This paper describes the main activities of the ship recycling facilities that have moved to the Asia continent and puts emphasis on environmental and working conditions under the umbrella of the new IMO （Internation...This paper describes the main activities of the ship recycling facilities that have moved to the Asia continent and puts emphasis on environmental and working conditions under the umbrella of the new IMO （International Maritime Organization） convention. However, the convention is not enforced yet and the legal gaps found on limited existing regulations do not impose strict rules on the shipping industry and at the same time offer motives for the safe recycling of ships. Ship-owners seem reluctant to send their vessels for scrap but rather prefer to employ them till the last minute, preferably in areas where the environmentally-friendly concept is not of primary importance. The dynamics of this specialized industry can be better shown by examining variables such as legal instruments, occupational health and safety hazards, geographical allocation of scrapping sites, scrap prices, safety working plans and volume to be scrapped. The next step is to build a simulation model in order to discuss the relevant scenarios. The first scenario is based on the current conditions where the ship-owner＇s decision is mainly affected by the fluctuations of the market and whether the effectiveness of existing regulations can improve the working environment in terms of health and safety. The second scenario refers to the situation when the IMO Convention is implemented, then it will produce two major recycling markets, the first one for the convention ships and the second for non-convention ships.展开更多
Continent ileostomy can be defined as a surgical procedure that facilitates planned intermittent evacuation of a bowel reservoir through an ileostomy.It was devised by Nils Kock in 1969.Subsequently,continent ileostom...Continent ileostomy can be defined as a surgical procedure that facilitates planned intermittent evacuation of a bowel reservoir through an ileostomy.It was devised by Nils Kock in 1969.Subsequently,continent ileostomy (or Kock pouch) became a viable alternative in the management of patients who had traditionally required an end ileostomy.Kock pouch appeared to provide substantial physical and psychosocial benefits over a conventional ileostomy.The procedure became popular until ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) was introduced in 1980.Despite its benefits,continent ileostomy had many short term complications including intubation problems,ileus,anastomotic leaks,peritonitis and valve problems.Operative mortalities have also been reported in the literature.Most of these problems have been eliminated with increasing experience;however,valverelated problems remain as an "Achilles' heel" of the technique.Many modifications have been introduced to prevent this problem.Some patients have had their pouch removed because of complications mainly related to valve dysfunction.Although revision rates can be high,most of the patients who retain their reservoirs are satisfied with regard to their health status and quality of life.Today,this procedure is still appropriate for selected patients for whom pouch surgery is not possible or for patients who have failed IPAA.Both the patient and their physician must be highly motivated to accept the risk of failure and the subsequent need for revisional operations.展开更多
All of the Landsat 7 data collected after 2003 contains missing pixels in the form of unsightly stripes across the images. To recover missing data of a Landsat image, different methods may be used. However, the gap fi...All of the Landsat 7 data collected after 2003 contains missing pixels in the form of unsightly stripes across the images. To recover missing data of a Landsat image, different methods may be used. However, the gap filling process creates inconsistencies on pixel intensity values. The incongruous pixel numbers are anomolous observations and their classification in the reference specter is challenging. In an effort to contribute to this need, we propose a reliable robust approach to classify inconsistent pixels after the gap filling process. To estimate multivariate location-scale parameters a new robust DMVV （depth minimum vector variance estimator） is presented. The DMVV algorithm does not require any matrix inversion for its calculation, consequently its computational time is highly reduced. The results show that it has a high breakdown point and is very efficient for large data set. Landsat remote sensing data of Jakarta Province across years 2002 and 2010 are used as case study.展开更多
Soil macroinvertebrates play an important role in sustaining production and biodiversity in Australia＇ s tropical savannas. For example, termites, through their foraging and nesting activities, recycle nutrients and ...Soil macroinvertebrates play an important role in sustaining production and biodiversity in Australia＇ s tropical savannas. For example, termites, through their foraging and nesting activities, recycle nutrients and carbon and produce soil pores that facilitate water infiltration. The challenge ahead is to quantitatively understand the relationships and processes that drive this. What roles do different species and functional groups of macroinvertebrates play in various landscape processes？ What are the effects of different land management practices （e.g., domestic cattle grazing, fire） on these relationships, and the consequences for landscape health？ This paper presents preliminary results from studies in northern Australia, that examine the effects of land condition and domestic cattle grazing on soil macroinvertebrates, and the potential for termites to be used as a tool to restore soil function in degraded areas. In northern Australia, increased degradation seems to be associated with declines in the diversity and activity of macroinvertebrates. Termites appear to be one of the most resilient groups, with some species capable of maintaining activity in degraded landscapes.展开更多
Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the valu...Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the value of ecosystem services(VES)provide weak guidance because they ignore the costs of these services,leading to economically inefficient strategies.To understand the difference between VES and the net ecosystem services value(NES,after subtracting costs from VES)and to improve evaluations of ecosystem services,we estimated NES for China's Mainland(including farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland).NES totaled 10.0×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1)in 2014,which is only 35.1%of the corresponding VES.Grassland NES was–0.7×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1),in contrast with a positive grassland VES.NES of farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland in2014 totaled 7.2×10^(12)RMB,accounting for 27.0%of China’s GNP.Recent Chinese planning based on VES emphasizes forest conservation and ignores the conservation of other important ecosystems,such as grassland,leading to a continuing loss of China’s natural capital.Due to regional differences in economic conditions,resource endowments,and geographical characteristics,VES and NES differ among regions.To maximize the ecological benefits from conservation,it is necessary to account for these differences by comparing strategies based on NES,thereby choosing projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.To maintain the ecological balance,ecological restoration and socioeconomic activities should account for the costs of providing ecosystem services.This is essential to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of projects.展开更多
文摘This paper describes the main activities of the ship recycling facilities that have moved to the Asia continent and puts emphasis on environmental and working conditions under the umbrella of the new IMO （International Maritime Organization） convention. However, the convention is not enforced yet and the legal gaps found on limited existing regulations do not impose strict rules on the shipping industry and at the same time offer motives for the safe recycling of ships. Ship-owners seem reluctant to send their vessels for scrap but rather prefer to employ them till the last minute, preferably in areas where the environmentally-friendly concept is not of primary importance. The dynamics of this specialized industry can be better shown by examining variables such as legal instruments, occupational health and safety hazards, geographical allocation of scrapping sites, scrap prices, safety working plans and volume to be scrapped. The next step is to build a simulation model in order to discuss the relevant scenarios. The first scenario is based on the current conditions where the ship-owner＇s decision is mainly affected by the fluctuations of the market and whether the effectiveness of existing regulations can improve the working environment in terms of health and safety. The second scenario refers to the situation when the IMO Convention is implemented, then it will produce two major recycling markets, the first one for the convention ships and the second for non-convention ships.
文摘Continent ileostomy can be defined as a surgical procedure that facilitates planned intermittent evacuation of a bowel reservoir through an ileostomy.It was devised by Nils Kock in 1969.Subsequently,continent ileostomy (or Kock pouch) became a viable alternative in the management of patients who had traditionally required an end ileostomy.Kock pouch appeared to provide substantial physical and psychosocial benefits over a conventional ileostomy.The procedure became popular until ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) was introduced in 1980.Despite its benefits,continent ileostomy had many short term complications including intubation problems,ileus,anastomotic leaks,peritonitis and valve problems.Operative mortalities have also been reported in the literature.Most of these problems have been eliminated with increasing experience;however,valverelated problems remain as an "Achilles' heel" of the technique.Many modifications have been introduced to prevent this problem.Some patients have had their pouch removed because of complications mainly related to valve dysfunction.Although revision rates can be high,most of the patients who retain their reservoirs are satisfied with regard to their health status and quality of life.Today,this procedure is still appropriate for selected patients for whom pouch surgery is not possible or for patients who have failed IPAA.Both the patient and their physician must be highly motivated to accept the risk of failure and the subsequent need for revisional operations.
文摘All of the Landsat 7 data collected after 2003 contains missing pixels in the form of unsightly stripes across the images. To recover missing data of a Landsat image, different methods may be used. However, the gap filling process creates inconsistencies on pixel intensity values. The incongruous pixel numbers are anomolous observations and their classification in the reference specter is challenging. In an effort to contribute to this need, we propose a reliable robust approach to classify inconsistent pixels after the gap filling process. To estimate multivariate location-scale parameters a new robust DMVV （depth minimum vector variance estimator） is presented. The DMVV algorithm does not require any matrix inversion for its calculation, consequently its computational time is highly reduced. The results show that it has a high breakdown point and is very efficient for large data set. Landsat remote sensing data of Jakarta Province across years 2002 and 2010 are used as case study.
文摘Soil macroinvertebrates play an important role in sustaining production and biodiversity in Australia＇ s tropical savannas. For example, termites, through their foraging and nesting activities, recycle nutrients and carbon and produce soil pores that facilitate water infiltration. The challenge ahead is to quantitatively understand the relationships and processes that drive this. What roles do different species and functional groups of macroinvertebrates play in various landscape processes？ What are the effects of different land management practices （e.g., domestic cattle grazing, fire） on these relationships, and the consequences for landscape health？ This paper presents preliminary results from studies in northern Australia, that examine the effects of land condition and domestic cattle grazing on soil macroinvertebrates, and the potential for termites to be used as a tool to restore soil function in degraded areas. In northern Australia, increased degradation seems to be associated with declines in the diversity and activity of macroinvertebrates. Termites appear to be one of the most resilient groups, with some species capable of maintaining activity in degraded landscapes.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41641002)
文摘Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health,improving provision of ecosystem services,and increasing human well-being.However,traditional calculations of the value of ecosystem services(VES)provide weak guidance because they ignore the costs of these services,leading to economically inefficient strategies.To understand the difference between VES and the net ecosystem services value(NES,after subtracting costs from VES)and to improve evaluations of ecosystem services,we estimated NES for China's Mainland(including farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland).NES totaled 10.0×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1)in 2014,which is only 35.1%of the corresponding VES.Grassland NES was–0.7×10~3RMB ha^(-1)yr^(-1),in contrast with a positive grassland VES.NES of farmland,grassland,forest,and wetland in2014 totaled 7.2×10^(12)RMB,accounting for 27.0%of China’s GNP.Recent Chinese planning based on VES emphasizes forest conservation and ignores the conservation of other important ecosystems,such as grassland,leading to a continuing loss of China’s natural capital.Due to regional differences in economic conditions,resource endowments,and geographical characteristics,VES and NES differ among regions.To maximize the ecological benefits from conservation,it is necessary to account for these differences by comparing strategies based on NES,thereby choosing projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.To maintain the ecological balance,ecological restoration and socioeconomic activities should account for the costs of providing ecosystem services.This is essential to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of projects.
