7A tunnel emissions study was conducted to (partially) validate the Australian vehicle emissions software 8 COPERT Australia and PIARC emission factors. The in-tunnel fleet mix differs substantially from the average 9 on-road fleet, leading to lower emissions by factor of about 2. Simulation with the P∆P software found that in-10 tunnel air-flow roughly compensates for road gradient impacts on NO x emissions. PIARC emission factors are 11 conservative and exhibit the largest prediction errors, except for one very good agreement for LDV NO x . 12COPERT Australia is generally accurate at fleet level for CO, NO x , PM 2.5 and PM 10 , when compared with other 13 international studies, and consistently underestimates emissions by 7% to 37%, depending on the pollutant. 14 Possible contributing factors are under-representation of high/excessive emitting vehicles, inaccurate mileage 15 correction factors, and lack of empirical emissions data for Australian diesel cars. The study results demonstrate 16 a large uncertainty in speciated VOC and PAH emission factors. 17 Graphical abstract 18 19 20 Highlights 21 • Tunnel studies are useful to partially validate vehicle emissions software 22 • Air flow in tunnels can compensate the impacts of road gradients on vehicle emissions 23 • Local fleet mix is an essential factor in validation studies 24 Keywords 25 Motor vehicle; emissions; tunnel; validation; road traffic 26 1. Introduction 27 Motor vehicles are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban areas around 28 the world. The close proximity of motor vehicles to the general population makes this a particularly relevant 29 source from an exposure and health perspective. This is illustrated by Caiazzo et al. (2013) who estimated that 30 total combustion emissions (particulates, ozone) in the U.S. account for about 210,000 premature deaths per 31year, with motor vehicles being the largest contributor, contributing to around 58,000 premature deaths per year, 32 despite the fact that road transport only contributes about 7% to total PM 2.5 emissions. 33Comprehensive measurement of vehicle emissions in urban networks is cost prohibitive due to the large number 34 of vehicles that operate on roads with different emission profiles, large spatial and temporal variability in vehicle 35 activity and many real-world factors that influence emission levels (Smit et al., 2008). The environmental 36 impacts of road traffic are therefore commonly evaluated at different scales using transport and emission models 37 and, in the case of air pollution, dispersion and exposure models. Models are also required to make projections 38 into the future. 39Vehicle-emission prediction software is well-established in Europe and the US. However, these models have 40 been found to not adequately represent Australian conditions in terms of fleet mix, vehicle technology, fuel 41 quality and climate. Large errors of up to a factor of 20 have been reported when overseas models were directly 42 applied to Australian conditions w...

No abstract

The objective of this paper is to use remote sensing to measure on-road emissions and to examine the impact and usefulness of additional measurement devices at three sites. Supplementing remote sensing device (RSD) equipment with additional equipment increased the capture rate by almost 10%. Post-processing of raw data is essential to obtain useful and accurate information. A method is presented to identify vehicles with excessive emission levels (high emitters). First, an anomaly detection method is applied, followed by identification of cold start operating conditions using infrared vehicle profiles. Using this method, 0.6% of the vehicles in the full (enhanced) RSD data were identified as high emitters, of which 35% are likely in cold start mode where emissions typically stabilize to low hot running emission levels within a few minutes. Analysis of NOx RSD data confirms that poor real-world NOx performance of Euro 4/5 light-duty diesel vehicles observed around the world is also evident in Australian measurements. This research suggests that the continued dieselisation in Australia, in particular under the current Euro 5 emission standards and the more stringent NO2 air quality criteria expected in 2020 and 2025, could potentially result in local air quality issues near busy roads.

No abstract

Introduction Obstetricians describe feeling shocked and isolated following stillbirth. Few receive adequate training in how to care for bereaved parents or themselves. We developed a novel workshop for trainee obstetricians using applied drama techniques–in collaboration with the National Theatre of Ireland, the national training body for obstetricians and gynaecologists, and patient support groups–to teach obstetricians skills in communication and self-care around the time of stillbirth. Materials and methods Five workshops, delivered January-May 2018, are the focus of this evaluation. Senior trainees in Obstetrics attended and completed a post-workshop evaluation questionnaire. Five-point Likert scales were used to assess participants’ communication and support skills pre- and post- the workshop, and their views on pre-specified attributes needed when caring for families experiencing stillbirth and aspects of the workshop. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis, respectively. Results 39/59 (66%) workshop participants completed the questionnaires. Most had received no prior training in caring for families experiencing antenatal (31/39, 80%) or intrapartum (34/39, 87%) stillbirth. Following the workshop there was a significant improvement in trainee’s level of confidence in breaking bad news, communicating clearly with the family when breaking bad news, recognising the emotional needs of the family, recognising their own emotional responses, and supporting their colleagues. Trainees were positive about the workshop content and delivery; 90% stated they would recommend it to a colleague. Discussion Adequate, appropriate, and stimulating education and training in stillbirth care and self-care is clearly needed to improve patient care. Our findings demonstrate that this novel educational workshop using applied drama techniques–developed in collaboration with diverse stakeholders and underpinned by the views of parents and obstetricians who had experience of stillbirth–is an acceptable and appropriate way of training obstetricians in how to care for bereaved parents and/or to engage in self-care.