Forty-eight interviews were undertaken with residents in Timaru, Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand, in 2008 to explore how people understand and use information about earthquake hazards and preparedness, and how this p...Forty-eight interviews were undertaken with residents in Timaru, Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand, in 2008 to explore how people understand and use information about earthquake hazards and preparedness, and how this process affects actual preparedness. Three main types of information were identified as being utilized by people: passive information (e.g., newspapers, brochures, TV, radio, websites), interactive information (e.g., community activities, school activities~ and workplace activities), and experiential information (e.g., experiencing a hazardous event, responding to an event, and working in an organization that deals with hazards). People tended to either contextualize hazard and preparedness information around any prevailing beliefs they had or form new beliefs on exposure to information. A number of core beliefs were identified as crucial for helping people consider that preparing is important and motivating actual adjustment adoption. Society also has an influence on how people interpret information and form intentions to prepare. People are often influenced by the opinions of others, and as preparing for disasters is not seen as a societal norm, this can cause people not to prepare. Feeling a responsibility for others (e.g., children) appears to be a major driver of preparedness. Other societal factors such as trust, leadership and sense of community also influence interpretation, dissemination and use of hazards and preparedness information. Finally, a number of resource issues can help or hinder preparedness.展开更多
This paper presents the technical survey and the trend analysis of the driver support technologies such as a pre-crush braking system in Japan. In the first part, Vehicle Intelligence to assist drivers is defined by t...This paper presents the technical survey and the trend analysis of the driver support technologies such as a pre-crush braking system in Japan. In the first part, Vehicle Intelligence to assist drivers is defined by two objective functions which are both TGA (Target Generation Agent) and TAA (Target Accomplishment Agent). TAA is mainly based on the conventional technologies that are braking smoothly, or driving with lower fuel consumption. On the other hand, TGA has the intelligent function instead of human drivers. The actual TGA are explained using some concrete driver support systems. After that, Japanese market introduction date and evolution of driver support systems are discussed with clarifying cognitive aspects which are the perception support, the judgment support and the execution support. And Key technologies underlying evolution of driver support systems are explained. Finally the author concludes that the knowledge and insights needed for intelligent driver support systems will be much more complex than in the case of autonomous vehicles that drive themselves.展开更多
The latest financial crisis has been impressive for strength, impact, duration, and reduced efficacy of the economic and financial policies adopted by the authorities. We use an original information risk model to cont...The latest financial crisis has been impressive for strength, impact, duration, and reduced efficacy of the economic and financial policies adopted by the authorities. We use an original information risk model to contribute to the analysis of the crisis and to suggest some approaches for a possible early diagnosis. Using data referred to the three main financial markets and comparing the latest crisis with the previous one and with long-term quantitative evidence, we find out that the 2007-2009 crisis was very different in the information risk quality. That gap affected the market risk aversion and its equilibrium, reducing the efficacy of the authorities' intervention tools mainly based on payoff risk control and efficient market restoration. Since information risk is an endogenous element of the market dynamics that can be independent form contingent levels of market efficiency. Drivers of information risk in the European Markets differed strongly from the US and Japanese ones; that is why some global decisions had low impact while opportunities of local intervention were missed.展开更多
文摘Forty-eight interviews were undertaken with residents in Timaru, Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand, in 2008 to explore how people understand and use information about earthquake hazards and preparedness, and how this process affects actual preparedness. Three main types of information were identified as being utilized by people: passive information (e.g., newspapers, brochures, TV, radio, websites), interactive information (e.g., community activities, school activities~ and workplace activities), and experiential information (e.g., experiencing a hazardous event, responding to an event, and working in an organization that deals with hazards). People tended to either contextualize hazard and preparedness information around any prevailing beliefs they had or form new beliefs on exposure to information. A number of core beliefs were identified as crucial for helping people consider that preparing is important and motivating actual adjustment adoption. Society also has an influence on how people interpret information and form intentions to prepare. People are often influenced by the opinions of others, and as preparing for disasters is not seen as a societal norm, this can cause people not to prepare. Feeling a responsibility for others (e.g., children) appears to be a major driver of preparedness. Other societal factors such as trust, leadership and sense of community also influence interpretation, dissemination and use of hazards and preparedness information. Finally, a number of resource issues can help or hinder preparedness.
文摘This paper presents the technical survey and the trend analysis of the driver support technologies such as a pre-crush braking system in Japan. In the first part, Vehicle Intelligence to assist drivers is defined by two objective functions which are both TGA (Target Generation Agent) and TAA (Target Accomplishment Agent). TAA is mainly based on the conventional technologies that are braking smoothly, or driving with lower fuel consumption. On the other hand, TGA has the intelligent function instead of human drivers. The actual TGA are explained using some concrete driver support systems. After that, Japanese market introduction date and evolution of driver support systems are discussed with clarifying cognitive aspects which are the perception support, the judgment support and the execution support. And Key technologies underlying evolution of driver support systems are explained. Finally the author concludes that the knowledge and insights needed for intelligent driver support systems will be much more complex than in the case of autonomous vehicles that drive themselves.
文摘The latest financial crisis has been impressive for strength, impact, duration, and reduced efficacy of the economic and financial policies adopted by the authorities. We use an original information risk model to contribute to the analysis of the crisis and to suggest some approaches for a possible early diagnosis. Using data referred to the three main financial markets and comparing the latest crisis with the previous one and with long-term quantitative evidence, we find out that the 2007-2009 crisis was very different in the information risk quality. That gap affected the market risk aversion and its equilibrium, reducing the efficacy of the authorities' intervention tools mainly based on payoff risk control and efficient market restoration. Since information risk is an endogenous element of the market dynamics that can be independent form contingent levels of market efficiency. Drivers of information risk in the European Markets differed strongly from the US and Japanese ones; that is why some global decisions had low impact while opportunities of local intervention were missed.