279 research outputs found
NGOs and the search for Chinese civil society environmental non-governmental organisations in the Nujiang campaign
No full textvoluntary organizations; nonprofit organizations; grass roots groups; environmentalism; civil society; advocacy; China;
Status of the retrieval of bio- and geo-physical parameters from SAR data for land applications
No full textIdentity and Space on the Borderland between Old and New in Shanghai: A Case Study
No full textChina's urban geography has been dramatically altered over the past three decades. The co-presence of splinters in urban fabric-contrasting and continuously changing in terms of condition, use, and socio-cultural consistency-is symptomatic for theShanghai, intraurban borderland, urban restructuring, rural-to-urban migration,
Forest canopy height and carbon estimation at Monks Wood National Nature Reserve, UK, using dual-wavelength SAR interferometry
No full textForest canopy height is a critical parameter in better quantifying the terrestrial carbon cycle. It can be used to estimate aboveground biomass and carbon pools stored in the vegetation, and predict timber yield for forest management. Polarimetric SAR interferometry (PolInSAR) uses polarimetric separation of scattering phase centers derived from interferometry to estimate canopy height. A limitation of PolInSAR is that it relies on sufficient scattering phase center separation at each pixel to be able to derive accurate forest canopy height estimates. The effect of wavelength-dependent penetration depth into the canopy is known to be strong, and could potentially lead to a better height separation than relying on polarization combinations at one wavelength alone. Here we present a new method for canopy height mapping using dual-wavelength SAR interferometry (InSAR) at X- and L-band. The method is based on the scattering phase center separation at different wavelengths. It involves the generation of a smoothed interpolated terrain elevation model underneath the forest canopy from repeat-pass L-band InSAR data. The terrain model is then used to remove the terrain component from the single-pass X-band interferometric surface height to estimate forest canopy height. The ability of L-band to map terrain height under vegetation relies on sufficient spatial heterogeneity of the density of scattering elements that scatter L-band electromagnetic waves within each resolution cell. The method is demonstrated with airborne X-band VV polarized single-pass and L-band HH polarized repeat-pass SAR interferometry using data acquired by the E-SAR sensor over Monks Wood National Nature Reserve, UK. This is one of the first radar studies of a semi-natural deciduous woodland that exhibits considerable spatial heterogeneity of vegetation type and density. The canopy height model is validated using airborne imaging LIDAR data acquired by the Environment Agency. The rmse of the LIDAR canopy height estimates compared to theodolite data is 2.15 m (relative error 17.6%). The rmse of the dual-wavelength InSAR-derived canopy height model compared to LIDAR is 3.49 m (relative error 28.5%). From the canopy height maps carbon pools are estimated using allometric equations. The results are compared to a field survey of carbon pools and rmse values are presented. The dual-wavelength InSAR method could potentially be delivered from a spaceborne constellation similar to the TerraSAR system
3D modelling of forest canopy structure for remote sensing simulations in the optical and microwave domain
Incentives
No full textWe model organization as the command-and-communication network of managers erected on top of technology (which is modeled as a collection of plants). In our framework, the role of a manager is to deal with shocks that affect the plants that he oversees directly or indirectly. Organizational form is then an instrument for (a) economizing on managerial costs, and (b) providing managerial incentives. We show that two particular organizational forms, the M-form (multi-divisional form) and the U-form (unitary form), are the optimal structures when shocks are sufficiently "big". We argue however that, under certain empirical assumptions, the M-form is likely to be strictly preferable once incentives are taken into account. We conclude by showing that the empirical hypotheses on which this comparison rests are satisfied for Chinese data.
China’s core executive Leadership styles, structures and processes under Xi Jinping
No full textSince Xi Jinping took the reins of the Chinese Communist Party and as President of the People’s Republic of China, the country’s domestic and foreign politics have undergone considerable changes. China has become more assertive as an international actor. It has launched new diplomatic initiatives centring on large infrastructure projects, while at the same time contributing to tense relations with many of its neighbouring countries. At home, several pieces of security-related legislation have further constrained the activities of both domestic as well as foreign civil actors. Participating scholars’ expertise covers a wide variety of issue areas, ranging from economic policy making to cyberspace politics, and from societal control to military modernization. MERICS Paper on China No. 1 - “China’s core executive: leadership styles, structures and processes under Xi Jinping” is an essay collection which offers the most comprehensive, authoritative and up-to-date account of the changes to China’s core executive under Xi Jinping through its analysis of developments in different policy areas. One observation is dominant – China has moved in further in the direction of top-down, autocratic policy making. The authors – among them renowned experts such as Roderick Mac Farquhar, Barry Naughton, Joseph Fewsmith, You Ji, Victor Shih, and Anthony Saich – discuss the effects of this on current policymaking and policy outcomes, as well as offering a thought-provoking look into the future. What happens if Xi Jinping fails with his overall reform agenda? What if he succeeds in strengthening the control of the party and in restructuring the Chinese economy? Will China’s IT-backed authoritarianism act as a model and spread to other countries, challenging Western democratic modes of governance? Whatever the future holds, such developments will have implications not only for China, but for all its close economic and political partners
The Application of Australian Rights Protections to the Use of Hepatitis C Notification Data to Engage People 'Lost to Follow Up'
No full textHepatitis C is a global public health threat, affecting 56 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization has committed to eliminating hepatitis C by 2030. Although new treatments have revolutionised the treatment and care of people with hepatitis C, treatment uptake has slowed in recent years, drawing attention to the need for innovative approaches to reach elimination targets. One approach involves using existing notifiable disease data to contact people previously diagnosed with hepatitis C. Within these disease surveillance systems, however, competing tensions exist, including protecting individual rights to privacy and autonomy, and broader public health goals. We explore these issues using hepatitis C and Australia's legislative and regulatory frameworks as a case study. We examine emerging uses of notification data to contact people not yet treated, and describe some of the ethical dilemmas associated with the use and non-use of this data and the protections that exist to preserve individual rights and public health. We reveal weaknesses in rights protections and processes under Australian public health and human rights legislation and argue for consultation with and involvement of affected communities in policy and intervention design before notification data is used to increase hepatitis C treatment coverage
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