JARVIS REVISITED: DISTANCE DECAY IN SERVICE AREAS OF MID-19TH CENTURY ASYLUMS

Edward Jarvis in 1850 first demonstrated that admission rates to mental hospitals decrease with increasing residential distance, a relationship known today as “Jarvis's Law.” His original data are presented, mapped, and examined by regression analysis to better understand spatial and temporal patterns of mid-19th century mental hospital utilization. Distance substantially affected admission rates to a radius of about 60 miles from the institution in Massachusetts; and there was strong distance decay in the other states examined. For all twelve states, there was a positive association between age of the hospitals and admission rates, which also decreased with increasing residential distance.     

《伦敦公约》正朝向《联合国海洋法公约》接轨

《伦敦公约》(下简称公约)是1972年在伦敦召开的政府间关于海上倾倒废物公约会议上通过的。该公约的问世,是鉴于到本世纪70年代初期,已认识到海洋环境净化人类工业活动废物的能力并不是无限的,海上倾倒作为处置废物的一种手段所带来的弊端,已逐渐引起国际社会的关注,在这种背景情况下召开的特别国际会议,终于通过一项防止海上倾倒造成海洋污染的多边公约。公约自1975年生效以来,已成功地对海上倾倒实施了管理,完善了控制海上倾倒体系,交流处置废物科学方法的信息等方面起到了积极作     

我国海洋专属经济区调查工作的回顾与展望

联合国海洋法公约于１９９４年１１月２６日生效后，各沿海国家的海洋开发与管理都将面临新的形势与任务．本文对我国专属经济区调查工作进行了回顾与展望，供有关部门领导和专业人员参考。     

A legal regime for the Arctic?: Interplay with the Law of the Sea Convention

The Law of the Sea Convention constrains regional environmental regimes, especially with respect to navigation beyond the territorial sea. Existing soft-law institutions, notably the Arctic Council, have already strengthened environmental governance in the region by (1) improving the knowledge base; (2) preparing practical guidance on risk reduction; (3) highlighting in broader regulatory fora the Arctic dimension of problems like long-range transported hazardous compounds; and (4) supporting the capacity of Arctic states to implement existing commitments. None of those functions would be much enhanced by a legally binding Arctic environmental regime. The political impediments to reaching circumpolar agreement on a single comprehensive legal regime would suggest a flexible approach to norm building that seeks productive interplay with existing institutions.     

Sustainable development, sustainable decisions and the precautionary principle

One of the key foundations of sustainable development is the precautionary principle, a concept that has given rise to a considerable amount of controversy. For some, it is a barrier to technological progress and development, for others a means of preventing potentially harmful applications of science. What does this principle actually mean? What is its contribution to sustainable development in general and to decision-making in response to natural hazards in particular? How should it be applied? This paper will consider whether an examination of the relationship between science and law can assist in answering questions such as these, and thus provide some greater clarity about this important principle.