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Modern society faces major environmental problems, but there are many difficulties in studying the nature–human relationship from an integral psychosocial perspective. We propose the ecomind sponge conceptual framework, based on the mindsponge theory of information processing. We present a systematic method to examine the nature–human relationship with conceptual frameworks of system boundaries, selective exchange, and adaptive optimization. The theoretical mechanisms were constructed based on principles and new evidence in natural sciences. The core mechanism of ecomindsponge is the subjective sphere of influence, which is the limited mental representation of information received from and processed based on the objective sphere of influence–actual interactions in reality. The subjective sphere is the sum of two sub-spheres: influencing (proactive) and being influenced (reactive). Maladaptation in thinking and behavior of the mind as an information collection-cum-processor results from the deviation of the subjective sphere from reality, which includes two main types: “stupidity” and “delusion”. Using Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics on a dataset of 535 urban residents, we provide consistent statistical evidence on the proposed properties of subjective spheres. The dynamic framework of ecomindsponge can be used flexibly and practically for environmental research as well as other psychosocial fields.

Let (Bn) be an increasing sequence of regions in d-dimensional space with volume n and with union Rd. We prove a general central limit theorem for functionals of point sets, obtained either by restricting a homogeneous Poisson process to Bn, or by by taking n uniformly distributed points in Bn. The sets Bncould be all cubes but a more general class of regions Bnis considered. Using this general result we obtain central limit theorems for specific functionals such as total edge length and number of components, defined in terms of graphs such as the k-nearest neighbors graph, the sphere of influence graph and the Voronoi graph.

Using a coupling argument, we establish a general weak law of large numbers for functionals of binomial point processes in d-dimensional space, with a limit that depends explicitly on the (possibly nonuniform) density of the point process. The general result is applied to the minimal spanning tree, the k-nearest neighbors graph, the Voronoi graph and the sphere of influence graph. Functionals of interest include total edge length with arbitrary weighting, number of vertices of specified degree and number of components. We also obtain weak laws of large numbers for functionals of marked point processes, including statistics of Boolean models.

With recent technological advancements, advanced communication technology, sensors and distributed generation (DG), it is an undeniable fact that modern power systems are flooded with massive amounts of data. These vast amount of generated data are difficult to interpret and comprehend, and are slow to sort through and explain. With ever increasing renewable power generation, grid operators should gain insights on identifying the vulnerabilities, behaviour and interactions of various power system components and anticipate challenges to enhance power system resiliency. Visualisation offers a means to reveal patterns, trends and connections in data that speed up and present information to a power system operator in a way that can be well understood topographically and provide an ability to accommodate increasing DG resources. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive literature review of several visualisation techniques that can be embedded for improving operational efficiency and resiliency in modern power grids embedded with distributed and renewable energy resources.

This article explores the origins and development of contacts between India and Mongolia, which go back thousands of years. This ancient relationship accounts for the many similarities between the cultures of the two countries and the spread of Buddhism to the latter and the surrounding regions. In modern times, they have been strengthening relations and this paper proposes various measures to build on the shared heritage and advocates a policy of “India for world Buddhism” to project soft power.

This article depicts the common geo climatic heritage of the South Asian Indian Ocean region and pleads for the recreation of the ancient Indian Ocean economic commonwealth, which for many centuries bound Africa's east coast to India, Indochina and the indonesian archipelago by trade, tin and spice routes and cultural exchanges. The strategic position and the natural resources of that vast area could raise it again to high levels of influence and prosperity.

In this paper, the lunar gravity assist (LGA) orbits starting from the Earth are investigated in the Sun–Earth–Moon–spacecraft restricted four-body problem (RFBP). First of all, the sphere of influence of the Earth–Moon system (SOIEM) is derived. Numerical calculation displays that inside the SOIEM, the effect of the Sun on the LGA orbits is quite small, but outside the SOIEM, the Sun perturbation can remarkably influence the trend of the LGA orbit. To analyze the effect of the Sun, the RFBP outside the SOIEM is approximately replaced by a planar circular restricted three-body problem, where, in the latter case, the Sun and the Earth–Moon barycenter act as primaries. The stable manifolds associated with the libration point orbit and their Poincaré sections on the SOIEM are applied to investigating the LGA orbit. According to our research, the patched LGA orbits on the Poincaré sections can efficiently distinguish the transit LGA orbits from the non-transit LGA orbits under the RFBP. The former orbits can pass through the region around libration point away from the SOIEM, but the latter orbits will bounce back to the SOIEM. Besides, the stable transit probability is defined and analyzed. According to the variant requirement of the space mission, the results obtained can help us select the LGA orbit and the launch window.

In the last several decades a diverse movement has emerged that seeks to extend the accountability for human rights beyond governments and states, to businesses. Though the view that business has human rights responsibilities has attracted a great deal of positive attention, this view continues to face many reservations and unresolved questions. Business ethicists have responded in a twofold manner. First, they have tried to formulate the general terms or frameworks within which the discussion might best proceed. Second, they have sought to answer several questions that these different frameworks pose: A. What are human rights and how justify one’s defence of them?; B. Who is responsible for human rights? What justifies their extension to business?; and C. What are the general features of business’s human rights responsibilities? Are they mandatory or voluntary? How are the specific human rights responsibilities of business to be determined? Within the limited space of this article, this article seeks to critically examine where the discussion of these issues presently stands and what has been the contribution of business ethicists.

Systematic surveys of the distribution of epibenthic megafaunal species relative to one another and to environmental variables in the deep sea can lead to inferences and testable hypotheses regarding factors that influence their distributions. Here we use a seascape approach to provide insight into the character and spatial extent of the influence of a chemosynthetic seep on the distribution of epibenthic megafauna and the nature of transition zones (ecotones). Faunal distributions were determined from georeferenced images of the seabed collected during a systematic survey (~ 400 m x 400 m) by the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Sentry in the vicinity of a newly discovered methane bubble plume on the Blake Ridge Diapir. The survey area was found to include both seep and non-seep habitats. The sphere of influence of seep productivity on the surrounding benthic megafaunal assemblage was limited—on the order of 10’s of meters—based on ecotone analysis. Small but detectable redox anomalies in the water column (5 m above bottom) in the study area occurred on a similar horizontal scale. Distributions of background megafaunal taxa were non-random for many morphotypes and included both positive and negative associations between morphotypes and the seep habitat. Subtle variations in depth (<6 m) correlated with distributions of seep-associated vesicomyid clams, which occupy shallow depressions in the seabed. The seep habitat itself, comprising a patchy mosaic of megafaunal sub-communities (e.g., clam bed, mussel bed, background soft-sediment bathyal taxa) and transition zones, was at least as diverse as the surrounding non-seep habitat and contributes seep endemic morphotypes to regional biodiversity. While seep productivity may support prey fields for deep-diving beaked whales, any relationship between the seeps and whale feeding areas remains intriguing speculation. Like many other regions of the deep sea, Blake Ridge South has accumulated marine litter, including litter likely originating from scientific endeavors. The suite of observations and analyses deployed here underscore the importance of seep habitats in enriching regional biodiversity, provide a glimpse of the non-random complexity of species distributions from a seascape perspective, and establish ecological baselines against which future studies may measure natural and anthropogenic changes in the seascape.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are engaged in a strenuous competition in the Middle East to protect and promote their respective spheres of influence, to each other’s detriment. This qualitative study traces the structural sources of this competition while taking cue from the history. It argues that demise of Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s plunging into civil war, and Arab Spring leading to violent movements in Syria, Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen accentuated Saudi–Iran competition in the region. Study finds that the sources of their rivalry lie at structural level and can be understood by focusing upon their aspiration for the Muslim world leadership, religio-sectarianism, antithetical governance structure, and Iranian nuclear program.