621 research outputs found
Vulnerability : a view from different disciplines
Practitioners from different disciplines use different meanings and concepts of vulnerability, which, in turn, have led to diverse methods of measuring it. This paper presents a selective review of the literature from several disciplines to examine how they define and measure vulnerability. The disciplines include economics, sociology/anthropology, disaster management, environmental science, and health/nutrition. Differences between the disciplines can be explained by their tendency to focus on different components of risk, household responses to risk and welfare outcomes. In general, they focus either on the risks (at one extreme) or the underlying conditions (or outcomes) at the other. Trade-offs exist between simple measurement schemes and rich conceptual understanding.Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance,Insurance&Risk Mitigation,Economic Theory&Research,Rural Poverty Reduction
The LCO/Palomar 10,000 km/sec Cluster Survey. II. Constraints on Large-Scale Streaming
The LCO/Palomar 10,000 km/sec (LP10K) Tully-Fisher (TF) data set is used to
test for bulk streaming motions on a ~150 Mpc scale. The sample consists of 172
cluster galaxies in the original target range of the survey, 9000-13,000
km/sec, plus an additional 72 galaxies with cz < 30,000 km/sec. A
maximum-likelihood analysis that is insensitive to Malmquist and selection bias
effects is used to constrain the bulk velocity parameters, and realistic
Monte-Carlo simulations are carried out to correct residual biases and
determine statistical errors. When the analysis is restricted to the original
target range, the bias-corrected bulk flow is v_B=720 +/- 280 km/sec toward
l=266, b=19. When all objects out to z=0.1 are included the result is virtually
unchanged, v_B=700 +/- 250 km/sec toward l=272, b=10. The hypothesis that the
Hubble flow has converged to the CMB frame at distances less than ~ 100 Mpc is
ruled out at the 97% confidence level. The data are inconsistent with the flow
vector found by Lauer & Postman. However, the LP10K bulk flow is consistent
with that obtained from the SMAC survey of elliptical galaxies recently
described by Hudson et al. If correct, the LP10K results indicate that the
convergence depth for the Hubble flow is >~ 150 Mpc.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, uses emulateapj, submitted to the Astrophysical
Journal. Also available at http://astro.stanford.edu/jeff
The LCO/Palomar 10,000 km/sec Cluster Survey. I. Properties of the Tully-Fisher Relation
The first results from a Tully-Fisher (TF) survey of cluster galaxies are
presented. The galaxies are drawn from fifteen Abell clusters that lie in the
redshift range 9000-12,000 km/sec and are distributed uniformly around the
celestial sky. The data set consists of R-band CCD photometry and long- slit
H-alpha spectroscopy. The rotation curves (RCs) are characterized by a turnover
radius (r_t) and an asymptotic velocity v_a, while the surface brightness
profiles are characterized in terms of an effective exponential surface
brightness I_e and a scale length r_e. The TF scatter is minimized when the
rotation velocity is measured at 2.0 +/- 0.2 r_e; a significantly larger
scatter results when the rotation velocity is measured at > 3 or < 1.5 scale
lengths. This effect demonstrates that RCs do not have a universal form, as has
been suggested by Persic, Salucci, and Stel. In contrast to previous studies, a
modest but statistically significant surface-brightness dependence of the TF
relation is found, log v = const + 0.28*log L + 0.14*log I_e. This indicates a
stronger parallel between the TF relation and the FP relations of elliptical
galaxies than has previously been recognized. Future papers in this series will
consider the implications of this cluster sample for deviations from Hubble
flow on 100-200 Mpc scales.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures, uses aaspp4.sty. Submitted to ApJ. Also
available at http://astro.stanford.edu/jeff
The Assembly History of Field Spheroidals: Evolution of Mass-to-light Ratios and Signatures of Recent Star Formation
We present a comprehensive catalog of high signal-to-noise spectra obtained
with the DEIMOS spectrograph on the Keck II telescope for a sample of
F850LP<22.43 (AB) field spheroidal (E+S0s; 163) and bulge dominated disk (61)
galaxies in the redshift range 0.2<z<1.2. We examine the zero point, tilt and
scatter of the Fundamental Plane (FP) as a function of redshift and
morphological properties, carefully accounting for luminosity-dependent biases
via Montecarlo simulations. The evolution of the overall FP can be represented
by a mean change in effective mass-to-light ratio given by <d \log (M/L_{\rm
B})/dz>=-0.72^{+0.07}_{-0.05}\pm0.04. However, this evolution depends
significantly on the dynamical mass, being slower for larger masses as reported
in a previous letter. In addition, we separately show the intrinsic scatter of
the FP increases with redshift as d(rms(M/L_{\rm B}))/dz=0.040\pm0.015.
Although these trends are consistent with single burst populations which formed
at for high mass spheroidals and z_{f}~1.2 for lower mass systems, a
more realistic picture is that most of the stellar mass formed in all systems
at z>2 with subsequent activity continuing to lower redshifts (z<1.2). The
fraction of stellar mass formed at recent times depend strongly on galactic
mass, ranging from <1% for masses above 10^{11.5} M_{\odot} to 20-40% below
10^{11} M_{\odot}. Independent support for recent activity is provided by
spectroscopic ([\ion{O}{2}] emission, H\delta) and photometric (blue cores and
broad-band colors) diagnostics. Via the analysis of a large sample with many
independent diagnostics, we are able to reconcile previously disparate
interpretations of the assembly history of field spheroidals. [Abridged]Comment: 26 pages including 24 figures, submitted to ApJ. Complete and compact
version with full resolution images available at
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~ttreu/ms.pd
Recommended from our members
Default and Renegotiation of Latin American Foreign Bonds in the Interwar Period
This paper examines the patterns of defaults, renegotiations, and final settlements on foreign borrowing of several Latin American governments in the interwar period. One goal of the paper is to provide a detailed historical account of the borrowing and renegotiation experience of five Latin borrowers (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Peru). Another goal is to provide a quantitative assessment of the amount of debt relief that was implicit in the negotiated settlements of the defaults that were reached in the 1930s and 1940s. In general, the pattern of default and renegotiation resulted in substantial, though not complete, debt relief, in the sense of reducing the present value of debt repayments from the sovereign borrower to the bondholders
Assessing Landscape Constraints on Species Abundance: Does the Neighborhood Limit Species Response to Local Habitat Conservation Programs?
Landscapes in agricultural systems continue to undergo significant change, and the loss of biodiversity is an ever-increasing threat. Although habitat restoration is beneficial, management actions do not always result in the desired outcome. Managers must understand why management actions fail; yet, past studies have focused on assessing habitat attributes at a single spatial scale, and often fail to consider the importance of ecological mechanisms that act across spatial scales. We located survey sites across southern Nebraska, USA and conducted point counts to estimate Ring-necked Pheasant abundance, an economically important species to the region, while simultaneously quantifying landscape effects using a geographic information system. To identify suitable areas for allocating limited management resources, we assessed land cover relationships to our counts using a Bayesian binomial-Poisson hierarchical model to construct predictive Species Distribution Models of relative abundance. Our results indicated that landscape scale land cover variables severely constrained or, alternatively, facilitated the positive effects of local land management for Ring-necked Pheasants
Additional Ultracool White Dwarfs Found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We identify seven new ultracool white dwarfs discovered in the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey (SDSS). The SDSS photometry, spectra, and proper motions are
presented, and additional BVRI data are given for these and other previously
discovered ultracool white dwarfs. The observed colors span a remarkably wide
range, qualitatively similar to colors predicted by models for very cool white
dwarfs. One of the new stars (SDSS J1251+44) exhibits strong collision-induced
absorption (CIA) in its spectra, while the spectra and colors of the other six
are consistent with mild CIA. Another of the new discoveries (SDSS J2239+00A)
is part of a binary system -- its companion is also a cool white dwarf, and
other data indicate that the companion exhibits an infrared flux deficiency,
making this the first binary system composed of two CIA white dwarfs. A third
discovery (SDSS J0310-00) has weak Balmer emission lines. The proper motions of
all seven stars are consistent with membership in the disk or thick disk.Comment: Accepted for Astrophysical Journal. 16 pages (includes 3 figures
The Membrane-Associated Proteins FCHo and SGIP Are Allosteric Activators of the AP2 Clathrin Adaptor Complex
The AP2 clathrin adaptor complex links protein cargo to the endocytic machinery but it is unclear how AP2 is activated on the plasma membrane. Here we demonstrate that the membrane-associated proteins FCHo and SGIP1 convert AP2 into an open, active conformation. We screened for C. elegans mutants that phenocopy the loss of AP2 subunits and found that AP2 remains inactive in fcho-1 mutants. A subsequent screen for bypass suppressors of fcho-1 nulls identified 71 compensatory mutations in all four AP2 subunits. Using a protease-sensitivity assay we show that these mutations restore the open conformation in vivo. The domain of FCHo that induces this rearrangement is not the F-BAR domain or the mu-homology domain, but rather is an uncharacterized 90 amino acid motif, found in both FCHo and SGIP proteins, that directly binds AP2. Thus, these proteins stabilize nascent endocytic pits by exposing membrane and cargo binding sites on AP2
QM/MM Lineshape Simulation of the Hydrogen-bonded Uracil NH Stretching Vibration of the Adenine:Uracil Base Pair in CDCl
A hybrid Car-Parrinello QM/MM molecular dynamics simulation has been carried
out for the Watson-Crick base pair of 9-ethyl-8-phenyladenine and
1-cyclohexyluracil in deuterochloroform solution at room temperature. The
resulting trajectory is analyzed putting emphasis on the N-HN Hydrogen
bond geometry. Using an empirical correlation between the \NN-distance and
the fundamental NH-stretching frequency, the time-dependence of this energy gap
along the trajectory is obtained. From the gap-correlation function we
determine the infrared absorption spectrum using lineshape theory in
combination with a multimode oscillator model. The obtained average transition
frequency and the width of the spectrum is in reasonable agreement with recent
experimental data.Comment: revised version with small changes submitted to Chem. Phys. Let
Translating statistical species-habitat models to interactive decision support tools
Understanding species-habitat relationships is vital to successful conservation, but the tools used to communicate species-habitat relationships are often poorly suited to the information needs of conservation practitioners. Here we present a novel method for translating a statistical species-habitat model, a regression analysis relating ring-necked pheasant abundance to landcover, into an interactive online tool. The Pheasant Habitat Simulator combines the analytical power of the R programming environment with the user-friendly Shiny web interface to create an online platform in which wildlife professionals can explore the effects of variation in local landcover on relative pheasant habitat suitability within spatial scales relevant to individual wildlife managers. Our tool allows users to virtually manipulate the landcover composition of a simulated space to explore how changes in landcover may affect pheasant relative habitat suitability, and guides users through the economic tradeoffs of landscape changes. We offer suggestions for development of similar interactive applications and demonstrate their potential as innovative science delivery tools for diverse professional and public audience
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