Improving the methodology for assessing natural hazard impacts

The impacts of natural hazards such as cyclones have been conventionally measured through changes in human, social and economic capital, typically represented by stock variables such as population, built property and public infrastructure, livestock, agricultural land, etc. This paper develops an alternative approach that seeks to detect and quantify impacts as changes in flow variables. In particular, we explore whether changes in annual agricultural output, when measured at an appropriate spatial level, could be used to measure impacts associated with tropical cyclones in coastal regions of India. We believe that such an approach may have a number of benefits from a policy perspective, particularly with regard to the debate between relief versus recovery as disaster management strategies. A focus on flow variables is also likely to be more relevant and useful in developing countries; the maintenance of economic activity directly affects livelihood and is perhaps of greater importance than loss of built property or other physical capital.     

Effect of oblateness on triangular solutions at critical mass

At critical mass the triangular equilibria in the planar restricted three-body problem, when the more massive primary is an oblate spheroid with its equatorial plane coincident with the plane of motion, are in general unstable due to the presence of secular terms in the solutions of linearized equations of motion in the vicinity of these points. Existence of retrograde elliptic periodic orbits is established through suitable velocity components. The eccentricity of these orbits increases with the oblateness.     

Discovery of a flare star near Sirius

The discovery of a flare star (R.A. (1950)=6^h43^m6^s.07, Decl.(1950)=?16°45′24″) located about 6 arc min south of Sirius is reported. During photometric observations on the night of 13 January, 1982, using the 102 cm telescope at Kavalur, India, the star was seen to brighten by 2.55 mag. inV band over a duration of about 200 s. Observations on this object for a duration of about 10.5 hr spread over seven more nights indicate the star to be variable. The results of these observations are presented.     

Gravitational instability of a Hall plasma in the presence of suspended particles

The gravitational instability of an infinite homogeneous and infinitely conducting selfgravitating gas particle medium in the presence of suspended particles of a Hall plasma is considered. The particular cases of the effects of Hall currents and suspended particles on the waves propagated along and perpendicular to magnetic field have been discussed. Jeans's criterion determines the gravitational instability.     

Thermosolutal-convective instability in a stellar atmosphere

The thermosolutal-convective instability of a stellar atomsphere is studied in the presence of suspended particles. The criteria for monotonic instability are derived and are found to hold good also in the presence of uniform rotation and uniform magnetic field on the thermosolutal-convective instability. The thermosolutal-convective instability of a stellar atmosphere is also studied in the presence of suspended particles and radiative transfer effects and the criteria for monotonic instability are obtained in terms of source function.     

The gravitational instability of flow through porous medium for some systems of astrophysical interest

The gravitational instability of flow through porous medium for some hydrodynamical and hydromagnetical systems of astrophysical interest is investigated. The effects of rotation, magnetic field, viscosity and finite electrical conductivity are studied for the gravitational instability through porous medium. The effect of suspended particles on the instability is also considered. It is found that Jean's criterion remains unchanged in the presence of porosity, viscosity, finite conductivity, rotation, magnetic field and suspended particles in the medium.     

Nonlinear electrostatic drift Kelvin-Helmholtz instability

Nonlinear analysis of electrostatic drift Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is performed. It is shown that the analysis leads to the propagation of the weakly nonlinear dispersive waves and the nonlinear behaviour is governed by the nonlinear Burger's equation.     

Thermal-convective instability of a composite rotating stellar atmosphere in the presence of a variable magnetic field

The thermal-convective instability of a composite stellar atmosphere is considered in the presence of rotation, variable horizontal magnetic field, and collisional effects. The criteria for monotonic instability are obtained which generalize the criterion derived for thermal-convective instability in the absence of above effects.     

Effect of a shear seam in the foundation of Karjan Dam

The use of the limit equilibrium method for the analysis of a dam foundation with a weak shear seam has many limitations. There is further uncertainty in such an analysis by this method when the seam is intercepted by a concrete key. The finite element method is the best alternative means of analysing such problems. In this paper, the finite element analysis of the Karjan Dam (India) foundation, which has a shear seam, is presented with and without the foundation treatment (i.e. the concrete key). The seam is simulated by joint elements. It has been found that a concrete key located near the toe of the dam significantly improves the stability of the foundation.