Improving visitor management approaches for the changing preferences and behaviours of country park visitors in Hong Kong

This study identified the changing preferences of country park visitors in Hong Kong and the potential for such changes to have further negative impacts on the ecologically sensitive areas of country parks. A questionnaire was used to collect feedback from 644 country park visitors to understand their preferences and visitation patterns. To investigate visitors’ preferences and behaviours and to develop better visitor management strategies, the survey data were compared with studies conducted 20 years ago. The results showed that the most popular nature‐based activities of 20 years ago, namely, picnicking and barbecuing, have significantly declined in popularity, while other activities, namely, nature studies and nature photography, have surged in popularity in recent years. These changes in visitor preferences have directly increased the negative impacts of visitors on country parks as they dispersed away from the high intensity recreation zones to the ecological sensitive areas. This emerging group of country park visitors has not been fully considered in the existing approach to visitor management and may irreversibly impact the ecological value of country parks. In this study, visitor management in Hong Kong's country parks was reviewed based on these research findings, and potential improvements were suggested.     

悬浮种衣剂生产中对环境影响的研究

通过对悬浮种衣剂不同程度毒性的原药和各种助剂的筛选、生产中废水处理和周围土壤有效保护等方面的研究,提出采用物理、化学和生物等方法,进行预防和消除悬浮种衣剂生产中存在对环境不利的安全隐患和危害人们生活和健康的因素。但操作不当和预防意识弱,会给接触者带来身体健康的危害,采取相应的预防措施,能消除危害隐患,使接触者的身体健康得到保障。指出有效助剂不仅能稳定悬浮种衣剂的悬浮度,还能起到增加剂型药效和环境保护的作用,研究表明悬浮种衣剂是环境友好型农药制剂。     

Education for sustainable development – an inter‐disciplinary pilot module for undergraduate engineers and scientists

The coming together of a number of initiatives provided a springboard for an innovative pilot programme in education for sustainable development. For some time problem‐based learning has gathered momentum as an approach to educating professionals. More recently, there has been a burgeoning interest in inter‐disciplinary approaches to the complex societal and environmental issues that face the world as a whole. At the same time, professional engineering institutions have been reflecting on appropriate approaches to the education and development of future engineers. Building on work already undertaken by some of the authors, the Royal Academy of Engineering sponsored an inter‐disciplinary pilot programme in sustainable development for undergraduate engineers and scientists in the University of Manchester. The pilot was innovative not only in its inter‐disciplinary approach to sustainable development but also in its approach to the development of the curriculum. Inter‐disciplinary exercises were designed that enabled a contextual, active, collaborative and cumulative approach to learning. The assessment was also designed to align to the learning approach. Evaluation of the pilot programme suggests that it was well received by the students, and the post‐doctoral researchers who acted as facilitators, and also that there were gains in both understanding of the issues and also in approaches to learning.     

二维与三维电解法处理含铜废水的试验研究

以含铜废水为处理对象,考察了二维电解法的电解电压、电解时间、pH值、极间距对铜去除率的影响。在此基础上为提高处理效率,两极间填充活性炭和玻璃珠形成三维电解,确定了三维电解的最佳运行条件是极间距4cm,pH值3～4,电解电压22 V,电解135min,铜离子的去除率为80.6%。     

Estimating dyad association probability under imperfect and heterogeneous detection

In animal behaviour studies, association indices estimate the proportion of time two individuals (i.e. a dyad) spend in association. In terms of dyads, all association indices can be interpreted as estimators of the probability that a dyad is associated. However, traditional indices rely on the assumptions that the probability to detect a particular individual (p) is either approximately one and/or homogeneous between associated and not associated individuals. Based on marked individuals we develop a likelihood based model to estimate the probability a dyad is associated (ψ) accounting for p < 1 and possibly varying between associated and not associated individuals. The proposed likelihood based model allows for both individual and dyadic missing observations. In addition, the model can easily be extended to incorporate covariate information for modeling p and ψ. A simulation study showed that the likelihood based model approach yield reasonably unbiased estimates, even for low and heterogeneous individual detection probabilities, while, in contrast, traditional indices showed moderate to strong biases. The application of the proposed approach is illustrated using a real data set collected from a population of Commerson's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) in Patagonia Argentina. Finally, we discuss possible extensions of the proposed model and its applicability in animal behaviour and ecological studies.     

重污染天气应对“绩效分级、差异化管控”措施首次实践效果后评估

为提高重污染天气应对的科学性和精准度,2019年7月生态环境部制定重污染天气应对“绩效分级、差异化管控”措施.为应对9月底至10月初的重污染过程,京津冀及周边共68个城市启动重污染预警,该措施得以首次实践.通过时间序列断点回归方法对该措施效果进行评估发现,空气质量改善存在滞后的现象,SO₂、 NO₂和CO这3个气态污染物改善速度较快,对涉及二次生成的O₃和PM_2.5两个污染物见效速度相对较慢. 10月1日恰逢在北京举办庆祝中华人民共和国成立70周年阅兵式,对10月1日当天进行评估,发现与假如不采取措施的情形相比,重污染应急措施使北京市PM_2.5、 NO₂和CO日均浓度显著下降,下降幅度分别为54.1%、 62.4%和25.8%.如果不采取重污染应急措施,北京10月1日上午可能出现中重度污染,但实际上空气质量保持在良的水平.区域启动预警的68城市PM_2.5、 PM₁₀、 NO₂、 SO     

静脉产业类生态工业园区标准的研究

以静脉产业和静脉产业类生态工业园区的基本概念为基础,深入分析了我国建立静脉产业类生态工业园区标准的重要意义. 选取经济发展、资源循环与利用、污染控制和园区管理4个方面共20个指标,构成静脉产业类生态工业园区评价指标体系,旨在全面、准确地反映静脉产业类生态工业园区的建设水平. 经过综合分析,确定采用层次分析(AHP)法对评价指标体系进行权重计算. 根据权重分析结果可得出如下结论:静脉产业类生态工业园区的建设重点应为提高资源循环利用率和保障环境安全,污染控制以固体废物的安全处置为主. 最后,对该评价指标体系进行了可行性分析,该方法所设定的各项指标在经济上、技术上、可操作性上都是可行的. 依据该评价方法,制定了国家《静脉产业类生态工业园区标准》.      

An individual-based model to study the reproduction of egg bearing copepods: Application to Eurytemora affinis (Copepoda Calanoida) from the Seine estuary,France

Limited empirical studies have elucidated the daily egg production and associated reproductive processes of egg bearing copepod. Herein, we present an individual-based model which constitutes a realistic representation of the reproduction in egg bearing copepods. The model has been parameterized using an extensive set of experimental data obtained from the literature and from the laboratory and field experiments on the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis. The proposed model takes into account the adult female longevity, the clutch size and interclutch duration, which is a function of egg maturation time and latency time required by the female after egg hatching to produce a new clutch. The embryonic development time and hatching success are also taken into account. The effect of temperature on the means and variances of above-mentioned reproductive parameters has been also incorporated. A multi agent system based generic platform “Mobidyc” has been used to generate and calibrate the model. The model demonstrates the reproductive parameters of females of E. affinis which is validated through individual based experiments. Temperature specific simulations provide a dynamical explanation of temperature effect on the cumulative egg production. The daily survival principally affects the number of clutches produced per female during its life span. The results obtained in the present study by combining temperature and survival effects reveal the relatively greater importance of the first factor on the daily egg production of egg-carrying copepods. The present model is generic and hence easily applicable to other animals with comparable reproductive strategy.     

FUZZY ITERATION METHODOLOGY FOR RESERVOIR FLOOD CONTROL OPERATION1

ABSTRACT: Reservoir flood control is operated in real time so finding the optimal solution is unnecessary since it may not be practical. The key to reservoir flood control operation is quickly generating some feasible and effective alternatives and then selecting one among them. A fuzzy iteration methodology, which gives the objective weight and the relative membership degree of alternatives at the same time, is presented. Since the weight and relative membership degree are directly acquired from the recommended alternatives provided by decision makers, the results are more reasonable and realistic. Besides, the difficulty in giving weights is also avoided. With the aid of a robust and flexible decision support system, the effectiveness of decision making can be improved.     

Real time remote monitoring of air pollutants and their online transmission to the web using internet protocol

Recent advances in both information and sensor technologies have enabled the development of Real Time Remote Monitoring (RTRM) capabilities for environmental management. An online and real time remote monitoring system for air pollution has been designed and installed at a traffic police station at Punjagutta in Hyderabad, India. The system is optimized using electrochemical sensors and a real time particulate matter analyzer. The system also monitors meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, barometric pressure, wind speed and wind direction. The system periodically monitors both pollution and meteorological parameters at pre- programmed intervals of hr during peak periods and 1 hr during non peak periods of the day and continuously uploads to a predestinated web site (www.appcb.org/home.htm) using File Transfer Protocol. The web site renders a quick, simple and graphical display of air pollution levels and meteorological parameters and their significance to humans. The present paper highlights design considerations of a pollution monitoring system, system hardware and software requirements and practical limitations and future directions for real time remote monitoring of air pollution.