The Fundamental Diagram of Pedestrian Movement Revisited

The empirical relation between density and velocity of pedestrian movement is not completely analyzed, particularly with regard to the `microscopic' causes which determine the relation at medium and high densities. The simplest system for the investigation of this dependency is the normal movement of pedestrians along a line (single-file movement). This article presents experimental results for this system under laboratory conditions and discusses the following observations: The data show a linear relation between the velocity and the inverse of the density, which can be regarded as the required length of one pedestrian to move. Furthermore we compare the results for the single-file movement with literature data for the movement in a plane. This comparison shows an unexpected conformance between the fundamental diagrams, indicating that lateral interference has negligible influence on the velocity-density relation at the density domain $1 m^{-2}<\rho<5 m^{-2}$. In addition we test a procedure for automatic recording of pedestrian flow characteristics. We present preliminary results on measurement range and accuracy of this method.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Establishment of a human cell-based in vitro battery to assess developmental neurotoxicity hazard of chemicals

Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is a major safety concern for all chemicals of the human exposome. However, DNT data from animal studies are available for only a small percentage of manufactured compounds. Test methods with a higher throughput than current regulatory guideline methods, and with improved human relevance are urgently needed. We therefore explored the feasibility of DNT hazard assessment based on new approach methods (NAMs). An in vitro battery (IVB) was assembled from ten individual NAMs that had been developed during the past years to probe effects of chemicals on various fundamental neurodevelopmental processes. All assays used human neural cells at different developmental stages. This allowed us to assess disturbances of: (i) proliferation of neural progenitor cells (NPC); (ii) migration of neural crest cells, radial glia cells, neurons and oligodendrocytes; (iii) differentiation of NPC into neurons and oligodendrocytes; and (iv) neurite outgrowth of peripheral and central neurons. In parallel, cytotoxicity measures were obtained. The feasibility of concentration-dependent screening and of a reliable biostatistical processing of the complex multi-dimensional data was explored with a set of 120 test compounds, containing subsets of pre-defined positive and negative DNT compounds. The battery provided alerts (hit or borderline) for 24 of 28 known toxicants (82% sensitivity), and for none of the 17 negative controls. Based on the results from this screen project, strategies were developed on how IVB data may be used in the context of risk assessment scenarios employing integrated approaches for testing and assessment (IATA).European Food Safety Authority (EFSA-Q-2018-00308), the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Denmark, under the grant number MST-667-00205, the State Ministry of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism (NAM-Accept), the project CERST (Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing) of the Ministry for culture and science of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany (file number 233–1.08.03.03- 121972/131–1.08.03.03–121972), the European Chemical Industry Council Long-Range Research Initiative (Cefic LRI) under the project name AIMT11 and the BMBF (NeuroTool). It has also received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreements No. 964537 (RISK-HUNT3R), No. 964518 (ToxFree), No. 101057014 (PARC) and No. 825759 (ENDpoiNTs)

The impact of biostatistics on hazard characterization using in vitro developmental neurotoxicity assays

Data availability: The raw data of this study was submitted to the US-EPA and published via the ToxCast database assessable via this link: https://clowder.edap-cluster.com/spaces/62bb560ee4b07abf29f88fefCopyright © The Authors 2023. In chemical safety assessment, benchmark concentrations (BMC) and their associated uncertainty are needed for the toxicological evaluation of in vitro data sets. A BMC estimation is derived from concentration-response modelling and results from various statistical decisions, which depend on factors such as experimental design and assay endpoint features. In current data practice, the experimenter is often responsible for the data analysis and therefore relies on statistical software often without being aware of the software default settings and how they can impact the outputs of data analysis. To provide more insight into how statistical decision-making can influence the outcomes of data analysis and interpretation, we have developed an automatic platform that includes statistical methods for BMC estimation, a novel endpoint-specific hazard classification system, and routines that flag data sets that are outside the applicability domain for an automatic data evaluation. We used case studies on a large dataset produced by a developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) in vitro battery (DNT IVB). Here we focused on the BMC and its confidence interval (CI) estimation as well as on final hazard classification. We identified five crucial statistical decisions the experimenter must make during data analysis: choice of replicate averaging, response data normalization, regression modelling, BMC and CI estimation, and choice of benchmark response levels. The insights gained in are intended to raise more awareness among experimenters on the importance of statistical decisions and methods but also to demonstrate how important fit-for-purpose, internationally harmonized and accepted data evaluation and analysis procedures are for objective hazard classification.This work was supported by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA- Q - 2018 – 00308), the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the grant number MST-667-00205 and the project CERST (Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing) of the Ministry for culture and science of the state North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany (file number 233- 1.08.03.03- 121972/131 – 1.08.03.03 – 121972). Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) - 417677437/GRK2578

How the OH reactivity affects the ozone production efficiency: case studies in Beijing and Heshan, China

Total OH reactivity measurements were conducted on the Peking University campus (Beijing) in August 2013 and in Heshan (Guangdong province) from October to November 2014. The daily median OH reactivity was 20 ± 11 s^(−1) in Beijing and 31 ± 20 s^(−1) in Heshan, respectively. The data in Beijing showed a distinct diurnal pattern with the maxima over 27 s^(−1) in the early morning and minima below 16 s^(−1) in the afternoon. The diurnal pattern in Heshan was not as evident as in Beijing. Missing reactivity, defined as the difference between measured and calculated OH reactivity, was observed at both sites, with 21 % missing reactivity in Beijing and 32 % missing reactivity in Heshan. Unmeasured primary species, such as branched alkenes, could contribute to missing reactivity in Beijing, especially during morning rush hours. An observation-based model with the RACM2 (Regional Atmospheric Chemical Mechanism version 2) was used to understand the daytime missing reactivity in Beijing by adding unmeasured oxygenated volatile organic compounds and simulated intermediates of the degradation from primary volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the model could not find a convincing explanation for the missing reactivity in Heshan, where the ambient air was found to be more aged, and the missing reactivity was presumably attributed to oxidized species, such as unmeasured aldehydes, acids and dicarbonyls. The ozone production efficiency was 21 % higher in Beijing and 30 % higher in Heshan when the model was constrained by the measured reactivity, compared to the calculations with measured and modeled species included, indicating the importance of quantifying the OH reactivity for better understanding ozone chemistry

Sicherung von Dämmen, Deichen und Stauanlagen : Handbuch für Theorie und Praxis ; Vol. V - 2015

Die Universität Siegen beschäftigt sich seit über 15 Jahren wissenschaftlich und im Bereich der anwendungsorientierten Forschung mit diesem Thema und hat dazu mittlerweile fünf Symposien durchgeführt. Mit der Veröffentlichung soll die langjährige Tradition als etablierte wissenschaftliche Plattform mit einem Wissensaustausch auf europäischer Ebene fortgesetzt werden. Die Bearbeitung dieser Thematik erfolgt auf der Basis der bewährten Kooperation zwischen Geotechnik und Wasserbau an der Universität Siegen. Aktuelle Ereignisse, wie z.B. die aus England oder Australien im Februar des Jahres 2014, machen uns aber auch deutlich, dass ein absoluter Schutz gegen Extremereignisse nicht möglich ist. Sie zeigen aber auch, dass dort wo technischer Hochwasserschutz konsequent umgesetzt wurde Schäden vermieden werden konnten. Wir sind nach den Ereignissen in den vergangenen Jahren aufgefordert wissenschaftlich noch leistungsfähigere und duktilere Systeme zu entwickeln. Weiter ist die Wissenschaft in der Pflicht, die Zivile Sicherheit im Hochwasser-schutz permanent zu bewerten, zu bearbeiten und ganzheitliche-interdisziplinäre und länderübergreifende Lösungen für die Zivilgesellschaft einzufordern

Oxidation processes in the eastern Mediterranean atmosphere: evidence from the modelling of HOx measurements over Cyprus

The Mediterranean is a climatically sensitive region located at the crossroads of air masses from three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia. The chemical processing of air masses over this region has implications not only for the air quality but also for the long-range transport of air pollution. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of oxidation processes over the Mediterranean, atmospheric concentrations of the hydroxyl radical (OH) and the hydroperoxyl radical (HO2) were measured during an intensive field campaign (CYprus PHotochemistry EXperiment, CYPHEX-2014) in the northwest of Cyprus in the summer of 2014. Very low local anthropogenic and biogenic emissions around the measurement location provided a vantage point to study the contrasts in atmospheric oxidation pathways under highly processed marine air masses and those influenced by relatively fresh emissions from mainland Europe. The CYPHEX measurements were used to evaluate OH and HO2 simulations using a photochemical box model (CAABA/MECCA) constrained with CYPHEX observations of O3, CO, NOx, hydrocarbons, peroxides, and other major HOx (OH+HO2) sources and sinks in a low-NOx environment (<100pptv of NO). The model simulations for OH agreed to within 10% with in situ OH observations. Model simulations for HO2 agreed to within 17% of the in situ observations. However, the model strongly under-predicted HO2 at high terpene concentrations, this under-prediction reaching up to 38% at the highest terpene levels. Different schemes to improve the agreement between observed and modelled HO2, including changing the rate coefficients for the reactions of terpene-generated peroxy radicals (RO2) with NO and HO2 as well as the autoxidation of terpene-generated RO2 species, are explored in this work. The main source of OH in Cyprus was its primary production from O3 photolysis during the day and HONO photolysis during early morning. Recycling contributed about one-third of the total OH production, and the maximum recycling efficiency was about 0.7. CO, which was the largest OH sink, was also the largest HO2 source. The lowest HOx production and losses occurred when the air masses had higher residence time over the oceans

Towards a quantitative understanding of total OH reactivity: A review

Over the past fifty years, considerable efforts have been devoted to measuring the concentration and chemical speciation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air and emissions. Recently, it has become possible to directly determine the overall effect of atmospheric trace gases on the oxidant hydroxyl radicals (OH), by measuring OH reactivity (OH loss frequency). Quantifying total OH reactivity is one way to characterize the roles of VOCs in formation of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Approaches for measuring total OH reactivity in both emissions and ambient air have been progressing and have been applied in a wide range of studies. Here we evaluate the main techniques used to measure OH reactivity, including two methods directly measuring OH decay and one comparative reactivity method (CRM), and summarize the existing experimental and modeling studies. Total OH reactivity varies significantly on spatial, diurnal, seasonal and vertical bates. Comparison with individually detected OH sinks often reveals a significant missing reactivity, ranging from 20% to over 80% in some environments. Missing reactivity has also been determined in most source emission studies. These source measurements, as well as numerical models, have indicated that both undetected primary emissions and unmeasured secondary products could contribute to missing reactivity. A quantitative understanding of total OH reactivity of various sources and ambient environments will enhance our understanding of the suite of compounds found in emissions as well as chemical processes, and will also provide an opportunity for the improvement of atmospheric chemical mechanisms. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Opposite OH reactivity and ozone cycles in the Amazon rainforest and megacity Beijing: Subversion of biospheric oxidant control by anthropogenic emissions

The Amazon rainforest in Brazil and the megacity of Beijing in China are two of the most strongly contrasting habitats on Earth. In both locations, volatile chemicals are emitted into the atmosphere affecting the local atmospheric chemistry, air quality and ecosystem health. In this study, the total reactivity in air available for reaction with the atmosphere's primary oxidant the OH radical, has been measured directly in both locations along with individual volatile organic compounds(VOC), nitrogen oxides(NOx), ozone(O-3) and carbon dioxide(CO2). Peak daily OH-reactivity in the Amazon 72 s(-1), (min. 27 s(-1)) was approximately three times higher than Beijing 26 s(-1) (min. 15 s(-1)). However, diel ozone variation in Amazonia was small (similar to 5 ppb) whereas in Beijing similar to 70 ppb harmful photochemical ozone was produced by early afternoon. Amazon OH-reactivity peaked by day, was strongly impacted by isoprene, and anticorrelated to CO2, whereas in Beijing OH-reactivity was higher at night rising to a rush hour peak, was dominated by NO2 and correlated with CO2. These converse diel cycles between urban and natural ecosystems demonstrate how biosphere control of the atmospheric environment is subverted by anthropogenic emissions.(c) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

How does the OH reactivity affect the ozone production efficiency: case studies in Beijing and Heshan

Total OH reactivity measurements have been conducted in August 2013 on the Peking University campus, Beijing and from October to November 2014 in Heshan, Guangdong Province. The daily median result for OH reactivity was 19.98 ± 11.03 s−1 in Beijing and 30.62 ± 19.76 s−1 in Heshan. Beijing presented a significant diurnal variation with maxima over 27 s−1 in the early morning and minima below 16 s−1 in the afternoon. Measurements in Heshan gave a much flatter diurnal pattern. Missing reactivity was observed at both sites, with 21 % missing in Beijing and 32 % missing in Heshan. Unmeasured primary species, such as branched-alkenes could contribute to missing reactivity in Beijing, especially in morning rush hour. An observation-based model with the Regional Atmospheric Chemical Mechanism 2 was used to understand the daytime missing reactivity in Beijing by adding unmeasured oxygenated volatile organic compounds and simulated intermediates of primary VOCs degradation. However, the model failed to explain the missing reactivity in Heshan, where the ambient air was found to be more aged, and the missing reactivity was presumably to attribute to oxidized species, such as aldehydes, acids and di-carbonyls. The ozone production efficiency was 27 % higher in Beijing and 35 % higher in Heshan when constrained by the measured reactivity, compared to the calculation with measured and modeled species included, indicating the importance of quantifying the OH reactivity for better understanding ozone chemistry

Total OH reactivity changes over the Amazon rainforest during an El Niño event

The 2015/16 El Niño event caused unprecedented drought and warming in the Amazon basin. How tropical forests react to such extreme events in terms of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions is of interest as the frequency of these events is predicted to increase through climate change. The diverse VOCs emitted can be significant for plants’ carbon budgets, influence ozone and particle production, and through their reactivity impact OH concentrations. Total OH reactivity is a directly measureable quantity that gives the reaction frequency of OH radicals with all reactive species in the atmosphere in s-1. Here we present a comparison of the OH reactivity diel cycle from November 2015, i.e. extreme drought and elevated temperatures associated with strong El Niño conditions, with November 2012, a “normal” El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral period. Interestingly, the diel maximum of OH reactivity during the El Niño event occurred at sunset instead of, under normal conditions, early afternoon. The absolute total diel OH reactivity, however, did not change significantly. Daytime OH reactivity averages were 24.3 ± 14.5 s-1 in 2012 and 24.6 ± 11.9 s-1 in 2015, respectively. Our findings suggest that a combination of stronger turbulent transport above the canopy with stress-related monoterpene and, possibly, other biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions were responsible for this increased reactivity at sunset