Suchergebnisse

This dissertation is a study on the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) which is a global effort through which nations deliberately interdict carriage of illicit WMD-related substances commuting States and non-States actors. Given its flexibility as an "activity" rather than an organization, the initiative has gained supports from more than 102 countries since its interception in 2003. Now, in its 10th year, and despite boasting over 100 participants, the PSI continues to face legal, political and structural challenges. By looking into the realities of PSI activities, the paper attempts to explore some of the key challenges, with its practical means of operations. Furthermore, the paper reviews how security-related instruments of the IMO have been involved in maritime transportation of WMD and related materials and provides recommendations that the IMO play an effective role in strengthening the PSI. The author concludes with sound recommendations for the IMO on ways to find an optimal point between maintaining the security of the ship and stopping the trafficking of WMD and related materials.

The term "affordance" has been used in Information Communications Technology (ICT) based environment to explore the opportunities the educational technologies provide for students. Gibson (1979/1986) defines affordances as the possibilities that the environment offers for the perceiver. The perceiver and the environment make an inseparable pair. In the case of learning, affordances are those relationships that provide a "match" between something in the environment and the learner (Van Lier, 2004) as a whole. The learning environment is a complex system consists of different components and layers. By becoming integrated components of the environment, different learning entities, whether social or individual, constitute affordances for each other. Through interactions, these affordances are integrated, and transform into effectivities (Visser, 2001). Besides, according to Gibson, affordances are invariant. However, they can be increased when the intensity of stimulation changes. They can also form higher order affordances when primary affordances are always found in particular combinations. Finally, Gibson (1979/1986) argues that affordances are not neutral. A focus on affordances for learning in mobile technology-based environment helps us identify how the environment as an integrated whole provides support for students' learning, what and how components of the environment interact to provide various affordances. ; published_or_final_version ; Centre of Information Technology in Education, University of Hong Kong and Education and Manpower Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong SAR

This article discusses access and benefit sharing within the context of participatory plant breeding. It presents how Chinese farmers and breeders collaborate in relation to crop improvement and on-farm maintenance of plant genetic resources. Based on more than a decade of action-research, a number of institutional changes were accomplished as a result of the interactions between national and provincial breeding institutes, rural development researchers and local maize farmers. Although the respective legislation in China is not yet adequately formulated, access and benefit sharing can still be addressed in contracts and by labelling products of a particular geographic origin.

Conference Theme: The Social and Behavioral Importance of Increased Longevity ; BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In the People's Republic of China (PRC), aged-care is typically provided by family members and, to a lesser extent, public services. Caring could be a heavy burden for adult children, given the 4-2-1 family structure (four grandparents, two parents and one child). Although the Chinese government is actively developing its aged-care policy and services, public services have failed to catch up with the rapidly growing needs. Whether Chinese one-child parents prepare for their own future care has important implications for elder services . ; postprint

Die Transformation zum Anbieter industrieller Produkt-Service Systeme (IPS²) mit kundennutzenorientierten Geschäftsmodellen stellt Unternehmen vor enorme Herausforderungen. Die hier dargestellte Forschungslandkarte soll eine Übersicht wegweisender Erkenntnisse und methodischer Lösungsansätze zur Unterstützung insbesondere in der maßgebenden frühen Entwicklungsphase bieten.
 
The transformation into a provider of industrial product-service systems (IPS²) with business models that are oriented on the customer value confronts business companies with serious challenges. The research strategy map shown here is intended to provide an overview of key conclusions and methodical approaches to support particularly the determining early stage of development.

Context. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are restricted to six mountain ranges at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. One of these ranges, the Qinling Mountains, contains the highest density of giant pandas and is home to ~20% of those remaining in the wild. Commercial logging and other developments have resulted in habitat fragmentation, and an efficient and powerful conservation network is now needed for the species in this area. Aims. This study sought to assess giant panda habitat and estimate the carrying capacity of this reserve network. Our goal was to improve the function and carrying capacity of the reserve network and facilitate population growth and gene flow among subpopulations of giant pandas. Methods. We use habitat suitability models to assess the efficacy of conservation networks. With estimation of carrying capacity by home range, we can reveal issues facing reserves and populations of endangered species they contain. Here, we define key habitat, linkages, corridors and overall connectivity and then use habitat network modelling and spatial analyses to design a conservation landscape for giant pandas across their Qinling Mountains stronghold. Key results. We found that 91% of giant panda sightings were in suitable or marginally suitable habitat. The total area of giant panda habitat present in the Qinling Mountains is ~1600 km2 fragmented across four key habitat blocks by national roads or other human activity. The current nature reserve network encompasses 71% of available suitable habitat and 62% of available marginal habitat, meaning a significant proportion of panda habitat remains outside the current conservation network. We found that giant panda reserves across this region are not equal in their carrying capacity; some reserves contain an overabundance of giant pandas and the wellbeing of these populations are in doubt. Conclusions. Our results highlight the potential risk of high densities and bamboo flowering events to the safety of giant pandas. With poor population size and heavy isolation, small populations will not persist without translocation. Implication. Redrawing the reserve network to correct localised problems may improve the function of the giant panda protection system, build capacity in the reserve network, and decrease human–wildlife conflict. We propose a new reserve and adjustment of the borders and region for three reserves.

Industrial portal frames near to other buildings must keep their vertical walls standing in fire in order to prevent fire spread. A recently developed analysis, implemented in the program Vulcan, using a combination of static and dynamic solvers, has shown that the strong base connections recommended by the current design method may not always lead to conservative design. A second-phase failure mechanism observed in numerical modelling, and the critical temperature at which final run-away collapse occurs, may be higher than the temperature at which the roof frame initially loses its stability, because a re-stabilisation often happens. A new method for estimating critical temperatures of portal frames in fire, using these two failure mechanisms, is presented. Numerical tests on typical industrial frames are used to calibrate this new method.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important staple crops in Northeast China, and yield losses are mainly induced by climate anomalies, plant diseases and pests. To understand how maize yield loss is affected by global warming, daily precipitation and temperatures, together with provincial agricultural data sets, were analyzed. The results showed that the accumulated temperature, an important factor in agricultural productivity, increased by 5% in 1991–2017, compared to 1961–1990, and that the frequency of low temperatures decreased by 14.8% over the same time period. An increase in drought by 21.6% was observed from 1961–1990 to 1991–2017, caused by decreased growing-season precipitation by −4 mm/decade. In addition, days with heavy rain in August and September increased slightly in Northeast China. In general, maize growth responded positively to the increased thermal conditions; in 1961–1990, 22.7% of observed maize yield-loss cases were due to low temperatures, but only 10% in 1991–2017. However, during the same time, the number of drought-induced yield loss cases increased from 27.3% to 46.7%. Moreover, yield loss cases caused by heavy rainstorms increased from 4.5% to 13.3%, indicating that heavy rainstorms have become an increasing threat to agriculture in Northeast China over the last three decades. In total, at least 70% of cases of provincial yield losses in Northeast China over the last three decades could be attributed to climatic factors. The frequency of climate hazards has changed under global warming, resulting in new challenges for agriculture. While drought and low temperatures were the primary causes for climate-induced yield losses before the 1990s, negative impacts from extreme events, mainly drought but also heavy precipitation, have increased in the last three decades, associated with global change. Farmers, agricultural scientists, and government policy makers could use these results when planning for adaptation to climate change.

New towns are a major form of urban growth in China. In recent years, increasing numbers of large new town projects have been planned and built in and around existing cities. These new town projects have frequently been employed by city governments as central elements of pro-growth strategies, based on ideas of urban entrepreneurialism, which seek to promote economic growth, project a dynamic city image, and increase urban competitiveness. This article studies how the pro-growth, urban entrepreneurial approach affects the planning and development of Chinese megacities. A conceptual framework focusing on land-leasing revenue and new town development strategies is employed to explore the linkages between urban growth mechanisms and urban outcomes. Empirical material from four cities in the Pearl River Delta-Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Zhuhai-is presented. The analysis indicates that new town developments in these cities have different levels of dependency on spatial expansion and land revenue, and emphasize different issues of sustainable development in their plans. Cities with a lower dependency on physical and economic growth are be more likely to emphasize the quality of the built environment and address issues of sustainable urban development more closely when planning and implementing new town projects.