An empirical bayes safety evaluation of tram/streetcar signal and lane priority measures in Melbourne

Objective: Streetcars/tram systems are growing worldwide, and many are given priority to increase speed and reliability performance in mixed traffic conditions. Research related to the road safety impact of tram priority is limited. This study explores the road safety impacts of tram priority measures including lane and intersection/signal priority measures.

Method: A before–after crash study was conducted using the empirical Bayes (EB) method to provide more accurate crash impact estimates by accounting for wider crash trends and regression to the mean effects. Before–after crash data for 29 intersections with tram signal priority and 23 arterials with tram lane priority in Melbourne, Australia, were analyzed to evaluate the road safety impact of tram priority.

Results: The EB before–after analysis results indicated a statistically significant adjusted crash reduction rate of 16.4% after implementation of tram priority measures. Signal priority measures were found to reduce crashes by 13.9% and lane priority by 19.4%. A disaggregate level simple before–after analysis indicated reductions in total and serious crashes as well as vehicle-, pedestrian-, and motorcycle-involved crashes. In addition, reductions in on-path crashes, pedestrian-involved crashes, and collisions among vehicles moving in the same and opposite directions and all other specific crash types were found after tram priority implementation.

Conclusions: Results suggest that streetcar/tram priority measures result in safety benefits for all road users, including vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Policy implications and areas for future research are discussed.     

Fire and explosion hazard analysis during surface transport of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG): A case study of LPG truck tanker accident in Kannur,Kerala, India

This paper presents an analysis and simulation of an accident involving a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) truck tanker in Kannur, Kerala, India. During the accident, a truck tanker hit a divider and overturned. A crack in the bottom pipe caused leakage of LPG for about 20 min forming a large vapor cloud, which got ignited, creating a fireball and a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) situation in the LPG tank with subsequent fire and explosion. Many fatalities and injuries were reported along with burning of trees, houses, shops, vehicles, etc. In the present study, ALOHA (Area Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) and PHAST (Process Hazard Analysis Software Tool) software have been used to model and simulate the accident scenario. Modeling and simulation results of the fireball, jet flame radiation and explosion overpressure agree well with the actual loss reported from the site. The effects of the fireball scenario were more significant in comparison to that of the jet fire scenario.     

渝北区环境空气质量现状及污染原因分析

本文采用综合污染指数法和空气质量指数法对2014年重庆市渝北区的主要空气污染物(SO2、PM10、NO2、O3、CO、PM2.5)的现状监测值进行了评价。结果表明:对照环境空气质量标准,2014年城区内SO2、NO2均符合国家空气质量二级标准,PM10、PM2.5测定值均超标。污染物浓度时空分布不均匀,冬春季浓度较夏秋季高,出现明显的季节特征;空间分布上,两路空气质量优于空港。2014年渝北区环境空气中大部分污染物浓度均低于2013年和主城平均浓度,环境空气质量综合污染指数呈现下降趋势。2014年渝北区空气质量优良天数255天,高于2013年和主城优良天数,影响渝北区空气质量的首要污染物为PM2.5,其次为PM10、O3-8h、NO2。渝北区的环境空气污染主要受城市建设、产业结构、气象条件、交通尾气的影响。     

南京市环境保护能力建设探讨与研究

环保能力建设对于环保工作的顺利开展具有重要的支撑作用.目前南京市环保能力建设取得了一定的进步,然而,在经济新常态、绿色发展、政府简政放权、环保监察监测垂直化管理等新形势下,对照国家环境监管标准化,信息化和现代化的建设要求,南京市环保能力相对不足.文章基于南京环保统计数据,采用SWOT分析法对南京市环保能力建设情况进行研究,从源头减缓、人才队伍建设、资金投入、管理机制改革、技术支持、公众参与等方面,提出了若干政策建议.     

Implementation of failure modes and effects analysis in detergent production companies: A case study

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is the most important method used by production companies to identify potential risks regarding occupational and health hazards and environmental hazards. This method is also useful in defining preventive actions to reduce the effects of these risks. Detergent production companies continually encounter many occupational and health hazards and environmental hazards, the management and reduction of which requires complex assessment in real‐world applications. This paper presents a framework for application of FMEA for managing and ranking identified risks in detergent production companies. A case study is presented to show the application of an FMEA to investigate the results of its application and the outcomes from the analysis. A risk priority number (RPN) is proposed for each distinct risk. The application of FMEA in the detergent production company resulted in grouping the RPN of the identified risks into four different categories. The main corrective actions, which are determined to reduce the RPNs, are presented in this paper. Improving the RPN of the main risks is observed after executing the corrective actions.     

冶炼烟气含硒量检测方法的探讨和实践

论述了冶炼烟气中含硒量特别是气态硒检测的方法，并对有效选用采样仪器，抽气体积，吸收液等关键问题做了具有针对性的分析探讨。     

Drinking water quality governance: A comparative case study of Brazil,Ecuador, and Malawi

Human health is greatly affected by inadequate access to sufficient and safe drinking water, especially in low and middle-income countries. Drinking water governance improvements may be one way to better drinking water quality. Over the past decade, many projects and international organizations have been dedicated to water governance; however, water governance in the drinking water sector is understudied and how to improve water governance remains unclear. We analyze drinking water governance challenges in three countries – Brazil, Ecuador, and Malawi – as perceived by government, service providers, and civil society organizations. A mixed methods approach was used: a clustering model was used for country selection and qualitative semi-structured interviews were used with direct observation in data collection. The clustering model integrated political, economic, social and environmental variables that impact water sector performance, to group countries. Brazil, Ecuador and Malawi were selected with the model so as to represent the diversity of the clusters. This comparative case study is important because similar challenges are identified in the drinking water sectors of each country; while, the countries represent diverse socio-economic and political contexts, and the case selection process provides generalizability to our results. We find that access to safe water could be improved if certain water governance challenges were addressed: coordination and data sharing between ministries that deal with drinking water services; monitoring and enforcement of water quality laws; and sufficient technical capacity to improve administrative and technical management of water services at the local level. From an analysis of our field research, we also developed a conceptual framework that identifies policy levers that could be used to influence governance of drinking water quality on national and sub-national levels, and the relationships between these levers.     

蒸散量测定与估算方法的对比研究

以涡度相关法的实测资料为标准,对波文比-能量平衡法、空气动力学法、Penman-Monteith模型、Shuttleworth-Wallace模型进行对比研究,并分析了各种方法的精度和灵敏度。结果表明:Penman-Monteith模型和波文比-能量平衡法的精度最高,Shuttleworth-Wallace模型和空气动力学法的精度较差。Penman-Monteith模型的稳定性较好,波文比-能量平衡法受Δe和ΔT观测精度的影响大,风温湿观测高度以及下垫面是否均一对空气动力学法影响较大,Shuttleworth-Wallace模型对各类阻抗较为敏感。     

复合配方絮凝剂处理炼油厂含油废水的研究

LKM型絮凝剂具有破乳能力强、水溶性好、使用方便和储存稳定的特点 ,其复合制剂的除油效果更好。现场工业试验证明 :在除油率大致相同的情况下 ,其投加量为聚合氯化铝的 1 2至 1 5,浮渣生成量少 ,易于处置和利用 ,可作为聚合氯化铝的换代产品在含油废水处理中使用。     

Update of daily intake of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs from food in Japan

Total diet study (TDS) samples of 14 food groups from 16 locations in Japan, collected in 1999 and 2000, were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dioxin-like PCBs) to estimate the update of daily intake of these contaminants from food. The mean daily intake of toxic equivalency (TEQ) for an adult weighing 50 kg, calculated at non-detected isomer concentrations equal to zero (ND=0), was estimated to be 2.25 pg TEQ/kg b.w./day. When non-detected isomer concentrations are assumed to be equal to half of the limits of detection (ND=1/2 LOD), the mean daily intake was estimated to be 3.22 pg TEQ/kg b.w./day. These values were below the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 4 pg TEQ/kg b.w. for PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs set in Japan. In both the estimates, the mean daily intakes were highest from fish and shellfish (76.9% at ND=0 and 53.9% at ND=1/2 LOD of the total TEQs), followed by those from meat and eggs (15.5% at ND=0 and 11.7% at ND=1/2 LOD of the total TEQs). Congener specific data revealed that these total TEQ levels were dominated by 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and 3,3^′,4,4^′,5-PeCB in each case (71.7% at ND=0 and 63.1% at ND=1/2 LOD of the total TEQs). The dioxin-like PCBs (non-ortho and mono-ortho PCBs) accounted for about 50% of these total TEQs. These data will be very useful in the risk assessment of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs from food in Japan.