Choice of teenagers' vehicles and views on vehicle safety: survey of parents of novice teenage drivers

Objective

To examine parental decisions about vehicles driven by teenagers and parental knowledge of vehicle safety.

Methods

About 300 parents were interviewed during spring 2006 in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Rhode Island while teenagers took their first on-road driving tests.

Results

Fewer than half of parents surveyed said teenagers would be the primary drivers of the chosen vehicles. Parents most often cited safety, existing family vehicle, and reliability when explaining the choices for their teenagers’ vehicles. About half of the vehicles intended for teenagers were small/mini/sports cars, pickups, or SUVs — vehicles considered less safe for teenagers than midsize/large cars or minivans. A large majority of vehicles were 2001 models or earlier. Vehicles purchased in anticipation of adding a new driver to the family were more likely to be the sizes/types considered less safe than vehicles already owned. Few parents insisted on side airbags or electronic stability control, despite strong evidence of their safety benefits. Even when asked to identify ideal vehicles for their teenagers to drive, about half of parents identified less safe vehicle sizes/types. Most parents knew that midsize/large vehicles are safer than small vehicles, and at least half of parents said SUVs and pickups are not safe for teenage drivers, citing instability.

Conclusions

The majority of parents understood some of the important criteria for choosing safe vehicles for their teenagers. However, parents actually selected many vehicles for teenagers that provide inferior crash protection.

Impact on industry

Vehicle safety varies substantially by vehicle size, type, and safety features. Many teenagers are driving inferior vehicles in terms of crashworthiness and crash avoidance.     

Secondary analysis of time of day on simulated driving performance

PROBLEM: Age and gender are frequently controlled for in studies of driving performance, but the effects of time of day or circadian cycles on performance are often not considered. Previous research on time of day effects of simulated driving is contradictory and provides little guidance for understanding the impact of these variables on results. METHODS: Using driving simulator data from 79 subjects ages 18 to 65, this paper focuses on the impact of age, gender, and time of day on the simulated driving performance of subjects who self-selected the time of participation. RESULTS: Time of day effects were consistently evident for drivers' speed overall and across different simulated environments. Drivers in the late afternoon period consistently drove significantly slower than drivers in other time periods. Age and gender affected speed such that women and those participants 50 and older tended to drive more slowly. Time of day also had an effect on reaction time and on speed variability measures. Gender did not have significant effects on reaction time or variability measures, but age effects were present. SUMMARY: Taken together, the results suggest that time of day effects should be considered as part of simulated driving performance, and that interactions between time of day and other variables, notably age, should be controlled for as part of future research. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Implications of these findings on current efforts for older driver testing are discussed.     

基于熵权的改进密切值法在地面水水质评价中的应用

为了简化传统密切值法运算,更能全面客观地反映出各样本的优劣情况,尝试采用目标差值率法进行初始矩阵的规范化处理,引入熵权法确定各评价指标的权重,对传统密切值法进行了改进.通过将两种不同密切值法对某区域水体水质的评价结果进行对比表明: 两种密切值法评价水质得出了一致的水质优劣排序,但改进后的密切值法可以有效地消除各评价指标在量纲、数量级及指标优劣等方面的差异,计算更简便; 改进后的密切值法利用熵权法确定各评价指标的权重,更客观; 改进后的密切值法评价结果中各样本的差异性放大了,对比更为明显.     

Degradation of metabolites accumulated of benzo[a]pyrene by coupling Penicillium Chrysogenum with KMnO4

Several main metabolites of benzo[a]pyrene （BaP） formed by Penicillium chrysogenum, Benzo[a]pyrene-1,6-quinone （BP 1,6- quinone）, trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene （BP 7,8-diol）, 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene （3-OHBP）, were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. The three metabolites were liable to be accumulated and were hardly further metabolized because of their toxicity to microorganisms. However, their further degradation was essential for the complete degradation of BaP. To enhance their degradation, two methods, degradation by coupling Penicillium chrysogenum with KMnO4 and degradation only by Penicillium chrysogenum, were compared; Meanwhile, the parameters of degradation in the superior method were optimized. The results showed that （1） the method of coupling Penicillium chrysogenum with KMnO4 was better and was the first method to be used in the degradation of BaP and its metabolites; （2） the metabolite, BP 1,6-quinone was the most liable to be accumulated in pure cultures; （3） the effect of degradation was the best when the concentration of KMnO4 in the cultures was 0.01% （w/v）, concentration of the three compounds was 5 mg/L and pH was 6.2. Based on the experimental results, a novel concept with regard to the bioremediation of BaP-contaminated environment was discussed, considering the influence on environmental toxicity of the accumulated metabolites.     

氯化镧改性黏土固化湖泊底泥中磷的研究

用氯化镧对14种黏土进行改性并研究了这些改性黏土固化磷的效果.研究了pH对改性高岭土磷吸附率和镧离子溶出的影响.结果表明,通过氯化镧改性,不同黏土的磷固定率由改性前的3%～14%提高到改性后的52%～95%.氯化镧改性高岭土在pH为5时,达到磷吸附率的最大值94.85%,并在pH值4～8范围内,保持较高的磷吸附率（>80%）.在pH>6.5的范围,La³⁺溶出浓度低于0.0178 mg/L.     

沸石强化生化装置脱氮功能的效果及机理初探

针对石化工业废水开展沸石强化脱氮处理试验研究,通过比较沸石浓度25mg/L与空白,以及沸石浓度25 mg/L与50mg/L两阶段脱氮效果,探讨沸石促进脱氮功能的机理,结果表明,曝气池中投加沸石可明显提高氨氮和总氮的去除率,硝化细菌总数和硝化功能也得到增强。与空白对照组相比, 沸石浓度25mg/L的试验组运行稳定后,氨氮去除率提高约10%~13%,总氮去除率约提高13%,出水中NO3--N含量约提高100%,氨氮与总氮之比下降6%,内源硝化耗氧呼吸速率可提高138%,硝化细菌总数是空白对照组2.2folds。沸石浓度提高到50mg/L后,试验组的脱氮效果略有增加,但效果不明显。通过对试验结果的关联分析,认为沸石提高系统脱氮能力的原因一方面是因为沸石对NH4+及硝态氮的交换吸附,另一方面NH4+离子富集于沸石表面及内部、沸石颗粒独特的好氧-缺氧微环境,以及沸石离解出CO32- 或HCO3-增加碱度等条件,促进了硝化细菌和反硝化细菌的生长,从而提高了系统脱氮能力。     

Integrated strategies to reduce vulnerability and advance adaptation,mitigation, and sustainable development

Determinants of adaptive and mitigative capacities (e.g., availability of technological options, and access to economic resources, social capital and human capital) largely overlap. Several factors underlying or related to these determinants are themselves indicators of sustainable development (e.g., per capita income; and various public health, education and research indices). Moreover, climate change could exacerbate existing climate-sensitive hurdles to sustainable development (e.g., hunger, malaria, water shortage, coastal flooding and threats to biodiversity) faced specifically by many developing countries. Based on these commonalities, the paper identifies integrated approaches to formulating strategies and measures to concurrently advance adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development. These approaches range from broadly moving sustainable development forward (by developing and/or nurturing institutions, policies and infrastructure to stimulate economic development, technological change, human and social capital, and reducing specific barriers to sustainable development) to reducing vulnerabilities to urgent climate-sensitive risks that hinder sustainable development and would worsen with climate change. The resulting sustainable economic development would also help reduce birth rates, which could mitigate climate change and reduce the population exposed to climate change and climate-sensitive risks, thereby reducing impacts, and the demand for adaptation. The paper also offers a portfolio of pro-active strategies and measures consistent with the above approaches, including example measures that would simultaneously reduce pressures on biodiversity, hunger, and carbon sinks. Finally it addresses some common misconceptions that could hamper fuller integration of adaptation and mitigation, including the notions that adaptation may be unsuitable for natural systems, and mitigation should necessarily have primacy over adaptation.

Examining adaptation and mitigation opportunities in the context of the integrated watershed management programme of the Government of India

India occupies 2.4% of the world’s geographical area with a large percentage of its land under agriculture. About 228 Million hectares (Mha) of its geographical area (nearly 69%) fall within the dryland (arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid) region. Of the total cultivated area of 142 Mha, major part of agriculture in the country is rainfed, extending to over 97 Mha and constituting nearly 68% of the net cultivated area, therefore making the agricultural sector vulnerable and exposed to the vagaries of weather conditions. Climate change adds to this dimension of stress. A strong need is felt for targeting programmes in these areas that address issues related to employing suitable soil and water conservation measures. In this context this paper seeks to examine the case for watershed development as an adaptive strategy. An examination of the possibility of fortifying the existing programme with a view to adapting to expected changes in climate in future is undertaken. Also, the possibility of watershed development integrating into a suitable mitigation strategy for the country is assessed.

Tropical deforestation in a future international climate policy regime—lessons from the Brazilian Amazon

The possibility of adopting national targets for carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from tropical deforestation in a future international climate treaty has received increasing attention recently. This attention has been prompted by proposals to this end and more intensified talks on possible commitments for developing countries beyond the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Kyoto Protocol. We analyze four main scientific and political challenges associated with national targets for emissions from tropical deforestation: (1) reducing the uncertainties in emission inventories, (2) preserving the environmental integrity of the treaty, (3) promoting political acceptance and participation in the regime, and (4) providing economic incentives for reduced deforestation. We draw the following conclusions. (1) Although there are large uncertainties in carbon flux from deforestation, these are in the same range as for other emissions included in the current Kyoto protocol (i.e., non-CO₂ GHGs), and they can be reduced. However, for forest degradation processes the uncertainties are larger. A large challenge lies in building competence and institutions for monitoring the full spectrum of land use changes in developing countries. (2 and 3) Setting targets for deforestation is difficult, and uncertainties in future emissions imply a risk of creating ‘tropical hot air’. However, there are proposals that may sufficiently deal with this, and these proposals may also have the advantage of making the targets more attractive, politically speaking. Moreover, we conclude that while a full carbon accounting system will likely be politically unacceptable for tropical countries, the current carbon accounting system should be broadened to include forest degradation in order to safeguard environmental integrity. (4) Doubts can be cast over the possible effect a climate regime alone will have on deforestation rates, though little thorough analysis of this issue has been made.

兰州市城区河道表层沉积物磁性特征研究

通过系统的环境磁学测定,分析了兰州市城区河道表层沉积物的磁学性质及其对城市污染的指示意义.结果表明,兰州市城区河道表层沉积物样品磁性特征以亚铁磁性矿物的磁铁矿为主导,同时存在少量赤铁矿和针铁矿贡献.根据参数χFD、χARM、χFD/MS和χARM/MS所指示的人为活动排放物对不同河段沉积物的贡献量将兰州市河流分为3类:末端集中型(排洪沟、寺儿沟、鱼儿沟、水磨沟),源头集中型(七里河、烂泥沟),影响较小型(罗锅沟、大沙沟).与有机质测量结果比较发现,兰州市河道沉积物样品有机质含量与超顺磁颗粒及单畴晶粒具有十分显著的正相关关系,说明了细颗粒磁性矿物对有机碳的富集作用,显示了超顺磁颗粒及单畴颗粒含量作为兰州市城区河道表层沉积物有机质含量的代用指标具有良好的指示意义.