Heathens in the chapel? Economics and the conservation of native biodiversity

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Pannell
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Non Market Valuation ◽  
Selection Of

Biodiversity conservation is a human endeavour and economic drivers playa key role in shaping human behaviour. This is particularly true of human behaviour in management of businesses (such as farms) and in relation to the resources that underpin businesses (such as land and water). For this reason, the theories and models of economics have a lot to offer people concemed with biodiversity conservation. The paper outlines a number of theories and insights from economics that are relevant to biodiversity, particularly from the point of view of governments wishing to make efficient and cost-effective decisions about investment priorities for biodiversity. There is a need for better definition of biodiversity objectives, and for improved information about cause and effect relationships between interventions and outcomes. The importance of paying adequate attention to the farm-level economics of proposed changes in land management is emphasized. This is an important influence on farmers' responses, particularly if large-scale changes are sought. Non-market valuation studies to place monetary values on biodiversity outcomes have a potential role to play in evaluating policy options, although a measured approach to the use of these techniques seems warranted. There is a discussion about the limited role that economics can play in determining who should pay for biodiversity interventions. The selection of policy approaches and policy instruments for biodiversity needs to be sophisticated, based on science, and sensitive to different biodiversity-related problems and opportunities.

scholarly journals Chirping for Large-Scale Maritime Archaeological Survey: A Strategy Developed from a Practical Experience-Based Approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Grøn ◽  
Lars Ole Boldreel
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Mapping Strategy ◽  
Line Spacing ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Subbottom Profiling

Archaeological wrecks exposed on the sea floor are mapped using side-scan and multibeam techniques, whereas the detection of submerged archaeological sites, such as Stone Age settlements, and wrecks, partially or wholly embedded in sea-floor sediments, requires the application of high-resolution subbottom profilers. This paper presents a strategy for cost-effective, large-scale mapping of previously undetected sediment-embedded sites and wrecks based on subbottom profiling with chirp systems. The mapping strategy described includes (a) definition of line spacing depending on the target; (b) interactive surveying, for example, immediate detailed investigation of potential archaeological anomalies on detection with a denser pattern of subbottom survey lines; (c) onboard interpretation during data acquisition; (d) recognition of nongeological anomalies. Consequently, this strategy differs from those employed in several detailed studies of known wreck sites and from the way in which geologists map the sea floor and the geological column beneath it. The strategy has been developed on the basis of extensive practical experience gained during the use of an off-the-shelf 2D chirp system and, given the present state of this technology, it appears well suited to large-scale maritime archaeological mapping.

scholarly journals SELECTION OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY FOR TRACKING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS USING A FUZZY DECISION MODEL / BELAIDŽIO RYŠIO TECHNOLOGIJŲ ATRANKA STATYBINĖMS MEDŽIAGOMS STEBĖTI, TAIKANT NEAPIBRĖŽTŲJŲ AIBIŲ SPRENDIMO MODELĮ

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohua Jiang ◽  
Won-Suk Jang ◽  
Mirosław J. Skibniewski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Wireless Technologies ◽  
Scope Of Application ◽  
Fuzzy Decision Model ◽  
Specific Technology ◽  
Selection Of

As the size and scale of construction projects increase, inefficiencies related to the manual operations about field data in current tracking systems are becoming an important issue. While emerging wireless technologies are providing a feasible vision of ubiquitous computing and sensor networks applicable to the large-scale construction industry, it has become even harder to select a suitable technology for tracking construction materials because of the differing functionalities, capabilities, and scope of application of the specific technology. This research proposes a multi-criteria decision-making model that leverages the decision process in choosing various wireless technologies available on the market. To justify the selection of a specific technology, a fuzzy method was adopted to provide an appropriate way to decide among five alternatives (e.g., RFID, GPS, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and UWB). Fuzzy ranking was obtained from the aggregated fuzzy appropriate index (FAI) based on a person's point of view (optimist, pessimist, or neutral). The results showed that Wi-Fi might be a suitable solution for optimists and neutral persons, but UWB might be the better alternative for pessimists. The results of this research may assist construction engineers in applying reasonable decision-making procedures in a fuzzy environment such as construction sites, and rank the relative importance of the various criteria and alternatives specified in this research. Santrauka Augant statybos projektų mastui, rankinis dabartinių stebejimo sistemų duomenų apdorojimo neefektyvumas tampa svarbia problema. Nors naujos belaidžio ryšio technologijos gali sudaryti galimybę įvesti visur prieinamus kompiuterinius ir jutiklių tinklus, naudojamus plataus masto statybos pramonėje, tampa vis sudėtingiau pasirinkti tinkamas technologijas statybinėms medžiagoms stebėti, nes kiekviena technologija atlieka skirtingas funkcijas, skiriasi jų galimybės ir taikymo apimtis. Šiame tyrime siūlomas daugiakriterinis sprendimų priėmimo modelis, kuris, sprendimų priėmimo procesą pasirenkant rinkoje, siūlomas belaidžio ryšio technologijas išskaido į atskirus lygius. Siekiant pagrįsti tam tikros technologijos pasirinkimą, buvo pritaikytas neapibrežtųjų aibių metodas, pasirenkant geriausią technologiją iš penkių alternatyvų (t. y. RFID, GPS, Wi-Fi, Zigbee ir UWB technologijų). Neapibrežtumo rangas buvo gautas taikant agreguotą neapibrežtumo tinkamumo indeksą (FAI), atsižvelgiant į asmens požiūrį (optimistinis, pesimistinis ar neutralus). Gauti rezultatai parodė, kad Wi-Fi technologija yra tinkama optimistams ir neutraliems asmenims, o UWB technologija būtų geresnė alternatyva pesimistams. Šio tyrimo rezultatai gali padėti statybos inžinieriams priimti pagrįstus sprendimus neapibrėžtoje aplinkoje, tokioje kaip statybos aikštelės, ir suranguoti pagal svarbą įvairius kriterijus bei aptartas šiame tyrime alternatyvas.

Successful Moveable Bridges

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjeld Thomsen ◽  
Christian Riis Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Operation Time ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Hydraulic Systems ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Electrical Systems ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
Selection Of

<p>The present paper describes developments in the design of the most common types of movable bridges – Bascule bridges and Swing Bridges. The selection of design concepts is influenced by span, foundation conditions as well as environmental issues. Application of modern hydraulic systems and innovative bearing types for swing bridges facilitate the creation of outstanding designs. Recently built moveable bridges in Denmark exemplifies the trend and how application of modern technology and creativity can lead to outstanding solutions. There are many governing parameters such as the span, free opening height and loading conditions. Equally important issues such as surroundings, landscape, foundation conditions, requirement to low weight, achievable tolerances and from a mechanical point of view, the operation time. Risk assessment, mechanical- and electrical systems and the requirement to operation time and maintenance cost, will have influence on the selection of machinery and the architectural and structural design. For each of the moveable bridges described, it is shown how innovative application of modern bearing concepts and hydraulic systems can lead to elegant and cost-effective solutions.</p>

eHealth in cardiac rehabilitation

2020 ◽  
pp. 171-176
Author(s):  
Ines Frederix ◽  
Paul Dendale
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Rehabilitation ◽  
Progress Monitoring ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Sustained Delivery ◽  
Definition Of

TeleCR is an innovative and (cost-)effective preventive care delivery strategy that can overcome the challenges associated with traditional centre-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR). This chapter describes how it can be implemented in daily practice. From an organizational point of view, it implies a shift in traditional and operational workflows and reorganization of the (non-)human resources for care delivery. The establishment of a well-coordinated tele-team, the definition of clear goals, profound progress monitoring and follow-up, and the creation of an environment that promotes sustained delivery of teleCR are paramount. Tackling the current legal and technological challenges is another prerequisite for successful implementation.

A comparative study of greywater from domestic and public buildings

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Santos ◽  
C. Matos ◽  
F. Taveira-Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Correct Definition ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Definition Of

Greywater (GW) can be an important resource for urban water consumption, replacing potable water for purposes that do not require drinking water quality. If applied on a large scale, this practice will reduce the potable water demand and the wastewater produced in urban areas, minimizing the negative impacts and costs of water extraction and wastewater treatment. A correct characterization of GW is important to assess its potential for a direct reuse or, if not possible, to make a correct definition of a feasible and cost-effective treatment system. This article aims to contribute to the characterization of GW produced in washbasins and showers in domestic and public buildings. A compilation of several works on GW collection and sampling produced by the authors is presented. Samples were taken from GW produced in showers and washbasins in households, changing rooms and in a restaurant. Results are compared with values presented in similar studies and compared with standards and guidelines published in different countries.

Theory and Manufacturing Processes of Solar Nanoantenna Electromagnetic Collectors

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Kotter ◽  
S. D. Novack ◽  
W. D. Slafer ◽  
P. J. Pinhero
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optical Antenna ◽  
Technological Barriers ◽  
Large Scale Manufacture ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Optical Behavior ◽  
Effective Proof ◽  
Selection Of

The research described in this paper explores a new and efficient approach for producing electricity from the abundant energy of the sun, using nanoantenna (nantenna) electromagnetic collectors (NECs). NEC devices target midinfrared wavelengths, where conventional photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are inefficient and where there is an abundance of solar energy. The initial concept of designing NECs was based on scaling of radio frequency antenna theory to the infrared and visible regions. This approach initially proved unsuccessful because the optical behavior of materials in the terahertz (THz) region was overlooked and, in addition, economical nanofabrication methods were not previously available to produce the optical antenna elements. This paper demonstrates progress in addressing significant technological barriers including: (1) development of frequency-dependent modeling of double-feedpoint square spiral nantenna elements, (2) selection of materials with proper THz properties, and (3) development of novel manufacturing methods that could potentially enable economical large-scale manufacturing. We have shown that nantennas can collect infrared energy and induce THz currents and we have also developed cost-effective proof-of-concept fabrication techniques for the large-scale manufacture of simple square-loop nantenna arrays. Future work is planned to embed rectifiers into the double-feedpoint antenna structures. This work represents an important first step toward the ultimate realization of a low-cost device that will collect as well as convert this radiation into electricity. This could lead to a broadband, high conversion efficiency low-cost solution to complement conventional PV devices.

scholarly journals Diversity, Biodiversity, Conservation, and Sustainability

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 534-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Carlos Marques
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Active Expression ◽  
Sustainability Concept ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Cyclic Changes ◽  
External Intervention ◽  
The Way

The concepts of diversity and biodiversity are analysed regarding their historical emergence, and their intrinsic meaning and differences are discussed. Through a brief synopsis, difficulties usually experienced by statisticians in capturing the dynamics of diversity are analysed and main problems identified. The shift from diversity to the more holistic biodiversity as a working concept is appraised in terms of the novelty involved. Through a number of examples, the way the two concepts capture natural cyclic changes is analysed, and their reciprocal and complementary relations are approached theoretically. The way diversity could develop from the stores of biodiversity as its active expression through selective and evolutionary processes is described. Through the use of a very simple dynamic model, the concepts of diversity and biodiversity are analysed in extremely opposite hypothetical scenarios. Comparisons with natural situations are made and the theoretical implications from the conservation point of view are discussed. These support the opinion that conservation undertaken in restricted and protected areas is not self-sustainable, needing permanent external intervention to regulate internal processes, and in the long run will most probably lead in the direction of obsolescence and extinction. Finally, the relations between diversity, biodiversity, and sustainability are approached. The vagueness of the sustainability concept is discussed. Preservation of biodiversity is then defended as one of the best available indicators to assist us in fixing boundaries which may help to provide a more precise definition of sustainability.

A cost effective power meter for lift systems based on a novel definition of total power factor

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (14) ◽  
pp. 3899-3908
Author(s):  
Wai Lok Chan ◽  
Albert So
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Power Factor ◽  
Electrical Parameter ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Total Power ◽  
Data Sampling ◽  
Power Meter ◽  
Definition Of

Most lift systems are fed by a 3-Phase-3-Wire (3P3W) supply with unbalanced line currents and slightly unbalanced line voltages, as experienced by the authors. Then, power meters available in the market may not give a consistent total power factor (TPF), one important electrical parameter to describe how well the supply feeds its load for lift systems because existing definitions have not been developed to take care of such situations. The main problem is related to the estimation of the apparent power, S, of an unbalanced 3P3W system. A new definition mainly for 3P3W lift systems was previously proposed from the supply perspective, with a new method to convert the measurable three line voltages into hypothetical 3-phase voltages of such 3P3W system. This definition was recently adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in the latest building energy code. In this article, the following contributions are made. The method of conversion was shown to bear a special meaning in geometry, where the sum of magnitudes of the three hypothetical phase voltages is minimum. A new definition of TPF from the load point of view was proposed and compared with that from the supply point of view. For the sake of statutory implementation of the definition in Hong Kong, a new digital power meter specialized for a lift or escalator system was developed. Such power meter is of low cost and optimal design due to the use of only four channels of data sampling versus the six channels of meters commonly available in the market.

scholarly journals Nested pool testing strategy for the diagnosis of infectious diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés Armendáriz ◽  
Pablo A. Ferrari ◽  
Daniel Fraiman ◽  
José M. Martínez ◽  
Hugo G. Menzella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Digital Pcr ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Rna Quantification ◽  
Pooling Strategy ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Self Consistency

AbstractThe progress of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic requires the design of large-scale, cost-effective testing programs. Pooling samples provides a solution if the tests are sensitive enough. In this regard, the use of the gold standard, RT-qPCR, raises some concerns. Recently, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was shown to be 10–100 times more sensitive than RT-qPCR, making it more suitable for pooling. Furthermore, ddPCR quantifies the RNA content directly, a feature that, as we show, can be used to identify nonviable samples in pools. Cost-effective strategies require the definition of efficient deconvolution and re-testing procedures. In this paper we analyze the practical implementation of an efficient hierarchical pooling strategy for which we have recently derived the optimal, determining the best ways to proceed when there are impediments for the use of the absolute optimum or when multiple pools are tested simultaneously and there are restrictions on the throughput time. We also show how the ddPCR RNA quantification and the nested nature of the strategy can be combined to perform self-consistency tests for a better identification of infected individuals and nonviable samples. The studies are useful to those considering pool testing for the identification of infected individuals.

scholarly journals P. Kulish's "Ukraine" and folk dumas: linguistic and poetic analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 79-104
Author(s):  
Juliya Dyadyshcheva-Rosovetska
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Work Of Art ◽  
Poetic Tradition ◽  
Verbal Creativity ◽  
Literary Heritage ◽  
The Witch ◽  
The One ◽  
Xix Century ◽  
Selection Of

The article is devoted to the study of Panteleimon Kulish's search for a productive model of development of the new Ukrainian literary language and ways of its enrichment, in particular at the expense of the language of folklore as an inexhaustible source. A linguistic and poetic analysis of Panteleimon Kulish's large-scale work "Ukraine: From the Beginning of Ukraine to Khmelnytsky's Father" and its comparison with some elements of the linguopoetics of folk dumas of the classical repertoire are presented. The real problems that arise in P. Kulish’s creative work when he tries to achieve a harmonious combination of authentic folk thought words and expressions and stylized author's innovations are demonstrated. The article shows the difficulties in the artist's selection of colored ethnographically linguistic material needed to create a folklore duma's color. The shortcomings of combining the author's elements with fragments of real dumas within one work of art are revealed. This technique is compared with the approach of Taras Shevchenko, who turned to "stylization" or "improvisation" in the folk spirit (M. Kotsyubynska) and isolated the resulting structures structurally, putting in the mouths of certain characters - the Blind or the Witch. The fundamental difference in the approaches to verbal creativity is differentiated on the one hand by the bearer of the oral-poetic tradition, which is only within the possibilities of Ukrainian folklore, and on the other - by the artist of the XIX century - its user, who perceives the folklore tradition not "from within" but "from outside" and addresses the entire literary heritage - domestic and world, as well as folklore - his own and other peoples. The counterproductiveness of some authorial experiments of P. Kulish on dumas samples is illustrated. Their results cannot be considered satisfactory due to illogicality, low intellectual saturation or from an aesthetic point of view. A somewhat excessive exoticism of the author's innovations has been recorded, which attracts the reader's undue attention to them and distorts his perception of the artistic fabric of the poetic work. The question of the specifics of the experimental text of P. Kulish is formulated. What prevails here is the scientific reconstruction of lost fragments of true dumas, the restoration of time-destroyed parts of the national epic, or the demonstration of the author's creative ability to practice folklore improvisation in a work of art. Depending on the answers, a comprehensive assessment can be made.

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