Framing an independent,integrated and evidence-based evaluation of the state of Australia's biophysical and human environments

A new approach was developed for Australia's 2011 national State of the Environment (SoE) report to integrate the assessment of biophysical and human elements of the environment. A Common Assessment and Reporting Framework (CARF) guided design and implementation, responding to jurisdictional complexity, outstanding natural diversity and ecosystem values, high levels of cultural and heritage diversity, and a paucity of national-scale data. The CARF provided a transparent response to the need for an independent, robust and evidence-based national SoE report. We conclude that this framework will be effective for subsequent national SoE assessments and other integrated national-scale assessments in data-poor regions.     

Growth and Foliar Nitrogen Status of Four Plant Species Exposed to Atmospheric Ammonia

A chamber study was conducted to evaluate the growth response and leaf nitrogen (N) status of four plant species exposed to continuous ammonia (NH₃) for 12 weeks (wk). This was intended to evaluate appropriate plant species that could be used to trap discharged NH₃ from the exhaust fans in poultry feeding operations before moving off-site. Two hundred and forty bare-root plants of four species (Juniperus virginiana (red cedar), Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis (thornless honey locust), Populus sp. (hybrid poplar), and Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) were transplanted into 4- or 8-L polyethylene pots and grown in four environmentally controlled chambers. Plants placed in two of the four chambers received continuous exposure to anhydrous NH₃ at 4 to 5 ppm while plants in another two chambers received no NH₃. In each of the four chambers, 2 to 4 plants per species received no fertilizer while the rest of the plants were fertilized with a 100 ppm solution containing 21% N, 7% phosphorus, and 7% potassium. The results showed that honey locust was the fastest-growing species. The superior growth of honey locust among all species was also supported by its total biomass, root, and root dry matter (DM) weights. For all species there was a trend for plants exposed to NH₃ to have greater leaf DM than their non-exposed counterparts at 6 (43.0 vs. 30.8%; P = 0.09) and 12 wk (47.9 vs. 36.6%; P = 0.07), and significantly greater (P ≤ 0.05) leaf N content at 6 (6.44 vs. 3.67%) and 12 wk (7.05 vs. 3.51%) when exposed to NH₃. Numerically greater leaf DM due to NH₃ exposure was also consistently measured in poplar at both sampling periods. Hybrid poplar, as well as honey locust and reed canary grass, deposited 1.5 to 2-fold greater N in their leaves than red cedar tissues as a result of NH₃ exposure compared to non-exposed plants. Regardless of the effect of NH₃ on foliar color and damage score of the plants, the increase of foliar N content (g 100 g^?1 of fresh foliage weight) after NH₃ exposure at 6 and 12 wk was 0.45 and 0.87 for grass,1.25 and 1.34 for locust, and 2.67 and 6.09 for poplar. However, only honey locust likely benefited from ambient NH₃ as indicated by its consistent leaf color quality and lower damage score, compared with other species that were adversely affected by atmospheric NH₃.     

多层次模糊综合评判在林业土壤评价中的应用

本文以四川部分林业土壤为例,应用多层次模糊综合评判法进行土壤资源的质量评价。采取聘请众多专家分级、打分的办法制定评价标准和确定评价因素权数。实施了专家系统与综合评判的联合运用技术,并探讨了提高土壤质量评级精度的“加细”评判问题。最后,通过比较多层次模糊综合评判法与传统法(评分法)的评价结果,指出前者具有更强的客观性和全面性。     

基于PMF-PCA/APCS与PERI的菏泽油用牡丹种植区表层土壤重金属潜在来源识别及生态风险评估

研究特色农产品产区土壤重金属来源及其潜在风险,对科学管理、安全利用土壤和作物资源具有重要意义.以菏泽油用牡丹种植区为研究对象,采集并测定了254件表层土壤样品As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Hg、Ni、Pb和Zn等8种重金属的含量.采用多元统计法分析了重金属的含量特征及相关性,利用地累积指数（I_geo）、正定矩阵因子分解法（PMF）和主成分分析/绝对主成分分数法（PCA/APCS）相结合的手段解析了表层土壤中重金属的来源,借助潜在生态风险指数（PERI）对该8种重金属的生态风险进行了评估.结果表明,土壤中除Cd元素的平均值高于菏泽市背景值1.44倍之外,其余7种重金属的平均含量均与菏泽市土壤元素背景值基本一致;经相关分析和聚类分析,土壤中Pb、Hg和Cd元素受后期人为活动的干扰影响较大;研究区8种重金属的来源为自然源、农业化肥源、工业燃煤源和生活交通源,贡献率分别为81.31%、15.45%、2.74%和0.50%;研究区84.25%的点位处于轻微生态风险,而中度风险和强风险点位占比分别为14.96%和0.79%,其中Cd和Hg是研究区生态风险主导元素.     

基于案例推理的城市典型灾害应急处置专家系统构建研究

全球自然灾害频发、强度不断增强,且城市化进程飞速发展,其所带来的相关城市灾害风险与日俱增.在重视灾害预报、预警的同时,城市灾害应急处置工作的有效组织与开展,亦是至关重要.把人工智能和城市灾害学知识相结合,通过构建灾害应急处置专家系统来解决该问题是目前的一个研究方向.本文运用案例推理等人工智能领域知识进行相关问题研究,阐述了如何对典型城市灾害案例进行知识化存储处理,给出了典型城市灾害分类推理规则和应急救援案例匹配计算方法.最后,利用VC++和CLIPS相结合,构建了基于案例决策的城市灾害应急处置专家系统.通过研究,充分验证了该模型方法的可行性,对于提高城市应急处置能力具有很好的现实意义.     

Can climate mitigation help the poor? Measuring impacts of the CDM in rural China

This study examines whether investment in climate change mitigation contributes to poverty alleviation. We investigate the impacts of the renewable energy-based clean development mechanism (RE-CDM) projects on rural communities in China. The impacts of RE-CDM projects are estimated by combining propensity score matching with the difference-in-differences approach. We found that the biomass-based CDM projects significantly contribute to income improvement and employment generation in rural communities in China. Our estimation results also reveal that wind energy-based CDM projects have the potential to increase income and the share of labor force in the primary industry in rural areas. These results suggest different channels through which renewable energy sources affect income.     

Expert system application for prioritizing preventive actions for shift work: shift expert

Introduction. Shift patterns, work hours, work arrangements and worker motivations have increasingly become key factors for job performance. The main objective of this article is to design an expert system that identifies the negative effects of shift work and prioritizes mitigation efforts according to their importance in preventing these negative effects. The proposed expert system will be referred to as the shift expert. Methods. A thorough literature review is conducted to determine the effects of shift work on workers. Our work indicates that shift work is linked to demographic variables, sleepiness and fatigue, health and well-being, and social and domestic conditions. These parameters constitute the sections of a questionnaire designed to focus on 26 important issues related to shift work. The shift expert is then constructed to provide prevention advice at the individual and organizational levels, and it prioritizes this advice using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model, which considers comparison matrices provided by users during the prioritization process. An empirical study of 61 workers working on three rotating shifts is performed. After administering the questionnaires, the collected data are analyzed statistically, and then the shift expert produces individual and organizational recommendations for these workers.     

土壤遥感分类识别专家系统的结构设计

介绍了土壤遥感分类识别专家系统的设计原理与实现方法，阐述了土壤遥感分类识别专家系统的土壤分类决策判断树的构造原理，讨论了土壤遥感分类识别专家知识表示的基本原则和系统知识库中专家知识的组织方式，以及专家系统推理机的设计原理和推理规则的构建方法。系统采用压缩编码方式存储地学专题图形和遥感图像数据，具有数据与图像的存储更新、查询检索、分析处理、特征提取和信息输出等功能。该系统可以对遥感图像进行土壤类型的分类识别，并对分类精度进行监测与评价。用该系统对新疆天山北麓阜康试验区的土壤分类识别进行了试验研究，并对试验结果进行了讨论与评价。     

Multistate models for monitoring individual trees in permanent observation plots

This interdisciplinary research on forest ecosystems begins with some characteristics of ecosystems which are the basis for the derivation of statistical models for the development and vitality of trees. Several ecological problems which could be solved by longitudinal studies are mentioned. Statistical methods for the evaluation of the crowns of spruce trees (Picea abies Karst) in three permanent observation plots in Switzerland are described. In particular, the time-dependent proportional odds model and a transitional model are used. Through application of these multistate models the data give information on the dependence of an ordered categorical response variable on covariates characterizing the ecosystem. The response variable is observed through infrared aerial photographs. This monitoring system gives insight into the dynamic behaviour of the forest ecosystem. The need for more eco-systematically motivated statistical research using longitudinal studies is identified.     

基于实时控制的智能控制在废水处理中的应用

针对废水处理系统具有时变性、非线性、复杂性和不确定性等特点,提出采用智能控制对其进行实时有效控制从而提高处理效率、降低能耗,对智能控制的主要分支模糊控制、神经网络控制和专家系统进行讨论,介绍总结了国内外专家学者应用智能控制技术实现水处理中实时控制的最新动态。结果表明,废水处理系统采用智能控制可以有效地实现实时控制,提高处理效率、降低能耗和成本。