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Catastrophe
Kinds of Catastrophe Selected AbstractsA HYDROCLIMATOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RED RWER OF THE NORTH SNOWMELT FLOOD CATASTROPHE OF 1997,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 5 2001Paul E. Todhunter ABSTRACT: The flood hydroclimatology of the Grand Forks flood of April 1997, the most costly flood on a per capita basis for a major metropolitan area in United States history, is analyzed in terms of the natural processes that control spring snowmelt flooding in the region. The geomorphological characteristics of the basin are reviewed, and an integrated assessment of the hydroclimatological conditions during the winter of 1996 to 1997 is presented to gain a real-world understanding of the physical basis of this catastrophic flood event. The Grand Forks flood resulted from the principal flood-producing factors occurring at either historic or extreme levels, or at levels conducive to severe flooding. Above normal fall precipitation increased the fall soil moisture storage and reduced the spring soil moisture storage potential. A concrete frost layer developed that effectively reduced the soil infiltration capacity to zero. Record snowfall totals and snow cover depths occurred across the basin because of the unusual persistence of a blocking high circulation pattern throughout the winter. A severe, late spring blizzard delayed the snowmelt season and replenished the snow cover to record levels for early April. This blizzard was followed by a sudden transition to an extreme late season thaw due to the abrupt breakdown of the blocking circulation pattern. The presence of river ice contributed to backwater effects and affected the timing of tributary inflows to the main stem of the Red River. Only the absence of spring rains prevented an even more catastrophic flood disaster from taking place. This paper contributes to our understanding of the flood hydroclimatology of catastrophic flood events in an unusual flood hazard region that possesses relatively flat terrain, a north-flowing river, and an annual peak discharge time series dominated by spring snowmelt floods. [source] A comprehensive catastrophe theory for non-linear buckling of simple systems exhibiting fold and cusp catastrophesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2002X. A. Lignos Abstract Non-linear static buckling of simple systems associated with typical discrete critical points is comprehensively presented using elementary Catastrophe Theory. Attention is focused on the Fold and Cusp Catastrophe, all local properties of which are assessed in detail. Hence, in dealing with stability problems of potential systems there is no need to seek any of these properties since all of these are known a priori. Then, one has only to classify, after reduction, the total potential energy of a system into one of the universal unfoldings of the above types of catastrophe. Two illustrative numerical examples show the methodology of the proposed technique. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Harnessing Catastrophe to Promote Resource Recovery and Eco-industrial DevelopmentJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Kristen B. Ardani Summary Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, causing widespread damage to industry, housing, and infrastructure. The area of New Orleans East was particularly devastated, including a cluster of industries, such as a major food-processing plant, manufacturing facilities, and bulk material and gas processors. Although this area was well suited for resource recovery and eco-industrial linkages, little progress has been made in implementation. This article explores New Orleans as a case study in the application of industrial ecology to disaster management. Hurricane Katrina's damage to New Orleans resulted in a significant increase in the amount of waste flowing into New Orleans East, which precipitated a massive expenditure of federal funds toward debris management. Those circumstances created an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize a resource recovery program and to establish eco-industrial relationships, both of which would have resulted in new jobs and environmental improvement. Yet straightforward opportunities for resource recovery and eco-industrial linkage were overlooked or dismissed, in spite of antilandfill activism from the environmental community and formal recommendations for recycling from scientists and other professionals. We describe the specific resource recovery and eco-industrial opportunities that were available to New Orleans East, especially those that were magnified by Hurricane Katrina, and analyze the barriers that prevented their actualization. We also provide recommendations for overcoming barriers to resource recovery and eco-industrial progress with the goal that future postcatastrophe scenarios may benefit from more effective use of relief and recovery funding. [source] Testimony after Catastrophe: Narrating the Traumas of Political Violence , By Stevan WeinePOLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Francis A. Beer First page of article [source] Worst Cases: Terror and Catastrophe in the Popular Imagination by Lee ClarkeTHE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN CULTURE, Issue 3 2006Arthur G. Neal No abstract is available for this article. [source] Financial Compensation for Victims of Catastrophes: A Law and Economics PerspectiveLAW & POLICY, Issue 3 2007MICHAEL G. FAURE This article examines the various approaches legislators may use to compensate victims of catastrophes. Traditional law and economics of insurance literature, with respect to government relief and insurance solutions towards financial compensation, is used to analyze (highly diverging) approaches in Europe and the United States. First, the importance of liability (insurance) is discussed in cases where a liable injurer can be identified; second, the possibilities of first-party insurance are examined, whereby various regulatory solutions (particularly the French model of providing mandatory coverage for catastrophes) is critically discussed. The (first-party) insurance solution is compared with public intervention, and a distinction is made between ad hoc government relief on an ex-post basis and structural compensation funds. The solutions applied and discussed in many countries are critically analyzed for their ability to provide adequate compensation at low costs and their effects on incentives for prevention and for developing private (insurance) solutions. [source] Using Logistic Regression to Analyze the Sensitivity of PVA Models: a Comparison of Methods Based on African Wild Dog ModelsCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Paul C. Cross Standardized coefficients from the logistic regression analyses indicated that pup survival explained the most variability in the probability of extinction, regardless of whether or not the model incorporated density dependence. Adult survival and the standard deviation of pup survival were the next most important parameters in density-dependent simulations, whereas the severity and probability of catastrophe were more important during density-independent simulations. The inclusion of density dependence decreased the probability of extinction, but neither the abruptness nor the inclusion of density dependence were important model parameters. Results of both relative sensitivity analyses that altered each parameter by 10% of its range and life-stage-simulation analyses of deterministic matrix models supported the logistic regression results, indicating that pup survival and its variation were more important than other parameters. But both conventional sensitivity analysis of the stochastic model which changed each parameter by 10% of its mean value and elasticity analyses indicated that adult survival was more important than pup survival. We evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of using logistic regression to analyze the sensitivity of stochastic population viability models and conclude that it is a powerful method because it can address interactions among input parameters and can incorporate the range of parameter variability, although the standardized regression coefficients are not comparable between studies. Model structure, method of analysis, and parameter uncertainty affect the conclusions of sensitivity analyses. Therefore, rigorous model exploration and analysis should be conducted to understand model behavior and management implications. Resumen: Utilizamos la regresión logística como un método de análisis de sensibilidad par a un modelo de análisis de viabilidad poblacional de perros silvestres Africanos ( Lycaon pictus) y comparamos estos resultados con análisis de sensibilidad convencionales de modelos estocásticos y determinísticos. Coeficientes estandarizados de los análisis de regresión logística indicaron que la supervivencia de cachorros explicaba la mayor variabilidad en la probabilidad de extinción, independientemente de que el modelo incorporara la denso-dependencia. La supervivencia de adultos y la desviación estándar de la supervivencia de cachorros fueron los parámetros que siguieron en importancia en simulaciones de denso-dependencia, mientras que la severidad y la probabilidad de catástrofes fueron más importantes durante simulaciones denso-independientes. La inclusión de la denso dependencia disminuyó la probabilidad de extinción, pero ni la severidad ni la inclusión de denso-dependencia fueron parámetros importantes. Resultados de los análisis de sensibilidad relativa que alteraron cada parámetro en 10% de su rango y análisis de la simulación de etapas de vida de modelos matriciales determinísticos apoyaron los resultados de la regresión logística, indicando que la supervivencia de cachorros y su variación fueron más importantes que otros parámetros. Sin embargo, el análisis de sensibilidad convencional del modelo estocástico que cambiaron cada parámetro en 10% de su valor medio y el análisis de elasticidad indicaron que la supervivencia de adultos fue más importante que la supervivencia de cachorros. Evaluamos las ventajas y desventajas de utilizar la regresión logística para analizar la sensibilidad de modelos estocásticos de viabilidad poblacional y concluimos que es un método poderoso porque puede atender interacciones entre parámetros ingresados e incorporar el rango de variabilidad de parámetros, aunque los coeficientes de regresión estandarizada no son comparables entre estudios. La estructura del modelo, el método de análisis y la incertidumbre en los parámetros afectan las conclusiones del análisis de sensibilidad. Por lo tanto, se debe realizar una rigurosa exploración y análisis del modelo para entender su comportamiento y sus implicaciones en el manejo. [source] Bushmeat Markets on Bioko Island as a Measure of Hunting PressureCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2000John E. Fa Comparisons of the availability and abundance of individual species between years showed that more species and more carcasses appeared in 1996 than in 1991. In biomass terms, the increase was significantly less, only 12.5%, when compared with almost 60% more carcasses entering the market in 1996. A larger number of carcasses of the smaller-bodied species (i.e., rodents and the blue duiker [Cephalophus monticola] ) were recorded in 1996 than in 1991. Although an additional four species of birds and one squirrel were recorded in 1996, these were less important in terms of their contribution to biomass or carcass numbers. Concurrently, there was a dramatic reduction in the larger-bodied species, Ogilby's duiker (C. ogilbyi) and seven diurnal primates. We examined these changes, especially the drop in the number of larger animals. We considered the possible following explanations: (1) the number of hunters dropped either because of enforced legislation or scarcity of larger prey; (2) a shift in the use of hunting techniques occurred ( from shotguns to snares); or (3) consumer demand for primate and duiker meat dropped, which increased demand for smaller game. Our results suggest that the situation in Bioko may be alarmingly close to a catastrophe in which primate populations of international conservation significance are being hunted to dangerously low numbers. Although there is still a need for surveys of actual densities of prey populations throughout the island, working with the human population on Bioko to find alternatives to bushmeat is an urgent priority. Resumen: Realizamos conteos de los cuerpos de animales llevados al mercado de Malabo, en la Isla Bioko, Guinea Ecuatorial, durante dos periodos de estudio de ocho meses cada uno en 1991 y 1996. Las comparaciones realizadas de la disponibilidad y abundancia de especies individuales entre estos años mostró que más especies y más cuerpos aparecieron en 1996 que en 1991. En términos de biomasa, el incremento fue significativamente menor, solo 12.5% cuando se comparó con un incremento de casi un 60% más de cuerpos que llegaron al mercado en 1996. Se observó un mayor número de cuerpos de especies de tamaño pequeño ( por ejemplo roedores, y el duiker azul, Cephalophus monticola) en 1996 que en 1991. A pesar de que hubo una adición de cuatro especies de aves y una especie de ardilla en 1996, estas fueron menos importantes en cuanto a su contribución a la biomasa o el número de cuerpos. Al mismo tiempo, hubo una reducción dramática de especies de cuerpo grande, el duiker de Ogilby (C. ogilbyi) y siete primates diurnos. Examinamos estos cambios, especialmente la caída en el número de animales grandes y consideramos las siguientes posibles explicaciones: (1) hubo una caída significativa en el número de cazadores debido a la posible ejecución de la legislación o debido a una escasez de presas grandes; (2) hubo un cambio en el uso de técnicas de caza ( por ejemplo, el reemplazo de armas de fuego por trampas); o (3) la demanda del consumidor por carne de primates y duikers disminuyó, incrementándose la demanda por animales pequeños. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la situación en Bioko puede estar alarmantemente cerca de una catástrofe en la cual las poblaciones de primates, que son de gran significado para la conservación internacional, han sido reducidas a niveles peligrosamente bajos. A pesar de que aún se necesita llevar a cabo estudios de las densidades existentes de poblaciones de presas a lo largo de la isla, es urgente trabajar con la población humana de Bioko para encontrar alternativas a la venta de carne silvestre. [source] POLICIES IN THE UNITED STATES TO PROVIDE HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS1ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2008Ronald D. Utt From the 1930s onwards America's housing assistance policies have largely been shaped by the federal government's response to catastrophe, whether of an external nature (the Great Depression, the urban riots of the 1960s) or an internal nature (mismanagement, excessive costs). Consequently, today's collection of federal housing policies resemble more the results of an archaeological dig through 70 years of activity than a coherent approach to a longstanding problem. Nonetheless, one key theme that emerges is the shift from wholly government solutions to a hybrid public,private partnership approach in the early 1970s. [source] Analytical ecological epidemiology: exposure,response relations in spatially stratified time seriesENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 6 2009Hagen Scherb Abstract An important task of environmental research is the investigation of a possible causal relationship between exposure and the frequency of a biologic trait. Major industrial accidents provide examples where the exposure status of large populations may change considerably within relatively short time intervals of days or weeks (e.g. Seveso herbicide plant explosion, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe). Therefore, purely temporal change-points may be tested in time series of appropriate public health indicators (e.g. mortality, morbidity, sex ratio at birth). If, in addition, the spatial contamination is strong and variable enough and can be identified with sufficient precision at the level of regional units (e.g. districts), then a spatial-temporal approach makes sense. This essentially means that a global time trend model is adjusted for region-specific trend functions, allowing for local or global temporal jumps or broken sticks (change-points) at certain points in time. The local jump heights may be tested for associations with local exposure (exposure,response relation), and all other characteristics in the data that vary with locality and in time are automatically accounted for, thus minimizing confounding. Spatial-temporal approaches may help to strengthen the evidence of possible causal relationships. As an example, the human sex ratio at birth in several European countries before and after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident was investigated. A long-term chronic impact of radioactive fallout on the secondary sex ratio has been found. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] When half of the population died: the epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers of 1576 in MexicoFEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2004Rodofo Acuna-Soto Abstract During the 16th century, Mexico suffered a demographic catastrophe with few parallels in world's history. In 1519, the year of the arrival of the Spaniards, the population in Mexico was estimated to be between 15 and 30 million inhabitants. Eighty-one years later, in 1600, only two million remained. Epidemics (smallpox, measles, mumps), together with war, and famine have been considered to be the main causes of this enormous population loss. However, re-evaluation of historical data suggests that approximately 60,70% of the death toll was caused by a series of epidemics of hemorrhagic fevers of unknown origin. In order to estimate the impact of the 1576 epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers on the population we analyzed the historical record and data from the 1570 and 1580 censuses of 157 districts. The results identified several remarkable aspects of this epidemic: First, overall, the population loss for these 157 districts was 51.36%. Second, there was a clear ethnic preference of the disease, the Spanish population was minimally affected whereas native population had high mortality rate. Third, the outbreak originated in the valleys of central Mexico whence it evolved as an expansive wave. Fourth, a positive correlation between altitude and mortality in central Mexico was found. Fifth, a specific climatic sequence of events was associated with the initiation and dissemination of the hemorrhagic fevers. Although the last epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers in Mexico ended in 1815, many questions remain to be answered. Perhaps the most relevant ones are whether there is a possible reemergence of the hemorrhagic fevers and how vulnerable we are to the disease. [source] p120-catenin regulates microtubule dynamics and cell migration in a cadherin-independent mannerGENES TO CELLS, Issue 7 2007Tetsuo Ichii p120-catenin (p120) has been shown to be essential for cadherin stability. Here, we show that p120 is capable of regulating microtubule (MT) dynamics in a cadherin-independent manner. When p120 was depleted in cadherin-deficient Neuro-2a (N2a) cells, MT stability was reduced, as assessed by the nocodazole sensitivity of MTs. On the contrary, over-expression of p120 caused MTs to become resistant to nocodazole. Time-lapse recording of GFP-tagged EB1, a protein which binds the growing plus-ends of MTs, introduced into these cells demonstrated that the plus ends underwent more frequent catastrophe in p120-depleted cells. In addition, p120 knockdown up-regulated the motility of isolated cells, whereas it down-regulated the directional migration of cells from wound edges; and these migratory behaviors of cells were mimicked by nocodazole-induced MT depolymerization. These results suggest that p120 has the ability to regulate MT dynamics and that this activity, in turn, affects cell motility independently of the cadherin adhesion system. [source] The Super-Hun and the Super-State: Allied Propaganda and German Philosophy during the First World WarGERMAN LIFE AND LETTERS, Issue 4 2001Gregory Moore When war broke out in August 1914, intellectuals on both sides sought to discover the underlying causes of the catastrophe not in mundane political events, but in the dominant ideologies and native intellectual traditions of the Great Powers. German scholars argued that Europe was witnessing a truly world-historical conflict rooted in the mutual antagonism that existed between two fundamentally different forms of life, a confrontation which the sociologist Werner Sombart summed up as the battle between the rapacious ,Händler' of utilitarian Britain and the idealistic ,Helden' defending a superior German Kultur. British academics conceived the war in no less apocalyptic terms: this was a struggle pitting the forces of democracy against a brutal predatory militarism, the basic impulse of which was to assert the supremacy of the state over the individual. Although initially Nietzsche and Treitschke were denounced as the figures most directly responsible for fostering this belligerent spirit, soon the entire German philosophical canon came under scrutiny. This essay examines some of the spurious genealogies of Prussian immorality which Allied writers concocted to elucidate the deeper meaning of the war. [source] Toward better renoprotection: Lessons from angiotensin receptor blockersHEMODIALYSIS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2007Toshio MIYATA Abstract The rising tide of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially diabetic nephropathy, has become a worldwide catastrophe. However, therapeutic options to prevent or retard the progression of CKD still remain very limited. The understanding of its molecular mechanisms and the delineation of tools able to modify them are thus of critical importance. The discovery that some antihypertensive agents inhibiting the renin-angiotensin system, such as angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers, protect the kidney opens new therapeutic perspectives. In this article, we focus on their renoprotective actions beyond blood pressure lowering. [source] Actualism and the Fascist Historic ImaginaryHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 2 2003Claudio Fogu This essay argues that, just like liberalism and communism, fascist ideology was based on a specific philosophy of history articulated by Giovanni Gentile in the aftermath of World War I. Gentile's actualist notion that history "belongs to the present" articulated an immanent vision of the relationship between historical agency, representation, and consciousness against all transcendental conceptions of history. I define this vision as historic (as opposed to "historical") because it translated the popular notion of historic eventfulness into the idea of the reciprocal immanence of the historical and the historiographical act. I further show that the actualist philosophy of history was historically resonant with the Italian experience of the Great War and was culturally modernist. I insist, however, that the actualist catastrophe of the histori(ographi)cal act was also genealogically connected to the Latin-Catholic rhetorical signification of "presence" that had sustained the development of Italian visual culture for centuries. Accordingly, I argue that the fascist translation of actualism into a historic imaginary was at the root of Italian fascism's appeal to both masses and intellectuals. Fascism presented itself as a historic agent that not only "made history," but also made it present to mass consciousness. In fact, I conclude by suggesting that the fascist success in institutionalizing a proper mode of historic representation in the 1920s, and a full-blown historic culture in the 1930s, may have also constituted a fundamental laboratory for the formation of posthistoric(al) imaginaries. [source] A comprehensive catastrophe theory for non-linear buckling of simple systems exhibiting fold and cusp catastrophesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2002X. A. Lignos Abstract Non-linear static buckling of simple systems associated with typical discrete critical points is comprehensively presented using elementary Catastrophe Theory. Attention is focused on the Fold and Cusp Catastrophe, all local properties of which are assessed in detail. Hence, in dealing with stability problems of potential systems there is no need to seek any of these properties since all of these are known a priori. Then, one has only to classify, after reduction, the total potential energy of a system into one of the universal unfoldings of the above types of catastrophe. Two illustrative numerical examples show the methodology of the proposed technique. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Inhibitors of the PI3-kinase/Akt pathway induce mitotic catastrophe in non-small cell lung cancer cellsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 5 2006Therese H Hemström Abstract Non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC) are more resistant to anticancer treatment as compared with other types of cancer cells. Recently (Hemström et al., Exp Cell Res 2005;305:200,13) we showed that apoptosis of U1810 NSCLC cells induced by the staurosporine analog PKC 412 correlated with inhibition of Akt and ERK1/2, suggesting the involvement of these kinases in cell survival. Here we investigated the contribution of the PI3-kinase/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways to survival of NSCLC cells. The two signaling pathways were studied by using different combinations of the PI3-kinase inhibitors LY-294002 and wortmannin, the Akt activator Ro 31-8220, the MEK inhibitor PD 98059 and PKC 412. PI3-kinase inhibitors induced apoptosis-like death in U1810 cells. H157 cells in general were relatively resistant to PI3 kinase/Akt inhibitors yet these compounds sensitized cells to the DNA-damaging drug VP-16, while Ro 31-8220 could not. PD 98059 only had a sensitizing effect on H157 cells when combined with PI3-kinase inhibition and VP-16. Morphological data indicated that LY-294002 and PKC 412 induced cell death at anaphase and metaphase, respectively, suggesting death by mitotic catastrophe. Analyzes of cells blocked in G2/M-phase by nocodazol revealed that LY-294002 increased, while PKC 412 decreased histone H3 phosphorylation, suggesting that LY-294002 allowed, while PKC 412 inhibited cells to leave M-phase. Flow cytometric analysis of cell cycle distribution demonstrated that LY-294002 allowed cells to leave G2/M phase, while PKC 412 inhibited cytokinesis, resulting in formation of multinucleated cells. These results indicate that sensitization of NSCLC cells by PI3-kinase inhibition involves interplay between cell cycle regulation, mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Psychosocial response in emergency situations , the nurse's roleINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 1 2007Dnurs, F. Hughes rn Background:, It is critical to ensure that nurses have the skills and knowledge to respond effectively and to contribute to the psychosocial recovery of survivors of emergencies, particularly as an increasing proportion of the population is at risk of being exposed to a catastrophe. Over a decade ago it was reported that 16% of the world's population was at risk of experiencing some kind of catastrophic event. That has now risen with a total of 16% vulnerable to flood alone worldwide (Ministry of Health 2005). In the first semester of 2005, there were 174 natural disasters affecting 86 countries, resulting in the deaths of 5967 people, affecting a total of 60 million with an estimated damage of $6.3 billion (US$) (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters 2005). Aim:, To describe the nursing contribution to the psychosocial recovery of survivors of emergencies during the emergency preparedness and planning stage and in promoting recovery over the longer term. Methods:, Data for this article was sourced from relevant literature including World Health Organization policy and guidelines regarding mental health in emergencies. Implications for education, training and practice:, It is vital that nurses realize they are too vulnerable to the effects of an emergency situation and that steps can be taken to protect nurses from enduring psychosocial effects. [source] Fear of the Dead as a Factor in Social Self-OrganizationJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 2 2005AKOP P. NAZARETYAN The image of dead person returning to life was the most ancient source of irrational fear (i.e. fear not caused by objective menace) appeared in culture. This conclusion is argued with empirical data from archeology and ethnography. Fear has been expressed in funeral rites, the tying of extremities, burning and dismemberment of dead bodies, and ritual cannibalism (compensatory necrophilia) etc. At the same time, it was attended by effective care for helpless cripples, which seems to descend to the Lower Paleolithic as well. Dread of posthumous revenge played a decisive regulative role at the earliest stage of anthropogenesis, as the disparity between artificial weapons (the tools) and natural aggression-retention mechanisms (the instincts) became self-destructive. In the new conditions, individuals with normal animal mind were doomed to catastrophe. Those hominid groups proved viable, in which mystical fear, a product of unnaturally developed imagination, bounded lethal conflicts among kinsmen. The phobias corresponded to the psycho-nervous system's "strategic pathology"; that was a condition for early hominids' self-preservation. As a result, a causal connection between instrumental potential, cultural regulation quality and social sustainability (the techno-humanitarian balance law) was formed, which has been a mechanism of social selection for all of human history and prehistory. [source] Modelling space use and dispersal of mammals in real landscapes: a tool for conservationJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2003David W. Macdonald Abstract Aim To explore the usefulness of Spatially Explicit Population Models (SEPMs), incorporating dispersal, as tools for animal conservation, as illustrated by the contrasting cases of four British mammals. Methods For each of the four species (American mink, Mustela vison, pine marten, Martes martes, dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius and water vole, Arvicola terrestris) a spatial dynamics model was developed based on an integrated geographical information system (GIS) population model that linked space use to the incidence of the species. Each model had, first, a GIS, which stored environmental, habitat and animal population information, and secondly, an individual-based population dynamics module, which simulated home range formation, individual life histories and dispersal within the GIS-held landscape. Results The four models illustrated different interactions between species life-history variables and the landscape, particularly with respect to dispersal. As water voles and dormice occupy home ranges that are small relative to blocks of their habitat, they were most effectively modelled in terms of the dynamics of local populations within habitat blocks but linked by dispersal. In contrast, because the home ranges of American mink and pine marten are large relative to blocks of habitat, they were best modelled as individuals moving through a landscape of more or less useful patches of habitat. For the water vole, the most significant predictors of population size were the carrying capacity of each habitat and the annual number of litters. For the dormouse, the likelihood of catastrophe and the upper limit to dispersal movement were the key variables determining persistence. Adult mortality and home-range size were the only significant partial correlates of total population size for the American mink. Adult mortality was also a significant correlate of total population size in the pine marten, as were litter size and juvenile mortality. In neither the marten nor the mink was dispersal distance a significant factor in determining their persistence in the landscape. Main conclusions At a landscape scale it is difficult to measure animal distributions directly and yet conservation planning often necessitates knowledge of where, and in what numbers, animals are found, and how their distributions will be affected by interventions. SEPMs offer a useful tool for predicting this, and for refining conservation plans before irreversible decisions are taken in practice. [source] Mitotic catastrophe and apoptosis induced by docetaxel in hormone-refractory prostate cancer cells,JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Francesco Fabbri Studies performed in different experimental and clinical settings have shown that Docetaxel (Doc) is effective in a wide range of tumors and that it exerts its activity through multiple mechanisms of action. However, the sequence of events induced by Doc which leads to cell death is still not fully understood. Moreover, it is not completely clear how Doc induces mitotic catastrophe and whether this process is an end event or followed by apoptosis or necrosis. We investigated the mechanisms by which Doc triggers cell death in hormone-refractory prostate cancer cells by analyzing cell cycle perturbations, apoptosis-related marker expression, and morphologic cell alterations. Doc induced a transient increase in G2/M phase followed by the appearance of G0/1 hypo- and hyperdiploid cells and increased p21 expression. Time- and concentration-dependent apoptosis was induced in up to 70% of cells, in concomitance with Bcl-2 phosphorylation, which was followed by caspase-2 and -3 activation. In conclusion, Doc would seem to trigger apoptosis in hormone-refractory prostate cancer cells via mitotic catastrophe through two forms of mitotic exit, in concomitance with increased p21 expression and caspase-2 activation. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 494,501, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Post-traumatic factors and resilience: the role of shelter management and survivours' attitudes after the earthquakes in El Salvador (2001)JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Pau Pérez-Sales Abstract A participatory research action was undertaken in the two largest shelters established after the earthquakes in El Salvador (2001). One hundred fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out among refugees, which later formed the basis for a self-managed community plan. Comparisons between the two shelters,which differed primarily in whether the grouping of tents was made to reflect the community of origin of the survivors (shelter Santa Gertrudis) or not (shelter El Cafetalón),showed that refugees in Santa Gertrudis participated more often in community activities, and had more positive emotional memories, fewer feelings of having been humiliated and less emotional discomfort than refugees in El Cafetalón. The results suggest that forms of organisation and management which consider elements of dignity, participation and respect for the capacity of the victims to control their own lives are relevant factors for effective individual and community coping after a catastrophe. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Handling Mass Death by Integrating the Management of Disasters and Pandemics: Lessons from the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Spanish Flu and Other IncidentsJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2007Joseph Scanlon At first glance, there appear to be significant differences between mass death from disasters and catastrophes and mass death from pandemics. In a disaster or catastrophe the major problem is identifying the dead and, sometimes, determining cause of death. This can be very frustrating for next of kin. In a pandemic, the identity of the dead is usually known as is the cause of their death. There is an immediate certainty in pandemic death. Despite these major differences there are many similarities. Because it takes time to identify the dead after a disaster or catastrophe, there is a steady release of bodies for cremation or burial, just as in a pandemic. In both types of incidents, there tends to be a shortage of supplies and personnel and, therefore, a need for use of volunteers. There are also massive amounts of paper work. This would suggest a need in both cases for stockpiling and for training of volunteers. And, although this does not always happen, both types of incidents tend to strike harder among the poorer elements in cities yet both create serious economic problems. Despite these many similarities, planning for the first tends to be done by emergency agencies, especially the police; planning for the second by health agencies. Given the many similarities this separation makes no sense. Since both types of mass death incidents lead to similar problems, it would make sense to take an all-hazards approach to planning for dealing with mass death. [source] August 2003: Reflections on a French Summer DisasterJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005Why were its medical consequences so serious? The heat wave of August 2003 caused a hecatomb in France. Its extent and consequences (INVS 2003) require analysis in order to understand why such a situation occurred and how to avoid that the same medical disaster will be caused in the future by identical climatic conditions. This natural disaster had no known precedent in France. The heatwave lasted for three weeks in August 2003 and led to 14800 deaths. However, the human toll of this catastrophe cannot be explained solely by the violence of the attack. Any analysis of this dramatic crisis, as for any public health threat, should take into account the agent involved, the population concerned, the specific relation between the agent and the target, and, based upon this, the crisis management needed. The analysis presented in this article, following the described line, shows that the crisis management was far from optimal. Learning from this situation should allow us to do better, next time such a climatic catastrophe occurs. A key factor is promoting adequate citizen response. [source] How to handle the threat of catastropheJOURNAL OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 6 2003Carol Sánchez One major task CEOs face is to minimize risk and vulnerability to catastrophic events. Since 9/11, we know that simply having insurance,and conventional emergency planning,is not enough. And in addition to global terrorism, other catastrophes threaten,including cyber crime and new diseases like SARS. Traditional risk management strategies dealt with two types of danger: known and unknown risk. But now we also have a third kind: unknowable risk! So how should we handle catastrophic threats today? © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Assessing poverty, risk and vulnerability: a study on flooded households in rural BangladeshJOURNAL OF FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2010M.I. Rayhan Abstract Flood is a common catastrophe in Bangladesh. This study aimed to examine the poverty, risk and vulnerability for flood hazards. A cross-sectional household survey was carried out after 2 weeks of the flood in four districts in the year 2005. In total, 600 rural households were interviewed through a three-stage stratified random sampling. A utilitarian approach was used to assess flood vulnerability and its components. A set of households' characteristics and shock (flood) variables were used as explanatory variables. The results showed that poverty and idiosyncratic flood risks are positively correlated and highly significant. Households with higher educated members, headed by a male and owners of a dwelling place have been found to be less vulnerable to idiosyncratic flood risk. Possession of arable land and a small family size can reduce poverty and the aggregate flood risk. [source] History, heresy and radiology in scientific discoveryJOURNAL OF MEDICAL IMAGING AND RADIATION ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2009J McCredie Summary Nowadays, most drugs reach the market after research has established their pharmacology, safety and efficacy. That was not always the case 50 years ago. Thalidomide was used before its target cell or mode of action were known. Commencing with the thalidomide catastrophe , an epidemic of gross birth defects (1958,1962) , thalidomide's origins are revisited to show how this drug came to be made and sold in the 1950s. Thalidomide intersected with Australian radiology in the 1970s. The site and mode of action of the drug was deduced from X-rays of thalidomide-induced bone defects, which have classical radiological signs of sensory neuropathic osteoarthropathy. The longitudinal reduction deformities follow the distribution of segmental sensory innervation of the limb skeleton, indicating neural crest as the target organ. Injury to one level of neural crest halts normal neurotrophism and deletes the dependent segment , a previously unrecognised embryonic mechanism that explains most non-genetic birth defects. The final common pathway is neural crest injury and failure of normal neurotrophism to result in longitudinal reduction deformities, for example, phocomelia. [source] Mitotic catastrophe as a prestage to necrosis in mouse liver cells treated with Helicobacter pullorum sonicatesJOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 8 2009Liesbeth M. Ceelen Abstract Helicobacter pullorum infections have been associated with several enterohepatic diseases, but the mechanism of action is currently undefined. The present study was therefore set up to investigate possible cytotoxic effects of this pathogen on liver cells. A mouse hepatic cell line was exposed to H. pullorum sonicate and cytotoxicity was observed for all isolates after incubation for 72 h. Features characteristic for mitotic catastrophe characterized by chromatin condensation, formation of multinuclear distended cells and micronucleation, were recorded. In addition, intranuclear pseudoinclusions were seen in sonicate-treated cells. Finally, cells exposed to sonicate eventually underwent cell death with the morphological features of necrosis, which occurred without activation of caspase-3. The toxic factor involved in the cytotoxic activity proved to be soluble, trypsin,sensitive and stable at 56°C and at ,70°C with a molecular weight to be over 50 kDa. The current study shows for the first time that H. pullorum causes mitotic catastrophe resulting in primary necrosis in mouse hepatocytes. J. Morphol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Third-Party Policing and Insurance: The Case of Market-Based Crime PreventionLAW & POLICY, Issue 1 2000Sharyn Roach Anleu This paper examines a relatively new trend: market-based crime prevention. The insurance firm is an exemplary agent of this new type of crime prevention. Although the traditional focus of insurance has been on losses sustained after a crime or other catastrophe, we explore the shift from reactive to proactive crime management by the insurance industry. This trend is part of a more general decentralization of policing, from state-controlled agents to community- and market-based third parties. New ideologies support these shifts, including an actuarial logic about crime and a view of the prudent person. [source] PRICING IN AN INCOMPLETE MARKET WITH AN AFFINE TERM STRUCTUREMATHEMATICAL FINANCE, Issue 3 2004Virginia R. Young We apply the principle of equivalent utility to calculate the indifference price of the writer of a contingent claim in an incomplete market. To recognize the long-term nature of many such claims, we allow the short rate to be random in such a way that the term structure is affine. We also consider a general diffusion process for the risky stock (index) in our market. In a complete market setting, the resulting indifference price is the same as the one obtained by no-arbitrage arguments. We also show how to compute indifference prices for two types of contingent claims in an incomplete market, in the case for which the utility function is exponential. The first is a catastrophe risk bond that pays a fixed amount at a given time if a catastrophe does not occur before that time. The second is equity-indexed term life insurance which pays a death benefit that is a function of the short rate and stock price at the random time of the death of the insured. Because we assume that the occurrence of the catastrophe or the death of the insured is independent of the financial market, the markets for the catastrophe risk bond and the equity-indexed life insurance are incomplete. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||