17,649 research outputs found
Modeling Amazon Deforestation for Policy Purposes
Brazil has long ago removed most of the perverse government incentives that stimulated massive deforestation in the Amazon in the 70s and 80s, but one highly controversial policy remains: Road building. While data is now abundantly available due to the constant satellite surveillance of the Amazon, the analytical methods typically used to analyze the impact of roads on natural vegetation cover are methodologically weak and not very helpful to guide public policy. This paper discusses the respective weaknesses of typical GIS analysis and typical municipality level regression analysis, and shows what would be needed to construct an ideal model of deforestation processes. It also presents an alternative approach that is much less demanding in terms of modeling and estimation and more useful for policy makers as well.Deforestation, Amazon, Brazil, econometric modeling
Half Semimetallic Antiferromagnetism in the SrCrTO System, T=Os, Ru
Double perovskite SrCrOsO is (or is very close to) a realization of a
spin-asymmetric semimetallic compensated ferrimagnet, according to first
principles calculations. This type of near-half metallic antiferromagnet is an
unusual occurrence, and more so in this compound because the zero gap is
accidental rather than being symmetry determined. The large spin-orbit coupling
(SOC) of osmium upsets the spin balance (no net spin moment without SOC): it
reduces the Os spin moment by 0.27 and induces an Os orbital moment of
0.17 in the opposite direction. The effects combine (with small oxygen
contributions) to give a net total moment of 0.54 per cell in \scoo,
reflecting a large impact of SOC in this compound. This value is in moderately
good agreement with the measured saturation moment of 0.75 . The value
of the net moment on the Os ion obtained from neutron diffraction (0.73
at low temperature) differs from the calculated value (1.14 ). Rather
surprisingly, in isovalent SrCrRuO the smaller SOC-induced spin changes
and orbital moments (mostly on Ru) almost exactly cancel. This makes
SrCrRuO a "half (semi)metallic antiferromagnet" (practically vanishing
net total moment) even when SOC is included, with the metallic channel being a
small-band-overlap semimetal. Fixed spin moment (FSM) calculations are
presented for each compound, illustrating how they provide different
information than in the case of a nonmagnetic material. These FSM results
indicate that the Cr moment is an order of magnitude stiffer against
longitudinal fluctuations than is the Os moment.Comment: 6 page
Driven particle in a random landscape: disorder correlator, avalanche distribution and extreme value statistics of records
We review how the renormalized force correlator Delta(u), the function
computed in the functional RG field theory, can be measured directly in
numerics and experiments on the dynamics of elastic manifolds in presence of
pinning disorder. We show how this function can be computed analytically for a
particle dragged through a 1-dimensional random-force landscape. The limit of
small velocity allows to access the critical behavior at the depinning
transition. For uncorrelated forces one finds three universality classes,
corresponding to the three extreme value statistics, Gumbel, Weibull, and
Frechet. For each class we obtain analytically the universal function Delta(u),
the corrections to the critical force, and the joint probability distribution
of avalanche sizes s and waiting times w. We find P(s)=P(w) for all three
cases. All results are checked numerically. For a Brownian force landscape,
known as the ABBM model, avalanche distributions and Delta(u) can be computed
for any velocity. For 2-dimensional disorder, we perform large-scale numerical
simulations to calculate the renormalized force correlator tensor
Delta_{ij}(u), and to extract the anisotropic scaling exponents zeta_x >
zeta_y. We also show how the Middleton theorem is violated. Our results are
relevant for the record statistics of random sequences with linear trends, as
encountered e.g. in some models of global warming. We give the joint
distribution of the time s between two successive records and their difference
in value w.Comment: 41 pages, 35 figure
Direct 3D Tomographic Reconstruction and Phase-Retrieval of Far-Field Coherent Diffraction Patterns
We present an alternative numerical reconstruction algorithm for direct
tomographic reconstruction of a sample refractive indices from the measured
intensities of its far-field coherent diffraction patterns. We formulate the
well-known phase-retrieval problem in ptychography in a tomographic framework
which allows for simultaneous reconstruction of the illumination function and
the sample refractive indices in three dimensions. Our iterative reconstruction
algorithm is based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. We demonstrate the
performance of our proposed method with simulation studies
CALL BROADCASTING AND AUTOMATED RECORDERS AS TOOLS FOR ANURAN SURVEYS IN A SUBARCTIC TUNDRA LANDSCAPE
Relatively little is known about population ecology of anurans in arctic and subarctic tundra regions, in part because it is difficult to survey anurans in these landscapes. Anuran survey protocols developed for temperate regions have limited applicability in arctic and subarctic tundra landscapes, which may lack roads and vehicle access, and experience variable and inclement weather during short anuran breeding seasons. To evaluate approaches to address some of the limitations of surveying anurans in tundra landscapes, we assessed the effectiveness of using breeding call broadcasts to increase detection of Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata) and Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) near Cape Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. We also evaluated how counts of anurans derived from automated audio recorders compared with those obtained simultaneously by observers. We detected on average 0.4 additional Wood Frogs per survey when we broadcasted calls (x = 0.82, SD = 1.38), an increase of > 40% compared to surveys without broadcasts (x = 1.24, SD = 1.51; Wilcoxon test; Z = 2.73, P = 0.006). In contrast, broadcasting Boreal Chorus Frog calls did not increase the number of chorus frog detections (Wilcoxon test; Z < 0.001, P > 0.90). Detections of Wood Frogs in a 100-m radius were lower via automated recorders (x = 0.60, SD = 0.87 SD) than by observers during simultaneous surveys (x = 0.96, SD = 1.27 Z = 2.07, P = 0.038), but those of Boreal Chorus Frogs were not different (x = 1.72, SD = 1.31;x = 1.44, SD = 1.5; Z = 1.55, P > 0.121). Our results suggest that broadcasting calls can increase detection of Wood Frogs, and that automated recorders are useful in detecting both Wood Frogs and Boreal Chorus Fogs in arctic and subarctic tundra landscapes
Linear response separation of a solid into atomic constituents: Li, Al, and their evolution under pressure
We present the first realization of the generalized pseudoatom concept
introduced by Ball, and adopt the name enatom to minimize confusion. This
enatom, which consists of a unique decomposition of the total charge density
(or potential) of any solid into a sum of overlapping atomiclike contributions
that move rigidly with the nuclei to first order, is calculated using
(numerical) linear response methods, and is analyzed for both fcc Li and Al at
pressures of 0, 35, and 50 GPa. These two simple fcc metals (Li is fcc and a
good superconductor in the 20-40 GPa range) show different physical behaviors
under pressure, which reflects the increasing covalency in Li and the lack of
it in Al. The nonrigid (deformation) parts of the enatom charge and potential
have opposite signs in Li and Al; they become larger under pressure only in Li.
These results establish a method of construction of the enatom, whose potential
can be used to obtain a real-space understanding of the vibrational properties
and electron-phonon interaction in solids.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, V2: fixed problem with Fig. 7, V3:
minor correction
Constraining and Dark Energy with Gamma-Ray Bursts
An relationship with a small
scatter for current -ray burst (GRB) data was recently reported, where
is the beaming-corrected -ray energy and
is the peak energy in the local observer frame. By considering this
relationship for a sample of 12 GRBs with known redshift, peak energy, and
break time of afterglow light curves, we constrain the mass density of the
universe and the nature of dark energy. We find that the mass density
(at the confident level) for a flat
universe with a cosmological constant, and the parameter of an assumed
static dark-energy equation of state ().
Our results are consistent with those from type Ia supernovae. A larger sample
established by the upcoming {\em Swift} satellite is expected to provide
further constraints.Comment: 8 pages including 4 figures, to appear in ApJ Letters, typos
correcte
Topology of RNA-RNA interaction structures
The topological filtration of interacting RNA complexes is studied and the
role is analyzed of certain diagrams called irreducible shadows, which form
suitable building blocks for more general structures. We prove that for two
interacting RNAs, called interaction structures, there exist for fixed genus
only finitely many irreducible shadows. This implies that for fixed genus there
are only finitely many classes of interaction structures. In particular the
simplest case of genus zero already provides the formalism for certain types of
structures that occur in nature and are not covered by other filtrations. This
case of genus zero interaction structures is already of practical interest, is
studied here in detail and found to be expressed by a multiple context-free
grammar extending the usual one for RNA secondary structures. We show that in
time and space complexity, this grammar for genus zero
interaction structures provides not only minimum free energy solutions but also
the complete partition function and base pairing probabilities.Comment: 40 pages 15 figure
Estimating Subjective Probabilities
Subjective probabilities play a role in many economic decisions. There is a large theoretical literature on the elicitation of subjective probabilities, and an equally large empirical literature. However, there is a gulf between the two. The theoretical literature proposes a range of procedures that can be used to recover subjective probabilities, but stresses the need to make strong auxiliary assumptions or "calibrating adjustments" to elicited reports in order to recover the latent probability. With some notable exceptions, the empirical literature seems intent on either making those strong assumptions or ignoring the need for calibration. We illustrate how the joint estimation of risk attitudes and subjective probabilities using structural maximum likelihood methods can provide the calibration adjustments that theory calls for. This allows the observer to make inferences about the latent subjective probability, calibrating for virtually any well-specified model of choice under uncertainty. We demonstrate our procedures with experiments in which we elicit subjective probabilities. We calibrate the estimates of subjective beliefs assuming that choices are made consistently with expected utility theory or rank-dependent utility theory. Inferred subjective probabilities are significantly different when calibrated according to either theory, thus showing the importance of undertaking such exercises. Our findings also have implications for the interpretation of probabilities inferred from prediction markets.
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