Discovering meaningful information from large amounts of environment and health data to reduce uncertainties in formulating environmental policies

This study uses knowledge discovery concepts to analyze large amounts of data step by step for the purpose of assisting in the formulation of environmental policy. We performed data cleansing and extracting from existing nation-wide databases, and used regression and classification techniques to analyze the data. The current water hardness in Kaohsiung, Taiwan contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but exacerbates the development of renal stones (RS). However, to focus on water hardness alone to control RS would not be cost effective at all, because the existing database parameters do not adequately allow for a clear understanding of RS. Analysis of huge amounts of data can most often turn up the most reliable and convincing results and the use of existing databases can be cost-effective.     

环境磁学在环境科学中的应用研究

综述了环境磁学发展进程中与环境问题的相互联系，以及磁学在气候、土壤、湖泊、生物和环境污染领域的广泛应用。分析了环境磁学进一步发展的研究方向。指出环境磁学以解决环境问题为主要目标。环境磁学方法所具有的样品用量少，灵敏度高，简便快速，非破坏性，费用低等特点，为研究环境问题提供了新途径和新方法。随着人类对环境问题的不断重视，利用环境磁学来追踪污染物的起源以及土壤，湖泊沉积物等物源将是环境磁学服务社会的重要内容。     

建设规范化实验室工作中的档案管理

以大连市环境监测中心为例，介绍了实验室认可中档案管理人员的设置，人员技术档案、监测业务档案、仪器设备档案、物资采购档案、质量体系文件归档的方法和要求。阐述了实验室认可中档案管理的重要性。     

Defining Historical Baselines for Conservation: Ecological Changes Since European Settlement on Vancouver Island,Canada

Abstract: Conservation and restoration goals are often defined by historical baseline conditions that occurred prior to a particular period of human disturbance, such as European settlement in North America. Nevertheless, if ecosystems were heavily influenced by native peoples prior to European settlement, conservation efforts may require active management rather than simple removal of or reductions in recent forms of disturbance. We used pre‐European settlement land survey records (1859–1874) and contemporary vegetation surveys to assess changes over the past 150 years in tree species and habitat composition, forest density, and tree size structure on southern Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that frequent historical burning by native peoples, and subsequent fire suppression, have played dominant roles in shaping this landscape. First, the relative frequency of fire‐sensitive species (e.g., cedar [Thuja plicata]) has increased, whereas fire‐tolerant species (e.g., Douglas‐fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii]) have decreased. Tree density has increased 2‐fold, and the proportion of the landscape in forest has greatly increased at the expense of open habitats (plains, savannas), which today contain most of the region's threatened species. Finally, the frequency distribution of tree size has shifted from unimodal to monotonically decreasing, which suggests removal of an important barrier to tree recruitment. In addition, although most of the open habitats are associated with Garry oak (Quercus garryana) at present, most of the open habitats prior to European settlement were associated with Douglas‐fir, which suggests that the current focus on Garry oak as a flagship for the many rare species in savannas may be misguided. Overall, our results indicate that the maintenance and restoration of open habitats will require active management and that historical records can provide critical guidance to such efforts.     

Young driver risk in relation to parents' retrospective driving record

PROBLEM: Parents are an important potential influence on the driving safety of their children. This study examined the relationship of parental driving record on male and female offspring's at-fault collision risk. METHOD: Drivers aged 16-21 on the date of full licensure were selected from driver records and a matching process was used to identify putative parents in two-parent households. Poisson regression models were developed to predict at-fault collisions of male and female youth in the three years following full licensure from parents' at-fault collisions, speeding offenses, and other moving offenses in the four years prior to children's licensure. One set of models examined the relative risk associated with increasing numbers of maternal and paternal at-fault collisions and offenses. Other models examined the joint versus separate maternal and parental contributions. RESULTS: Controlling for region of residence, both mothers' and fathers' at-fault collisions were associated with an increased risk in both male and female youth at-fault collisions. Mothers' and fathers' speeding offenses were also associated with increased relative risk of at-fault collisions for both sons and daughters, while fathers' other moving offenses increased collision risk for sons but not daughters. DISCUSSION: Further research is required to identify how parental driving risk is transmitted to children. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: (a) Parents of young children should be informed of their role in influencing their children's future driving risk; (b) The results identify risk factors that could be of interest to licensing authorities and the insurance industry.     

Pesticides poisoning cases recorded in Ngaoundere,Cameroon over a 27-month period

An examination of hospital records at Ngaoundere in Cameroon showed that there were 51 reported cases of pesticide poisoning in a 27-month period (January 2004 to April 2006) and of those, only two deaths were attributed to insecticides. One feature was that apart from a high proportion of unidentified poisons, rodenticide poisoning was reported more often than other pesticides. Many cases of poisoning might go unrecorded if an individual does not go to hospital.     

Air pollution effects on hospital admissions: a statistical analysis of parallel time series

A statistical model for longitudinal count data is used to examine the potential adverse health effects of ambient air pollution. Daily respiratory admissions to 164 acute care hospitals in Ontario are obtained for the period 1983 to 1988. Estimates of ozone levels in the vicinity of each hospital are determined from air pollution monitoring stations maintained by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Generalized estimating equation methods are used to make inferences about the regression and overdispersion parameters. The admission data display little evidence of serial correlation and extra Poisson variation. However, admission rates vary considerably among hospitals. This latter source of variation needs to be taken into account in examining the effects of air pollution on respiratory health status.     

现场监测数据审核方法及异常数据的判别研究

现场监测数据审核是整个环境监测质量管理中的重要一环,关系到监测数据的真实、公正、有效.现场监测原始记录准确完整的填写是数据审核的前提条件,文章论述了原始记录的填写要求及填写方法.针对审核过程中遇到异常数据的具体问题加以判别,分析原始记录的完整性、计算公式的准确性在现场监测数据审核工作中的作用.结合实际工作,通过对环境监测数据相关性、逻辑性进行研究,分析了现场监测数据审核过程中应注意的问题及异常数据的产生原因,并提出了相应的解决方法.     

调整已有地震动拟和规范反应谱人造地震动方法比较

利用已有的地震记录调整得到拟和规范反应谱的人造地震动的方法越来越得到广泛的认可和应用。常用的方法包括比较粗略的比例调整法、比较精确的调整傅里叶幅值谱法、基于小波变换的调整方法和时域内叠加小波函数的方法等。本文详细介绍了各种谱拟和方法的原理以及实现过程中的难点;通过算例分析,对各种方法的优缺点进行了探讨。结果表明:当已有地震动反应谱与规范反应谱相差较大时,可先采用比例调整法粗调,然后再采用其他三种比较精确的方法继续进行调整;后三种方法都能快速地由实际地震动时程纪录得到拟和规范反应谱的人造地震动时程,并一定程度上保留原始时程的非平稳特征;相比之下,时域内叠加小波函数的方法精度最高,调整完后不用进行基线调整,是一种值得推荐的方法。