The elasticity of the potential of emission reduction to energy saving: Definition,measurement, and evidence from China

Based on energy and CO₂ emission efficiencies, this paper proposes a definition of the elasticity of the potential of emission reduction to energy saving (E_peres), and measures the elasticity in China’s 30 provincial regions. Although E_peres is a relative definition, it can be used (1) to measure the amount of reduced CO₂ emissions per unit fossil energy saving, (2) to reflect the effectiveness of fossil energy saving for CO₂ emission reduction in different regions, and (3) to provide decision-making criteria for selecting pathways for emission reductions in different regions. The results show that compared with energy saving, emission reduction is a more serious issue in China. This indicates that energy saving policies have been highly effective since their implementation during the 11th “Five-Year Plan”. With respect to provincial disparities, the emission reductions caused by fossil energy saving are not significant in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. Fujian province has significant E_peres, indicating that emission reduction causing by fossil energy saving is effective. E_peres has been increasing over time in Hunan and Hubei. Hainan’s E_peres has remained less than 1, indicating that its emission-reduction effect of fossil energy saving is worse than in other provinces. Moreover, the elasticity of Eastern China is greater than that of Central China and Western China. This finding sheds light on pathway selection for energy saving and emission reduction in China: it would be more appropriate to encourage fossil energy saving in Eastern China, and to promote clean energy use (e.g., water electricity and solar energy) in Central China and Western China.     

US Fish and Wildlife Service 1979 wetland classification: A review

In 1979 the US Fish and Wildlife Service published and adopted a classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States. The system was designed for use in a national inventory of wetlands. It was intended to be ecologically based, to furnish the mapping units needed for the inventory, and to provide national consistency in terminology and definition. We review the performance of the classification after 13 years of use. The definition of wetland is based on national lists of hydric soils and plants that occur in wetlands. Our experience suggests that wetland classifications must facilitate mapping and inventory because these data gathering functions are essential to management and preservation of the wetland resource, but the definitions and taxa must have ecological basis. The most serious problem faced in construction of the classification was lack of data for many of the diverse wetland types. Review of the performance of the classification suggests that, for the most part, it was successful in accomplishing its objectives, but that problem areas should be corrected and modification could strengthen its utility. The classification, at least in concept, could be applied outside the United States. Experience gained in use of the classification can furnish guidance as to pitfalls to be avoided in the wetland classification process.The US Government's right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Towards a definition of a crop wild relative

Crop wild relatives are an important socio-economic resource that is currently being eroded or even extinguished through careless human activities. If the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD 2010 Biodiversity Target of achieving a significant reduction in the current rate of loss is to be achieved, we must first define what crop wild relatives are and how their conservation might be prioritised. A definition of a crop wild relative is proposed and illustrated in the light of previous Gene Pool concept theory. Where crossing and genetic diversity information is unavailable, the Taxon Group concept is introduced to assist recognition of the degree of crop wild relative relatedness by using the existing taxonomic hierarchy.     

Introduction to the special issue: Thermodynamic aspects of cryobiology

This brief paper introduces the subject of thermodynamics and the papers of the special issue on thermodynamic aspects of cryobiology. Thermodynamic terminology is defined for the non-specialist.     

A new measure of fidelity and its application to defining species groups

Abstract. The first objective of this paper is to define a new measure of fidelity of a species to a vegetation unit, called u. The value of u is derived from the approximation of the binomial or the hypergeometric distribution by the normal distribution. It is shown that the properties of u meet the requirements for a fidelity measure in vegetation science, i.e. (1) to reflect differences of a species’relative frequency inside a certain vegetation unit and its relative frequency in the remainder of the data set; (2) to increase with increasing size of the data set. Additionally (3), u has the property to be dependent on the proportion of the vegetation unit's size to the size of the whole data set. The second objective is to present a method of how to use the value of u for finding species groups in large data bases and for defining vegetation units. A species group is defined by possession of species that show the highest value of u among all species in the data set with regard to the vegetation unit defined by this species group. The vegetation unit is defined as comprising all relevés that include a minimum number of the species in the species group. This minimum number is derived statistically in such a way that fewer relevés always belong to a species group than would be expected if the differential species were distributed randomly among the relevés. An iterative algorithm is described for detecting species groups in data bases. Starting with an initial species group, species composition of this group and the vegetation unit defined by this group are mutually optimized. With this algorithm species groups are formed in a data set independently of each other. Subsequently, these species groups can be combined in such a way that they are suited to define commonly known syntaxa a posteriori.     

土壤大孔隙及其研究方法

阐述了土壤大孔隙的定义、孔径划分类型及其成因,比较了各种研究方法的适用性和局限性,土壤大孔隙是可以提供优先水流路径的孔隙,其孔径大小为＞0.03mm。大孔隙形状具有多样性,既有形状不规则的袭隙和裂疑,也有近似圆柱状的管道。土壤动物对土壤的挖掘作用,植物根系在土壤中的穿插作用,冻融和干湿交替过程及化学过程是产生大孔隙的主要原因,大也民隙的研究方法分为直接观测法和间接描述法,并各有其适用性和局限性,土壤大孔隙研究的最终目的是调控它,为减少地下水污染、控制养分和水分的流失提供一条新途径。     

Emergence of the genus Homo: From concept to taxonomy

The main goal of this paper is to present an overview of hypotheses concerning early Homo specimens and to discuss the definition of the genus Homo in the light of recent discoveries. For some authors, all the specimens attributed to early Homo belong to one unique species. For others, this group (Homo habilis sensu lato) is heterogeneous and could be splitted into two groups: H. habilis and Homo rudolfensis. Some researchers have also proposed to put the species habilis and rudolfensis into the genera Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus. Therefore, two scenarios concerning first humans seem to emerge. An emergence of the genus Homo, as early as 2.8 Ma, with Homo sp. specimens and the species H. habilis and H. rudolfensis, another at 1.9 Ma with Homo ergaster. According to the recent archaeological and paleoanthropological discoveries, these criteria often considered to be crucial for the definition of the genus Homo, as the cranial capacity, the humanlike manipulative abilities, the habitual erect posture and bipedal gait, the language ability and the capacity to make tools are now obsolete.     

Naturalizing cruelty

Cruelty is widely regarded to be a uniquely human trait. This follows from a standard definition of cruelty as involving the deliberate infliction of suffering together with the empirical claim that humans are unique in their ability to attribute suffering (or any mental state) to other creatures. In this paper I argue that this definition is not optimum for the purposes of scientific inquiry. I suggest that its intuitive appeal stems from our abhorrence of cruelty, and our corresponding desire to define cruelty in such a way that it is almost always morally wrong. Scientifically speaking this is an arbitrary condition that inhibits our attempt to study cruelty as a natural phenomenon. I propose a fully naturalized definition of cruelty, one that considerably expands the range of creatures and behaviors that may be conceived as cruel.     

卒中后疲劳的最新研究进展

脑卒中是仅次于缺血性心脏病位于全球第二位导致死亡的疾病,通常遗留神经功能缺损症状,需要一个长期的康复过程,而卒中后疲劳(PSF)是卒中患者的常见症状,显著影响患者的康复治疗及远期预后。卒中后疲劳发病率高,机制尚未明确,受多因素共同作用,然而一直以来并未得到医护人员及卒中患者的足够重视,目前对卒中后疲劳的相关研究甚少,缺乏有效的治疗方法。本文就卒中后疲劳的定义、发病率、诊断与评估、影响因素、发病机制及治疗统一做一综述,以增进临床医师对其了解,指导患者的康复治疗。