An analysis of the determinants of children’s weekend physical activity participation

This paper examines the out-of-home, weekend, time-use patterns of children aged 5–17 years, with a specific emphasis on their physical activity participation. The impact of several types of factors, including individual and household demographics, neighborhood demographics, built environment characteristics, and activity day variables, on physical activity participation is analyzed using a joint nested multiple discrete–continuous extreme value-binary choice model. The sample for analysis is drawn from the 2000 San Francisco Bay Area Travel Survey. The model developed in the paper can be used to assess the impacts of changing demographics and built environment characteristics on children’s physical activity levels.     

Modeling household interactions in daily in-home and out-of-home maintenance activity participation

The activity travel patterns of individuals in a household are inter-related, and the realistic modeling of activity-travel behavior requires that these interdependencies be explicitly accommodated. This paper examines household interactions impacting weekday in-home and out-of-home maintenance activity generation in active, nuclear family, households. The in-home maintenance activity generation is modeled by examining the duration invested by the male and female household heads in household chores using a seemingly unrelated regression modeling system. The out-of-home maintenance activity generation is modeled in terms of the decision of the household to undertake shopping, allocation of the task to one or both household heads, and the duration of shopping for the person(s) allocated the responsibility. A joint mixed-logit hazard-duration model structure is developed and applied to the modeling of out-of-home maintenance activity generation. The results indicate that traditional gender roles continue to exist and, in particular, non-working women are more likely to share a large burden of the household maintenance tasks. The model for out-of-home maintenance activity generation indicates that joint activity participation in the case of shopping is motivated by resource (automobiles) constraints. Finally, women who have a higher propensity to shop are also found to be inherently more efficient shoppers.     

Time windows in workers' activity patterns: Empirical evidence from the Netherlands

This paper assumes that activities at the home and work location are important determinants of individuals' paths through time and space. Fixed activities at these locations determine to a large extent the duration and timing of time windows – blocks of time available for participation in travel and out-of-home non-work activities. Taking the time spent at home and at the workplace as a starting point, this paper classifies activity patterns on workdays into six groups with distinct home- and work-stay patterns. For this, data are used from the 1998 Netherlands National Travel Survey. The six clusters vary in terms of the duration and timing of time windows and some of the differences can be explained by commute characteristics, types of non-work activities performed, workers' sociodemographic attributes, and their spatiotemporal environment. However, the impact of sociodemographic and spatiotemporal variables on cluster membership is shown to be weak.     

大鼠海马神经元自发放电对皮下注射福尔马林的反应

采用玻璃微电极细胞外记录法，观察了清醒完整大鼠海马神经元自发放电对皮下注射福尔马林的反应。结呆显示，在海马CA2／CA3区可记录到痛兴奋、痛抑制和非痛敏三种神经元。同侧前爪皮下注射福尔马林后，痛兴奋神经元的自发放电显著增多，而痛抑制神经元的自发放电显著减少，这种变化在给予福尔马林后30min左右达到最大值，在60min左右恢复到对照水平；但在给予福尔马林后，非痛敏神经元的自发放电无明显变化。以上实验结果提供了在福尔马林痛模型中，海马在痛感受或痛反应过程中发挥一定作用的电生理证据。     

华北高速公路交通事故的日迹变化与气象要素的关联分析

通过整理华北高速公路3年(2007年3月～2010年2月)逐时的交通事故资料,并与同步气象要素资料进行日迹变化分析,可以看到平均交通事故的日迹变化呈双峰型分布特征。由此,按交通事故双峰型的时间段(5:00～12:00和13:00～次日4:00),分别以年度、春季、夏季、秋季和冬季的平均交通事故与同步气象要素的日迹变化进行相关分析,其中平均气温、平均风速和平均相对湿度与交通事故的相关程度都通过了相应的统计学检验(R>Rα=0.05和F>Fα=0.05),而且在夏季5:00～12:00的交通事故高峰过程中,交通事故与风速呈指数相关的系数高达0.992 3,相当于平均风速每减小1m.s-1,交通事故的增加幅度为0.28次。为将自动气象监测的信息更好地服务于高速公路的交通安全,设计出了高速公路交通事故的气象风险等级指标。由此可见,华北高速公路交通事故的日迹变化与气象要素的分析成果,可为高速公路交通安全提供客观的科学依据。     

突破中国口音--对李阳疯狂英语发音突破的几点质疑

对李阳先生倡导五大发音秘诀提出了质疑 ,并通过比较英汉两种语音体系的特点和区别 ,阐述了两种语音系统在音位、声调、语调、节奏和音渡的区别 ,从而找出“中国式口音”的症结所在并提出建议 .李阳先生所倡导的五大发音秘诀无法从根本上摆脱“中国式口音     

Impact of Everyday Weather on Individual Daily Travel Behaviours in Perspective: A Literature Review

Despite the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on infrastructure development -- from roads, rail and airports to energy extraction and power networks to the Internet -- surprisingly little reliable knowledge exists about the performance of these investments in terms of actual costs, benefits and risks. This paper presents results from the first statistically significant study of cost performance in transport infrastructure projects. The sample used is the largest of its kind, covering 258 projects in 20 nations worth approximately US$90 billion (constant 1995 prices). The paper shows with overwhelming statistical significance that in terms of costs transport infrastructure projects do not perform as promised. The conclusion is tested for different project types, different geographical regions and different historical periods. Substantial cost escalation is the rule rather than the exception. For rail, average cost escalation is 45% (SD=38), for fixed links (tunnels and bridges) it is 34% (62) and for roads 20% (30). Cost escalation appears a global phenomenon, existing across 20 nations on five continents. Cost estimates have not improved and cost escalation not decreased over the past 70 years. Cost estimates used in decision-making for transport infrastructure development are highly, systematically and significantly misleading. Large cost escalations combined with large standard deviations translate into large financial risks. However, such risks are typically ignored or underplayed in decision-making, to the detriment of social and economic welfare.     

英、汉谚语韵律构建对比

汉、英谚语除了其深刻的内涵共性外,皆具优美和谐的韵律美感．不同语言的语音系统各不相同．对比研究英、汉两种语言的韵律特色,可以使读者更好地掌握,学习和赏析英语语言,密切语言之间的内在含接．     

电针联合扶正理气合剂对大鼠肝癌生长及转移的影响及相关机制

目的观察电针联合扶正理气合剂对大鼠肝癌生长及转移的影响并探讨其作用机制。方法雄性Wistar大鼠200只,随机分为5组。以二乙基亚硝胺(DEN)灌胃诱导大鼠肝癌模型,电针组造模同时给予电针足三里、关元、内关、三阴交、肝俞穴治疗,扶正理气合剂组给予扶正理气合剂灌胃,针药联合组则予上述电针和扶正理气合剂治疗,共16周。造模16周后处死大鼠取肝脏组织标本,肉眼及光镜下观察肿瘤生长和转移情况;免疫组化法测定肝组织NF-κB活性及微血管密度(MVD),RT-PCR法检测肝组织中转化生长因子β1(TGF-β1)mRNA及血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)mRNA表达,放射免疫法测定肝组织活性氧(ROS)、抗氧化能力(T-AOC)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性、脂质过氧化产物(LPO)含量。结果与正常对照组比较,模型组大鼠的肿瘤生长和转移参数、ROS、LPO含量、NF-κB活性、TGF-β1 mRNA、VEGF mRNA、MVD表达显著增加(P<0.01),而T-AOC、SOD、GSH-Px、CAT活性明显下降(P<0.01);与模型组比较,各治疗组大鼠的肿瘤生长和转移参数、ROS、LPO含量、NF-κB活性、TGF-β1mRNA、VEGF mRNA及MVD表达显著下降,而T-AOC、SOD、GSH-Px、CAT活性明显上升(P<0.01),联合治疗组上述指标优于其他治疗组(P<0.05)。NF-κB活性与TGF-β1mRNA及VEGF mRNA呈正相关关系(r1=0.554,P<0.05;r2=0.572,P<0.05)。结论电针和扶正理气合剂均能显著降低实验性肝癌大鼠的NF-κB活性、TGF-β1mRNA及VEGF mRNA及MVD表达,从而降低肿瘤生长和转移参数,这与其清除自由基有密切关系。