The impact of water conservation regulations on mining firms: A stochastic control approach

The implementation of ecological projects can largely change regional land use patterns, in turn altering the local hydrological process. Articulating these changes and their effects on ecosystem services, such as water conservation, is critical to understanding the impacts of land use activities and in directing future land planning toward regional sustainable development. Taking Zhangjiakou City of the Yongding River as the study area—a region with implementation of various ecological projects—the impact of land use changes on various hydrological components and water conservation capacity from 2000 to 2015 was simulated based on a soil and water assessment tool model (SWAT). An empirical regression model based on partial least squares was established to explore the contribution of different land use changes on water conservation. With special focus on the forest having the most complex effects on the hydrological process, the impacts of forest type and age on the water conservation capacity are discussed on different scales. Results show that between 2000 and 2015, the area of forest, grassland and cultivated land decreased by 0.05%, 0.98% and 1.64%, respectively, which reduces the regional evapotranspiration (0.48%) and soil water content (0.72%). The increase in settlement area (42.23%) is the main reason for the increase in water yield (14.52%). Most land use covered by vegetation has strong water conservation capacity, and the water conservation capacity of the forest is particularly outstanding. Farmland and settlements tend to have a negative effect on water conservation. The water conservation capacity of forest at all scales decreased significantly with the growth of forest (p < 0.05), while the water conservation capacity of different tree species had no significant difference. For the study area, increasing the forest area will be an effective way to improve the water conservation function, planting evergreen conifers can rapidly improve the regional water conservation capacity, while planting deciduous conifers is of great benefit to long-term sustainable development.

Download Full-text

A Stochastic Optimal Control Approach for Power Management in Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

ASME 2008 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, Parts A and B ◽

10.1115/dscc2008-2252 ◽

2008 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Scott J. Moura ◽

Hosam K. Fathy ◽

Duncan S. Callaway ◽

Jeffrey L. Stein

Keyword(s):

Power Management ◽

Hybrid Electric Vehicle ◽

Single Mode ◽

Stochastic Dynamic ◽

Electricity Pricing ◽

Control Approach ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Hybrid Electric ◽

The Impact ◽

Charge Depletion

This paper examines the problem of optimally splitting driver power demand among the different actuators (i.e., the engine and electric machines) in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Existing studies focus mostly on optimizing PHEV power management for fuel economy, subject to charge sustenance constraints, over individual drive cycles. This paper adds three original contributions to this literature. First, it uses stochastic dynamic programming to optimize PHEV power management over a distribution of drive cycles, rather than a single cycle. Second, it explicitly trades off fuel and electricity usage in a PHEV, thereby systematically exploring the potential benefits of controlled charge depletion over aggressive charge depletion followed by charge sustenance. Finally, it examines the impact of variations in relative fuel-to-electricity pricing on optimal PHEV power management. The paper focuses on a single-mode powersplit PHEV configuration for mid-size sedans, but its approach is extendible to other configurations and sizes as well.

Download Full-text

A Stochastic Control Approach to Optimally Designing Hierarchical Flash Sets in P300 Communication Prostheses

IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering ◽

10.1109/tnsre.2011.2179560 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 102-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Rui Ma ◽

Navid Aghasadeghi ◽

Julian Jarzebowski ◽

Timothy Bretl ◽

Todd P. Coleman

Keyword(s):

Stochastic Control ◽

Control Approach

Download Full-text

Impact of Land Conservation Technologies on Agricultural Productivity in Tanzania

Utafiti ◽

10.1163/26836408-0110102004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (1-2) ◽

pp. 33-66

Author(s):

Onesmo Selijio

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Maize Crop ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Inorganic Fertilizers ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact ◽

Management And Conservation ◽

Conservation Technologies

Land management and conservation have been considered the most important aspects of sustainable productivity in economically developing countries where land degradation is a major challenge. In Tanzania, both the government and international organizations have been promoting adoption of land management and conservation technologies (LMCTs) for a long time. This paper establishes the impact of three LMCTs – soil water conservation technologies and erosion control (SWCEC), organic and inorganic fertilizers – on maize crop yields in different rainfall zones, using national panel survey data. The study employs static panel models to analyse the two-period data sets for 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. The results indicate that adoption of LMCTs do contribute significantly to maize yield. The greatest effects of organic and SWCEC methods on crop yield were realized in low rainfall zones, while that of inorganic fertilizers was observed in high rainfall zones. These findings support previous cross-sectional data analyses, suggesting for policy makers that a blanket land management and conservation programme applied uniformly to all agro-ecological zones is not strategically beneficial. The advisability of a technology employed in a given zone should be supported by local knowledge and research findings culled from that particular area.

Download Full-text

Improving pilot project application and review processes: A novel application of lean six sigma in translational science

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2018.30 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 135-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Susanne Schmidt ◽

Laura Aubree Shay ◽

Can Saygin ◽

Hung-da Wan ◽

Karen Schulz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Six Sigma ◽

Review Process ◽

Pilot Project ◽

Lean Six Sigma ◽

South Texas ◽

Translational Science ◽

Research Administration ◽

Control Approach ◽

Study Section ◽

The Impact

Each year our Clinical and Translational Science Award pilot projects program awards approximately $500,000 in translational pilot funding to advance health in South Texas. We identified needs to improve the timeliness, transparency, and efficiency of the review process by surveying applicants. Lean six sigma methodologies, following a “Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control” approach, were used to streamline the pilot project application and review by identifying and removing bottlenecks from process flows. We evaluated the impact of our reorganized review process by surveying applicants and reviewers. Process mapping identified pilot project review as the main source of delay, leading to the implementation of a study section-style review mechanism. After one cycle, 90.3% of pilot applicants and 100% of reviewers were highly satisfied with the new processes and time to award notice was reduced by 2 months. All reviewers familiar with both review processes preferred the study section. We demonstrated how lean six sigma, a methodology not commonly applied in research administration, can be used to evaluate processes in translational science in academic health centers. Through our efforts, we were able to improve timeliness, transparency, and efficiency of the review process.

Download Full-text

A Time Series Analysis of the Impact of a Water Conservation Campaign

Evaluation Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0193841x7800200105 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 107-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Judith E. Maki ◽

Donnie M. Hoffman ◽

Richard A. Berk

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Series Analysis ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

An Optimal Transmission Strategy for IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs: Stochastic Control Approach

2008 5th Annual IEEE Communications Society Conference on Sensor, Mesh and Ad Hoc Communications and Networks ◽

10.1109/sahcn.2008.39 ◽

2008 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Alexander W. Min ◽

Kang G. Shin

Keyword(s):

Ieee 802.11 ◽

Stochastic Control ◽

Wireless Lans ◽

Control Approach ◽

Transmission Strategy ◽

802.11 Wireless Lans ◽

Optimal Transmission Strategy

Download Full-text

Effectiveness of Community-Based Soil and Water Conservation in Improving Soil Property in Damota Area, Southern Ethiopia

Applied and Environmental Soil Science ◽

10.1155/2021/5510587 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Mamush Masha ◽

Teshome Yirgu ◽

Mulugeta Debele ◽

Mengie Belayneh

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Conservation Practices ◽

Community Based ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil And Water

Soil and water conservation (SWC) is being advocated as an integral part of agricultural land management as it not only controls/minimizes soil erosion but also restores/rehabilitates the degraded lands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of soil and water conservation practices in improving soil fertility in the agricultural landscapes of the Damota area, southern Ethiopia. Forty-eight soil samples (both disturbed and core samples) were collected from the conserved and adjacent nonconserved plots. The significance analysis test was performed using analysis of variance. The result of the study showed that higher mean values of soil physicochemical properties were observed in the conserved plot than its nonconserved counterpart. The mean differences of organic carbon, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable K+ and Ca2+ between conserved and nonconserved plots were statistically significant at the P < 0.01 level. Besides, available phosphorous and bulk density were significant at P < 0.05 , but the effect of SWC practices was not found significant on soil texture, soil pH, and exchangeable Na+ and Mg2+ content of the soil in the Damota area. Community-based soil and water conservation practices have improved the soil fertility in agricultural landscapes, although significant results have been observed in some fertility indicators. Therefore, strengthening the implementation of conservation measures by participating in all stakeholders is recommended. Supporting physical structures by agronomic and vegetative measures and continued maintenance can bring better results.

Download Full-text

Flood forecasting that considers the impact of hydraulic projects by an improved TOPMODEL model in the Wudaogou basin, Northeast China

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2016.075 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 1467-1476 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yong Peng ◽

Jinggang Chu ◽

Xinguo Sun ◽

Huicheng Zhou ◽

Xiaoli Zhang

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Northeast China ◽

Storage Capacity ◽

Flood Simulation ◽

Soil Moisture Storage ◽

Moisture Storage ◽

Flood Simulations ◽

Model Parameter Uncertainty ◽

The Impact ◽

Engineering Projects

Many hydraulic projects such as reservoirs, ponds and paddy fields as well as soil and water conservation engineering projects have been constructed to improve utilization of water resources upstream of the Wudaogou station basin in Northeast China in recent years. As a result, the local hydrological characteristics of the basin and the flood runoff and process have been changed. These changes in the basin characteristics make basin hydrological forecasting more difficult. In order to model and assess this situation, the TOPMODEL, which includes the dynamic soil moisture storage capacity (DSMSC-TOPMODEL), is used in this study to simulate the flood impact of hydraulic projects. Furthermore, the Bayesian method is used to evaluate model parameter uncertainty and assess the TOPMODEL's performance over the basin. Flood simulation results show that accuracy is significantly improved when the stock version of TOPMODEL is replaced with DSMSC-TOPMODEL, with the qualified ratio of forecasting runoff yield increasing from 65% in the former to 88% in the latter. Moreover, these flood simulations are more suitable for helping observers visualize the process.

Download Full-text