Targeting attention on local vulnerabilities using an integrated index approach: the example of the climate vulnerability index.

It is known that climate impacts can have significant effects on the environment, societies and economies. For human populations, climate change impacts can be devastating, giving rise to economic disruption and mass migration as agricultural systems fail, either through drought or floods. Such events impact significantly, not only where they happen, but also in the neighbouring areas. Vulnerability to the impacts of climate change needs to be assessed, so that adaptation strategies can be developed and populations can be protected. In this paper, we address the issue of vulnerability assessment through the use of an indicator approach, the climate vulnerability index (CVI). We show how this can overcome some of the difficulties of incommensurability associated with the combination of different types of data, and how the approach can be applied at a variety of scales. Through the development of nested index values, more reliable and robust coverage of large areas can be achieved, and we provide an indication of how this could be done. While further work is required to improve the methodology through wider application and component refinement, it seems likely that this approach will have useful application in the assessment of climate vulnerability. Through its application at sub-national and community scales, the CVI can help to identify those human populations most at risk from climate change impacts, and as a result, resources can be targeted towards those most in need.     

Gene cassette-associated sequences from phosphorus and non-phosphorus removing microbial communities in aerobic:anaerobic sequencing batch reactors.

Mobile gene elements associated with integrons, including as gene cassettes, have been proposed to play an important role in bacterial evolution by providing an extensive genetic resource. This study hypothesized that critical genes for enzymes involved in EBPR systems, including those involved in polyphosphate, PHA and glycogen synthesis, may be present in mobile gene cassettes. Although no such genes were identified in any of the functional and deteriorated enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) laboratory-scale SBR systems examined here, many of the open reading frames (ORFs) remained unidentified because of the incompleteness of publicly available databases. An ORF of unknown function (SBR6-2) was encountered in deteriorated EBPR system with an unexpectedly high frequency, comprising 35% of the gene cassette-associated sequences for that system.     

Target marketing in a social marketing context: gender differences in importance ratings of promoted intrinsic and extrinsic restricted exchange benefits of military enlistment

Social marketing involves influencing voluntary behaviour of people towards a social end. Examples of social marketing range from campaigns to encourage healthy physical behaviour to efforts to encourage tax support for public education, overcome racism, or stimulate ‘patriotic’ behaviour. Using data from a summer 2001 telephone survey of 600 young adults, this paper investigates how recruitment campaigns may benefit from considering gender differences in importance ratings of a variety of benefits promoted by the military in the USA. Importance ratings are assessed using differences in means and variances tests. Findings identify gender specific differences that may be used to enhance recruitment campaigns. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications     

Global Integration in Primary Equity Markets: The Role of U.S. Banks and U.S. Investors

We examine the costs and benefits of the global integrationof initial public offering (IPO) markets associated with thediffusion of U.S. underwriting methods in the 1990s. Bookbuildingis becoming increasingly popular outside the United States andtypically costs twice as much as a fixed-price offer. However,on its own, bookbuilding only leads to lower underpricing whenconducted by U.S. banks and/or targeted at U.S. investors. Formost issuers, the gains associated with lower underpricing outweighedthe additional costs associated with hiring U.S. banks or marketingin the United States. This suggests a quality/price trade-offcontrasting with the findings of Chen and Ritter, particularlysince non-U.S. issuers raising US$20 million–US$80 millionalso typically pay a 7% spread when U.S. banks and investorsare involved.     

Time Series Concepts for Conditional Distributions*

The paper asks the question – as time series analysis moves from consideration of conditional mean values and variances to unconditional distributions, do some of the familiar concepts devised for the first two moments continue to be helpful in the more general area? Most seem to generalize fairly easy, such as the concepts of breaks, seasonality, trends and regime switching. Forecasting is more difficult, as forecasts become distributions, as do forecast errors. Persistence can be defined and also common factors by using the idea of a copula. Aggregation is more difficult but causality and controllability can be defined. The study of the time series of quantiles becomes more relevant.     

The role of interparticle forces in colloidal aggregates: local investigations and modelling of restructuring during filtration.

Industrial solid-liquid separation processes, such as pressure filtration or membrane processes, involve the application of pressure to suspensions. In response, some water is extracted, the suspension volume is reduced, and the dispersed aggregates start to form a network. In recent works, we aimed to make a prediction for the response of aggregates to stress which occurs during a filtration. We chose model systems made of aggregated silica nanoparticles. Some of these systems offer a strong resistance to applied stresses, and retain their permeability; others yield and collapse. We used small angle neutron scattering by which we can locally quantify the particle distribution withi the network to determine the processes by which particles reorganise during collapse: we found that reordering processes at the scale of 1 to 10 particle diameters control the course of collapse and the loss of permeability. Finally we constructed a numerical model for describing the processes by which colloidal aggregates are compressed. This model predicts that the response of such networks to pressure follows some scaling laws, which depend only on the elastic vs. dissipative nature of interparticle bonds.