A Bird’s Eye View of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Occupation: Nonhuman Agency and Entangled Species

In January 2016, armed militants occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, demanding an end to government control of the Refuge and other similarly protected public lands. Public discourse about the occupation highlights ongoing tensions around land use, property rights, and government overreach. The discourse foregrounds human animal concerns and all but erases nonhuman animal agency. This essay considers nonhuman animal agency and the entanglement of humans, nonhumans, and the land as seen in the occupation and surrounding discourse. We draw from critical animal studies and feminist posthuman theory to examine how discourses of the occupation produce and reinforce a sense of human exceptionalism that elides a more useful and nuanced understanding of human–nonhuman–land relatedness and agency. The analysis shows how, in the case of the Malheur occupation, occupiers and critics alike rely on discourses of “othering” towards both nonhuman animals and other humans. We take a “birding” perspective on the occupation to show how the webs of relationality that connect humans, nonhumans, and the land might be activated as an antidote to destructive discourses of human exceptionalism.     

供风量对褐煤自燃极限参数的影响研究

为研究不同供风量对褐煤自燃特性的影响规律,选取平庄瑞安煤矿褐煤作为试验煤样,利用程序升温试验和气相色谱仪,研究低温氧化阶段不同供风量条件下褐煤自燃极限参数与温度、供风量之间的变化规律。结果表明:温度在40~120℃时,随着供风量增大,褐煤的最小浮煤厚度和下限氧浓度降低,上限漏风强度增加;温度在120~200℃,供风量为40~80 mL/min和160~200 mL/min时,随着供风量的增加,其最小浮煤厚度和下限氧浓度增加,上限漏风强度减少;供风量为80~160 mL/min时,在供风量增大的情况下,褐煤的最小浮煤厚度和下限氧浓度降低,上限漏风强度增加;随着供风量减小,煤样临界点温度降低。     

案例—数据集成驱动的CI抗灾能力评估指标选择

关键基础设施（CI）是维持社会大系统正常运行的重要组成部分,是复杂的网络巨系统,而CI抗灾能力评估指标需具有系统性、客观性和一致性。案例驱动与数据驱动在能力评估指标选择中各有优势,亦相互支持。依靠案例驱动,可以把握历史经验,引导CI抗灾能力评估的情景设计及全局指标选择改进;借助数据驱动,可以发现潜在的微观指标,通过数据分析引导抗灾能力评估微观指标体系改进与完善。集成这2种评估驱动方法,提出CI抗灾能力评估指标选择的案例-数据集成驱动框架,并结合用例验证评估方法的有效性。     

湛江某海上风电桩基局部冲刷特征研究

海上风电场桩基局部冲刷是工程设计与运行阶段的重要参数之一。基于湛江某海上风电场桩基3次现场局部冲刷实测数据,进行冲刷坑最大深度、冲刷坑半径和冲淤变化特征的分析与研究;根据桩基局部冲刷经验公式,采用工程海域实测海洋水文动力学数据进行最大冲刷深度与冲刷半径的计算,并进行公式计算值的对比与分 析。结果表明:桩基础在防冲刷设施的保护下,3次实测最大冲刷深度基本稳定为4.0 m,最大冲刷深度与桩径之比为0.57。而经验公式的最大冲刷深度与桩径之比均超过了1.1,说明桩基防冲刷设施取得了一定的效果,冲刷坑半径的计算值与现场实测值吻合较好。建议海上风电场在运行阶段进一步加强桩基冲刷坑监测与防护。     

Altitudinal Distribution of Meltwater and Its Effects on Glacio‐Hydrology in Glacierized Catchments,Central Asia

In glacierized catchments, elevation is correlated with meltwater through its association with temperature, precipitation, and glacier hypsometry. The revelation of the altitudinal distribution of meltwater, unattended and not fully understood in previous work, might provide a better understanding of climate change impacts on glacio‐hydrology. Here, critical zone approach was defined and applied in 12 glacierized catchments of the Tien Shan–Pamir–Karakorum Mountains, Central Asia using manually calibrated glacier‐enhanced Soil and Water Assessment Tool model over 1966–2005. The critical zone, a sequence of elevation bands with above‐average snow and glacier melt, contributes maximum meltwater to total runoff. The critical zone shared 37%–95% (average = 80%) of meltwater contributions to total runoff, although its size was only 13%–30% of the total elevational relief. The critical zone controlled 76% and 82% variability in relative changes of glacier area and total runoff at the catchment scale, respectively. The increase in temperature was identified as the dominant driver for variations in total runoff in all catchments except Vakhsh and Yurungkash, where precipitation change remained dominant. Overall, glacier hypsometry limited the first‐order control of meltwater distributions on glacio‐hydrology. It is concluded that critical zone approach can interpret the proxy role of elevation to affect water availability under climate and glacier area change in glacierized catchments.     

A spatially explicit empirical model of structural development processes in natural forests based on climate and topography

Stand structure develops with stand age. Old-growth forests with well-developed stand structure support many species. However, development rates of stand structure likely vary with climate and topography. We modeled structural development of 4 key stand variables and a composite old-growth index as functions of climatic and topographic covariates. We used a hierarchical Bayesian method for analysis of extensive snap-shot National Forest Inventory (NFI) data in Japan (n = 9244) to account for differences in stand age. Development rates of structural variables and the old-growth index exhibited curvilinear responses to environmental covariates. Flat sites were characterized by high rates of structural development. Approximately 150 years were generally required to attain high values (approximately 0.8) of the old-growth index. However, the predicted age to achieve specific values varied depending on environmental conditions. Spatial predictions highlighted regional variation in potential structural development rates. For example, sometimes there were differences of >100 years among sites, even in the same catchment, in attainment of a medium index value (0.5) after timber harvesting. The NFI data suggested that natural forests, especially old natural forests (>150 years), remain generally on unproductive ridges, steep slopes, or areas with low temperature and deep snow, where many structural variables show slow development rates. We suggest that maintenance and restoration of old natural forests on flat sites should be prioritized for conservation due to the likely rapid development of stand structure, although remaining natural forests on low-productivity sites are still important and should be protected.     

除冰盐环境下混凝土冻融损伤深度的试验研究

文章对除冰盐环境下混凝土的冻融损伤进行了试验研究,通过对比混凝土外观变化规律、超声设备检测结果以及混凝土触水面渗透情况来获得不同冻融循环次数下混凝土的损伤深度情况。研究结果表明,当经历20次冻融循环后,混凝土冻融损伤开始向混凝土内部扩展。当经历30次冻融循环后,混凝土冻融损伤深度向下快速发展。当经历70次冻融循环后,混凝土冻融损伤向下发展变慢。这是由于前期冻融循环造成混凝土试件顶部产生大量微裂缝足以排出由于结冰产生的开裂应力,从而减弱冻融损伤向下发展的趋势。而在实际混凝土桥梁表面由于磨损存在,冻融损伤会不断向内扩展,值得桥梁管理人员注意。另外,在90次冻融循环后,最大渗透深度达到25mm,即细观裂缝已经接近普通钢筋混凝土结构中钢筋的位置,容易引发钢筋锈蚀问题。本试验研究结果可以为北方寒冷地区混凝土桥梁的抗锈蚀设计提供依据。     

取芯管取芯过程管壁温度变化特性试验*

为给冷冻取芯过程中瓦斯解吸模拟试验提供依据,依托自主研制的取芯管管壁温度自动采集装置,研究不同取芯深度及煤体破坏类型下取芯过程管壁温度变化特性。结果表明:在原生结构煤中取芯时,取芯过程管壁温度变化主要分为3个阶段,即稳定不变阶段、快速上升阶段与缓慢下降阶段,分别对应进钻、取芯与退钻过程;在构造煤中取芯时,管壁温度变化可分为缓慢上升阶段、快速上升阶段与缓慢下降阶段,分别对应进钻、取芯与退钻过程。在构造煤中,取芯深度越大,取芯管管壁升温幅度越大,取样过程中管壁温度峰值越大,且在取芯过程中,取芯管管壁温度传感器B1,B2,B3存在温升滞后现象;同一取芯深度,煤体破碎程度越大,取芯管管壁升温幅度越小,取芯结束时取芯管管壁温度越低。     

Women executives and off-the-job misconduct by high-profile employees: A study of National Football League team organizations

The risk of off-the-job misconduct by high-profile employees is a serious concern of top management in professional sport organizations, media and entertainment companies, and public-facing entities in the government and education sectors. Yet there is little research on how to prevent or mitigate this form of misconduct in organizations. Utilizing upper echelons theory and the literature on demographic composition, we examine the relationship between the gender composition of executives of team organizations in a men's professional sport league and subsequent misconduct by players on those teams. Specifically, we employed multilevel and logistic regression analyses to unique data on U.S. National Football League team organizations, and we found that firms with a critical mass of women executives experienced fewer player arrests. No support was found for executive power as a moderator of this relationship. We discuss the implications of our findings for the demographic composition literature. We also offer guidance for preventing and managing off-the-job misconduct by high-profile employees.     

Guidelines for life extension process management in oil and gas facilities

Facilities life extension has caught the attention among the capital-intensive industries, like oil and gas. By extending the life cycle of the industrial assets, a wide range of benefits is obtained, comparing with other life ending management strategies. This article first contextualizes the implementation of the life extension concept in the oil and gas industry, showing global data about life extension. Despite the importance of the ageing process, due to its great economic impact and the risk it poses to the production sector, regulatory entities, even in countries more advanced in that sector or that have already experienced the extension process, developed only superficial material about the topic without defining a structured methodology for the assessment of the possibility of useful life extension. The available references do not allow a comprehensive analysis of that possibility, which highlights the importance the methodology proposed. Thus, this article proposes a guideline for the life extension process management, strengthening a framework containing the main evaluation stages, aiming to facilitate the analysis of issues related to ageing and to support the decision-making process. Lastly, real case studies regarding current life extension processes submitted to the Brazilian regulatory body were evaluated against the proposed framework stages, evidencing their lack of necessary details to support the decision-making. Upon the realization that the real cases identified do not allow for the assessment of the contribution and adequacy of the proposed framework in its entirety, the same was also applied to a hypothetical case. The latter was developed based on facts reported by a major operator in Brazil. The result was the determination that the use of the proposed methodology transformed the assessment of the possibility of life extension into a systematic and transparent process, leading to easier and better-founded decision-making procedures, and improving the management of the asset during its extended life.