China has implemented eco-industrial park (EIP) initiatives as a mainstream strategy of a circular economy since the turn of the new century. This paper presents the sustainable transition processes and outcomes of three EIP cases, Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA), Fuzhou Economic and Technological Development Area (FEDA) and the Xi'an High-Tech Zone (XHTZ). The cases uncovered four factors key to the transition of EIPs: technological trajectory dependency, spaces for experimentation, government as an enabler and regional embeddedness.
This dissertation investigates the feasibility of creating a multichannel sense and avoid radar system for small fixed-wing UAVs (also known as sUAS or drones). The target sUAS is a 40% Yak-54 remote controlled aircraft with a typical payload of 10 lbs. Small UAS's such as these are increasing in popularity for both personal, commercial, and government use including precision agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, and assisting first response. However, due to their lack of situation awareness, the FAA has placed strict regulations on their operation limiting their use on both the civil and government sides across the U.S. This miniature radar system is intended to provide these sUAS with target detection, tracking, and 3-D location and velocity information on potential non-cooperative hazards, primarily focusing on general aviation (GA) aircraft. The resulting FMCW miniature radar system has a size weight and power (SWaP) that is suitable for installing onboard the 40% Yak-54 UAS with the exception of replacing a TX power amplifier and has demonstrated, through measuring moving cars, that it is capable of target detection using a 2-D FFT processing algorithm and a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector. Tracking of the target was performed using the range-Doppler relationship of targets in the resulting radar image. The target's angular information in the form of target echo angle of arrival (AoA, needed for location estimation) was estimated using interferometry. While the angular estimations were in the right direction, their uncertainties resulting in significant fluctuations in estimated target XYZ position and XYZ velocities. It was observed that in the near term, averaging the AoA (which changes relatively slowly for steady flight) is a way to reduce this uncertainly. In the future, the radar system needs to be upgraded so that it can provide the ideal 10-Hz update rate which will also provide sufficient data for more complex target AoA detection algorithms.
Digital technologies engaged in urban metabolism for efficiency provide policymakers, urban managers, and planners with useful instruments to collect, monitor, analyze, and evaluate the circularity of environmental, social, and economic resources to improve their effectiveness and quality. At present, the digital technology-based approach is strategic for circular cities engaged in the development of smart and sustainable actions in the fields of mobility, energy, environment, waste, telecommunications, and security. Through the 'Circular Resource Efficiency Management Framework' developed by the European Commission, this paper generates insights into the digitalization practices of the circularity of urban metabolism by analyzing the initiatives implemented by the municipalities of Kaunas, Flanders region, Porto, Prato, The Hague, and Oslo, which constitute the Partnership on Circular Economy (PCE) of the Urban Agenda of the European Union. The results of the analysis provide a wide range of practices such as real-time monitoring stations for water and energy consumption, digital cameras for controlling vehicle flows, web platforms for sharing goods and services, and tracking sensors for public transport, which aim to optimize the efficiency of the circularity of urban metabolic flows. This study increases the understanding and awareness of digital technologies in this paradigm shift.
As the process of urbanization in China continues to accelerate, the amount of domestic waste generated correspondingly increases and directly affects the living space of residents. This indirectly implies that to reduce the production of municipal solid waste and the need for garbage disposal and recycling, household-waste-classification activities by the residents are of great significance. Using Shanghai as a case study, this study investigated the influencing factors on residents' household waste classification by conducting a survey. Statistical analysis was then adopted, which is specified below. First, this study proposed research hypotheses related to the influencing factors of residents' domestic-waste-sorting behavior from three levels: government, society and individuals. Second, the study designed a questionnaire from five perspectives: individual characteristic variables, government, society, residents and classification behavior. Then, SPSS software was used to carry out descriptive statistical, reliability and validity assessments using ANOVA, correlation and regression analyses on the sample data obtained from the questionnaire. The results suggested that the research hypotheses were statistically significant: (1) females and residents with higher education were more likely to participate in domestic waste classification; (2) reward and punishment measures had the most significant impact on residents' waste-classification behavior; and (3) publicity and education, classification standards, classification facilities, the recycling system, subjective norms, environmental knowledge and environmental attitudes all had a positive effect on residents' household waste classification. Finally, based on the results of the empirical analysis, this paper provides reference suggestions for the further development of domestic waste classification in Shanghai.
