An analysis of red lens strobe signals and their effect on reducing right angle traffic accidents

Many intersections across the United States experience high accident rates due to certain physical limitations and human-related factors. Often times many of these accidents can be attributed to limited sight distance, conflicting background conditions, or possibly the existence of an isolated signal in a rural area. Installation of a red lens strobe signal may potentially alleviate large numbers of certain types of accidents, by helping to drawing the driver\u27s attention to the traffic signal. A limited number of studies have been performed with respect to determining the level of effectiveness of the strobe signals. This study evaluates the effectiveness of red lens strobe signals currently in use in Knoxville. Accident data and volume data were obtained and accident rates were calculated for the intersections. The accident rates for both intersections before strobe installation were compared with the accident rates after installation. Based on a percent reduction in accident rate, this study demonstrates that strobe signals can be effective in reducing right-angle traffic accidents in some instances

Messiness of forest governance:How technical approaches suppress politics in REDD+ and conservation projects

Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) was originally conceived to address the global problem of climate change by reducing deforestation and forest degradation at national and subnational levels in developing countries. Since its inception, REDD+ proponents have increasingly had to adapt global ideas to local demands, as the rollout process was met with on-the-ground realities, including suspicion and protest. As is typical in aid or ‘development’ projects conceived in the global North, most of the solutions advanced to improve REDD+ tend to focus on addressing issues of justice (or ‘fairness’) in distributive terms, rather than addressing more inherently political objections to REDD+ such as those based on rights or social justice. Using data collected from over 700 interviews in five countries with both REDD+ and non-REDD+ cases, we argue that the failure to incorporate political notions of justice into conservation projects such as REDD+ results in ‘messiness’ within governance systems, which is a symptom of injustice and illegitimacy. We find that, first, conservation, payment for ecosystem services, and REDD+ project proponents viewed problems through a technical rather than political lens, leading to solutions that focused on procedures, such as ‘benefit distribution.’ Second, focusing on the technical aspects of interventions came at the expense of political solutions such as the representation of local people's concerns and recognition of their rights. Third, the lack of attention to representation and recognition justices resulted in illegitimacy. This led to messiness in the governance systems, which was often addressed in technical terms, thereby perpetuating the problem. If messiness is not appreciated and addressed from appropriate notions of justice, projects such as REDD+ are destined to fail

Why is Anatase a Better Photocatalyst than Rutile? - Model Studies on Epitaxial TiO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Films

The prototypical photocatalyst TiO2 exists in different polymorphs, the most common forms are the anatase- and rutile-crystal structures. Generally, anatase is more active than rutile, but no consensus exists to explain this difference. Here we demonstrate that it is the bulk transport of excitons to the surface that contributes to the difference. Utilizing high –quality epitaxial TiO2 films of the two polymorphs we evaluate the photocatalytic activity as a function of TiO2-film thickness. For anatase the activity increases for films up to ~5 nm thick, while rutile films reach their maximum activity for ~2.5 nm films already. This shows that charge carriers excited deeper in the bulk contribute to surface reactions in anatase than in rutile. Furthermore, we measure surface orientation dependent activity on rutile single crystals. The pronounced orientation-dependent activity can also be correlated to anisotropic bulk charge carrier mobility, suggesting general importance of bulk charge diffusion for explaining photocatalytic anisotropies

Climate Change and Vibrio cholerae in Herring Eggs: The Role of Indigenous Communities in Public Health Outbreak Responses

Climate change brings about novel types of public health emergencies. Unforeseen challenges put additional pressure on health systems and require innovative approaches to address emerging needs. The health of Indigenous Peoples is particularly impacted by the changing climate, because of their close connection to the land. For instance, the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of coastal First Nations in British Columbia (BC), Canada, is interconnected with the abundance of healthy marine food sources that form the base of local traditional diets. The 2018 discovery of Vibrio cholerae illness in those who had eaten contaminated herring eggs not only had a clinical health impact but also created concerns for the safety of local food systems. The limited magnitude of the outbreak demonstrates the critical importance of collaborative partnerships between coastal First Nations communities in BC and health authorities working together in outbreak investigations. Yet, the lack of procedures that address cultural and institutional differences led to unnecessary discrepancies in the approach. This paper introduces the public health intervention used during the first ever Vibrio cholerae outbreak in coastal BC. The intervention has the potential to inform best practices when developing emergency response protocols potentially affecting Indigenous people and traditional foods. In this qualitative case study of the formal institutional documents and narratives of the key partners involved in the response, we assess the intervention, highlight the challenges and enablers, share lessons learned, and identify knowledge requirements to improve confidence in the traditional food system and support early warning systems