Recent inspections conducted on levee safety in the U.S. that participate in the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Levee Safety Program under Public-Law 84-99 have shown that the overwhelming majority (>95%) of these levees have at least some deficiency associated with them, and many being identified as having an unacceptable safety rating (≈30%). In the U.S., many levees were constructed using funding from the federal government, but the responsibility of operation and maintenance of the levees were turned over to local government bodies. Given the local funding of levee maintenance, the socioeconomic characteristics of these levee-protected communities may be useful in identifying which communities may not have the economic, social, and / or political capital to maintain their levees to an acceptable safety standard. Using the lens of socio-hydrology, this study examines the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of levee-protected communities and their relationship to the safety rating of their levee system. Using GIS, socioeconomic data were compiled for each of the evaluated Illinois levee systems from the US Census and the USACE’s National Levee Database (NLD). In addition to socioeconomic data, the NLD contained information on a levee’s age, protection level, estimated value of structures within the levee-protected area, ownership, inspection status, safety rating, and other structural details. The value of levee-protected agricultural lands was also assessed using a soil productivity index used by the state of Illinois to assess taxes on farmland. This information was compiled to investigate the potential differences of socioeconomic characteristics of communities with unacceptable to those with an acceptable levee rating. To assess the differences between the compiled socioeconomic information, the Independent Samples U-Test was implemented to quantify differences between communities with an acceptable verse unacceptable safety rating. In this study, 71 levee systems were identified with a levee safety rating and socioeconomic data from which to perform the statistical comparison between levee systems with an acceptable versus unacceptable safety rating. Of these 71 levees systems, 28 had an unacceptable and 43 had an at least minimally acceptable safety rating. The results from the Independent Samples U-Test showed that five variables with substantial variance (α ≤ 0.2, 80% CI) between the levee safety ratings were, the age of the levee, property value per structure, the average soil productivity index, per capita income, and the percentage of population being black. Using these substantial variables, a binary logistic regression model was created to see if they could be used to realistically predict the levee system’s safety rating. The regression model was able to accurately predict 84% of the ‘acceptable’ group while only correctly predicting 25% of the ‘unacceptable’ group resulting in an overall accuracy of 61%. The inability of this model to predict a levee system’s safety rating underscores the complexities in trying to determine which socioeconomic factors are important for identifying a given levee system’s safety rating. This finding also suggests there are potentially other variables which may be more robust predictors of a community’s ability to adequately maintain their levee. Future research should investigate these complexities in identifying which communities can adequately maintain their levee system.

The spread of new technologies takes place at different speeds across different places and between different individuals in a society. This essay focuses on examining and analyzing how the distribution pattern and pace of electric and hybrid cars, commonly called electric vehicles, has taken place in Sweden since the beginning of the 2000s and the following two decades. This trend analysis has been done at national, regional, and local level. Furthermore, a binary logistical regression analysis has been conducted at the individual level for the corresponding geography, based on the goal of finding the personal conditions that affect the acquisition of an electric vehicle.  The study shows that Sweden is at a turning point regarding the diffusion of innovation where the next phase that follows is the “early acceptance”- face in a society. Regional primary locations lead the development and the individuals who most likely own electric vehicles are generally married, highly educated men who own their own housing, have a yearly income above the national median income level and are between 40-80 years old.

Este projeto de mestrado apresenta uma caracterização das chuvas estimadas pelo radar meteorológico Doppler de dupla polarização banda S (SPOL) do Departamento de Águas e Energia Elétrica (DAEE) e Fundação Centro Tecnológico de Hidráulica (FCTH) durante eventos com ou sem alagamento para cada bairro da cidade de São Paulo durante o ano de 2015. A caracterização foi determinada a partir da função densidade de probabilidade (PDF) da chuva acumulada e da taxa de precipitação, duração da chuva e fração da área de cada bairro onde ocorreu a chuva. Na média, os eventos de alagamento estavam associados com um volume de chuva maior que 30mm e taxa precipitação máxima maior que 30mm/h. Com relação à duração não foi possível encontrar um padrão médio, pois a chuva teve duração mínima de 20 minutos e máxima de 23 horas. Por outro lado, eventos de alagamento tinham alcançado mais de 27% da área do bairro com taxa de precipitação maior que 30 mm/h e 50 mm/h. Destaca-se ao longo desta análise que os bairros localizados próximos aos rios Tietê e Pinheiros e a região central da cidade de São Paulo apresentaram maior probabilidade de ocorrência de alagamento com volumes de chuva mais baixos do que a média de 30 mm por dia e também registraram maior recorrência de pontos alagados. Por último foi desenvolvido um método de regressão logística binária para calcular a probabilidade de ocorrência de alagamentos nos diversos bairros da cidade São Paulo. Este modelo utiliza como parâmetros de entrada a duração da chuva, a taxa de precipitação máxima e a chuva acumulada nas últimas 24 horas. O modelo apresentou uma probabilidade de detecção (POD) média de 1% e uma taxa de falso alarme média (FAR) de 0,6 para os eventos de alagamento, já para eventos sem alagamento o POD médio foi de 96% e a FAR foi de 2,5%. Portanto o modelo consegue prever os casos sem alagamento. / This dissertation project presents a characterization of the rainfall estimated from a dual-polarization S-band Doppler meteorological radar (SPOL) of the Department of Water and Electric Energy (DAEE) and Foundation Technological Center of Hydraulics (FCTH) during with or without flooding events for each neighborhood of the city of São Paulo over the year 2015. The characterization was determined by the probability density function (PDF) of the accumulated rainfall and the precipitation rate, rainfall duration and rainfall-area fraction in the neighborhoods. In average, flood events were associated with a rainfall volume greater than 30mm and a maximum rainfall rate greater than 30mm/h. Regarding the duration, it was not possible to find an average pattern, because the rain had a minimum duration of 20 minutes and a maximum of 23 hours. On the other hand, flood events had reached more than 27% of the neighborhood\'s area with a precipitation rate greater than 30 mm/h and 50 mm/h. It is highlighted throughout this analysis that the neighborhoods located near the Tietê and Pinheiros rivers and central region of the city of São Paulo presented a higher probability of flood occurrence with rainfall volumes lower than the average of 30 mm per day and also recorded higher recurrence of flooded spots. Finally, a binary logistic regression method was developed to estimate the probability of occurrence of flooding in the various neighborhoods of the city of São Paulo. This model uses as input parameters rainfall duration, maximum rainfall rate and accumulated rainfall in the last 24 hours. The model presented a mean probability of detection (POD) of 1% and a mean false alarm rate (FAR) of 0,6 for flood events. On the other hand, for events without occurrence of flood a mean POD was 96% and FAR 2,5. Therefore, the model can predict the events without flooding.

Este projeto de mestrado apresenta uma caracterização das chuvas estimadas pelo radar meteorológico Doppler de dupla polarização banda S (SPOL) do Departamento de Águas e Energia Elétrica (DAEE) e Fundação Centro Tecnológico de Hidráulica (FCTH) durante eventos com ou sem alagamento para cada bairro da cidade de São Paulo durante o ano de 2015. A caracterização foi determinada a partir da função densidade de probabilidade (PDF) da chuva acumulada e da taxa de precipitação, duração da chuva e fração da área de cada bairro onde ocorreu a chuva. Na média, os eventos de alagamento estavam associados com um volume de chuva maior que 30mm e taxa precipitação máxima maior que 30mm/h. Com relação à duração não foi possível encontrar um padrão médio, pois a chuva teve duração mínima de 20 minutos e máxima de 23 horas. Por outro lado, eventos de alagamento tinham alcançado mais de 27% da área do bairro com taxa de precipitação maior que 30 mm/h e 50 mm/h. Destaca-se ao longo desta análise que os bairros localizados próximos aos rios Tietê e Pinheiros e a região central da cidade de São Paulo apresentaram maior probabilidade de ocorrência de alagamento com volumes de chuva mais baixos do que a média de 30 mm por dia e também registraram maior recorrência de pontos alagados. Por último foi desenvolvido um método de regressão logística binária para calcular a probabilidade de ocorrência de alagamentos nos diversos bairros da cidade São Paulo. Este modelo utiliza como parâmetros de entrada a duração da chuva, a taxa de precipitação máxima e a chuva acumulada nas últimas 24 horas. O modelo apresentou uma probabilidade de detecção (POD) média de 1% e uma taxa de falso alarme média (FAR) de 0,6 para os eventos de alagamento, já para eventos sem alagamento o POD médio foi de 96% e a FAR foi de 2,5%. Portanto o modelo consegue prever os casos sem alagamento. / This dissertation project presents a characterization of the rainfall estimated from a dual-polarization S-band Doppler meteorological radar (SPOL) of the Department of Water and Electric Energy (DAEE) and Foundation Technological Center of Hydraulics (FCTH) during with or without flooding events for each neighborhood of the city of São Paulo over the year 2015. The characterization was determined by the probability density function (PDF) of the accumulated rainfall and the precipitation rate, rainfall duration and rainfall-area fraction in the neighborhoods. In average, flood events were associated with a rainfall volume greater than 30mm and a maximum rainfall rate greater than 30mm/h. Regarding the duration, it was not possible to find an average pattern, because the rain had a minimum duration of 20 minutes and a maximum of 23 hours. On the other hand, flood events had reached more than 27% of the neighborhood\'s area with a precipitation rate greater than 30 mm/h and 50 mm/h. It is highlighted throughout this analysis that the neighborhoods located near the Tietê and Pinheiros rivers and central region of the city of São Paulo presented a higher probability of flood occurrence with rainfall volumes lower than the average of 30 mm per day and also recorded higher recurrence of flooded spots. Finally, a binary logistic regression method was developed to estimate the probability of occurrence of flooding in the various neighborhoods of the city of São Paulo. This model uses as input parameters rainfall duration, maximum rainfall rate and accumulated rainfall in the last 24 hours. The model presented a mean probability of detection (POD) of 1% and a mean false alarm rate (FAR) of 0,6 for flood events. On the other hand, for events without occurrence of flood a mean POD was 96% and FAR 2,5. Therefore, the model can predict the events without flooding.

Analysis of EU divorce rates in socio-demographic perspective Abstract The aim of this diploma thesis is to analyze the basic trends in the development of the divorce rate in selected countries of the European Union, in the period of 1995 through 2015 and to find similar or different trends among them. The work is focused not only on the development of individual indicators of the divorce intensity, but also on the possible causes of changes in family behavior, both from a demographic and sociological point of view. Therefore, the second part of the work focuses on attitude analysis of the evaluators by particular country of the European Union, namely the specific attitudes of choosing a family, marriage and an opinion on divorce. The intensity of divorce rates increases during the observed period in all monitored countries, therefore the share of divorced persons in the European population increasing, too. The reasons are mainly the social and economic changes in society, which go along with the changes in family behavior. Divorce is tolerated by society and as behavior is justifiable for most people. On the other hand, family and marriage are still very important values for the people of European countries. Keywords: divorce rate, family, Europe, attitudes, binary logistic regression, cluster analysis

Numerous invertebrates have contributed to our understanding of the biology of learning and memory. In most cases, learning performance is documented for groups of individuals, and nearly always based on a single, typically binary, behavioural metric for a conditioned response. This is unfortunate for several reasons. Foremost, it has become increasingly apparent that invertebrates exhibit inter-individual differences in many aspects of their behaviour, and also that the conditioned response probability for an animal group does not adequately represent the behaviour of individuals in classical conditioning. Furthermore, a binary response character cannot yield a graded score for each individual. We also hypothesise that due to the complexity of a conditioned response, a single metric need not reveal an individual’s full learning potential. In this paper, we report individual learning scores for freely moving adult male crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) based on a multi-factorial analysis of a conditioned response. First, in an absolute conditioning paradigm, we video-tracked the odour responses of animals that, in previous training, received either odour plus reward (sugar water), reward alone, or odour alone to identify behavioural predictors of a conditioned response. Measures of these predictors were then analysed using binary regression analysis to construct a variety of mathematical models that give a probability for each individual that it exhibited a conditioned response (Presp). Using standard procedures to compare model accuracy, we identified the strongest model which could reliably discriminate between the different odour responses. Finally, in a differential appetitive olfactory paradigm, we employed the model after training to calculate the Presp of animals to a conditioned, and to an unconditioned odour, and from the difference a learning index for each animal. Comparing the results from our multi-factor model with a single metric analysis (head bobbing in response to a conditioned odour), revealed advantageous aspects of the model. A broad distribution of model-learning scores, with modes at low and high values, support the notion of a high degree of variation in learning capacity, which we discuss.

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<p>The main objective of this study was to identify ways in which transaction costs can be lowered to improve small-scale farmers&rsquo / participation in and returns from agricultural output markets, with specific reference to small-scale mango farmers in Limpopo province. This study hypothesizes that transaction costs are lower in informal spot markets and increase when small-scale farmers sell in more structured markets (formal markets). This study builds on transaction cost economics (TCE) to demonstrate how to overcome transaction cost barriers that small-scale mango farmers face in the agro-food markets. The approach to collect primary information was sequenced in two steps: first, key informant and focus group interviews were conducted and, secondly, a structured survey instrument was administered in two districts of Limpopo. A total of 235 smallscale mango farmers were interviewed. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the impact of transaction costs on the likelihood of households&rsquo / participation in formal (=1) and informal (=0) agro-food markets. STATA Version 10 was used to analyse the data. This study found that a larger proportion of male than female farming households reported participation in the formal markets, suggesting deep-seated gender differentiation in market participation. The average age of small farmers participating in formal markets is 52, compared to 44 for those in informal markets, implying that older farmers might have established stronger networks and acquired experience over a longer period. Farmers staying very far from the densely populated towns (more than 50 km) participate less in the formal markets than those staying closer (0 &ndash / 25 km and 26 &ndash / 49 km), which implies that the further they are from the towns, the less the likelihood of farmers selling in the formal markets. Farmers who own storage facilities and a bakkie (transportation means) participate more in formal markets compared to those who do not own these assets, which suggests that these farmers are able to store mangoes, retaining their freshness and subsequently delivering them to various agro-food markets on time. Households that participate in formal markets have high mean values of income and social grants. However, this study found that the likelihood of a household&rsquo / s participation in the markets is less as income and social grants increase. This suggests that households do not invest their financial assets in order to overcome market access barriers. A large proportion of households that own larger pieces of arable land participate in the formal markets, which implies that they are able to produce marketable surplus. Households that have a high mean value (in Rand) of cattle participate more in formal markets than in informal markets. However, this study found that the likelihood of a household&rsquo / s participation in the markets does not change with an increase in the value of its livestock. These findings suggest that households do not sell their cattle in order to overcome market access barriers. Reduced transaction costs for small-scale mango farmers in Limpopo should improve their participation in and returns from the agro-food markets. Policy interventions to support this need to focus on: access to storage and transportation facilities, enforcement of gender equity requirements in existing policies, and better access to information about markets.</p>

<p>The main objective of this study was to identify ways in which transaction costs can be lowered to improve small-scale farmers&rsquo / participation in and returns from agricultural output markets, with specific reference to small-scale mango farmers in Limpopo province. This study hypothesizes that transaction costs are lower in informal spot markets and increase when small-scale farmers sell in more structured markets (formal markets). This study builds on transaction cost economics (TCE) to demonstrate how to overcome transaction cost barriers that small-scale mango farmers face in the agro-food markets. The approach to collect primary information was sequenced in two steps: first, key informant and focus group interviews were conducted and, secondly, a structured survey instrument was administered in two districts of Limpopo. A total of 235 smallscale mango farmers were interviewed. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the impact of transaction costs on the likelihood of households&rsquo / participation in formal (=1) and informal (=0) agro-food markets. STATA Version 10 was used to analyse the data. This study found that a larger proportion of male than female farming households reported participation in the formal markets, suggesting deep-seated gender differentiation in market participation. The average age of small farmers participating in formal markets is 52, compared to 44 for those in informal markets, implying that older farmers might have established stronger networks and acquired experience over a longer period. Farmers staying very far from the densely populated towns (more than 50 km) participate less in the formal markets than those staying closer (0 &ndash / 25 km and 26 &ndash / 49 km), which implies that the further they are from the towns, the less the likelihood of farmers selling in the formal markets. Farmers who own storage facilities and a bakkie (transportation means) participate more in formal markets compared to those who do not own these assets, which suggests that these farmers are able to store mangoes, retaining their freshness and subsequently delivering them to various agro-food markets on time. Households that participate in formal markets have high mean values of income and social grants. However, this study found that the likelihood of a household&rsquo / s participation in the markets is less as income and social grants increase. This suggests that households do not invest their financial assets in order to overcome market access barriers. A large proportion of households that own larger pieces of arable land participate in the formal markets, which implies that they are able to produce marketable surplus. Households that have a high mean value (in Rand) of cattle participate more in formal markets than in informal markets. However, this study found that the likelihood of a household&rsquo / s participation in the markets does not change with an increase in the value of its livestock. These findings suggest that households do not sell their cattle in order to overcome market access barriers. Reduced transaction costs for small-scale mango farmers in Limpopo should improve their participation in and returns from the agro-food markets. Policy interventions to support this need to focus on: access to storage and transportation facilities, enforcement of gender equity requirements in existing policies, and better access to information about markets.</p>

Magister Economicae - MEcon / The main objective of this study was to identify ways in which transaction costs can be lowered to improve small-scale farmers’ participation in and returns from agricultural output markets, with specific reference to small-scale mango farmers in Limpopo province. This study hypothesizes that transaction costs are lower in informal spot markets and increase when small-scale farmers sell in more structured markets (formal markets). This study builds on transaction cost economics (TCE) to demonstrate how to overcome transaction cost barriers that small-scale mango farmers face in the agro-food markets. The approach to collect primary information was sequenced in two steps: first, key informant and focus group interviews were conducted and, secondly, a structured survey instrument was administered in two districts of Limpopo. A total of 235 smallscale mango farmers were interviewed. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the impact of transaction costs on the likelihood of households’ participation in formal (=1) and informal (=0) agro-food markets. STATA Version 10 was used to analyse the data. This study found that a larger proportion of male than female farming households reported participation in the formal markets, suggesting deep-seated gender differentiation in market participation. The average age of small farmers participating in formal markets is 52, compared to 44 for those in informal markets, implying that older farmers might have established stronger networks and acquired experience over a longer period. Farmers staying very far from the densely populated towns (more than 50 km) participate less in the formal markets than those staying closer (0 – 25 km and 26 – 49 km), which implies that the further they are from the towns, the less the likelihood of farmers selling in the formal markets. Farmers who own storage facilities and a bakkie (transportation means) participate more in formal markets compared to those who do not own these assets, which suggests that these farmers are able to store mangoes, retaining their freshness and subsequently delivering them to various agro-food markets on time. Households that participate in formal markets have high mean values of income and social grants. However, this study found that the likelihood of a household’s participation in the markets is less as income and social grants increase. This suggests that households do not invest their financial assets in order to overcome market access barriers. A large proportion of households that own larger pieces of arable land participate in the formal markets, which implies that they are able to produce marketable surplus. Households that have a high mean value (in Rand) of cattle participate more in formal markets than in informal markets. However, this study found that the likelihood of a household’s participation in the markets does not change with an increase in the value of its livestock. These findings suggest that households do not sell their cattle in order to overcome market access barriers. Reduced transaction costs for small-scale mango farmers in Limpopo should improve their participation in and returns from the agro-food markets. Policy interventions to support this need to focus on: access to storage and transportation facilities, enforcement of gender equity requirements in existing policies, and better access to information about markets. / South Africa