LRS Bianchi Type V bulk viscous fluid string dust cosmological model in general relativity

An LRS Bianchi Type V bulk viscous fluid dust distribution string cosmological model in General Relativity is investigated. It has been shown that if coefficient of bulk viscosity (ζ) is proportional to the expansion (θ) in the model then string cosmological model for Bianchi Type V space-time is possible. In absence of bulk viscosity(ζ) i.e. when ζ → 0 then there is no string cosmological model for Bianchi Type V space-time. The physical and geometrical aspects are also discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Review of “The Tsunami of 2004 in Sri Lanka: Impacts and Policy in the Shadow of Civil War”

Abstract

Zionist geographers in Israel were highly involved in institutionalizing Israel's national identity. In search for interpretative schemes, they were highly committed both to Western paradigms and to Zionist narratives. Until the 1970s, organicist models of regional geography were popular despite contradictions between the use of tragic and comic narratives in Western models and the need to adopt romantic narratives for Zionist purposes. The emergence of historical geography in the 1950s helped to solve these contradictions by adopting a contextual mode of explanation in which the national story has been described in terms of a unique one and as an example for the power of Zionist civilization to transform bewildered nature. During the last two decades, new forms of criticism have emerged that changed the discourse from a particularistic story of nation building to a more general story of colonization and territorial control.     

CyberShake: A Physics-Based Seismic Hazard Model for Southern California

CyberShake, as part of the Southern California Earthquake Center??s (SCEC) Community Modeling Environment, is developing a methodology that explicitly incorporates deterministic source and wave propagation effects within seismic hazard calculations through the use of physics-based 3D ground motion simulations. To calculate a waveform-based seismic hazard estimate for a site of interest, we begin with Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 2.0 (UCERF2.0) and identify all ruptures within 200?km of the site of interest. We convert the UCERF2.0 rupture definition into multiple rupture variations with differing hypocenter locations and slip distributions, resulting in about 415,000 rupture variations per site. Strain Green Tensors are calculated for the site of interest using the SCEC Community Velocity Model, Version 4 (CVM4), and then, using reciprocity, we calculate synthetic seismograms for each rupture variation. Peak intensity measures are then extracted from these synthetics and combined with the original rupture probabilities to produce probabilistic seismic hazard curves for the site. Being explicitly site-based, CyberShake directly samples the ground motion variability at that site over many earthquake cycles (i.e., rupture scenarios) and alleviates the need for the ergodic assumption that is implicitly included in traditional empirically based calculations. Thus far, we have simulated ruptures at over 200 sites in the Los Angeles region for ground shaking periods of 2?s and longer, providing the basis for the first generation CyberShake hazard maps. Our results indicate that the combination of rupture directivity and basin response effects can lead to an increase in the hazard level for some sites, relative to that given by a conventional Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE). Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, we find that the physics-based hazard results are much more sensitive to the assumed magnitude-area relations and magnitude uncertainty estimates used in the definition of the ruptures than is found in the traditional GMPE approach. This reinforces the need for continued development of a better understanding of earthquake source characterization and the constitutive relations that govern the earthquake rupture process.     

Dual-tree complex wavelet transform-based image enhancement for accurate long-term change assessment in coal mining areas

The main objective of this study was to improve the long-term land use change detection by improving classification accuracy of previous generation satellite image using a recent super-resolution technique. The study also analysed the change in land cover over a period of 41 years in a coal mining area. A dual-tree complex wavelet transform-based image super-resolution technique was used to enhance Landsat images of 1975 and 2016. Separating pixels with similar spectral response is an enigmatical task, especially when those pixel represent different ground features. Therefore, an advanced neural net supervised classifier was used to minimize classification errors. Accuracy of the classified images (both super-resolved and original) were measured using confusion matrices and kappa coefficients. A significant improvement of more than 10% was observed in the overall classification accuracy for the image of 1975, highlighting that the classification accuracy of earlier generation satellite data can be improved substantially.     

On precursors to the Italy earthquake M.6.2 using VLF signal of NSY(45.9 kHz) received at Kiel Longwave Monitor

On August 24, 2016, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck Central Italy (42.706°N and 13.223°E) at 1:36 UT. We present the results obtained from the US Navy VLF Transmitter’s NSY signal of 45.9 kHz transmitted from Niscemi, in the province of Sicily, Italy and received at the Kiel Longwave Monitor, Germany for 2016. We analysed the terminator times and their individual differences. We also analysed trends, dispersion and night time fluctuation which gave us a possible precursor the Italy earthquake. We found ionospheric perturbations in these parameters on 14th, 19th and 22nd of August, few days prior. Moreover, we filtered the possible effects due to lightning, storms and auroras if any.     

Population characteristics of the Himalayan region

"The population of the Himalayan region has tripled between 1901 and 1981 (from 11 to 33 million) and the rate of increase accelerated after about 1951 (from 1.26 to 2.7 percent per annum). These generalized figures, however, conceal significant sub-regional differences. It is argued that aid and development programmes have so far paid insufficient attention to local socio-cultural institutions and environmental conditions, and especially to the status of women." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND GER)     

Birth control practices and levels of development in India

The paper examines the acceptance of birth control practices in India, and examines the relationhsip of these patterns to levels of economic development. A study of selected couples with markedly low incomes revealed that fertility tended to increase until a certain level of per capita income was reached. From this level onward, fertility and desired family size goals declined with increasing economic status. The study reveals an association in India between those less developed states and poor acceptance of family planning. The level of medical and administrative personnel for family planning services is superior in the more developed states and, logically, adoption of family planning practices is also higher. In higher-income states, characterized by relatively higher spatial mobility and literacy rates, the spread of family planning practices is relatively rapid. In less developed states, characterized by poorly developed centralized systems of communication and distribution, a lower spatial mobility of people, and a lower diffusion of knowledge through personal contact, family planning methods tend to spread very slowly or become less and less popular. A classification of Indian states as related to their acceptance of formal family planning policy and governmental efforts has been helpful in developing regionally-oriented program strategies for the future. Such strategies would take into account varying socioeconomic, cultural and administrative infrastructure differences in order to better assure delivery of services. As India also faces a shortage of trained physicians and personnel for the National Family Planning program, a regionally-based spatial allocation policy must be formulated that will divert some family planning personnel from states with high-acceptance patterns to the more densely populated, less developed regions of the country.