Objectives: The accuracy of self-reported driving exposure has questioned the validity of using self-reported mileage to inform research questions. Studies examining the accuracy of self-reported driving exposure compared to objective measures find low validity, with drivers overestimating and underestimating driving distance. The aims of the current study were to (1) examine the discrepancy between self-reported annual mileage and driving exposure the following year and (2) investigate whether these differences depended on age and annual mileage.
Methods: Two estimates of drivers’ self-reported annual mileage collected during vehicle installation (obtained via prestudy questionnaires) and approximated annual mileage driven (based upon Global Positioning System data) were acquired from 3,323 participants who participated in the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Naturalistic Driving Study.
Results: A Wilcoxon signed rank test showed that there was a significant difference between self-reported and annual driving exposure during participation in SHRP 2, with the majority of self-reported responses overestimating annual mileage the following year, irrespective of whether an ordinal or ratio variable was examined. Over 15% of participants provided self-reported responses with over 100% deviation, which were exclusive to participants underestimating annual mileage. Further, deviations in reporting differed between participants who had low, medium, and high exposure, as well as between participants in different age groups.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that although self-reported annual mileage is heavily relied on for research, such estimates of driving distance may be an overestimate of current or future mileage and can influence the validity of prior research that has utilized estimates of driving exposure. 相似文献
Cultural heritage is being addressed by a number of charters and conventions and it is clear that its consideration within decision-making processes is progressively becoming a real challenge, both for developers and public authorities. Against this background, this paper reviews the environmental assessment framework developed by the European Community, as this should increasingly influence decision making about cultural heritage in an urban setting. The legislative framework for access to environmental information is also reviewed because of its relevance to the decision-making process.The Directives on Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment both require a consideration of cultural heritage in decision making. This requirement can go some way to addressing the paradox in the European Community's position whereby the community wishes to conserve and enhance its own cultural identity whilst, at the same time, cultural heritage is usually defined at a local level. The present paper suggests that, given their flexibility, the two European Community directives on environmental assessment constitute a promising opportunity to address this seeming paradox, but that there is a significant gap between legal obligations and the methodological tools to meet them. 相似文献
This article reviews the application of environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures and practices to three watershed
modification projects situaled in western Canada. These ventures were justified for accelerating regional economic development,
and cover the period during which public concerns for protecting the environment rapidly made their way into the national
political agenda. An historical account and analysis of the situation, therefore, seems desirable in order to understand the
development of EIA processes, practices, and methodologies since the start of construction of the first project in 1961. This
study concludes that there has been good progress in predicting and evaluating environmental and related social impacts of
watershed modification proposals. However, a number of obstacles need to be overcome before EIA can firmly establish itself
as an effective planning tool. These difficulties include jurisdictional confusions and conflicts, division of authority and
responsibility in designing and implementing appropriate mitigative and monitoring measures, lack of tested EIA methodologies,
and limited availability of qualified human resources. A number of conclusions and suggestions are offered so that future
watershed modification proposals may be planned and implemented in a more environmentally sustainable fashion. These include:
(1) EIA processes must be completed before irrevocable decisions are made. (2) Any major intrusion into a watershed is likely
to impact on some major components of the ecosystem(s). (3) Mitigation costs must form part of the benefit-cost analysis of
any project proposal. (4) Interjurisdictional cooperation is imperative where watersheds cross political boundaries. (5) The
EIA process is a public process, hence public concerns must be dealt with fairly. (6) The role of science in the EIA process
must be at arms length from project proponents and regulators, and allowed to function in the interest of the protection of
the environment and public health and safety.
The views expressed here are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of FEARO and/or other government agencies
and officials involved in the review of these projects. 相似文献
This paper provides an introduction to some of the fundamental principles and approaches in environmental economics which
are of significance to achieving an integrated sustainability science. The concept of a circular economy, introduced by the
late David Pearce in 1990, addresses the interlinkages of the four economic functions of the environment. The environment
not only provides amenity values, in addition to being a resource base and a sink for economic activities, it is also a fundamental
life-support system. Environmental economists have suggested that, taking these four functions as an analytical starting point,
unpriced or underpriced services should be internalised in the economy. In Europe significant advances have been achieved
in the pricing of externalities by means of truly interdisciplinary analysis which accounts in detail for the environmental
consequences. The monetary estimates reached as a result of such interdisciplinary research are gradually being applied to
the economic analysis of environmental policy priorities. Although such figures provide only a partial and incomplete picture
of the environmental costs at stake, they support and inform the analysis of the virtues of a circular economy for individual
resources as well as for sustainability as a future trajectory. 相似文献
/ Why are some environmental risks distributed disproportionately in the neighborhoods of the minorities and the poor? A hypothesis was proposed in a recent study that market dynamics contributed to the current environmental inequity. That is, locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) make the host communities home to more poor people and people of color. This hypothesis was allegedly supported by a Houston case study, whereby its author analyzed the postsiting changes of the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods surrounding solid waste facilities. I argue that such an analysis of postsiting changes alone is insufficient to test the causation hypothesis. Instead, I propose a conceptual framework for analysis of environmental equity dynamics and causation. I suggest that the presiting neighborhood dynamics and the characteristics of control neighborhoods be analyzed as the first test for the causation hypothesis. Furthermore, I present theories of neighborhood change and then examine alternative hypotheses that these theories offer for explaining neighborhood changes and for the roles of LULUs in neighborhood changes. These alternative hypotheses should be examined when analyzing the relationship between LULUs and neighborhood changes in a metropolitan area. Using this framework of analysis, I revisited the Houston case. First, I found no evidence that provided support for the hypothesis that the presence of LULUs made the neighborhoods home to more blacks and poor people, contrary to the conclusion made by the previous study. Second, I examined alternative hypotheses for explaining neighborhood changes-invasion-succession, other push forces, and neighborhood life-cycle; the former two might offer better explanation.KEY WORDS: Environmental equity and justice; Locally unwanted lane uses; Siting; Market dynamics; Invasion-succession; Neighborhood changes 相似文献
Released Ag ions or/and Ag particles are believed to contribute to the cytotoxicity of Ag nanomaterials, and thus, the cytotoxicity and mechanism of Ag nanomaterials should be dynamic in water due to unfixed Ag particle:Ag+ ratios. Our recent research found that the cytotoxicity of PVP-Ag nanoparticles is attributable to Ag particles alone in 3 hr bioassays, and shifts to both Ag particles and released Ag+ in 48 hr bioassays. Herein, as a continued study, the cytotoxicity and accumulation of 50 and 100 nm Ag colloids in Escherichia coli were determined dynamically. The cytotoxicity and mechanisms of nano-Ag colloids are dynamic throughout exposure and are derived from both Ag ions and particles. Ag accumulation by E. coli is derived mainly from extracellular Ag particles during the initial 12 hr of exposure, and thereafter mainly from intracellular Ag ions. Fe3+ accelerates the oxidative dissolution of nano-Ag colloids, which results in decreasing amounts of Ag particles and particle-related toxicity. Na+ stabilizes nano-Ag colloids, thereby decreasing the bioavailability of Ag particles and particle-related toxicity. Humic acid (HA) binds Ag+ to form Ag+-HA, decreasing ion-related toxicity and binding to the E. coli surface, decreasing particle-related toxicity. HA in complex conditions showed a stronger relative contribution to toxicity and accumulation than Na+ or Fe3+. The results highlighted the cytotoxicity and mechanism of nano-Ag colloids are dynamic and affected by environmental factors, and therefore exposure duration and water chemistry should be seriously considered in environmental and health risk assessments. 相似文献