流域经济与海洋经济联动发展研究

陆海联动是发展海洋经济的新思维，也是解决沿海地区海陆经济发展和环境矛盾的一个有效措施，而流域是陆域上最接近海洋的部分，实施流域经济与海洋经济联动发展是实现陆海统筹发展的前提；促进流域 海洋联动发展、将内陆 流域 海洋互动作为区域经济发展思路是实现陆海联动的最佳途径。在分析流域经济与海洋经济联动发展的背景、意义、基础、效应等的基础上，以长江经济带为例，运用灰色关联分析方法，定量刻画了流域经济与海洋经济的关联程度，指出流域经济与海洋经济的关联度、海洋第三产业与流域第三产业关联度以及海洋主要产业与基本流域第二产业关联度等都非常高。最后从规划编制、建立流域 海洋互动产业网、发展海洋科技以及生态环境保护等方面，提出了促进流域经济与海洋经济联动发展的建议     

Vacuum pyrolysis process for remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils

A vacuum pyrolysis process was used for the remediation of hydrocarbon–contaminated soils from “Les Vidangeurs de Montréal” site in Mascouche in the province of Québec, near Montréal. Ten samples were tested on a laboratory scale batch reactor, and one sample was tested on a prototype process development unit. The process is simple, efficient, reliable, and economically competitive with other existing technologies. The vacuum pyrolysis process efficiently treated soils contaminated with a variety of pollution levels and types, irrespective of the soil matrix, providing treated soils meeting the A criterion (noncontaminated, residential level) of the Ministry of Environment Québec (MENVIQ). The pyrolytic oil and the noncondensable pyrolytic gases can be used as makeup fuel in the process, because they have a high calorific value and their combustion should not pose any emission problems. The waterphase effluent must be treated before discharge.     

The carajas iron ore project: The strategy of a third world state- owned enterprise in a depressed market

This paper describes how the Carajas iron ore project was set up in February 1985 at a time of deep recession in the iron ore and steel industries. Development of the project was met with much criticism, mainly from North American steel makers, who argued that the project would only be successful through the support of a Third World government, highly dependent on foreign exchange, without any consideration being given to its economic feasibility or to the fundamentals of the market. The authors explain why the World Bank took the step of setting up the project and how its development can be partly explained by the interests of the Japanese and European steel makers. The role of the Brazilian government is explained and the authors conclude that the relatively low rate of investment anticipated by the project will be overshadowed by the high gains in foreign exchange.     

Operating Experience with Biogas Plants in Sri Lanka

Three hundred and three biogas plants, representing a majority of the units installed in Sri Lanka up to 1984, were inspected, and it was found that 280 of these had been put into commission at some time prior to the study. Of the 280 commissioned plants, 170 (61%) were functioning satisfactorily providing biogas for cooking and/or lighting. The remaining 110 (39%) were either not functioning or were supplying very little gas owing to gas leaks, inadequate input of dung, or poor plant management. The most common plant was the 6 m³, fixed dome, household plant, and the most common raw material used was cattle dung. In the majority of household plants the cost of construction was partly or wholly subsidized.     

Structure-biodegradation relationships of polymeric materials. 1. Effect of degree of oxidation on biodegradability of carbohydrate polymers

The biodegradability of oxidized starch and inulin has been studied in relation to the degree of periodate oxidation to dialdehyde derivatives, by measuring oxygen consumption and mineralization to carbon dioxide. A higher degree of oxidation of dialdehyde starch and dialdchyde inulin results in a lower rate at which the polymers are biodegraded. It is demonstrated that the biodegradation rate of dialdehyde inulin derivatives decreases more than that of equivalent starch derivatives. The differences in biodegradation behavior between dialdehyde starch and dialdehyde inulin, resulting from comparable modifications, are discussed in terms of conformational structure.     

What's wrong with virtual trees? Restoring from stress in a mediated environment

Restorative environments are environments that can help restore depleted attention resources or reduce emotional and psychophysiological stress. These effects have been demonstrated not only in real environments, but also in mediated (projected, broadcasted, etc.) environments. However, the importance of simulation qualities to restoration outcomes has not been systematically studied. The present experiment investigates the importance of immersion in a mediated environment in relation to restoration. Is a projected natural environment more restorative when one is more immersed in it, and hence feels more present in it? The hypothesis was that a more immersive projection would show stronger stress-reducing effects of a mediated restorative environment. After performing a stress-inducing task, participants watched a nature film on either a high or low immersive screen. Physiological measurements (heart period and skin conductance level) were taken throughout the experiment. In addition, we measured self-reported affect and presence using the ITC-Sense of Presence Questionnaire. Significant effects of the screen size manipulation appeared on physiological measures, but not on self-reported affect. The data showed an interaction between screen size and restorative phase on heart period and skin conductance level, indicating stronger restoration for the immersive screen condition over time. We therefore conclude that immersion enhances restorative potential of a mediated natural environment. Self-reported affect did correlate significantly with experienced presence, illustrating the relevance of this experiential counterpart of immersion, although a mediating effect of presence has not yet been established.     

WEST AFRICA: VOLTA DISCHARGE DATA QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND USE1

ABSTRACT: Water resource management in West Africa is often a complicated process due to inadequate resources, climatic extremes, and insufficient hydrological information. Insufficient data hinder sustainable watershed management practices, one of the top priorities in the Volta River Basin. This research properly fills in missing data by modeling the hydrological distribution in the Volta River Basin. On average, discharge gages across the basin are missing 20 percent of their monthly data over 20 years. Two methods were used to supplement missing data: a statistically linear model and a conceptual hydrological model. A linear equation, developed from the regression of precipitation and runoff, was used to evaluate the quality of existing data. The hydrological model separates the system into root and groundwater zones. Measured values were used to calibrate the hydrological model and to validate the statistical model. The quality of existing data was analyzed and organized for usability. Accuracy of the hydrological model was also evaluated for its effectiveness using R² and standard error. It was found that the hydrological model was an improvement from the linear model on a monthly basis; R² values improved by as much as 0.5 and monthly error decreased. Monthly predictions of the hydrological model were used to fill gaps of measured data sets.