Safety effects of street lighting on roadway segments: Development of a crash modification function

Objective: Nighttime crashes are overrepresented on the U.S. highway system. Roadway lighting, which provides additional visibility by supplementing vehicle headlights, has been identified as an effective countermeasure to improve nighttime safety. However, the existing literature does not provide a thorough understanding of the effects of street lighting photometric characteristics on nighttime crash occurrence on roadway segments. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between lighting photometric measures and nighttime crash risk on roadway segments and develop a crash modification function/factor (CMF).

Methods: The research team collected horizontal illuminance data on 440 roadway segments between 2 successive signalized intersections in Florida for 2012–2014 and matched 4 years of nighttime and daylight crash data (2011–2014). Random parameter negative binomial models were estimated for both nighttime and daylight crash frequencies. The expected night-to-day crash odds ratio, as an equivalent of CMF, was derived from the fitted models with the correction of estimation variances. The confidence intervals (CIs) of the developed CMF were estimated using the Cox method.

Results: The coefficient of the mean of horizontal illuminance is significantly negative in the nighttime model. The coefficients of the standard deviation of horizontal illuminance are significantly positive and normally distributed in both the nighttime and daylight models. The significance of the standard deviation in the daylight model captures the confounding effects—a high standard deviation correlates with high traffic exposures, poor safety design standards, and low maintenance quality. The CMF based on the expected daylight-to-day odds ratio was developed as an exponential function of the increments and the increment squares of the mean and the standard deviation of horizontal illuminance. Its 95% CIs indicate that the CMF is almost significant over the whole range. Other significant variables contributing to nighttime crash risk include annual average daily traffic, truck percentage, segment length, access density, undivided roads, and urban/city limits.

Conclusions: Horizontal illuminance characteristics have a significant impact on nighttime crash risk on roadway segments. An increase in the mean of horizontal illuminance, indicating an improvement in average lighting level, tends to decrease nighttime crash risk; an increase in the standard deviation, representing a poor uniformity of lighting pattern on a roadway segment, is more likely to raise nighttime crash risk. Because the 2 measures are strongly correlated in a low mean range (<0.44 fc), the 2 photometric measures need to be considered together to interpret the safety effects of lighting patterns. The standard deviation shows better performance in measuring lighting uniformity on a roadway segment than the traditional ratios (max-to-min and mean-to-min). However, a new photometric measure is needed to capture the true lighting pattern influencing driver vision at night.     

Dynamic Performance of Horizontal Flexible Anchor Lines During Fall Arrest— A Numerical Method of Simulation

Designing fall arrest systems, which contain horizontal flexible anchor lines is an important technical problem related to the safety of people who work at a height and need horizontal freedom of movement. The article presents a numerical simulation of the dynamic performance of horizontal flexible anchor lines during fall arrest. The model of a 2-component system—a horizontal flexible anchor line and a falling rigid mass, described with a second order non-linear differential equation—is the main element of this method. This method of simulation is realised by a computer program, which allows obtaining the most important data characterising a fall arrest. The article shows laboratory tests used for the verification of this method, which turned out to be a valuable source of information and which can be used for designing fall arrest systems.     

重点生态功能区转移支付制度的不足和完善

重点生态功能区关乎地区乃至国家的生态安全,属于限制开发区。该类功能区为提供生态产品投入大量的环境建设成本,又因限制开发导致发展权受限,需要对其进行生态补偿。作为当前生态补偿的主要方式,重点生态功能区转移支付制度在资金分配、资金使用、监督考核和激励机制方面存在不足,因此提出确定生态环境保护为转移支付的主要目标、健全资金用途监管和绩效评估制度、补充适用横向生态补偿制度等措施予以完善。     

2019年京津冀重污染天气应急响应经济损失评估

基于多区域投入产出模型,测算了2019年京津冀地区13个城市重污染天气应急响应对本地区造成的直接经济损失、通过产业链传导造成的间接经济损失和区域间溢出效应.研究发现,应急响应对地区经济的影响具有明显的间接性和溢出性.河北省承担的经济损失高于天津和北京,其中石家庄市面临的经济损失规模最高（97.51亿元）,邢台市面临的经济损失占地区经济总产值的比重最高（2.60%）.天津和北京承担的经济损失分别为56.89,56.61亿元,占地区经济总产值比重分别为0.40%和0.16%.重污染天气应急响应对于高能耗、高污染部门造成的冲击较大,例如,化学工业、石油加工、炼焦及核燃料加工业等.研究结果对于京津冀大气污染联防联控有一定的借鉴意义,现行的空气质量奖惩问责制度的“以偿代补”效果并不理想,建议尽早建立京津冀跨区域空气质量横向补偿机制.     

废水生物强化处理技术研究进展

生物强化技术具有高效去除目标污染物、加速系统启动、提高系统抗水力及有机负荷能力以及优化系统菌群结构和增强功能稳定性等功能,在废水生物处理实际应用中潜力巨大.总结了国内外废水生物强化处理技术研究进展,在功能微生物选育方面,通过传统选育手段与基因工程手段并举来实现;在功能菌应用与生物强化处理工艺方面,主要通过所投加的功能菌直接作用或是利用基因水平转移(HGT)来实现生物强化;在分子检测技术方面,随着分子生物学的发展,一些技术如变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)、核糖体间隔基因分析方法(RISA)及荧光原位杂交(FISH)等在与微生物生态学研究中得到了广泛应用.分析认为,应用分子生物学等先进技术手段,探讨废水生物强化处理工程应用过程中的微生物生态学机制,并以此为指导研发高性能菌剂,将是本领域的研究重点与方向之一.     

卧式新建导管架张紧式外加电流阴极保护系统安装方案研究

目的 填补卧式新建导管架平台施工技术的空白,同时解决张紧式ICCP系统在卧式新建导管架平台的工程应用问题。方法 以张紧式ICCP系统在某卧式新建导管架的首次工程应用为背景,对张紧式ICCP复合缆-电极系统在该导管架上的陆上安装、导管架运输、海上安装等环节开展方案研究,设计出适用于卧式新建导管架张紧式ICCP系统的安装方案。结果 为了保证卧式建造导管架张紧式ICCP系统的可靠安装,设计采用滑索牵引方法,并对复合缆-电极系统海上安装期的自存工况进行校核,可保障张紧式ICCP复合缆-电极系统的安全和顺利安装。结论 该套张紧式ICCP安装方案不仅实现了张紧式ICCP在卧式新建导管架的首次工程应用,也为后续新建导管架张紧式ICCP系统的设计与安装提供了参考。     

冷高压影响下高层水平输送对珠海市三维臭氧浓度分布的影响分析

采用地基激光雷达系统测量了近地层臭氧、气溶胶消光系数和风场的垂直分布,研究了2021年11月一次典型臭氧污染过程的时空分布特征.11月16日—17日,在弱冷高压脊天气型下,以下沉气流为主,天气晴好,有利于臭氧生成,在下沉气流主导下,高层气团输送对污染物的分布起决定性作用.其中700 m高度以上气团来源是影响16日与17日臭氧浓度峰值出现时间的重要因子,当该高度气团来自洁净海面时,造成珠海臭氧污染的主要是低层深圳输送的臭氧,臭氧往往停留在珠江口,由夜间海风输送到珠海,污染发生的时间在傍晚,持续到夜间消散;而当该高度气团与低层一样来自于深圳、东莞时,各个高度的气团均携带上游城市生成的污染物,可在下沉气流的作用下直接达到地面,造成污染,污染发生的时间在午后,在本研究中由于下沉气流加强,进一步加强了海陆风,从而使臭氧在17日傍晚得到很好的清除.     

基于网络城市理念的城市群布局 ——以苏锡常城市群为例

在经济全球化和知识经济迅猛发展的背景下，基于快速交通、信息通讯网络及范围经济的新型城市集合形态--网络城市开始形成。网络城市指的是两个或更多的原先彼此独立、存在潜在功能互补的城市，借助快速高效的交通走廊和通讯设施连接起来、彼此合作形成的富有创造力的城市集合体。苏锡常城市群是长江三角洲地区重要的城市群，存在建设网络城市的诉求和可能性。首先对网络城市的理论进行综述；然后阐述了建设苏锡常网络城市的战略意义，从城市功能整合、支撑体系建设、功能空间组织和协调规则构建4个方面对苏锡常网络城市布局进行了探讨；最后指出建设苏锡常网络城市是提升苏锡常城市群国际竞争力，实现经济、社会和环境可持续发展的重要战略。     

基于MODIS AOD数据的南京市大气能见度估算

以南京市为研究区,利用MODIS气溶胶产品数据(MOD04L2)获取研究区气溶胶标高数据,结合地面气象站点能见度观测数据,构建研究区不同季节能见度估算模型,估算南京市2013年能见度时空分布。研究结果表明,研究区能见度模型估算值与实测值总体趋势较为一致,分季节模型能见度估算均值相对误差为14.3%;南京市2013年能见度年均值为6.07km,大致呈现出由市区向周边郊区逐渐升高的趋势;研究区不同季节能见度差异明显,夏季能见度显著高于其他3个季节,在该季节全市能见度均值达到9.93km,约为其余3个季节均值的2倍左右,气候状况与经济社会发展布局是影响研究区能见度时空差异的主要因素。     

生产过程中抗生素与抗药基因的排放特征、环境行为及控制

世界卫生组织在2000年的报告中将抗生素抗性列为本世纪人类在健康领域面临的最大挑战之一,有关抗药基因传播机制与控制技术的研究已经成为国际环境科学领域的一个前沿问题.本文以生产量大、使用历史长的几种发酵类和化学合成类生素为对象,以典型城市污水厂为对照系统,全面评估抗生素生产及废水处理过程中抗生素与抗药基因的排放特征;把传统的筛选培养方法与高通量测序技术及生物信息学手段有机结合,深入研究抗生素胁迫下整合子对抗性基因的重组作用及质粒介导的结合转移作用,以揭示抗药基因在抗生素压力驱动下主要的水平转移机制;构建多通道生物膜流动暴露系统进行抗生素最小选择浓度评价;研究针对抗生素生产全过程的抗生素及抗药基因控制多级屏障技术,为抗药基因的污染控制与管理提供全面系统的科学基础.