Public sector perspectives and policy implications for the Pitons Management Area World Heritage Site,St. Lucia

St. Lucia faces numerous challenges associated with striking a balance between its economic and conservation goals with respect to the Pitons Management Area (PMA) World Heritage Site. Among the various stakeholders, the public sector, which largely constitutes the administrative authorities representing the general public, plays an instrumental role in site management. They are primarily responsible for policy formulation as well as the provision of fiscal incentives and funds to assist in the maintenance of the site. Based on a qualitative inquiry approach, this study explored the perspectives of key persons among pertinent public and non-profit organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among local and national representatives from the public sector. Results revealed that the designation of the PMA as a World Heritage Site has presented both opportunities and challenges to the management of the site. Findings strongly indicate that the integrity and sustainability of the site is at stake due to a lack of commitment, coordination and political will in the public sector.     

A case study of flood control schemes for the Kakehashi river and their socio-cultural consequences

SUMMARY

This paper is concerned with a twenty-five year campaign against the relocation of the Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine as a result of the enlargement of the Kakehashi river. The Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine is an important cultural property of Japan, and was constructed by Toshitsune Maeda, the third dynasty of the Kaga clan in 1657. It is suggested that the primary reason why it took so long to settle this issue is a flaw in our social system for managing public works. It is concluded that preservation of cultural property is not always contrary to land development, and that the proposed procedures or something like them must be put into practice for the real expansion of our culture.     

The growing role of web‐based geospatial technology in disaster response and support

This paper examines changes in disaster response and relief efforts and recent web‐based geospatial technological developments through an evaluation of the experiences of the Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University, of the Sichuan (2008) and Haiti (2010) earthquake responses. This paper outlines how conventional GIS (geographic information systems) disaster responses by governmental agencies and relief response organisations and the means for geospatial data‐sharing have been transformed into a more dynamic, more transparent, and decentralised form with a wide participation. It begins by reviewing briefly at historical changes in the employment of geospatial technologies in major devastating disasters, including the Sichuan and Haiti earthquakes (case studies for our geospatial portal project). It goes on to assess changes in the available dataset type and in geospatial disaster responders, as well as the impact of geospatial technological changes on disaster relief effort. Finally, the paper discusses lessons learned from recent responses and offers some thoughts for future development.     

基于卸加载响应比的滑坡稳定状态评价与划分

为有效评价与预测滑坡的稳定状态,提出基于卸加载响应比参数的滑坡稳定状态划分的新方法.在阐述卸加载响应比理论内涵的基础上,从损伤力学角度探讨并建立了卸加载响应比与损伤变量的相互关系,并进一步通过分析滑坡稳定安全系数与损伤变量之间的相互关系,建立了卸加载响应比与滑坡稳定安全系数的定量关系.参照相关规范和标准,以卸加载响应比值划分了滑坡稳定状态区间.并以新滩滑坡为例,计算所得卸加载响应比所对应的滑坡稳定状态与实际情况相吻合.说明可以用卸加载响应比参数对滑坡稳定状态进行评价,它与滑坡稳定安全系数一样具有理论和实际应用价值.     

A fresh perspective on food safety in Canada: risk communication,public involvement,and the impact of the 2008 listeriosis outbreak

While the listeriosis outbreak of 2008 brought attention to food safety decision making in Canada, little of that attention was placed on public involvement and risk communication. With a primary focus on Health Canada (HC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), this article describes the state of microbial-related public involvement and risk communication undertakings and suggests ways in which improvements can be made. The findings show that public involvement and risk communication activities have been strengthened since the outbreak, but they have become neither dialogical nor highly participatory. HC engages with experts to a far greater extent than with the lay public and it has fallen short in fulfilling its stated commitment to openness and transparency. Furthermore, both HC's and the CFIA's approach to risk communication has been overly general, has failed to provide opportunities for dialogue with vulnerable and more general groups with whom it is communicating and is not rooted in foodborne surveillance data. Public involvement in food safety governance would be improved if HC provided the lay public with a seat on advisory committees and improved its public involvement reporting methods. HC and the CFIA could also make risk communication improvements by creating opportunities for dialogue between officials and the general public, and by exploring alternative risk communication vehicles, such as food labels.     

Costs and prices for renewable energy development in industrialized countries and applications to China

Developing renewable energy is now becoming a hot topic as it is important in dealing with climate change issue and energy supply issue. With the growing demand of energy, it has become urgent to develop the effective policies and measures that would enable people to maintain the living standards. Among all the measures, price is an essential one. In order to evaluate the costs and prices of the electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) and their effects to the market, this paper firstly focus on the extra costs of the RES-E by breaking it into four parts, including investment, construction, connection and operation. Then, the policy choices made in some typical industrialized countries are examined to find answers to the problems RES-E can raise. Finally, the choices made in China are examined in comparison to industrialized countries so as to determine how the current situation could be improved.     

An approach to calculating allowable watershed pollutant loads

To improve the management of discharge pollutants loads in the reservoirs’ watershed, an approach of the allowable pollutants loads calculation and its allocation, based on the water environment model, was proposed. Establishment of the approach framework was described at first. Under the guidance of this framework, two major steps were as follows: modeling and scenario analysis were involved and should be applied to support the decision of discharge loads management; Environmental Fluid Dynamic Code (EFDC) model was selected as the kernel model in this framework. In modeling step, spatial discretization for establishing cell map in model, data preprocessing, parameter calibration and uncertainty analysis (which is considered as the significantly relevant factor of the margin of safety (MOS)), were conducted. As a result of the research, the model-based approach presented as a combination of estimation and precise calculation, which contributed to scenario analysis step. Some integrated modules, such as scenario simulation, result analysis and plan optimization were implemented as cycles in the scenario analysis. Finally, allowable pollutant loads under various conditions were calculated. The Chaihe Reservoir in Liaoning Province, China was used as a case study for an application of the approach described above. Results of the Chaihe reservoir water quality simulation, show good agreement with field data and demonstrated that the approach used in the present study provide an efficient and appropriate methodology for pollutant load allocation.     

灾害化学的核心原理研究

为完善安全科学原理的内容,促进安全科学的理论发展,基于对安全科学理论体系和灾害化学的研究,提出灾害化学原理的定义及其研究内容。归纳出灾害化学的六个核心原理,即热平衡原理、过程控制原理、平衡移动原理、反应减速原理、条件阻隔原理、质能守恒原理,并分析这些原理的概念和内涵。最后,从本质化安全生产设计、职业安全健康与管理和安全经济效益的角度分析灾害化学原理的应用,并选取具体实例详细阐述了各原理的实用性。     

一种利用AIS数据计算受限水域内航标安全距离的方法

AIS数据详细记录了特定水域的船舶位置、船首向和尺寸等数据,可用于计算受限水域内航标安全距离。按一定标准网格化目标航标附近水域,统计周围航行的他船船体出现在每一个网格中的频数,形成他船航迹的网格频数图。按长度尺寸分类,将同类他船航迹网格频数图叠加,形成特定类型船舶的航迹网格频数图。按频数大小填充颜色,可清晰地显示航标附近他船安全通行状态下与航标保持的距离。实验选取上海港航标附近水域海量AIS数据,获取了60~79m,80~99m,100~129m,130~159m船舶航迹形成的网格频数图,结果显示,四类船舶距航标的安全距离随着他船长度的增大而增加,分别为50m,70m,110m,150m。     

推动安全生产社会化的思考

研究了在新的形势下聚合各方资源,推动安全生产社会化的关键问题。重点分析了安全生产社会化的内涵,初步提出了推动安全生产社会化的整体设计,从组织、政策、约束三个维度研究了社会化组织体系建设,并为社会化工作的具体落实提出了安全培训、安全知识传播、安全文化、企业专项服务、政府执法支撑、事故信息共享、公众监督等七个重点工作方向,为创新开展安全生产社会化工作提供有益借鉴。