The First VERITAS Telescope

The first atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of VERITAS (the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) has been in operation since February 2005. We present here a technical description of the instrument and a summary of its performance. The calibration methods are described, along with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the telescope and comparisons between real and simulated data. The analysis of TeV $\gamma$-ray observations of the Crab Nebula, including the reconstructed energy spectrum, is shown to give results consistent with earlier measurements. The telescope is operating as expected and has met or exceeded all design specifications.Comment: Accepted by Astroparticle Physic

Milagro limits and HAWC sensitivity for the rate-density of evaporating Primordial Black Holes

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Kernel estimation in a nonparametric marker dependent hazard model

We introduce a new kernel hazard estimator in a nonparametric model where the stochastic hazard depends on the current value of time and on the current value of a time dependent covariate or marker. We establish the pointwise and global convergence of our estimator

The Froot-Stein model revisited

We investigate the model of Froot & Stein (1998), a model which has very strong implications for risk management. We argue that their conclusions are too strong and need to be qualified. We also argue that their analysis is incorrect and incomplete. Specifically, there are some unusual consequences of their model, which may be linked to the chosen pricing formula

Estimating critical habitat based on year-round movements of the endangered Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) and their unisexual dependents

Habitat protection is a key component of endangered species conservation but critical habitat designations are often based on limited data or habitat use during only a portion of a species’ life cycle. Protected habitat around breeding pools for the endangered Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum (Green, 1827)) and their unisexual dependants (Ambystoma laterale - (2) jeffersonianum) is based upon limited movement data from primarily spring and summer seasons. Furthermore, despite their treatment as distinct species under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, differences in habitat use have not been directly compared in areas where they co-occur. We used radio telemetry to track A. jeffersonianum and A. laterale – jeffersonianum (LJJ and LJJJ) during fall migrations to overwintering sites. We used these data and summarized available movement data from past studies that tracked movements in other periods of the annual cycle to estimate year-round critical habitat. A. jeffersonianum travelled significantly longer distances to overwintering locations than unisexuals. Individuals were more likely to overwinter next to a similar genomotype individual than not. Critical habitat encompassing the entire annual cycle of A. jeffersonianum extends up to 400-450 m from breeding ponds indicating existing regulatory habitat protections in Canada do not currently protect sufficient habitat.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Social Influences on Corporate Donations in Britain.

It is argued that institutional features of the British state create collective action problems for the mobilization of corporations as donors to the Conservative Party. Social factors are necessary for overcoming these problems. Using social network analyses, the effect that interlocking directorates have on 250 large British corporations' decisions to donate are analysed. Instead of the central mobilizing factor being diffuse inner circle mechanisms positively influencing the decision to make a donation, the results show that more particularistic mechanisms such as information bias and control are equally important

Estimating multiplicative and additive hazard functions by kernel methods

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:3597.442(01/411) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo