Potential benefits of an adaptive forward collision warning system

Forward collision warning (FCW) systems can reduce rear-end vehicle collisions. However, if the presentation of warnings is perceived as mistimed, trust in the system is diminished and drivers become less likely to respond appropriately. In this driving simulator investigation, 45 drivers experienced two FCW systems: a non-adaptive and an adaptive FCW that adjusted the timing of its alarms according to each individual driver’s reaction time. Whilst all drivers benefited in terms of improved safety from both FCW systems, non-aggressive drivers (low sensation seeking, long followers) did not display a preference to the adaptive FCW over its non-adaptive equivalent. Furthermore, there was little evidence to suggest that the non-aggressive drivers’ performance differed with either system. Benefits of the adaptive system were demonstrated for aggressive drivers (high sensation seeking, short followers). Even though both systems reduced their likelihood of a crash to a similar extent, the aggressive drivers rated each FCW more poorly than their non-aggressive contemporaries. However, this group, with their greater risk of involvement in rear-end collisions, reported a preference for the adaptive system as they found it less irritating and stress-inducing. Achieving greater acceptance and hence likely use of a real system is fundamental to good quality FCW design.     

微型实验室

对制药公司来说，重组细胞药物靶点的表达和纯化是一项很有挑战性的任务。由于此药物涉及范围广及其高流通量，焦点通常集中在核心设备上。为了筛选靶点，需要大量的高纯度蛋白质，以便在药物发现期间，可进行功能分析或者利用结晶学进行结构研究。与生物制药学一样，蛋白质变得越来越重要，对其需求也越来越多。     

Evaluating the effectiveness of a smartphone speed limit advisory application: An on-road study in Port-Harcourt,Nigeria

The development of mobile phone applications that provide speed limit advice and warnings offers opportunities for use of the technology in the improvement of driver safety. This paper looks at the effect of an advisory Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) application on driver speeding behaviour. Twenty participants (all males within the age range of 35–60 years) completed a within-group experimental design. Participants drove in real traffic on a 46 km test route which incorporated three-speed limits zones (50 km/h, 60 km/h, and 80 km/h speed limits) and aggregated into 10 different segments. Compared with baseline levels, possible impacts of ISA system functionalities on driver behaviour were studied through appropriate metrics including cumulative speed distribution, mean speed, speed deviation, 85th percentile speed, percentage distanced travelled above the speed limit, and safety benefit estimation. Results indicated the use of the ISA application led to significant improvement in speed limit compliance particularly in the 60 km/h and 80 km/h zones where speeding was eliminated. There were no observed negative effects on driver speeding behaviour from the use of the system. In general, the findings suggest the use of the ISA system, resulted in the adoption of vehicle speeds that are likely to improve road safety.