Spatial measurements of stream baseflow,a relevant method for aquifer characterization and permeability evaluation. Application to a hard‐rock aquifer,the Oman ophiolite

The structure, functioning and hydrodynamic properties of aquifers can be determined from an analysis of the spatial variability of baseflow in the streams with which they are associated. Such analyses are based on simple low‐cost measurements. Through interpreting the hydrological profiles (Q = f(A)) it is possible to locate the aquifer(s) linked to the stream network and to determine the type of interrelated flow, i.e. whether the stream drains or feeds the aquifer. Using an analytical solution developed for situations with a positive linear relationship, i.e. where the baseflow increases linearly with increasing catchment size, it is also possible to estimate the permeability of the aquifer(s) concerned at catchment scale. Applied to the hard‐rock aquifers of the Oman ophiolite, this method shows that the ‘gabbro’ aquifer is more permeable than the ‘peridotite’ aquifer. As a consequence the streams drain the peridotites and ‘leak’ into the gabbro. The hydrological profiles within the peridotite are linear and positive, and indicate homogeneity in the hydrodynamic properties of these formations at the kilometre scale. The permeability of the peridotite is estimated at 5 · 10^?7 to 5 · 10^?8 m/s. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of spatial variation characteristics on contouring of design storm depth

The ordinary kriging method, a geostatistical interpolation technique, was applied for developing contour maps of design storm depth in northern Taiwan using intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) data. Results of variogram modelling on design storm depths indicate that the design storms can be categorized into two distinct storm types: (i) storms of short duration and high spatial variation and (ii) storms of long duration and less spatial variation. For storms of the first category, the influence range of rainfall depth decreases when the recurrence interval increases, owing to the increasing degree of their spatial independence. However, for storms of the second category, the influence range of rainfall depth does not change significantly and has an average of approximately 72 km. For very extreme events, such as events of short duration and long recurrence interval, we do not recommend usage of the established design storm contours, because most of the interstation distances exceed the influence ranges. Our study concludes that the influence range of the design storm depth is dependent on the design duration and recurrence interval and is a key factor in developing design storm contours. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于审查回归模型的公众气象服务支付意愿影响因素分析——以无锡、武汉和西安为例

采用审查回归模型,分别选取了中国东、中、西部的三个典型城市无锡、武汉和西安,计算了三城市受访者的支付意愿值,并对其影响因素进行了分析。结果表明：（1）支付意愿值与地区经济发展水平直接相关。无锡、武汉和西安受访者的支付意愿分别为21.68,17.15和10.07元/年;（2）年龄越长者,由于其天气知识更丰富、日常消费较节俭,对气象服务的支付意愿越低;（3）文化程度越高者,更能理解和支持气象服务事业,对气象服务的支付意愿越高;（4）月收入变量对气象服务的支付意愿有显著影响,但就不同城市的受访者而言,影响的方向并不一致。     

广东省土地登记信息交换系统的设计与实现

广东省各级土地登记部门经过多年的信息化建设,已经建成了一批土地登记信息管理系统,为业务的开展提供了有效的支撑,但由于缺乏统一的建设标准,这些系统之间无法进行信息共享。广东省通过建设土地登记信息交换系统,在省、市、县三级节点构建起了一套土地登记信息动态汇交体系,打破了信息孤岛,为全省土地登记信息监管系统的构建和运行提供了重要保障。本文重点介绍了该系统的需求分析、系统设计,以及在实现过程中采用的关键技术等。     

Improving the efficiency of ant algorithms using adaptive refinement: Application to storm water network design

The ant algorithm is a new evolutionary optimization method proposed for the solution of discrete combinatorial optimization problems. Many engineering optimization problems involve decision variables of continuous nature. Application of the ant algorithm to the optimization of these continuous problems requires discretization of the continuous search space, thereby reducing the underlying continuous problem to a discrete optimization problem. The level of discretization of the continuous search space, however, could present some problems. Generally, coarse discretization of the continuous design variables could adversely affect the quality of the final solution while finer discretization would enlarge the scale of the problem leading to higher computation cost and, occasionally, to low quality solutions. An adaptive refinement procedure is introduced in this paper as a remedy for the problem just outlined. The method is based on the idea of limiting the originally wide search space to a smaller one once a locally converged solution is obtained. The smaller search space is designed to contain the locally optimum solution at its center. The resulting search space is discretized and a completely new search is conducted to find a better solution. The procedure is continued until no improvement can be made by further refinement. The method is applied to a benchmark problem in storm water network design discipline and the results are compared with those of existing methods. The method is shown to be very effective and efficient regarding the optimality of the solution, and the convergence characteristics of the resulting ant algorithm. Furthermore, the method proves itself capable of finding an optimal, or near-optimal solution, independent of the discretization level and the size of the colony used.     

我国水电地下工程围岩分类系统支护方案探讨

在对我国水电地下工程围岩分类评价系统（ＳＤ系统）和Ｂａｒｔｏｎ的Ｑ系统的分析比较研究的基础上,针对水电工程,探讨了ＳＤ系统和Ｑ系统的相关关系,细化和发展了我国ＳＤ系统的支护设计方案,弥补了其支护类型偏少和简单的不足。     

Response Surface Optimization for Removal of Cadmium from Aqueous Solution by Waste Agricultural Biosorbent Psidium guvajava L. Leaf Powder

Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to study the combined effects of the various parameters namely, pH, biosorbent dosage, cadmium concentration and temperature, and to optimize the process conditions for the maximum removal of cadmium using Psidium guvajava L. leaf powder. In order to obtain the mutual interactions between the variables and to optimize these variables, a 2⁴ full factorial central composite design using RSM was employed. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the quadratic model demonstrates that the model was highly significant. The model was statistically tested and verified by experimentation. A maximum cadmium removal of 93.2% was obtained under the following optimum conditions: aqueous cadmium concentration 40.15 mg/L, adsorbent dosage 0.5 g/50 mL solution, pH 5.0, and temperature (35°C). The value of desirability factor obtained was 1.     

A probabilistic performance‐based approach for mitigating the seismic pounding risk between adjacent buildings

Existing design procedures for determining the separation distance between adjacent buildings subjected to seismic pounding risk are based on approximations of the buildings' peak relative displacement. These procedures are characterized by unknown safety levels and thus are not suitable for use within a performance‐based earthquake engineering framework. This paper introduces an innovative reliability‐based methodology for the design of the separation distance between adjacent buildings. The proposed methodology, which is naturally integrated into modern performance‐based design procedures, provides the value of the separation distance corresponding to a target probability of pounding during the design life of the buildings. It recasts the inverse reliability problem of the determination of the design separation distance as a zero‐finding problem and involves the use of analytical techniques in order to evaluate the statistics of the dynamic response of the buildings. Both uncertainty in the seismic intensity and record‐to‐record variability are taken into account. The proposed methodology is applied to several different buildings modeled as linear elastic single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) and multi‐degree‐of‐freedom (MDOF) systems, as well as SDOF nonlinear hysteretic systems. The design separation distances obtained are compared with the corresponding estimates that are based on several response combination rules suggested in the seismic design codes and in the literature. In contrast to current seismic code design procedures, the newly proposed methodology provides consistent safety levels for different building properties and different seismic hazard conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Labour markets in transition. The experiences of women in two border regions of East Germany

The political turning point in the former GDR and the transformation processes that have been observed since then have significantly affected economic and social structures in the new Federal States. Gender roles, however, were subjected to even more dramatic changes. Whilst many women experienced the employment policies of the GDR era as beneficial, social researchers often designate them as the losers of unification nowadays. This is largely because the abundance of State support measures for employed women and mothers has been drastically reduced and women as a group have been hit hardest by the crisis on the East German labour market. Using two cases (Mecklenburg-Westpommerania and Thuringia), this paper aims to illustrate the impact of the transformation process on the everyday (working) lives of women. We are particularly concerned with a comparative analysis of how women experience and deal with regional disparities in East Germany. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

田东35KV输电线路防雷设计分析

对广西田东县35KV输电线路进行防雷措施进行设计时,综合考虑当地气候、地形、环境等多种因素,并进行雷击风险评估工作,给出了最佳的防雷保护方案,从而有效地降低输电线路雷击跳闸率,减少雷电对电网安全运行的影响.