Preparedness and Warning Systems for Populations with Special Needs: Ensuring Everyone Gets the Message (and Knows What To Do)

The recent South Asian Tsunami has brought world-wide awareness to the effects of major disasters upon all segments of society. Vulnerable populations such as the disabled, children, or the elderly are at particular risk in a disaster and it is vital to consider their special needs in the design of disaster preparedness and warning systems. Additionally, tourists, recent immigrants, and refugees face challenges when confronted with disaster in unfamiliar locations, linguistically isolated, and in need of assimilating lifesaving information and guidance quickly when under stress. Attention to the requirements for persons with disabilities may also benefit the greater general population which can find itself situationally disabled. Information and Communications Technology based upon accessible design principles is part of the solution. Understanding of psychology, ergonomics, and information design is vital, as are the unique perceptual, cognitive, physical, and linguistic challenges that can influence the efficacy of the message. These issues are among those addressed in an ongoing project in Urakawa, Japan, which is developing a disaster preparedness information system that meets the needs of persons with disabilities.     

A milky way search strategy for extraterrestial intelligence

It is assumed that the density of sites of technical civilizations emitting suitable signals (whether purposeful or unintentional) is proportional to the stellar density at any location in our Galaxy, as modeled by Bahcall and Soneira (1980, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser.44, 73–110). A wide variety of possible radio luminosity functionsφ(L)for these civilizations is then assumed and for each the number of detectable signals per square degree over the sky is calculated. It has been found that most detectable signals occur at galactic latitudes of 10° or less and longitudes within 90° of the galactic center, a region which covers only 9% of the entire sky. This result holds for a wide range ofφ(L) types, including Gaussian distributions and power law functions with slopes less than 2.5, or any combination of these. The Milky Way is much less preffered, but still advantageous, for cases of steep power law functions (slopes greater than 2.5) or Gaussian functions with mean luminosities so low that any existing civilizations can only be detected at small distances(<0.5 kpc). The only cases where low galactic latitudes are not advantageous are (1) for frequencies of operation less than 600 MHz where the deleterious effects on signal-to-noise ratios of the natural galactic background emission become dominant, and (2) in searches for narrowband(<1 Hz) signals at frequencies less than 2 GHz where significant interstellar broadening of signals occurs over distances of? 10 kpc. Furthermore, all of the above results have broader applicability: they are equally valid for searches for any type of natural radio phenomenon if its probability of occurence is proportional to stellar density. Therefore, for a nontargeted search, a Milky Way strategy which concentrates on the inner galactic plane is preferred. The factor of 10 in time saved over an all-sky survey can then be used for, say, increased sensitivity or a survey of nearby galaxies. For a targeted search, rather than searching the nearestn solar-like stars, time is more profitably spent, for example, on the very nearest0.1n stars plus the next nearest0.9n stars which are also within 10° of the galactic plane. This picks up the Milky Way background while only sacrificing a factor of 2 in the average distance to the target stars.     

A high time resolution study of the solar wind-magnetosphere energy coupling function

A high time resolution study of the relationship between the solar wind-magnetosphere energy coupling function ? and the total energy dissipation rate U_T of the magnetosphere is made using 5-min average values of solar wind data and of the geomagnetic indices AE and Dst. All the results are essentially the same as those obtained by the earlier studies which were based on the hourly average data set. Therefore, we confirm that the magnetosphere is primarily a driven system.     

Solar wind stream structure during the early phase of solar cycles 20 and 21

We compare average values of solar wind stream amplitude, maximum velocity and half-width for periods shortly after the minima preceding Solar Cycles 20 and 21. The differences between average amplitudes and half-widths are not significant, but higher maximum velocities were observed for streams during the early part of Cycle 21. Comparing with previously published results, we conclude that, except for the large streams seen late in the solar cycle, the variation of these stream parameters is nearly as large from cycle to cycle as it is within a solar cycle.     

Displacement-based design of steel moment resisting frames with partially-restrained beam-to-column joints

This article presents a method for the direct displacement-based design of steel moment resisting frames, with specific consideration of beam-to-column joint characteristics. The method can be used for steel frames having any type of beam-to-column joints, from rigid and full-strength to semi-rigid and partial-strength. The plastic rotation capacity of the joints is explicitly taken into account within the performance criteria for the design. To assess the accuracy of the method in controlling performance, case study structures were first designed and subsequently analysed using non-linear dynamic analysis with a set of real accelerograms. For all cases, the mean of peak inter-storey drift demands and the mean of peak plastic rotation demands on joints were controlled in accordance with the limits set during design. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed method is appropriate for the performance-based seismic design of steel moment resisting frames with different joint typologies.     

Statistical Variability of Dispersion in the Convective Boundary Layer: Ensembles of Simulations and Observations

A Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM) driven by velocity fields from large-eddy simulations (LESs) is used to determine the mean and variability of plume dispersion in a highly convective planetary boundary layer (PBL). The total velocity of a “particle” is divided into resolved and unresolved or random (subfilter scale, SFS) velocities with the resolved component obtained from the LES and the SFS velocity from a Lagrangian stochastic model. This LPDM-LES model is used to obtain an ensemble of dispersion realizations for calculating the mean, root-mean-square (r.m.s.) deviation, and fluctuating fields of dispersion quantities. An ensemble of 30 realizations is generated for each of three source heights: surface, near-surface, and elevated. We compare the LPDM calculations with convection tank experiments and field observations to assess the realism of the results. The overall conclusion is that the LPDM-LES model produces a realistic range of dispersion realizations and statistical variability (i.e., r.m.s. deviations) that match observations in this highly convective PBL, while also matching the ensemble-mean properties. This is true for the plume height or trajectory, vertical dispersion, and the surface values of the crosswind-integrated concentration (CWIC), and their dependence on downstream distance. One exception is the crosswind dispersion for an elevated source, which is underestimated by the model. Other analyses that highlight important LPDM results include: (1) the plume meander and CWIC fluctuation intensity at the surface, (2) the applicability of a similarity theory for plume height from a surface source to only the very strong updraft plumes—not the mean height, and (3) the appropriate variation with distance of the mean surface CWIC and the lower bound of the CWIC realizations for a surface source.