Effects of spatial resolution of remotely sensed data on estimating urban impervious surfaces

Impervious surfaces are the result of urbanization that can be explicitly quantified, managed and controlled at each stage of land development. It is a very useful environmental indicator that can be used to measure the impacts of urbanization on surface runoff, water quality, air quality, biodiversity and microclimate. Therefore, accurate estimation of impervious surfaces is critical for urban environmental monitoring, land management, decision-making and urban planning. Many approaches have been developed to estimate surface imperviousness, using remotely sensed data with various spatial resolutions. However, few studies, have investigated the effects of spatial resolution on estimating surface imperviousness. We compare medium-resolution Landsat data with high-resolution SPOT images to quantify the imperviousness in Beijing, China. The results indicated that the overall 91% accuracy of estimates of imperviousness based on TM data was considerably higher than the 81% accuracy of the SPOT data. The higher resolution SPOT data did not always predict the imperviousness of the land better than the TM data. At the whole city level, the TM data better predicts the percentage cover of impervious surfaces. At the sub-city level, however, the ring belts from the central core to the urban-rural peripheral, the SPOT data may better predict the imperviousness. These results highlighted the need to combine multiple resolution data to quantify the percentage of imperviousness, as higher resolution data do not necessarily lead to more accurate estimates. The methodology and results in this study can be utilized to identify the most suitable remote sensing data to quickly and efficiently extract the pattern of the impervious land, which could provide the base for further study on many related urban environmental problems.     

Spatial pattern of impervious surfaces and their impacts on land surface temperature in Beijing, China

Land surface temperature （LST）, which is heavily influenced by urban surface structures, is a significant parameter in urban environmental analysis. This study examined the effect impervious surfaces （IS） spatial patterns have on LST in Beijing, China. A classification and regression tree model （CART） was adopted to estimate IS as a continuous variable using Landsat images from two seasons combined with QuickBird. LST was retrieved from the Landsat Thematic Mapper （TM） image to examine the relationships between IS and LST. The results revealed that CART was capable of consistently predicting LST with acceptable accuracy （correlation coefficient of 0.94 and the average error of 8.59%）. Spatial patterns of IS exhibited changing gradients across the various urban-rural transects, with LST values showing a concentric shape that increased as you moved from the outskirts towards the downtown areas. Transect analysis also indicated that the changes in both IS and LST patterns were similar at various resolution levels, which suggests a distinct linear relationship between them. Results of correlation analysis further showed that IS tended to be positively correlated with LST, and that the correlation coefficients increased from 0.807 to 0.925 with increases in IS pixel size. The findings identified in this study provide a theoretical basis for improving urban planning efforts to lessen urban temperatures and thus dampen urban heat island effects.     

The psychological contracts of violation victims: A post‐violation model

Organizations may fail to keep their commitments to their employees, at times leading to psychological contract violation. Although many victims of violation remain with their employer despite such adverse experiences, little research exists on their responses in the aftermath of violation. This paper develops a post‐violation model to explain systematically how violation victims respond to and cope with violation and the effects this process has on their subsequent psychological contract. Central to post‐violation are the victims' beliefs regarding the likelihood of violation resolution and the factors affecting it. The model specifies how the victim engages in a self‐regulation process that results in an array of potential psychological contract outcomes. Possible outcomes include reactivation of the original pre‐violation contract, the formation of a new contract that may be more or less attractive than the original, or a state of dissolution wherein the victim fails to form a functional psychological contract with the employer. The research and practical implications of this model are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于毒性效应的非目标化学品鉴别技术进展

现代社会大量化学品的生产与广泛使用造成了地表水、地下水、沉积物、土壤等环境受到污染,并对人体健康和生态系统构成威胁。基于毒性效应的关键致毒物质鉴别技术(effect directed analysis,EDA)已经在水体、沉积物的致毒物筛选方面得到了一定的应用。但是由于污染物组成复杂、范围广、基质干扰高、同分异构体广泛存在、人工合成标样缺少等问题,非目标致毒化合物的鉴别成为了EDA的瓶颈技术。逐渐发展的色谱与质谱技术、数据库指标在化合物筛选识别中发挥了重要作用。本文综述了基于高分辨质谱,数据库搜索,色谱保留特征,模型构建来筛选识别化合物的方法,总结了近年来化合物筛选识别方法在环境新型污染物及药物筛选等方面的应用并分析了化合物筛选识别所存在的问题与应用前景。这些方法可以提高非目标化合物筛选的准确性和通量,减少样品复杂性和基质干扰带来的负面影响,从而有利于未知化合物的确定。     

200MW燃煤机组SCR脱硝改造关键技术问题解析

目前,国内200 MW机组SCR脱硝改造尚无样板工程及改造先例。200 MW机组由于其独特地设计,同300 MW以上等级机组相比,脱硝改造的技术方式与改造内容均有较大的差异。文章从国内200 MW机组脱硝改造实际情况出发,从设计参数选取、还原剂选择、SCR反应器布置方式、低氮燃烧器改造、空预器改造及引风机改造、厂用变压器系统改造等关键问题进行了技术分析并提出可行建议,为同等级机组脱硝改造工作提供方法与经验。     

The importance of spatial autocorrelation,extent and resolution in predicting forest bird occurrence

Concerns about declines in forest biodiversity underscore the need for accurate estimates of the distribution and abundance of organisms at large scales and at resolutions that are fine enough to be appropriate for management. This paper addresses three major objectives: (i) to determine whether the resolution of typical air photo-derived forest inventory is sufficient for the accurate prediction of site occupancy by forest birds. We compared prediction success of habitat models using air photo variables to models with variables derived from finer resolution, ground-sampled vegetation plots. (ii) To test whether incorporating spatial autocorrelation into habitat models via autologistic regression increases prediction success. (iii) To determine whether landscape structure is an important factor in predicting bird distribution in forest-dominated landscapes. Models were tested locally (Greater Fundy Ecosystem [GFE]) using cross-validation, and regionally using an independent data set from an area located ca. 250 km to the northwest (Riley Brook [RB]). We found significant positive spatial autocorrelation in the residuals of at least one habitat model for 76% (16/21) of species examined. In these cases, the logistic regression assumption of spatially independent errors was violated. Logistic models that ignored spatial autocorrelation tended to overestimate habitat effects. Though overall prediction success was higher for autologistic models than logistic models in the GFE, the difference was only significantly improved for one species. Further, the inclusion of spatial covariates did little to improve model performance in the geographically discrete study area. For 62% (13/21) of species examined, landscape variables were significant predictors of forest bird occurrence even after statistically controlling for stand-level variability. However, broad spatial extents explained less variation than local factors. In the GFE, 76% (16/21) of air photo and 81% (17/21) of ground plot models were accurate enough to be of practical utility (AUC > 0.7). When applied to RB, both model types performed effectively for 55% (11/20) of the species examined. We did not detect an overall difference in prediction success between air photo and ground plot models in either study area. We conclude that air photo data are as effective as fine resolution vegetation data for predicting site occupancy for the majority of species in this study. These models will be of use to forest managers who are interested in mapping species distributions under various timber harvest scenarios, and to protected areas planners attempting to optimize reserve function.     

An improved method of direct chromosome preparation from chorionic villus and high resolution banding technique

The trophoblast was dissociated from the underlying mesenchymal layer either with acetic acid after short-term prefixation or with mechanical power after fixation twice. The colcemid treatment time was shorted to 16 min and trypsin solution of low pH (6.2) was used for banding. By these steps, the quality of chromosome banding was greatly improved and complete standard chromosome diagnoses were made in 24 of 24 cases. With the modified technique, high resolution banding chromosomes were consistently obtained after short-term incubation.     

现有环境质量评价方法可能存在的虚假性

在现行的环境质量评价方法中，由于同一区域内的各评价因子采用不同的评价方法或利用不同的数学模型进行评价，导致评价结论有差异甚至有显著差异，亦即评价结论可能存在虚假性。     

Building consensus on divisive issues: a case study of the Yukon wolf management team

This article presents a case study of a successful effort to reach agreement on one of the most intractable environmental issues of our time: wolf management. This case is unusual in several ways. In this case, the members of the negotiating team were ordinary citizens rather than leaders of organized groups. This team was given an unusually high level of authority to write the plan as they saw fit; the agency pledged to implement “whatever they came up with.” The agency convened the process, but agency personnel were not members of the team and attended only when they were invited. The team members were able to reach agreement on this tough issue even though polar opposites were at the table—one who felt that wolves are a “spiritual essence” and another who felt that, as he put it, “wolves, coyotes, and cockroaches have a lot in common”. They produced a detailed plan that addressed all the issues in just 5 months. Another unusual aspect of this effort is that the final agreement does not list the team members. They explained that they wanted their plan to “stand alone” and be judged based on what it said, not on who was involved.However, just after their agreement was completed, a new, pro-wolf control government was elected that refused to endorse the plan. While the government gave various reasons for not ratifying the plan, more and more diverse interest groups came out in support for both the plan and the process that created it. Eventually, overwhelming public support forced the government to sign and implement the plan as written. This demonstrates that, while it is important for a team to seek the sanction of decision-makers, it is perhaps even more important for the general public to see the effort and the final agreement as fair. Strong support from a broad spectrum of the public can help win the necessary political support.In addition to discussing the unorthodox aspects of this consensus-building effort, this article also attempts to give the reader a front row seat to this process by using the informants' own words—words rich in detail, brimming with color and spoken straight from the heart. Certainly their experience dispels any notion that such efforts are simply a matter of following a recipe. During the process, members of the negotiating team experienced the entire gamut of emotions—anger, defeat, humor and, finally, a genuine sense of pride. As team member Patty Denison put it, “We showed that a random group of people could work together and do something truly monumental.”     

大气环流模式CAM4对亚洲气候的高分辨率模拟

中小尺度地形不仅在区域尺度上影响降水和环流形势分布,还会影响季风、西风急流等大尺度的天气系统。新的全球模式分辨率得到明显提高,本研究通过对比分析CAM4高分辨率配置下的模拟结果与高分辨率APHRO降水和ERA-Interim再分析资料,评估高分辨率CAM4对亚洲地区气候系统的模拟性能。结果表明,该模式不仅对亚洲季风-干旱气候系统的大尺度分布特征有良好的模拟能力,还能很好地模拟出季风区和内陆干旱半干旱区年均和季节平均降水的高、低值中心以及水平风场、地表温度和海平面气压的区域差异性特征,尤其是山脉地形附近的降水极值和风场变化。此外,CAM4与气象资料间在不同空间尺度上的空间相关性均很好,其中地表温度的相关系数在0.9以上,降水在亚洲地区超过0.7。