Formulaic Expert Method to Integrate Evaluation and Valuation of Heritage Trees in Compact City

Urban trees serve important environmental, social and economic functions, but similar to other natural endowments they are not customarily depicted in monetary terms. The needs to augment protection, funding and community support for urban greening call for proper valuation. Heritage trees (HTs), the cream of urban-tree stock, deserve special attention. Existing assessment methods do not give justice to outstanding trees in compact cities deficient in high-caliber greenery, and to their social-cultural-historical importance. They artificially separate evaluation from valuation, which should be a natural progression from the former. Review of tree valuation methods suggested the formula approach to be more suitable than contingent valuation and hedonic pricing, and provided hints on their strengths and weaknesses. This study develops an alternative formulaic expert method (FEM) that integrates evaluation and valuation, maximizes objectivity, broadly encompasses the key tree, tree-environment and tree-human traits, and accords realistic monetary value to HTs. Six primary criteria (dimension, species, tree, condition, location, and outstanding consideration) branched into 45 secondary criteria, each allocated numerical marks. Each primary criterion was standardized to carry equal weight, and a tree's maximum aggregate score is capped at 100. A Monetary Assignment Factor (MAF) to consign dollar value to each score unit was derived from three-year average per m² sale price of medium-sized residential flats. The applicability of FEM was tested on selected HTs in compact Hong Kong. The aggregate score of a tree multiplied by MAF yielded monetary value, which was on average 66 times higher than the result from the commonly-adopted Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers method. The computed tree values could be publicized together with multiple tree benefits to raise understanding and awareness and rally support to protect HTs. The property-linked FEM could be flexibly applied to other cities, especially to assess HTs in compact developing cities.     

Status of the Riparian Ecosystem in the Upper San Pedro River, Arizona: Application of an Assessment Model

A portion of Arizona’s San Pedro River is managed as a National Riparian Conservation Area but is potentially affected by ground-water withdrawals beyond the conservation area borders. We applied an assessment model to the Conservation Area as a basis for monitoring long-term changes in riparian ecosystem condition resulting from changes in river water availability, and collected multi-year data on a subset of the most sensitive bioindicators. The assessment model is based on nine vegetation bioindicators that are sensitive to changes in surface water or ground water. Site index scores allow for placement into one of three condition classes, each reflecting particular ranges for site hydrology and vegetation structure. We collected the bioindicator data at 26 sites distributed among 14 reaches that had similar stream flow hydrology (spatial flow intermittency) and geomorphology (channel sinuosity, flood-plain width). Overall, 39% of the riparian corridor fell within condition class 3 (the wettest condition), 55% in condition class 2, and 6% in the driest condition class. Condition class 3 reaches have high cover of herbaceous wetland plants (e.g., Juncus and Schoenoplectus spp.) along the perennial stream channel and dense, multi-aged Populus-Salix woodlands in the flood plain, sustained by shallow ground water in the stream alluvium. In condition class 2, intermittent stream flows result in low cover of streamside wetland herbs, but Populus-Salix remain abundant in the flood plain. Perennial wetland plants are absent from condition class 1, reflecting highly intermittent stream flows; the flood plain is vegetated by Tamarixa small tree that tolerates the deep and fluctuating ground water levels that typify this reach type. Abundance of herbaceous wetland plants and growth rate of Salix gooddingii varied between years with different stream flow rates, indicating utility of these measures for tracking short-term responses to hydrologic change. Repeat measurement of all bioindicators will indicate long-term trends in hydro-vegetational condition.     

An Analogy on Assessment of Urban Air Pollution in Turkey Over the Turn of the Millennium (1992–2001)

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in Turkey, especially over the last twenty five years, has provided better living standards to its residents, but it also caused a decrease in environmental quality. In late 1970's, air quality monitoring activities were started in some major cities by individual researchers in Turkey. It was just around the 1990's that a countrywide program on continuous air pollution monitoring in major province centers and selected large towns was launched. The impact of air pollution on people depend on various factors, such as existence and magnitude of coal powered energy generation plants, type of urban heating and their efficiency, and the numbers and specifications of vehicles. In this study, current Turkish urban air quality over the turn of the Millennium (1992–2001) is studied in the light of the country's worst cities in terms of outdoor air quality, the number of upper respiratory diseases, sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia cases in these provinces reported by the state medical treatment facilities in 2001. The population that is under outdoor urban air pollution hazard was computed. A comparative analysis between the provinces that use natural gas and others that use fossil fuels was also completed in order to project monetary gains if the studied provinces will transform their indoor heating and industrial operations to be run by natural gas or other cleaner energy sources. If natural gas use in air polluted urban centers could be realized in the near future, approximately 212 to 350 million US dollars per annum could to be saved just by reducing health related problems caused by outdoor air pollution.     

基于自动种子区域生长的火焰分割算法

在存在壁面反射的低照度火灾环境中,传统的火焰分割算法如颜色分割、运动检测等,在进行火焰分割时造成过分割现象,分割的效果不理想,影响后续的火灾正确识别。针对上述问题,提出了一种基于自动种子区域生长(Automatic Seeded Region Growing,ASRG)的火焰分割算法。首先将从火灾视频中获取的火灾图像从RGB颜色空间转换到YCbCr颜色空间,在Y通道中采用较大自适应阈值背景减法将火灾图像二值化,分别将可疑火焰像素点的横坐标和纵坐标按大小进行排序,取排序后的中间值作为种子点,再由原RGB火灾图像转换而成的灰度图像中,以该种子点进行区域生长,最后将区域生长后的火焰分割图像与采用较小自适应阈值背景减法得到的火焰分割图像进行交集处理,得到最终的火焰分割图像。实验表明ASRG算法在存在壁面反射的低照度火灾环境中,火焰分割效果好,有效解决了该环境下的火焰过分割问题,同时在其他火灾环境中也有较好的火焰分割效果。     

Features of fatal injuries in older cyclists in vehicle–bicycle accidents in Japan

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify and better understand the features of fatal injuries in cyclists aged 75 years and over involved in collisions with either hood- or van-type vehicles.

Methods: This study investigated the fatal injuries of cyclists aged 75 years old and over by analyzing accident data. We focused on the body regions to which the fatal injury occurred using vehicle–bicycle accident data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA) in Japan. Using data from 2009 to 2013, we examined the frequency of fatally injured body region by gender, age, and actual vehicle travel speed. We investigated any significant differences in distributions of fatal injuries by body region for cyclists aged 75 years and over using chi-square tests to compare with cyclists in other age groups. We also investigated the cause of fatal head injuries, such as impact with a road surface or vehicle.

Results: The results indicated that head injuries were the most common cause of fatalities among the study group. At low vehicle travel speeds for both hood- and van-type vehicles, fatalities were most likely to be the result of head impacts against the road surface.

The percentage of fatalities following hip injuries was significantly higher for cyclists aged 75 years and over than for those aged 65–74 or 13–59 in impacts with hood-type vehicles. It was also higher for women than men in the over-75 age group in impacts with these vehicles.

Conclusions: For cyclists aged 75 years and over, wearing a helmet may be helpful to prevent head injuries in vehicle-to-cyclist accidents. It may also be helpful to introduce some safety measures to prevent hip injuries, given the higher level of fatalities following hip injury among all cyclists aged 75 and over, particularly women.     

城市燃气事故生命损失风险可接受标准研究

为提高我国城市燃气风险管理水平,帮助风险管理者科学地分配维护资源,探讨提出了我国城市燃气事故生命损失风险可接受标准;采用AIR指标法确定了个人风险可接受标准范围为(2.397 3×10-7,4.794 7×10-7);运用F-N曲线法结合ALARP原则,确定了社会风险可接受标准,最大可接受风险的截距为4.794 7×10-7,可忽略风险的截距为4.794 7×10-8;利用生活质量指数推导模型,计算了达到城市燃气事故可忽略风险水平的最优安全投入成本;基于风险动态原则,分析提出了风险可接受标准的更新办法。研究结果表明:我国城市燃气行业可接受风险水平低于煤矿、大坝、化工等危险行业的可接受风险水平;虽然我国城市燃气事故死亡率逐年降低,但要达到可忽略的风险水平,每年还需大量安全资金投入。     

2013-2017年京津冀区域PM2.5浓度变化特征

利用2013-2017年京津冀区域13个城市PM_2.5监测数据,综合探讨了该区域PM_2.5浓度的时空变化特征。结果表明：京津冀区域PM_2.5污染整体较重,但治理成效显著,2013-2017年区域PM_2.5年均质量浓度分别为106、93、77、71、64 μg/m³,完成《大气污染防治行动计划》PM_2.5浓度下降25%左右的目标;13个城市PM_2.5浓度各百分位数总体呈现下降趋势,且随百分位数增大而下降速率加大,PM_2.5年均质量浓度平均每年下降10.6 μg/m³,污染严重的太行山沿线城市邢台、石家庄、邯郸3个城市平均每年分别下降20.3、16.1、13.9 μg/m³;京津冀区域PM_2.5重度污染天数比例分别为19.9%、16.6%、9.5%、9.0%、7.0%,呈下降趋势。2013-2017年京津冀区域PM_2.5平均质量浓度与非重度污染天相比升高19 μg/m³,PM_2.5重度污染天平均质量浓度较非重度污染天时高244.4%。     

固定化包埋亚硝酸菌短程脱氮与同步除磷工艺研究

为实现常温下低碳源城市生活污水的低能耗脱氮除磷,采用固定化技术和厌氧/好氧/缺氧(AOA)工艺耦合与游离组进行了对比实验研究。在温度为25±1℃、pH为8.0±1、DO为1±0.5 mg/L和HRT为9 h的条件下,两组运行结果表明,固定组具有较高的硝化效率和较强的适应能力,亚硝氮的积累率可以稳定维持在70%以上,对NH4+-N、COD和TP的去除率分别为92.2%、87.2%和81.3%,明显优于游离组。     

中国城镇建设用地经济密度的区位差异及影响因素——基于273个地级及以上城市的分析

以全国地级及以上城市中的273个样本城市为研究对象,分别从全国、沿海地区、内陆地区三个层次考察了样本城市城镇建设用地经济密度的区位差异。根据柯布-道格拉斯生产函数的理论与分析方法建立模型,分析了资本、劳动力、土地三大投入要素和城市全要素生产率等对城镇建设用地的影响,并在控制以上变量的条件下侧重考察了城市区位差异的影响。发现我国城镇建设用地经济密度的区位差异明显,具有区位优势的城市土地效益平均高于缺乏区位优势的城市;沿海水陆口岸的区位优势十分显著,建设用地经济密度相对较高,而内陆地区水陆口岸的区位优势有待发掘;航空口岸对提高城镇建设用地经济密度未发挥积极作用。分析结果表明,生产要素投入、科技水平、市场环境和城市发展阶段是影响土地效益的主要因素,但不同区位条件下城镇建设用地经济密度的影响因素有所不同,为提高城镇建设用地经济密度,不同区位条件的城市着力点应各有侧重。     

我国农村劳动力流动性就业计量问题研究

改革开放30年来,上亿农村劳动力实现了向城镇非农产业大规模转移,而我国沿袭至今的劳动就业统计制度突出的缺陷是将三部分人--在农村从事纯农的农民,在城镇从事非农工作但户口在农村的农民工,游移于乡城间"亦工亦农"的农村劳动力--排除于劳动统计计量之外.不解决这部分劳动力就业的统计计量的问题,则很难准确回答"中国的失业率究竟有多高?".为此,确定严格的、便于与国际接轨的劳动就业标准,从而构建我国统一的、规范的劳动就业市场至关重要.本文着重探讨了游移于农村与城市之间、就业岗位、就业时间不固定的农村劳动力就业、失业不充分的计量问题.作者在对国内外就业和失业定义和计量标准进行比较和评价基础上,结合我国实情提出了以法定劳动力年工时为核心的劳动力流动性就业的调查和计量方法,并通过调查案例证实了它的有效性与可行性.