Migration of inorganic ions from the leachate of the Rio das Ostras landfill: A comparison of three different configurations of protective barriers

Batch tests and diffusion tests were performed to analyze the efficiency of a protective barrier in a landfill consisting of compacted soil with 10% bentonite compared to the results obtained for only compacted soil and for compacted soil covered with a 1-mm-thick HDPE geomembrane; the soil and leachate were collected from the Rio das Ostras Landfill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The diffusion tests were performed for periods of 3, 10 and 60 days. After the test period, the soil pore water was analyzed and the profiles for chloride, potassium and ammonium were determined along a 6-cm soil depth. The results of the batch tests performed to define sorption parameters were used to adjust the profiles obtained in the diffusion cell experiment by applying an ion transfer model between the interstitial solution and the soil particles. The MPHMTP model (Multi Phase Heat and Mass Transfer Program), which is based upon the solution of the transport equations of the ionic contaminants, was used to solve the inverse problem of simultaneously determining the effective diffusion coefficients. The results of the experimental tests and of the model simulation confirmed that the compacted soil with 10% bentonite was moderately efficient in the retention of chloride, potassium and ammonium ions compared to the configurations of compacted soil with a geomembrane and compacted soil alone, representing a solution that is technically feasible and requires potentially lower costs for implementation in landfills.     

Conservation Success as a Function of Good Alignment of Social and Ecological Structures and Processes

How to create and adjust governing institutions so that they align (fit) with complex ecosystem processes and structures across scales is an issue of increasing concern in conservation. It is argued that lack of such social‐ecological fit makes governance and conservation difficult, yet progress in explicitly defining and rigorously testing what constitutes a good fit has been limited. We used a novel modeling approach and data from case studies of fishery and forest conservation to empirically test presumed relationships between conservation outcomes and certain patterns of alignment of social‐ecological interdependences. Our approach made it possible to analyze conservation outcome on a systems level while also providing information on how individual actors are positioned in the complex web of social‐ecological interdependencies. We found that when actors who shared resources were also socially linked, conservation at the level of the whole social‐ecological system was positively affected. When the scales at which individual actors used resources and the scale at which ecological resources were interconnected to other ecological resources were aligned through tightened feedback loops, conservation outcome was better than when they were not aligned. The analysis of individual actors’ positions in the web of social‐ecological interdependencies was helpful in understanding why a system has a certain level of social‐ecological fit. Results of analysis of positions showed that different actors contributed in very different ways to achieve a certain fit and revealed some underlying difference between the actors, for example in terms of actors’ varying rights to access and use different ecological resources. El Éxito de la Conservación como Función de una Buena Alineación de Estructuras y Procesos Sociales y Ecológicos     

GB/T 28001-2011新版标准核心要素的理解

GB/T 28000《职业健康安全管理体系》系列标准于2012年开始正式实施,新版标准中对术语、定义和核心要素内容进行了大量的修订,正确地理解和贯彻标准核心要素是应用标准进行企业职业健康安全管理的根本所在,对预防和降低风险,确保职业健康安全管理体系的有效运行有着十分重要的意义.为使组织满足新版标准要求,本文对GB/T 28001-2011《职业健康安全管理体系要求》中核心要素——4.3.1危险源辨识、风险评价和控制措施的确定在内容上进行对比分析,并结合作者在实际工作中的案例和相关的法律法规和其他要求进行阐述,在此基础上对4.3.1要素进行理解,可以使组织对新标准的掌握和应用达到事半功倍的效果.     

Probability and frequency calculations related to protection layers revisited

This article casts a new glance over some methods dedicated to the calculation of the likelihood (probability or frequency) of failure of systems and, in particular, safety-related systems working alone or in association with other protection layers. It consists first in examining with a critical eye the relevancy of the aforementioned methods, which are still often used in spite of their restrictive limitations, and second in proposing an alternative approach for each of them. The correctness of the examinated methods is tested by applying them to very simple systems modeled by fault tree models, with intent to show why these methods are debatable and how they can be replaced by other ones, more appropriate. The particular case of several protection layers having to react on the demand resulting from the global failure of their associated control system is considered. That case leads to revisit the common assumption of the independence between the above protection layers and control system, by taking into account the order of their respective failures from a qualitative and quantitative point of view.     

A framework for evaluating and designing citizen science programs for natural resources monitoring

We present a framework of resource characteristics critical to the design and assessment of citizen science programs that monitor natural resources. To develop the framework we reviewed 52 citizen science programs that monitored a wide range of resources and provided insights into what resource characteristics are most conducive to developing citizen science programs and how resource characteristics may constrain the use or growth of these programs. We focused on 4 types of resource characteristics: biophysical and geographical, management and monitoring, public awareness and knowledge, and social and cultural characteristics. We applied the framework to 2 programs, the Tucson (U.S.A.) Bird Count and the Maui (U.S.A.) Great Whale Count. We found that resource characteristics such as accessibility, diverse institutional involvement in resource management, and social or cultural importance of the resource affected program endurance and success. However, the relative influence of each characteristic was in turn affected by goals of the citizen science programs. Although the goals of public engagement and education sometimes complimented the goal of collecting reliable data, in many cases trade‐offs must be made between these 2 goals. Program goals and priorities ultimately dictate the design of citizen science programs, but for a program to endure and successfully meet its goals, program managers must consider the diverse ways that the nature of the resource being monitored influences public participation in monitoring.     

论环境监察工作制度修订的必要性

随着环境监察形势的不断变化,环境监察现有工作制度难以有效应对日新月异的环境保护新形势;环境监察工作体制、机制以及执法理念的更新换代,未来的环境监察工作制度需要进一步完善,才能更好地为国家环境保护工作保驾护航。     

“5.12”汶川地震诱发滑坡特征参数统计分析

2008年5月12日四川省汶川县发生了Ms 8.0级大地震,震后遥感影像解译与调查结果表明,在约48 700km2的区域内,地震诱发了不少于48000处的滑坡灾害。基于GIS空间分析方法,分别使用滑坡面积与滑坡数量这两个统计参数,对滑坡的地层岩性、坡度、滑向、高程、所在烈度区、上下盘位置和与发震断裂的距离等共7个参数进行了统计分析。统计结果表明,汶川地震滑坡多发育在(1)砂岩、粉砂岩、千枚岩与灰岩地层中;(2)坡度为30°～50°,尤其是35°～45°范围内;(3)沿着垂直于发震断裂SEE方向运动;(4)高程为800～2000m,尤其是1000～1600m范围内;(5)Ⅷ～Ⅺ烈度区范围内;(6)发震断裂的上盘:(7)距离发震断裂40km,尤其是10km的区域内。     

供应链食品安全管理自适应系统的结构设计

食品供应链是食品安全监管体系的重要组成部分和载体。本文探讨了自适应系统理论在供应链食品质量安全管理方面应用的可能性;针对目前的食品安全问题,依照自适应原理,设计了食品安全的自适应系统,该系统含有两套自适应的子系统,即低成本常规食品安全管理系统和高成本食品安全突发事件控制预测系统;两套子系统所采用的规则集不同,但可相互通讯,共享跟踪系统及其所采集的数据。整个系统最终输出的是安全供应渠道,与供应链决策系统中的成本、需求方向、生产计划等一起构成决定食品原材料供应来源的因素。系统以人工神经网络为自适应系统的主体,判断安全的食品供应结点并预测突发性食品安全问题;同时,提出了实现上述功能的一种可能的系统结构,以期有效实现食品安全的动态反应和控制,为完善我国食品质量安全管理提供新的思路。     

Implementing an effective conduct of operations and operational discipline program

This paper introduces the concepts of conduct of operations (COO) and operational discipline (OD), the attributes of effective COO/OD systems, and the steps an organization might take to improve its COO/OD programs. In general, the COO program encompasses the management systems developed to encourage performance of all tasks in a consistent, appropriate manner. OD is the deliberate and structured execution of the COO management systems by personnel throughout the organization. By introducing a framework and tools for describing, evaluating, and improving COO/OD, this paper provides guidance that can be used by companies to improve process safety performance.     

Disaster preparedness in a complex urban system: the case of Kathmandu Valley,Nepal

The city is a growing centre of humanitarian concern. Yet, aid agencies, governments and donors are only beginning to comprehend the scale and, importantly, the complexity of the humanitarian challenge in urban areas. Using the case study of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, this paper examines the analytical utility of recent research on complex urban systems in strengthening scholarly understanding of urban disaster risk management, and outlines its operational relevance to disaster preparedness. Drawing on a literature review and 26 interviews with actors from across the Government of Nepal, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, non‐governmental organisations, United Nations agencies, and at‐risk communities, the study argues that complexity can be seen as a defining feature of urban systems and the risks that confront them. To manage risk in these systems effectively, preparedness efforts must be based on adaptive and agile approaches, incorporating the use of network analysis, partnerships, and new technologies.