Cross-correlation between the controlled collision environment and real-world motor vehicle collisions: Evaluating the protection of the thoracic side airbag

Objective: Thoracic side airbags (tSABs) were integrated into the vehicle fleet to attenuate and distribute forces on the occupant's chest and abdomen, dissipate the impact energy, and move the occupant away from the intruding structure, all of which reduce the risk of injury. This research piece investigates and evaluates the safety performance of the airbag unit by cross-correlating data from a controlled collision environment with field data.

Method: We focus exclusively on vehicle–vehicle lateral impacts from the NHTSA's Vehicle Crash Test Database and NASS-CDS database, which are replicated in the controlled environment by the (crabbed) barrier impact. Similar collisions with and without seat-embedded tSABs are matched to each other and the injury risks are compared.

Results: Results indicated that dummy-based thoracic injury metrics were significantly lower with tSAB exposure (P <.001). Yet, when the controlled collision environment data were cross-correlated with NASS-CDS collisions, deployment of the tSAB indicated no association with thoracic injury (tho. MAIS 2+ unadjusted relative risk [RR] = 1.14; 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–1.62; tho. MAIS 3+ unadjusted RR = 1.12; 90% CI, 0.76–1.65).

Conclusion: The data from the controlled collision environment indicated an unequivocal benefit provided by the thoracic side airbag for the crash dummy; however, the real-world collisions demonstrate that no benefit is provided to the occupant. This has resulted from a noncorrelation between the crash test/dummy-based design taking the abstracting process too far to represent the real-world collision scenario.     

蓝藻越冬期湖湾沉积物磷吸附特征和释放风险

越冬过程是蓝藻暴发的前置阶段,该时期沉积物内源磷是蓝藻水华发生的主要磷源之一.在调查藻型湖湾蓝藻越冬两个时期(休眠期和复苏期)水质和沉积物污染物指标的基础上,进一步分析了水平和垂直方向上沉积物磷吸附特征,阐明沉积物磷释放风险及微生物群落结构变化.结果表明,研究区域两个时期湖湾基本为中度富营养水平,并且水质和沉积物氮磷污...     

Injury surveillance trends in career–technical education: New Jersey 1999–2018

Introduction: Adolescents engaging in school-sponsored work experiences may be at risk of injury due to factors such as inexperience. This article examines trends in 20 years of reported injuries among New Jersey (NJ) adolescents engaging in school-sponsored work experiences, and compares a transition from paper to online reporting format. Methods: New Jersey requires reporting of injuries occurring during school-sponsored work experiences to the NJ Department of Education. Injuries reported by NJ schools from 1999 to 2018 (n = 2,119) were examined; incidence rates for 2008 to 2018 (n = 743) were calculated using publicly available NJ Department of Education enrollment data for the denominator, including for specific groups of students: career and technical education; special healthcare needs. Results: A downward trend in reported injuries in NJ schools was observed. However, the year online reporting became required by code (2013), an increase of nearly 50% was seen from 2012 (59–89), followed by a decline in reported incidents 2014 to 2018 (mean = 65, range 76 down to 47). Injury rate trends over time paralleled those of reported incidents. Conclusions: This study suggested worker safety and public health benefits of improvements from State of NJ code required training programs and online injury surveillance report form. Practical Applications: One potential method to address the safety and health of adolescents engaging in work experiences is the use of online reporting forms, to aid in surveillance efforts, coupled with occupational safety and health training specifically geared toward teachers and administrators who both supervise young, relatively inexperienced and vulnerable workers and who make relatively frequent worksite visits. Incorporation of specific details of the instructions on the use of a reporting form into required trainings, in addition to providing a clear, accessible guidance manual online, could further help improve youth worker safety surveillance efforts.     

Low rate releases of hazardous light gases under semi-confined geometry: A consequence based approach and case-study application

As evidenced by accident statistics, an important factor when considering the safe operation of process plants is the effective mitigation of the effects of gaseous flammable releases, either by a prevention, or a protection approach. A detailed historical analysis was performed considering accidental scenarios associated with the use and management of light gases, starting from raw data selected from FACTS database and analysed by a causal multi-layer method. Results revealed that the major part of the accidental releases involving methane, hydrogen, ethene, ammonia can be attributed to organizational or process/plant immediate causes. As expected, the most frequent scenarios following the release are fire and explosion. We focus our attention on the development of a short-cut method allowing preliminary evaluation of the maximum gaseous build-up under semi-confined conditions, limiting the effects of the fire/explosion scenario to a tolerable level. The limitations of the model that is applied to selected case-studies and require further experimental validation are critically discussed. The results of the application of the model, which can boast of being safe but not disproportionately conservative, can be set as a maximum threshold in proper designing technical measures aiming at limiting the effects to a tolerable level by protection methods, e.g. isolation, venting, suppression and containment.     

Conflict,justice, and inequality: Why perceptions of leader–member exchange differentiation hurt performance in teams

To better understand why leader–member exchange (LMX) differentiation in teams may be detrimental to individual and team performance, we propose that team members' perception of LMX differentiation (PLMXD) is more important than statistical measures of LMX differentiation. Specifically, we hypothesize a multilevel model in which relationship conflict and procedural justice (climate) mediate the relationships of individual and collective PLMXDs with individual and team performance, respectively. Using a sample of 235 individuals in 53 teams, we found that individual PLMXD was negatively related to individual performance through relationship conflict perceptions, controlling for LMX. At the team level, collective PLMXD was negatively related to team performance through procedural justice climate and relationship conflict, controlling for a statistical measure of LMXD. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are explored.     

The journey to leave: Understanding the roles of perceived ease of movement,proactive personality,and person–organization fit in overqualified employees' job searching process

Despite intensive research on perceived overqualification, empirical evidence on overqualified employees' job search behavior remains relatively insufficient. Notably, no studies have explored the possible link between perceived overqualification and internal job searching behaviors. In the present study, we consider whether—and more importantly when—employees with high perception of overqualification search for internal and external job opportunities. Applying the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework, we propose and test a model that specifies how motivation and opportunity to move or stay activate differential effects in overqualifiers' job searching process. Results from two studies surveying employees in Taiwan (Study 1: N = 268; Study 2: N = 210) show that overqualifiers displayed greater intentions to leave the current job and, in turn, engaged in more external job search behaviors; this relation was strongest for those whose perceived ease of movement and proactive personality increased or person–organization (PO) fit decreased. Furthermore, overqualifiers displayed greater intentions to leave the current job and also increased their internal job search behaviors; this relation was strongest for those whose perceived ease of movement and PO fit increased. A series of supplemental analyses also lends support to our theorizing.     

Droplets behaviors of flashing jet in accidental release of superheated liquid

Structural failure of an industrial superheated liquid tank or pipe usually results in the flashing jet consisting of a mixture of massive droplets and vapor due to the violent phase transition. In this work, experiments on small-scale releases were carried out with a 20 L storage tank to investigate the droplets behaviors of flashing jets after accidental releases of superheated liquid. Distribution of droplets axial, radial and vertical velocities, as well as droplets diameter along the centreline of flashing jet, were acquired employing a Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA). The influence of storage pressure, superheat, and nozzle diameter was also studied. Results show that the distribution of actual droplets with different velocities and diameters follows the normal distribution. Droplets mean three-dimensional velocities on the central axis of flashing jet decrease exponentially with the increase of axial distance. The droplets mean diameter first decreases exponentially and finally keeps sable at about 10 μm. Among three-dimensional velocities, the axial velocity is the highest and the vertical velocity is the lowest. Droplets mean three-dimensional velocities increase with the increase of storage pressure, superheat, and nozzle diameter. The droplets mean diameter decreases with the increase of superheat and nozzle diameter but increases with the increase of storage pressure.     

Hazard analysis on LPG fireball of road tanker BLEVE based on CFD simulation

In order to research the hydrocarbon fireball characteristic of LPG tanker Boiled Liquid Evaporate Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) under different conditions, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the hydrocarbon fireballs from the LPG tanker BLEVE accidents were carried out. Several new different factors, such as the mass of fuel, inlet velocity and airflow velocity, were considered to analyze the influence on the evolution of the characteristics of the fireball and the development of the LPG tanker BLEVE accidents. Results indicate that the fireball with a greater mass of fuel radiates more heat but slower. The large longitudinal diameter of the fireball and high radiation heat flux are observed in case of a faster inlet velocity used for the same mass. The airflow was found to shorten the initial phase of the fireball effectively. Some suggestions were proposed to prevent the LPG BLEVE accidents. Analysis performed show that various parameters like fireball diameter, radiative heat flux and lifting speed of fireball can be predicted well using FDS code.     

A study of the atmospheric dispersion of a high release of krypton-85 above a complex coastal terrain, comparison with the predictions of Gaussian models (Briggs, Doury, ADMS4)

Atmospheric releases of krypton-85, from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at the AREVA NC facility at La Hague (France), were used to test Gaussian models of dispersion. In 2001-2002, the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) studied the atmospheric dispersion of 15 releases, using krypton-85 as a tracer for plumes emitted from two 100-m-high stacks. Krypton-85 is a chemically inert radionuclide. Krypton-85 air concentration measurements were performed on the ground in the downwind direction, at distances between 0.36 and 3.3 km from the release, by neutral or slightly unstable atmospheric conditions. The standard deviation for the horizontal dispersion of the plume and the Atmospheric Transfer Coefficient (ATC) were determined from these measurements. The experimental results were compared with calculations using first generation (Doury, Briggs) and second generation (ADMS 4.0) Gaussian models. The ADMS 4.0 model was used in two configurations; one takes account of the effect of the built-up area, and the other the effect of the roughness of the surface on the plume dispersion. Only the Briggs model correctly reproduced the measured values for the width of the plume, whereas the ADMS 4.0 model overestimated it and the Doury model underestimated it. The agreement of the models with measured values of the ATC varied according to distance from the release point. For distances less than 2 km from the release point, the ADMS 4.0 model achieved the best agreement between model and measurement; beyond this distance, the best agreement was achieved by the Briggs and Doury models.     

高压管道天然气泄漏扩散过程的数值模拟

采用CFD模型的方法对高压管道内的天然气泄漏和扩散过程进行了数值模拟。其结果表明,从高压管道泄出的天然气在大气中主要表现为高速射流的泄漏过程和随后的扩散过程。在泄漏过程中,天然气在泄漏口附近为欠膨胀射流,整个泄漏过程具有一定的高度;在扩散过程中,天然气在浮力作用下以向上扩散的形式发展。研究了不同环境风速对扩散过程的影响,较大的风速可以使天然气向下风方向更远的距离扩散,从而增大了天然气爆炸危险浓度的范围。研究结果可