Are trade deficits a problem?

Balance of payments ; International trade

INS Aiding Using Passive, Bearings-Only Measurements of an Unknown Stationary Ground Object

The theory for Inertial Navigation System (INS) aiding using passive, bearings only measurements of an unknown stationary ground object, in the vein of optical flow measurement, is developed. Stand-alone bearings-only measurements over time of an unknown, but stationary, ground object are shown to yield estimates of the aircraft’s aerodynamic angles, viz., the angle of attack and sideslip angle. Two new equations containing the aircraft’s angular navigation variables ψ, θ, φ, γ, H, and the aerodynamic angles are derived. This allows an update of the aircraft’s attitude, thus making INS aiding using passive, bearings-only measurements possible. Moreover, the use of stadiametry, knowledge of the ground object’s elevation, and an independent baro-altitude measurement yields an improved estimate of the aircraft’s positional variables, thus completing the INS aiding task. At the same time, the geo-location of the observed ground object is also obtained. In addition, prior information on the position of the ground object further enhances the positional navigation variables’ estimate, thus bringing to full fruition the favorable synergy of INS and bearings-only measurements of an unknown ground object

Human Trafficking in Mongolia

DOI: 10.5564/mjia.v0i13.12Mongolian Journal of International Affairs No.13 2006 pp.95-10

Brief Consultation to Families of Treatment Refusers with Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Does It Impact Family Accommodation and Quality of Life?

Family members are often directly and significantly impacted by the restrictive demands of OCD, a frequently disabling disorder. Family accommodation behaviors (i.e., doing things for or because of the OCD sufferer that a person would not normally do) are associated with dysfunction, including poorer treatment responses in OCD sufferers and greater distress in family members. Although evidence suggests family-based intervention can reduce symptoms in OCD sufferers who participate in treatment, there is a lack of research documenting the impact of interventions designed for the families of OCD treatment refusers (TR). Brief Family Consultation (BFC) was developed by our clinical team to help families refocus their efforts on the things that they can realistically control and change (e.g., participation in compulsions). In this crossover study, twenty families related to an individual who exhibited OCD symptoms but had refused treatment were assigned to five phone sessions of either BFC or a psychoeducation condition. Compared to this credible, attention-placebo control group (Brief Educational Support; BES), BFC (but not BES) resulted in reductions in family accommodation behavior, yet neither BFC nor BES resulted in improved quality of life for family members of treatment refusers. BFC is one of the first interventions to be evaluated for its ability to help families when their loved ones with obsessive compulsive symptoms refuse treatment. This pilot study provides new insights for clinicians and researchers to better address the needs of these neglected families

Groups 5 and 6 Terminal Hydrazido(2−) Complexes: N_β Substituent Effects on Ligand-to-Metal Charge-Transfer Energies and Oxidation States

Brightly colored terminal hydrazido(2−) (dme)MCl_3(NNR_2) (dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane; M = Nb, Ta; R = alkyl, aryl) or (MeCN)WCl_4(NNR_2) complexes have been synthesized and characterized. Perturbing the electronic environment of the β (NR_2) nitrogen affects the energy of the lowest-energy charge-transfer (CT) transition in these complexes. For group 5 complexes, increasing the energy of the N_β lone pair decreases the ligand-to-metal CT (LMCT) energy, except for electron-rich niobium dialkylhydrazides, which pyramidalize N_β in order to reduce the overlap between the Nb═Nα π bond and the Nβ lone pair. For W complexes, increasing the energy of N_β eventually leads to reduction from formally [W^(VI)≡N–NR_2] with a hydrazido(2−) ligand to [W^(IV)═N═NR_2] with a neutral 1,1-diazene ligand. The photophysical properties of these complexes highlight the potential redox noninnocence of hydrazido ligands, which could lead to ligand- and/or metal-based redox chemistry in early transition metal derivatives

Less Than 2 °C Warming by 2100 Unlikely.

The recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections to 2100 give likely ranges of global temperature increase in four scenarios for population, economic growth and carbon use1. However these projections are not based on a fully statistical approach. Here we use a country-specific version of Kaya's identity to develop a statistically-based probabilistic forecast of CO2 emissions and temperature change to 2100. Using data for 1960-2010, including the UN's probabilistic population projections for all countries2-4, we develop a joint Bayesian hierarchical model for GDP per capita and carbon intensity. We find that the 90% interval for cumulative CO2 emissions includes the IPCC's two middle scenarios but not the extreme ones. The likely range of global temperature increase is 2.0-4.9°C, with median 3.2°C and a 5% (1%) chance that it will be less than 2°C (1.5°C). Population growth is not a major contributing factor. Our model is not a "business as usual" scenario, but rather is based on data which already show the effect of emission mitigation policies. Achieving the goal of less than 1.5°C warming will require carbon intensity to decline much faster than in the recent past

Marine Mollusca from Expedition Fiord, Western Axel Heiberg Island, Northwest Territories, Canada

Marine molluscs, including bivalves, gastropods and scaphopods, were recovered by dredging at depths of 3-82 m in Expedition Fiord, Axel Heiberg Island, Canada. Cluster analysis, based on presence/absence data at 27 stations, defined two mollusc associations within the fiord. A Portlandia-Thyasira association, characterized by the abundance of Portlandia arctica and Thyasira gouldi, inhabits silty clay substrates at depths of 32-82 m throughout the fiord. An Astarte association, characterized by the abundance of Astarte borealis and Astarte warhami, inhabits sandy mud substrates at depths of 3-32 m in the middle and outer fiord. The absence of this mollusc association at the fiord head suggests that the suspension-feeding molluscs that constitute this association, such as Astarte, Hiatella, Mya and Trichotropis, are intolerant of the lowered salinities and high suspended-sediment concentrations created by the discharge of Expedition River into the fiord-head environment. The Expedition Fiord molluscan fauna is compared to the molluscan fauna recorded in Jørgen Brønlund Fjord, Greenland. In the latter fiord, shallow-water (5-19 m) molluscan faunas are characterized by the abundance of Portlandia arctica and Hiatella arctica, while deep-water (22-48 m) faunas are characterized by the abundance of Thyasira dunbari. Molluscs recovered live in both of these fiords are distributed widely in high-latitude fiord and continental shelf environments.On a recueilli des mollusques marins - comprenant des bivalves, des gastéropodes et des scaphopodes - par dragages effectués à des profondeurs allant de 3 à 82 m dans le fjord Expedition, situé dans l'île Axel Heiberg au Canada. Des analyses typologiques, établies sur les données de présence ou d'absence à 27 stations, ont permis de définir deux associations de mollusques à l'intérieur du fjord. Une association Portlandia-Thyasira, caractérisée par l'abondance de Portlandia arctica et de Thyasira gouldi, habite les substratums d'argile limoneuse à des profondeurs allant de 32 à 82 m dans le fjord tout entier. Une association Astarte, caractérisée par l'abondance de Astarte borealis et de Astarte warhami, habite les substratums de vase sableuse à des profondeurs allant de 3 à 32 m dans le milieu ou en aval du fjord. L'absence de cette association de mollusques à l'extrémité amont du fjord suggère que les mollusques se nourrissant d'éléments en suspension qui forment cette association, comme Astarte, Hiatella, Mya et Trichotropis, ne tolèrent pas les faibles salinités et les fortes concentrations de sédiments en suspension que crée le déversement de la rivière Expedition dans l'extrémité amont du fjord. On compare la faune des mollusques du fjord Expedition à celle enregistrée dans le fjord Jørgen Brønlund du Groenland. Dans ce fjord, les faunes de mollusques en eau peu profonde (de 5 à 19 m) sont caractérisées par l'abondance de Portlandia arctica et de Hiatella arctica, tandis que les faunes situées en eau profonde (de 22 à 48 m) sont caractérisées par l'abondance de Thyasira dunbari. Les mollusques recueillis vivants dans ces deux fjords sont largement répandus dans les fjords et les plates-formes continentales des latitudes élevées