Technique for assessing erosion risk from mountain footpaths

One of the most pressing problems facing wilderness managers in the ecologically fragile Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa, is that of path erosion, since it detracts from the wilderness experience and is very costly to remediate. As increasing demand for wilderness and outdoor recreation places greater pressure on paths and trails, it will be necessary to increase path network size and capacity, and it is important that new paths are routed such that maintenance requirements are minimal. This study describes the development of a technique based on the site and environmental variables of rainfall, topographic slope, and lithology, which enables assessment of path erosion risk before paths are planned and constructed. The technique was tested on a path at the Drakensberg resort of Loteni, and showed good correlation with actual path degradation. When used as a tool in path network planning, it can aid in the selection of low-maintenance routes and also help in planning maintenance budgets.     

国际贸易中的环境要项

环境要素在流动性决定了国际间环境与贸易的紧密联系。随着世界快速的经济一体化，将环境要项纳入国际贸易的规范、条款已势在必行。文章分析了环境成本内在化和ＩＳＯ１４０００的实质，它们的内在联系及在国际贸易中的作用和影响，提出了将ＩＳＯ１４０００作为实施环境成本内在化的参照规则的合理、可行性。     

Halogenated compounds and climate change: future emission levels and reduction costs

OBJECTIVES: This work assesses the contribution to climate change resulting from emissions of the group of halogenated greenhouse gases. METHODS: A bottom-up emission model covering 22 technological sectors in four major regions is described. Emission estimates for 1996 and projection for 2010 and 2020 are presented. The costs for deep cuts into projected emission levels are calculated. RESULTS: The substances covered by this study have contributed emissions of 1100 +/- 800 MT CO2 equivalents per year in 1996. In terms of their relative contribution to emissions of CO2 equivalents, this corresponds to 3 +/- 2% of global emissions of all anthropogenic greenhouse gases. The wide range of uncertainty is due to the poorly quantified net global warming potential of the ozone depleting substances, which have an indirect cooling effect on climate through the destruction of stratospheric ozone. For annual emissions of HFCs, PFCs and SF6 (which are regulated under the Kyoto Protocol and for which global warming potentials are well defined), the relative contribution is projected to increase to 2% (600 MT CO2 eq.) of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2010. This trend is expected to continue, emissions are projected to grow to a contribution of roughly 3% (870 MT CO2 eq.) in 2020 compared to 0.9% (300 MT CO2 eq.) in 1996. For HFCs, PFCs and SF6, this study identifies global emission reduction potentials of 260 MT CO2 eq. per year in 2010 and 640 MT CO2 eq. per year in 2020 at below US$ 50 per ton. These values correspond to roughly 40% and 75% of projected emissions in 2010 and 2020, respectively.     

Adjustment costs from environmental change

The paper is concerned with the case whereby the distribution of a firm's productivity shocks changes without the knowledge of the firm. Over time the firm learns about the nature and extent of the change in the distribution of the shock and adjusts, incurring adjustment costs in the process. The long-run loss in profits (±) due to the shift in the distribution we term the equilibrium response. The transitory loss in profits, incurred while the firm is learning about the distribution shift, is termed the adjustment cost. The theory is then applied to the problem of measuring adjustment costs in the face of imperfectly observed climate change in agriculture. The empirical part of the paper involves estimating a restricted profit function for agricultural land in a five-state region of the Midwest US as a function of prices, land characteristics, actual weather realizations and expected weather. We then simulate the effect of an unobserved climate shock, where learning about the climate shock is by observing the weather and updating prior knowledge using Bayes Rule. We find adjustment costs to climate change are 1.4% of annual land rents.     

交通噪声污染经济损失估算方法比较研究

目前闷内外对于噪声污染经济损失的研究还相当有限，且采用的方法也存在很大的差别。运用环境经济学的观点和方法，提出了估算噪声污染损失的3种常用方法；损害费用法、意愿型调查评估法和防护费用法，并对其进行了比较研究。     

Social and hospital costs of patients admitted to a university hospital in Brazil due to motorcycle crashes

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the social and hospital costs of patients treated at a public hospital who were motorcycle crash victims.

Method: This prospective study was on 68 motorcycle riders (drivers or passengers), who were followed up from hospital admission to 6 months after the crash. A questionnaire covering quantitative and qualitative questions was administered.

Results: Motorcycle crash victims were responsible for 12% of the institution's hospital admissions; 54.4% were young (18–28 years of age); 92.6% were the drivers; 91.2% were male; and 50% used their motorcycles as daily means of transportation. Six months afterward, 94.1% needed help from someone; 83.8% had changed their family dynamics; and 73.5% had not returned to their professional activities. Among the injuries, 94.7% had some type of fracture, of which 53.5% were exposed fractures; 35.3% presented temporary sequelae; and 32.4% presented permanent sequelae. They used the surgical center 2.53 times on average, with a mean hospital stay of 18 days. The per capita hospital cost of these victims’ treatment was US$17,481.50.

Conclusion: The social and hospital costs were high, relative to the characteristics of a public institution. Temporary or permanent disability caused changes to family dynamics, as shown by the high numbers of patients who were still away from their professional activities more than 6 months afterward.     

生活垃圾焚烧厂超低排放的改造路线

通过分析国内外垃圾焚烧发电厂烟气净化系统的现状,基于燃煤电站和垃圾焚烧发电厂烟气物性之间的相似性及燃煤电站超低排放系统的先进性,提出了分别以循环流化床法脱硫和高效协同型湿法脱硫技术为核心的垃圾焚烧烟气超低排放改造可行技术路线,并分析了2种技术路线的初投资和运行成本.结果表明：2种技术路线的初投资相当,约为1.37万元/t,但以湿法脱硫为核心的技术运行费用较高,日运行成本约为16.46元/t;采用环保电价补贴政策时,2种烟气超低排放技术路线超过政策发电量部分的发电收入分别可以在3a和7a内弥补超低排放改造及运行带来的资金支出.     

Measurement of minimum ignition energies (MIEs) of dust clouds – History,present, future

Nearly 130 years ago Holtzwart and von Meyer (1891) demonstrated by experiments that explosible dust clouds could be ignited by inductive electric sparks. Then more than half a century passed before the publication of the important quantitative research of Boyle and Llewellyn (1950) and Line et al. (1959). They worked with capacitive electric sparks and found that the minimum capacitor energies ½CU² required for ignition of various dust clouds in air decreased substantially when a large series resistance, in the range 10⁴–10⁷ Ω, was introduced in the discharge circuit. When considering that the net energies of the sparks themselves were only of the order of 10% of the ½CU² discharged, the minimum net spark energies required for ignition with a large series resistance were only a few per cent of the net energies required without such a resistance.Line et al. observed that the essential effect of increasing the series resistance, and hence increasing the discharge time of the sparks, was to reduce the disturbance of the dust cloud by the blast wave from the spark. This phenomenon was explored further by Eckhoff (1970, 2017), and subsequently by some simple experiments by Eckhoff and Enstad (1976). Franke (1974, 1977) and Laar (1980) confirmed the additional finding of Line et al. (1959) that the minimum ½CU² for ignition is also substantially reduced by including a series inductance in the discharge circuit, rather than a series resistance. The basic reason is the same as with a large series resistance, viz. increased spark discharge time and hence decreased disturbance of the dust cloud by blast wave from the spark. For this reason inclusion of an appreciable series inductance in the spark discharge circuit is an essential element in current standard MIE test methods.In experiments with spark ignition of transient dust clouds produced by a blast of air in a closed vessel, it is necessary to synchronize the occurrence of the spark with the formation of the dust cloud. The precision required from this type of synchronization is typically of the order of 10 ms, which can be obtained even by mechanical arrangements, such as rapid change of spark gap length, or of the distance between two capacitor plates. The present paper reviews some methods that have been/are being used for achieving adequate synchronization of dust cloud appearance and spark discharge. Some current standard experimental methods for determining MIEs of dust clouds experimentally have also been reviewed. The same applies to some theories of electric-spark ignition of dust clouds.At the end of paper some suggestions for possible future modifications of current standard methods for measuring MIEs of explosible dust clouds are presented. With regard to justifying significant modifications of existing standard methods, the “bottom line” is, as quite often in many connections, that any modifications should be based on realistic cost/benefit evaluations.     

煤矿绿色生态矿山建设投入经济机理分析

目前,煤矿建设仍然存在绿色生态投入动力不足的问题。本文首先指出了绿色生态矿山建设的现状,并运用外部性理论分析煤矿绿色生态投入不足的经济机理;最后,基于外部成本内化深入分析了外部影响因素对绿色生态矿山建设的影响机理。     

Explosibility,flammability and the thermal decomposition of Bisphenol A,the main component of epoxy resin

Bisphenol A is one of the basic compounds used in a synthesis of polycarbonates and epoxy resins. Its dust can create an explosive mixture with air under specific circumstances. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to determine explosion characteristics and flammability behaviour of this compound. The complete flammability characteristic requires the determination of the basic parameters of Bisphenol A under fire conditions including Heat Release Rate, speed of combustion, ability to ignite and the temperature of the decomposition range. To establish those parameters, a cone calorimeter was used. The explosion characteristics were tested in a 20-L spherical vessel. Minimum Ignition Energy was tested on MINOR II Apparatus which is a modified Hartman's Tube. In order to identify hazardous substances generated during a fire involving Bisphenol A, a simultaneous thermal analysis that combines thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry was used. The substances obtained from the thermal degradation were analyzed by infrared spectroscope with Fourier transformation. Furthermore, the application of a Purser furnace and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry facilitated the identification of gaseous substances formed during the thermal degradation of Bisphenol A samples.