3,821 research outputs found
An Initial Evaluation of a Proposed Statewide Education Sales Tax
This report provides a preliminary analysis of a proposal to replace education property taxes with a statewide sales tax
Coupled ocean–atmosphere interactions between the Madden–Julian oscillation and synoptic-scale variability over the warm pool
A principal component analysis of the combined fields of sea surface temperature (SST) and surface zonal and meridional wind reveals the dominant mode of intraseasonal (30-70-day) co-variability during northern winter in the tropical Eastern Hemisphere is that of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Regression calculations show that the submonthly (30-day high-pass filtered) surface wind variability is significantly modulated during the MJO. Regions of increased (decreased) submonthly surface wind variability propagate eastward, approximately in phase with the intraseasonal surface westerly (easterly) anomalies of the MJO. Due to the dependence of the surface latent heat flux on the magnitude of the total wind speed, this systematic modulation of the submonthly surface wind variability produces a significant component in the intraseasonal latent heat flux anomalies, which partially cancels the latent heat flux anomalies due to the slowly varying intraseasonal wind anomalies, particularly south of 10S. A method is derived that demodulates the submonthly surface wind variability from the slowly varying intraseasonal wind anomalies. This method is applied to the wind forcing fields of a one-dimensional ocean model. The model response to this modified forcing produces larger intraseasonal SST anomalies than when the model is forced with the observed forcing over large areas of the southwest Pacific Ocean and southeast Indian Ocean during both phases of the MJO. This result has implications for accurate coupled modeling of the MJO. A similar calculation is applied to the surface shortwave flux, but intraseasonal modulation of submonthly surface shortwave flux variability does not appear to be important to the dynamics of the MJO
Ruined in a Conventional Way: Responses to Credit Ratings\u27 Role in Credit Crises
In 2007, abuses in the U.S. mortgage industry precipitated a financial crisis that led regulators in the United States and in the European Union to reexamine credit rating agencies. Asset-backed securities bearing agency ratings helped spread the effects of the crisis to diverse institutional investors, including European banks. This article traces debt securities and ratings from the rise of the mortgage securitization industry to the European and U.S. responses following the 2007 meltdown and concludes that ratings-focused regulatory changes are only a first step in avoiding similar financial crises. The market incentives, risk misperception, and risk spreading that attend complex finance in the global market require further improvements to capital adequacy requirements, credit rating practices, and market participants\u27 understanding of investor psychology
Ruined in a Conventional Way: Responses to Credit Ratings\u27 Role in Credit Crises
In 2007, abuses in the U.S. mortgage industry precipitated a financial crisis that led regulators in the United States and in the European Union to reexamine credit rating agencies. Asset-backed securities bearing agency ratings helped spread the effects of the crisis to diverse institutional investors, including European banks. This article traces debt securities and ratings from the rise of the mortgage securitization industry to the European and U.S. responses following the 2007 meltdown and concludes that ratings-focused regulatory changes are only a first step in avoiding similar financial crises. The market incentives, risk misperception, and risk spreading that attend complex finance in the global market require further improvements to capital adequacy requirements, credit rating practices, and market participants\u27 understanding of investor psychology
Financing an Increased State Role in Funding K-12 Education: An Analysis of Issues and Options
This report presents an analysis of replacing school property tax with alternative state revenue sources. FRC Report 11
MESAS: Measuring the Emission of Stellar Atmospheres at Submm/mm wavelengths
In the early stages of planet formation, small dust grains grow to become mm
sized particles in debris disks around stars. These disks can in principle be
characterized by their emission at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths.
Determining both the occurrence and abundance of debris in unresolved
circumstellar disks of A-type main-sequence stars requires that the stellar
photospheric emission be accurately modeled. To better constrain the
photospheric emission for such systems, we present observations of Sirius A, an
A-type star with no known debris, from the JCMT, SMA, and VLA at 0.45, 0.85,
0.88, 1.3, 6.7, and 9.0 mm. We use these observations to inform a PHOENIX model
of Sirius A's atmosphere. We find the model provides a good match to these data
and can be used as a template for the submm/mm emission of other early A-type
stars where unresolved debris may be present. The observations are part of an
ongoing observational campaign entitled Measuring the Emission of Stellar
Atmospheres at Submm/mm wavelengths (MESAS)Comment: 17 pages, 1 figure, Accepted to AJ on April 25th 201
Near Infrared Imaging of the Hubble Deep Field with The Keck Telescope
Two deep K-band () images, with point-source detection limits of
mag (one sigma), taken with the Keck Telescope in subfields of the
Hubble Deep Field, are presented and analyzed. A sample of objects to K=24 mag
is constructed and and colors are measured. By
stacking visually selected objects, mean colors can be measured to
very faint levels; the mean color is constant with apparent
magnitude down to mag.Comment: Replaced with slightly revised source positions and corrected V-I
magnitudes (which were incorrect in the Tables and Figure 5). 18 pages. The
data are publicly available at http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~btsoifer/hdf.html
along with a high-resolution version of Fig.
Public perceptions of drinking water: A postal survey of residents with private water supplies
Background: In Canada, the legal responsibility for the condition of private water supplies,
including private wells and cisterns, rests with their owners. However, there are reports that
Canadians test these water supplies intermittently and that treatment of such water is uncommon.
An estimated 45% of all waterborne outbreaks in Canada involve non-municipal systems. An
understanding of the perceptions and needs of Canadians served by private water supplies is
essential, as it would enable public health professionals to better target public education and
drinking water policy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the public perceptions of private
water supplies in the City of Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), with the intent of informing public
education and outreach strategies within the population.
Methods: A cross-sectional postal survey of 246 residences with private water supplies was
conducted in May 2004. Questions pertained to the perceptions of water quality and alternative
water sources, water testing behaviours and the self-identified need for further information.
Results: Private wells, cisterns or both, were the source of household water for 71%, 16% and
13% of respondents, respectively. Although respondents rated their water quality highly, 80% also
had concerns with its safety. The most common concerns pertained to bacterial and chemical
contamination of their water supply and its potential negative effect on health. Approximately 56%
and 61% of respondents used in-home treatment devices and bottled water within their homes,
respectively, mainly due to perceived improvements in the safety and aesthetic qualities compared
to regular tap water. Testing of private water supplies was performed infrequently: 8% of
respondents tested at a frequency that meets current provincial guidelines. Two-thirds of
respondents wanted more information on various topics related to private water supplies. Flyers
and newspapers were the two media reported most likely to be used.
Conclusion: Although respondents rated their water quality highly, the majority had concerns
regarding the water from their private supply, and the use of bottled water and water treatment
devices was extensive. The results of this study suggest important lines of inquiry and provide
support and input for public education programs, particularly those related to private water testing,
in this population
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