Control or rescue at sea? Aims and limits of border surveillance technologies in the Mediterranean Sea

The matter of boat migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, seeking to reach Europe, is interchangeably defined as a ‘security issue', requiring stricter border controls, and as a humanitarian issue with corresponding rescue and protection requirements. This paper seeks to understand what role various surveillance technologies, such as radar, satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles, can play in this respect (legally and technically), in comparison to the role that they are assigned (that is, political expectations). To unravel what surveillance technologies can and cannot do vis‐à‐vis the aims of control and rescue, there is a need to comprehend what information can be collected and what information is needed to fulfil these objectives. The paper contends that there is a mismatch between the information sought to ‘control’ borders, but which cannot be gathered effectively by or processed using surveillance technologies, and the valuable information needed to perform rescue operations, which these surveillance technologies can supply.     

Measurement of machinery safety level in the European market: A real case based on market surveillance data

This article aims to highlight the current status of compliance to Machinery Directive 98/37/EC (transposed to Spanish regulation as RD 56/1995, of 20th January) (a new directive numbered as 2006/42/EC [Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 may 2006 on machinery, and amending Directive 95/16/EC (recast). OJ L157/24-86, 9.6.2006.], that recasts and replaced 98/37/ED directive and its amendments, came into force on 29 June 2006; it will not be applied until 29th December 2009. European Member States have a lead-time of two years to adopt and publish the national laws and regulations transposing the provisions of the new Directive into national law. Latest 10th October, Spain transposed Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC to national regulation as Real Decreto 1644/2008 [Real Decreto 1644/2008, de 10 de octubre, por el que se establecen las normas para la comercialización y puesta en servicio de las máquinas. BOE 246/2008, de 11 octubre 2008. Páginas 40995–41030]) of a particular family of machinery (hand-held, medium and small-size, deeply introduced in the market, of low-medium cost), that any user, professional or non-professional, can acquire as first-hand in any of the sales points (whether or not experts in these kind of products).At the same time, it emphasises the most significant shortcomings and non-conformities found, after analyzing the results of five consecutive Campaigns of Control of Industrial Products performed by one of the labs (placed in Spain) involved in the market surveillance European Program.     

安全监控系统的防雷技术研究

雷电对安全监控系统的电子设备是非常有害的,所以必须对其进行防御。为了科学系统地设计安全监控系统的防雷方案,本文从电磁兼容的角度对雷击种类及其破坏机理的分析,掌握了雷电的耦合途径及防雷关键所在,从切断电磁耦合途径的思路入手对安全监控系统的防雷技术进行了分析与设计。利用避雷针、避雷器及屏蔽接地等方法对安全监控系统的雷击防护进行了设计,经工程实践证明本文的避雷措施是行之有效的。     

Arsenic-induced skin conditions identified in southwest dermatology practices: an epidemiologic tool?

Populations living in the Southwest United States are more likely to be exposed to elevated drinking water arsenic levels compared to other areas of the country. Skin changes, including hyperpigmentation and generalized hyperkeratosis, are the most common signs of chronic arsenic ingestion from drinking water. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using dermatology practices in New Mexico, Arizona, and western Texas as a surveillance system for arsenical skin disorders related to drinking water. Postcard questionnaires were mailed to practicing dermatologists. The number of cases of arsenical hyperpigmentation/keratoses seen by these dermatologists during the past 10 years and the past year were estimated. Of 240 dermatologists who were mailed questionnaires, 37 reported seeing 237 patients with arsenical hyperpigmentation/keratoses in the past 10 years and 35 patients in the past year. Since approximately one-eighth of dermatologists practicing in the Southwest saw at least one patient with arsenical hyperpigmentation/keratoses during one year, it appears feasible to complete a population-based study of these conditions.     

POLLUTION SURVEILLANCE AND DATA ACQUISITION USING MULTISPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING1

Large scale water resource investigations and effective pollution surveillance programs require the development of additional instrumentation and techniques to supplement existing methods of data acquisition. As a result, interest is growing in the concept of remote sensing. Described in this paper is the multispectral sensor concept and its application in water resource studies.     

基于视频监控系统的突发灾害应急评估技术可行性研究

突发灾害救援工作的展开依赖于快速有效的应急损失评估,其技术过程是指快速获取因突发灾害而造成的各类工程结构物的破坏和人员伤亡等灾害现场信息。为此,提出利用广泛布设于城市道路、公共场所、构（建）筑物内部的视频监控设备所捕捉到的影像资料,在技术上通过计算机图像处理技术,结合灾害快速评估技术和地理信息系统（GIS）,对灾害现场以构（建）筑物为代表的工程设施进行监测,提供实时的数据处理结果和现场灾害快速评估信息,从而在最大程度上避免突发灾害救援指挥的无序性,提高应急工作效率。     

Transparency in global sustainability governance: to what effect?

ABSTRACT

Transparency in environmental governance is no longer an uncontroversial answer to problems of accountability and effectiveness. How to design effective transparency systems and in what policy contexts they are effective remain contested issues. This special section, consisting of this introduction and four research articles, interrogates complex and potentially conflicting links between transparency, accountability, empowerment and effectiveness in environmental governance. Building on existing literature and the four contributions, we discuss persisting diversity in varieties of transparency, the evolving dynamics of commodity chain transparency, and the consequences of emerging novel forms of digitalized transparency. As we show, the contributions to this special section interrogate in novel ways the transformative potential of transparency, through shedding light on the performative effects of transparency in ever more complex environmental governance contexts. These contexts may include, inter alia, the growing ubiquity of traceability in transnational commodity chains, the need for ever more anticipatory (ex-ante) forms of environmental governance, and an ever-broadening quest for digitally monitored environments. In particular, the impacts of the real-time ‘radical’ transparency engendered by use of novel digital technologies remain under-analyzed in the sustainability domain. We conclude by raising several critical concerns that deserve further scientific research and policy debate.     

Aerial lift fall injuries: a surveillance and evaluation approach for targeting prevention activities

PROBLEM: Work on aerial lift platforms exposes workers to fall hazards. The objective of this study was to identify the most common injury scenarios and determine current research gaps for addressing fall incidents associated with aerial lifts. METHODS: Three databases were searched: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) reports, and OSHA Incident Investigation Records. RESULTS: The majority of falls/collapses/tipovers were within the height-category of 10-29 feet. Tipovers comprised 44-46% of boom-lift falls and 56-59% of scissor-lift falls. Constructing and repairing activities were most commonly associated with fall/collapse/tipover incidents. DISCUSSION: CFOI and OSHA/FACE show convergent data, suggesting similar scenarios for aerial lift tipovers. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The analysis provides the aerial lift industry information to prioritize their efforts on aerial lift design.     

如何做好环境监测实验室质量监督工作

分析环境监测实验室关键质量环节,探讨如何做好质量监督工作。