Changes in major factors affecting the ecosystem health of the Weihe River in Shaanxi Province, China

Maintenance of the ecosystem health of a river is of great importance for local sustainable development. On the basis of both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the influence of natural variations and human activities on the ecosystem function of the Weihe River, the changes in major factors affecting its ecosystem health are deter- mined, which include： 1） Deficiency of environment flow： since the 1960s, the incoming stream flow shows an obvious decreasing tendency. Even in the low flow period, 80% of the water in the stream is impounded by dams for agriculture irrigation in the Baoji district. As a result, the water flow maintained in the stream for environmental use is very limited. 2） Deterioration of water quality： the concentrations of typical pollutants like Chemical Oxygen Demand （COD） and NH3-N are higher than their maximum values of the Chinese environmental quality standard. Very few fish species can survive in the River. 3） Deformation of water channels： the continuous channel sedimentation has resulted in the decrease in stream gradient, shrinkage of riverbed and the decline in the capability for flood discharge. 4） Loss of riparian vegetation： most riparian land has been occupied by urban construction activities, which have caused the loss of riparian vegetation and biodiversity and further weakened flood control and water purification functions.     

重庆在长江经济开发中的主体功能及其发展战略

分析了重庆市的宏观经济态势及在长江经济开发中的战略地位，提出了重庆作为中心城市在长江经济开发中的５大主体功能，即：沿长江地区开发开放带的４大核心之一、三峡地区的发展极、长江上游资源开发与生态保护的重点片区、长江城市群和大产业圈的重要发展轴、长江流域大市场体系的重要组成部分。还提出了重庆市的经济发展战略、重点产业及生产力布局调整的重点地区。     

社会主义市场经济中政府的环境保护职能探析

在全面分析人类、社会、经济发展过程中的教训和经验的基础上,提出强化政府职能是环境与发展的永恒主题,发达国家“经济靠市场,环境靠政府”,是值得借鉴的经验,文章还详尽地探讨了在社会主义市场经济体制下,政府应该承担的６项具体的环境保护职能。     

Crash analysis and development of safety performance functions for Florida roads in the framework of the context classification system

Introduction: Safety performance functions (SPF) are employed to predict crash counts at the different roadway elements. Several SPFs were developed for the various roadway elements based on different classifications such as functional classification and area type. Since a more detailed classification of roadway elements leads to more accurate crash predictions, multiple states have developed new classification systems to classify roads based on a comprehensive classification. In Florida, the new roadway context classification system incorporates geographic, demographic, and road characteristics information. Method: In this study, SPFs were developed in the framework of the FDOT roadway context classification system at three levels of modeling, context classification (CC-SPFs), area type (AT-SPFs), and statewide (SW-SPF) levels. Crash and traffic data from 2015-2019 were obtained. Road characteristics and road environment information have also been gathered along Florida roads for the SPF development. Results: The developed SPFs showed that there are several variables that influence the frequency of crashes, such as annual average daily traffic (AADT), signalized intersections and access point densities, speed limit, and shoulder width. However, there are other variables that did not have an influence in crash occurrence such as concrete surface and the presence of bicycle slots. CC-SPFs had the best performance among others. Moreover, network screening to determine the most problematic road segments has been accomplished. The results of the network screening indicated that the most problematic roads in Florida are the suburban commercial and the urban general roads. Practical Applications: This research provides a solid reference for decision-makers regarding crash prediction and safety improvement along Florida roads.     

Efficiency in Welsh coal mining: A comment

Comparison of labour productivities and wage-to-price ratios suggests that the Coal Board's behaviour was not profit-maximizing. This does not make the use of production functions to determine optimal scale very relevant. In particular, the current debates about efficiency and closures cannot be approached solely or mainly from production function analysis.     

LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN NONPOINT SOURCE PHOSPHORUS ASSESSMENT1

ABSTRACT: Existing land use data were used to estimate nonpoint source phosphorus loads to Lake Champlain (Vermont/New York/Quebec) in a loading function model that combined P concentration coefficients with regional hydrologic data. The estimates were verified against monitored loading data, then used to assess the relative magnitudes of contributions from major land uses and regions of the Lake Champlain Basin. The Basin is comprised of 62 percent forest, 28 percent agricultural land, 3 percent urban land, and 7 percent water. The best-fit model estimated an annual total P load of 457 mt/year, which did not differ significantly from the 458 metric tons/year measured for an average hydrologic year, and accurately predicted loads from major tributaries. Agriculture contributes 66 percent of the annual nonpoint source P load to Lake Champlain; urban and forest land contribute 18 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Because agricultural land contributes most nonpoint source P to Lake Champlain, load reduction effort must deal with agricultural sources. However, because the urban 3 percent of the basin contributes 18 percent of the estimated load, high load reduction efficiencies might be achieved by addressing urban sources. This assessment clearly demonstrated the relationship between land use and P loads in the Lake Champlain Basin, a prerequisite for policy-makers to endorse a P management strategy requiring changes in land use and management.     

Biomechanical Consequences of the Hand’s Action on Unstable Handle

The concept of muscular stabilization refers to imposing active muscular constraints on the joint degrees of freedom that are not used in a given motor task and the stabilization of unstable working objects. The human organism bears considerable cost due to the realization of this process, which in the case of muscular static force developed in relation to an unstable working object reaches approximately 24%. The aim of this article is twofold: (a) to determine the useful efficiency of the hand-working object system with an unstable handle in relation to the released muscular force and power dynamics and (b) to identify the relative contribution of the upper extremity muscles engaged in the realization of motor or stabilizing functions in the electromyography (EMG) sphere.     

论我国城市污水处理市场化过程中的政府职能

近来我国城市公用事业的市场化改革正在快速发展，但污水处理作为城市公用事业的，市城化改革进展却十分缓慢，绝大部分城市的污水处理行业仍在传统的政府断经营的轨道上运行，本文从我国现实出发，认为政府职能未能及时调整是导致改革进展缓慢的重要原因，提出必须以市场为导向定位政府职能，充分发挥市场机制在污水处理中的作用，并通过重点培育和完善市场及市场机制，加快城市基础设施建设投资体制改革，加强污水处理监管体制建设等措施，推进污水处理市场化改革，这对我国政府导推进城市其它公用事业市场化改革无疑具有重要的借鉴意义。     

高校图书馆服务功能的深化与创新

通过论述高校图书馆服务内涵的拓展,即服务方向和服务形式的转化,提出高校图书馆要创新服务理念和服务内容,并研究与探讨了高校图书馆服务的深化与创新途径。     

Qualitative modeling and monitoring of selected ecosystem functions

This paper proposes three qualitative models that were applied for modeling of Small Water Cycle violation in ecosystem of Trebon region, South Bohemia. SWC refers to the behavior of the local ecosystem (e.g., the Trebon region), in which the volume of water that comes into the ecosystem is evaporated and falls back into this system. SWC is characterized by early morning dues and frequent small rain precipitation. In the Trebon Biosphere Reserve characterized by wetlands, forests and agriculture land, the evaporated water rises quickly inside the zone and does not have time to recondense before it is transported outside the ecosystem to the distant mountains, where it condenses spontaneously in the rising air streams.The essential pre-model for developing our qualitative models is the database model implemented in the MS SQL environment. The data in this model were collected for last five years and contain information about SWC violation and about the landscape stability development. The database system is used for standard reports, for correlating digital and graphic runs from associated meteorological stations, and for computing the evapotranspiration at the points where the stations are located and also at approximate inter-points.In parallel, and in addition to this standard use of the database model, the data was applied in the development of qualitative models (state model, model for the detection of unexpected situations and matroid model). This transformation and compression of the data was done with help of experienced experts and with the help of special mathematical operations. Qualitative models introduced in this paper overcome experience with quantitative models namely in these items: (1) They provide compression of information contained in large volumes of numerical data. (2) On the contrary of individual quantitative modeling qualitative models enable to describe the function and properties of the whole ecosystem. (3) Conclusions from qualitative models are in many cases better than are the generalizations of results from quantitative models.The first goal of the paper is to model situations associated with violations of the Small Water Cycle (SWC) in this ecosystem, and to contribute to acceptable solutions. The second goal of the paper is to investigate temporary models for the stability of the landscape development and to propose qualitative models for software support for integrated environmental modeling.