Post-disaster place attachment: A qualitative study of place attachment in the wake of the 2013 Moore tornado

Place attachment is the social, emotional, and functional bond people experience with a specific geographic area. The formation of this bond is based on several different characteristics of the place, such as property values, local relationships, and employment opportunities as well as the internal attributes of a person, such as age, gender, and income. While gaining an understanding of place attachment through these characteristics and attributes is indispensable to our understanding of disaster recovery, few studies have explored this relationship using qualitative methods. Here, the authors address two main questions: how does place attachment vary among different groups of individuals, and what factors contribute to place attachment in a disaster context? This study included a survey of 772 citizens of Moore, Oklahoma, who lived in the path of the May 20, 2013, tornado and decided to rebuild in situ after disaster. The authors explored place attachment using open-response questions probing residents’ perceptions of their place of living. The authors found 18 common codes within their descriptions, in which community (social network), infrastructure, and commercial were the three most commonly cited parameters. Also, comparisons of participants’ groups such as age and income showed that distinguishable parameters have formed post-disaster place attachment within different groups of participants.

Hate Thy Neighbor: Lessons for Neighborhood Integration for the Post-Obama Era and Beyond

This essay explores contemporary racial harassment, hate crimes, and violence targeted at African Americans and other racial minorities who have moved to white neighborhoods in the 1990s and 2000s, as described in my book Hate Thy Neighbor: Move In Violence and the Persistence of Segregation in American Housing. The essay details the experiences of blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans who face race-based hate crimes upon integrating white neighborhoods. This violence is not limited to a specific geographic area of the United States, and is an important factor in continuing patterns of racial segregation. Social segregation and the failure of existing law to address this violence are important factors in its survival. Analyzing the roots and causes of such violence, the essay calls for greater attention to the enforcement of legal remedies designed to address neighborhood hate crime.

Archaeology, biogeography, and mammalogy do not provide evidence for tarukas (Cervidae: Hippocamelus antisensis ) in Ecuador

Knowing whether a species has been extirpated, or if it ever inhabited a specific geographic area, has direct importance for planning conservation activities. The taruka ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) is one of the largest Neotropical mammals; it is distributed in the central Andes, and there are published records of this species in Ecuador. Recently, missing museum specimens have cast doubts on the validity of these Ecuadorian records. Here, we examine whether the taruka ever inhabited Ecuador by analyzing multiple sources of information. Our approach consists of 3 components: 1) we surveyed archaeological collections and literature for any biological remains and cultural artifacts that may represent tarukas, 2) we searched mammal collections for specimens reported in publications, and 3) we generated ecological niche models (ENMs) of current and past climates to determine whether Ecuador offers suitable habitats for the taruka. Our results suggest that the taruka never inhabited Ecuador. We did not find any reliable supporting evidence in the form of specimens nor convincing literature reports. Furthermore, ENMs revealed that Ecuador has not supported suitable climates for the taruka. We suggest that published records of taruka in Ecuador may have been due to improper identifications of specimens. The methods used here may also prove useful in determining the presence of species that are either thought to be extinct, or suspected to be recently introduced into a new geographic area. Conocer si una especie ha sido extirpada, o si alguna vez habitó un área geográfica específica, tiene importancia directa para la planificación de actividades de conservación. La Taruka ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) es uno de los mamíferos Neotropicales más grandes; se distribuye en los Andes centrales, y existen registros publicados de esta especie en Ecuador. Recientemente, ha habido dudas sobre la validez de los registros ecuatorianos porque los especímenes testigo se han perdido. Aquí examinamos si la taruka alguna vez habitó Ecuador, analizando múltiples fuentes de información. Nuestro enfoque metodológico consistió de 3 componentes: 1) examen de colecciones y literatura arqueológica para detectar restos biológicos o artefactos culturales que puedan representar tarukas, 2) búsqueda en colecciones mastozoológicas especímenes reportados en publicaciones; y 3) generación de modelos de nicho ecológico con climas pasados y presentes para determinar si Ecuador ofrece ambientes adecuados para la taruka. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la taruka nunca ha habitado Ecuador. No encontramos ninguna evidencia confiable en la forma de especímenes o reportes convincentes en la literatura. Además, los modelos de nicho ecológico revelaron que Ecuador no ha presentado las preferencias climáticas de la taruka. Sugerimos que los registros publicados de la taruka en Ecuador pueden ser el producto de la identificación errónea de especímenes. Las metodologías usadas en este trabajo pueden resultar útiles para investigar la presencia de especies que se creen extintas, o que se sospecha que son introducciones recientes a nuevas áreas geográficas.

Evaluating the Radiation and Temperature Effect on Photovoltaic Systems

One of the best ways to identify and design a system is simulating and to achieve this goal, we use simulation software such as MATLAB Simulink. In this study, the relations ruling photovoltaic is described. Then, on the relations basis, a photovoltaic system is simulated in MATLAB software. After photovoltaic system simulation, regardless the specific geographic area, radiation and temperature effect on photovoltaic system is generally simulated. Finally, with regard to radiation and temperature values effect on, it was concluded that we overlook the temperature effect than radiation effect on photovoltaic system designing. It certainly does not mean overlooking the temperature effect. It means a low-effect power changes per temperature changes against radiation.