Vulnerability Of Different Types Research Articles

Analyzing antifragility among smallholder farmers in Bihar, India: An assessment of farmers’ vulnerability and the strengths of positive deviants

Summary Farmers around the world are increasingly vulnerable: climate variability is identified as the primary stressor, but unfavorable biophysical circumstances and disturbances in the socioeconomic domain (labor dynamics and price volatility) also affect farm management and production. To deal with these disturbances, adaptations are recognized as essential. Antifragility acknowledges that adaptations and volatility are inherent characteristics of complex systems and abandons the idea of returning to the pre-disturbance system state. Instead, antifragility recognizes that disturbances can trigger reorganization, enabling selection and removal of weaker system features and allowing the system to evolve toward a better state. In this study, we assessed the vulnerability of different types of smallholder farms in Bihar, India, and explored the scope for more antifragile farming systems that can ‘bounce back better’ after disturbances. Accumulation of stocks, creation of optionality (i.e., having multiple options for innovation) and strengthening of farmer autonomy were identified as criteria for antifragility. We had focus group discussions with in total 92 farmers and found that most expressed themselves to be vulnerable: they experienced challenges but had limited adaptive capacity to change their situation. They mostly made short-term decisions to cope with or mitigate urgent challenges but did not engage in strategic planning driven by longer-term objectives. Instead, they waited for governmental support to improve their livelihoods. Despite being confronted with similar challenges, four positive deviant farmers showed to be more antifragile: their diverse farming systems were abundant in stocks and optionality, and the farmers were distinguished in terms of their autonomy, competence, and connectedness to peers, the community, and markets. To support antifragility among regular farmers, adaptations at policy level may be required, for example, by shifting from a top-down toward a bottom-up adaptation and innovation regime where initiative and cooperation are encouraged. With a more autonomous orientation, farmers’ intrinsic motivation is expected to increase, enabling transitions at the farm level. In this way, connected systems can be developed which are socioeconomically and biophysically adaptive. When practices, knowledge, and skills are continuously developed, an antifragile system with ample stocks and optionality may evolve over time.

Abstract P42: Construction of a risk map to understand the vulnerability of various types of cancer patients to COVID-19 infection

Abstract COVID-19 is leading to a global pandemic and invades human cells via ACE2. ACE2 was found to abundantly expressed in many organs and cells. However, there is no evidence about the potential risk of various types of cancer patients vulnerable to the infection of COVID-19. To obtain a risk map which indicating the novel coronavirus vulnerability of different types of cancer, so in this work we analyzed the RNA sequencing datasets of cancer patient. By interrogating the datasets, we not only identified the cancer types which vulnerable to COVID-19 attacks, but also we reported that variations in the mRNA expression level of ACE2 correlate to various prognosis phenomenon in different types of cancer cohorts and illustrated the underlying mechanism involved in may be related to lymphocytes infiltration. From these discoveries, we constructed an infection risk map which indicate the vulnerability of different types of cancer to COVID-19 infection, also elucidated the correlationship between ACE2 and the prognosis of cancer. We found that high ACE2 expression levels leading high risk of COVID-19 infection and poor prognosis of BRCA while better prognosis in OV patient cohorts. Moreover, our study demonstrated that this different pattern may correlate with the immune infiltration level. Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference. Citation Format: Jian He, Mei Meng, Yiyang Zhao. Construction of a risk map to understand the vulnerability of various types of cancer patients to COVID-19 infection [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P42.

Construction of a risk map to understand the vulnerability of various types of cancer patients to COVID-19 infection.

COVID‐19 is leading to a global pandemic and invades human cells via ACE2. ACE2 was found to be abundantly expressed in many organs and cells. However, there is no evidence about the potential risk of various types of cancer patients vulnerable to the infection of COVID‐19. To obtain a risk map that indicates the novel coronavirus vulnerability of different types of cancer, we analyzed in this work the RNA sequencing datasets of cancer patients. By interrogating the datasets, we not only identified the cancer types vulnerable to COVID‐19 attacks, but also we reported that variations in the mRNA expression level of ACE2 correlate to various prognosis phenomenon in different types of cancer cohorts, and illustrated the underlying mechanism involved or may be related to lymphocytes infiltration. From these discoveries, we constructed an infection risk map, which indicates the vulnerability of different types of cancer to COVID‐19 infection, also elucidated the correlationship between ACE2 and the prognosis of cancer. We found that high ACE2 expression levels lead to high risk of COVID‐19 infection and poor prognosis of breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), while better prognosis in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OV) patient cohorts. Moreover, our study demonstrated that this different pattern may correlate with the immune infiltration level.

Comparative analysis of the earthquake disaster risk of cities in Eastern China based on lethal levels – a case study of Yancheng City, Suqian City and Guangzhou City

Earthquake disaster risk analyses provide significant scientific guidance for reducing earthquake disaster losses etc. The current commonly used method is based on the vulnerability of different types of buildings to evaluate, and may ignore the difference between the seismic resistance of the same type of buildings in different areas. The lethal level considers a series of reasons such as different types of buildings, resulting in different capacities for casualties, the lethal levels of the cities in the same subregion are considerably different and exhibit obvious distribution characteristics. In Yancheng and Suqian, the lethal levels in urban areas are lower than those in rural areas, but the lethal levels in Guangzhou show the opposite trend (the lethal levels are higher in urban areas than in other towns and rural areas). The average lethal level in Guangzhou is 0.3856, that in Suqian is 0.5844, and that in Yancheng is 0.5912. This study based on the lethal levels, conduct a comparative analysis of the earthquake disaster risk of cities throughout eastern China, and a map of the earthquake disaster risk in each city is obtained. The overall lethal level and risk in Guangzhou is much lower than those in Yancheng and Suqian. The main influencing factors in the different cities also diverge. One reason for the lower lethal levels and risk in Guangzhou is that most of the brick-concrete structures are equipped with ring beams and structural columns; conversely, Yancheng and Suqian exhibit higher lethal levels and risk because the brick-concrete structures have ring beams but no structural columns. These maps provide a technical reference and solid scientific and technological support for further earthquake disaster risk analyses and for disaster prevention, mitigation and disaster relief planning, and this method improves the accuracy of rapid postearthquake assessment.

Assessment of Community Vulnerability to Different Types of Urban Floods: A Case for Lishui City, China

Urban flooding is a severe and pervasive hazard caused by climate change, urbanization, and limitations of municipal drainage systems. Cities face risks from different types of floods, depending on various geographical, environmental, and hydrometeorological conditions. In response to the growing threat of urban flooding, a better understanding of urban flood vulnerability is needed. In this study, a comprehensive method was developed to evaluate the vulnerability of different types of urban floods. First, a coupled urban flood model was built to obtain the extent of influence of various flood scenarios caused by rainfall and river levee overtopping. Second, an assessment framework for urban flood vulnerability based on an indicator method was used to evaluate the vulnerability in different flood hazard scenarios. Finally, the method was applied to Lishui City, China, and the distribution and pattern of urban flood vulnerability were studied. The results highlight the spatial variability of flooding and the vulnerability distributions of different types of urban floods. Compound floods were identified to cause more severe effects in the urban areas.

Livelihood Vulnerability of Marine Fishermen to Multi-Stresses under the Vessel Buyback and Fishermen Transfer Programs in China: The Case of Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province

In the context of vessel buyback and fishermen transfer, some traditional marine fishermen changed their profession and turned to other related industries such as mariculture, fish processing, and recreational fishery. Studying the livelihood vulnerability of different types of fishermen is an important basis to help fishermen rebuild sustainable livelihoods. This paper developed a framework of a fishermen’s livelihood vulnerability assessment under multi-stresses, and then conducted an empirical analysis based on a survey in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, China. Finally, the determinants of livelihood vulnerability were analyzed by a regression tree model. Results showed that fishermen with a high level of vulnerability accounted for about 37.35%, and they had some unique characteristics such as advanced age, low education levels. Although converted fishermen faced fewer exposure risks than non-converted fishermen, they eventually showed higher vulnerability due to poor adaptive ability. The livelihood vulnerability of fishermen engaged in recreational fisheries was relatively low, while that of fishermen engaged in non-fisheries was quite different from each other. The results of the regression tree analysis showed that the number of household income sources, whether they converted or not, impacts of disturbances, and whether they were equipped with fishery facilities could influence the fishermen’s livelihood vulnerability. The government should pay more attention to the fishermen whose family income source was single, and the converted fishermen whose productive physical capital was scare.

Targeting mTOR and Metabolism in Cancer: Lessons and Innovations.

Cancer cells support their growth and proliferation by reprogramming their metabolism in order to gain access to nutrients. Despite the heterogeneity in genetic mutations that lead to tumorigenesis, a common alteration in tumors occurs in pathways that upregulate nutrient acquisition. A central signaling pathway that controls metabolic processes is the mTOR pathway. The elucidation of the regulation and functions of mTOR can be traced to the discovery of the natural compound, rapamycin. Studies using rapamycin have unraveled the role of mTOR in the control of cell growth and metabolism. By sensing the intracellular nutrient status, mTOR orchestrates metabolic reprogramming by controlling nutrient uptake and flux through various metabolic pathways. The central role of mTOR in metabolic rewiring makes it a promising target for cancer therapy. Numerous clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of mTOR inhibition for cancer treatment. Rapamycin analogs have been approved to treat specific types of cancer. Since rapamycin does not fully inhibit mTOR activity, new compounds have been engineered to inhibit the catalytic activity of mTOR to more potently block its functions. Despite highly promising pre-clinical studies, early clinical trial results of these second generation mTOR inhibitors revealed increased toxicity and modest antitumor activity. The plasticity of metabolic processes and seemingly enormous capacity of malignant cells to salvage nutrients through various mechanisms make cancer therapy extremely challenging. Therefore, identifying metabolic vulnerabilities in different types of tumors would present opportunities for rational therapeutic strategies. Understanding how the different sources of nutrients are metabolized not just by the growing tumor but also by other cells from the microenvironment, in particular, immune cells, will also facilitate the design of more sophisticated and effective therapeutic regimen. In this review, we discuss the functions of mTOR in cancer metabolism that have been illuminated from pre-clinical studies. We then review key findings from clinical trials that target mTOR and the lessons we have learned from both pre-clinical and clinical studies that could provide insights on innovative therapeutic strategies, including immunotherapy to target mTOR signaling and the metabolic network in cancer.

Analysis of soil risk characteristics by comprehensive assessment in an industrial area of China.

Soil pollution in industrial areas poses a major challenge for China's environmental protection. In this study, comprehensive assessment methodologies for soil risk in industrial areas were developed. The comprehensive assessment covered ecological and human health risks of soil pollution, as well as vulnerability of different types of risk receptors. Comprehensive ecological risk assessment integrated potential ecological risk assessment and landscape vulnerability assessment. Comprehensive social risk assessment specialized human health risk assessment by introducing spatial distribution of population. A typical industrial area in China was studied, and the quantitative and spatial assessments of the comprehensive soil risk were presented. The results showed that the spatial distribution of soil comprehensive ecological and social risks differed. High-risk areas of soil comprehensive ecological risk in the study area were mainly farmlands and nature reserves. Inhabited areas and industrial zones were less affected by comprehensive ecological risk of soil. By contrast, the spatial distribution of soil comprehensive social risk and human activities showed a clear trend of convergence. Vulnerability assessment of the risk receptors provided a suitable complement to the risk assessment of soil pollution.

Abstract 2684: Drug sensitivity profiling of BT-474 breast cancer cell line for identification of novel therapies targeting HER2-positive breast cancer

Abstract Developing targeted therapy for breast cancer expressing hormone receptors such as estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) as well as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is essential. However, breast cancer has high susceptibility to spread despite the targeted therapies and metastases often turn resistant to the used treatment. Therefore, new therapies are needed especially at the stage when cancer becomes resistant to hormonal therapy. The aim of the study was to investigate drug sensitivity of BT-474 breast cancer cell line and to recognize possible vulnerabilities especially in HER2+ breast cancer. BT-474 cell line (ER+, PR+, HER2+) is originally derived from human solid, invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. Drug sensitivity of the cell line was assessed by screening of a large compound library consisting of many clinically available and emerging anti-cancer drugs including e.g. conventional chemotherapy, metabolic modifiers, kinesin inhibitors, apoptotic modulators, immunomodulators and kinase inhibitors such as HER2, pan-HER2 and EGFR-HER2 inhibitors. A panel of 525 compounds was tested in five concentrations covering a 10.000-fold drug-relevant concentration range in 384-well format. Cells were seeded to pre-drugged plates, followed by cell viability measurements (CellTiter-Glo) after 72 hours. Maximal and minimal responses to drugs were analyzed, the EC50 values were calculated and Drug Sensitivity Score (DSS) was calculated for each drug as a measure of reduced viability. A selective DSS (sDSS) was calculated to identify the selective drug response pattern. DSS analysis of BT-474 cell line showed sensitivity to conventional chemotherapy including paclitaxel and docetaxel and to kinase inhibitors such as EGFR and HER2 inhibitors neratinib, afatinib, mubritinib, poziotinib, dacomitinib and lapatinib with nanomolar EC50 values. Moreover, BT-474 cells showed sensitivity to PI3K and mTOR inhibitors, such as copanlisib and omipalisib, and to HSP90 and HDAC inhibitors, such as tanespimycin and abexinostat. Screening of large compound libraries combined with DSS and sDSS analysis enables drug sensitivity profiling of BT-474 breast cancer cells for discovery of novel therapies against HER+ breast cancer. Furthermore, drug sensitivity profiling enables repurposing of existing drugs to new indications and identification of vulnerabilities in different types of cancer cells. Citation Format: Jenni H. Mäki-Jouppila, Tiina E. Kähkönen, Mari I. Suominen, Jussi M. Halleen, Jenni Bernoulli, Jani Saarela, Katja Fagerlund. Drug sensitivity profiling of BT-474 breast cancer cell line for identification of novel therapies targeting HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2684.

Abstract A151: Drug sensitivity profiling of BT-474 breast cancer cell line for identification of novel therapies against HER2-positive breast cancer

Abstract Introduction: Targeted therapy for breast cancer expressing hormone receptors such as estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), as well as human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2), is essential. In spite of current targeted therapies, breast cancer has high susceptibility to spread and metastases often turn resistant to the used treatment. Therefore, new therapies are needed, especially when cancer becomes resistant to hormonal therapy. The aim of the study was to investigate drug sensitivity and resistance of BT-474 breast cancer cell line and to recognize possible vulnerabilities, especially in hormone therapy resistant HER2+ breast cancer. Materials and Methods: BT-474 cell line (ER+, PR+, HER2+) is originally derived from human solid, invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. The drug sensitivity of the cell line was assessed by applying a large panel of drugs covering cancer chemotherapeutics and clinically available and emerging drugs including, e.g., conventional chemotherapy and kinase inhibitors such as HER2, pan-HER2, and EGFR-HER2 inhibitors. Altogether a panel of 525 compounds was tested in five concentrations covering a 10,000-fold drug-relevant concentration range in 384-well format. Cells were seeded to predrugged plates, followed by cell viability measurements (CellTiter-Glo) after 72 hours. Maximal and minimal responses to drugs were analyzed, the EC50 values were calculated, and Drug Sensitivity Score (DSS) was calculated for each drug as a measure of reduced viability. A selective Drug Sensitivity Score (sDSS) was calculated to identify the selective drug response pattern. Results: DSS analysis of BT-474 cell line showed sensitivity to conventional chemotherapy including paclitaxel and docetaxel and to kinase inhibitors such as EGFR inhibitors neratinib and afatinib. In the absence of supplemented estradiol, the cell line was not sensitive to hormonal therapies, including antiestrogens and selective estrogen receptor modulators. However, BT-474 cells were sensitive to HER2, pan-HER2, and EGFR-HER2 inhibitors including mubritinib, poziotinib, dacomitinib, and lapatinib with EC50 range from 2 to 98 nM. The BT-474 cells also showed sensitivity against PI3K and mTOR inhibitors, such as copanlisib and omipalisib. Conclusions: Screening of large compound libraries combined with DSS and sDSS analysis enables drug sensitivity profiling of HER2+ BT-474 breast cancer cells for identification of novel anticancer compounds against breast cancer, especially for the hormonal-resistant stage of the disease. Moreover, the assay enables repurposing of existing drugs to new indications, identification of vulnerabilities in different types of cancer cells, and functional investigation of cellular pathways behind drug sensitivity or resistance. Citation Format: Jenni Mäki-Jouppila, Tiina Kähkönen, Mari I. Suominen, Katja M. Fagerlund, Jussi M. Halleen, Jani Saarela, Jenni Bernoulli. Drug sensitivity profiling of BT-474 breast cancer cell line for identification of novel therapies against HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A151.

Selectivity effects related to the diversity of active sites operating on nanostructured multifunctional catalysts

The goal of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the selectivity of processes over multifunctional catalysts exhibiting diversity of operating active sites. The concept is that the concurrent performance of different types of active sites may provoke effects on the process selectivity comparable to the effects resulting from the kinetic regularities and activation energies of the occurring reactions. Accordingly, in the kinetic model the authors introduce specific parameters reflecting the contribution of distinct types of active sites, facilitating different reaction routes. Reasons are adduced how suchlike parameters serve to account the impact of various reaction routes occurring on different types of sites. The suggested approach links the deactivation-caused selectivity changes to dissimilarities in the vulnerability of different types of active sites. This work relates the probabilities for action of different types of sites to the size of active-phase islands. Various reaction mechanism patterns are modeled to examine relevant selectivity effects.

Abstract 4207: Selective drug sensitivity score (DSS) for indolent and aggressive prostate cancer cell lines

Abstract Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common malignancy in men and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The majority of the PCs are classified as adenocarcinomas characterized by the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Two of the most commonly used cell lines are LNCaP and PC-3 cells, derived from lymph node and bone metastases, respectively. Also VCaP cells, derived from vertebral metastases, are widely used in prostate cancer research. It has been well established that LNCaP and VCaP cells represent the conventional indolent form of PC expressing AR and PSA and are androgen-dependent. PC-3 cells, on the other hand, do not express AR and PSA, are androgen-independent, and represent the highly aggressive form. The drug sensitivity of the cell lines was assessed by applying a large panel of drugs covering cancer chemotherapeutics and clinically available and emerging drugs including conventional chemotherapy, kinase inhibitors, metabolic modifiers, rapalogs, differentiating/epigenetic modifiers, kinesin inhibitors, apoptotic modulators, NSAIDs, hormone therapy, immunomodulators and HSP inhibitors. A panel of 460 compounds was tested in five concentrations covering a 10.000-fold drug-relevant concentration range in 384-well format. Cells were seeded to pre-drugged plates, followed by cell viability measurements (CellTiter-Glo) after 72 hours. Maximal and minimal responses to drugs were analyzed, the EC50 values were calculated and Drug Sensitivity Score (DSS) was calculated for each drug as a measure of reduced viability. A selective Drug Sensitivity Score (sDSS) was calculated to identify the selective drug response pattern of each three cancer cell lines. As expected, the results indicate that LNCaP and VCaP cells in general were more sensitive to drugs of different categories than PC-3 cells. According to DSS analysis, all three cell lines showed sensitivity to conventional chemotherapy and kinase inhibitors. However, PC-3 cells were more sensitive to kinase inhibitors than conventional chemotherapy. Determining sDSS revealed specific sensitivities of each cell line. LNCaP cells were sensitive to kinase inhibitors, such as mTOR and AKT inhibitors. Also VCaP cells showed selective sensitivity to kinase inhibitors, especially Aurora kinase and IGF1R inhibitors. In addition to kinase inhibitors, VCaP cells were selectively sensitive to HDAC inhibitors. Furthermore, PC-3 cells were sensitive to e.g. CDK inhibitors. We conclude that the cell-based compound screening combined with DSS and sDSS analysis provides a possibility to profile cellular responses to an extensive collection of anti-cancer compounds enabling repurposing of existing drugs to new indications, identification of vulnerabilities in different types of cancer cells and functional investigation of cellular pathways behind drug sensitivity or resistance. Citation Format: Jenni Mäki-Jouppila, Jenni Bernoulli, Johanna Tuomela, Mari I. Suominen, Jussi M. Halleen, Sanna Timonen, Elina Huovari, Katja Suomi, Swapnil Potdar, Päivi Östling, Jani Saarela, Katja M. Fagerlund. Selective drug sensitivity score (DSS) for indolent and aggressive prostate cancer cell lines [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4207. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4207

Vulnerability of different types of fishers to potential implementation of a management plan in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Maldives

Understanding vulnerability of different types of fishers to the implications of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) is crucial to its long-term sustainability. It helps direct management decisions of the MPA in a way that negative impacts on specific fishers can be mitigated. This study explored the vulnerability within specific groups of fishers, namely, commercial, subsistence and recreational fishers in the context of the largest MPA in the Maldives – the South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area (SAMPA). SAMPA is subject to a future management plan that is likely to bring changes in how resources can be accessed in the area. In order to explore the vulnerability of the fisher groups, their sensitivity to this change was measured through an exploratory factor analysis and a sensitivity index. It was found that commercial fishers were likely to be the most vulnerable group as the management plan could potentially threaten their livelihood. Subsistence fishers were found to be next, as changes in access to SAMPA will potentially influence how they obtain their dietary protein. Recreational fishers were also found to vulnerable due to the nature of their fishing operation. However, relative to other groups, their vulnerability was likely to be much lower. To ensure strategic measures are designed to alleviate these potential vulnerabilities, this study proposed collaborative stakeholder participation throughout the development process of SAMPA's management plan, and also as a platform to build much needed confidence in MPAs among fishers in the Maldives.

Spatial distribution of thermokarst terrain in Arctic Alaska

In landscapes underlain by ice-rich permafrost, the development of thermokarst landforms can have drastic impacts on ecosystem processes and human infrastructure. Here we describe the distribution of thermokarst landforms in the continuous permafrost zone of Arctic Alaska, analyze linkages to the underlying surficial geology, and discuss the vulnerability of different types of landscapes to future thaw. We identified nine major thermokarst landforms and then mapped their distributions in twelve representative study areas totaling 300-km2. These study areas differ in their geologic history, permafrost-ice content, and ground thermal regime. Results show that 63% of the entire study area is occupied by thermokarst landforms and that the distribution of thermokarst landforms and overall landscape complexity varies markedly with surficial geology. Areas underlain by ice-rich marine silt are the most affected by thermokarst (97% of total area), whereas areas underlain by glacial drift are least affected (14%). Drained thermokarst-lake basins are the most widespread thermokarst landforms, covering 33% of the entire study region, with greater prevalence in areas of marine silt (48% coverage), marine sand (47%), and aeolian silt (34%). Thermokarst-lakes are the second most common thermokarst landform, covering 16% of the study region, with highest coverage in areas underlain by marine silt (39% coverage). Thermokarst troughs and pits cover 7% of the study region and are the third most prevalent thermokarst landform. They are most common in areas underlain by deltaic sands and gravels (18% coverage) and marine sand (12%). Alas valleys are widespread in areas of aeolian silt (14%) located in gradually sloping uplands. Areas of marine silt have been particularly vulnerable to thaw in the past because they are ice-rich and have low-gradient topography facilitating the repeated development of thermokarst-lakes. In the future, ice-rich aeolian, upland terrain (yedoma) will be particularly susceptible to thaw because it still contains massive concentrations of ground ice in the form of syngenetic ice-wedges that have remained largely intact since the Pleistocene.

The physical vulnerability of different types of building structure to debris flow events

Vulnerability assessment of elements at risk is a key component for risk assessment. The representative element at risk for debris flow is a residential building in downstream mountain, and the physical vulnerability of such a building depends on the structural characteristics of a building. The main objective of this paper was to construct physical vulnerability curves for different types of building structures in Korea to enable a quantitative assessment of debris flow risks. The physical characteristics of debris flows were analyzed based on 11 debris flow events that occurred in July and August, 2011. A total of 25 buildings that were damaged during these events were investigated in detail to determine the characteristics and patterns of damage. This study analyzes the relationship between the degree of building damage and the intensity of the debris flows through field survey data, spatial data, and empirical formula. Three different empirical vulnerability curves were obtained as functions of the debris flow depth, the flow velocity, and the impact pressure. Furthermore, the vulnerability function was characterized according to the structural type of the buildings. In the case of non-RC buildings, complete destruction occurred with an impact pressure greater than 30 kPa. For RC buildings, slight damage occurred with impact pressures less than 35 kPa. The impact pressure of debris flows corresponding to slight damage to RC buildings could result in complete destruction of non-RC buildings. The physical vulnerability curves suggested here have potential applications in quantitative assessment of the structural resistance of buildings to debris flow events.

Climate change and sectors of the surface water cycle In CMIP5 projections

Abstract. Results from 10 global climate change models are synthesized to investigate changes in extremes, defined as wettest and driest deciles in precipitation, soil moisture and runoff based on each model's historical 20th century simulated climatology. Under a moderate warming scenario, regional increases in drought frequency are found with little increase in floods. For more severe warming, both drought and flood become much more prevalent, with nearly the entire globe significantly affected. Soil moisture changes tend toward drying, while runoff trends toward flood. To determine how different sectors of society dependent on various components of the surface water cycle may be affected, changes in monthly means and interannual variability are compared to data sets of crop distribution and river basin boundaries. For precipitation, changes in interannual variability can be important even when there is little change in the long-term mean. Over 20% of the globe is projected to experience a combination of reduced precipitation and increased variability under severe warming. There are large differences in the vulnerability of different types of crops, depending on their spatial distributions. Increases in soil moisture variability are again found to be a threat even where soil moisture is not projected to decrease. The combination of increased variability and greater annual discharge over many basins portends increased risk of river flooding, although a number of basins are projected to suffer surface water shortages.

Equity Pay and Stock Price Manipulation

Previous research provides evidence linking equity pay to stock price manipulation. In this paper, we examine the vulnerability of different types of equity grants to stock price manipulation, both at the time of the equity award (front-end gaming) and at the unwinding of the equity holdings (back-end gaming). We find that all equity grants are susceptible to gaming but the level of vulnerability varies substantially. Front-end gaming is easily preventable if firms award equity grants with pre-specified terms for their equity grants (e.g., exercise price and number of shares) instead of letting the stock market to set them. In contrast, back-end gaming is more difficult to stop since executives have more flexibility in timing the unwinding of their equity holdings. While traditional and indexed stock options are the most vulnerable to back-end gaming, Asian stock options are the least. A simple solution to combat back-end gaming is thus to restructure equity grants and make their payoff dependent on average stock prices. Although the averaging period needs not be the entire life of the equity grant, it must be as least twice as long as the length of time executives may manipulate the stock price in order to be effective against back-end gaming.

Branding beyond prejudice: Navigating multicultural marketplaces for consumer well-being

Today's marketplaces are increasingly multicultural as more individuals negotiate complex cultural identities. Brands play a role in materializing individual identities—however, little is known about how culture-based brand appeals might affect consumers' identity dynamics, positively or negatively. The paper provides a framework and a model that examines the interaction between three different types of multicultural marketplaces (assimilation, separation, and mutual integration) and different voices that brands might use in their cultural appeals (Branding Ignorance, Branding Tolerance, and Branding Engagement). The model identifies how these different voices (strategies) might exacerbate consumer vulnerabilities in different types of marketplaces and provides recommendations for how to use culture-based branding appeals in a benevolent manner.

A cytoarchitectonic and chemoarchitectonic analysis of the dopamine cell groups in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and retrorubral field in the mouse

The three main dopamine cell groups of the brain are located in the substantia nigra (A9), ventral tegmental area (A10), and retrorubral field (A8). Several subdivisions of these cell groups have been identified in rats and humans but have not been well described in mice, despite the increasing use of mice in neurodegenerative models designed to selectively damage A9 dopamine neurons. The aim of this study was to determine whether typical subdivisions of these dopamine cell groups are present in mice. The dopamine neuron groups were analysed in 15 adult C57BL/6J mice by anatomically localising tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporter protein (DAT), calbindin, and the G-protein-activated inward rectifier potassium channel 2 (GIRK2) proteins. Measurements of the labeling intensity, neuronal morphology, and the proportion of neurons double-labeled with TH, DAT, calbindin, or GIRK2 were used to differentiate subregions. Coronal maps were prepared and reconstructed in 3D. The A8 cell group had the largest dopamine neurons. Five subregions of A9 were identified: the reticular part with few dopamine neurons, the larger dorsal and smaller ventral dopamine tiers, and the medial and lateral parts of A9. The latter has groups containing some calbindin-immunoreactive dopamine neurons. The greatest diversity of dopamine cell types was identified in the seven subregions of A10. The main dopamine cell groups in the mouse brain are similar in terms of diversity to those observed in rats and humans. These findings are relevant to models using mice to analyse the selective vulnerability of different types of dopamine neurons.

Quantitative assessment of direct and indirect landslide risk along transportation lines in southern India

Abstract. A quantitative approach for landslide risk assessment along transportation lines is presented and applied to a road and a railway alignment in the Nilgiri hills in southern India. The method allows estimating direct risk affecting the alignments, vehicles and people, and indirect risk resulting from the disruption of economic activities. The data required for the risk estimation were obtained from historical records. A total of 901 landslides were catalogued initiating from cut slopes along the railway and road alignment. The landslides were grouped into three magnitude classes based on the landslide type, volume, scar depth, run-out distance, etc and their probability of occurrence was obtained using frequency-volume distribution. Hazard, for a given return period, expressed as the number of landslides of a given magnitude class per kilometre of cut slopes, was obtained using Gumbel distribution and probability of landslide magnitude. In total 18 specific hazard scenarios were generated using the three magnitude classes and six return periods (1, 3, 5, 15, 25, and 50 years). The assessment of the vulnerability of the road and railway line was based on damage records whereas the vulnerability of different types of vehicles and people was subjectively assessed based on limited historic incidents. Direct specific loss for the alignments (railway line and road), vehicles (train, bus, lorry, car and motorbike) was expressed in monetary value (US$), and direct specific loss of life of commuters was expressed in annual probability of death. Indirect specific loss (US$) derived from the traffic interruption was evaluated considering alternative driving routes, and includes losses resulting from additional fuel consumption, additional travel cost, loss of income to the local business, and loss of revenue to the railway department. The results indicate that the total loss, including both direct and indirect loss, from 1 to 50 years return period, varies from US$ 90 840 to US$ 779 500 and the average annual total loss was estimated as US$ 35 000. The annual probability of a person most at risk travelling in a bus, lorry, car, motorbike and train is less than 10-4/annum in all the time periods considered. The detailed estimation of direct and indirect risk will facilitate developing landslide risk mitigation and management strategies for transportation lines in the study area.