Cell phone-related driver distraction: Habits predict behavior over and above the theory of planned behavior variables.

INTRODUCTION: Habits have often been overlooked in studies investigating cell phone-related driver distractions. This paper examines the association between habits and cell phone-related driver distractions within a mediation model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Additionally, it explores potential differences in behaviors across urban and rural driving environments and between males and females. METHOD: We conducted an online survey in China with 1,016 respondents, measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, self-reported behavior, and habits associated with cell phone use while driving. RESULTS: Data was analyzed using a two-stage structural equation modeling approach. Results indicate that the measurement model provided a good fit to the data and was invariant across urban and rural driving environments, as well as across genders. The latent path model investigating mediation also demonstrated a good fit and revealed that TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) partially mediated the relationship between cell phone-related habits and cell phone use while driving. The structural model was invariant across driving environments but not across genders, for which the extent of the differences were limited. Moreover, habits were strongly associated with subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, emerging as the strongest predictor of cell phone-related distractions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that habits should be considered in research on phone-related distracted driving behaviors and in the development of intervention designs.

Land Use and Climate Change Altered the Ecological Quality in the Luanhe River Basin.

Monitoring and assessing ecological quality (EQ) can help to understand the status and dynamics of the local ecosystem. Moreover, land use and climate change increase uncertainty in the ecosystem. The Luanhe River Basin (LHRB) is critical to the ecological security of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. To support ecosystem protection in the LHRB, we evaluated the EQ from 2001 to 2020 based on the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) with the Google Earth Engine (GEE). Then, we introduced the coefficient of variation, Theil-Sen analysis, and Mann-Kendall test to quantify the variation and trend of the EQ. The results showed that the EQ in LHRB was relatively good, with 61.08% of the basin rated as 'good' or 'excellent'. The spatial distribution of EQ was low in the north and high in the middle, with strong improvement in the north and serious degradation in the south. The average EQ ranged from 0.58 to 0.64, showing a significant increasing trend. Furthermore, we found that the expansion of construction land has caused degradation of the EQ, whereas climate change likely improved the EQ in the upper and middle reaches of the LHRB. The results could help in understanding the state and trend of the eco-environment in the LHRB and support decision-making in land-use management and climate change.

Determination of solid products from the de-polymerization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) in supercritical methanol.

A method based on high-resolution size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) was established to analyze the solid products from the depolymerization of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) in supercritical methanol. In the qualitative analysis, four factors (chromatographic retention time, qualitative multi-wavelength ultraviolet spectra, linear internal-insert SEC and qualitative IR spectra) were considered. The main solid products from the process were dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), methyl-(2-hydroxypropyl) terephthalate (MHPT), bis(2-hydroxypropyl) terephthalate (BHPT), methyl-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET), bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), and hydroxyethyl-(2-hydroxypropyl) terephthalate (HEHPT). It is found that the method is of a high resolution among the solid products and has a fine repeatability. In addition, the solid products from the de-polymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in similar process were also analyzed by this method. Furthermore, the effects of supercritical conditions on the distribution of the products were also discussed.

Escherichia coli GutM4 produces 2, 5-diketopiperazines and inhibits human pathogens in vitro

Background: It has been a very common practice to use probiotics or their metabolites as alternative antimicrobial strategies for the treatment and prevention of infections as rampant and indiscriminate use of antibiotics causes the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The objective of this study was to select a potential antimicrobial probiotic strain of Escherichia coli from the human gastrointestinal tract and investigate the production of diketopiperazines that contribute to the antimicrobial activity. Results: E. coli GutM4 was isolated from the feces of a healthy adult. E. coli GutM4 showed significant antagonistic activity against 10 indicator pathogens, and this activity was no less than that of the reference strain E. coli Nissle 1917 against eight of the indicator pathogens. Moreover, E. coli GutM4 produced antagonistic substances containing trypsin-targeted peptide bonds because the inhibitory effects of E. coli GutM4 supernatant significantly decreased upon treatment with trypsin. Consistent with the antagonistic activity and peptide compounds of E. coli GutM4, 14 2,5-diketopiperazines were isolated from the fermented broth of E. coli GutM4, including 12 cyclo(Pro-Phe), 3 cyclo(Pro-Tyr), and 5 cyclo(4-hydroxyl-Pro-Leu), which are reported to have antipathogenic activity. Conclusion: E. coli GutM4 produces 2,5-diketopiperazines that are partly involved in antagonistic action against human pathogens in vitro.