Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Caribbean: Disturbance Forces, Variation of Effects, and Implications for Future Storms

The impact of Hurricane Maria on the U.S. Caribbean was used to study the causes of remotely-sensed spatial variation in the effects of (1) vegetation index loss and (2) landslide occurrence. The vegetation index is a measure of canopy ‘greenness’, a combination of leaf chlorophyll, leaf area, canopy cover and structure. A generalized linear model was made for each kind of effect, using idealized maps of the hurricane forces, along with three landscape characteristics that were significantly associated. In each model, one of these characteristics was forest fragmentation, and another was a measure of disturbance-propensity. For the greenness loss model, the hurricane force was wind, the disturbance-propensity measure was initial greenness, and the third landscape characteristic was fraction forest cover. For the landslide occurrence model, the hurricane force was rain, the disturbance-propensity measure was amount of land slope, and the third landscape characteristic was soil clay content. The model of greenness loss had a pseudo R2 of 0.73 and showed the U.S. Caribbean lost 31% of its initial greenness from the hurricane, with 51% lost from the initial in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) from Hurricane Maria along with Hurricane Irma. More greenness disturbance was seen in areas with less wind sheltering, higher elevation and topographic sides. The model of landslide occurrence had a pseudo R2 of 0.53 and showed the U.S. Caribbean had 34% of its area and 52% of the LEF area with a landslide density of at least one in 1 km2 from Hurricane Maria. Four experiments with parameters from previous storms of wind speed, storm duration, rainfall, and forest structure over the same storm path and topographic landscape were run as examples of possible future scenarios. While intensity of the storm makes by far the largest scenario difference, forest fragmentation makes a sizable difference especially in vulnerable areas of high clay content or high wind susceptibility. This study showed the utility of simple hurricane force calculations connected with landscape characteristics and remote-sensing data to determine forest susceptibility to hurricane effects.

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Monitoring Sugarcane Growth Phases Based on Satellite Image Analysis (A Case Study in Indramayu and its Surrounding, West Java, Indonesia)

HAYATI Journal of Biosciences ◽

10.4308/hjb.26.3.117 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 117

Author(s):

Tri Muji Susantoro ◽

Ketut Wikantika ◽

Agung Budi Harto ◽

Deni Suwardi

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Satellite Image ◽

Landsat 8 ◽

Gas Field ◽

Research Results ◽

The Third ◽

Third Phase ◽

The Impact

This study is intended to examine the growing phases and the harvest of sugarcane crops. The growing phases is analyzed with remote sensing approaches. The remote sensing data employed is Landsat 8. The vegetation indices of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (ENDVI) are employed to analyze the growing phases and the harvest of sugarcane crops. Field survey was conducted in March and August 2017. The research results shows that March is the peak of the third phase (Stem elonging phase or grand growth phase), the period from May to July is the fourth phase (maturing or ripening phase), and the period from August to October is the peak of harvest. In January, the sugarcane crops begin to grow and some sugarcane crops enter the third phase again. The research results also found the sugarcane plants that do not grow well near the oil and gas field. This condition is estimated due as the impact of hydrocarbon microseepage. The benefit of this research is to identify the sugarcane growth cycle and harvest. Having knowing this, it will be easier to plan the seed development and crops transport.

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Three Essays on Corporate Financial Constraints

10.26686/wgtn.16917442 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Kwabena Boasiako

Keyword(s):

Credit Risk ◽

Financial Markets ◽

The United States ◽

Data Breach ◽

Data Breaches ◽

The Third ◽

Financial Deregulation ◽

Disclosure Laws ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S

This thesis is composed of three self-contained empirical essays in corporate finance, with the first two exploring the financial policy and credit risk implications of data breaches, and the third examining whether financing influences the sensitivity of cash and investment to asset tangibility. In the first essay, we contribute to the growing debate on cybersecurity risks and how firms can insulate themselves, at least partially, from the adverse effects of data breach risks. Specifically, we examine the effects of data breach disclosure laws and the subsequent disclosure of data breaches on the cash policies of corporations in the United States (U.S.). Exploiting a series of natural experiments regarding staggered state-level data breach disclosure laws, we find that the passage of mandatory disclosure laws leads to an increase in cash holdings. Our finding suggests that mandatory data breach disclosure laws increase the ex ante risks related to data breaches, hence, firms hold on to more cash as a precautionary motive. Further, we find firms that suffer data breaches adjust their financial policies by holding more cash as well as decreasing external finance and investment. The second essay examines the impact of data breaches on firm credit risk. Using firm-level credit ratings and credit default swap (CDS) spreads to proxy for credit risk, we find that data breaches lead to increases in firm credit risk. Firms exposed to data breaches are more likely to experience credit rating downgrades and an increase in the CDS spread of traded bonds. Also, firms who suffer data breaches report lower sales and ROA, experience an increase in financial distress, and conditional on a data breach incident, the likelihood of a future data breach increases. Lastly, these effects are magnified for firms with low-interest coverage ratios. In the third essay, using the financial deregulation of seasoned equity issuance in the U.S. as an exogenous shock to access to equity markets, I investigate the influence of financing on the sensitivity of cash and investment to asset tangibility. I show that financing dampens the sensitivity of cash and investment to asset tangibility and promotes investment and firm growth. This provides evidence that public firms even in well-developed financial markets such as the U.S., benefit from financial deregulation that removes barriers to external equity financing, shedding light on the role of financial markets in fostering growth.

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The Political and Strategic impacts of the U.S. Advantage at Sea 2020 for the Brazilian Maritime Domain

Boletim Geocorrente ◽

10.21544/2446-7014.esp.n01.p01-09 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 07 (01) ◽

pp. 01-09

Author(s):

Bruno Carvalho ◽

Jéssica Barreto ◽

Victor Gaspar ◽

Ana Carolina Farias

Keyword(s):

New Technologies ◽

The Other ◽

The Political ◽

English Version ◽

The Third ◽

Naval Power ◽

Other Hand ◽

Maritime Strategy ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S

This the English version of our latest report on the document "U.S Advantage at Sea: Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain Naval Power (USAS)". Our main goal was to briefly indicate the impact of this document on Brazil, both politically and strategically. We contextualise the U.S strategic maritime documents since the 9/11 attacks, highlight the main concepts of the current USAS and elaborate on the consequences for Brazil. Our key finding was that, from a political standpoint, the USAS brings challenges to Brazil when qualifying enemies such as Russia and China. On the other hand, the focus on interoperability and new technologies might contribute to Brazil’s future maritime strategy. This brief analysis is divided into three parts: the first intends to contextualise the U.S strategic maritime documents since the 9/11 attacks; the second aims to summarize the USAS’ most relevant concepts for Brazil’s Sea Power, and the third part elaborates on the overall consequences for Brazil.

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Three essays on the Conservation Reserve Program

10.32469/10355/86467 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Meongsu Lee

Keyword(s):

Regression Model ◽

Conservation Reserve Program ◽

Wildlife Habitat ◽

Future Research ◽

Soybean Production ◽

The Third ◽

Net Returns ◽

China Trade ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Over 35 years, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has provided a variety of envi-ronmental benefits, reducing run-off of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus, sequestering carbon, and providing wildlife habitat (FSA, 2018). In order to evaluate the net impact of the program on the environment and on agricultural markets, it is important to understand both direct and indirect effects. The study fills gaps in the literature by examining how net returns for cropping activities affect the use of land exiting the program when contracts expire and by using a new approach to measuring some of the factors that contribute to program "slippage," the difference between expected and realized performance. The purpose of this research is to evaluate 1) impacts of net returns for corn, soy-beans, and wheat on land-use decisions after the contracts expire, 2) factors that cause slip-page between the number of acres enrolled in the program and net reductions in area planted to crops, and 3) the impact of the U.S.-China bilateral trade conflict and associated government payments on the land returned soybean production after CRP contracts expire. For the first and third questions, the Bayesian zero-inflated beta regression model is utilized to examine farm production regional data on how land was used after CRP contracts ex-pired. The extent of program slippage is estimated using a modified version of the OECD (2001) PEM model, a four commodity markets calibrated to the 2017/18 marketing year. The first essay finds that a ten percent increase in net returns for corn, soybeans, and wheat had impacts on the share of former CRP land devoted to each crop that differed by crop and region. The second essay estimates that area planted to coarse grains, oilseeds, and wheat declines by 0.32 to 0.45 acres for every acre of expanded CRP enrollment when CRP program spending is increased. The third essay finds that the amount of land returning to soybean production when contracts expire is affected by the state of U.S.-China trade relations and payments that were made in 2018 and 2019 to compensate U.S. farmers for the impacts of retaliatory tariffs. For example, the phase 1 deal, increases the amount of former CRP land returned to soybean productions by 78 thousand acres in the northern plains. The models used in all three essays have limitations that should be addressed in future research, but the essays utilize novel approaches and generate interesting results. The first essay demonstrates the value of a new Bayesian approach with a zero-inflated regression model. The second essay uses an adapted partial equilibrium model to evaluate sources of CRP program slippage. The third essay provides one of the first attempts to examine the relationship between the U.S.-China trade war and the CRP.

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Development of forest cover mask to monitor the health condition of forests in Poland using long-term satellite observations

Forest Research Papers ◽

10.1515/frp-2016-0016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 141-150

Author(s):

Maciej Bartold

Keyword(s):

Vegetation Index ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Forest Health ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Forest Regions ◽

The Impact

Abstract The work presented here aims at developing cover mask for monitoring forest health in Poland using remote sensing data. The main objective was to assess the impact of using the mask on forest condition monitoring combined with vegetation indices obtained from long-term satellite data. In this study, a new mask developed from the CORINE Land Cover 2012 (CLC2012) database is presented and its one-kilometer pixel size matched to low-resolution data derived from SPOT VEGETATION satellite registrations. For vegetation mapping, only pixels with a cover ≥ 50% of broad-leaved and mixed forests defined by CLC2012 were taken into account. The masked pixels were used to evaluate spatial variability in eight Natural-Forest Regions (NFRs). The largest coverages by masked forests were obtained in Sudetian (65.7%), Carpathian (65.9%) and Baltic (51.3%) regions. For other forest regions the coverage was observed to be around 30-50%. Time-series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) comprising SPOT VEGETATION images from 1998 until 2014 were computed and cross-comparison analyses on ≥ 50% and < 50% forest cover masks brought up frequent differences at a level higher than 0.05 NDVI in seven out of eight NFRs. An exception is the Sudetian region, where the data was highly consistent. Furthermore, the Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test revealed statistically significant differences in two regions: Baltic and Masurian-Podlasie NFR. The comparative analysis of NDVI confirmed that there is a need for additional investigation of the quality of newly developed forest mask combined with vegetation and meteorological data.

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The U.S. and the UK in the United Nations: The Impact of the Special Relationship (2001 – 2017)

MGIMO Review of International Relations ◽

10.24833/2071-8160-2019-1-64-83-106 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 83-106

Author(s):

A. O. Mamedova

Keyword(s):

United Nations ◽

21St Century ◽

Special Relationship ◽

Early 21St Century ◽

The Third ◽

Regional Conflicts ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S ◽

Invasion Of Iraq

Currently U.S.-UK cooperation in the UN does no attract as much attention as it deserves. Despite a conspicuous disparity in the countries’ military and economic might, they have maintained close ties for more than seventy years, which inevitably affects their position in the UN. The allies’ role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq cast suspicion on their activities in the organization. In the early 21st century, the UN itself was faced with a number of challenges, such as terrorism and regional conflicts; U.S. frustration with its effectiveness led to some reform efforts.Covering the years 2001 – 2017, the article consists of three parts. The first part focuses on quantitative and qualitative parameters determining the U.S.’s and the UK’s roles in the UN and compares their approaches to it. The second part discusses the activity of American and British permanent representatives to the UN, based on their memoirs and interviews. The third part analyses some examples of cooperation and competition in the UN. The list of examples is illustrative rather than comprehensive given the existence of the special relationship.The analysis of U.S.-UK cooperation in the UN reveals its ambiguous nature, but it does not serve to debunk the myth of the special relationship. The cooperation is largely pragmatic.

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Assessing the impact of different landscape features on post-fire forest recovery with multitemporal remote sensing data: the case of Mount Taygetos (southern Greece)

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf18153 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (7) ◽

pp. 521 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Anastasia Christopoulou ◽

Giorgos Mallinis ◽

Emmanuel Vassilakis ◽

Georgios-Pavlos Farangitakis ◽

Nikolaos M. Fyllas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Landscape Heterogeneity ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Forest Recovery ◽

Basement Rock ◽

Local Conditions ◽

Landscape Characteristics ◽

The Impact

Fires affecting large areas usually create a mosaic of recovering plant communities reflecting their pre-fire composition and local conditions of burning. However, post-fire recovery patterns may also reveal the effects of landscape heterogeneity on the natural regeneration process of plant communities. This study combines field data and remote sensing image interpretation techniques to assess the role of various landscape characteristics in the post-fire recovery process in a mountainous region of Greece burned by a severe wildfire. Remote sensing techniques were used to accurately map secluded, large burned areas. By introducing a temporal component, we explored the correlation between post-fire regeneration and underlying topography, soils and basement rock. Pre-fire forest cover was reduced by more than half 8 years after fire. Regarding the dominant pre-fire forest trees, Abies cephalonica did not regenerate well after fire and most pre-fire stands were converted to grasslands and shrublands. In contrast, Pinus nigra regenerated sufficiently to return to its pre-fire cover, especially in areas underlain by softer basement rock. The use of different time series of high-resolution images improved the quality of the results obtained, justifying their use despite their high cost.

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Influence of landscape structure on the abundance of Desmodus rotundus (Geoffroy 1810) in northeastern Yucatan, Mexico

Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios ◽

10.19136/era.a6n17.1968 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (17) ◽

pp. 263

Author(s):

Beatriz Bolívar-Cimé ◽

Rafael Flores-Peredo ◽

Scarlett Aislinn García-Ortíz ◽

Rene Murrieta-Galindo ◽

Javier Laborde

Keyword(s):

Forest Fragmentation ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Landscape Heterogeneity ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Fragmented Landscape ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Semideciduous Forest ◽

Desmodus Rotundus ◽

Landscape Characteristics ◽

Vampire Bat

Although the transformation of landscapes by human activity can negatively affect the populations of several bat species, other species may benefit from these transformations. One of such species is the vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, which can often be found in landscapes dominated by livestock activities. Furthermore, there are certain structural landscape characteristics that could be positively influencing the abundance of the vampire bat. To assess this possibility, eight sampling sites in northeastern Yucatan, Mexico were monitored from June 2010 to February 2012. Four sites were located in forest fragments amongst a highly fragmented landscape dominated by pastures dedicated to livestock activities, and four sites were located within continuous tropical semideciduous forest with almost no fragmentation. Forest fragmentation was characterized around the sampling sites within a 2.5 km radius using SPOT images from 2010, and five landscape variables were calculated using FRAGSTATS. The results showed that landscape heterogeneity and an agricultural aggregation index both had a significant effect on the abundance of the vampire bat. Our results showed that D. rotundusabundance in northeastern Yucatan, Mexico was favored by extensive pastures as well as by landscape characteristics associated with intense forest fragmentation. However, the presence of some remnants of forest cover probably enhance the movements and persistence of this species. To reduce the negative impact of the vampire bat presence in these areas dedicated to livestock ranching activities, effective preventive vaccination campaigns could be an important strategy.

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Facts, Truth and Post-truth

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI) ◽

10.33137/ijidi.v4i3/4.33678 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (3/4) ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Fischer ◽

Erin Klazar

Keyword(s):

Trinidad And Tobago ◽

South African ◽

Final Section ◽

Political Campaigns ◽

The Third ◽

Key Concepts ◽

The Impact ◽

The U.S ◽

Selection Of

This article addresses facts, truth, post-truth, and the impact on access to cognitively and socially just information. It is predominantly situated within the post-truth context where information is manipulated to such an extent that it becomes disinformation, disguised as truth. The article consists of four main sections: the first section will provide an introduction and overview of key concepts intrinsic to understanding the concerns at hand. The next section is a case study of the role the PR firm, Bell Pottinger, played in South Africa and Iraq and the cognitive and social injustices visible in the corresponding events. The selection of these countries provides an opportunity to demonstrate the effect of post-truth and whistleblowing in relation to the challenges experienced in the Global South. The third section, on Cambridge Analytica and Digitality, is a discussion of the infamous Cambridge Analytica and its interferences in political campaigns in Trinidad and Tobago and the U.S. These discussions lead to the final section as an antidote to post-truth influences, which reflects on the way forward. This section makes recommendations for South African and international initiatives based on UNESCO’s intergovernmental programme known as the Information for All Programme (IFAP).

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