Ecosystems emerging. 5: Constraints

Ecosystem constraints are both ontic and epistemic. They limit activity, and as problems to be solved they drive organization, which is our hypothesis:

The driver of organization is constraint.

Solutions proliferate further constraints in an unending spiral of problem (constraint) generation and solution. As constraints proliferate, behavior narrows, and species diversify to compensate (paradox of constraint). Resource enrichment reduces constraints, releases behavior, and reduction of challenges decreases diversity (paradox of enrichment)—high diversity is expressed in low-resource environments and low diversity in high-resource environments. A three-part model of constraints is formulated for non-living systems, and also for goal-directed, problem-solving biota. Mode 1: dynamical means behavior is co-determined by internal states and external inputs. Mode 2: cybernetic employs negative feedback to keep dynamics within goal-oriented operating limits. Mode 3: model-making entails ability to represent (model) physical reality and respond to both phenomenal (modeled) and physical inputs; this property distinguishes living from nonliving systems. Principal sections of the paper elaborate dynamical constraints (three classes), boundary constraints (expressed in edge effects and trophic dynamics), physical constraints (space, time, temperature), chemical constraints (environment fitness, ecological stoichiometry, chemical evolution, limiting factors), coding constraints (environmental vs. genetic coding), network and pathway constraints (connectivity), and natural selection constraints (fitting to the biosphere). Consideration of how the world would look without constraints suggests how fundamental these are in ecosystem emergence, and how the next property in this series, differentiation, would be unmotivated without them. We conclude that constraints as a category are under-studied in ecology, poorly understood in ecological phenomenology, and (our hypothesis) comprise a ubiquitous organizing force in nature.     

土壤养分空间估测方法研究综述

土壤养分是土壤提供的植物生长发育所必需的营养元素。由于受到自然因素和人为因素的共同作用,土壤养分具有高度的空间变异性。土壤的这种特性不仅表现在区域尺度上,而且也表现在田块尺度上。在研究方法上经历了从传统统计学到地统计学,再到神经网络、地理信息技术以及高精度曲面建模等新方法的不断改进过程。文章从地统计学方法引入到土壤养分空间变异研究中为出发点,论述了国内外基于地统计学的土壤养分空间变异的研究现状,主要包括利用地统计学方法来确定合理的土壤采样数目,土壤养分空间变异的定量化研究,土壤养分空间变异的尺度效应;然后简述了神经网络、地理信息技术、高精度曲面建模等技术在土壤养分空间变异研究中的研究现状和应用。最后对比分析了各种研究方法在应用中存在的缺陷,同时指明了今后应加强作物生长的不同时期土壤养分的空间变异性、土壤在四维空间尺度上的演变机理以及环境信息获取的不确定性等方面的研究。     

重点源大气砷铅污染排放模型及特征

在我国的非常规性污染物质中,大气重金属砷、铅已越来越多地被关注和重视。文章综述了国内外人为源对大气中重金属排放的贡献,结果显示中国是全球人为活动向大气排放重金属最多的国家之一,燃煤和有色金属冶炼行业在相当长的时间内都将是最主要且最为重要的人为排放源。通过系统调研燃煤及有色金属冶炼业资源及产业布局状况,构建目前我国大气重金属相关清单模型,进行了我国重点源大气砷、铅排放清单分析,结果表明：（1）2000-2008年我国燃煤大气砷、铅排放量共为93733t,年均增长率为7．93％,2004-2008年有色金属冶炼业大气砷、铅排放量共为18836t,年均增长率为15．2％;（2）2000-2008年各经济部门中电力部门燃煤大气砷、铅放量始终最高,占燃煤大气排放总量的44．6％-57．1％,且呈逐年升高的趋势;（3）2000-2008年各省区中山西、河北、河南和湖南省是大气砷、铅的排放大户。其中,燃煤大气砷、铅排放量主要集中在人口密集、工业集中、经济发展速度较快的北部和中东部省区,包括山西、山东、河北、河南和江苏五省,占全国燃煤排放总量的39．1％,有色金属冶炼大气砷、铅排放量主要集中在我国有色金属工业较为发达的河南及湖南省,占全国有色金属冶炼业排放总量的47．3％。可以看出,我国需要高度重视大气重金属砷、铅的污染防治,加强排放控制基础能力建设,加快建立适合中国的大气砷、铅污染防治技术政策体系。     

海洋溢油污染的生态与健康危害

随着溢油事故的频繁发生,海洋溢油污染备受关注.本文在阐述国内外海洋溢油污染现状的基础上,针对溢油污染对人类健康的影响进行了初步分析,并针对海洋环境中溢油的环境行为以及对海洋生态系统、沿岸滩涂生态系统的毒性效应进行了概述.最后,对海洋溢油污染研究的发展趋势进行了展望.     

危险化学品道路运输安全管理现状及发展趋势研究

为降低危化品运输风险,从危化品运输风险评价、道路选线模型、技术应用、应急联动机制及平台建设、统一联控监管平台等方面进行研究分析。通过对微观视角与宏观视角、单一应用与综合应用的归类和对比,进行分析并指出存在的问题。分析表明,获取精确连续数据,考虑多种外在变量来完善评估模型,注重理论、技术和监管资源的综合应用,发展大区域联控平台将是今后研究的发展趋势。     

Evaluating repeated patient handling injuries following the implementation of a multi-factor ergonomic intervention program among health care workers

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate repeated patient handling injuries following a multi-factor ergonomic intervention program among health care workers.

Methods

This was a quasi-experimental study which had an intervention group and a non-randomized control group. Data were collected from six hospitals in Saskatchewan, Canada from September 1, 2001 to December 1, 2006.

Results

A total of 1,480 individuals who had a previous injury were eligible for the study. Medium and small size hospitals in the intervention group had significantly fewer repeated injuries than in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that the intervention group had 38.1% lower odds of having repeated injury compared to the control group, after adjusting for hospital size.

Conclusions

The work-related repeated injury after a multi-factor intervention program was reduced. The synergistic relationships between components of multi-factor intervention and applicability of injury prevention programs to different settings need to be further explored.

Impact on Industry

Implementing a multi-factor program with the right equipment and training can lower the risk of injury among health care workers.     

Random parameter models for accident prediction on two-lane undivided highways in India

Introduction

Generalized linear modeling (GLM), with the assumption of Poisson or negative binomial error structure, has been widely employed in road accident modeling. A number of explanatory variables related to traffic, road geometry, and environment that contribute to accident occurrence have been identified and accident prediction models have been proposed. The accident prediction models reported in literature largely employ the fixed parameter modeling approach, where the magnitude of influence of an explanatory variable is considered to be fixed for any observation in the population. Similar models have been proposed for Indian highways too, which include additional variables representing traffic composition. The mixed traffic on Indian highways comes with a lot of variability within, ranging from difference in vehicle types to variability in driver behavior. This could result in variability in the effect of explanatory variables on accidents across locations. Random parameter models, which can capture some of such variability, are expected to be more appropriate for the Indian situation.

Method

The present study is an attempt to employ random parameter modeling for accident prediction on two-lane undivided rural highways in India. Three years of accident history, from nearly 200 km of highway segments, is used to calibrate and validate the models.

Results

The results of the analysis suggest that the model coefficients for traffic volume, proportion of cars, motorized two-wheelers and trucks in traffic, and driveway density and horizontal and vertical curvatures are randomly distributed across locations.

Conclusions

The paper is concluded with a discussion on modeling results and the limitations of the present study.     

Highlights of LNG risk technology

The authors have recently undertaken a major review of LNG consequence modeling, compiling a wide range of historical information with more recent experiments and modeling approaches in a book entitled “LNG Risk-Based Safety: Modeling and Consequence Analysis”. All the main consequence routes were reviewed – discharge, evaporation, pool and jet fire, vapor cloud explosions, rollover, and Rapid Phase Transitions (RPT’s). In the book, experimental data bases are assembled for tests on pool spread and evaporation, burn rates, dispersion, fire and radiation and effects on personnel and structures. The current paper presents selected highlights of interest: lessons learned from historical development and experience, comparison of predictions by various models, varying mechanisms for LNG spread of water, a modeling protocol to enable acceptance of newer models, and unresolved technical issues such as cascading failures, fire engulfment of a carrier, the circumstances for a possible LNG BLEVE, and accelerated evaporation by LNG penetration into water.     

杂质对硝酸铵水溶液临界爆炸温度的影响

利用自制装置对含杂质的硝酸铵水溶液临界爆炸温度进行测试研究.结果表明,Cl-单独作用在一定程度上抑制硝酸铵溶液的热分解,提高了其临界爆炸温度;pH值一定时,随着Cl-浓度的增大,硝酸铵水溶液的临界爆炸温度呈指数形式降低;Cl-浓度一定时,pH值越小,硝酸铵水溶液的临界爆炸温度越低;油脂会降低硝酸铵溶液的热稳定性.该结果...     

使用撬装式生物反应器处理含油污泥的现场试验

以长庆油田华池作业区93#井场的修井油泥为对象,添加石油降解菌剂、营养盐、膨松剂,使用撬装式生物反应器控制反应温度及提供全面的机械搅拌增进溶氧量与营养物质的传递速率,对初始含油量为7.24%的含油污泥进行24d的生物强化降解后,含油量下降为0.23%。结果表明,使用撬装式生物反应器可以使微生物快速高效的降解石油污染物,...