197,664 research outputs found
Investigating the impacts of training data set length (T) and the aggregation unit size (M) on the accuracy of the self-exciting point process (SEPP) hotspot method
No full textThis study examines the impacts of two variables; the training data lengths (T) and the aggregation unit sizes (M); on the accuracy of the self-exciting point process (SEPP) model during crime prediction. A case study of three crime types in the South Chicago area is presented, in which different combinations of values of T and M are used for 100 daily consecutive crime predictions. The results showed two important points regarding the SEPP model: first is that large values of T are likely to improve the accuracy of the SEPP model and second is that, a small aggregation unit, such as a 50m x 50m grid, is better in terms of capturing local repeat and near-repeat patterns of crimes
The History and Sustainability of the CBA in Estonia
No full textEstonia has had a currency board arrangement (CBA) for more than 10 years. Due to the successful performance of the Estonian economy under a CBA the current position of the Bank of Estonia is to maintain its exchange rate regime until full participation in the EMU, inter alia, during Estonia’s participation in ERM 2. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the reasons for maintaining the CBA in the past and whether it is a viable option in the future. The main aim of this paper is therefore to give an overview of the history of the Estonian CBA and examine the different aspects of its sustainability. In section 2 the article describes the basic features of the CBA in general and the Estonian CBA in particular and discusses the rationale for the choice of a CBA in Estonia. The third section of the article describes the main developments of the Estonian economy during the last 10 years. Both financial sector and real sector developments are briefly discussed. In the fourth section, we assess the sustainability of the Estonian CBA. We specifically analyze whether the preconditions for the successful performance of the CBA are in place. First, we examine the fiscal policy stance after the introduction of the currency board with special emphasis upon the period strongly influenced by external shocks (1997–1999). Secondly, we discuss the flexibility of the real sector of the economy. For this purpose the flexibility of wage setting, movements in the real exchange rate and changes in foreign trade are discussed. Thirdly, we analyse the resilience of the banking sector by looking at its performance during the external shocks experienced during the Asian and Russian crises. The article concludes that the Estonian economy fulfils the main economic preconditions for the sustainability of the CBA – sufficient fiscal discipline, flexibility of the real sector and resilience of the financial sector. Therefore, the CBA could be considered a suitable exchange rate arrangement before Estonia’s entry to the third stage of the EMU.Estonia; Currency Board
Soil function assessment in high-mountain environments : Testing the SEPP tool in a ski resort in the Italian Alps
No full textSoil function assessment (SFA) plays an important role in evaluating the impact of management practices, land- use changes and construction work. The Soil Evaluation for Planning Procedures (SEPP) tool is one of the few existing SFA tools that allow automated SFA. It was originally developed to address land- use planning issues, which traditionally play a minor role in high- mountain areas. Hence, the SEPP tool has not yet been applied to such environments. In this study, we tested the SEPP performance on high- mountain soils previously altered by construction work and land- use changes. Specifically, we evaluated soil data from 16 ski runs and 16 paired control sites in the Italian Alps, aiming to reflect land- use- driven differences in soil properties in the SFA results. The study re-vealed options to adapt SEPP assessment methods if high- mountain soils with special characteristics (e.g. shallowness or high coarse fragment content) are in-vestigated. The main adaptation options are the consideration of further soil pa-rameters and the adjustment of thresholds of function fulfilment levels. However, the assessment results of the current SEPP version already reflect the most rel-evant impacts of ski run construction on the soils in the study area: fulfilment of some of the soil functions was impaired and that of others improved, while most remained at a comparable level. We conclude that SFA with the SEPP tool pro-vides valuable support for the evaluation of construction projects and land- use change in high- mountain environments. However, the significance of SFA can be improved by considering the intrinsic properties of high- mountain soils
KIK keskkonnaprogrammi looduskaitse alamprogrammi projekt nr 9089
No full textSissejuhatus
Karula ja Soomaa rahvusparkide maakatte andmebaasi koostamist ning ajaloolise maakasutuse
analüüsi teostamist on toetanud Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus keskkonnaprogrammi
looduskaitse alamprogrammist (projekt nr 9089). Töö on koostatud Keskkonnaametiga
kooskõlastatud lähteülesande alusel (Lisa 1). Vastavalt lähteülesandele oli töö eesmärgiks koostada
Karula ja Soomaa rahvusparkide maastike tsoneering ajaloolise maakasutuse/maakatte püsivuse ja
muutuste alusel ning koostada soovitused määratletud tsoonide edaspidiseks korralduseks ja
kaitseks. Tuleb rõhutada, et antud töös toodud tsoneering ja soovitused lähtuvad üksnes
kaardianalüüsi tulemustest. Seetõttu tuleb nende rakendamisel jälgida ka ala kaitsekorda,
teisi kaitseväärtusi ning kaitsekorralduskavas planeeritut.
Maakatte muutuste andmebaasi koostamiseks kasutati maastikuanalüüsis levinud meetodit võrrelda
eri ajastute maakatte kaardikihte, et teha kindlaks maakatte muutused. Uurimisala hõlmas Karula ja
Soomaa rahvusparkide ja rahvusparkide piiridesse jäävat ala koos puhveralaga 500 meetri ulatuses.
Maakatte püsivust ja muutusi analüüsiti ainult kaitsealade piirides, maastike tsoneering hõlmab aga
kaitsealade piiridesse jäävat ala koos puhveralaga.
Projekti metoodikat ja tulemusi tutvustati mitmetel üritustel: Karula rahvuspargi koostöökogu
koosolekul 23.11.2015 (Lisa 2), Sooülikooli aastaseminaril 30.09.2016 (Lisa 3) ja Karula ajaloolise
maakasutuse seminaril 14.10.2016 (Lisa 4). Täiendavaid koosolekuid Keskkonnaametiga ei peetud
vajalikuks korraldada, sest koosolekutel ja seminaridel viibinud Keskkonnaameti esindajad said hea
ülevaate käimasoleva töö metoodikast, etappidest ja tulemustest ning ühtlasi võimaluse osaleda
tööd edasiviivates aruteludes. Seminaride käigus esilekerkinud küsimused ja tehtud ettepanekud
võeti arvesse lõpparuandes.
Kogutud lähtematerjalide, teostatud välitööde ja arutelude baasil koostati käesolev aruanne ning
Karula ja Soomaa maakasutuse tsoneeringu kaart digitaalkujul (MapInfo kihid). Töö koostasid
Maaria Semm, prof. Kalev Sepp, Pille Tomson ja Eva-Lena Sepp Eesti Maaülikoolist.Aruandele viitamine: Tomson, P., Semm, M., Sepp, E-L., Sepp, K. 2016. Karula ja Soomaa rahvuspargi maakatte andmebaasi koostamine ning ajaloolise maakasutuse analüüs ja tsoneering. Lõpparuanne. Karula ja Soomaa rahvuspargi maakatte andmebaasi koostamine ning ajaloolise maakasutuse analüüs ja tsoneering (1.01.2015−25.11.2016). Eesti Maaülikool, Põllumajandus- ja keskkonnainstituut.Andmebaasile viitamine: Karula/Soomaa rahvuspargi maakatte andmebaas. 2016. Karula ja Soomaa rahvuspargi maakatte andmebaasi koostamine ning ajaloolise maakasutuse analüüs ja tsoneering (1.01.2015−25.11.2016). Eesti Maaülikool, Põllumajandus- ja keskkonnainstituut.Uuringu koostamist toetas Keskkonnainvesteeringute Keskus 2014. a. looduskaitse programmist (projekt nr 9089)
Polar ice structure and the integrity of ice-core paleoclimate records
No full textPolar ice is a unique archive of the climatic conditions in the past. However, ice sheets flow, and this flow may affect the integrity of paleoclimate records. A useful method to analyze the effect of ice flow upon climate records is the combination of microstructure mapping with ice-core line-scanning. Microstructure and stratigraphy have been mapped along the entire EPICA-DML ice core with this combined method. On the macroscale the stratigraphy seems perfectly preserved down to ca 1700 m depth (MIS4), below which minor undulations start to develop. Layers inclined up to 15 degrees and millimeter-scale z-folds are observed below 2050 m depth. Notwithstanding, the EPICA-DML climate record appears not seriously disturbed down to ca 2400 m depth, which marks the climatic transition from the last interglacial (MIS5e) to the MIS6 glacial period. Below this depth the synchronization with the EPICA-Dome C record is lost, and stratigraphic disturbances appear up to the meter scale. On the microscopic scale, we observe dynamic recrystallization already in deep firn, leading to substantial microstructural changes prior to bubble close-off. The concentration of visible micro-inclusions in the Holocene part of the core seems to increase with depth, which could possibly indicate post-depositional formation of salts. In glacial period ice the concentration of visible micro-inclusions in certain layers is so high that these strata appear as light-scattering bands, often called "cloudy bands". Another interesting stratigraphic feature is what we call "bubble-free bands", viz. millimeter-thick strata deprived of bubbles and rich in clathrate hydrates, which are found within the bubble-hydrate transition zone (800-1200 m depth) and are probably caused by anomalously fast clathration. While there is hardly any interaction between visible micro-inclusions and grain boundaries down to 2500 m depth, in the deeper ice (warmer than -10 degrees C) many grain boundaries seem to harvest micro-inclusions. Here we discuss these observations and their relevance for the interpretation of climate records. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Hepatic, renal and serum glutathione-peroxidase activity and serum Sepp concentrations in wild-type and TRα1+m mice with or without T3 treatment.
No full text<p>A) Enzymatic activity of glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) in liver and kidney of untreated and TH treated (T3-treated) wild-type (wt, white bars) and TRα1+m mice (+m, black bars). The activity is normalized against the protein content of the sample. (**: p<0.01 for T3 treatment, ##: p<0.01 for genotype, 2-way ANOVA, n = 5 for each group). B) Enzymatic activity of serum glutathione peroxidase 3 (Serum Gpx) and concentrations of selenium protein P (Serum Sepp) levels in serum of untreated and TH treated (T3-treated) wild-type (wt, white bars) and TRα1+m mice (+m, black bars). (#: p<0.05 for genotype, **: p<0.01 for T3 treatment, 2-way ANOVA).</p
Dr. Duane M. Jackson, Morehouse College, July 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. Duane M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson talks about his paper, "Recall and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students' Performance." Jackie Daniel, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States" By M. Carey.
No full text"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States: containing bried sketches of the moral and political character of those states.
By M. Carey, member of the American philosophical, and of the American Antiquarian Society, and author of The Olive Branch, Cindiciae Hibernicae, essays on banking, on political economy, and on internal improvement.
To which are now added the English editor's comments on the subject; together with Important Advice to Emigrants, and Cautions Against Impositions Practiced in the Outports
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
- …
