51 research outputs found
Varieties of Limited Access Orders: The nexus between politics and economics in hybrid regimes
This article advances our understanding of differences in hybrid stability by going beyond existing regime typologies that separate the study of political institutions from the study of economic institutions. It combines the work of Douglass North, John Wallis, and Barry Weingast (NWW) on varieties of social orders with the literature on political and economic regime typologies and dynamics to understand hybrid regimes as Limited Access Orders (LAOs) that differ in the way dominant elites limit access to political and economic resources. Based on a measurement of political and economic access applied to seven postāSoviet states, the article identifies four types of LAOs. Challenging NWW's claim, it shows that hybrid regimes can combine different degrees of political and economic access to sustain stability. Our typology allows to form theoretical expectations about the kinds of political and/or economic changes that will move different types of LAOs toward more openness or closure
Application of the geological streamflow and Muskingum Cunge models in the Yala River Basin, Kenya
The nature of surface runoff and its effects in the watershed can beĀ represented by the application of hydrologic and hydraulic models. In this study, the Geological Streamflow Model (GeoSFM) and the Muskingum Cunge (M-C) model were used to model the hydrologic processes of the Yala river network. The objective was to develop a flood early warning system to mitigate potential flood hazard risk exposed to the downstream inhabitants. Historical hydro]metric datasets of 1975] 2005 were used for calibration, verification and streamflow routing based on a split record analysis. For the runoff generation, rainfall and evaporation datasets were provided by the Kenya Meteorological Department while for model calibration and verification, streamflow was obtained from Water ResourcesManagement Authority. To determine the hydrologic connectivity, the 30 meters by 30 meters Digital Elevation Model was obtained from the International Centre for Research in Agro]forestry. The Digital Soil Map of the World developed by Food and Agricultural Organisation and the Global Land Cover data of the United States Geological Survey were used for model parameterisation. The soil moisture accounting and routing method transferred water through the subsurface, overland and river phases. The percentage of the correlation coefficient (R2% value) was used toĀ determine model performance. The GeoSFM modeled streamflow at the Bondo streamflow gauging station, coded 1FG02 where during theĀ calibration and verification phases, streamflow was modeled at R2 value of80.6% and 87.3% respectively. The M-C model routed streamflow from 1FG02 to the Kadenge streamflow gauging station, coded 1FG03 at R2 value of 90.8%, Muskingum K value of 2.76 hours and Muskingum X value of 0.4609. The extreme value analysis done on the modeled streamflow portrayed a unique behaviour of the system when compared to the ideal system model that should mimic the real world. It was concluded that the GeoSFM and M-C models were hence useful tools for flood mitigation by issuing flood early warning messages defined by peak streamflow and flood wave travel time.Key words: Flood, Yala River, geological streamflow model, muskingumĀ cunge model
The sensitivity of seismic refraction velocity models to survey geometry errors, assessed using Monte Carlo analysis
Seismic refraction models should routinely be reported with their associated uncertainty. Tomographic solutions are widespread, but estimating uncertainties in these via Monte Carlo simulation places great demands on computer resource, hence this task is often omitted. By considering the Plus-Minus method of seismic refraction interpretation, we use Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the uncertainty in seismic refraction results and determine the sources of uncertainty that are most impactful on the reliability of the output model. Our analysis considers the impact of survey mislocation (i.e., geophones misplaced from a planned position) and interpretational problems (i.e., misidentification of first-break picks and uncertainty in identifying crossover distances) on the overall uncertainty in inferred unit thicknesses and seismic velocities. These are considered for synthetic data with varying subsurface velocity structure, and for field data collected at a shallow (< 50 m) bedrock site in north Wales (UK). Analysis of synthetic data shows that the impact of the aforementioned errors on thickness estimates is ā¼1000 times that on velocity estimates. Of all permutations tested, the most significant impact on thickness uncertainty was the accuracy of first-break picks, with the variance in target thickness estimates increasing roughly exponentially with first-break pick uncertainty. It is therefore prudent to minimise such uncertainty through appropriate survey practice (e.g., maximising source energy, taking multiple shots for stacking) and to properly define the resultant uncertainty in unit thickness and velocity estimates. The simplicity of the Plus-Minus method makes it an effective tool for highlighting the errors that would impact more sophisticated interpretation approaches, such as tomography or Full Waveform Inversion. The results from such analysis can be directly applied in straightforward environmental or engineering investigations and can be used to inform more advanced refraction methods. As such, the practice we highlight should be considered for any refraction interpretation
Subglacial sediment distribution from constrained seismic inversion, using MuLTI software: Examples from Midtdalsbreen, Norway
Fast ice flow is associated with the deformation of subglacial sediment. Seismic shear velocities, Vs, increase with the rigidity of material and hence can be used to distinguish soft sediment from hard bedrock substrates. Depth profiles of Vs can be obtained from inversions of Rayleigh wave dispersion curves, from passive or active-sources, but these can be highly ambiguous and lack depth sensitivity. Our novel Bayesian transdimensional algorithm, MuLTI, circumvents these issues by adding independent depth constraints to the inversion, also allowing comprehensive uncertainty analysis. We apply MuLTI to the inversion of a Rayleigh wave dataset, acquired using active-source (Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves) techniques, to characterise sediment distribution beneath the frontal margin of Midtdalsbreen, an outlet of Norway's HardangerjĆøkulen ice cap. Ice thickness (0ā20 m) is constrained using co-located GPR data. Outputs from MuLTI suggest that partly-frozen sediment (Vs 500ā1000 m sā1), overlying bedrock (Vs 2000ā2500 m sā1), is present in patches with a thickness of ~4 m, although this approaches the resolvable limit of our Rayleigh wave frequencies (14ā100 Hz). Uncertainties immediately beneath the glacier bed are <280 m sā1, implying that MuLTI cannot only distinguish bedrock and sediment substrates but does so with an accuracy sufficient for resolving variations in sediment properties
Peningkatan Kesadaran Masyarakat Akan Pentingnya Gizi Pada Anak Melalui Sosialisasi Dan Demonstrasi Pembuatan Mpasi
Stunting merupakan permasalahan gizi pada balita yang ditandai dengan tinggi badan yang tidak sesuai dengan usianya. Efek stunting tidak hanya berimbas kepada kesehatan, tetapi berpengaruh kepada kecerdasan dan tubuh kembang pada anak. Di kabupaten Lombok Timur, terhitung sebesar 16,90 % anak mengalami stunting. Faktor yang menyebabkan hal tersebut yaitu kurangnya pengetahuan orang tua terhadap asupan yang harus diberikan kepada anak, khususnya kepada balita yang berumur 6 ā 24 bulan. Tujuan diadakannya kegiatan ini yaitu untuk memberikan wawasan dan keterampilan kepada orang tua terutama ibu hamil dan ibu yang memiliki balita dalam pembuatan makanan pendamping ASI (MPASI) sehingga gizi dan nutrisi pada anak tercukupi. Metode yang digunakan pada kegiatan ini yaitu pemberian informasi dan pelatihan cara membuat MPASI yang tepat. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan di Desa Padamara yang bekerjasama dengan Puskesmas Dasan Lekong. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan sebanyak satu kali pada tanggal 10 Januari 2023 dan dihadiri oleh 20 orang. Hasil dari kegiatan ini yaitu bertambahnya wawasan dan keterampilan masyarakat dalam mengaplikasikan cara pembuatan MPASI yang tepat. Diharapkan dengan adanya kegiatan ini, masyarakat mulai sadar dan meningkatakan kesejahteraan bagi ibu dan bayi untuk menciptakan generasi yang berkualitas. Dengan demikian dapat menciptakan kehidupan yang lebih sehat dan lebih perduli dengan kesehatan setiap anggota masyarakat
Ice loss from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet during late Pleistocene interglacials
Understanding ice sheet behaviour in the geological past is essential for evaluating the role of the cryosphere in the climate system and for projecting rates and magnitudes of sea level rise in future warming scenarios1,2,3,4. Although both geological data5,6,7 and ice sheet models3,8 indicate that marine-based sectors of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet were unstable during Pliocene warm intervals, the ice sheet dynamics during late Pleistocene interglacial intervals are highly uncertain3,9,10. Here we provide evidence from marine sedimentological and geochemical records for ice margin retreat or thinning in the vicinity of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin of East Antarctica during warm late Pleistocene interglacial intervals. The most extreme changes in sediment provenance, recording changes in the locus of glacial erosion, occurred during marine isotope stages 5, 9, and 11, when Antarctic air temperatures11 were at least two degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial temperatures for 2,500 years or more. Hence, our study indicates a close link between extended Antarctic warmth and ice loss from the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, providing ice-proximal data to support a contribution to sea level from a reduced East Antarctic Ice Sheet during warm interglacial intervals. While the behaviour of other regions of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet remains to be assessed, it appears that modest future warming may be sufficient to cause ice loss from the Wilkes Subglacial Basin
Factors Underlying Technology Adoption in Academic Libraries in Kuwait
The study analysed factors shaping adoption of technology in academic libraries in Kuwait. The research was based on interviews conducted with library directors, staff and users, combined with observation and document analysis. A major aspect of the Kuwaiti context was a relative lack of financial restraints and an enthusiasm for technology within society as a whole. Other important influences shaping technology adoption specifically within libraries were the top down decision making style and a quest for prestige, in a context of a lack of library culture among users, shortage of professional staff and a strong, perhaps exaggerated, faith in technology as a solution to problems
Factors affecting e-government adoption in Liberia: A practitioner perspective
Globally, eāgovernment implementation is growing, including in subāSaharan Africa, evidenced by the frequently reported benefits of eāgovernment programs in developed countries. The government of Liberia is pursuing an eāgovernment agenda to improve governance through the effective and efficient use of technology in the public sector. Liberia, one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world is bedeviled by over 10āyears of civil war and most recently an Ebola virus outbreak which created severe human capacity gaps. The government has realized that in order to accelerate development and enhance its peoples' livelihood, it must integrate technology into its public administration procedures. However, the implementation of eāgovernment in Liberia has had mixed success. The objective of this research is to identify critical factors affecting the implementation of eāgovernment in Liberia. To achieve this aim, a reflective practitioner approach is employed as a lens to collect and guide the analysis of qualitative data. The data are collected through focus group discussion with senior IT practitioners (CIOs) of Liberia who are leading the delivery of eāinitiatives in Liberia. The factors identified are intended to guide how eāgovernment initiatives are implemented in Liberia. This research contributes to raising awareness about Liberia's eāgovernment program
Varieties of Limited Access Orders: The nexus between politics and economics in hybrid regimes
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