Investigation of initiation of gigantic jets connecting thunderclouds to the ionosphere

The initiation of giant electrical discharges called as "gigantic jets" connecting thunderclouds to the ionosphere is investigated by numerical simulation method in this paper. Using similarity relations, the triggering conditions of streamer formation in laboratory situations are extended to form a criterion of initiation of gigantic jets. The energy source causing a gigantic jet is considered due to the quasi-electrostatic field generated by thunderclouds. The electron dynamics from ionization threshold to streamer initiation are simulated by the Monte Carlo technique. It is found that gigantic jets are initiated at a height of ~18-24 km. This is in agreement with the observations. The method presented in this paper could be also applied to the analysis of the initiation of other discharges such as blue jets and red sprites.Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004, Nice (France

Project 0907: INTREPID – Enhancing tephrochronology as a global research tool through improved fingerprinting and correlation techniques and uncertainty modelling

In May, 2010, the inter-congress meeting of the INQUA International focus group on tephrochronology and volcanism (INTAV) was held in Kirishima City, southern Kyushu, Japan. INTAV was formed in 2007 at the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) congress held in Cairns. It replaced SCOTAV (Sub-commission on tephrochronology and volcanism), COT (Commission on tephrochronology), and earlier tephrarelated research groups dating back to the 1960s. Previous meetings of the group in the past two decades were held in the Yukon Territory, Canada (2005), France (1998), New Zealand (1994), and USA (1990). The venue for the 2010 meeting was the main hall of the Kokobu Civic Centre in Kirishima City, which was very generously provided free of charge by the Kirishima authorities in return partly for the delivery of two public lectures, one by David Lowe (“Connecting with our past: using tephras and archaeology to date the Polynesian settlement of Aotearoa/New Zealand”) and the other by Hiroshi Machida (“Widespread tephras originating from Kagoshima occurring in northeast Asia and adjacent seas”), on Sunday 9 May. Participants were treated to a personal welcome by the Mayor of Kirishima City, Shuji Maeda, followed by what appeared to be a very special (and delicious) banquet. However, this spread turned out to be standard lunch and dinner fare provided by the centre’s cafeteria and was enjoyed by participants throughout the meeting

CIB World Congress 2010- Building a better world: Programme and book of abstracts

The 2010 CIB World Congress is focused on “Building a Better World”. The construction and built environment sectors are already hugely important to achieving a world in which people are properly housed, in which buildings and transport systems support the efficient operation of our economies, and in which people are happy and healthy. But we can do better. Connecting and channelling the full capacities of the construction and built environment industries to meet the needs of the human race, head on, will transform the world, for us and for future generations. The World Congress of the CIB is held every three years and is an opportunity for the whole CIB community to gather and exchange views across the usual disciplinary boundaries. An unprecedented majority of the CIB working commissions and task groups are represented at this 2010 Congress and we have worked to facilitate interaction with a rich mix of: specialist streams, opportunities for informal networking and a series of challenging keynotes and, in response, multidisciplinary workshops

Advent of a Link between Ayurveda and Modern Health Science: The Proceedings of the First International Congress on Ayurveda, “Ayurveda: The Meaning of Life—Awareness, Environment, and Health” March 21-22, 2009, Milan, Italy

The First International Congress on Ayurveda was held in Milan, Italy in March 2009 and it has been the first scientific event of this kind in western world. This groundbreaking international congress was devoted to human being as the product of interactions between Awareness, Environment and Health, subjects that the West tends to consider separate and independent, but that are believed deeply connected in Ayurveda, whose interdependence defines “The Meaning of Life”. The Congress established a bridge between indian and western philosophy, scientific and biomedical thinking in order to expand knowledge and healthcare. Main attention and address of the invited speakers was on the concept of “relationships” that, connecting living beings with environment, shape Nature itself. This concept is central in Ayurveda but is also common to other western scientific disciplines such as quantum physics and epigenetics that, in the four Sessions of the Congress, were represented by eminent experts. The importance of this event was underlined by the attendance of more than 400 participants and by noteworthy institutional endorsements, that added a significative political dimension of high social impact due to the topical period for CAM acceptance and integration in Europe

What a Difference a Law Makes: Online Gun Sales in States With and Without Background Checks

It is estimated that today there are about 4,000 websites dedicated to facilitating gun sales between private individuals. One of the largest of these sites -- Armslist.com -- essentially serves as an eHarmony or Craigslist for gun sales, connecting gun buyers and sellers in each of the 50 states. Buyers can search for-sale listings or want ads within their state or city, locate unlicensed sellers or buyers, and arrange to meet up in person to purchase guns. As long as the gun doesn't cross state lines or travel through the U.S. Postal System, 34 states allow these sales between strangers to take place unregulated and without criminal background checks. By contrast, 16 states require background checks for gun sales between private, unlicensed individuals like the stranger-to-stranger sales promoted on Armslist.com.In this study, we sought to determine if these laws make a difference. In particular, are there fewer online sales in states that require background checks compared to states that don't? Based on our survey of more than 90,000 online firearm listings, we conclude that online private sales are far more prevalent in states that do not require criminal background checks than among states that do. We recommend that states and Congress enact laws to require checks for these private sales and that gun safety organizations encourage private sellers to always use background checks when selling their firearms

Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children

[Excerpt] In 2013, almost 25% of families with children (under age 18) were maintained by mothers. According to some estimates, about 60% of children born during the 1990s spent a significant portion of their childhood in a home without their father. Research indicates that children raised in single-parent families are more likely than children raised in two-parent families (with both biological parents) to do poorly in school, have emotional and behavioral problems, become teenage parents, and have poverty-level incomes. In hopes of improving the long-term outlook for children in single-parent families, federal, state, and local governments, along with public and private organizations, are supporting programs and activities that promote the financial and personal responsibility of noncustodial fathers to their children and increase the participation of fathers in the lives of their children. These programs have come to be known as “responsible fatherhood” programs. Sources of federal funding for fatherhood programs include the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, TANF state Maintenance-of-Effort (MOE) funding, Child Support Enforcement (CSE) funds, and Social Services Block Grant (Title XX) funds. The federal government’s support of fatherhood initiatives raises a wide array of issues. This report briefly examines the role of the CSE agency in fatherhood programs and discusses initiatives to promote and support father-child interaction outside the parents’ relationship

Closing The Women's Wealth Gap

In recent years, a national discussion about the causes and effects of inequality has played out in our communities, the media, the presidential race and the halls of Congress. The issue is often framed in terms of growing income and wealth gaps, but the conversation about solutions typically focuses on income—connecting people to job opportunities, raising wages, expanding access to education and skills training and other approaches. The discussion about inequality has significant implications for women; yet a focus on income alone leaves out a key part of the story