The role of ICT in natural disaster management communication:a systematic literature review

Abstract. The number and severity of natural hazards has increased in recent decades. These natural hazards cause billions in financial damage, as well as loss of life every year. Fortunately, societies have learned to adapt to these phenomena and invested in managing and mitigating their effects. Communication plays a key role in managing these natural disasters and the effects they smite upon communities. At the same time, information and communication technologies have become ubiquitous and integral part of our lives. However, the available technologies and the ability to utilize these technologies vary. Thus, there is a need for up-to-date review of the use of these technologies. In this thesis, the role of information and communication technologies in natural disaster management communication is examined. The purpose of this thesis is to aggregate scientific knowledge on the role of information and communication technologies in natural disaster management communication. As a result, this study used systematic literature review as a research method. In addition, the aim is to identify possible best practices and discuss the findings of the systematic literature review. The results are used to inform future work on developing an opensource-based system for natural disaster management. The main contribution of this thesis is the summarization of the findings. These findings can be used as a knowledge base or to reflect upon new solutions in natural disaster management. The search strategy used in this study identified 584 studies in total from which 24 primary studies were selected. Recommended future actions involve further studying the identified best practices and their application in practice. In addition, further developing the proposed artifact is recommended

Approaches for Carbon Budget Analyses of the Siberian Forests

This report carried out by Timo Karjalainen and Jari Liski is a contribution to the analyses of carbon balances of the Siberian forests. The report contains two inter-linked sections. The aim of the first section was to develop a method to assess carbon budget for tree biomass at ecoregional level in Siberia. Tree biomass carbon budgets contain estimates on the initial amounts of carbon in the whole tree biomass, as well as its dynamics. The calculation method developed based on the structure of the Russian forest database at IIASA and available models describing tree growth and biomass allocation in Siberia. Calculated litter production is used as input for separate calculations on the soil organic matter carbon budget (Liski, 1997). Stand level analyses showed that the developed method describes vegetation carbon budget in a plausible manner. The stand level analyses are the platform for regional assessments. There are, however, several matters that should be taken into account in the regional assessments. These relate to stand structure, description of stand replacing disturbances, and availability of data. In the second section, different models describing the dynamics of organic C in forest soils were developed and then compared. The model judged to describe the dynamics of soil C in the most realistic way contains five compartments for different litter and three for soil organic matter (the so called soil C model). Temperature was considered the most important climatic factor that regulates the decomposition in boreal forests. The effective temperature sum with a +5 degree C threshold was chosen to describe the temperature impact on the decomposition. The application of the developed models was tested on the issues of impacts of species, harvesting intervals and harvesting residues left on the site. For a full-scale application of the developed soil carbon models for Siberia and Russia, the special features of permafrost soils and peatlands need to be added to the models

The SU(N) Wilson Loop Average in 2 Dimensions

We solve explicitly a closed, linear loop equation for the SU(2) Wilson loop average on a two-dimensional plane and generalize the solution to the case of the SU(N) Wilson loop average with an arbitrary closed contour. Furthermore, the flat space solution is generalized to any two-dimensional manifold for the SU(2) Wilson loop average and to any two-dimensional manifold of genus 0 for the SU(N) Wilson loop average.Comment: 20p. LaTex, typos and some factors of N correcte

KIC 10449976: discovery of an extreme-helium subdwarf in the Kepler field

Optical spectroscopy of the blue star KIC 10449976 shows that it is an extremely helium-rich subdwarf with effective temperature T=40000+/-300 K and surface gravity log g=5.3+/-0.1. Radial-velocity measurements over a five-day timescale show an upper variability limit of ~50+/-20 km/s. Kepler photometry of KIC 10449976 in both long and short cadence modes shows evidence for a periodic modulation on a timescale of ~3.9 days. We have examined the possibility that this modulation is not astrophysical but conclude it is most likely real. We discuss whether the modulation could be caused by a low-mass companion, by stellar pulsations, or by spots. The identification of any one of these as cause has important consequences for understanding the origin of helium-rich subdwarfs.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Rayleigh scattering in the transmission spectrum of HAT-P-18b

We have performed ground-based transmission spectroscopy of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-18b using the ACAM instrument on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). Differential spectroscopy over an entire night was carried out at a resolution of $R \approx 400$ using a nearby comparison star. We detect a bluewards slope extending across our optical transmission spectrum which runs from 4750 to 9250\AA. The slope is consistent with Rayleigh scattering at the equilibrium temperature of the planet (852K). We do not detect enhanced sodium absorption, which indicates that a high-altitude haze is masking the feature and giving rise to the Rayleigh slope. This is only the second discovery of a Rayleigh scattering slope in a hot Jupiter atmosphere from the ground, and our study illustrates how ground-based observations can provide transmission spectra with precision comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Parent- and teacher-reported long-term effects of parent training on child conduct problems in families with child protection and other support services : a randomized controlled trial

Background: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the Incredible Years(R) (IY) Parenting Program in modifying children's externalizing problems among families in Child Protection Services (CPS) and using other special support services. We also examined whether parent-reported effects of the IY(R) generalize to the daycare/school setting as reported by teachers. Methods: Participants in the study were 3-7-year-old children with behavioural problems (N = 102 at baseline, N = 89 at one-year follow-up). Participants were randomized to intervention (N = 50) and control groups (N = 52) after the baseline assessment. The intervention group received 19-week IY(R) Parenting Program. The effectiveness of the intervention was analyzed using linear mixed model. Results: Our previously reported pre-post intervention effects on CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist) and ECBI (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory) were not sustained to the one-year follow-up. Child conduct problems decreased from baseline to follow-up in both intervention and control groups. The positive changes were not observed at daycare/school from baseline to post-intervention or to the one-year follow-up, and there were no significant differences in changes between the groups. Conclusions: Evidence-based parenting program IY(R) seems to be an effective intervention for child conduct problems in the short term in families in the CPS context, but sustaining the positive effects and generalizing them to the daycare/school context are challenging.Peer reviewe

Lasten sosioemotionaalisten vaikeuksien kohtaaminen varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisen työssä

Tiivistelmä. Tämä kandidaatin tutkielma käsittelee varhaiskasvatusikäisten lasten sosioemotionaalisia vaikeuksia ja niiden kohtaamista varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten näkökulmasta. Keskeisenä pyrkimyksenä on tavoittaa tekijöitä varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten toiminnan taustalla lasten sosioemotionaalisten vaikeuksien kohtaamiseen liittyen. Tutkielma toteutetaan integroivana kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Integroivan kirjallisuuskatsauksen tavoin tutkielmassa kootaan keskeistä aiheeseen liittyvää sekä ajankohtaista tutkimuskirjallisuutta. Tutkimuskirjallisuuden valikoinnissa huomioidaan objektiivisuus sekä luotettavuuskysymykset. Tutkielman tulokset osoittavat, että varhaiskasvatusikäisten lasten sosioemotionaaliset vaikeudet ilmenevät usein aggressiivisuutena, levottomuutena, uhmakkuutena, vetäytymisenä tai tunteidenpurkauksina. Varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaiset tulkitsevat lasten sosioemotionaalisista vaikeuksista johtuvan käyttäytymisen usein haastavana sekä ongelmalähtöisenä. Kyseisen käyttäytymisen kohtaaminen herättää kasvattajissa tunteita ja tulkintoja, jotka ovat yhteydessä vuorovaikutuksen sekä tukemisen laatuun. Tunteiden lisäksi varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten toimintaan lasten sosioemotionaalisiin vaikeuksiin liittyen vaikuttaa myös merkittävästi koulutus sekä sen puutteet. Varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten ymmärrys lasten sosioemotionaaliseen kehitykseen ja tukemiseen liittyen on todettu riittämättömäksi, mikä näyttäytyy lasten kohtaamisessa sekä vähäisissä tuen keinoissa. Koulutuksen puutteellisuus tulee esille myös ammattilaisten jaksamisessa sekä ammatillisuuden kokemuksessa. Tutkielman yhtenä päämääränä oli lisätä ymmärrystä lasten sosioemotionaalisista vaikeuksista, niiden ilmenemisestä sekä ilmenemisen taustalla olevista syistä. Ymmärryksen myötä tutkielma purkaa painolastia sellaisten lasten harteilta, jotka kamppailevat sosioemotionaalisten vaikeuksien kanssa. Tietoa aiheesta tarvitaan, jotta varhaiskasvatuksen toiminta tukisi kaikkia siellä toimivia lapsia tasapuolisesti ja leimaamattomasti. Tämä näyttäytyy resurssien kohdistamisen tarpeena ammatilliseen tukeen sekä koulutuksen kehittämiseen. Jotta varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten koulutus lasten sosioemotionaalisiin vaikeuksiin liittyen kehittyisi, tulisi velvoitetta kyseisten taitojen opettamiseen nostaa esimerkiksi osana Varhaiskasvatussuunnitelman perusteita