The effects of porosity,asphalt content and fiberglass incorporation on the tensile strength and resilient modulus of asphalt concrete blends

Asphalt concrete is the prevailing material used for road surface construction. Its adequate characteristics in providing stability, durability and driving safety are controlled by complex interactions between its components. Thus, it is important to estimate the sensitivity of asphalt concrete mechanical properties as a function of its volumetrics. For this study, different combinations between asphalt content (3.5, 5 and 7.5%) and porosity values (above 4%) were used in order to disassociate these properties. The influence of mixing in fiberglass (0.5%) was also analyzed. It was found that porosity is significantly more relevant than the asphalt content in the prediction of tensile strength and resilient modulus of fiber-free asphalt concretes. In fiber-reinforced mixtures, the mechanical properties are improved by increasing the asphalt content, which suggests a better bonding between fibers and aggregates. For both cases, decreasing porosity is beneficial. By grouping both sets of results, it was possible to create a unique theoretical curve for both the tensile strength (q_t) and the resilient modulus (RM). The RM/q_t ratio was 5800 for the fiber-free group, and 3900 for the fiber-reinforced group - suggesting a better fatigue life indicator for asphalt concretes when fibers are added.     

Social impact assessment of investment activities in the China–Pakistan economic corridor

In order to analyze potential social risks, and achieve smooth implementation of investment activities in the China–Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC), we attempt to establish social impact and risk indicators. Both the impacts on the projects and the impacts of the projects are used to develop risk indicators in accordance with the literature review, reality and international standard principles. Using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and average value to analyze questionnaires of both Chinese and Pakistani respondents, we identify the importance of various risk indicators. The primary social risks of the western high mountain region include tribal obstacles and religious extremism. The social risks to the southeast coastal plains include preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the area and international protection of national parks. The social risks in north Kashmir include disputes, extremist threats, religious and cultural differences, and the protection of natural reserves. The social risks of the Xinjiang region primarily involve social issues faced by ethnic minorities and environmental pressures.     

The driver,the road,the rules … and the rest? A systems-based approach to young driver road safety

The persistent overrepresentation of young drivers in road crashes is universally recognised. A multitude of factors influencing their behaviour and safety have been identified through methods including crash analyses, simulated and naturalistic driving studies, and self-report measures. Across the globe numerous, diverse, countermeasures have been implemented; the design of the vast majority of these has been informed by a driver-centric approach. An alternative approach gaining popularity in transport safety is the systems approach which considers not only the characteristics of the individual, but also the decisions and actions of other actors within the road transport system, along with the interactions amongst them. This paper argues that for substantial improvements to be made in young driver road safety, what has been learnt from driver-centric research needs to be integrated into a systems approach, thus providing a holistic appraisal of the young driver road safety problem. Only then will more effective opportunities and avenues for intervention be realised.     

Optimizing horizontal alignment of roads in a specified corridor

Finding an optimal alignment connecting two end-points in a specified corridor is a complex problem that requires solving three interrelated sub-problems, namely the horizontal alignment, vertical alignment and earthwork optimization problems. In this research, we developed a novel bi-level optimization model combining those three problems. In the outer level of the model, we optimize the horizontal alignment and in the inner level of the model a vertical alignment optimization problem considering earthwork allocation is solved for a fixed horizontal alignment. Derivative-free optimization algorithms are used to solve the outer problem. The result of our model gives an optimal horizontal alignment in the form of a linear-circular curve and an optimal vertical alignment in the form of a quadratic spline. Our model is tested on real-life data. The numerical results show that our approach improves the road alignment designed by civil engineers by 27% on average, resulting in potentially millions of dollars of savings.     

Seasonal hydrological and nutrient loading forecasts for watersheds over the Southeastern United States

We show useful seasonal deterministic and probabilistic prediction skill of streamflow and nutrient loading over watersheds in the Southeastern United States (SEUS) for the winter and spring seasons. The study accounts for forecast uncertainties stemming from the meteorological forcing and hydrological model uncertainty. Multi-model estimation from three hydrological models, each forced with an ensemble of forcing derived by matching observed analogues of forecasted quartile rainfall anomalies from a seasonal climate forecast is used. The attained useful hydrological prediction skill is despite the climate model overestimating rainfall by over 23% over these SEUS watersheds in December–May period. The prediction skill in the month of April and May is deteriorated as compared to the period from December–March (zero lead forecast). A nutrient streamflow rating curve is developed using a log linear tool for this purpose. The skill in the prediction of seasonal nutrient loading is identical to the skill of seasonal streamflow forecast.     

Can child-pedestrians’ hazard perception skills be enhanced?

ObjectiveTraffic collisions yield a substantial rate of morbidity and injury among child-pedestrians. We explored the formation of an innovative hazard perception training intervention – Child-pedestrians Anticipate and Act Hazard Perception Training (CA²HPT). Training was based upon enhancing participants’ ability to anticipate potential hazards by exposing them to an array of traffic scenes viewed from different angles.MethodTwenty-four 7–9-year-olds have participated. Trainees underwent a 40-min intervention of observing typical residential traffic scenarios in a simulated dome projection environment while engaging in a hazard detection task. Trainees were encouraged to note differences between the scenarios presented to them from separate angles (a pedestrian's point-of-view and a higher perspective angle). Next, trainees and control group members were required to perform crossing decision tasks.ResultsTrainees were found to be more aware of potential hazards related to restricted field of view relative to control.ConclusionsChild pedestrians are responsive to training and actively detecting materialized hazards may enrich child-pedestrians’ ability to cross roads.     

Profiling drunk driving recidivists in Denmark

Drunk drivers are a menace to themselves and to other road users, as drunk driving significantly increases the risk of involvement in road accidents and the probability of severe or fatal injuries. Although injuries and fatalities related to road accidents have decreased in recent decades, the prevalence of drunk driving among drivers killed in road accidents has remained stable, at around 25% or more during the past 10 years. Understanding drunk driving, and in particular, recidivism, is essential for designing effective countermeasures, and accordingly, the present study aims at identifying the differences between non-drunk drivers, drunk driving non-recidivists and drunk driving recidivists with respect to their demographic and socio-economic characteristics, road accident involvement and other traffic and non-traffic-related law violations. This study is based on register-data from Statistics Denmark and includes information from 2008 to 2012 for the entire population, aged 18 or older, of Denmark. The results from univariate and multivariate statistical analyses reveal a five year prevalence of 17% for drunk driving recidivism, and a significant relation between recidivism and the drunk drivers’ gender, age, income, education, receipt of an early retirement pension, household type, and residential area. Moreover, recidivists are found to have a higher involvement in alcohol-related road accidents, as well as other traffic and, in particular, non-traffic-related offences. These findings indicate that drunk driving recidivism is more likely to occur among persons who are in situations of socio-economic disadvantage and marginalisation. Thus, to increase their effectiveness, preventive measures aiming to reduce drunk driving should also address issues related to the general life situations of the drunk driving recidivists that contribute to an increased risk of drunk driving recidivism.     

水泥稳定碎石基层的施工质量控制

概述了水泥稳定碎石基层的特点.从材料、配合比以及施工等方面,论述了水泥稳定碎石基层的施工质量控制措施.     

美国水文地质调查发展历程及启示

美国水文地质调查经历了100多年的发展,在该领域长期居于国际领先地位,影响和引导了国际水文地质学的发展方向。本文通过梳理美国水文地质调查发展的主要脉络,揭示了美国经济社会发展和水文地质调查之间的内在关系,总结了不同经济社会发展阶段水文地质调查的发展特点。在分析美国水文地质调查发展正反两方面经验的基础上,提出了对我国水文地质调查工作的启示:把握经济社会需求,推进水文地质调查基础工作;加强地下水保护,遏制地下水环境恶化趋势;加快有害废物地质隔离和地下水污染治理技术的研究;建立高效的调查成果服务机制;推进地下水资源和地表水资源一体调查。