Defining Acceptable Levels for Ecological Indicators: An Approach for Considering Social Values

Ecological indicators can facilitate an adaptive management approach, but only if acceptable levels for those indicators have been defined so that the data collected can be interpreted. Because acceptable levels are an expression of the desired state of the ecosystem, the process of establishing acceptable levels should incorporate not just ecological understanding but also societal values. The goal of this research was to explore an approach for defining acceptable levels of ecological indicators that explicitly considers social perspectives and values. We used a set of eight indicators that were related to issues of concern in the Lake Champlain Basin. Our approach was based on normative theory. Using a stakeholder survey, we measured respondent normative evaluations of varying levels of our indicators. Aggregated social norm curves were used to determine the level at which indicator values shifted from acceptable to unacceptable conditions. For seven of the eight indicators, clear preferences were interpretable from these norm curves. For example, closures of public beaches because of bacterial contamination and days of intense algae bloom went from acceptable to unacceptable at 7–10 days in a summer season. Survey respondents also indicated that the number of fish caught from Lake Champlain that could be safely consumed each month was unacceptably low and the number of streams draining into the lake that were impaired by storm water was unacceptably high. If indicators that translate ecological conditions into social consequences are carefully selected, we believe the normative approach has considerable merit for defining acceptable levels of valued ecological system components.     

不同配筋型式轻骨料混凝土剪力墙抗震性能——试验研究

轻质混凝土，作为比传统混凝土更为方便的一种选择，在很多土木工程中得到了广泛的应用。通过拟静力试验，对两种不同配筋型式的轻质混凝土剪力墙在低周反复荷载作用下进行了受力性能研究，观测了墙体的整个破坏过程，分析了墙体的强度、变形和抗震性能。试验分析表明，与配有传统横、纵向钢筋网的轻质混凝土剪力墙相比，配有斜向钢筋网的轻质混凝土剪力墙更能有效地传递水平荷载，抑制剪力墙板中裂缝的开展，提高了剪力墙的延性，增强了墙体的整体稳定性，抗震性能较好，能满足地震区的设计要求。     

西辽河沉积物中不同粒径微团聚体磷的解吸特征

采用平衡解吸法研究了西辽河沉积物不同粒径微团聚体磷的解吸特征.结果表明,不同粒径团聚体磷的解吸比例为黏粒(0.20)<粉粒(0.28)<细砂(0.45)<粗砂(0.93);其原因为:细粒级微团聚体中腐殖质含量远远高于粗粒级;细粒级微团聚体中有机质是通过可溶有机质与黏土矿物相互结合形成复合体而富集,在其所形成的复合体团聚结构中引起的团聚体结构不可逆形变是导致磷的解吸比例降低,解吸迟滞性指数增大的根本原因;西辽河冲泻质泥沙黏粒和粉粒级微团聚体所携载的可解吸态磷(NAP)入海后可分别为上覆水提供磷(212.93±38.60)mg/kg,(159.45±31.44)mg/kg.沉积物黏粒级和粉粒级微团聚体所携载的NAP是磷素循环的重要组成部分.     

PROCESS-ORIENTED ESTIMATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION1

ABSTRACT: Least squares regression and ARIMA models were developed from suspended sediment data for the Ausable River, Southern Ontario, Canada. A poor correlation between discharge and suspended sediment concentration results from the dynamics of the physical system, including seasonality, antecedent conditions, and hysteresis. Regression model results were significantly improved by the division of the data set into seasons and the addition of simple. but physically meaningful variables. Misleading improvements obtained from the regression of sediment load and discharge are discussed. ARIMA models provided accurate forecasts of sediment concentration on a real-time basis, but the rigorous data requirements limit their use in modeling suspended sediment concentrations in Canadian rivers.     

垃圾衍生燃料两段式化学链气化特性

提出了一种两段式化学链反应方式,并以Fe2O3为载氧体对生活垃圾衍生燃料(Refuse-Derived Fuel RDF)的化学链气化开展试验研究,分析了反应温度、载氧体含量、CaO的添加对载氧体气化性能的影响.结果 表明,载氧体可以显著提高产气率,气化过程中产气率、碳转化率等均随着温度的升高而增大;随着载氧体含量的增...     

Impact of perceptual countermeasures on driving behavior at curves using driving simulator

Objective: The probability of crash occurrence on horizontal curves is 1.5 to 4 times higher than that on tangent sections. A majority of these crashes are associated with human errors. Therefore, human behavior in curves needs to be corrected.

Methodology: In this study, 2 different road marking treatments, optical circles and herringbone patterns, were used to influence driver behavior while entering a curve on a 2-lane rural road section. A driving simulator was used to perform the experiment. The simulated road sections are replicas of 2 real road sections in Flanders.

Results: Both treatments were found to reduce speed before entering the curve. However, speed reduction was more gradual when optical circles were used. A herringbone pattern had more influence on lateral position than optical circles by forcing drivers to maintain a safe distance from opposing traffic in the adjacent lane.

Conclusion: The study concluded that among other low-cost speed reduction methods, optical circles are effective tools to reduce speed and increase drivers’ attention. Moreover, a herringbone pattern can be used to reduce crashes on curves, mainly for head-on crashes where the main problem is inappropriate lateral position.     

Socio-demographic and experience factors affecting drivers’ runoff risk along horizontal curves of two-lane rural highway

Introduction: An improper driving strategy is one of the causative factors for a high probability of runoff and overturning crashes along the horizontal curves of two-lane highways. The socio-demographic and driving experience factors of a driver do influence driving strategy. Hence, this paper explored the effect of these factors on the driver’s runoff risk along the horizontal curves. Method: The driving performance data of 48 drivers along 52 horizontal curves was recorded in a fixed-base driving simulator. The driving performance index was estimated from the weighted lateral acceleration profile of each driver along a horizontal curve. It was clustered and compared with the actual runoff events observed during the experiment. It yielded high, moderate, and low-risk clusters. Using cross-tabulation, each risk cluster was compared with the socio-demographic and experience factors. Further, generalized mixed logistic regression models were developed to predict the high-risk and high to moderate risk events. Results: The age and experience of drivers are the influencing factors for runoff crash. The high-risk event percentage for mid-age drivers decreases with an increase in driving experience. For younger drivers, it increases initially but decreases afterwards. The generalized mixed logistic regression models identified young drivers with mid and high experience and mid-age drivers with low-experience as the high-risk groups. Conclusions: The proposed index parameter is effective in identifying the risk associated with horizontal curves. Driver training program focusing on the horizontal curve negotiation skills and graduated driver licensing could help the high-risk groups. Practical applications: The proposed index parameter can evaluate driving behavior at the horizontal curves. Driving behavior of high-risk groups could be considered in highway geometric design. Motor-vehicle agencies, advanced driver assistance systems manufacturers, and insurance agencies can use proposed index parameter to identify the high-risk drivers for their perusal.     

环境库兹涅茨曲线的虚幻性及其对可持续发展的现实影响

生态环境质量真的能够随着经济发展而改善吗？“先污染、后治理”真的是普遍的发展规律吗？既有的理论一般认为．随着经济的发展．生态环境的质量在经过一个时期的恶化之后，将在一定的发展阶段出现好转．其变化过程呈“倒U曲线”状态．这就是环境Kuznets曲线。作者认为这是一个貌似真实的虚幻．生态环境随着经济发展而好转只可能是局部的、而不可能是整体性的．经济发展与生态维护的双赢目标也同样是难以企及的，经济发展与生态维护只能是基于各种利益关系的权衡。文章还对中国长期推行的几种宏观经济政策的生态环境影响进行了分析，并提出了经济利益与生态利益相权衡的现实主张。     

Characteristics of Carbon Emission in China and Analysis on Its Cause

From the history of human economic development, it is known that there is a close relationship between economic development and environment quality. Thus, in this study a factor decomposition model of carbon emission in China is built and the contributions that economic scale, industrial structure, and carbon emission intensity make to carbon emission quantitatively from 1990 to 2005 are analyzed, in other words—scale effect, structural effect, and technical effect—using the decomposition method of average distribution cushion which is based on the environmental Kuznets curves model is studied. The result suggests that the average of the effect changes of carbon emission in China is 19.55%, the effects brought by economic scale, industrial structure, and carbon emission intensity are 15.76%, −0.86%, and 4.65%, respectively. In general, the relation between carbon emission and China's economy was more like an “N” curve; Economy scale is a primary drive factor and has incremental effect to carbon emission. Since otherness of different industry is getting bigger, the industrial restructure has certain decremental effect to carbon emission, but the restrictive function is not obvious, the industrial structure still need to be further optimized; the technical effect is positive and its volatility is large. From the perspective of reducing carbon emission, the current technology has not played to its advantages. This study will promote the understanding of the theory about the relationship between carbon emission and economy development and provide reference value by all means to the adjustment of industrial development.     

IMPACT OF COAL SURFACE MINING AND RECLAMATION ON SURFACE WATER CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS AND LOAD RATES IN THREE OHIO WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: Information is lacking on the watershed scale effects of mining and reclaiming originally undisturbed watersheds for coal on surface water chemical concentrations and load rates for a variety of constituents. These effects were evaluated on three small, geologically dissimilar watersheds subjected to surface mining in Ohio. Comparisons were made between phases of land disturbances using ratios of average concentrations and load rates: Phase 1 (natural), subphases of Phase 2 (mining and reclamation), and subphases of Phase 3 (partial reclamation and final condition) using 4,485 laboratory analyses of 34 constituents. Average concentration and load rate ratios were categorized into three classes—minor, moderate, and substantial. Mining and reclamation (M/R) affected flow duration curves in different ways‐baseflow changes were variable, but high flows generally increased. The average concentration ratios for all sites were classified as 15 percent “minor,” 36 percent “moderate,” and 49 percent “substantial” (average ratio of 2.4.) Generally load rate ratios increased due to mining and reclamation activities (average ratio of 3.3). Minor, moderate, and substantial impacts were found on average for 7 percent, 23 percent, and 70 percent, respectively, of load rate ratios. The impact of M/R on average load rates was not necessarily the same as on average concentrations due to changed hydrology and can be opposite in effect. The evaluation of the impacts of M/R requires knowledge of changing hydrologic conditions and changing supplies and rates of release of chemicals into streams. Median sediment concentration ratio is an indicator of average constituent load rate ratio of a wide variety of chemical constituents and is useful for development of best management practices to reduce chemical loads. The site at which diversion ditches were not removed during final reclamation sustained large chemical load rates, and removal of diversions at the other mined site reduced load rates. Revegetation of poorly reclaimed areas decreased chemical load rates. Chemical load rates were sensitive to geology, mining, and reclamation methods, diversions, and changing hydrology, concentration flow rate regressions, and watershed areas.