Practice and Research Progress on Ecosystem Conservation in Transboundary Areas

Many ecosystems extend across national or political boundaries. The consistent and effective protection of these ecosystems in transboundary areas(ETAs) is an important global research focus. Previous research on the protection of such areas can be categorized into seven themes: 1) ecological conservation of a single ETA; 2) investigation of the effects of a single conservation measure on a specific ETA; 3) determination of species-level effects due to ETA conservation; 4) comparison of the same protection measures between different ETAs; 5) introduction of a single conservation measure to a specific ETA; 6) understanding the relationship between conservation and sustainable development; and 7) generalization across multiple ETA conservation cases. The protection of ETAs involves various considerations, including funding support, demand and will for collaboration, community and public participation, historical and cultural factors, political backgrounds, uniqueness of biological resources, formulation of laws and regulations, founding of specialized administrative departments, non-governmental organizations, and fairness. Here, we briefly explain the research themes and considerations related to ETA conservation. The most important finding is that most major research themes do not focus on the challenges of ETA conservation. We use two nature reserves located between China and North Korea as examples to identify specific ways to improve ETA conservation on Changbai Mountains. The efficiency of ETA administration still remains low. The study of ETA conservation should focus on concrete regional information and aim to improve existing measures through the accumulation of experience.

New mode of universal access and Global Memory Net

In this digital era, we have witness the exciting convergence of content, technology, and global collaboration in the development of digital libraries. The mode of universal access for information seeking and knowledge acquisition differs greatly fi＇om the traditional ways. From the information resources point of views, the old model of“owning” a collection has given way to “sharing,” and the new emphases have shifted fi＇om possessing large “physical libraries” to “virtual libraries” digitally distributed all over the world. “Universal access” has taken on a very different meaning when one has the ability to share invaluable resources through the use of cutting edge technologies. The author has experienced much of these transformations through her own R＆D activities-from the creation of interactive videodisc and multimedia CD on the First Emperor of China＇s terracotta warriors and horses in the 1980s and 1990s to leading a current international digital library project, Global Memory Net （GMNet）, supported by the US National Science Foundation. In presenting her vision for linking world digital resources together for universal access, she will share with the audience the latest development of Global Memory Net.

Innovation Capability and Export Performance of Turkish Export Firms

In today＇s competitive environment the key element is the differentiation of business which will lead to success. Especially in international markets where there＇s much more intense competition, it is more important for businesses to enter with innovations that make a difference to their consumers. Innovation is also important for competitive export-oriented production in globalization. In global competition, innovation is the key factor for sustainable success. Increases in the efficiency, profitability of firms make it possible to enter new markets and extend present markets by obtaining advantage of competition. In order to determine accurate strategies, the connection between innovation and exports must be understood better. The aim of this study is to determine the innovation capability and export performance of Turkish export firms. Another aim is to examine the relationship between firm characteristics and innovation capability. Innovation capability of export firms is measured by INNOVSCALE which was developed by Vicente, Abrantes, and Teixeira （2015）. Export performance is measured by APEV scale which was developed by Lages, Lages, and Lages （2005）. The study uses data collected from 83 firms located in Kayseri. Results obtained by using SPSS indicate that there is a positive relationship between innovation capability and export performance. The results of the ANOVA analysis, innovation capability differ in terms of firm size and export earnings. Innovation capability does not differ in terms of sector, operating years, share of export earnings in the whole revenues, exporting periods, or internationalization levels.

BRICS and Geopolitics： A Match Made in Heaven？

We are living in a multi-polar world under the greater influence of one power. After the shutdown of the government in the US, it can be said that the sole power is about to be challenged. This paper hopes to establish the fact that the future of the international system will continue to be multi-polar. Economic groupings like the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa （BRICS）, Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore and Turkey （MIST） and others denote to this. These groupings may present an alternative to geographically locked but indispensible European Union. Despite the system being multi-polar, the United States dominates the international system. This paper deals with the BRICS countries that propose a bid for power in international relations. Will they have equidistant power form one another or will there be a hierarchy in between them？ Can they take/make economic or political decisions？ Is a geographically spread power structure more effective in controlling the balances between war and peace？ Can they remain objective on trouble spots that may arise in Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans, Asia and the Americas？ This paper hopes to achieve the goal of providing a framework for understanding a multi-polar approach to international relations based on the collaboration of BRICS countries. The first part will be the theoretical framework of the paper. The second part will be concerned with American supremacy in foreign relations and the need to question it. The third part will deal with emerging powers but since the most influential ＂power politics＂ are steered by China and Russia the main emphasis will be on them. The last part will come to the conclusion.

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations （IUFRO） and Debates About Forest-Water Relations During the Late 19th Century

Examining the International Union of Forest Research Organizations （IUFRO） and its research on forest-water relations, the article investigates the relation between scientific internationalism and national expertise. It juxtaposes existing arguments regarding the paradigmatic character of 19th century arguments about deforestations. In particular, in 1999, Christian Pfister and Daniel Br^indli argued that, in Switzerland during the second half of the 19th century, forestry administrators forged an argument that deforestations in mountainous regions lead to floods in the valleys. As this argument helped to install new Swiss forest legislation in 1876, forbidding deforestations in the mountains, Pfister and Brandli called it a ＂deforestation paradigm＂. In contrast, sources of the IUFRO provide a different picture. At IUFRO meetings, i.e., at the international level of debate, no such paradigm existed. Instead, IUFRO participants discussed various conclusions that could be drawn fi＇om research on deforestations. Regarding the outcome of IUFRO projects, participants reported partly in opposing ways about the results of the research projects in forestry journals in their respective countries. Exploring these reports, the article provides an explanation for these different national representations of international research projects.

Evaluation of the Impact of International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） Framework Concepts on the Public Accounting Profession

Accounting profession has, in recent times, been regulated mainly by the private accounting standard setters mainly the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB）, which has taken a center stage and redefined the accounting information systems beyond the knowledge discernment of the average users and stakeholders. Public accounting profession＇s overreliance on the ever-changing IASB conceptual frameworks and their subsequent publications International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS） standards has strongly compromised the ethics and objectivity of the profession, especially the accounting fundamental qualitative characteristics of the fair representation. Public accountants are, by ethics, required to issue an accurate, independent, and objective opinion of the financial state of the reporting entity. A review of various literatures from the IASB and the related bodies including independent auditors was employed during the evaluation process so as to minimize bias and evaluate objectively. The results revealed that currently, the IASB conceptual frameworks and IFRS contain inconsistent and opposing objectives including an inconclusive definition of elements and measurement basis mainly of profit and loss transactions and other comprehensive income, and hence the public accounting profession has been ethically challenged and compromised. Financial reporting is now premised on estimates, judgments, and models as opposed to a definitive measurement in accounting. A recommendation of further study on the IASB fundamental qualitative characteristics of decision usefulness should be pursued objectively.

Analysis and Consequences of the Pilcomayo River Complexity as International Boundary between Argentina and Paraguay

The War of the Triple Alliance was an international military conflict in South America, fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. In 1939, according to the provisions of the Arb6-Cantilo Treaty, it was established that the international boundary between Argentina and Paraguay passed through the deepest channel of the Pilcomayo River. The natural complexity of the river, plus the condition of acting as international border, led to perform this analysis. The main goal was to implement geo-processing techniques to map the evolution in the drainage pattern, linked to natural processes or human activities from 1951 to today. Satellite imagery and historical maps were integrated upon a Geographic Information System （GIS）; to interpret the changes occurred in the last 60 years along the Pilcomayo River channel which is approximately 20,000 km^2 located in Argentina and Paraguay. The collected information allowed the authors to evaluate and demonstrate the degree of correspondence between the river variation and the topographic position of the international boundary between Argentina and Paraguay, and also to diagnose what could occur in the near future.

Database Research Method for Researches on International Chinese Language Teaching in an Era of Big Data

The database research method is a method that analyses, generalizes and deduces from the data of subject investigated with database techniques, quantitative statistics and mathematical models. As the big data age comes with the data explosion in modem society, the International Chinese Language Teaching （ICLT） shows signs of sizable data accumulation, remarkable economic property, strong modeling requirements and notable cross-research trends, which thus make this method necessary as a new and independent research method in the researches on this area. Theory bases, applicative areas, available software and data resources, research program designs, as well as their advantages and disadvantages will be figured out in this paper. In the near future, it will bring about a revolution to the international Chinese language teaching.

Neo-merchantalism： Open Trade, Open Currency, and Open Monetary System？

Neo-merchantalism is the use of national currency in international trade among countries to increase global trade. This is called as open currency in the study. Neo-merchantalism also includes open trade to facilitate trade among countries. Thirdly, neo-merchantalism covers International Monetary Fund （IMF）. Because IMF regulates and controls money flow among countries in international trade, neo-merchantalism could be presented as follows： neo-merchantalism = open trade ＋ open currency ＋ IMF. Open trade and open currency exist in merchantalism theory. But today, there is also IMF control. Therefore, neo-merchantalism = merchantalism ＋ IMF. Globalism started in 1990 in global markets. It increased the amount of global trade from 13 trillion dollars to 60 trillion dollars. Therefore, each country has 6%-7% economic growth in global markets in the 2000s. It is expected that neo-merchantalism theory doubles global trade up to 100 trillion dollars. Because each country uses its money to do intemational trade, IMF＇s restrictions are important in currency flow, as countries may overprint their money to do more trade that increases inflation rate in global economies. For example, emission of United States （US） dollars increased 50% after 2008 crises in American economy. Therefore, the Federal Reserve aims to stop quantitative enlargement policy in order to impede inflation in American economy. In neo-merchantalism, IMF can restrict money print and currency flow according to country＇s gross domestic product （GDP）, because quantity theory in economy requires that a country can issue its national currency according to its national GDP.

New European Union＇s Requirements and IFRS Practice Statement ＂Management Commentary＂： Does MD＆A Disclosure Quality Affect Analysts＇ Forecasts？

The Management Discussion and Analysis （MD＆A） is a mandatory document under the European Union＇s （EU） law. In 2003, the EU issued Directive 2003/51/EC, which broadened the information that firms have to provide in their MD＆A, and in 2010 the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） issued the International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS） Practice Statement ＂Management Commentary＂, a non-binding guidance for the presentation of this document. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between MD＆A disclosure quality and properties of analysts＇ forecasts. In fact, although most studies found that financial analysts mainly refer to financial statement data in forecasting earnings, there are few researches highlighting the importance of MD＆A disclosures for financial analysts. On this basis, Ramnath, Rock, and Shane （2008） called for researches in order to better understand the relationship between the information really used by analysts and their forecasts. To assess the quality of MD＆A disclosures, we developed a multidimensional measure on the basis of the EU requirements and the IFRS Practice Statement, and then we regressed this variable on both forecast accuracy and dispersion. The findings show that our measure of MD＆A disclosure quality is significantly and positively related to forecast accuracy. We conducted other analyses in order to better understand the previous relationship and we found that, if we analyze the different information contained in the MD＆A statement, financial analysts consider useful accounting and financial data in forecasting earnings. These results enhance our understanding of the role of MD＆A disclosures in the wide set of information that firms provide to financial statement users.

Factor Analysis on Industrial International Competitiveness： An Empirical Study on China Air Transport Industry

After China＇s entry into WTO, our industries will be confronted with fiercer competition. How to strengthen their international competitiveness to seek for survival and development has become a very urgent problem. This paper first simply discusses the meaning and theo^es of industrial international competitiveness, then chooses proper indexes according to some principles, explains the factor analysis method of industrial international competitiveness, and finally makes empirical analysis on China air transport industry.

Global Climate Internal Variability in a 2000-year Control Simulation with Community Earth System Model(CESM)

Using the low-resolution （T31, equivalent to 3.75°× 3.75°） version of the Community Earth System Model （CESM） from the National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCAR）, a global climate simulation was carried out with fixed external forcing factors （1850 Common Era. （C.E.） conditions） for the past 2000 years. Based on the simulated results, spatio-temporal structures of surface air temperature, precipitation and internal variability, such as the E1 Nifio-Southem Oscillation （ENSO）, the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscilla- tion （AMO）, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）, and the North Atlantic Oscillation （NAO）, were compared with reanalysis datasets to evaluate the model performance. The results are as follows： 1） CESM showed a good performance in the long-term simulation and no significant climate drift over the past 2000 years; 2） climatological patterns of global and regional climate changes simulated by the CESM were reasonable compared with the reanalysis datasets; and 3） the CESM simulated internal natural variability of the climate system performs very well. The model not only reproduced the periodicity of ENSO, AMO and PDO events but also the 3-8 years vari- ability of the ENSO. The spatial distribution of the CESM-simulated NAO was also similar to the observed. However, because of weaker total irradiation and greenhouse gas concentration forcing in the simulation than the present, the model performances had some differences from the observations. Generally, the CESM showed a good performance in simulating the global climate and internal natu- ral variability of the climate system. This paves the way for other forced climate simulations for the past 2000 years by using the CESM.

In-situ measure to internal stress of shotcrete layer in soft-rock roadway

In order to solve the difficult conditions of soft rock,water-trickling and hard-maintain of main air-return roadway in Tarangaole Colliery,high pretensioned stress and intensive bolt-shotcrete support program was designed and mechanical property of shotcrete layer was specially monitored through utilizing a type of concrete stress meter with oscillating chord after the program was carried out.It was indicated that,due to rock pressure and support resistance,the interior of shotcrete layer would emerge diverse stresses in axial,radial and tangential directions.With time passing internal stresses in three directions,whose average values were-0.061,0.043 and 0.517 MPa respectively,fluctuated first and then tended to stability slowly.The axial and radial stresses were relatively smaller than tangential stress which was 11,12 times the two formers respectively.Along the section of roadway,axial and tangential stresses distributed symmetrically and increased gradually from the top of arch to the waist of wall,but reduced at the foot of wall.Radial stresses reduced from the top of arch to the waist of arch first,and then increased in the waist of wall.Axial stresses were tensile substantially,except for stresses in arch vault tending to compressive,but all the radial stresses were compressive.Nevertheless,tangential stresses in the wall were compressive and tangential stresses in the arch were tensile.During the period of roadway excavating,the stress of shotcrete layer was less than its ultimate bearing capacity,with no significant stress concentration.At the end of this article,some suggests are given to shotcrete support design.

Application of Self-inhaling Internal Cooling Wheel in Vertical Surface Grinding

There is less research on vertical sculptured grinding technology. Especially in high vertical surface grinding process with the cup abrasive wheel, the thermal damage is prone to happen and undermine the grinding surface integrity. This problem limits to improve the grinding efficiency and the grinding ratio greatly. Through the analysis of vertical surface grinding process and features in depth, this paper revealed the inherent mechanism of higher grinding temperature in the process of vertical sculptured grinding using the cup wheel. Based on the previous research achievements, the grinding experiments on TC4 （Ti-6A1-4V） and GH4169 are carried out utilizing the self-inhaling internal cooling wheel. The experimental results show that the self-inhaling internal cooling wheel can efficiently reduce the grinding surface temperature. Moreover, the inherent mechanism of reducing the grinding temperature using the internal cooling method is revealed. Meanwhile, under the same grinding conditions, the grinding ratio during the experiments on GH4169 using self-inhaling internal cooling method is about 3 times as high as using conventional external cooling method. And the grinding forces can be reduced by about 20%. This research revealed the inherent mechanism of higher grinding temperature in the process of vertical sculptured grinding using the cup wheel, which provides theoretical basis for the design and application of self-inhaling internal cooling wheel. At the same time, an efficient and non-invasive surface grinding method of TC4 and GH4169 is presented.

On iterative learning control design for tracking iteration-varying trajectories with high-order internal model

In this paper, iterative learning control （ILC） design is studied for an iteration-varying tracking problem in which reference trajectories are generated by high-order internal models （HOLM）. An HOlM formulated as a polynomial operator between consecutive iterations describes the changes of desired trajectories in the iteration domain and makes the iterative learning problem become iteration varying. The classical ILC for tracking iteration-invariant reference trajectories, on the other hand, is a special case of HOlM where the polynomial renders to a unity coefficient or a special first-order internal model. By inserting the HOlM into P-type ILC, the tracking performance along the iteration axis is investigated for a class of continuous-time nonlinear systems. Time-weighted norm method is utilized to guarantee validity of proposed algorithm in a sense of data-driven control.

SIMULTANEOUS ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR HEMIVERTEBRA RESECTION IN THE TREATMENT OF CONGENITAL KYPHOSCOLIOSIS

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of simultaneous anterior and posterior hemivertebra resection in the treatment of congenital kyphoscoliosis caused by fully-segmented hemivertebra. Methods Twenty-one consecutive cases with congenital kyphoscoliosis, which were 8 males and 13 females, underwent one-stage operation of anterior hemivertebra resection and posterior instrumentation. All of the hemivertebra were fully-segmented. The average age at surgery was 11.4 （range, 1.5-16） years old. Results The average follow-up was 23 （range, 6-50） months. The average Cobb＇s angle of the coronal curve was 51.4° （30°-120°） before surgery, 16.9° （0°-54°） after surgery, and 19.5° at latest follow-up. The angle of segmental kyphosis was 37.1° （0°-95°） before surgery and 16.1° （0°-48°） after surgery, and 18.2° at latest follow-up. Apical translation was improved from 4.7 cm to 1.9 cm. The average fusion segments were 4.8 （range, 2-10） segments. Complication included pressure sore in one case, pedicle cutting by pedicle screw in one case and elongation of the curve in one case. There was no obvious pseudarthrosis, decompensation, and kyohosis deformity aggravation at latest follow-up. Conclusion One-stage hemivortebra resection has a good result in the surgical treatment of congenital kyphoscoliosis caused by fully-segmented hemivertebra, and may shorten fusion levels if performed at an earlier age.

Backlash analysis of a new planetary gearing with internal gear ring

Due to low carrying capacity and short life of current ring reducer,we proposed a new planetary gearing with internal gear ring,which consisted of two stages.One was an involute planetary drive and the other was an N-type planetary drive with small teeth difference.The kinematic calculation was conducted based on the analysis of structural composition and working principle.Formulas of backlash calculation for the new planetary gearing were derived by using probabilistic theory and the analytical model was created at the same time.Then,main factors that affect the systematic backlash were introduced and the effects of manufacture error,misaligments and roller bearing parameters on the distribution of backlash were presented.The influence of gear backlash on systematic return difference was performed based on the backlash mathematic model proposed.The results show that the backlash is a little large,of which the backlash of bearing takes a greater part than two gearing stages.So we presented some practical methods to reduce the systematic backlash.

VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACOSCOPIC CORRECTION AND FUSION OF SCOLIOSIS

Objective To evaluate the operative technique and preliminary results of video-assisted thoracoscopic anterior correction and fusion of scoliosis. Methods Eleven cases underwent thoracoscopic anterior correction and fusion of scoliosis from March 2003 to April 2005 in our hospital were reviewed. They were all females with an average age of 13.1 years old. Of which, 9 cases were idiopathic scoliosis, 1 case was congenital scoliosis, and 1 case was Marian syndrome scoliosis. The coronal Cobb angle and apical vertebral translation before and after surgery as well as at final follow-up were measured. The operation time, blood loss during operation, and peri-operative complications were recorded. The mean operation time was 6. 4 hours, mean instrumented vertebrae were 6.4 segments, and mean blood loss during operation was 364 mU The coronal Cobb angles of the thoracic curve before and after surgery were 45.5° and 15.4° respectively, with an average correction rate of 65.4%. The lumbar curve was corrected from 28.4° to 11.8° , with an average simultaneous correction rate of 57.2%. All of the patients were followed up regularly with an average time of 21.4 months. At the final foUow-up, the coronal Cobb angles of the thoracic and lumbar curves were 19.0° and 20. 1° , with a 3.6° and 8. 3° loss of correction, respectively. The apical vertebral translation was improved from 32. 3 mm to 10.5 mm for the thoracic curve, and from 13.1 mm to 8.2 mm for the lumbar curve. There were 6 cases with peri-opemtive complications, including 1 case of thoracic effusion, 1 case of chylothomx, 1 case of locking plug loosing, 2 cases of aggravation of the unfused lumbar curve （ 1 case also with thoracolumbar kyphosis）, and 1 case with a screw tip causing a contour deformity of the aorta. And 4 of them underwent revision surgery.Conclusions Video-assisted thoracoscopic anterior correction and fusion of scoliosis has good correction capability, less intraoperative bleeding, and favorable cosmetic effect for mild and moderate thoracic scoliosis, but with higher rates of cor- rection loss of the lumbar curve and peri-operative complications. A surgeon should be cautious to perform this technique.

Cooling of a Diesel Reformate Fuelled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell by Internal Reforming of Methane： A Modelling Study

In this paper a system combining a diesel reformer using catalytic partial oxidation （CPOX） with the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell （SOFC） for Auxiliary Power Unit （APU） applications is modeled with respect to the cooling effect provided by internal reforming of methane in anode gas channel. A model mixture consisting of 80% n-hexadecane and 20%..!-methylnaphthalin is used to simulate the commercial diesel. The modelling consists of several steps. First, equilibrium gas composition at the exit of CPOX reformer is modelled in terms oxygen to car- bon （O/C） ratio, fuel utilization ratio and anode gas recirculation. Second, product composition, especially methane content, is determined for the me.th.an, ation process at the operating temperatures ra：ng!ng from 500 ℃to 520 ℃.Finally, the cooling power provided by internal reforming of methane in SOFC fuel channel is calculated for two concepts to increase the methane content of the diesel reformate. The results show that the first concept, operating the diesel reformer at low O/C ratio and/or, recirculation rat!o, is not realizable due to high probability of coke formation, whereas the second concept, combining a methanation process with CPOX, can provide a significant cool- ing effect in addition to the conventional c？oling concept which needs higher levels of excess air.