Star clusterings in the Carina complex: UBVRI photometry of Bochum 9, 10 and 11

We report on the first UBVRI CCD photometry of three poorly known star clusterings in the region of η Carinae: Bochum 9, 10 and 11. We find that they are young, rather poor, loose open clusters.
We argue that Bochum 9 is probably a small and loose open cluster with about 30 probable members having E ( B − V )=0.63±0.08 , located 4.6 kpc far from the Sun, beyond the Carina spiral arm.
Similarly, Bochum 10 is a sparse aggregate with 14 probable members having E ( B − V )=0.47±0.05 and at a distance of 2.7 kpc from the Sun.
Finally, Bochum 11 is a less than 4×10⁶ yr old cluster for which we identify 24 members. It has a reddening E ( B − V )=0.58±0.05 , and lies between Bochum 10 and 9, at 3.5 kpc from the Sun. We propose that in the field of the cluster some stars might be pre-main-sequence candidates.     

On the potential of transit surveys in star clusters: impact of correlated noise and radial velocity follow-up

We present an extension of the formalism recently proposed by Pepper and Gaudi to evaluate the yield of transit surveys in homogeneous stellar systems, incorporating the impact of correlated noise on transit time-scales on the detectability of transits, and simultaneously incorporating the magnitude limits imposed by the need for radial velocity (RV) follow-up of transit candidates. New expressions are derived for the different contributions to the noise budget on transit time-scales and the least-squares detection statistic for box-shaped transits, and their behaviour as a function of stellar mass is re-examined. Correlated noise that is constant with apparent stellar magnitude implies a steep decrease in detection probability at the high -mass end which, when considered jointly with the RV requirements, can severely limit the potential of otherwise promising surveys in star clusters. However, we find that small-aperture, wide-field surveys may detect hot Neptunes whose RV signal can be measured with present-day instrumentation in very nearby (<100 pc) clusters.     

A New Analysis in the Field of the Open Cluster Collinder 223

The present study of the open cluster Collinder 223 (Cr 223) depended greatly on the photoelectric data of Claria and Lapasset. We use the data in conjunction with the AAO/DSS^1 image of the cluster in a re-investigation to improve the main parameters of Cr 223, including the stellar density, the position of the cluster‘s center, the cluster‘s diameter. Its luminosity function, mass function, and total mass are also estimated.     

The influence of community-based resource management institutions on adaptation capacity: A large-n study of farmer responses to climate and global market disturbances

An underlying understanding among adaptation and community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) scholars is the existence of important feedbacks between local resource management institutions and individual adaptive capacity. The relationship between CBNRM and individual adaptive capacity is of global concern given the ubiquity of CBNRM worldwide, the patent impacts of global changes at local levels, and the recent calls for the integration of climate and rural development policies. So far, however, there have not been formal, large-n studies of that relationship. This study aims to fill that gap by testing whether the performance of community-based water management institutions and communal land regimes have an impact on the effectiveness of farmers’ adaptation responses to climatic and global market disturbances. For this purpose, the study relies on a unique dataset of individual and collective features obtained from water user associations (WUAs) and ejidos in Mexico. According to the regression results, well-functioning community-based water management institutions have a positive and significant impact on individual farmers’ self-reported response effectiveness. The impact of communal land property is also significant but negative. These effects, which hold only in the context of climate disturbances but not market disturbances, can be explained by looking at the support given by the associations to farmers, and issues of communal land marginalization, respectively. Policies that strengthen the autonomy and capacity for cooperation of WUAs and ameliorate structural deficits in communal land regimes shall not only guarantee a long-advocated path for rural development but also help farmers deal with some of the climatic uncertainties that increasingly threaten agriculture.     

Considering community allocations: Power and the politics of enclosure in the Gulf of Alaska

In 2012, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council initiated the process of designing a new management structure for the Gulf of Alaska trawl groundfish fleet. The new program is currently structured as a catch share program and driven by the need to end the ‘race for fish’ and provide the trawl fleet with the tools to reduce bycatch. To date much of the discussion among policy makers and stakeholders has centered on community protection measures and how best to avoid the negative social and economic impacts of catch share programs including impacts to crew, consolidation and the flight of quota and resource wealth from Gulf of Alaska fishery dependent communities. This paper examines how community protection measures related to the distribution of benefits and access to fishery resources are considered and challenged in the North Pacific today. Special attention is given to the ongoing debate surrounding the potential inclusion of an initial allocation to place-based Gulf of Alaska communities via a Community Fishing Association. As part of this effort, this paper examines the political space and underlying power dynamics in which consideration of alternatives to the commodification of fishing rights occurs.