Overestimation of self-reported driving exposure: Results from the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study

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.     

Coat color polymorphism in populations of the northern mole vole in the Ural Region

Collections made in the course of long-term field studies on ecology of the northern mole vole Ellobius talpinus Pall. in the Ural Region and neighboring areas (more than 2000 individuals from 24 points of the species range) were used to analyze geographic variation in its coat color (color morphs). On the basis of long-term observations (1985–1999) on marked animals from a polymorphic population (Kurtamyshskii raion, Kurgan oblast), the life spans of males and females and the dependence of life span on population density and structure were estimated in animals of different color morphs. Each color morph of E. talpinus was shown to have specific features of the seasonal dynamics of age structure and migrations.     

Fluctuations of Population Size and Structure in the Northern Mole Vole: Preliminary Analysis

Long-term stationary studies on the ecology of the northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus Pall.), performed by the mark–recapture method from 1985 to 1997, have provided original data on population dynamics and structure. The analysis shows that, to reveal cyclic fluctuations of population size in this species, the period of three years should be taken as a unit of time for estimating the duration of one phase. The 12-year population cycle in E. talpinus has four distinct phases: an increase, a peak, a decline, and a minimum. At each phase, the population is characterized by certain features of family structure, age composition, birth and death rates, and the composition of migrants.     

Recent advances in catalytic decomposition of ozone

Ozone (O₃), as a harmful air pollutant, has been of wide concern. Safe, efficient, and economical O₃ removal methods urgently need to be developed. Catalytic decomposition is the most promising method for O₃ removal, especially at room temperature or even subzero temperatures. Great efforts have been made to develop high-efficiency catalysts for O₃ decomposition that can operate at low temperatures, high space velocity and high humidity. First, this review describes the general reaction mechanism of O₃ decomposition on noble metal and transition metal oxide catalysts. Then, progress on the O₃ decomposition performance of various catalysts in the past 30 years is summarized in detail. The main focus is the O₃ decomposition performance of manganese oxides, which are divided into supported manganese oxides and non-supported manganese oxides. Methods to improve the activity, stability, and humidity resistance of manganese oxide catalysts for O₃ decomposition are also summarized. The deactivation mechanisms of manganese oxides under dry and humid conditions are discussed. The O₃ decomposition performance of monolithic catalysts is also summarized from the perspective of industrial applications. Finally, the future development directions and prospects of O₃ catalytic decomposition technology are put forward.     

大连市居民头发典型重金属富集特征研究

测定了大连市居民102份头发样品中Pb、Cd、Hg、As等重金属含量,评估了其暴露风险,并对头发中重金属的含量与年龄、性别的关系进行了分析.结果表明,大连市居民头发中Pb、Cd、Hg、As含量均低于中国居民头发中重金属的建议正常值上限,4种重金属暴露风险较低.男性头发中Cd、Pb和As的平均含量明显高于女性(p0.05),其中As平均含量差异达到极显著水平(p0.01).PCA分析显示样本分布集中在第一排序轴和第二排序轴中间,表明性别并不是影响头发中重金属含量的主要因素.19～35岁年龄组居民头发中Cd和Pb含量最高,且均与56～75岁年龄组呈现显著差异(p0.05);As和Hg在56～75岁年龄组居民头发中含量最高,与其它组比较均达到了显著水平(p0.05).PCA和Pearson分析表明4种重金属间相关性较好,大连市居民对4种重金属暴露途径基本相同.     

铜陵石炭纪威宁期沉积相及与黄铁矿矿床的关系

铜陵地区石炭纪威宁期存在潮坪相,泻湖相和浅海陆棚相。白云岩有两种,准同生白云岩分布于潮坪,成岩白云岩分布于泻湖内,本区以成岩白云岩为主。白云岩中赋存了层位稳定的黄铁矿矿床,黄铁矿在泻湖相最易富集,成岩作用是黄铁矿矿床形成的一个重要因素。     

辽宁省白石水库环境工程地质问题综述

白石水库位于辽宁省北票市上园乡附近的大凌河干流上,是大凌河流域第一期开发的控制性骨干工程，水库建成后，将产生许多环境工程地质问题。从库坝区的地质背景出发，对水库渗漏、库岸再造与泥沙淤积、淹没与浸没、水库诱发地震、坝下冲刷坑稳定性等主要环境工程地质问题进行了综合评述。