This study makes an analysis on the modernization process across the Taiwan Straits by taking the garment industry as an example and probes into the background factors of modernization, key points of economic development at different stages, and the non-government exchange as well as economic and trade interaction between both sides of the Straits after Taiwan announced the policy of open-up to allow its citizens to visit their relatives in Mainland China. This article focuses on the analysis of the effects of investments made by the Taiwanese garment businessmen in Mainland China, which promote the transit trade and export of textile materials from Taiwan to Mainland China. After the garment industry of Mainland China becomes prosperous, the production of textile materials is insufficient to meet the demand of the garment industry. Consequently, a huge market is formed to attract the investments of Taiwanese textile industry in China, which not only benefits the textile industry of Taiwan, but also promotes the economic cooperation of both sides of the Taiwan Straits. It is possible that economic cooperation between Taiwan and Mainland China in manufacturing industries such as garment industry, etc. may ¡§spill-over¡¨ to direct ¡§three-links¡¨ between both sides of the Taiwan Straits. This in turn promotes the division of labor in the garment industry across the Straits and expand the bilateral trade and possible political interaction.

The safety of the Southeast Asian searway is facing more and more serious threat which includes pirate and sea terrorism. Those damage the economic and safety of the members of Association of Southeast Asia, however, each of the members doesn¡¦t have enough power to resist the enemy. When the members of the ASEAN start to solve the problems, the lack of technology and military ability make them dependant on the powerful states extra-Southeast Asia, besides, the limit of the three rules (equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of one another, and unanimity) of ASEAN also obstruct the regionalism. The research which surveys the official and unofficial documents, international organizations, and international law about piracy and sea terrorism finds that the members of ASEAN on the base of the same issue of common interests will cooperate by the way of spill-over. This proves that each members can cooperate from on single issue to form the regionalism.

The era of economic globalization drove by information technology, but global governing mechanism is still in progress, so regional and inter-regional cooperation are the most welcomed options to shape inter-state relations at present, inter alia, the inter-regional cooperation of European Union and ASEAN. This Research is based on neo-functionalism to analysis the ramification effects of interactions between European Union and ASEAN through the sector of natural resources, economic, trade, investment. and regional development. With the success on functional cooperation, European Union and ASEAN negotiate on the policies which may push the functional cooperation spill-over to political aspects, namely Comprehensive Partnership.

Green marketing has been a main topic of discussion for several years. Most studies conducted in this area have focused on the benefits of green marketing for a normal company. However, no studies have considered the effectiveness of green marketing by a negative brand like BP. This study aims to reveal the effectiveness of green marketing after pollution. An experiment was conducted to evaluate participants’ attitudes toward the marketing strategy. Although the results were not significant, some interesting findings were revealed and are addressed at the end of the paper. They imply that individuals with green awareness are less influenced by both green marketing and an economic-assistance strategy in BP’s case, compared to individuals with lower green awareness. Overall, all participants in this study preferred the economic-assistance strategy, which means that green marketing is not effective for a corporation involved in pollution issues. / text

After emergencies involving chemical spills it is of great importance that correct measures are taken with short notice, both for the security of people and in order to minimize future environmental consequences. The RIB-unit at the Swedish Rescue Services Agency initiated this study, the aim of which is to propose changes to the existing chemical transport calculation tool: Chemical Spill 3.4, included in RIB - Integrated Decision Support for Civil Protection, so that it can be used for decision support as well as in preventive work. A rough estimation of chemical transport in the subsurface is considered being of great importance when making decisions during emergency response operations. The proposition presented in this report is a non site specific chemical transport model which is designed to give a rough estimation of NAPL flow in homogenous isotropic soil shortly after an instantaneous release. The model can be used at two levels; both in situations without access to information on subsurface properties, and with more accuracy in situations with knowledge of the included parameters. For that reason the user can choose among predefined alternatives or assign the parameters a numeric value to increase the quality of the model output. The predefined alternatives are represented by default values for different parameters in the model. Suggested model output are vertical and horizontal transport of NAPL phase, horizontal transport of dissolved chemical in the aqueous phase, as well as the amounts of spill that are evaporated and entrapped in the soil, all at the time specified by the user. Moreover the maximum transport of the chemical phase and time to groundwater pollution are given. To make the uncertainty of the model clear for the user the results are given as the most likely value together with the smallest and largest values that can be expected. Equations presented in this report describe a selection of subsurface processes which occur after a release of chemicals. The selection is made with the aim to reach satisfying result when the model is used within its domain without making the model complicated for the user. Therefore simplifying assumptions have been made in the descriptions of some processes while some other processes are neglected. Simplifications have been based on recognized references or on theoretical arguments, but the overall performance of the model as well as some of the default input parameters need to be further tested and validated before the new version of the model can be included in RIB. However, compared with the existing version Chemical Spill 3.4 several changes have been suggested; including additional processes, development of default values and making model uncertainty clear to the user. These changes are thought to significantly improve the existing model. / Vid olyckor med kemikalieutsläpp är det av stor vikt att rätt åtgärder snabbt vidtas, både för människors säkerhet och för att minimera framtida miljökonsekvenser. Räddningsverkets RIB-enhet initierade den här studien vars mål är att ge förslag på modellteknisk förbättring av det befintliga beräkningsprogrammet Kemspill Mark 3.4, som ingår i programpaketet RIB - Integrerat beslutsstöd för skydd mot olyckor, så att det i framtiden kan användas som beslutsstöd vid räddningsinsats efter kemikalieutsläpp samt vid förebyggande planeringsarbete. En grov vägledning om kemikaliens spridning anses vara av stor betydelse för att räddningstjänsten ska kunna fatta rätt beslut vid en insats. Förslaget som presenteras i denna rapport är en icke platsspecifik spridningsmodell anpassad för vätskor med begränsad löslighet i vatten och ger en grov uppskattning av spridning i homogen och isotrop mark inom några timmar efter ett momentant utsläpp. Modellen ska kunna användas på två nivåer; för att ge en mycket grov uppskattning av spridningen även utan tillgång på uppgifter om markegenskaper, samt med större noggrannhet då informationen finns. Med anledning av detta kommer användaren ges möjlighet att välja bland fördefinierade alternativ eller att ange indata numeriskt för att öka noggrannheten. De fördefinierade valen representeras av typvärden för olika parametrar i modellen. Den nya modellen i förslaget ger vid angiven tid vertikal och horisontell spridning av fri kemikaliefas, horisontell spridning av löst förorening i vattenfas samt hur stor andel av utsläppet som hålls kvar i marken respektive har avdunstat från spillytan. Dessutom anges kemikaliefasens maximala spridning och hur lång tid det tar för utsläppet att nå grundvattnet. För att tydliggöra modellens osäkerhet för användaren ges utdata som det mest sannolika värdet tillsammans med det största och minsta värdet som är sannolikt. Ekvationerna som presenteras i rapporten beskriver ett urval av de processer som sker i marken vid ett kemikalieutsläpp. Urvalet har gjorts med utgångspunkt att uppnå tillfredställande resultat inom modellens domän utan att komplicera för användaren och därmed har förenklande antaganden gjorts för att beskriva vissa förlopp medan andra försummats helt. Förenklingarna har grundats på vedertagna referenser eller på teoretiskt resonemang. Validering av modellresultat samt vissa typvärdens intervall krävs före inkludering i RIB. Jämfört med det befintliga Kemspill Mark 3.4 har dock stora förändringar föreslagits; fler processer inkluderas, typvärden utvecklas och modellens osäkerhet görs tydlig för användaren. Förändringar tros medföra en signifikant förbättring av modellen.

Drawing on social movement literature, my thesis examines if news media, NGO, business and government engagement of the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico is affected by issue or event complexity, visuality, or issue build-up. To engage this, data from English language newspaper articles in the US, Canada, and the UK, press releases by Greenpeace and Sierra Club, press releases by BP, ExxonMobil, and Shell as well as press releases by the White House are analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. I find that as an issue or event’s casual narrative becomes less complicated and as it becomes easier to portray visually its engagement by social and political actors increases. I also find that issue engagement is influenced by whether or not social and political actors signal an issue or an event’s importance to others.

This thesis deals with the appropriate handling of spatial data in general, and in particular in the framework of economic sciences. An overview of well known methods from the field of spatial statistics and spatial econometrics is given. Furthermore a special class of spatial objects is described, namely objects that are that far apart from all other observations in the dataset, that they are not connected to them anymore. Different treatments of such objects are suggested and their influence on the Moran's I test for spatial autocorrelation is analyzed in more detail. After this theoretical part some adequate spatial methods are applied to the well-known problem of R&D spillovers. The corresponding dataset is not obviously spatial, nevertheless spatial methods can be used. The spatial contiguity matrix is based on an economic distance measure instead of the commonly used geographic distances. Finally, optimal design theory and spatial analysis are combined via a new criterion. This criterion was developed to be able to take a potential spatial dependency of the data points into account. The aim is to find the best design points that show the same spatial dependence structure as the true population. (author's abstract)

Darbo eigoje siekiama išanalizuoti automatinės naftos dėmių atpažinimo sistemos (kuri remtųsi „Fuzzy“ klasifikatoriumi ir analizuotų radaro ir radiometro duomenis) egzistavimo galimybes ir parinkti optimaliausius metodų bei jų parametrų rinkinius. Šiam tikslui realizuoti sukurta eksperimentinė naftos dėmių atpažinimo sistema, galinti be vartotojo įsiterpimo analizuoti duomenis. Eksperimentų metu buvo nustatyti optimalūs duomenų interpretavimo, apdorojimo bei klasifikavimo metodai ir parinkti kiek įmanoma universalesni šių metodų parametrai. Sistemos efektyvumui išanalizuoti parinkti trys skirtingi metodų rinkiniai ir testinės duomenų sekos su naftos dėmėmis ir be jų. Atlikus šią analizę buvo pastebėta, kad taikant įvairius pasirinktų metodų rinkinius, tikrosios naftos dėmės atpažinimo rezultatai gavosi neprieštaringi. Esminis skirtumas tarp įvairių taikytų metodų rinkinių rezultatų buvo klaidinančių objektų pašalinimo kokybė. Taigi, galima teigti, kad taikant atitinkamą metodų rinkinį bei detaliai sukūrus „Fuzzy“ klasifikatoriaus taisyklių aibę automatinės naftos dėmių atpažinimo sistemos egzistavimas yra realus. / In the course of the work the possibilities of automatic oil spills identification system, based on radar and radiometer data and "Fuzzy" classification, where analyzed. The optimal identification methods and sets of their parameters where chosen. In the present theses the oils spills identification system, capable to analyze radar and radiometer data without user’s interruption was created. Testing different identification methods, the set of the optimal methods for data interpretation, clasification, and treatment was chosen. To test system efficiency, three different sets of identification methods and radar data where analyzed: both with oil spills and without them. The analysis indicated that all investigated methods where able to identify the real oil spill. The main difference between investigated methods is in the ability to filter additional objects. In conclusion: applying appropriate set of identification methods and using carefully deviced set of "Fuzzy" classificator rules, the creation of automatic oil spills identification system is possible.

In April 2010, approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil were accidentally released into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon Macondo Mc252 Oil Spill. Some of the surface oil was carried by prevailing winds and currents and reached the coast of Louisiana impacting marsh and marine ecosystems. One and a half years after this incident, a set of oiled marsh samples (2 grab samples) coupled with nearby subtidal and intertidal cores (12 cores) were collected from Barataria Bay, Louisiana to determine the probable source of petroleum residues present and to characterize the chemical composition of the oil. Plus, pre-spill core which was collected from Barataria Bay in 2007 was analyzed to identify the background hydrocarbon composition of the area. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), biomarker, and stable carbon isotope compositions of selected samples were detected using a GC-MS and an elemental analyzer Conflo system coupled to a DeltaPlusXP isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The comprehensive chemical data allowed us to classify the pre and post-spill samples into 4 Groups. According to this classification, Group 1 and Group 2 samples had the highest concentrations of petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. Group 3 and background samples, on the other hand, was dominated by biogenic signatures. Although a direct connection between the detected and spilled Macondo oils results are complicated due to confounding factors (e.g., already present hydrocarbons and weathering processes), our biomarker data indicates that both oils have similar signatures. This close genetic relationship was also identified by stable carbon isotope analysis. The impact of the Macondo Mc252 Oil Spill in Barataria Bay appears to be limited to areas closer to the source. The oil has undergone moderate weathering and has penetrated into, the at least, the top 9 cm sediments. Additionally, to examine the decadal-scale history of sedimentation in these marshes, a sediment core was analyzed for the radioisotope 137Cs. The observed sedimentation rate of 0.39 cm/yr shows that oil pollutant input into Barataria Bay has been ongoing for at least 50-60 years.

The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) onboard Earth observing satellites has been acknowledged as an integral tool for many applications in monitoring the marine environment. Some of these applications include regional sea-ice monitoring and detection of illegal or accidental oil discharges from ships. Nonetheless, a practicality of the usage of SAR images is greatly hindered by the presence of speckle noises. Such noise must be eliminated or reduced to be utilized in real-world applications to ensure the safety of the marine environment. Thus this thesis presents a novel two-phase total variation optimization segmentation approach to tackle such a challenging task. In the total variation optimization phase, the Rudin-Osher-Fatemi total variation model was modified and implemented iteratively to estimate the piecewise smooth state by minimizing the total variation constraints. In the finite mixture model classification phase, an expectation-maximization method was performed to estimate the final class likelihoods using a Gaussian mixture model. Then a maximum likelihood classification technique was utilized to obtain the final segmented result. For its evaluation, a synthetic image was used to test its effectiveness. Then it was further applied to two distinct real SAR images, X-band COSMO-SkyMed imagery containing verified oil-spills and C-band RADARSAT-2 imagery mainly containing two different sea-ice types to confirm its robustness. Furthermore, other well-established methods were compared with the proposed method to ensure its performance. With the advantage of a short processing time, the visual inspection and quantitative analysis including kappa coefficients and F1 scores of segmentation results confirm the superiority of the proposed method over other existing methods.