Casualties in dry bulk shipping (1963–1996)

In recent years, bulk carriers have been identified with high risks of catastrophic structural failure and foundering, and with heavy loss of human life. This study, based upon Lloyd's of London casualty records, identified four risk factors that had significant, independent effect upon the likelihood of a bulk carrier foundering. The risk of foundering increased with the age of the ship, and was related to the ship's flag of registration. Most importantly, however, increased risks were found for heavy cargoes of iron ore and scrap steel or iron, and for trading routes to the Far East and from Europe to North America. Additional safety measures, in particular regarding ship design and high-risk trades, may well be necessary to reduce the high casualty rates.     

Review of resource analysis and related studies: Working group,Mathematical Geology,freie Universität Berlin

The working group Mathematical Geology of the Freie Universität Berlin was formed in 1971. We review quantitative methods used by the working group since 1983 to treat mineral exploration problems. The methods applied vary from elementary statistical analysis of multivariate exploration data to optimal strategies for selecting favorable targets, and from multiobjective decision-making for additional drill hole locations to expert systems in exploration.The methods applied are directly related to the level of information at each stage of the exploration process. Special emphasis was placed on the relationship between and evaluation of subjective and objective data. Case studies illustrating the various methods are presented for different kinds of mineral deposits and exploration environments.     

Calculating Pollution Indices by Heavy Metals in Ecological Geochemistry Assessment and a Case Study in Parks of Beijing

Pollution index is a powerful tool for ecological geochemistry assessment. The commonly used pollution indices by heavy metals in soils and sediments were classified as two types of single index and integrated index in an algorithm point of view. Four single indices of contamination factor (or concentration factor), ecological risk factor, enrichment factor, and index of geo-accumulation were illustrated, and the reference values for calculating single indices were distinguished into background levels and threshold pollution values. Eight integrated indices were divided into two groups. One group is suitable for the normal distribution single indices including the sum, average, weighted average,vector modulus, and Nemerow pollution indices, and the other for log-normal distribution including the product, root of product, and weighted power product pollution indices. Using background levels as reference values, five contamination classes were divided, and the terminologies are suggested for the single and integrated indices to unify the assessment results. Software of EGAPI was developed in a single document interface to calculate the four single and eight integrated indices by heavy metals to assess the quality of soil and sediment ecological geochemistry. Pollution indices by heavy metals of Cu,Pb, and Zn in soils in parks of Beijing were calculated using EGAPI software, and these five contamination classes and terminologies suggested in this study were evaluated and used. Results ofintegrated indices of Cu, Pb, and Zn in soils indicated that the soil qualities are unpolluted as a whole and varied from low polluted to unpolluted status from the center to the outskirts of Beijing City.     

Accuracy assessment of lidar-derived digital elevation models

Despite the relatively high cost of airborne lidar-derived digital elevation models (DEMs), such products are usually presented without a satisfactory associated estimate of accuracy. For the most part, DEM accuracy estimates are typically provided by comparing lidar heights against a finite sample of check point coordinates from an independent source of higher accuracy, supposing a normal distribution of the derived height differences or errors. This paper proposes a new methodology to assess the vertical accuracy of lidar DEMs using confidence intervals constructed from a finite sample of errors computed at check points. A non-parametric approach has been tested where no particular error distribution is assumed, making the proposed methodology especially applicable to non-normal error distributions of the type usually found in DEMs derived from lidar. The performance of the proposed model was experimentally validated using Monte Carlo simulation on 18 vertical error data-sets. Fifteen of these data-sets were computed from original lidar data provided by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Working Group III/3, using their respective filtered reference data as ground truth. The three remaining data-sets were provided by the Natural Environment Research Council's Airborne Research and Survey Facility lidar system, together with check points acquired using high precision kinematic GPS. The results proved promising, the proposed models reproducing the statistical behaviour of vertical errors of lidar using a favourable number of check points, even in the cases of data-sets with non-normally distributed residuals. This research can therefore be considered as a potentially important step towards improving the quality control of lidar-derived DEMs.     

基于高分辨率遥感数据的城市居住单元交通环境质量评价——以厦门市为例

居住单元是与人们生活密切相关的社区范围,其交通环境的优劣是衡量居住单元环境好坏的重要标准之一。高分辨遥感影像 的高空间分辨率特点为我们提供了研究居住单元交通环境的可能性。本文从区域交通环境、路网可达性出发,对城市居住单元交通 环境质量的遥感评价方法进行了研究,根据高分辨率遥感影像的特点构建了居住单元交通环境的多级指标评价体系,并对厦门市的 50个居住单元进行了评价分析。实验表明,利用高分辨率影像进行城市交通环境质量评价是一种成本较低,简便可行的方法。     

山区房后边坡安全评价的探讨——以安溪县为例

由于地质灾害的突发性和引发因素的复杂性,在及时和有效地掌握潜在隐患部位上还亟待进一步探索与细化,力求防灾抗灾工作有的放矢,以确保人民群众的生命财产损失降到最低限度。本文就基于山区的基本特征和房后边坡潜在地质安全隐患基本信息调查,简要分析房后边坡孕灾致灾环境,并针对它们的影响程度,采取层次分析（AHP）等方法来确定安全评价因子权重和安全系数,对构造安全评价结构作进一步研究。     

中国海相探矿权区块定量评价方法

在研究了我国海相油气探矿权区块基本油气地质条件、勘探程度、技术经济条件等要素和特点的基础上,给出了48个评价参数和归一化取值参照表,建立了探矿权区块评价工作流程、评分参数及计算公式。提出对我国海相勘探层探矿权区块评价应该注意:与国外海相碳酸盐岩评价的差别;与国内陆相碎屑岩评价的差别;成藏组合的划分;评价内容的有效性、不确定性和评价参数的可信度;成败经验的总结和勘探程度的研究。     

靖远矿区采煤沉陷区复垦综合评价方法研究

以靖远矿区为例,从土地复垦和恢复生态学的角度出发,建立了靖远矿区采煤沉陷区复垦综合评价系统,选择土壤条件（土层厚度、土壤质地、有机质含量、土壤水分）、地形改造条件（地面坡度、地表破坏程度、改造难易程度）、气候及水文条件（年降雨量、灌溉条件）作为分类及评价因子对复垦潜力进行评价。将采煤沉陷地分为四种潜力区,对每种潜力类型区的复垦开发利用方向进行了优化设计,从理论上和实践上对靖远矿区采煤沉陷地的复垦能力以及复垦过程中用地结构的优化作了探讨,以期对当地沉陷地的复垦提供一定的科学依据。     

Overbreak and underbreak in underground openings Part 2: causes and implications

Summary The newly developed light sectioning method has been used to investigate some of the causes and costs of overbreak and underbreak. Investigations at the Aquamilpa Hydroelectric Project in Mexico have shown decreased overbreak and increased underbreak as a result of increased rock quality and decreased explosive energy. A new measure of explosive energy, the perimeter powder factor (PPF), has been defined and shown to be useful in the context of tunnel-wall rock damage. Tentative results indicate that explosive energy (PPF) may be a more important factor in producing underbreak, whereas rock quality may be a greater factor in producing overbreak. A site-specific equation is given for predicting overbreak or underbreak as a function of rock quality and explosive energy, with an evaluation of the cost of underbreak and overbreak.     

Oil and gas resource assessment: The linkage between geological analysis and discovery process model results

Two widely-used techniques to estimate the volume of remaining oil and gas resources are discovery process modeling and geologic assessment. Both were used in a recent national assessment of oil and gas resources of the United States. Parallel estimates were obtained for 27 provinces. Geological-based estimates can typically see into areas not available to discovery process models (that is areas with little or no exploration history) and thus, on average, yield higher estimates. However, a linear relation does exist between the mean estimates obtained from these two methods. In addition, other variables were found in a multiple regression model that explained much of the difference. Thus, it is possible to perform discovery process modeling and adjust the estimates to yield results that might be expected from geological-based assessments.