Study of chest injuries to 3-year-old child occupants seated in impact shield and 5-point harness CRSs

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether the 5-point harness or the impact shield child restraint system (CRS) or both have the potential to cause chest injuries to children. This is determined by examining whether the loading to the chest reaches the internal organ injury threshold for children.

Method: The chest injury risk to a child occupant in a CRS was investigated using Q3 dummy tests, finite element (FE) simulations (Q3 dummy and human models), and animal tests. The investigation was done for 2 types of CRSs (i.e., the impact shield CRS and 5-point harness CRS) based on the UN R44 dynamic test specifications.

Results: The tests using a Q3 dummy indicated that although the chest deflection of the dummy in the impact shield CRS was large, it was less than the injury threshold (40 mm). Computational biomechanics simulations (using finite element FE analysis) showed that the Q3 dummy's chest is loaded by the shield and deforms substantially under this load. To clarify whether chest injuries due to chest compression can occur with an impact shield or with the 5-point harness CRS, 7 experiments were performed using Tibetan miniature pigs with weights ranging from 9.7 to 13 kg. Severe chest and abdominal injuries (lung contusion, coronary artery laceration, liver laceration) were found in the tests using the impact shield CRS. No chest injuries were present when using the 5-point harness CRS.

Conclusion: When using the impact shield CRS, the chest deformed substantially in dummy tests and FE simulations, and chest and abdominal injuries were observed in pig tests. It is possible that these chest injuries could also occur to child occupants sitting in the impact shield CRS.     

滏阳河河流水体中重金属污染特征及其对青海弧菌和斜生栅藻的毒性效应

为调查滏阳河水系的重金属污染状况,研究河流重金属污染对水生生物的毒性,根据河流结构、水文条件、排污口分布并考虑空间分布的均匀性,选取66个采样位点,采集河水及对应的表层沉积物样品,分析了样品中的重金属含量。用斜生栅藻和青海弧菌Q67作为模式生物,根据滏阳河水重金属污染较严重的邯郸近郊2号采样点采集水样的重金属含量配制系列重金属浓度的模拟河水进行重金属污染河水的生态毒性测试。结果表明,在全部66个采样点中,29个采样点河水重金属含量超过国家地表水III类水体重金属含量标准,主要污染元素是Hg、Pb、Cr、Zn。几乎所有采样点河水Mn和Fe含量都大大高于国家集中式生活饮用水地表水源地补充项目规定的标准限值。根据2号采样点河水样品中的重金属含量配成的模拟河水对青海弧菌Q67的EC₅₀值为6.65%,为毒性极强的污染物。模拟河水样品对斜生栅藻的抑制作用较小,在实验的最高浓度下(1000倍河水重金属含量)暴露4 d尚未引起半数藻细胞死亡。随河水重金属浓度上升,斜生栅藻超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性总体上呈现先升高后降低的趋势,丙二醛(MDA)含量变化则与此相反,反映河水重金属污染可引起藻细胞的氧化损伤。叶绿素a和b含量则随暴露浓度的提高逐渐降低。在重金属浓度达到2号采样点河水的10%时,斜生栅藻叶绿素a含量已有显著降低,MDA含量显著升高,海河流域重金属污染对生态系统的影响应予以重视。河水发光菌Q67的生长抑制率、斜生栅藻的叶绿素a和MDA含量可以作为评估河流重金属污染生态危害的指标。     

高地应力条件下Q系统在某勘探洞围岩分类中的应用

西南地区某水电站勘探洞高地应力是一个突出问题,高地应力洞段岩体属于坚硬岩或较坚硬岩,主要破坏方式是岩爆。高地应力区非岩爆岩体中未见结构性流变和软岩塑性流动等变形破坏现象,岩体质量较好。通过对岩体质量分类Q系统在该勘探洞高地应力洞段的应用,发现Q系统对于高地应力区非岩爆段岩体没有给出相应的SRF值;岩爆的发育条件是多方面的,但Q系统对岩爆的发育条件考虑较单一,所以它在高地应力区岩爆段的分类结果不能准确地体现出岩爆的等级和围岩类别。基于这2个问题,本文对Q系统做了相应的修改,以适应该勘探洞围岩分类,从修改后Q系统的分类结果看,效果良好。     

Duration and characteristics of metal price cycles

This paper addresses the fluctuations in real metal prices: are they simply random variations or do they display some degree of cyclicality? This study identifies peaks and troughs in the inflation adjusted prices for 14 metals, using monthly average data from January 1947 through December 2007. Duration dependence testing, which is performed on the expansions, contractions, and full cycles, finds many cases in which the duration of these phases are not purely random and have some degree of cyclicality. Additional characterization show that contractions generally persist longer than expansions (in contrast to macroeconomic cycles) that long-term real prices have been trendless, and that the amplitude of price changes over the phases has little regularity. For those performing this type of analysis, the appendices explain the procedures for dating turning points and assessing duration dependence.     

Geologic vs. geographic constraints on cement resources

This study evaluates the importance of geologic and geographic factors in constraining the location of limestone mining operations for the production of cement in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Cities and their infrastructure require abundant cement, which is manufactured from limestone and other quarry products, but expansion of cities limits the locations of these operations. Possible locations of limestone and cement operations are controlled by geologic factors including distribution and mineralogy of geologic formations as well as depth of overburden, and geographic factors including location of wetlands, cities, and other surface features that preclude development of quarries and manufacturing operations. Overlay analysis was used to evaluate the importance of these factors. Results show that, although limestone underlies about a third of the region, almost 50 percent of this limestone is unavailable for quarrying due to coverage by the built environment, protected natural areas, or excessive overburden thickness. When characteristics such as limestone quality are also accounted for, accessible resources shrink to as little as 2 percent of the total land area. Although the remaining 2 percent of land area may supply local needs for some years, geologic factors clearly must be included in long-term regional land use planning.     

On technical change in the elasticities of resource inputs

This article analyses growth of an economy where the substitutability between non-renewable and renewable resource inputs changes over time. We allow for exogenous technical change in the elasticity of substitution (EoS) between these two types of resources as well as for biased factor-augmenting technical change. Our main results are: (1) sustained technical change in the EoS is enough to overcome resource constraints; (2) productivity-enhancing technical change is most beneficial when directed to the resource which is currently most important for production; (3) the speed of productivity-enhancing technical change is crucial for its usefulness to overcome resource constraints; (4) sustainability depends critically on the type of technical change.     

International environmental agreements with support

We augment the standard cartel formation game from non-cooperative coalition theory, often applied in the context of international environmental agreements, with the possibility that singletons support coalition formation without becoming coalition members themselves. We assume their support takes the form of a monetary transfer to the coalition, in order to induce larger coalitions, higher levels of public good provision and higher payoffs. We show that, under mild conditions on the costs and benefits of contributing to the public good (e.g. abatement of greenhouse gas emissions), there exist equilibria with support. Allowing for support increases payoffs to each of three types of agents: members, supporters and free-riders.     

Mining and corruption

This study examines the links between mineral dependency and corruption. Specifically, it develops a cross-section econometric model that estimates the effects of per capita income, fuel exports, non-fuel exports, and average per unit value of mineral exports on corruption.     

Citizen funds and Dutch Disease in developing countries

Are Alaska-style citizen revenue distribution funds the solution to the resource curse in developing countries as their proponents conjecture? Unfortunately it appears not. First, it is questionable whether developing countries have the institutional capacity to implement and operate such funds successfully. Second, citizen funds are unlikely to have any substantial impact on governance and their macroeconomic effects are uncertain. Finally, as a comparative case study of the three natural resource-intensive economies that successfully steered clear of excessive real appreciation and crowding out of the non-minerals tradables sector—Botswana, Indonesia and Norway—shows, citizen funds are likely to carry detrimental indirect effects on the ability of governments to surmount the Dutch Disease.     

典型工业沿海区域的大气环境腐蚀性评价

目的 利用现役金属材料对工业沿海区域所处不同大气环境进行环境腐蚀性评价,并研究不同金属材料的腐蚀行为差异性,探讨工业沿海大气环境下金属材料的耐蚀性选择。方法 在不同大气环境下,选择现役金属材料Q235、16MnNi和L415开展1 a的户外曝晒试验,并利用质量损失分析、扫描电镜等手段,通过对金属基材进行腐蚀机理研究,评价大气环境的腐蚀性。结果 Q235、16MnNi和L415等3种钢在不同区域沿海工业大气环境下的腐蚀行为受大气腐蚀环境的影响较大,腐蚀产物中含有一定量的Cl和S。同种金属材料表面锈层的特殊结构,使得其基体与大气环境中的腐蚀因子相接触,引发了金属材料在不同大气腐蚀环境中不同腐蚀行为的差异性。结论 工业沿海区域的大气环境中,大气腐蚀性差异由酸循环腐蚀机制形成。3种钢材在腐蚀初期,由于锈层多孔隙结构和可溶性腐蚀产物形成,加重了腐蚀程度。黄岛区域、曹妃甸区域、岚山区域和湛江区域的大气腐蚀等级分别为C2、C3、C2、C3级。