Multicollinearity and correlation among local regression coefficients in geographically weighted regression

Present methodological research on geographically weighted regression (GWR) focuses primarily on extensions of the basic GWR model, while ignoring well-established diagnostics tests commonly used in standard global regression analysis. This paper investigates multicollinearity issues surrounding the local GWR coefficients at a single location and the overall correlation between GWR coefficients associated with two different exogenous variables. Results indicate that the local regression coefficients are potentially collinear even if the underlying exogenous variables in the data generating process are uncorrelated. Based on these findings, applied GWR research should practice caution in substantively interpreting the spatial patterns of local GWR coefficients. An empirical disease-mapping example is used to motivate the GWR multicollinearity problem. Controlled experiments are performed to systematically explore coefficient dependency issues in GWR. These experiments specify global models that use eigenvectors from a spatial link matrix as exogenous variables.This study was supported by grant number 1 R1 CA95982-01, Geographic-Based Research in Cancer Control and Epidermiology, from the National Cancer Institute. The author thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their helpful comments.     

Structure Functions In A Wall-Turbulent Shear Flow

Wavelet and quadrant analyses were applied to turbulent velocity data in order to investigate the transition from the anisotropy of energy-containing eddies to the isotropy of the inertial subrange scales. The quadrant analysis of the wavelet coefficients of longitudinal and vertical velocity components allows the evaluation of the velocity structure functions and the momentum cospectrum as a function of the separation distance and of the quadrants. In an isotropic condition the contribution both of ejections and sweeps (even quadrants), and both of reflections and deflections (odd quadrants), has to be equal. The analysis has shown that in neutrally stratified conditions the transition to isotropy occurs in a frequency range (0.2 < r/z < 3) usually referred to as internal to the inertial subrange (r is separation distance, z is height). In the transition region, as in the isotropic region, the velocity structure functions still agree with the 1941 and 1962 Kolmogorov theories; but on the other hand the structure functions of the even and odd quadrants are fitted by power laws of different slopes in the transition region. The proposed analysis allows the investigation within the transition region of the different dynamical structure in the energy transfer from the energy-containing scales to the isotropic scales.     

‘Bringing government to the people’: women, local governance and community participation in South Africa

This paper considers the ongoing political transformations in South Africa in the context of debates about good governance and participatory democracy. It first appraises the current transformations of local government in South Africa, focusing specifically on relationships between gender equality and citizenship on the one hand, and local government policy, legislation, and community participation on the other, and then explores meanings of participation and how they inform approaches towards local socio-economic development. The findings of primary research conducted with civil society organisations and black women in communities in the Cape Town metropolitan area are explored through three interrelated themes. First, the model of structured participation that is central to South Africa’s democratic transformation is assessed from the perspective of black women. Second, cultures of alienation, both within local governance structures and amongst black women and the extent to which recent restructuring is combating or contributing to these are explored. Third, how participation policies are dealing with conflict within and between target groups are analysed, whether stakeholder group politics obliterate important differences in interests and whether alternative structures might be more effective in terms of women’s participation and empowerment. Finally, the findings are interpreted in relation to theoretical concepts of good governance and participatory democracy, and the potential and problems of realising South Africa’s transformation process toward developmental local government are assessed.     

Oil-spill disasters and the rural hazardscape of Eastern Nigeria

The objective of the paper is to investigate the links between the patterns of incidents, the amount of hazardous materials locally present and capability of local emergency preparedness in rural local government councils. Four states Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers State were used to examine the nature and pattern of oil-spill disasters in rural Nigeria. It is argued that oil-spill hazards are more than isolated engineering malfunctions. They can be alternatively understood as reflections of the social, economic and political contexts in which they occur. Discriminant analysis is used to examine the relationship between 71 country risk-related and preparedness variables and incident frequency. The findings illustrate the usefulness of contextual analysis in examining the restructuring of rural life and the capacity of fiscally and socially stressed rural communities to respond to environmental change.     

北半球海冰强迫作用下大气可预报性研究

使用LASG/IAP GOALS耦合模式中的全球大气环流模式分量AGCMR15L9的计算结果，在其他外强迫维持气候值不变的情况下，用方差分析的方法，以外部方差与总方差之比R_e作为衡量标准，考察该模式关于海冰的季节和跨季节潜在可预报性的大小。结果发现，从总体上看，北半球海冰变化所造成的潜在可预报性较小，只有在大气低层的一些气候要素，如温度、湿度的结果中，才存在R_e＞0.5的现象。潜在可预报性结果的局地特征比较明显，高值往往发生在海冰年际变率大的区域里。与中低纬海温在中高纬地区的影响相比，不排除海冰的作用更大的可能性。另外，如果分区域看，北半球某些区域的海冰，在若干挑选出的其区域海冰面积发生大异常年份中的潜在可预报性可能会比不做挑选的总体结果要大。这说明北半球某些区域海冰在面积发生较大异常的时候，可能对同期或（及）后期环流有着比较重要的影响。     

Local Modeling模式及其在月径流预测中的应用

Local Modeling方法是一种动力系统预测方法，将其应用于河西内陆区黑河干流出山口莺落峡水文站月平均流量的中长期预测预报，取得了较为理想的成果。预测试验的结果表明，该预测模型有较高计算精度，尤其适用于非主汛期各月的月平均流量的预测；对于主汛期6～9月的月平均流量的预测，在考虑前期来水与预见期内降水的影响后，亦可获到较为理想的预测结果。可以认为，该方法的预报精度达到了水文情报预报规范的要求，Local Modeling方法的应用，将为西北干旱地区河川径流的中长期预报提供了一个新的途径。     

Sustainability schizophrenia or “actually existing sustainabilities?” toward a broader understanding of the politics and promise of local sustainability in the US

As an approach to development, many see capitalism as reaching across an enormous range of scholarly domains and political interests. For some time geographers and others have begun to conceptualize capitalism as less of a system of intrinsic economic logic and more a collection of social and discursive relationships. By bringing capitalism into the “discursive world” these commentators and others have provided the theoretical ground for an exploration of alternative economic forms, especially those that are more socially and ecologically just. This paper makes an argument for putting sustainable development through the same theoretical scrutiny. Drawing on examples from the US we recruit the concept of “actually existing sustainabilities” from Altvater’s concept “actually existing socialisms” as an entry point to this conversation. Our purpose is to show that the potential for sustainability in the US exists in current local policies and practices if we rethink how we frame it.     

Residual compressive strength of inclined steel tubular members with local corrosion

In jacket-type offshore structures, corrosion damage affects the structural performance under compressive loading, which is created by the working and design loads of the main system. In this study, the effects of corrosion damage on the compressive structural behavior and strength of steel tubular members were investigated. Artificial corrosion damage was applied to the tubular specimens via mechanical processing and hand drilling to replicate the inclined nature of jacket-type offshore structures. The damage was applied to either half or all of the circumference of the specimens. The compressive failure modes of the artificially corroded tubular members were affected by the corrosion conditions. The compressive strengths were also affected by the level of corrosion. From the results of this study, the residual compressive strengths of corroded tubular steel members can be estimated based on the condition of the damaged sectional areas.     

冷空气强风在大型城市中的精细结构和形成机制

地面强风可直接造成人员伤亡和经济损失,严重影响出行安全、工农业生产等社会秩序。强风的发生与天气系统和复杂下垫面的共同作用密切相关,在城市区域尤为明显。受数值模拟技术和计算资源的限制,对实际天气条件下大范围城区的强风现象进行建筑物分辨率的大规模数值模拟研究仍是一个挑战。本研究利用中尺度气象模式嵌套流体计算动力模式的超高分辨率局地气象预报系统,对强冷空气过程造成广州市区的一次强风事件进行数值模拟,深入探讨强风的精细结构和形成机制。结果表明,伴随着强冷空气入侵,广州市区的平均风速和风场高频扰动均明显增强,且在城市冠层顶尤为明显,呈现区域不均匀的三维结构,数值模拟与地面观测相一致。较大范围的强风速和阵风主要出现在建筑物较为低矮的老城区上空,并持续影响下游河道等开阔区域。在高层建筑密集的新城区,虽然整体风速明显减弱,但能在平行风向的街道狭管和下游区域形成局地强风。特别是,超高层建筑群引起显著的垂直环流,导致强风扰动向下传播,造成最大风速达8 m s?1的地面局地强风,阵风指数接近2。上游建筑群引起的风场扰动呈现大尺度湍流结构,能沿着平均气流传播影响数公里之远的下游地区。当风场扰动经过广州塔等单体超高层建筑时,可在其两侧绕流区再次加强,形成局地强风。局地强风和阵风还出现在垂直于风向排列的沿江高层建筑群的侧边,与建筑屏风的阻挡效应和缺口溢出有关。研究结果促进认识城市强风的时空特征和物理机制,有助于提升城市气象的精细化预报水平。     

两个相似路径台风残余造成局地特大暴雨的成因机制和能量收支对比分析

本文利用ERA-Interim 0.5°×0.5°再分析资料、自动站小时和分钟加密资料、风云2G（FY-2G）卫星红外云图及多普勒雷达和风廓线雷达资料对2015年路径高度相似的“苏迪罗”和“杜鹃”台风在浙江沿海引发的局地特大暴雨进行对比分析。这两次降水过程都是在台风减弱为热带低压甚至残压并深入内陆远离浙江沿海后发生的。结果表明,“苏迪罗”降水过程是由低层强东南和偏南急流长时间辐合加上有利地形共同作用导致的;经向环流背景下来自季风持续的水汽输送有利于“苏迪罗”维持较长的生命史和稳定的降水。“杜鹃”残压特大暴雨的触发系统则是高纬地面冷高压底部的东东北出流南下与“杜鹃”北象限的东东南风交汇形成的中尺度倒槽;纬向环流和强盛副热带高压造成的弱引导气流及夏季风南撤和低涡卷挟造成的水汽通道断裂是“杜鹃”登陆后快速减弱为残压和降水维持时间较短的原因。两次台风降水过程中均无外部动能输送和来自有效位能的动能转换。动能收支的主要影响因子为中低层局地次网格运动间的能量转换、旋转风和散度风效应及下垫面的摩擦耗散。所以,虽然“杜鹃”的对流有效位能很小,但仍可造成强对流和特大暴雨。此外,降水过程中释放的凝结潜热造成的局地非绝热加热使气柱中显热能大量累积,促使地面中小尺度涡旋和倒槽不断加深,造成降水的增幅。