Investigating lane change behaviors and difficulties for senior drivers using naturalistic driving data

Introduction: Lane changes can be a complicated maneuver occurring a dynamic environment requiring the integration of many streams of information. Older drivers may struggle with lane changes which may elevate crash risk. Methods: Real-world lane change behaviors were examined using the Second Strategic Highway Research Program Naturalistic Driving Study database. A total of 393 lane changes were observed for two age groups: middle-aged (30–49), and older (70+) drivers. Results: Older drivers were highly likely to fail to execute an over-the-shoulder glance prior to initiation of a lane change (in 98% of left lane changes and 92% for right lane changes). Older drivers also showed higher rates of OTS glance errors at any point during the lane change in 95% of left lane changes and 86% of right-lane changes. Additionally, older drivers frequently failed to activate the turn signal prior to lane change initiation (60% of lane changes for right changes and 59% for left lane changes). Of the older drivers that made side mirror glances, many occurred after the initiation of the maneuver (46% of left lane changes and 58% of right lane changes) suggesting glances were occurring while changing lanes. Conclusions: Results for older drivers showed that many key glances (particularly side mirror checks) and turn signal actuations observed in the current study occurred after the initiation of the lane change, ostensibly when this action may be too late to gather relevant information and avoid a conflict. Practical Applications: Knowledge of glance patterns during lane changes for older drivers can help older drivers maintain travel mobility as they age. Either through training to reinforce OTS and side mirror glances, or supplemental devices like convex mirrors or oversized rearview mirrors, older drivers can reduce high-risk lane change maneuvers and help older drivers to maintain their mobility and independence longer.     

Effects of six selected antibiotics on plant growth and soil microbial and enzymatic activities

The potential impact of six antibiotics (chlortetracycline, tetracycline and tylosin; sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine and trimethoprim) on plant growth and soil quality was studied by using seed germination test on filter paper and plant growth test in soil, soil respiration and phosphatase activity tests. The phytotoxic effects varied between the antibiotics and between plant species (sweet oat, rice and cucumber). Rice was most sensitive to sulfamethoxazole with the EC10 value of 0.1 mg/L. The antibiotics tested inhibited soil phosphatase activity during the 22 days' incubation. Significant effects on soil respiration were found for the two sulfonamides (sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethazine) and trimethoprim, whereas little effects were observed for the two tetracyclines and tylosin. The effective concentrations (EC10 values) for soil respiration in the first 2 days were 7 mg/kg for sulfamethoxazole, 13 mg/kg for sulfamethazine and 20 mg/kg for trimethoprim. Antibiotic residues in manure and soils may affect soil microbial and enzyme activities.     

A behavior based safety approach at a Kuwait research institution

INTRODUCTION: Behavior based safety (BBS) initiatives are the current trend toward improving safety performance. METHOD: This study outlines the framework of the BBS process and summarizes several behavioral safety approaches to accident prevention. RESULTS: Although most of the published research has focused on the improvement of safe behavior in industry, this study is the first to apply the current approach of behavior based safety in a research/educational setting. An experiment conducted at a research institution demonstrated the effectiveness of a well-designed behavior based safety process. A follow-up study indicated that the BBS produced a lasting effect for the experimental group. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Results from this study can be the driving force to implement behavior-based safety processes into educational, research, and training organizations.     

论人的失误

人的失误所造成的事故占事故总数的７０—８０％，研究人的失误对控制伤亡事故的发生具有重要意义。为此，分析人的行为模式，论述人失误的原因，并对控制人失误的方法进行了探讨，认为减少人失误的根本途径是大力倡导安全文化，提高操作者的安全素质。     

Influence of personality traits on aberrant driving behaviors: A comparison of Japanese,Chinese, and Vietnamese drivers

Introduction: This study aims to explore the influence of Big Five personality traits in combination with various socio-demographic factors and experiences of accident involvement on aberrant driving behaviors. The study also compares the effects of the level of development (i.e., developed or developing) of three countries on the personality traits and driving behaviors. Method: The four-factor Driver Behavior Questionnaire was used to collect data on aberrant driving behaviors, while a short version of the 10-item Big Five Inventory was used to collect data on personality traits. Responses were collected from Japan (1,250 responses), China (1,250), and Vietnam (1,000). A latent variable model was applied after controlling data in each category (e.g., age). Results: This study revealed that respondents who experienced accidents in the past and scored higher on Agreeableness were less likely to commit aggressive violations in Japan, China, and Vietnam. Further, Japanese and Vietnamese female drivers who scored high on Conscientiousness were found to be less likely to commit ordinary violations. Neuroticism was positively correlated with aggressive violations only in the case of Vietnamese drivers, irrespective of the history of accident involvement. Conclusions: Drivers with particular personality types that are linked with aberrant driving behavior may need to receive additional training on behavior management. Practical Applications: This study may help road traffic policymakers predict future driving behaviors of Vietnamese and Chinese drivers based on those of Chinese and Japanese drivers, respectively, and act accordingly.     

Urban waste recycling behavior: antecedents of participation in a selective collection program

ABSTRACT/ The aim of this study is to analyze the antecedents of urban waste recycling behavior. To achieve this goal, a concrete urban waste management program was chosen. The study focuses on the Selective Collection Program (SCP) in Zaragoza, a medium-sized city in northeastern Spain. The research starts with a conceptual model in which the variables that potentially affect recycling behavior can be classified into two groups: incentives and barriers. Moreover, the sociodemographic characteristics of the individuals are included in our study. Given that the proposed model requires specification of latent variables or constructs, the analysis is based on the Structural Equation Models (SEM) methodology. The results revealed that environmental awareness, knowledge of the environmental impact of urban waste, and the positive perception of management by local government exercise a positive effect on individual recycling behavior, while perceived personal difficulties (space and time availability) and distance to and from the container have a negative effect. As regards sociodemographic variables, this study found that annual family income sustains a negative relationship with recycling behavior, while age maintains a positive one. The results obtained clearly show the important role that the public authorities play, especially municipal governments, in achieving the waste recycling objectives established in accordance with international legislation.     

建立和完善人的职业安全“行为模式”

思维、反应、行动,是构成职业安全“行为模式”的基本环节。这些环节运转正常,职业活动就能满足职业安全的需要。为了提高操作者的安全防护能力,有必要分析职业安全“行为模式”的基本特征和要点,认为:1.应努力造就人的“双重性”思维模式,即“识别的双确认,判断的双侧面,应变的双保险”,从根本上控制人为失误。2.完善人的反应模式—一念三思,一变三联,一动三看(即“三·三守则”),保证操作者反射行为的正确导向。3.练就一套稳固、熟练的应变动作系列,防止操作者在职业活动过程中操作变型,机能失调。     

森林地表火行为估算的数学模型

本文在大量室内林火室验的基础上，通过参考ＢＥＨＡＶＥ程序中的数学模型，提出了一整套估算地表火火行为特征量的表达式。为保证求解火蔓延速度的更合理性和具有较高的精度，将风速和坡度对火蔓延速度的影响，采用了矢量叠加的方法进行修正。在假设火场为椭圆面来估算火场状况时，不但考虑了风速对火场形状的影响，还引入折合风达的概念，通过将坡度对火场的作用折合成相应的风速值来修正坡度的影响，与大兴安岭野外试验的结果对比表明，本数学模型定量合理。     

Does interspecific competition influence relationships between heterozygosity and fitness-related behaviors in juvenile Atlantic salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo salar</Emphasis>)?

Very few studies have investigated the effect of genetic diversity on the behavioral and phenotypic traits linked to the competitive ability of individuals. In this study, we reared juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) alone or with the competitive rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in order to: (1) to assess correlations between heterozygosity and traits related to individual competitive ability [i.e., heterozygosity–fitness correlations (HFCs)] in Atlantic salmon, and (2) to evaluate the effect of the competitive rainbow trout on any such HFCs. We also tested whether a few loci had a disproportionately large effect (i.e., the local effect hypothesis) or, on the contrary, if all loci contributed equally (i.e., the global effect hypothesis) in explaining the observed HFCs. We found significant HFCs for phenotypic traits related to the competitive ability of juvenile Atlantic salmon, i.e., the growth rate and the distance to the feeding source. Some HFCs were nonlinear, suggesting that individuals with intermediate levels of heterozygosity were favored. In addition, we found that the competition exerted by rainbow trout only weakly modified these HFCs as the relationships were highly consistent across treatments. We demonstrated that the local-effect hypothesis best explained both linear and nonlinear HFCs. Overall, our results illustrated the importance of genetic diversity in explaining the behavioral variability observed within populations. Moreover, we provide evidence that, even if a competitive species can have strong ecological effects, the relationships between genetic diversity and fitness-related traits in juvenile Atlantic salmon were not influenced by such effects.