The sex disparity in risky driving: A survey of Colombian young drivers

Objective: The overrepresentation of young drivers in poor road safety outcomes has long been recognized as a global road safety issue. In addition, the overrepresentation of males in crash statistics has been recognized as a pervasive young driver problem. Though progress in road safety evidenced as a stabilization and/or reduction in poor road safety outcomes has been made in developed nations, less-developed nations contribute the greatest road safety trauma, and developing nations such as Colombia continue to experience increasing trends in fatality rates. The aim of the research was to explore sex differences in self-reported risky driving behaviors of young drivers, including the associations with crash involvement, in a sample of young drivers attending university in Colombia.

Methods: The Spanish version of the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS-Sp) was applied in an online survey to a sample of 392 students (225 males) aged 16–24 years attending a major university. Appropriate comparative statistics and logistic regression modeling were used when analyzing the data.

Results: Males reported consistently more risky driving behaviors, with approximately one quarter of all participants reporting risky driving exposure. Males reported greater crash involvement, with violations such as speeding associated with crash involvement for both males and females.

Conclusion: Young drivers in Colombia appear to engage in the same risky driving behaviors as young drivers in developed nations. In addition, young male drivers in Colombia reported greater engagement in risky driving behaviors than young female drivers, a finding consistent with the behaviors of young male drivers in developed nations. As such, the research findings suggest that general interventions such as education, engineering, and enforcement should target transient rule violations such as speeding and using a handheld mobile phone while driving for young drivers in Colombia. Future research should investigate how these interventions could be tailored specifically for the Colombian cultural context, including how their effects can be evaluated, prior to implementation.     

中国耕地非农化压力时空格局的演变分析

社会经济和资源禀赋的区域差异导致耕地非农化压力表现出明显的空间异质性。开展耕地非农化压力测算并揭示其时空格局演变,是实现土地资源优化配置的基础。从经济因素、社会因素、产业结构和资源禀赋4个方面构建耕地非农化压力指数评价指标体系,采用熵值法计算各指标权重,继而计算1990~2014年中国31省的耕地非农化压力指数,并在此基础上开展了耕地非农化压力的时空格局分析。结果表明:(1)从空间格局分布来看,中国耕地非农化压力空间分布呈现明显的地理梯度,总体上呈现从东到西依次递减的态势。(2)从时间变化趋势来看,不同地区各省份之间的耕地非农化压力指数变化呈现多元化趋势。东部沿海地区,山东、浙江、江苏的耕地非农化压力指数处于上升阶段,上海、福建的压力指数变化趋势逐渐趋稳,广东的压力指数呈现下降趋势。中部地区,河南、河北、山西、江西的耕地非农化压力指数趋稳,陕西、湖北以及四川、重庆等西南地区省份的压力指数呈上升趋势。西部沿边3省(云南、西藏、新疆)的耕地非农化压力呈现了一致的下降趋势。(3)从时空格局结合来看,耕地非农化压力不同的省份其变化趋势呈现出截然不同的走向。在耕地非农化压力较大的地区,耕地非农化经历了从制度驱动向发展推动的阶段,经济增长的倒"U"型轨迹明显,经济增长与耕地非农化之间的关系逐渐脱钩。在耕地非农化压力居中或较小的地区,产业发展滞后,土地比较收益较低,耕地的社会保障作用、生态作用对耕地非农化的影响较大,从而增加了部分省份的耕地非农化压力。     

城镇化对工业能源消费的门槛效应研究——以长江经济带省份为例

高效能源利用是推动工业发展,进而促使城镇格局演化的重要催化剂,同时城镇化的高速发展对工业能源的消费结构和利用效率提出了进一步的要求,这必将影响到低碳城市建设和环境保护等生态责任目标的实现。选取2003—2012年长江经济带11个省份(直辖市)的相关数据,运用门槛模型对城镇化率、城镇居民人均总收入、能源工业投资、工业总产值、城市人口密度、产业结构等影响工业能源消费的因素进行分析,重点研究城镇化率和工业能源消费的非线性关系和相应的地区差异。结果表明:(1)长江经济带城镇化发展存在着明显的地区差异,上海、浙江等东部地区城镇化发展速度和水平明显优于云南、贵州等中西部地区。云南和贵州2012年的城镇化率远远低于2003年上海、浙江的城镇化率,显示出长江上游和下游之间存在着巨大的发展水平差距。(2)城镇化对工业能源消费存在显著的门槛效应,以城镇化率为门槛变量,存在两个结构变化点,分别为36.9%和48.3%。(3)在第一个门槛点前,城镇化对工业能源消费起抑制作用,前期城镇化的发展导致资源和人口的集聚效应明显,资源的利用效率和配置效率得到提升,从而抑制工业能源消费。在越过第二个门槛点后,城镇化对工业能源消费起正向作用,此时工业的发展和生活消费水准的提升对能源消费提出了更多的要求。最后为促进长江经济带城镇化和工业低碳化的协调发展,提出以下建议:加快长江经济带沿线各省份联动发展,缩小城镇化发展差异;针对城镇化率和工业能源消费的非线性关系,采取相应的措施引导和控制工业能源消费的变化趋势;协调城镇化进程和地区工业能源消耗,促进城镇化的健康发展。     

Total and Methylmercury in Soft Tissues of White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) Collected in Poland

Mercury (Hg) contamination in piscivorous birds, especially methylmercury (MeHg), has been drawing much attention worldwide in regard to its bioaccumulation and biomagnification in food chains. In this study on Hg in the soft tissues of white-tailed eagles (n = 22) and ospreys (n = 2) from Poland, total Hg (THg) range was 0.15–47.6 while MeHg range was 0.11–8.05 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight. In both species, median THg and MeHg concentrations were lower in the muscle and brain than in the liver and kidney. Median nephric residues were just under 3 and 5 mgTHg kg⁻¹ or 0.9 and 3.7 mgMeHg kg⁻¹ for white-tailed eagle and osprey, respectively. In Norwegian data from the 1970s and in our results, MeHg in the muscle of white-tailed eagle was ~60 % THg (%MeHg = MeHg/THg × 100), lower than in other piscivorous birds. A clear similarity in THg tissue levels was found between Polish and German populations of white-tailed eagles.     

甘肃省农业循环经济发展评价与区域差异分析

综合评价值的计算已成为农业循环经济发展水平定量评价的主要方法,也是目前循环经济研究领域定量研究的热点之一。构建一套系统科学的农业循环经济发展评价指标体系,对区域农业循环经济发展水平进行综合评价,以改善农业环境,杜绝资源浪费,实现农业可持续发展具有重要的理论和现实意义。依据循环经济发展的“4R”原则和可持续发展理论,构建了甘肃省农业循环经济评价指标体系,采用因子分析法和加权函数法对甘肃省及其14个地州市的农业循环经济发展水平进行了综合评价与分析,提出了甘肃省及其各区域的农业循环经济发展建议。     

中国区域创新能力差异变动实证分析

区域创新能力是决定区域经济发展水平和经济增长实力的关键,在建设"创新型国家"的战略背景下,各省市越来越注重区域创新能力的建设。区域创新能力作为一个动态的发展过程,其差异在不断变化,差异可能扩大也可能缩小,区域创新能力的差异性及随时间的波动性对政府相关管理部门的决策具有重要影响。本文以发明专利申请量和大中型工业企业新产品产值衡量区域创新能力,运用Theil系数模型测算了1990-2008年间我国发明专利申请量和大中型工业企业新产品产值的区域差异变动情况。结果发现:发明专利申请量区域差异变动呈现S型曲线;大中型工业企业新产品产值区域差异变动呈现近似倒U型曲线;区间差异和东部地区内部差异在总差异中占主导地位。在此基础上,本文进一步提出了缩小我国区域创新能力差异的针对性政策建议。     

Will photosynthetic capacity of aspen trees acclimate after long-term exposure to elevated CO2 and O3?

Photosynthetic acclimation under elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and/or ozone (O₃) has been the topic of discussion in many papers recently. We examined whether or not aspen plants grown under elevated CO₂ and/or O₃ will acclimate after 11 years of exposure at the Aspen Face site in Rhinelander, WI, USA. We studied diurnal patterns of instantaneous photosynthetic measurements as well as A/C_i measurements monthly during the 2004-2008 growing seasons. Our results suggest that the responses of two aspen clones differing in O₃ sensitivity showed no evidence of photosynthetic and stomatal acclimation under either elevated CO₂, O₃ or CO₂ + O₃. Both clones 42E and 271 did not show photosynthetic nor stomatal acclimation under elevated CO₂ and O₃ after a decade of exposure. We found that the degree of increase or decrease in the photosynthesis and stomatal conductance varied significantly from day to day and from one season to another.     

中国能源可持续发展区域差异及其因素分析

该文在明晰中国能源可持续发展内涵的基础上,从能源足量、可持续、合理供给;能源与水、土地、森林等资源配套能力;国家可持续能源政策与地区规划的融合,减缓环境资源的损耗;环境可持续性四个目标出发,构建了区域能源可持续发展指标体系。从定量的角度刻画中国能源可持续发展的区域差异,解析影响中国能源可持续发展的主要因素。研究结果表明,可持续能源政策与环境的可持续性是制约能源可持续发展的关键环节;能源与森林、土地资源的配套能力是重要基础;能源供应能力是核心所在;从中国东、中、西部来看,西部地区是中国能源可持续性最强的地区,中部次之,东部能源可持续性最弱;从中国八大区域来看,能源可持续性沿海地区最弱,东北和长江中游地区次之,大西北、西南和黄河中游地区最强。本文作者最后认为多元化发展,提升能源供应能力;建立健全环境税收制度,增强环境可持续性;因地制宜,是促进中国区域能源可持续发展的必然选择。     

Sexual difference in PCB congener distributions of burbot (Lota lota) from Lake Erie

Concentrations of 86 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined for 25 adult female and 25 adult male burbot (Lota lota) from Lake Erie. Significant differences in mean proportions of total PCB concentration between males and females ages 14–17 were found for 26 congeners. Males generally had higher mean proportions of hexachloro congeners, whereas females had higher mean proportions of more highly chlorinated congeners. In contrast, only four congeners exhibited differences between males and females ages 6–13 in mean proportions of total PCB. Therefore, the sexual difference in PCB congener distribution widened for older burbot. Males ages 14–17 also had higher proportions of certain hexachloro congeners than the other three demographic groups (males ages 6–13, females ages 6–13, and females ages 14–17) we examined. The reverse was true for more highly chlorinated congeners. The results supported a previous hypothesis that older male burbot spent a substantial amount of time feeding in the vicinity of mouths of rivers with sediment contaminated with PCBs. However, additional studies are needed to clarify and corroborate this apparent “hot spot” effect, such as seasonal movements, spatial distributions, and diet of burbot; and PCB congener distributions of various species of prey fishes captured at various locations throughout the eastern basin of Lake Erie and at different locations in the contaminated rivers.     

漓江上游植被覆盖度时空变化对地表热场影响

自20世纪80年代以来,桂林漓江由于上游森林遭受破坏出现水生态环境快速恶化的趋势。地表热场的时空变化直接影响森林蒸散及水文效应。因此,对漓江上游1989~2006年5景TM/ETM+卫星图像,利用归一化植被指数反演植被覆盖度,利用单窗算法反演地表温度,提出归一化温度使不同时相地表热场具有可比性,分析植被覆盖度时空变化对地表热场的影响。结果表明,在空间上,地表温度随植被覆盖度的增加而降低,在植被覆盖度很高或很低时,这种影响相对变弱;在时间上,漓江上游1989~2000年植被中、高度覆盖面积从96.1%逐年下降到65.9%,导致归一化地表温度数值较高的像元比例相应增加;2000~2006年植被中、高度覆盖面积逐渐恢复上升到90.8%,但仍略低于1989年,使得归一化地表温度数值较高的像元比例相应减少。植被覆盖可以有效地降低漓江上游地表温度