Flood insurance arrangements in the European Union for future flood risk under climate and socioeconomic change

Flood risk will increase in many areas around the world due to climate change and increase in economic exposure. This implies that adequate flood insurance schemes are needed to adapt to increasing flood risk and to minimise welfare losses for households in flood-prone areas. Flood insurance markets may need reform to offer sufficient and affordable financial protection and incentives for risk reduction. Here, we present the results of a study that aims to evaluate the ability of flood insurance arrangements in Europe to cope with trends in flood risk, using criteria that encompass common elements of the policy debate on flood insurance reform. We show that the average risk-based flood insurance premium could double between 2015 and 2055 in the absence of more risk reduction by households exposed to flooding. We show that part of the expected future increase in flood risk could be limited by flood insurance mechanisms that better incentivise risk reduction by policyholders, which lowers vulnerability. The affordability of flood insurance can be improved by introducing the key features of public-private partnerships (PPPs), which include public reinsurance, limited premium cross-subsidisation between low- and high-risk households, and incentives for policyholder-level risk reduction. These findings were evaluated in a comprehensive sensitivity analysis and support ongoing reforms in Europe and abroad that move towards risk-based premiums and link insurance with risk reduction, strengthen purchase requirements, and engage in multi-stakeholder partnerships.     

Effect of connecting rain barrels on the storage size reduction

In this article, the possibility of sharing rain barrels and the potential benefit of reducing storage size through physical and non‐physical connections of rain barrels in a community are investigated. Using the concepts of homogeneous/heterogeneous users in rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS), two simple cases of a community composed of four prospective users are examined. The first is performed with the users who have the same mean and variance in water demands (homogeneous users), and the second is with the users with different means and variances (heterogeneous users). To take account for the rainfall characteristics in different places, historical records from six cities in the USA are used for storage–reliability–yield analysis. The result indicates that required total storage can be reduced by connecting multiple rain barrels. In addition, a significant difference is found between homogeneous and heterogeneous user groups. Homogeneous users do not achieve a substantial benefit from connecting their rain barrels; these users may even be disadvantaged by sharing. In contrast, heterogeneous users receive benefit by reducing the total required storage. Most benefit is expected between users with maximum difference in mean water demands. The reduction in storage size was as considerable as 37% in this study. The quantity of storage reduction depends on locations and target reliabilities. Knowledge of the benefits and limitations of rain barrel connections can improve RWHS performance through ability to customize a network plan for individual users. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preconditioned IDR(s) iterative solver for non‐symmetric linear system associated with FEM analysis of shallow foundation

Non‐associated flow rule is essential when the popular Mohr–Coulomb model is used to model nonlinear behavior of soil. The global tangent stiffness matrix in nonlinear finite element analysis becomes non‐symmetric when this non‐associated flow rule is applied. Efficient solution of this large‐scale non‐symmetric linear system is of practical importance. The standard Krylov solver for a non‐symmetric solver is Bi‐CGSTAB. The Induced Dimension Reduction [IDR(s)] solver was proposed in the scientific computing literature relatively recently. Numerical studies of a drained strip footing problem on homogenous soil layer show that IDR(s = 6) is more efficient than Bi‐CGSTAB when the preconditioner is the incomplete factorization with zero fill‐in of global stiffness matrix K_ep (ILU(0)‐K_ep). Iteration time is reduced by 40% by using IDR(s = 6) with ILU(0)‐K_ep. To further reduce computational cost, the global stiffness matrix K_ep is divided into two parts. The first part is the linear elastic stiffness matrix K_e, which is formed only once at the beginning of solution step. The second part is a low‐rank matrix Δ, which is re‐formed at each Newton–Raphson iteration. Numerical studies show that IDR(s = 6) with this ILU(0)‐K_e preconditioner is more time effective than IDR(s = 6) with ILU(0)‐K_ep when the percentage of yielded Gauss points in the mesh is less than 15%. The total computation time is reduced by 60% when all the recommended optimizing methods are used. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MULTIVARIATE SELECTION OF VARIABLES IN INDUSTRIAL QUALITY CONTROL:OPTIMIZING AVIATION FUEL FINAL CONTROL

This paper deals with a typical question encountered in all industrial analytical laboratories:are all thetests performed in the laboratory to characterize the final product really necessary?In this work the cross-validation technique,Procrustes rotation techniques and statistical variable selection have been used toreduce the 26 initial British Petroleum and ASTM kerosene specification tests to ten'essential'ones.Statistical as well as chemical considerations were used to select the optimum subset of original variablesto be retained from all the possible ones.     

How does landfill leachate affect the chemical processes in a lake system downgradient from a landfill site?

A field study on the geochemical properties of a chemically-stressed limnic environment was performed in Lake Silbersee, which receives leachate water of high inorganic loading from an upgradient landfill site. The highly concentrated sulfate ion in groundwater, when entering the pore water system of the lake, gives rise to an intensive microbial sulfate reduction. A diagenetic approach was used to explain the existence of a marine-like aqueous system within a geologically slightly acidic aquifer, consisting of a well-buffered lake water and an alkalinity producing, excess sulphide containing sediment pore water system.     

论工业企业防震减灾

本文论述了我国工业企业防震减灾现状，提出工业企业防震减灾的目标和指导原则，以及部分工业企业的防震减灾措施和对策。     

地震信号内插与噪音剔除（一）

信号内插与噪音剔除是相互有着有机联系的两个方面。首先讨论地震信号的内插方法,提出了一种“最佳内插算子”,从而导出了另一种“检噪算子”,它可以有效地把干扰波从记录中识别出来,并将其“剔除”出去。进而讨论空间域数据的内插问题--道内插问题。在一定的条件下,空间域数据内插与时间域内插是完全等效的,因此道内插也可以采用与时间域相同的“最佳内插算子”。地震记录上的干扰波其绝大部分表现为空间域的脉冲式干扰,所以用“检噪算子”在空间域作褶积,便能识别干扰,从而对干扰加以剔除。本文解决了一种迭代的剔除方法,取得了好的效果。     

Analysis of a large extent aeromagnetic survey near the geomagnetic equator (Minas Gerais,Brazil)

A large extent aeromagnetic survey, covering a 9°×9° degree of a Precambrian shield area in SE Brazil, was used to analyse long wavelength magnetic anomalies with the purpose of determining the magnetic structure of the lithosphere.Data analysis based on a novel approach to the estimation of the parameters in the statistical model ofSpector andGrant (1970), reveals a highly magnetized lower crust, bounded by an essentially non-magnetic upper mantle. The highly magnetized layer can be associated with a higher density lower crust model, derived from gravity and seismic data available in the area, suggesting a compositional transition from upper to lower crust.It was also verified that the operation of reduction to the pole, which is singular at the geomagnetic equator, performs quite satisfactorily at the low geomagnetic inclination of the area, bringing into accordance the long wavelength anomalies with the structural trends.     

热化学硫酸盐还原作用对碳酸盐岩气藏的化学改造——以川东北地区长兴组-飞仙关组气藏为例

目前在川东北地区长兴组—飞仙关组已发现普光、渡口河、铁山坡、罗家寨等多个高含H2S的大、中型气田。通过天然气地球化学特征、流体包裹体盐度和岩心及薄片的镜下详细观察后认为,川东北地区长兴组—飞仙关组的大多数气藏遭受了热化学硫酸盐还原作用(TSR)的化学改造,TSR的改造主要表现在3个方面:1使C2 重烃相对于CH4、12C相对于13C优先被消耗,造成天然气干燥系数变大和碳同位素变重;2由于TSR产生的大量淡水的加入,使气藏的原生地层水被稀释,造成地层水盐度降低;3TSR相关流体(烃类和H2S等)与储层岩石之间的相互作用使储层被溶蚀和硬石膏发生蚀变,造成储层孔隙度增大,从而对改善其物性具有重要意义。     

Indian Ocean tsunamis: environmental and socio-economic impacts in Langkawi, Malaysia

We report the results of a study of the physical characteristics and socio-economic impacts of the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 26 December 2004 on the tourist island of Langkawi, Malaysia. In comparison with many other locations struck by the tsunami, the immediate physical and socio-economic impacts in Langkawi were relatively minor. A detailed survey of the watermark and ground elevations was undertaken in the worst affected area between Sungei Kuala Teriang and Sungei Kuala Melaka. Here, the tsunami reached a maximum elevation of 4.29 m as it crossed the coast, with a maximum flow depth of 2.0 m and a very consistent run-up elevation relative to mean sea level of 300 ± 10 cm. The tsunami inundated inshore areas for 300 m and penetrated inland along creeks for 500–1000 m. Structural damage to buildings was confined to within 50–150 m of the shoreline where about 10% of the houses were completely destroyed and 60–70% suffered significant structural damage. Damage was particularly severe in areas where there was no engineered coastal protection, but while coastal revetments did provide enhanced protection for houses at the waterfront, the coastline in the study area appeared to be more heavily impacted than elsewhere in Langkawi because wave energy was focused on the area by offshore breakwaters built to protect the Langkawi port and airport. Emergency response after the tsunami was rapid and efficient but would have been improved if the local police station had not been rendered inoperative by the first wave, and if a mechanism had been in place to ensure that informal advance warnings transmitted between Phuket (Thailand), Langkawi and Penang (Malaysia) by tourist operators could have been more widely disseminated.