Synthesis Analysis of Soil Erosion for Three-River Headwater Region Based on GIS

In this paper,based on the common soil erosion model,the Three-River Headwaters region was select for study object. GIS methods are applied to conduct Semi-quantitative assessment for different types of soil erosion,and some results are concluded. The water erosion occurs in High Mountain and extra-high mountain of Yushu,Nangqian,Banma and Jiuzhi County in the southeast and south of the Three-River Headwaters region. The degree of erosion is prone to topography,precipitation,river and human activity. The freeze-thaw erosion mainly distributes in the northwest of the Three-River Headwaters region. The area of middle and above middle erosion degree accounts for roughly 50%.

Karst Cave Tourism System in Zhejiang Province Based on Resource Regional Analysis

Karst cave tourism plays an important role in the overall tourism of Zhejiang Province, China. In analyzing the current status of karst cave tourism resources, it is crucial to develop a scientific system for optimizing resource exploitation and tourism development in the future. This study conducted an analysis of resource characteristics and regional structure in Zhejiang Province. Nearest neighbor index （NNI） method and accessibility index method were used for a comprehensive understanding of the effects of scale, strength, combination, and accessibility of karst cave tourism resources. Results indicated that karst cave tourism resources in Zhejiang Province have a significant regional influence, and that resource quality and exploitation are diverse in different regions. Among the regions, Jinhua had the highest exploitation proportion of over 60% and the lowest NNI value of 0.098. Furthermore, regional analysis inferred that different karst caves demonstrate diversity in accessibility to tourism markets, among which the Lingshan Cave, Fengshui Cave, and Xianqiao Cave reveal the highest accessibility index of 2.41. Finally, we put forward a karst cave tourism system in Zhejiang Province based on the Growth Pole Theory and set up an overall scheme for karst cave tourism development. From a regional perspective analysis, the study refined the methods for regional resource re- search and provided a strategic proposal for karst cave tourism in Zheiiang Province.

Regional Frequency Analysis of Observed Sub-Daily Rainfall Maxima over Eastern China

Based on hourly rainfall observational data from 442 stations during 1960-2014, a regional frequency analysis of the annual maxima （AM） sub-daily rainfall series （1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-h rainfall, using a moving window approach） for eastern China was conducted. Eastern China was divided into 13 homogeneous regions： Northeast （NE1, NE2）, Central （C）, Central North （CN1, CN2）, Central East （CE1, CE2, CE3）, Southeast （SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4）, and Southwest （SW）. The generalized extreme value performed best for the AM series in regions NE, C, CN2, CE1, CE2, SE2, and SW, and the generalized logistic distribution was appropriate in the other regions. Maximum return levels were in the SE4 region, with value ranges of 80-270 mm （1-h to 24-h rainfall） and 108-390 mm （1-h to 24-h rainfall） for 20- and 100 yr, respectively. Minimum return levels were in the CN1 and NE1 regions, with values of 37-104 mm and 53-140 mm for 20 and 100 yr, respectively. Comparing return levels using the optimal and commonly used Pearson-III distribution, the mean return-level differences in eastern China for 1-24-h rainfall varied from -3-4 mm to -23-11 mm （- 10%-10%） for 20-yr events, reaching -6-26 mm （-10%-30%） and -10-133 mm （-10%-90%） for 100-yr events. In view of the large differences in estimated return levels, more attention should be given to frequency analysis of sub-daily rainfall over China, for improved water management and disaster reduction.

Study on regional material flow analysis of Chengyang District in Qingdao

Base on the framework of material flow analsis （MFA） proposed by Eurostat, this paper collected related data and conducted a regional MFA for the Chengyang Districgt in Qingdao. The indicators such as Direct Material Input（DMI）, Direct Material Consumption （DMC） and Exports are calculated or estimated for the period of year 1995 through 2004. Several derivable iudicators defining direct material productivity and material intenstiy are also evaluated and some valuable conclusions were drawn. DMI in absolute number increased from about 1645.9 kilotons in 1995to about 8052.5 kilotons in 2004. Imports contribute to about 47 to 69% of DMI, and the biggest component of imports is fossil fuel that approximatley accounts far 50% of imnports. DMI per capita of Chengyang District increased rapidly and reached 17. 4 tons in 2004. Compared with other five economies studied by WRI, material consumption intensity of Chengyang District is significantly lower than developed countries, which indicates that Chengyang District is still in a development stage The direct material productivity （actual GDP per DMI） increased 59.1% from 1995 to 2004 and has been higher than either of stadies in China, which indicates efficiency of resources utilization has improved obviously in Chengyang District. But there was significant increase in material input in the last decade, which shows that rapid increase of economy is highly dependent on requirement and consumption of natural resources. Therefore, in order to promote the sustainahility, it is essential to develop circular economy and improve utilization efficiency of resources.

Application of YLD Calculation in Assessing Disease Data──An Analysis of 4 Diseases in 2 Regions

The objective of the curtent study is to discuss the problems related to how data is used to calculate Yeare Lost with Disability (YLD) with the method recommended by the World Bank. The study includes collecting useful data, estimating disease duration and average age of disease onset,adjusting incidence and prevalence data by means of a software programme, DISMOD (Harvard University Incidence & Prevalence Model), and assessing the importance of YLD calculation for different diseases.Remission and fatality rates of 3 diseases were estimated by experts at 2 round consultations.Incidence rates, disease duration and average age of disease onset were calculated and adjusted by DISMOD. YLD due to schizothrenia is the highest among 4 diseases in two regions. YLD is 18. 88 % in disability adjusted life year for 4 diseases in Xiacheng District, and 19 .97 % in Fuyang County.Available data can be used for the calculation of YLD after being adjusted. DISMOD is a useful instrument to test the internal consistency of incidence, prevalence, rendssion and fatality rate. The adjusted data are acceptable to experts and DISMOD. To get rational remission and fatality rates, we can use a cohort method through expert consultations. To renect overall burden of disease, YLD calculation should be used.

Regional Frequency Analysis of Significant Wave Heights Based onL-moments

L-moments are defined as linear combinations of probability-weighted moments, They are, virtually unbiased for small samples, and perform well in parameter estimation, choice of the distribution type and regional analysis. The traditional methods of determining the design wave heights for planning marine structures use data only from the site of interest. Regional frequency analysis gives a new approach to estimate quantile by use of the homogeneous neighborhood informatian. A regional frequency analysis based on L-moments with a case study of the California coast is presented. The significant wave height data for the California coast is offered by NDBC. A 6-site region without 46023 is considered to be a homogeneous region, whose optimal regional distribution is Pearson Ⅲ. The test is conducted by a simulation process. The regional quantile is compared with the at-site quantile, and it is shown that efficient neighborhood information can be used via regional frequency analysis to give a reasonable estimation of the site without enough historical data.

Regional analysis and sustainable development： Application of a synthetic sustainability indicator to Galicia and the European Union

In general, investigations carried out to date regarding/measuring systems/systems of measurement of sustainable development present two peculiarities： Either they are of a limited practical nature or they do not allow for comparisons between different areas or economies. Global synthetic indicators are an exception to the above; however they have been scarcely developed. This article designs an index of said characteristics, which is subsequently applied to all the countries within the European Union and to the region of Galicia.

Regional Distribution and Prospects of Potash in China

China was formed by amalgamation of several small continental blocks （cratons）, micro, blocks and orogenic belts in different paleoclimatic settings. It may be correlated with other continental blocks but has its own specific characteristics; therefore the tectonic environments of China＇s marine and continental saline basins and salt, and potash, forming environment have some specific characteristics： multiple phases of salt formation, difference in salt, forming ages, migration and concentration of salt, forming processes and diversity of component materials, as well as small sizes of marine saline basins and great changes of saline basins in the late stage and occurrence of abundant liquid mineral resources. The nature of the tectonic basement exerted a key controlling effect on the formation of potash basins. The stable tectonic region was favorable for potash concentration in a quasi, stable region, and quasi, and the quasi-stable region was favorable for salt concentration and potash formation in a local stable tectonic region. Most China＇s major ancient saline basins occur in ＂quasi, cratons （continental block）＂; especially all the marine saline basins occur in continental blocks with the Precambrian basement. These regions are the key ones for potash search. Most relatively large, scale soluble salt deposits are developed in relatively stable continental nuclei. According to the characteristics of the tectonic domains where China＇s salt, forming basins are located, the North China, Yangtze and Tarim, Qaidam salt minerogenetic domains and the northern Qiangtang, western Yunnan salt minerogenetic belt may be distinguished. Their salt and potash prospects will be discussed separately.

Measuring Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region,China

Social vulnerability in this study represents the differences between the capacity to cope with natural hazards and disaster losses suffered within and between places.The assessment of social vulnerability has been recognized as a critical step in understanding natural hazard risks and enhancing effective response capabilities.This article presents an initial study of the social vulnerability of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(B-T-H) Region in China.The goal is to replicate and test the applicability of the United States Social Vulnerability Index(So VI) method in a Chinese cultural context.Thirty-nine variables adapted from the So VI were collected in relation to two aspects:socioeconomic vulnerability and built environment vulnerability.Using factor analysis,seven factors were extracted from the variable set:the structure of social development,the level of economic and government financial strength,social justice and poverty,family structure,the intensity of space development,the status of residential housing and transportation,and building structure.Factor scores were summed to get the final So VI scores and the most and least vulnerable units were identified and mapped.The highest social vulnerability is concentrated in the northwest of the study area.The least socially vulnerable areas are mainly distributed in the Beijing,Tianjin and Shijiazhuang core urban peripheral and central city areas of the prefecture-level cities.The results show that this method is a useful tool for revealing places that have a high level of vulnerability,in other words,areas which are more likely to face significant challenges in coping with a large-scale event.These findings could provide a scientific basis for policy making and the implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation in China.

CO2 emission driving forces and corresponding mitigation strategies under low-carbon economy mode:evidence from China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

On account of the background of China's "new normal" characterized by slower economic growth, this paper analyses the low-carbon economy status quo in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and empirically investigates the relationship between carbon dioxide(CO_2) emissions and its various factors for China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region using panel data econometric technique. We find evidence of existence of Environmental Kuznets Curve. Results also show that economic scale, industrial structure, and urbanization rate are crucial factors to promote CO_2emissions. However, technological progress, especially the domestic independent research and development, plays a key role in C0_2 emissions abatement. Next, we further analyze the correlation between each subregion and various factors according to Grey Relation Analysis. Thereby,our findings provide important implications for policymakers in air pollution control and C0_2 emissions reduction for this region.

Spatial Agglomeration of Exhibition Enterprises on a Regional Scale in China

During the past two decades, the exhibition industry in China has been developing rapidly and has become an important part of the modern service industry, particularly the agglomeration characteristics of exhibition enterprises highlighted on the regional scale. Although the development of theoretical research on the western exhibition industry has taken place over time, the spatial perspective has not been at the centre of attention so far. This paper aims to fill this gap and report on the agglomeration characteristics of exhibition enterprises and their influential factors. Based on data about exhibition enterprises in the Pearl River Delta(PRD) during 1991–2013, using the Ripley K function analysis and kernel density estimation, this research identifies that: 1) the exhibition enterprise on the regional scale is significantly characterized by spatial agglomeration, and the agglomeration density and scale are continuously increasing; 2) the spatial pattern of agglomeration has developed from a single-center to multi-center form. Meanwhile, this paper profiles the factors influencing the spatial agglomeration of exhibition enterprises by selecting the panel data of nine cities in the PRD in 1999, 2002, 2006 and 2013. The results show that market capacity, urban informatization level and exhibition venues significantly influence the location choice of exhibition enterprises. Among them, the market capacity is a variable that exerts a far greater impact than other factors do.

Temperature Trend Analysis in the North Pacific Watershed in Mexico

Through the monthly data of 71 meteorological stations of the North Pacific Watershed in northwest Mexico, the annual trends of nine temperature variables were estimated using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and the Q Sen’s slope estimator. Annual Q Sen’s slopes were analyzed in spatial terms using geographic variables as independent factors and likewise with Moran’s I index. Three major physiographic zones were used to perform a regional analysis using pooled data. The monthly trends were also analyzed. Divergent annual trends were found for the nine proposed variables and warming trends were predominant in almost all of them. Latitude is the most relevant factor in the spatial distribution of the Q Sen’s slopes. Four temperature variables were found statistically clustered, as depicted by the Moran’s I index. The largest regional Q Sen’s slopes values were found in the Coastal Plains. In this area a larger increase in minimum temperatures was observed, in contrast with the Sierra Madre regions, where the largest rate of increasing change was found in maximum temperatures. The monthly analysis indicates warming trends in the first six months of the year with a sudden decrease in July and also a noticeable decrease in the slope values in December.

Automatic recognition of damaged town buildings caused by earthquake using remote sensing information: Taking the 2001 Bhuj, India, earthquake and the 1976 Tangshan, China, earthquake as examples

In the high-resolution images, the undamaged buildings generally show a natural textural feature, while the dam- aged or semi-damaged buildings always exhibit some low-grayscale blocks because of their coarsely damaged sections. If we use a proper threshold to classify the grayscale of image, some independent holes will appear in the damaged regions. By using such statistical information as the number of holes in every region, or the ratio between the area of holes and that of the region, etc, the damaged buildings can be separated from the undamaged, thus automatic detection of damaged buildings can be realized. Based on these characteristics, a new method to auto- matically detect the damage buildings by using regional structure and statistical information of texture is presented in the paper. In order to test its validity, 1-m-resolution iKonos merged image of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake and grayscale aerial photos of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake are selected as two examples to automatically detect the damaged buildings. Satisfied results are obtained.

Effect of acupuncture plus conventional treatment on brain activity in ischemic stroke patients: a regional homogeneity analysis

OBJECTIVE: To determine differences in cerebral activity evoked by acupuncture and conventional stroke treatment, and identify the treatment targets.METHODS: In total, 21 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A(11 patients) received both acupuncture and conventional treatment, while group B(10 patients) received conventional treatment only. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(f MRI) was performed on each participant before and after treatment. Regional homogeneity analysis was performed to investigate the potential mechanism of acupuncture treatment by comparing differences in cerebral activity between treatments.RESULTS: Group A showed higher Re Ho in the frontal lobe(BA6, BA46), supra-marginal gyrus(BA40),middle temporal gyrus(BA21), cerebellum, and insula. Group B showed higher Re Ho in the frontal lobe(BA6) and parietal lobe(BA3, BA7).CONCLUSION: Acupuncture and conventional treatment triggered relatively different clinical efficacy and brain responses. Acupuncture treatment more significantly improved the symptoms of stroke patients. More marked changes in sensory,emotional, and motor areas(including the frontal lobe, middle temporal gyrus, cerebellum, and insula) might reflect the specific acupuncture mechanism.

Regional moment-independent sensitivity analysis with its applications in engineering

Traditional Global Sensitivity Analysis（GSA） focuses on ranking inputs according to their contributions to the output uncertainty.However,information about how the specific regions inside an input affect the output is beyond the traditional GSA techniques.To fully address this issue,in this work,two regional moment-independent importance measures,Regional Importance Measure based on Probability Density Function（RIMPDF） and Regional Importance Measure based on Cumulative Distribution Function（RIMCDF）,are introduced to find out the contributions of specific regions of an input to the whole output distribution.The two regional importance measures prove to be reasonable supplements of the traditional GSA techniques.The ideas of RIMPDF and RIMCDF are applied in two engineering examples to demonstrate that the regional moment-independent importance analysis can add more information concerning the contributions of model inputs.

Genetic climatic regionalization of the Balkan Peninsula using cluster analysis

Sea Level Pressure（SLP） data for the period 1950–2012 at 61 stations located in or around the Balkan Peninsula was used. The main concept is that intra-annual course of SLP represents the best different air masses that are situated over the Balkan Peninsula during the year. The method for differentiation of climatic zones is cluster analysis. A hierarchical clustering technique–average linkage between groups with Pearson correlation for measurement of intervals was employed in the research. The climate of the Balkan Peninsula is transitional between oceanic and continental and also between subtropical and temperate climates. Several major changes in atmospheric circulation over the Balkan Peninsula have happened over the period 1950–2012. There is a serious increase of the influence of the Azores High in the period January–Marchwhich leads to an increase of SLP and enhances oceanic influence. There is an increase of the influence of the north-west extension of the monsoonal low in the period June–September. This leads to more continental climatebut also to more tropical air masses over the Balkan Peninsula. Accordinglythe extent of subtropical climate widens in northern direction. There is an increase of the influence of the Siberian High in the period October–December. This influence covers central and eastern part of the peninsula in October and Novemberand it reaches western parts in December. Thusthe climate becomes more continental.

Classifiers fusion for improved vessel recognition with application in quantification of generalized arteriolar narrowing

This paper attempts to estimate diagnostically relevant measure,i.e.,Arteriovenous Ratio with an improved retinal vessel classification using feature ranking strategies and multiple classifiers decision-combination scheme.The features exploited for retinal vessel characterization are based on statistical measures of histogram,different filter responses of images and local gradient in-formation.The feature selection process is based on two feature ranking approaches(Pearson Correlation Coefficient technique and Relief-F method)to rank the features followed by use of maximum classification accuracy of three supervised classifiers(κ-Nearest Neighbor,Support Vector Machine and Naïve Bayes)as a threshold for feature subset selection.Retinal vessels are labeled using the selected feature subset and proposed hybrid classification scheme,i.e.,decision fusion of multiple classifiers.The comparative analysis shows an increase in vessel classification accuracy as well as Arteriovenous Ratio calculation performance.The system is tested on three databases,a local dataset of 44 images and two publically available databases,INSPIRE-AVR containing 40 images and VICAVR containing 58 images.The local database also contains images with pathologically diseased structures.The performance of the proposed system is assessed by comparing the experimental results with the gold standard estimations as well as with the results of previous methodologies.Overall,an accuracy of 90.45%,93.90%and 87.82%is achieved in retinal blood vessel separation with 0.0565,0.0650 and 0.0849 mean error in Arte-riovenous Ratio calculation for Local,INSPIRE-AVR and VICAVR dataset,respectively.

Qualitative and quantitative uncertainties in regional rainfall frequency analysis

Uncertainty exists widely in hydrological analysis, and this makes the process of uncertainty assessment very im- portant for making robust decisions. In this study, uncertainty sources in regional rainfall frequency analysis are identified for the first time. The numeral unite spread assessment pedigree （NUSAP） method is introduced and is first employed to quantify qual- itative uncertainty in regional rainfall frequency analysis. A pedigree matrix is particularly designed for regional rainfall frequency analysis, by which the qualitative uncertainty can be quantified. Finally, the qualitative and quantitative uncertainties are com- bined in an uncertainty diagnostic diagram, which makes the uncertainty evaluation results more intuitive. From the integrated diagnostic diagram, it can be determined that the uncertainty caused by the precipitation data is the smallest, and the uncertainty from different grouping methods is the largest. For the downstream sub-region, a generalized extreme value （GEV） distribution is better than a generalized logistic （GLO） distribution; for the south sub-region, a Pearson type III （PE3） distribution is the better choice; and for the north sub-region, GEV is more appropriate.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF CYCLONE TRACKS IN WESTERN ANTARCTIC REGION

The paper shows the statistical analysis of cyclone tracks that have influence on the western Antarctic region.Based on the conditions of cyclone movement and its impact upon the weather,cyclone tracks are classified into three categories,i.e.,the track moving towards the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, southern track,and northern track. Moreover,in this paper,the frequency distributions of cyclone tracks,the major tracks with higher frequencies,the original region of Antarctic cyclones and the seasonal features of Antarctic cyclones have been analyzed.The results show that there are higher cyclogeneses in summer,whereas relatively fewer cycloge- neses in winter,and cyclone numbers in transitional seasons are close to the climatological average.The analysis also shows that the moving velocity of Antarctic cyclone is about the same in winter and summer. It obviously speed up during the transitional season.