果表明,噪声最大值发生于上下班高峰期,交通噪声则随距离的增加而衰减,而道路两侧高层建筑交通噪声随着高度的增加先由小变大后变小.此外,还为该高架道路交通噪声的防治提供一定的参考依据.     

Young drivers' responses to anti-speeding advertisements: Comparison of self-report and objective measures of persuasive processing and outcomes

Objective: Self-report measures are typically used to assess the effectiveness of road safety advertisements. However, psychophysiological measures of persuasive processing (i.e., skin conductance response [SCR]) and objective driving measures of persuasive outcomes (i.e., in-vehicle Global Positioning System [GPS] devices) may provide further insights into the effectiveness of these advertisements. This study aimed to explore the persuasive processing and outcomes of 2 anti-speeding advertisements by incorporating both self-report and objective measures of speeding behavior. In addition, this study aimed to compare the findings derived from these different measurement approaches.

Methods: Young drivers (N = 20, M age = 21.01 years) viewed either a positive or negative emotion–based anti-speeding television advertisement. While viewing the advertisement, SCR activity was measured to assess ad-evoked arousal responses. The RoadScout GPS device was then installed in participants' vehicles for 1 week to measure on-road speed-related driving behavior. Self-report measures assessed persuasive processing (emotional and arousal responses) and actual driving behavior.

Results: There was general correspondence between the self-report measures of arousal and the SCR and between the self-report measure of actual driving behavior and the objective driving data (as assessed via the GPS devices).

Conclusions: This study provides insights into how psychophysiological and GPS devices could be used as objective measures in conjunction with self-report measures to further understand the persuasive processes and outcomes of emotion-based anti-speeding advertisements.     

珠三角冬季PM2.5重污染区域输送特征数值模拟研究

利用嵌套网格空气质量模式系统(NAQPMS)及其耦合的污染来源追踪模块,针对2013年1月珠三角区域的PM_(2.5)重污染过程输送特征进行了数值模拟研究.结果表明,污染气团首先形成于广州、佛山地区,并在弱偏北风的作用下南移加强,影响整个珠三角区域.重污染期间,广州(64.9%)、佛山(58.9%)的PM_(2.5)主要来自本地贡献,是区域输送最主要的来源地区;中山(51.9%)、珠海(66.2%)的PM_(2.5)主要来自外来贡献,是区域输送主要的受体地区.重污染期间,广州和佛山对中山的PM_(2.5)日均贡献率之和总体保持在25%以上,污染最重时达到40%.交通(26%)、工业(24%)、扬尘(16%)、火力发电(15%)和生物质燃烧(8%)是对中山贡献最大的5类源:工业源中山本地与外来输送贡献率基本相当;交通和扬尘源以中山本地贡献为主,贡献率分别为55%和67%;火力发电和生物质燃烧源以外来输送为主,贡献率分别为56%和62%.各类排放源的外来输送中,以广州、佛山所占的比例最大.     

Development of urban planning guidelines for improving emergency response capacities in seismic areas of Iran

This paper presents the results of research carried out to improve emergency response activities in earthquake-prone areas of Iran. The research concentrated on emergency response operations, emergency medical care, emergency transportation, and evacuation—the most important issues after an earthquake with regard to saving the lives of victims. For each topic, some guidelines and criteria are presented for enhancing emergency response activities, based on evaluations of experience of strong earthquakes that have occurred over the past two decades in Iran, notably Manjil (1990), Bam (2003), Firouz Abad-Kojour (2004), Zarand (2005) and Broujerd (2006). These guidelines and criteria are applicable to other national contexts, especially countries with similar seismic and social conditions as Iran. The results of this study should be incorporated into comprehensive plans to ensure sustainable development or reconstruction of cities as well as to augment the efficiency of emergency response after an earthquake.     

User experience and operational feasibility of four point-of-collection oral fluid drug-testing devices according to Brazilian traffic agents

Objective: Traffic fatalities in Brazil still rank among the highest worldwide, with an overall rate of 23.4 deaths/100,000 inhabitants/year. Although alcohol and drug use play an important role in traffic accidents, national data about their relative influence are scarce. Drug screening is not routinely performed by traffic agents because alcohol is the only substance regularly investigated in roadblocks. Therefore, we aimed to describe the initial traffic agent user experience for 4 handheld point-of-collection oral fluid drug testing devices used in routine roadblocks in Brazil, focusing on usage perceptions in hopes of generalizing this approach for other developing countries.

Methods: Four different oral fluid collection devices were evaluated: The DDS2, the DOA MultiScreen, the Dräger DrugTest 5000, and the Multi-Drug Multi-Line Twist Screen Device. Fourteen trained traffic agents obtained oral fluid from 164 drivers and performed 37 qualitative evaluations of the devices. Traffic agents filled out a questionnaire focusing on 9 feasibility criteria: Overall simplicity for roadside operation; operational success; saliva sample collection time; sample analysis time; ease of sample preparation and analysis; agreement with observed clinical signs; overall hygiene and safety; sufficient operating instructions; and hygiene of saliva collection. These were weighted based on an expert panel and yielded an overall composite device experience score that ranged from 1 (poor) to 100 (excellent).

Results: Ease of use, operational success, and acceptable collection and analysis time were considered the most important criteria by the expert panel. The results ranged from 27.3 to 88.9% for simplicity of use; 45.5 to 100.0% for operational success; 27.3 to 100% for acceptable collection time; and 36.4 to 100.0% for acceptable analysis time. The final device scores, based on the agents’ user experiences, ranked as follows: DOA MultiScreen: 49.3/100; Dräger DrugTest 5000: 82.4/100; Multi-Drug Multi-Line Twist Screen Device: 84.3/100; DDS2: 88.4/100.

Conclusion: Based on the selected criteria, 3 of the 4 devices were considered useful by traffic agents in routine roadblock operations. The weighted evaluations suggest that their ease of use (handling, sampling analysis, and reliability), as well as their agreement with findings obtained by other means, defined their utility to traffic agents, although such appraisals must be further analyzed in future studies.     

填埋场底土污染物浓度实测值和理论解的比较

为了研究现场条件下污染物在粘性土中的运移机理,对运行13年的苏州七子山填埋场进行了钻孔取样.通过对土样进行分层切片、加去离子水混合并结合室内小型离心机分离,得到了填埋场底土中Cl-,Na+及COD的孔隙水浓度.将室内试验测试值和一维扩散理论进行了比较,结果表明,实测浓度剖面与扩散曲线差别较大,可见水力梯度引起的对流和机械弥散作用比分子扩散作用来得重要.将实测值与一维对流弥散解析解的计算值亦进行了比较,结果表明试验数据较为发散,但可以采用一维对流弥散理论进行大致的拟合,从而可得到运移参数的取值范围.进一步的理论预测表明,当填埋场运行30年之后,Cl-的影响深度可达到10 m以上.为了防止和延缓渗滤液污染物的进一步运移,填埋场应采取有效措施阻止渗滤液的扩散.     

Meeting report

SUMMARY

In many developing countries, the determination of a ranking of investments designed to improve and extend the road system is a commonplace prerequisite of planning for the transport sector as a whole and the road sub-sector within it. A major objective of determining investment priorities is to secure the greatest efficiency in the use of resources allocated to the sector and, for this reason, any system of assigning priorities must rely upon conventional investment appraisal techniques producing quantifiable measures of worth. Exercises of this kind, in which road investments are identified and ranked, are usually undertaken to produce a road sector investment plan. The implementation of such plans is, however, often compromised because of perceived deficiencies with a methodology which places undue reliance on investment appraisal and fails to properly address the issue of public interest and sustainability. This paper attempts to produce a pragmatic set of ground rules which, while mindful of the need to promote economic efficiency, allow for other factors to be embraced in a more holistic methodology.     

Use of Large‐Scale Acoustic Monitoring to Assess Anthropogenic Pressures on Orthoptera Communities

Biodiversity monitoring at large spatial and temporal scales is greatly needed in the context of global changes. Although insects are a species‐rich group and are important for ecosystem functioning, they have been largely neglected in conservation studies and policies, mainly due to technical and methodological constraints. Sound detection, a nondestructive method, is easily applied within a citizen‐science framework and could be an interesting solution for insect monitoring. However, it has not yet been tested at a large scale. We assessed the value of a citizen‐science program in which Orthoptera species (Tettigoniidae) were monitored acoustically along roads. We used Bayesian model‐averaging analyses to test whether we could detect widely known patterns of anthropogenic effects on insects, such as the negative effects of urbanization or intensive agriculture on Orthoptera populations and communities. We also examined site‐abundance correlations between years and estimated the biases in species detection to evaluate and improve the protocol. Urbanization and intensive agricultural landscapes negatively affected Orthoptera species richness, diversity, and abundance. This finding is consistent with results of previous studies of Orthoptera, vertebrates, carabids, and butterflies. The average mass of communities decreased as urbanization increased. The dispersal ability of communities increased as the percentage of agricultural land and, to a lesser extent, urban area increased. Despite changes in abundances over time, we found significant correlations between yearly abundances. We identified biases linked to the protocol (e.g., car speed or temperature) that can be accounted for ease in analyses. We argue that acoustic monitoring of Orthoptera along roads offers several advantages for assessing Orthoptera biodiversity at large spatial and temporal extents, particularly in a citizen science framework. El Uso de Monitoreos Acústicos a Gran Escala para Estudiar las Presiones Antropogénicas sobre Comunidades de Orthoptera