Improving automobile insurance ratemaking using telematics: incorporating mileage and driver behaviour data

Transportation - We show how data collected from a GPS device can be incorporated in motor insurance ratemaking. The calculation of premium rates based upon driver behaviour represents an...     

并非异想天开

梅赛德斯-奔驰ES F安全概念通往零事故驾驶之路还有多远?汽车技术的不断进步为人们带来了更全面的安全防范措施,随着预防式主动安全技术的应用已经让我们领会到了新一代安全技术的高智能化。     

Exchange of carbon by an upwelling filament off Cape Ghir (NW Africa)

We have studied the physicochemical and biological structure of a permanent filament off Cape Ghir (31°N) and estimated the transport of organic matter associated with it. The seaward filament exported coastal upwelled water, with low temperature and salinity and high organic matter, to the open ocean even in the absence of upwelling-favorable conditions. The estimated flux of excess organic carbon (the nonrefractory pool) expressed in annual basis yielded a value of 3.1×10⁹ kg C, from which 90% was transported as dissolved organic carbon. This flux represents about 63% of the average annual primary production for the region of study. We conclude that the net-offshore transport may contribute to the enrichment of offshore oligotrophic waters throughout the year, partly explaining the metabolic imbalance found in open ocean waters of the subtropical Northeast Atlantic.     

Variability of the shelf water off the northeast Spanish coast

During the seasonal stratification of 1983 and 1984, intensive sampling of the shelf region of the northeast Spanish coast was carried out. This unique dataset is used to define the most salient features of the shelf water dynamics. We show that region has a strong spatial and temporal variability associated with the southward spreading of continental waters from the Rhone river, in the northern gulf of Lyons. Southward spreading begins in early spring and was particularly obvious during June 1983 when strong horizontal density gradients were observed. Spreading almost completely disappears in August when observed upper layer salinities are uniform. We also show that significant shelf/slope water exchange takes place associated with the abrupt topographic canyons found in the region. In particular we observed in June 1983 a small positive geostrophic vorticity region at the Palamós canyon while a larger anticyclonic eddy was observed over the shelf south of this canyon. The biological implications of these two features have been demonstrated. We conclude indicating that in this region where no dominant winds exist, the shelf water dynamics is dominated by the southward spreading of low salinity continental waters and by the intrusion of high salinity open ocean water through submarine canyons.     

The relationship between instrumental, symbolic and affective factors as predictors of car use: A structural equation modeling approach

Traditionally, urban mobility has been studied from the utilitarian or practical viewpoint, focusing on instrumental motivations and ignoring symbolic and affective aspects that may play a relevant role. The purpose of this work is to analyze from a psychosocial perspective the influence of symbolic, affective, and instrumental motivations on the frequency of car use, taking into account diverse reasons for traveling. From a sample of the Spanish population, participants were 284 people (50.3% female), with a driver’s license, car owners and residents in cities of various sizes, who completed an anonymous questionnaire. The effect of each type of variable was estimated by a structural equation model. Results indicate that people’s affective link with their private vehicle explains 12% of frequency of car use, as a latent variable of different kinds of trips: visiting friends or relatives, going to work or to a study center, going shopping, or to leisure areas. The instrumental advantages associated with cars and thinking that it expresses one’s status predict the affective link with the car. These findings corroborate the relevance of the non-instrumental aspects involved in the selection of the means of transportation.