Preserving the Ozone Layers: Battling Illegal Trade in Ozone-Depleting Substances

The depletion of the ozone layer, a vital shield protecting the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, is now a worldwide environmental concern. Human activities, particularly the release of ozone depleting substances (ODS), have led to the thinning of this protective layer over recent decades. Simultaneously, illegal trade has emerged as a global challenge, giving rise to economic issues, losses of tax revenue, heightened criminal activities, health risks, and environmental hazards. The depletion of the ozone layer, a critical shield protecting the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, has become a global environmental concern. This paper delves into the legal dimensions surrounding ozone-depleting substances (ODS), their impact on the ozone layer, and the subsequent risk of skin cancer. As countries navigate international agreements, domestic regulations, and enforcement mechanisms, the intricate interplay between legal frameworks and the health implications of ozone layer depletion comes to the forefront. The paper highlights particular instances of illegal trade in ozone depleting substances, drawing from data reported by the parties to the Montreal Protocol. Notably, China stands out as a significant source of contraband ODS, with other countries such as Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, and France reporting numerous cases. Analyzing these case instances offers insights into the efficacy of legal frameworks and enforcement measures. The paper offers a comprehensive set of recommendations to strengthen global control and enforcement against the illegal trade of ozone depleting substances. These recommendations span diverse aspects such as production monitoring, customs collaboration, mutual verification, cross-border agreements, public-private partnerships, international cooperation, detection equipment, global regulatory standards, resource allocation, public awareness campaigns, alternative substance development, and controlling the trade at its source. By applying these recommendations and enhancing enforcement measures, we aim to protect the ozone layer and create a healthier and safer world for future generations and achieve sustainable development goals.

Illegal Radio Station Localization with UAV-Based Q-Learning

This paper proposes a novel unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)-based illegal radio station(IRS) localization scheme, where the transmit power of the IRS, the channel model and the noise model are unknown to the UAV. A direction-aware Q-learning algorithm is developed to process received signal strength(RSS) values collected by a directional antenna, as well as directions corresponding to the RSS values. This algorithm determines the direction the UAV flies towards and thereby finds the IRS. The proposed scheme is compared to two baseline schemes. One baseline locates the IRS by a UAV equipped with an omnidirectional antenna, where conventional Q-learning is exploited to process the measured RSS and determine the UAV's trajectory. The other baseline locates the IRS by a directional-antenna UAV, where the UAV flies towards the direction with respect to the maximum RSS value. Numerical results show that, especially for a low receive SNR, the proposed scheme can outperform the two baselines in terms of the localization efficiency, providing a smoother trajectory for the UAV.

Collaborative Spectrum Sensing for Illegal Drone Detection: A Deep Learning-Based Image Classification Perspective

Drones,also known as mini-unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs),are enjoying great popularity in recent years due to their advantages of low cost,easy to pilot and small size,which also makes them hard to detect.They can provide real time situational awareness information by live videos or high definition pictures and pose serious threats to public security.In this article,we combine collaborative spectrum sensing with deep learning to effectively detect potential illegal drones with states of high uncertainty.First,we formulate the detection of potential illegal drones under illegitimate access and rogue power emission as a quaternary hypothesis test problem.Then,we propose an algorithm of image classification based on convolutional neural network which converts the cooperative spectrum sensing data at a sensing slot into one image.Furthermore,to exploit more information and improve the detection performance,we develop a trajectory classification algorithm which converts theflight process of the drones in consecutive multiple sensing slots into trajectory images.In addition,simulations are provided to verify the proposed methods’performance under various parameter configurations.

SSD Real-Time Illegal Parking Detection Based on Contextual Information Transmission

With the improvement of the national economic level,the number of vehicles is still increasing year by year.According to the statistics of National Bureau of Statics,the number is approximately up to 327 million in China by the end of 2018,which makes urban traffic pressure continues to rise so that the negative impact of urban traffic order is growing.Illegal parking-the common problem in the field of transportation security is urgent to be solved and traditional methods to address it are mainly based on ground loop and manual supervision,which may miss detection and cost much manpower.Due to the rapidly developing deep learning sweeping the world in recent years,object detection methods relying on background segmentation cannot meet the requirements of complex and various scenes on speed and precision.Thus,an improved Single Shot MultiBox Detector(SSD)based on deep learning is proposed in our study,we introduce attention mechanism by spatial transformer module which gives neural networks the ability to actively spatially transform feature maps and add contextual information transmission in specified layer.Finally,we found out the best connection layer in the detection model by repeated experiments especially for small objects and increased the precision by 1.5%than the baseline SSD without extra training cost.Meanwhile,we designed an illegal parking vehicle detection method by the improved SSD,reaching a high precision up to 97.3%and achieving a speed of 40FPS,superior to most of vehicle detection methods,will make contributions to relieving the negative impact of illegal parking.

Numerical Simulation for Remediation Planning for 1,4-Dioxane-Contaminated Groundwater at Kuwana Illegal Dumping Site in Japan Based on the Concept of Verified Follow Up

At Kuwana illegal dumping site in Japan, where hazardous waste was illegally dumped, groundwater was severely contaminated by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Groundwater was already remedied by conducting Pump-and-Treat (P&T) after containment of all the waste by vertical slurry walls from 2002 to 2007. However, 1,4-dioxane was detected in both waste and groundwater outside of slurry walls after it was newly added into Japan environmental standards in late 2009, which suggested that the walls did not contain 1,4-dioxane completely. Our previous study developed a model to predict the 1,4-dioxane distribution in groundwater after the previous remediation at the site. In this study, numerical simulation was applied for remediation planning at the site based on the concept of Verified Follow Up (VF-UP) that had been proposed as a new approach to complete remediation effectively with consideration of future risks. The amount of waste to be removed and pumping plans were discussed by numerical simulation to achieve the remedial objective in which 1,4-dioxane in groundwater outside of walls is remedied within 10 years and 1,4-dioxane spreading throughout the walls is prevented in the case where a portion of waste is remained. Firstly, the amount of waste to be removed considering pumping plans for P&T was determined by scenario analysis. As a result, at least two-third of waste should be removed by combining with P&T. However, if the waste is remained, future risks of 1,4-dioxane spreading through the slurry walls may occur. Our simulation suggested that groundwater within the remaining waste must be pumped up at least 20 m3/d for containment of 1,4-dioxane within the remaining waste. In conclusion, our numerical simulation determined the amount of waste to be removed and the pumping plans for P&T to achieve the remedial objective effectively considering future risks based on the concept of VF-UP.

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Who Combat It as Legal Subjects?

Issue on illegal logging and related trade is a hot topic for the international community. It has brought the negative effects to the sustainable development on global society, economy and ecology, which is also one of the main objectives of international cooperation to combat with. At present, subjects of international law play a decisive role in combating illegal logging and related trade. The subjects of international law generally refer to states, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and part of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which can have an independent international legal personality, enjoy rights and assume obligations of international law. As a responsible big country of the international community and state member of intergovernmental organizations and international treaties of forest resources protection, China ought to fully perform the obligations of international law. In face of illegal logging and related trade around the world, China should rationally tackle with it, resolutely crack down on it, and finally choose the sustainable development strategy based on rule of law.

Use of SAR interferometry for monitoring illegal mining activities: A case study at Xishimen Iron Ore Mine

The development and application of the ''digital mine'' concept in China depends heavily upon the use of remote sensing data as well as domestic expertise and awareness. Illegal mining of mineral resources has been a serious long term problem frustrating the Xishimen Iron Ore Mine management. This mine is located in Wu'an county in Hebei province, China. Illegal activities have led to enormous economic losses by interfering with the normal operation of the Xishimen mine and have ruined the surrounding environ- ment and the stability of the Mahe riverbed the crosses the mined area. This paper is based on field recon- naissance taken over many years around the mine area. The ground survey data are integrated with Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (D-InSAR) results from ALOS/PALSAR data to pin- point mining locations. By investigating the relationship between the resulting interferometric deforma- tion pattern and the mining schedule, which is known a priori, areas affected by illegal mining activities are identified. To some extent these areas indicate the location of the illegal site. The results clearly dem- onstrate D-InSAR's ability to cost-effectively monitor illegal mining activities.

“Illegal Operation”是“非法操作”吗？——也谈计算机词汇的翻译

“非法操作”(illegal operation)几乎是每个以Windows作为操作系统的计算机用户都会碰到的一个误操作提示。“illegal”在此是什么意思?它是否真的表示我们通常所理解的“不合法”之意呢?其实，在计算机术语里，“illegal”有特定的含义，即“not interpretable or．recognized in the system in which it occurs”，

A simple dilute and shoot methodology for the identification and quantification of illegal insulin

The occurrence of illegal medicines is a well-established global problem and concerns mostly small molecules. However, due to the advances in genomics and recombinant expression technologies there is an increased development of polypeptide therapeutics. Insulin is one of the best known polypeptide drug, and illegal versions of this medicine led to lethal incidents in the past. Therefore, it is crucial for the public health sector to develop reliable, efficient, cheap, unbiased and easily applicable active pharmaceutical ingredient(API) identification and quantification strategies for routine analysis of suspected illegal insulins. Here we demonstrate that our combined label-free full scan approach is not only able to distinguish between all those different versions of insulin and the insulins originating from different species, but also able to chromatographically separate human insulin and insulin lispro in conditions that are compatible with mass spectrometry(MS). Additionally, we were also able to selectively quantify the different insulins, including human insulin and insulin lispro according to the validation criteria, put forward by the United Nations(UN), for the analysis of seized illicit drugs. The proposed identification and quantification method is currently being used in our official medicines control laboratory to analyze insulins retrieved from the illegal market.

Rapid Laboratory Comparison Method for Identification of Hazardous Wastes from Illegal Oil Refining

[Objective] This paper aimed to study the rapid identification method of hazardous wastes from illegal oil refining,and provide a new theoretical basis and practical basis for shortening the appraisal cycle and reducing the cost of identification.[Method] The identified substance and the qualified oil products were diluted by carbon disulfide with a ratio of 1∶100 for the gas chromatographic analysis.According to the corresponding national standard,the oil change indexes,such as the moisture content,viscosity,acid value and mechanical impurities of the identified substance,were measured.[Result] By the comparison between the gas chromatogram spectrograms of the identified substance and the qualified oil,it is found that the main component of the identified substance was the mineral oils.And the test results of oil change index showed that the mineral oil was unqualified.[Conclusion] This method was of great significance to save the cost of appraisal and improve the efficiency of case handling.

Analysis on Local Government's Illegal Occupation of Cultivated Land Using Game Theory

In order to find out reasons for local government illegally occupying cultivated land and reduce such acts to ensure China's grain security,this paper made an analysis through building the single person game model for local government's legal or illegal occupation of cultivation land.It reached the conclusion that the benefit obtained by local government from illegal occupation of cultivated land is far greater than cost and punishment of such illegal acts.Illegal act is an optimal choice of local government to maximize its benefits,which is also the major reason for its illegal occupation of cultivated land.Thus,to reduce these illegal acts of local government,it should reduce benefits of local government obtained from illegal occupation of cultivated land,and increase costs for illegal occupation of cultivated land.

Detection of illegal dyes in foods using a polyethersulfone/multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite membrane as a cleanup method

In this paper, a polyethersulfone （PES）/multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） composite membrane was prepared us- ing phase inversion. The surface morphology and internal structure of the membrane were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The effects of MWCNTs content on various aspects of membrane performance such as porosity, water flux, and antifouling characteristics were investigated. Results showed that proper addition of MWCNTs would improve the properties of the membrane. MWCNTs had a strong adsorption capacity for industrial dyes and the composite membrane could be used as an effective method to identify and clean up illegal dyes in foods. In addition, this new method for iden- tifying dyes is rapid： the cleanup procedure in the determination of illegal dyes in foods by the composite membrane was shortened to 30 min or less compared to 6-8 h for traditional methods.

The dissemination of relevant information on wildlife utilization and its connection with the illegal trade in wildlife

We analyzed the generation and dissemination of relevant information on wildlife utilization based on the African bush elephant(Loxodonta africana Blumenbach.),the tiger(Panthera tigris L.)and the totoaba,a species of marine fish,(Totoaba macdonaldi Gilbert)as examples,whose populations are more threatened by the illegal wildlife trade.We compared the illegal trade in wildlife with related information in order to find possible associations,searched for relevant information on major international websites to summarize similarities in information production and dissemination,and used a"Zhiwei"dissemination analysis platform to analyze the dissemination of information circulated at Microblog.The results show that the most infuential information related to the trade in wildlife is mainly generated from news media websites and new selfmedia platforms,usually from non-governmental organizations concerned with wildlife protection.The main factors that affect the depth and breadth of disseminating relevant information on wildlife utilization include the participation of relatively infuential opinion leaders,the verification ratio of forwarding users,the number of followers,and affective identification.Misleading information can stimulate and promote poaching and smuggling,regardless of their real market demand or their products.Therefore,all links in the course of information dissemination should be carefully examined in order to purify the information environment and reduce adverse effects of misleading information on wildlife protection.

The Social Dynamics of Illegal Wood Harvesting on Indigenous Woody Vegetation: A Case Study of Chimanimani National Park, Eastern Zimbabwe

Illegal wood harvesting, a factor that threats conservation efforts, was assessed in Chimanimani National Park (CNP), Zimbabwe, in April 2016. The study identified preferred indigenous woody species, determined the uses, and collected local people’s perceptions on forest resource management by-laws and forest resource conservation in quantity. A three-stage sampling design was adopted;that is, 1) purposive sampling, where three wards (Chikukwa ward 11, Chikwakwa ward 17 and Ngorima ward 5b) were selected as study areas from a total of seventeen wards in Chimanimani District, 2) random sampling, where three villages [Batanai (75 households), Chikukwa (110 households) and Tamuka (46 households)], totalling 231 households, were selected from a total of 15 villages spread over the three wards. The third stage was the random of households where 46 questionnaires were administered and collected in the 3 randomly selected villages representing 20% of the targeted population. The study results highlighted that illegally harvested indigenous woody plants were principally for household uses. Preferred woody species included those of Brachystegia, Terminalia, Acacia, Bauhinia, Pericopsis, Combretum and Pericopsis genera. Quantities collected ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 tons of firewood monthly to 3 to 6 tons mostly for tobacco curing. Most respondents reported that by-laws were not effective in combating illegal wood harvesting. It was concluded that CNP woodlands are under stress due to illegal wood harvesting. It is recommended that a robust community-based strategy to conserve woody species and natural resource utilisation be developed.

An Investigation of the Factors That Motivated Illegal Settlements in the Mau Forest, Kenya

The Mau Forest has in the recent past elicited serious political and environmental debates regarding its conservation status, as the forest is fast dwindling and the repercussions felt widely across the country. The forest, regarded as the largest indigenous montane forest in east Africa, has been hard hit by land-use changes mainly extensive and ill-planned human settlements. To save the forest, the government has resorted to forced evictions of the settlers. We sought to understand the drivers and causes for the observed illegal settlements in the Mau Forest. To collect data, we conducted focus group discussions and administered household questionnaires on evictees in the South-West and Eastern Mau. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the binary logistic regression model indicate that Poverty (p = 0.000), Agricultural production (p = 0.000) and Land Given by Government (p = 0.018) contributed significantly to the prediction of people’s motivation of settling in the Mau Forest. In conclusion, population pressure, laxity in forest law enforcement and insecure land tenure and politics were identified as some of the factors that motivated the observed rise in illegal settlements in Mau Forest. Such information on the factors that led to the illegal settlements in Mau Forest would be useful for forest conservation policy makers and managers. It will be a basis upon which interventions can be undertaken to enhance sustainable forest management in Kenya and beyond.

Illegal logging in ASEAN:status,cause,impacts and management process

Illegal logging has become a serious problem in forest management in ASEAN. In the paper, the illegal logging status in ASEAN is introduced, and it is sure that Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia are production countries, Thailand and Vietnam are the processing countries, and Philippines, Singapore are consumer countries in the whole supply chain of illegal logging. As well, the trade flows of illegal forest products of ASEAN are checked, the cause of illegal logging and its producing impacts are assessed. To tackle illegal logging, one feasible way is to design ecological supply chain to supervise illegal logging process, and under the concept of ecological supply chain, the production countries, processing countries and consumer countries should take actions together. Non-ASEAN countries should improve border control, introduce public procurement policies, promote market-based instruments, and strengthen international cooperation. For ASEAN countries, they should establish cooperation mechanisms within the region, take a unified action, increase governance capacity and promote legality verification or sustainability certification.

Illegal Wildlife Trade: Trade Flows of Wildlife Products and Facilitation Methods in the Ruaha Landscape, Tanzania

Tanzania’s Ruaha landscape is prominent for its potential wildlife resources, which play a key role in sustaining the economy and livelihoods of the people. However, most of these resources are illegally obtained and traded in different places within and outside the Ruaha landscape. Due to its illegal nature, most of the important information regarding the trade is poorly documented. Therefore, the current study aimed first, to explore the origin and destination of wildlife products;second, to assess the relationship between hunters and buyers or customers;third, to assess the means used to transport wildlife products;and lastly, to assess who influences people to engage in illegal hunting and trade activities. In addition, we assess the materials used in the exchange of wildlife products. Semi-structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were used to collect information from 123 respondents. Social network analysis was used to indicate the origin and destination of wildlife products. The findings show that 70% of wildlife products originate from the Ruaha National Park and MBOMIPA wildlife management areas, with the remaining 30% originating from villages. The majority of respondents (65%) reported transporting wildlife products by foot and bicycle as the primary modes of transportation. Suppliers of wildlife products are reported to have close and long-term relationships with their customers and traders, with most of whom being friends and relatives. We found most poachers to be influenced by their friends and relatives in terms making decision to engage in illegal wildlife trade. In addition, crops like maize and rice were the most popular products used to exchange with wildlife products in the Ruaha landscape. Therefore, in order to combat illegal trade in wildlife products at the local level, alternative income-generating activities need to be promoted accompanied by not only well-funded anti-poaching programmes but also more effective surveillance plans. These should entail the use of advanced techniques and skills, such as wildlife forensics.

Process of global governance on tackling illegal logging

Illegal logging destroys the forest ecological environment,and brings serious harm to the development of human society,which has aroused global attention.In the paper we first introduces the global process of governing illegal logging from international,regional and national level in detail,and point out that the international level has formed the atmosphere of tackling illegal logging,and under its influence the regional level is affected and then affect regional countries,correspondingly the national level takes actions to combat illegal logging.Second,we analyze the performance and challenge of governing illegal logging.Finally,some policies are implied from international level,regional and national level.

“What Is in a Name?”: “Illegal Pete’s” and the Normalization of Violence Against Mexicans in the United States

On December 2015,a new restaurant opened next to the University of Arizona campus,in Tucson.Its name was“Illegal Pete’s”and it sold Mexican food.The presence of this establishment led to an intense backlash between several University of Arizona students and the owner of the restaurant as they argued over the use of the world“illegal”.This paper reflects on the construction of“illegality”,its meaning and consequences on lived experiences.Drawing on Bakhtin’s analysis of words and his concepts of“single-voiced”and“double-voiced”discourses,I examine how the word“illegal”perpetuates and normalizes discrimination,criminalization,and racism towards Mexican-origin people and leads to feelings of anxious belonging.