Open source, spatial analysis, and activity-travel behaviour research: capabilities of the aspace package

This paper reports on recent experience with the development of aspace, an Open Source (OS) library for the geographic visualization and analysis of activity-travel behaviour. The paper begins with an overview of recent progress with respect to the convergence of Open Source technology, spatial analysis, and travel behaviour research. The remainder of the paper focuses on aspace; a collection of functions that, when combined with data describing the geographical location of daily activities, can be used to visualize and describe spatial properties of individual and household activity spaces. These properties include: size, orientation, shape, and the geographical dispersion of activity locations contained within the activity space. Several planar geometries are used to transform measurable spatial properties into intuitive objects for visualizing spatial patterns of activity participation. Experiments are conducted, using data from the first wave of the 2003 Toronto Travel Activity Panel Survey, to demonstrate the potential application of aspace for basic and applied policy-based research into activity-travel behaviour. The toolkit is distributed as a downloadable ‘package’ from the Open Source R Project for Statistical Computing.      

天气形势调整过程中连续暴雨的个例分析

本文在分析了天气尺度背景及形成连续暴雨的物理量条件的基础上，找出连续三天暴雨的成因：由于大范围形势调整过程中同一低压系统在不同的环流形势配置下造成的，是天气形势调整过程中产生的，而不是通常概念上由于大范围环流形势稳定、有利降雨的系统得以持续影响造成的。     

Teleconnection Paterns in the Northern Hemisphere Simulated by IAP GCM

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Similarity of two Liyang earthquakes

Two moderate earthquakes of magnitudesM _s=5.5 and 6.0 occurred in 1974 and 1979, respectively, in the Liyang region, Jiangsu Province, China. The distance between the two epicenters is less than 20 km and their source mechanisms are very similar. In comparing these two earthquakes, we notice that the similarity of coseismic effects is consistent with a scaling law. The isoseismals of the two earthquakes resemble each other in overall shape but the difference of intensity between pairs of coincident isoseismals is one degree. The precursory seismicity patterns of the two events, such as seismic gaps and preshock swarms, are similar, but do not scale to magnitudes of mainshock. The latter phenomenon may reflect the regional tectonic structure, assuming the entire region to be subjected to the same stress.     

北极海冰面积变化与大气遥相关型

本文综述了北极海注面积变化与大气遥相关型研究工作中的一些主要结果。诊断分析表明，北极海冰面积变化具有３－４年的振荡周期，大气中的遥相关型不仅与海冰面积变化的区域有关，还与海冰面积的振荡频率有关。海冰面积变化与大气遥相关型是互相维持的，一方的加强有利于另一方的加强，本文最后还对北极海冰和赤道中，东太平洋海温对北半年冬半年中纬度大气环流影响的相似性等问题进行了讨论。     

Spatial patterns of adolescent drug use

Adolescent drug use is individually and socially harmful in terms of disrupting adolescent development and social cohesion. Prior research has identified populations at risk and risk factors for adolescent drug use. This research sought to contextualize adolescent drug use by examining this behavior from a geographic perspective. The specific objectives were to identify patterns, local clusters and excess spatial risk for 5-digit zip codes within the 5-county Cincinnati, Ohio region. Adolescents (n = 57,241) were recruited within local schools by the Coalition for a Drug-free Greater Cincinnati. Results of this research show spatial clusters for perceived safety of marijuana; peer approval of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana; and age of onset for other drugs. The location and nature of these clusters are discussed and displayed in-text. Further, zip codes that were in excess risk compared to the 5-county region were identified. The utility of this research is two-fold: (1) It identifies the geographic variability in adolescent drug use and correlated factors of use, and (2) It provides a methodological framework for future research in spatial epidemiology of drug use.     

Patterns in the sand: A pleistocene hominin signature along the South African coastline?

The Cape south coast of South Africa boasts one of the richest Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeological records in the world. Here coastal caves and rock shelters contain well-documented archives of early humans, including early evidence of human adornment and jewelry, rock engraving and rock paSabstextinting. It has been suggested that palaeoenvironmental conditions in the area were critical to the survival of the human species. Humans travelled over dune surfaces, interdune areas and beaches during this period. These are now preserved as palaeosurfaces in aeolianites and cemented foreshore deposits, through which the ancient landscapes can be interpreted. Such contemporary sand surfaces may have formed potential canvases on which foraging behaviour or the creation of patterns or symbols could have been recorded. We question whether MSA humans left evidence of their presence other than their footprints when moving over these surfaces, and if so, whether such evidence can be discerned and interpreted today, as a hominin signature preserved in exposures of aeolianite and cemented foreshore deposits. We discuss other agents that could have caused similar patterns, and we consider the merits of eight sites that we have identified on the Cape south coast. In combination they encapsulate the complexity, challenges and potential of such study. We conclude that evidence at some of these sites suggests an anthropic origin, potentially constituting a previously undocumented form of MSA hominin expression and activity.     

Reconstruction of Conceptual Prediction Model for the Three Rainfall Patterns in the summer of eastern China under global warming

With the influence of global warming,the global climate has undergone significant inter-decadal variation since the late 1970s.Although El Nio-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)has been the strongest signal for predicting global climate inter-annual variability,its relation with the summer rainfall in China has significantly changed,and its indicative function on the summer rainfall in China has weakened.This has led to a significant decrease in the accuracy rate of early conceptual prediction models for the Three Rainfall Patterns in the summer of eastern China.On the basis of the difference analysis of atmospheric circulation system configuration in summer,as well as the interaction of ocean and atmospheric in previous winter between two phases,i.e.before and after the significant global warming(1951 to 1978 and 1979 to 2012,respectively),we concluded that(1)Under different inter-decadal backgrounds,the atmospheric circulations that impacted the Three Rainfall Patterns in the summer of eastern China showed consistency,but in the latter phase of the global warming,the Western Pacific Subtropical High(WPSH)was on the strong side,the position of which was in the south,and the blocking high in the Eurasia mid-high latitudes was active,while the polar vortex extended to the south,and meridional circulation intensified.This circulation background may have been conducive to the increase of the circulation frequency of Patterns II and III,and the decrease of the circulation frequency of Pattern I,thus leading to more Patterns II and III and fewer Pattern I in the summer rainfall of eastern China.(2)In the former phase,the corresponding previous winter SST fields of different rainfall patterns showed visible differences.The impact of ENSO on North Pacific Oscillation(NPO)was great,and the identification ability of which on Patterns I and II of summer rainfall was effective.In the latter phase,this identification ability decreased,while the impact of ENSO on the Pacific/North American(PNA)teleconnection pattern increased,and the identification ability of the PNA on Patterns II and III also increased.Based on the new inter-decadal climate background,this study reconstructs the conceptual prediction model for the Three Rainfall Patterns in summer of eastern China by using the previous winter PNA and the Eurasian(EU)teleconnection indexes.The fitting effect was satisfying,though it is necessary to be further tested.     

Comparative phylogeography of African rain forest trees: A review of genetic signatures of vegetation history in the Guineo-Congolian region

The biogeographic history of the African rain forests has been contentious. Phylogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of genetic lineages within species, can highlight the signatures of historical events affecting the demography and distribution of species (i.e. population fragmentation or size changes, range expansion/contraction) and, thereby, the ecosystems they belong to. The accumulation of recent data for African rain forests now enables a first biogeographic synthesis for the region. In this review, we explain which phylogeographic patterns are expected under different scenarios of past demographic change, and we give an overview of the patterns detected in African rain forest trees to discuss whether they support alternative hypotheses regarding the history of the African rain forest cover. The major genetic discontinuities in the region support the role of refugia during climatic oscillations, though not necessarily following the classically proposed scenarios. We identify in particular a genetic split between the North and the South of the Lower Guinean region. Finally we provide some perspectives for future study.     

1981-2015年中国95°E以东区域性暴雨过程时、空分布特征

基于1981-2015年中国逐日降水量加密观测资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,采用主、客观相结合的方法,以天气过程为单元建立了中国95°E以东地区及其6个子区的区域性暴雨过程个例谱,进一步使用小波功率谱、9点二项式平滑及离差平方和聚类等方法剖析了中国95°E以东区域性暴雨过程的时、空分布统计特征。结果表明:（1）中国95°E以东区域性暴雨过程平均年总次数接近30次;其中,江淮流域是出现区域性暴雨过程最多的子区,平均为19次/a;其次为华南和西南地区东部,平均为10.5和5.8次/a;东北地区、华北和西北地区东部平均仅为1-3次/a。（2）中国95°E以东及各子区区域性暴雨过程次数的年及年代际变化主要表现为波动特征,各子区中江淮流域与中国95°E以东地区的年及年代际波动变化最为一致;华南与西南地区、东北地区与华北的波动变化互为显著的正相关。中国95°E以东及各子区区域性暴雨过程年总次数都表现出2-4 a的周期变化,此外,江淮流域、华南和西北地区东部还表现出6-10 a的周期变化,华北表现出13-17 a的周期变化。（3）中国95°E以东区域性暴雨过程总体呈夏季最多、冬季最少、春季多于秋季的分布特征,其中以7月出现次数最多。各子区中,江淮流域和西南地区东部区域性暴雨过程以6、7月最多,华南以5、6月最多;东北地区、华北、西北地区东部集中出现在7、8月。（4）中国95°E以东地区的极端区域性暴雨过程可划分为7种分布类型。第Ⅰ-Ⅳ型强降雨区从江南南部和华南呈阶梯状逐步北抬至黄淮和四川盆地东部一带,第Ⅴ-Ⅶ型除在东南沿海均有强降雨区外,第Ⅴ型在华南东部至江淮、第Ⅵ型在黄淮北部至东北地区中南部、第Ⅶ型在黄淮西部和华北中南部还分布有强降雨区。