Pressures,trends, and impacts in coastal zones: Interactions between socioeconomic and natural systems

This paper assesses the status of coastal zones in the context of expected climate change and its related impacts, as well as current and future socioeconomic pressures and impacts. It is argued that external stresses and shocks relating to sea-level rise and other changes will tend to exacerbate existing environmental pressures and damage in coastal zones. Coastal zones are under increasing stress because of an interrelated set of planning failures including information, economic market, and policy intervention failures. Moves towards integrated coastal zone management are urgently required to guide the coevolution of natural and human systems. Overtly technocentric claims that assessments of vulnerability undertaken to date are overestimates of likely future damages from global warming are premature. While it is the case that forecasts of sea-level rise have been scaled down, much uncertainty remains over, for example, combined storm, sea surge, and other events. In any case, within the socioeconomic analyses of the problem, resource valuations have been at best only partial and have failed to incorporate sensitivity analysis in terms of the discount rates utilized. This would indicate an underestimation of potential damage costs. Overall, a precautionary approach is justified based on the need to act ahead of adequate information acquisition, economically efficient resource pricing and proactive coastal planning.     

OPTIMIZATION MODELING OF A NEW FACILITY FOR THE CALIFORNIA STATE WATER PROJECT1

ABSTRACT: A non-linear optimization model is applied to the California State Water Project (SWP) and portions of the Central Valley Project (CVP). The model accounts for the major hydrologic, regulatory, and operational features of both projects. The model maximizes long-term SWP yields over a 70-year period, using a quarterly time step. The potential for increased yield associated with a proposed facility improvement is evaluated with the model. The proposed facility is an extension of the Folsom-South Canal, which would allow water to be conveyed from the American River below Folsom Reservoir into New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River or into the California Aqueduct. Model results indicate that extension of the Folsom-South Canal has the potential to increase SWP yields by 13 percent.     

地层塌陷的灾害及其防治研究中的关键问题

针对矿山开采沉陷的研究现状和生产实践的需要，提出了地层塌陷防治研究中拟解决的关键问题：岩体的工程属性、地层塌陷的力源、塌陷特征、防治措施，及解决途径；同时还论述了本学科的发展前景。     

正交化方法在水质模型参数确定中的应用

本文根据常微分方程参数反问题的数学理论，将正交化方法同有限差分法结合用于确定水质模型参数，并与正则化方法、最速下降法和共轭梯度法作了比较。其计算结果对比表明，正交化方法具有快速、简便、可靠的特点。更适合于水质模型参数的确定。     

Characteristics of large cooking oil pool fires and their extinguishment by water mist

Large cooking oil pool fires, occurring in industrial oil cookers, present a severe hazard to food processing plants due to their size and the large amount of hot oil involved. This paper reports a series of full-scale fire experiments conducted in a large industrial oil cooker mock-up. The characteristics of large cooking oil pool fires and the effect of oil depth and hood position in the oil cooker on fire growth were studied. The use of water mist for extinguishing large oil pool fires and their extinguishing performance under different discharge pressure and with different types of water mist systems were investigated. Experimental results showed that the cooking oil underwent a substantial expansion in volume during heating. The fires developed quickly once the oil auto-ignited. The fire growth rate was affected by the oil depth in the pan and the hood position in the oil cooker. The water mist fire suppression systems effectively extinguished large cooking oil fires and prevented them from re-igniting. Their extinguishing performance was determined by the type of water mist system, discharge pressure and hood position in the oil cooker.     

Current status and research on E-waste issues in Asia

Rapid economic growth in Asia and the increasing transboundary movement of secondary resources will increasingly require both 3R endeavors (reduce, reuse, recycle) in each country and appropriate control of international material cycles. Recently, managing electrical and electronic waste (E-waste) has become an important target for domestic and international material cycles from the viewpoints of environmental preservation and resource utilization efficiency. To understand the current status of E-waste issues in the context of international material cycles and to discuss the future tasks related to achieving 3R in the region, we organized the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) E-waste Workshop in December 2004. This article reviews past studies on E-waste and briefly describes the topics presented and discussions held at the workshop. The topics at the workshop included E-waste generation, recycling systems, international trade, and environmental impacts. In addition, we discussed various issues such as terminology, current environmental concerns, and possible solutions. Transboundary shipments of E-waste should be conducted taking into consideration the concept of sustainable development. The direction of future research and possible collaborations are also discussed.     

Considerations for Manufacturing Bio-Based Plastic Products

One engine that drives the United States’ economic growth is an ever-increasing demand for manufactured products, both at home and abroad. This increase has created a major concern for the environment in terms of disposing used goods and ensuring that these products are safe. As environmental concerns grow, however, renewable resources are gaining increasing attention, especially as industrial ecology and product biodegradability gain importance. Added to this, biological materials are increasingly being utilized to replace traditional materials in manufacturing. To aid both educators as well as researchers, this paper examines several considerations that are essential for manufacturing plastic products that contain biomaterials. These include the selection of materials, the selection of manufacturing processes, manufacturing costs, and the quality of final products. Additionally, several standard methods that are commonly used for the determination of mechanical and physical properties are compiled; thus this paper should be a useful resource for both educators and researchers. The trends discussed here and their implications are critical for those involved in manufacturing, because contrary to conventional wisdom, simultaneously meeting the material production needs of our society, as well as that of the environment are not mutually-exclusive.     

浅谈沱江泸州大磨子水质自动监测系统的改进

本文对沱江流域泸州大磨子水质自动监测系统运行初期的部分改进进行了分析与陈述，并根据对长江流域泸州沱江二桥水质自动监测站和泸州大磨子水质自动监测站的经验，总结出该系统部分改进前后的利与弊，希望能给岷、沱江流域各水质自动监测站的管理人员和仪器设备商提供借鉴。     

"以人为本"是房地产建设项目环境影响评价中的重要原则

房地产开发项目体现“以人为本”理念和对环境影响的双重性，在房地产建设项目环境影响评价中应以“以人为本”的原则加深其服务功能和环境保护目标的属性，实现房地产开发项目和谐共生的生态环境和可持续发展。     

浅析素质教育的发展——以青年志愿者工作为例

素质教育是由团中央、教育部、全国学联提出的,为实施大学生全面成才而推行的一项教育政策.青年志愿者服务活动体现出来了素质功能的新趋势,高校是社会中优秀青年的集散地,具有完善的组织机制,高校青年志愿者工作兴起的意义在于不仅为大学提供一种新的教育内容和教育教学活动方式,更重要的是它为实现大学素质教育目标提供了新的视角,其出发点应是人的发展,它以活动为载体,着眼于精神建设,直接服务于人类的全面发展.