Scale invariant measures of pattern intensity and grain: A simulation experiment

We propose new dimensionless and scale-invariant measures for detection of pattern intensity, defined as the level of aggregation of individuals regardless their kind, and pattern grain, the level of segregation among individuals of at least two different kinds in point-pattern spatial data using tessellation methodology. Both real and simulated data on spatial distribution of plants in ecological communities show that the proposed parameters can be considered fingerprints of particular point patterns. This approach allows definition of both pattern intensity and grain for any kind of tessellated plane in an operational way, rendering these available for quantification and testing.     

An ecosystem report on the Panama Canal: monitoring the status of the forest communities and the watershed

In 1996, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Republic of Panama's Environmental Authority, with support fromthe United States Agency for International Development, undertook a comprehensive program to monitor the ecosystem of the Panama Canal watershed. The goals were to establish baselineindicators for the integrity of forest communities and rivers. Based on satellite image classification and ground surveys, the2790 km² watershed had 1570 km² of forest in 1997, 1080 km² of which was in national parks and nature monuments. Most of the 490 km² of forest not currently in protected areas lies along the west bank of the Canal, and its managementstatus after the year 2000 turnover of the Canal from the U.S. to Panama remains uncertain. In forest plots designed to monitorforest diversity and change, a total of 963 woody plant specieswere identified and mapped. We estimate there are a total of 850–1000 woody species in forests of the Canal corridor. Forestsof the wetter upper reaches of the watershed are distinct in species composition from the Canal corridor, and have considerably higher diversity and many unknown species. Theseremote areas are extensively forested, poorly explored, and harbor an estimated 1400–2200 woody species. Vertebrate monitoring programs were also initiated, focusing on species threatened by hunting and forest fragmentation. Large mammals are heavily hunted in most forests of Canal corridor, and therewas clear evidence that mammal density is greatly reduced in hunted areas and that this affects seed predation and dispersal. The human population of the watershed was 113 000 in 1990, and grew by nearly 4% per year from 1980 to 1990. Much of this growth was in a small region of the watershed on the outskirts of Panama City, but even rural areas, including villages near and within national parks, grew by 2% per year. There is no sewage treatment in the watershed, and many towns have no trashcollection, thus streams near large towns are heavily polluted. Analyses of sediment loads in rivers throughout the watershed did not indicate that erosion has been increasing as a result ofdeforestation, rather, erosion seems to be driven largely by total rainfall and heavy rainfall events that cause landslides.Still, models suggest that large-scale deforestation would increase landslide frequency, and failure to detect increases inerosion could be due to the gradual deforestation rate and the short time period over which data are available. A study of runoff showed deforestation increased the amount of water fromrainfall that passed directly into streams. As a result, dry season flow was reduced in a deforested catchment relative to aforested one. Currently, the Panama Canal watershed has extensive forest areasand streams relatively unaffected by humans. But impacts of hunting and pollution near towns are clear, and the burgeoningpopulation will exacerbate these impacts in the next few decades.Changes in policies regarding forest protection and pollution control are necessary.     

Health effects of relocation following disaster: a systematic review of the literature

This paper reviews the literature on the effects of post-disaster relocation on physical and mental heath, and develops a conceptual framework to guide future research. Forty articles were selected for full-text review and incorporation into the conceptual framework. Twenty-four articles were reviewed for results and methodology. These overwhelmingly tracked mental health outcomes. Only four (16 per cent) focused on physical health. Eight of ten showed an association between relocation and psychological morbidity. Certain outcomes (such as mortality, injury and cardiovascular disease risk factors) revealed inconsistent results, but these were rarely studied. Despite the frequency of post-disaster relocation and evidence of its effect on psychological morbidity, there is a relative paucity of studies; the few examples in the literature reveal weak study designs, inconsistent results, and inattention to physical health impacts and the challenges facing vulnerable populations. Further research guided by theory is needed to inform emergency preparedness and recovery policy.     

北京城市离退休居民与城市公园绿地关系

在入户抽样调查的基础上,分析总结了北京城市离退休居民与城市公园绿地的关系,结果显示,按照全部被调查人数计算,北京离退休居民平均每个月有11.0d去公园,平均每天在公园滞留1.1h,方便居民生活的小区分园数量和质量还不能完全满足要求,城市公园对居民的户外活动仍然十分重要,未来城市规划应该重视居住绿地建设,同时加强相关的基础研究。     

Estimator bias and efficiency for adaptive cluster sampling with order statistics and a stopping rule

Practical problems facing adaptive cluster sampling with order statistics (acsord) are explored using Monte Carlo simulation for three simulated fish populations and two known waterfowl populations. First, properties of an unbiased Hansen-Hurwitz (HH) estimator and a biased alternative Horvitz-Thompson (HT) estimator are evaluated. An increase in the level of population aggregation or the initial sample size increases the efficiencies of the two acsord estimators. For less aggregated fish populations, the efficiencies decrease as the order statistic parameter r (the number of units about which adaptive sampling is carried out) increases; for the highly aggregated fish and waterfowl populations, they increase with r. Acsord is almost always more efficient than simple random sampling for the highly aggregated populations. Positive bias is observed for the HT estimator, with the maximum bias usually occurring at small values of r. Secondly, a stopping rule at the Sth iteration of adaptive sampling beyond the initial sampling unit was applied to the acsord design to limit the otherwise open-ended sampling effort. The stopping rule induces relatively high positive bias to the HH estimator if the level of the population aggregation is high, the stopping level S is small, and r is large. The bias of HT is not very sensitive to the stopping rule and its bias is often reduced by the stopping rule at smaller values of r. For more aggregated populations, the stopping rule often reduces the efficiencies of the estimators compared to the non-stopping-rule scheme, but acsord still remains more efficient than simple random sampling. Despite its bias and lack of theoretical grounding, the HT estimator is usually more efficient than the HH estimator. In the stopping rule case, the HT estimator is preferable, because its bias is less sensitive to the stopping level.     

Population Biology of Gametophytes in Homosporous Polypodiophyta

Modern data on the diversity of morphology and morphogenesis of gametophytes in homosporous ferns, their vegetative reproduction, and the existence of their colonies growing separately, independently of sporophytes, are reviewed. The ontogenetic states of gametophytes are identified and characterized. The problem of gametophyte chemical interactions mediated by antheridiogen, an exohormone, is discussed. These intrapopulation interactions determine the polyvariant character of gametophyte ontogeny and the complex age and sex structure of their colonies.     

Effects of Population Size on Singing Behavior of a Rare Duetting Songbird

Although the genetic and ecological effects of population declines in endangered species have been well studied, little is known of the social consequences. Changes in signaling behavior may result in disrupted communication and affect both reproductive and conflict‐resolution activities. The North Island Kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni) is an endangered, duetting (i.e., alternating, coordinated singing by mated pairs) songbird endemic to New Zealand temperate rain forests. Scattered populations (approximately 1500 individuals in 13 surviving and 11 translocated populations) in isolated conservation areas of different sizes have been rescued from extirpation and are currently recovering. We examined key song attributes of the Kōkako to assess whether population size or growth rate are related to song complexity, the reduction of which may compromise effective communication. We analyzed song repertoire size and phrase‐type sharing (i.e., Jaccard index of similarity), vocal performance (singing rates, song switching rates, and diversity of phrase types), and song syntactical characteristics (i.e., unpredictability in sequences of phrase types) in surviving and translocated populations (populations of approximately 19–250 territorial individuals). Population size was positively correlated with a population's song repertoire, song diversity, and switching of song phrase types and negatively correlated with shared phrase types and variation in syntactical structure of songs. Population growth rate correlated positively with pair repertoire size, population repertoire size, and singing rates during song bouts. As for solo‐singing species in fragmented landscapes, songs in the fragmented populations of Kōkako appear to be undergoing microevolution as occurs in island colonization events. Our results suggest that vocal changes in small populations could affect population establishment and growth, particularly in multiple‐source translocations. We believe measurement of vocal behavior could be used as a supplement to periodic population censuses to allow more frequent monitoring of population size. Efectos de la Conducta de Canto sobre el Tamaño Poblacional de una Ave Canora Rara     

Scaling up of biomass simulation for Eucalyptus plantations based on landsenses ecology

ABSTRACT

Sustainable forest management on a regional scale requires accurate biomass estimation. At present, technologically comprehensive forecasting estimates are generated using process-based ecological models. However, isolation of the ecological factors that cause uncertainty in model behavior is difficult. To solve this problem, this study aimed to construct a meliorization model evaluation framework to explain uncertainty in model behavior with respect to both the mechanisms and algorithms involved in ecological forecasting based on the principle of landsenses ecology. We introduce a complicated ecological driving mechanism to the process-based ecological model using analytical software and algorithms. Subsequently, as a case study, we apply the meliorization model evaluation framework to detect Eucalyptus biomass forest patches at a regional scale (196,158 ha) using the 3PG2 (Physiological Principles in Predicting Growth) model. Our results show that this technique improves the accuracy of ecological simulation for ecological forecasting and prevents new uncertainties from being produced by adding a new driving mechanism to the original model structure. This result was supported by our Eucalyptus biomass simulation using the 3PG2 model, in which ecological factors caused 21.83% and 9.05% uncertainty in model behavior temporal and spatial forecasting, respectively. In conclusion, the systematic meliorization model evaluation framework reported here provides a new method that could be applied to research requiring comprehensive ecological forecasting. Sustainable forest management on regional scales contributes to accurate forest biomass simulation through the principle of landsenses ecology, in which mix-marching data and a meliorization model are combined.     

安全管理学课程多类型教学方法研究

作为安全工程专业培养方案中的重要课程之一,《安全管理学》具有课程内容较多,需要学生理解分析和记忆内容较多的特征。同时,《安全管理学》的课程目标强调对课程内容的灵活应用。因此,教师需要采用多样化的、恰当的教学方法才能在减轻学生学习负担的同时培养学生学习兴趣、取得良好的教学效果。论文提出了以案例教学法、启发讨论式教学、情景模拟法、开设网络交流平台、开设企业专家专题讲座、进入企业参观学习、开设课程设计为主的多类型教学方法相结合的教学思路。并且给出了每种教学方法的应用要点和适用的教学内容。最后,采用了调查问卷和访谈的方法对各教学方法的应用效果或预期效果进行了调查研究。