Climate change poses a profound threat to mountain agro-ecosystems,particularly in the Himalayan region of West Bengal,India,by disrupting precipitation patterns,increasing temperature variability,and intensifying ext...Climate change poses a profound threat to mountain agro-ecosystems,particularly in the Himalayan region of West Bengal,India,by disrupting precipitation patterns,increasing temperature variability,and intensifying extreme weather events.Despite growing evidence of climate change impacts,there remains a critical research gap in understanding how socioeconomic factors drive farmers' adaptation strategies to climate change in this vulnerable region.This study examines how farmers in the Himalayan region of West Bengal,India,perceived and responded to the growing impacts of climate change on mountain agro-ecosystems.Drawing on cross-sectional data from 370 farm households selected through multistage sampling,the research employs a combination of analytical tools,including the severity index(SI) to assess farmers' perceptions to climate change,the adaptation index(AI) to evaluate adaptive responses,the Garrett's ranking technique to prioritize constraints,and the ordered logistic regression to identify key socioeconomic drivers of adaptation.Findings reveal a high level of climate awareness among farmers,particularly regarding the increase in weather extremes(SI=74.87%),increase in temperature(SI=72.31%),and irregular rainfall patterns and highly erratic rainfall(SI=62.52%).The most commonly adopted strategies include adopting intercropping and mixed cropping systems(AI=0.613),adoption of the integrated farming system model(AI=0.600),and shift towards non-farm employment(AI=0.608),while the adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties and improved irrigation remains limited.Regression analysis highlights that education(regression coefficient=0.38),average landholding size(regression coefficient=1.21),and access to daily weather forecast information(regression coefficient=1.92) significantly promote adaptive behaviour,whereas age(regression coefficient= –0.09) and gender(regression coefficient= –0.76) are negatively associated.Institutional constraints,particularly unavailability of institutional credit,emerge as primary barriers.The study underscores the urgent need for region-specific,inclusive policy frameworks that enhance climate advisory services,support technology dissemination,and empower marginalized groups in the Himalayan region of West Bengal.By fostering informed,equitable,and resilient agricultural systems,these strategies can significantly strengthen the adaptive capacity of mountain farming communities and contribute to sustainable development under a changing climate.展开更多
An improved adaptive genetic algorithm is presented in this paper. It primarily includes two modified methods： one is novel adaptive probabilities of crossover and mutation, the other is truncated selection approach....An improved adaptive genetic algorithm is presented in this paper. It primarily includes two modified methods： one is novel adaptive probabilities of crossover and mutation, the other is truncated selection approach. This algorithm has been validated to be superior to the simple genetic algorithm （SGA） by a complicated binary testing function. Then the proposed algorithm is applied to optimizing the planar retrodirective array to reduce the cost of the hardware. The fitness function is discussed in the optimization example. After optimization, the sparse planar retrodirective antenna array keeps excellent retrodirectivity, while the array architecture has been simplified by 34%. The optimized antenna array can replace uniform full array effectively. Results show that this work will gain more engineering benefits in practice.展开更多
Climate change has major impacts on the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.The unpredictable weather conditions in rural Nepal have been attributed to a changing climate.This study explored the climate change...Climate change has major impacts on the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.The unpredictable weather conditions in rural Nepal have been attributed to a changing climate.This study explored the climate change adaptation and coping strategies that rural communities adopt for the conservation of natural resources and livelihoods in the mid-hills of Nepal.This paper explored major climatic hazards,assessed different coping and adaptation measures,and barrier faced to climate change adaptation based on perceptions by forest-dependent communities.We conducted focus group discussions,questionnaire surveys,and semistructured interviews with local communities and stakeholders.The results showed that rural communities had experienced significant impacts of climate change and variability.In response,they are practicing diverse coping and adaptation strategies,including the construction of bioengineering structures and planting different species that grow quickly and establish promptly.展开更多
The dramatic tropical cyclone(TC)damages in coastal areas around the world have gained significant attention from asset owners,policy makers and engineers.The estimate of TC damage for a specific region of interest is...The dramatic tropical cyclone(TC)damages in coastal areas around the world have gained significant attention from asset owners,policy makers and engineers.The estimate of TC damage for a specific region of interest is informative of the preparedness and resilience of the area subjected to TC hazards,and thus should be conducted using a quantitative approach.A reasonable indicator of TC damage should incorporate not only the TC characteristics(e.g.,intensity,frequency and duration)but also the vulnerability of the TC-prone areas.In this paper,a new indicator is proposed to measure the TC threat,which takes into account both the TC characteristics and the vulnerability of the area.The indicator has two forms:the first one considers the maximum wind speed only and the second incorporates the integrated wind speed profile.The historical damage scenarios along the US East Coast,as well as those in Hong Kong,China,are examined to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed indicator.Results show that the proposed indicator is capable of representing the impact of TC wind field profile on the TC damage costs.The proposed indicator could be further used to project the future TC damages for areas subjected to TC hazards.展开更多
This paper discusses the factors influencing Chinese energy intensity from 1980 to 2003 based on adaptive weighting Divisia index method and the analyzing results are different in different phase. In period of 1980～1...This paper discusses the factors influencing Chinese energy intensity from 1980 to 2003 based on adaptive weighting Divisia index method and the analyzing results are different in different phase. In period of 1980～1990, both the structure factor and the technology factor effected positively Chinese energy intensity＇s fall but the former became inefficacy and even turned out to be negative in 1991～2001 meanwhile the later factor strengthened its function. After 2001, the two factors promoted Chinese energy intensity＇s rising together. The conclusion is given in the end.展开更多
文摘Climate change poses a profound threat to mountain agro-ecosystems,particularly in the Himalayan region of West Bengal,India,by disrupting precipitation patterns,increasing temperature variability,and intensifying extreme weather events.Despite growing evidence of climate change impacts,there remains a critical research gap in understanding how socioeconomic factors drive farmers' adaptation strategies to climate change in this vulnerable region.This study examines how farmers in the Himalayan region of West Bengal,India,perceived and responded to the growing impacts of climate change on mountain agro-ecosystems.Drawing on cross-sectional data from 370 farm households selected through multistage sampling,the research employs a combination of analytical tools,including the severity index(SI) to assess farmers' perceptions to climate change,the adaptation index(AI) to evaluate adaptive responses,the Garrett's ranking technique to prioritize constraints,and the ordered logistic regression to identify key socioeconomic drivers of adaptation.Findings reveal a high level of climate awareness among farmers,particularly regarding the increase in weather extremes(SI=74.87%),increase in temperature(SI=72.31%),and irregular rainfall patterns and highly erratic rainfall(SI=62.52%).The most commonly adopted strategies include adopting intercropping and mixed cropping systems(AI=0.613),adoption of the integrated farming system model(AI=0.600),and shift towards non-farm employment(AI=0.608),while the adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties and improved irrigation remains limited.Regression analysis highlights that education(regression coefficient=0.38),average landholding size(regression coefficient=1.21),and access to daily weather forecast information(regression coefficient=1.92) significantly promote adaptive behaviour,whereas age(regression coefficient= –0.09) and gender(regression coefficient= –0.76) are negatively associated.Institutional constraints,particularly unavailability of institutional credit,emerge as primary barriers.The study underscores the urgent need for region-specific,inclusive policy frameworks that enhance climate advisory services,support technology dissemination,and empower marginalized groups in the Himalayan region of West Bengal.By fostering informed,equitable,and resilient agricultural systems,these strategies can significantly strengthen the adaptive capacity of mountain farming communities and contribute to sustainable development under a changing climate.
文摘An improved adaptive genetic algorithm is presented in this paper. It primarily includes two modified methods： one is novel adaptive probabilities of crossover and mutation, the other is truncated selection approach. This algorithm has been validated to be superior to the simple genetic algorithm （SGA） by a complicated binary testing function. Then the proposed algorithm is applied to optimizing the planar retrodirective array to reduce the cost of the hardware. The fitness function is discussed in the optimization example. After optimization, the sparse planar retrodirective antenna array keeps excellent retrodirectivity, while the array architecture has been simplified by 34%. The optimized antenna array can replace uniform full array effectively. Results show that this work will gain more engineering benefits in practice.
文摘Climate change has major impacts on the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.The unpredictable weather conditions in rural Nepal have been attributed to a changing climate.This study explored the climate change adaptation and coping strategies that rural communities adopt for the conservation of natural resources and livelihoods in the mid-hills of Nepal.This paper explored major climatic hazards,assessed different coping and adaptation measures,and barrier faced to climate change adaptation based on perceptions by forest-dependent communities.We conducted focus group discussions,questionnaire surveys,and semistructured interviews with local communities and stakeholders.The results showed that rural communities had experienced significant impacts of climate change and variability.In response,they are practicing diverse coping and adaptation strategies,including the construction of bioengineering structures and planting different species that grow quickly and establish promptly.
基金The research described in this paper was supported by the Vice-Chancellors Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the University of Wollongong.
文摘The dramatic tropical cyclone(TC)damages in coastal areas around the world have gained significant attention from asset owners,policy makers and engineers.The estimate of TC damage for a specific region of interest is informative of the preparedness and resilience of the area subjected to TC hazards,and thus should be conducted using a quantitative approach.A reasonable indicator of TC damage should incorporate not only the TC characteristics(e.g.,intensity,frequency and duration)but also the vulnerability of the TC-prone areas.In this paper,a new indicator is proposed to measure the TC threat,which takes into account both the TC characteristics and the vulnerability of the area.The indicator has two forms:the first one considers the maximum wind speed only and the second incorporates the integrated wind speed profile.The historical damage scenarios along the US East Coast,as well as those in Hong Kong,China,are examined to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed indicator.Results show that the proposed indicator is capable of representing the impact of TC wind field profile on the TC damage costs.The proposed indicator could be further used to project the future TC damages for areas subjected to TC hazards.
文摘This paper discusses the factors influencing Chinese energy intensity from 1980 to 2003 based on adaptive weighting Divisia index method and the analyzing results are different in different phase. In period of 1980～1990, both the structure factor and the technology factor effected positively Chinese energy intensity＇s fall but the former became inefficacy and even turned out to be negative in 1991～2001 meanwhile the later factor strengthened its function. After 2001, the two factors promoted Chinese energy intensity＇s rising together. The conclusion is given in the end.
