750 research outputs found

    An assessment of NASA master directory/catalog interoperability for interdisciplinary study of the global water cycle

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    The most important issue facing science is understanding global change; the causes, the processes involved and their consequences. The key to success in this massive Earth science research effort will depend on efficient identification and access to the most data available across the atmospheric, oceanographic, and land sciences. Current mechanisms used by earth scientists for accessing these data fall far short of meeting this need. Scientists must as a result frequently rely on a priori knowledge and informal person to person networks to find relevant data. The Master Directory/Catalog Interoperability Program (MC/CI) undertaken by NASA is an important step in overcoming these problems. The stated goal of the MD project is to enable researchers to efficiently identify, locate, and obtain access to space and Earth science data

    Properties and performance of the prototype instrument for the Pierre Auger Observatory

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    Construction of the first stage of the Pierre Auger Observatory has begun. The aim of the Observatory is to collect unprecedented information about cosmic rays above 10^18 eV. The first phase of the project, the construction and operation of a prototype system, known as the engineering array, has now been completed. It has allowed all of the sub-systems that will be used in the full instrument to be tested under field conditions. In this paper, the properties and performance of these sub-systems are described and their success illustrated with descriptions of some of the events recorded thus far.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

    Properties and performance of the prototype instrument for the Pierre Auger Observatory

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    Construction of the first stage of the Pierre Auger Observatory has begun. The aim of the Observatory is to collect unprecedented information about cosmic rays above 10^18 eV. The first phase of the project, the construction and operation of a prototype system, known as the engineering array, has now been completed. It has allowed all of the sub-systems that will be used in the full instrument to be tested under field conditions. In this paper, the properties and performance of these sub-systems are described and their success illustrated with descriptions of some of the events recorded thus far.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

    Life That Thrives In Hostility: Mexico\u27s Indigenous Communities and Self-Defense Forces

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    Explores the emergence of self-defense forces as a third front in Mexico’s drug war. Argues the geographic location of these groups is best predicted by indigenous marginalization and thick social capital. Mexico’s indigenous communities enjoy a de facto autonomy of neglect from the federal state. These communities exercise social bonds in order to ensure their cultural survival. These bonds have been reinforced throughout history, from the Mexican Revolution to the Zapatista Uprising. Under conditions of weakening state institutions and rising cartel extortion/brutality, indigenous communities were the best suited to overcome collective action problems and respond proactively to local violence

    Planning the roll-out of hydrogen fueling infrastructure for transportation : a case study in Spain, Andalusia and Seville

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    Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería Electrónica, Tratamiento de Señales y ComunicacionesThe hydrogen economy is regarded, at present, as an alternative to the existing energy paradigm: a new scheme in which, by using local resources, fuel for transportation can be produced from different sources, and can also be distributed and stored safely. Moreover, if the hydrogen is produced from renewable energy sources, the step towards its use becomes a step towards the sustainability and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the major obstacles for the development of this alternative energy model, is the so-called "the chicken and egg dilemma": (1) Users will not purchase a vehicle that uses hydrogen as fuel until they can refuel with a minimum of comfort, that is to say, until a basic infrastructure exists. (2) Car manufacturers will not produce these vehicles until there is a demand for them. (3) No company will deploy hydrogen fueling stations without having a minimum number of potential customers. Therefore, to kick off the transition of the market towards hydrogen vehicles, a planning of the initial development of the infrastructure leading to the solution of this problem is required. In this thesis, different methods to plan the roll-out of hydrogen fueling infrastructure for transportation under different conditions are discussed. These methods are used to propose roll-out strategies for different spatial units and they are applied to the specific cases of Spain, Andalusia, and Seville.Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Economía, Métodos Cuantitativos e Historia Económic

    Urban disaster management : a case study of earthquake risk assessment in Cartago, Costa Rica

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    Natural hazards pose a threat to population, its goods and the environment. Urban areas are particularly vulnerable not only because of the concentration of population but due to the interplay that exists between people, buildings, and technological systems. Disasters have the potential to destroy decades of investment and effort, and cause the deviation of resources intended for primary tasks such as education, health and infrastructure. Disaster management is therefore an important component of urban planning and management as disasters pose a serious threat to sustainable development. There are basically three very important weaknesses in the way disaster management is currently being carried out. The first relates to the reliance upon hazard zonations alone rather than using risk as input for the selection and prioritisation of mitigation strategies. This is unfortunately in part due to the lack of empirical-historical data on damage and due to the high costs of generating and updating building inventories. The second relates to the reliance upon response rather than a concerted effort in both the pre-disaster and the postdisaster phases. The last relates to the lack of disaster information networks which coordinate efforts amongst the many institutions involved. The case of the Costa Rican city of Cartago was chosen as an example of the challenges that lie ahead in terms of geo-information for urban disaster management. The city provides an interesting case study; it represents a typical example of a medium-sized Costa Rican city that is located in a highly hazard-prone area. Cartago is also representative of a financially constrained local government authority with very basic baseline information where plans are elaborated without proper disaster-related information inputs. The research addresses building and population risk by integrating a hazard intensity map, damage curves derived from historical damage records and a building inventory
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