Defending the scientific integrity of conservation‐policy processes

Government agencies faced with politically controversial decisions often discount or ignore scientific information, whether from agency staff or nongovernmental scientists. Recent developments in scientific integrity (the ability to perform, use, communicate, and publish science free from censorship or political interference) in Canada, Australia, and the United States demonstrate a similar trajectory. A perceived increase in scientific‐integrity abuses provokes concerted pressure by the scientific community, leading to efforts to improve scientific‐integrity protections under a new administration. However, protections are often inconsistently applied and are at risk of reversal under administrations publicly hostile to evidence‐based policy. We compared recent challenges to scientific integrity to determine what aspects of scientific input into conservation policy are most at risk of political distortion and what can be done to strengthen safeguards against such abuses. To ensure the integrity of outbound communications from government scientists to the public, we suggest governments strengthen scientific integrity policies, include scientists’ right to speak freely in collective‐bargaining agreements, guarantee public access to scientific information, and strengthen agency culture supporting scientific integrity. To ensure the transparency and integrity with which information from nongovernmental scientists (e.g., submitted comments or formal policy reviews) informs the policy process, we suggest governments broaden the scope of independent reviews, ensure greater diversity of expert input and transparency regarding conflicts of interest, require a substantive response to input from agencies, and engage proactively with scientific societies. For their part, scientists and scientific societies have a responsibility to engage with the public to affirm that science is a crucial resource for developing evidence‐based policy and regulations in the public interest.     

Using Twitter to communicate conservation science from a professional conference

Scientists are increasingly using Twitter as a tool for communicating science. Twitter can promote scholarly discussion, disseminate research rapidly, and extend and diversify the scope of audiences reached. However, scientists also caution that if Twitter does not accurately convey science due to the inherent brevity of this media, misinformation could cascade quickly through social media. Data on whether Twitter effectively communicates conservation science and the types of user groups receiving these tweets are lacking. To address these knowledge gaps, we examined live tweeting as a means of communicating conservation science at the 2013 International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB). We quantified and compared the user groups sending and reading live tweets. We also surveyed presenters to determine their intended audiences, which we compared with the actual audiences reached through live tweeting. We also asked presenters how effectively tweets conveyed their research findings. Twitter reached 14 more professional audience categories relative to those attending and live tweeting at ICCB. However, the groups often reached through live tweeting were not the presenters’ intended audiences. Policy makers and government and non‐governmental organizations were rarely reached (0%, 4%, and 6% of audience, respectively), despite the intent of the presenters. Plenary talks were tweeted about 6.9 times more than all other oral or poster presentations combined. Over half the presenters believed the tweets about their talks were effective. Ineffective tweets were perceived as vague or missing the presenters’ main message. We recommend that presenters who want their science to be communicated accurately and broadly through Twitter should provide Twitter‐friendly summaries that incorporate relevant hashtags and usernames. Our results suggest that Twitter can be used to effectively communicate speakers’ findings to diverse audiences beyond conference walls.     

Refuse treatment options: a case study

Records in public archives were evaluated for the period 1981-1991. Simple surveys of peoples and of technology and physical premises provided insight to gauge the attitudes of a local community in the Melbourne municipality and the Melbourne City Council towards composting of organic waste materials. There is a lag in perception and attitudes between the local community and the local government towards composting of organic refuse as a solid waste treatment option. The simple methodology of the study still made it possible to verify past and present perceptions and attitudes.     

青藏铁路列车运行控制系统的安全性分析

分析了青藏铁路中多种不利因素对轨道电路参数的影响 ;提出了在青藏铁路不宜采用现行基于轨道电路的列车运行控制系统 ,而应选择基于通信的列车运行控制系统的理由 ;给出了系统的基本结构及提高系统可靠性的措施 ;与此同时 ,就人们关心的无线传输列车控制数据的可靠性和安全性难题 ,通过建立马尔可夫模型的方法进行了分析     

电气自动化系统在烟气脱硫工程中的应用

结合国电宣威发电有限责任公司七期(2×300 MW)机组烟气脱硫工程电气自动化系统(ECS)实施的经验,从应用的角度出发,分析了火电厂ECS通过硬接线、硬接线 通信、全通信3种方式接入DCS的优缺点和需要解决的问题,提出全通信的组网方式,展望了ECS最终实现全通信的前景和目标.     

车辆事故紧急呼救技术发展综述

综述了车辆事故紧急呼救技术的原理,从车辆事故检测识别技术、移动车辆定位技术、无线通信技术和地理信息系统几方面概述车辆事故紧急呼救技术的研究内容。进一步介绍车辆事故紧急呼救技术的国内外研究和应用现状,并从车辆事故识别技术、地图匹配及组合导航、集群通信及通信网络几方面总结并指出车辆事故紧急呼救技术的关键技术和难点。展望了车辆事故紧急呼救技术的发展趋势,并就我国发展车辆事故呼救技术的可行性和发展方向进行探讨。     

基于SDSL传输技术的煤矿多媒体救灾系统研究

介绍一种新型的SDSL(对称性数字用户环路)数据传输技术,该技术采用对称数字用户线点对点宽带传输数字信号,在利用一对电话线进行双向对称数字信号传输时,最大传输速率可达到1.5Mb/s。应用SDSL传输技术研制出煤矿多媒体救灾系统,详细阐述煤矿多媒体救灾系统的构成、功能及特点等,该系统能够实现井下灾区多媒体信息的实时传输,解决在矿山救灾的特殊环境条件下实现灾区图像\语音实时传输到井下救援基地、地面指挥中心及国家矿山救援指挥中心的难题。     

ANALYSIS OF NEW TECHNIQUES FOR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN WATER PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: The growing demands by the public for a more active role in planning have recently generated considerable interest among researchers and planners in the subject of public involvement techniques. Numerous surveys have found that standard public participation techniques (e.g., public hearings) by themselves are considered inadequate. Several techniques that have potential for overcoming some of the limitations of standard public involvement techniques have recently been developed. This paper describes several of these new techniques and analyzes each of them in terms of their potential utility in water resources planning.     

Social media and disasters: a functional framework for social media use in disaster planning,response, and research

A comprehensive review of online, official, and scientific literature was carried out in 2012–13 to develop a framework of disaster social media. This framework can be used to facilitate the creation of disaster social media tools, the formulation of disaster social media implementation processes, and the scientific study of disaster social media effects. Disaster social media users in the framework include communities, government, individuals, organisations, and media outlets. Fifteen distinct disaster social media uses were identified, ranging from preparing and receiving disaster preparedness information and warnings and signalling and detecting disasters prior to an event to (re)connecting community members following a disaster. The framework illustrates that a variety of entities may utilise and produce disaster social media content. Consequently, disaster social media use can be conceptualised as occurring at a number of levels, even within the same disaster. Suggestions are provided on how the proposed framework can inform future disaster social media development and research.     

The Tlokwe City Council Dolomite Management Desk: a communication and relationship management perspective

Two-way communication and strong relationships between government and affected communities are necessary to enhance the latter's resilience to disaster risks. The Tlokwe City Council (TCC) in the North-West province, South Africa, is facing a dolomite and sinkhole disaster risk that threatens the safety of several residential areas, including informal settlements. A dolomite disaster risk reduction (DRR) management system such as the TCC Dolomite Management Desk (DMD) can be used to facilitate two-way communication and strong relationships between government and the affected communities. Semi-structured interviews with two different groups of people were conducted and the responses evaluated to determine in what way DRR communication via the Tlokwe DMD served to establish strong relationships between the TCC and the affected community. It was found that the two groups of interviewees had contradictory views on the risk communication and quality of relationships as facilitated by the Tlokwe DMD. These views illuminated the predicament of communicating about the dolomite and sinkhole risk. The Tlokwe DMD is unique in South Africa and its ability to enable communication and strong government–community relationships needs to be developed further. Recommendations are made in this regard.