scholarly journals Phenology of Oithona similis demonstrates that ecological flexibility may be a winning trait in the warming Arctic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaja Balazy ◽  
Rafał Boehnke ◽  
Emilia Trudnowska ◽  
Janne E. Søreide ◽  
Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Oithona Similis ◽  
Reproductive Events

AbstractRapidly warming Arctic is facing significant shifts in the zooplankton size-spectra manifested as increasing numbers of the small-sized copepod Oithona similis. Here we present a unique continuous data set covering 22 months, on its copepodite structure along with environmental drivers in the Atlantic-influenced high Arctic fjord Isfjorden (Spitsbergen). Abundance maxima of O. similis were observed in September when the highest seawater temperature was recorded. A high concentration of the indicator species of Atlantification Oithona atlantica was also observed at that time. The clear dominance of O. similis in the zooplankton community during the dark, theoretically unproductive season emphasizes its substantial role in sustaining a continuous carbon flow, when most of the large herbivorous copepods fall into sleeping state. The high sex ratio observed twice in both years during periods of high primary production suggests two main reproductive events per year. O. similis reproduced even in very low temperatures (< 0 °C) previously thought to limit their fecundity, which proves its unique thermal tolerance. Our study provides a new insight on ecology of this key copepod of marine ecosystems across the globe, and thus confirm the Climatic Variability Hypothesis assuming that natural selection favour species with such flexible adaptive traits as O. similis.

scholarly journals Horizontal interactions in local personal income taxes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Lundberg
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Personal Income ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Relative Population ◽  
Tax Rate ◽  
Local Council

AbstractTheories of inter-jurisdictional tax and yardstick competition assume that the tax decisions of one jurisdiction will influence the tax decisions of other jurisdictions. This paper empirically addresses the issue of horizontal dependence in local personal income tax rates across jurisdictions. Based on a large data set covering Swedish municipalities over a period of 14 years, we test for interactions across municipalities that share a common border, across municipalities within a distance of 100 km of each other, and across municipalities with similar political representation in the local council. We also test the hypothesis that the tax rate of relatively larger municipalities has a greater influence on their neighbors' tax rate compared to the influence of their smaller neighbors. Our results suggest that when lagged tax rates are controlled for, the horizontal correlation across municipalities that share a common border or are within a distance of 100 km from each other becomes insignificant. This result is of importance as it suggests that lagged tax rates should be included or at least tested for when testing for horizontal interactions or mimicking in local tax rates. However, our results support the hypothesis of horizontal interactions across municipalities that share a common border when the influence of neighboring municipalities is also weighted by their relative population size, i.e. relatively larger neighbors tend to have a greater impact on their neighbor's tax rates than their relatively smaller neighbors. This is of importance as it suggests that distance or proximity matters, although only in combination with the relative population size. We also find some evidence of horizontal dependence across municipalities with similar political preferences.

scholarly journals Characterization of Transport Regimes and the Polar Dome during Arctic Spring and Summer using in-situ Aircraft Measurements

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiko Bozem ◽  
Peter Hoor ◽  
Daniel Kunkel ◽  
Franziska Köllner ◽  
Johannes Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Transport Barrier ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Mixing Ratios

Abstract. The springtime composition of the Arctic lower troposphere is to a large extent controlled by transport of mid-latitude air masses into the Arctic, whereas during the summer precipitation and natural sources play the most important role. Within the Arctic region, there exists a transport barrier, known as the polar dome, which results from sloping isentropes. The polar dome, which varies in space and time, exhibits a strong influence on the transport of air masses from mid-latitudes, enhancing it during winter and inhibiting it during summer. Furthermore, a definition for the location of the polar dome boundary itself is quite sparse in the literature. We analyzed aircraft based trace gas measurements in the Arctic during two NETCARE airborne field camapigns (July 2014 and April 2015) with the Polar 6 aircraft of Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany, covering an area from Spitsbergen to Alaska (134° W to 17° W and 68° N to 83° N). For the spring (April 2015) and summer (July 2014) season we analyzed transport regimes of mid-latitude air masses travelling to the high Arctic based on CO and CO2 measurements as well as kinematic 10-day back trajectories. The dynamical isolation of the high Arctic lower troposphere caused by the transport barrier leads to gradients of chemical tracers reflecting different local chemical life times and sources and sinks. Particularly gradients of CO and CO2 allowed for a trace gas based definition of the polar dome boundary for the two measurement periods with pronounced seasonal differences. For both campaigns a transition zone rather than a sharp boundary was derived. For July 2014 the polar dome boundary was determined to be 73.5° N latitude and 299–303.5 K potential temperature, respectively. During April 2015 the polar dome boundary was on average located at 66–68.5° N and 283.5–287.5 K. Tracer-tracer scatter plots and probability density functions confirm different air mass properties inside and outside of the polar dome for the July 2014 and April 2015 data set. Using the tracer derived polar dome boundaries the analysis of aerosol data indicates secondary aerosol formation events in the clean summertime polar dome. Synoptic-scale weather systems frequently disturb this transport barrier and foster exchange between air masses from midlatitudes and polar regions. During the second phase of the NETCARE 2014 measurements a pronounced low pressure system south of Resolute Bay brought inflow from southern latitudes that pushed the polar dome northward and significantly affected trace gas mixing ratios in the measurement region. Mean CO mixing ratios increased from 77.9 ± 2.5 ppbv to 84.9 ± 4.7 ppbv from the first period to the second period. At the same time CO2 mixing ratios significantly dropped from 398.16 ± 1.01 ppmv to 393.81 ± 2.25 ppmv. We further analysed processes controlling the recent transport history of air masses within and outside the polar dome. Air masses within the spring time polar dome mainly experienced diabatic cooling while travelling over cold surfaces. In contrast air masses in the summertime polar dome were diabatically heated due to insolation. During both seasons air masses outside the polar dome slowly descended into the Arctic lower troposphere from above caused by radiative cooling. The ascent to the middle and upper troposphere mainly took place outside the Arctic, followed by a northward motion. Our results demonstrate the successful application of a tracer based diagnostic to determine the location of the polar dome boundary.

scholarly journals Use of routinely collected data on psychiatric in-patient care

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyles Glover
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Service Data

Since the start of the National Health Service, data have been collected on admissions to psychiatric in-patient units, first as the Mental Health Enquiry, then as part of Hospital Episode Statistics. Some details have changed but many have stayed remarkably consistent. Published literature on the wide range of research and policy work undertaken using this data source is reviewed. Early work was central to the government's deinstitutionalisation policy in the early 1960s. Subsequent studies cover a wide range of epidemiological and health services research issues. A new statistical base, the Mental Health Minimum Data Set, covering individuals receiving all types of health care is currently being set up. This will supplement (but not replace) admission statistics.

scholarly journals Global carbonyl sulfide (OCS) measured by MIPAS/Envisat during 2002–2012

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Glatthor ◽  
Michael Höpfner ◽  
Adrian Leyser ◽  
Gabriele P. Stiller ◽  
Thomas von Clarmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Michelson Interferometer ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract. We present a global OCS data set covering the period June 2002 to April 2012, derived from FTIR limb emission spectra measured with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) on the ENVISAT satellite. The vertical resolution is 4–5 km in the height region 6–15 km and 15 km at 40 km altitude. The total estimated error amounts to 40–50 pptv between 10 and 20 km and to 120 pptv at 40 km altitude. MIPAS OCS data show no systematic bias with respect to balloon observations, with deviations mostly below ±50 pptv. However, they are systematically higher than the OCS volume mixing ratios of the ACE-FTS instrument on SCISAT, with maximum deviations of up to 100 pptv in the altitude region 13–16 km. The data set of MIPAS OCS exhibits only moderate interannual variations and low interhemispheric differences. Average concentrations at 10 km altitude range from 480 pptv at high latitudes to 500–510 pptv in the tropics and at northern mid-latitudes. Seasonal variations at 10 km altitude amount up to 35 pptv in the northern and up to 15 pptv in the southern hemisphere. Northern hemispheric OCS abundances at 10 km altitude peak in June in the tropics and around October at high latitudes, while the respective southern hemispheric maxima were observed in July and in November. Global OCS distributions at 250 hPa (~ 10–11 km) show enhanced values at low latitudes, peaking during boreal summer above the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, which indicates oceanic release. Further, a region of depleted OCS amounts extending from Brazil to central and southern Africa was detected at this altitude, which is most pronounced in austral summer. This depletion is related to seasonally varying vegetative uptake by the tropical forests. Typical signatures of biomass burning like the southern hemispheric biomass burning plume are not visible in MIPAS data, indicating that this process is only a minor source of tropospheric OCS. At the 150 hPa level (~ 13–14 km) enhanced amounts of OCS were also observed inside the Asian Monsoon Anticyclone, but this enhancement is not especially outstanding as compared to other low latitude regions at the same altitude. At the 80 hPa level (~ 17–18 km) equatorward transport of mid-latitude air masses containing lower OCS amounts around the summertime anticyclones was observed. A significant trend could not be detected in tropospheric MIPAS OCS amounts, which points to globally balanced sources and sinks.

Age, growth and bathymetric distribution of red pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) on the Cretan shelf (eastern Mediterranean)

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stylianos Somarakis ◽  
Athanassios Machias
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Bathymetric Distribution ◽  
Double Logarithmic Plot ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Pagellus Erythrinus ◽  
The Mediterranean

Data from bottom trawl surveys conducted each summer, winter and spring on the Cretan shelf from 1988 to 1991, were used to study the age, growth, maturity and bathymetric distribution of red pandora (Pagellus erythrinus). The good agreement of back-calculated and observed lengths-at-age with length frequencies and the marginal increment analysis, supported the annual nature of scale marks. A comparison of available growth data from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic revealed higher lengths-at-age for red pandora in the north-western Mediterranean and the Atlantic than in the central and eastern Mediterranean. The auximetric analysis, i.e. the double logarithmic plot of the parameter K of the von Bertalanffy growth function vs asymptotic length (L∞), showed a strong negative relationship for the central and eastern Mediterranean data set, implying a common ‘growth space’ for the populations in these areas. Lengths-at-maturity were lower on the Cretan shelf than in the Atlantic. These differences were attributed to the synergistic combination of trophic and thermal conditions.  Depth, temperature and salinity data were combined with biological data on abundance, fish size, age and maturity. In general, mean size increased with bottom depth because smaller individuals tended to be found in shallower and warmer waters. Individuals having reached first maturity were mainly distributed in the periphery of the algal/angiosperm meadows (60–80 m). All detailed studies of the bathymetric distribution and movements of shelf-dwelling demersal species (Mullus barbatus, Mullus surmuletus, Lepidotrigla cavillone and Pagellus erythrinus) in the Mediterranean show that these species are characterized by a spring–summer spawning season, a high concentration of spawning adults at mid-shelf depths, and nursery grounds located in the vegetated shallows. This multispecies pattern might have an adaptive function with both ecological and management implications.

The IMF As a Biased Global Insurance Mechanism: Asymmetrical Moral Hazard, Reserve Accumulation, and Financial Crises

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Y. Lipscy ◽  
Haillie Na-Kyung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Moral Hazard ◽  
Financial Crises ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
International Reserves ◽  
Synthetic Control ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Reserve Accumulation ◽  
The Imf

AbstractA large literature has established that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is heavily politicized. We argue that this politicization has important consequences for international reserve accumulation and financial crises. The IMF generates moral hazard asymmetrically, reducing the expected costs of risky lending and policies for states that are politically influential vis-à-vis the institution. Using a panel data set covering 1980 to 2010, we show that proxies for political influence over the IMF are associated with outcomes indicative of moral hazard: lower international reserves and more frequent financial crises. We support our causal claims by applying the synthetic control method to Taiwan, which was expelled from the IMF in 1980. Consistent with our predictions, Taiwan's expulsion led to a sharp increase in precautionary international reserves and exceptionally conservative financial policies.

scholarly journals Ozone and carbon monoxide observations over open oceans on R/V <i>Mirai</i> from 67° S to 75° N during 2012 to 2017: Testing global chemical reanalysis in terms of Arctic processes, low ozone levels at low latitudes, and pollution transport

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugo Kanaya ◽  
Kazuyuki Miyazaki ◽  
Fumikazu Taketani ◽  
Takuma Miyakawa ◽  
Hisahiro Takashima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Chemical Transport ◽  
Tropospheric Chemistry ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Pollution Transport ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses

Abstract. Constraints from ozone (O3) observations over oceans are needed in addition to those from terrestrial regions to fully understand global tropospheric chemistry and its impact on the climate. Here, we provide a large data set of ozone and carbon monoxide (CO) levels observed (for 11 666 and 10 681 h, respectively) over oceans. The data set is derived from observations made during 24 research cruise legs of R/V Mirai during 2012 to 2017, in the Southern, Indian, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, covering the region from 67° S to 75° N. The data are suitable for critical evaluation of the over-ocean distribution of ozone derived from chemical transport models. We first give an overview of the statistics in the data set and highlight key features in terms of geographical distribution and air mass type. We then use the data set to evaluate ozone concentration fields from Tropospheric Chemistry Reanalysis version 2 (TCR-2), produced by assimilating a suite of satellite observations of multiple species into a chemical transport model, namely CHASER. For long-range transport of polluted air masses from continents to the oceans, during which the effects of forest fires and fossil fuel combustion were recognized, TCR-2 gave an excellent performance in reproducing the observed temporal variations and photochemical buildup of O3 when assessed from ΔO3 / ΔCO ratios. For clean marine conditions with low and stable CO concentrations, two focused analyses were performed. The first was in the Arctic (> 70° N) in September every year from 2013 to 2016; TCR-2 underpredicted O3 levels by 6.7 ppb (21 %) on average. The observed vertical profiles from O3 soundings from R/V Mirai during September 2014 had less steep vertical gradients at low altitudes (> 850 hPa) than those obtained TCR-2. This suggests the possibilities of more efficient descent of the O3-rich air from above or less efficient dry deposition on the surface than were assumed in the model. In the second analysis, over the western Pacific equatorial region (125–165° E, 10° S to 25° N), the observed O3 level frequently decreased to less than 10 ppb in comparison to that obtained with TCR-2, and also those obtained in most of the Atmospheric Chemistry Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) model runs for the decade from 2000. These results imply loss processes that are unaccounted for in the models. We found that the model’s positive bias positively correlated with the daytime residence times of air masses over a particular grid, namely 165–180° E and 15–30° N; an additional loss rate of 0.25 ppb h−1 in the grid best explained the gap. Halogen chemistry, which is commonly omitted from currently used models, might be active in this region and could have contributed to additional losses. Our open data set covering wide ocean regions is complementary to the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report data set, which basically comprises ground-based observations, and enables a fully global study of the behavior of O3.

scholarly journals UTTARAKHAND COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS: COMPARING THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND SUGGESTIVE STRATEGY TO PREVENT SIMILAR PANDEMICS IN FUTURE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Joshi ◽  
Akshara Pande ◽  
Omdeep Gupta ◽  
Anoop Nautiyal ◽  
Sanjay Jasola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
World Bank Group ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Bank Group ◽  
Very High ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions ◽  
Analyze Data

Coronavirus disease 19 (Covid-19) is causing a dramatic impact on human life worldwide. As of June 11 2021, later one has attributed more than 174 million confirmed cases and over 3.5 million deaths globally. Nonetheless, a World Bank Group flagship report features Covid-19 induced global crisis as the strongest post-recession since World WarII. Currently, all approved therapeutics or vaccines are strictly allowed for emergency use. Hence, in the absence of pharmaceutical interventions, it is vital to analyze data set covering the growth rates of positive human cases, number of recoveries, other factors, and future strategies to manage the growth of fatal Covid-19 effectively. The Uttarakhand state of India is snuggled in the lap of the Himalayas and occupies more people than Israel, Switzerland, Hong Kong, etc. This study analyzed state Covid-19 data, fetched from an authenticated government repository using Python 3.9 from April 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021. The highest recovery rate was attributed to the hilly district Rudraprayag. The analysis also revealed that a very high doubling rate was seen during the last week of May to the first week of Jun 2020. At last, based on this blueprint, we have suggested 6-points solutions for preventing the next pandemic.

Women in cabinets

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 663-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Stockemer ◽  
Aksel Sundström
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Party Ideology ◽  
Liberal Government ◽  
Government Benefits ◽  
Heads Of Government

There is still relatively little research on what factors explain the share of women in cabinets across countries and time. Focusing on party ideology, we advance this budding research. First, we examine if heads of government from left-leaning and/or liberal parties tend to select a larger proportion female cabinet members than those from conservative parties. Second, we evaluate whether a switch toward a left-leaning or liberal government benefits women’s cabinet presence. We test both propositions empirically with a data set covering mainly Western and industrialized countries after 1968. Our statistical analysis only find lukewarm support for the first proposition, that is, left-wing parties are no longer more likely to nominate women to cabinet posts than other party families, particularly liberal parties. Rather, what we do find is that a change in government, regardless of whether the new formateur is left-wing, liberal, or conservative, benefits the nomination of women to cabinet posts.

scholarly journals The workings of the single member plurality electoral system in India and the need for reform

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-161
Author(s):  
Rekha Diwakar
Keyword(s):  
Rational Choice ◽  
Party System ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Heterogeneous Population ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lower House ◽  
Expected Benefits ◽  
Effective Representation

India uses the single member plurality system (SMPS) to elect members of the lower house of its national (federal) parliament and the state assemblies. The electoral system has remained stable despite its inherent disproportionality, India’s highly heterogeneous population and, more recently, a fragmented party system. Using a comprehensive data set covering all national and some state assembly elections during the period 1952–2017, this article evaluates how SMPS has performed in India in comparison to its expected benefits, and whether there is a case for reform of the electoral system. The article finds that SMPS neither provides effective representation nor is likely to lead to stable single party governments in India – a situation that could be termed ‘the worst of both worlds’. It also highlights that a combination of rational-choice behaviour on the part of key actors as well as historical and institutional reasons has ensured the continuation of SMPS in India. The article concludes that it is time for India to seriously consider reforming its electoral system.

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