The context of Beijing's commercial network —an empirical study on the central place model

The objective of this article is to expound the evolution of Beijing's commercial distribution and put the basic facts on the central place model in order to review the past, look upon the present, and predict the future. In terms of the central place theory, the spatial structures and deformations of Beijing's commercial activities are fully discussed, the inherent mechanism on the locational shifts of centers is revealed, and a centripetal zoning concerned with metropolitan commercial system is put forward. Having analyzed the factors of trade and transportation allocation and utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods, the author works out a long-term central place scheme for Beijing's commercial network with a supercenter, Xidan, and other centers of different ranks.Many thanks to Mr. Yang Qi, Ms. Zhou Yu and Ms. Li Xiangming whose map-making, calculating and typing add luster to this article.     

Natural hazards in British Columbia: an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional challenge

 Although British Columbia experiences many natural hazards, there is as yet no unified policy to promote natural hazard management in the province. The problem is not in the quantity and quality of geoscience assessment of natural hazards, but instead, it is suggested, in the isolation of that work from broader risk perspectives and in the lack of clarity of division of responsibilities between various levels of government. The example of recent changes in perception of the terrain stability problem illustrates how natural hazard problems are driven by social and political priorities rather than by geoscience priorities. Received: 22 November 1998 / Accepted: 22 November 1998     

Economic development and the geography of crime: an empirical analysis

The paper examines criminality as one of the second order consequences of development which the society has been struggling off for so long. In the study area, Kwara State of Nigeria, positive associations between development and criminality have begun to manifest themselves. The highest positive associations are between criminality and urbanization, telephone and motor vehicles respectively, while the lowest associations are with industrialization, electricity and education. In order to reduce criminality without holding down development in the state, various suggestions have been made. Central measures include more equitable distribution of criminality, strengthening of the police force and free mobilization of policemen from high crime areas to low crime areas. Long term measures include improving the socio-economic wellbeing of the general populace with special reference to the provision of modern industries, education, electricity, water and roads to rural dwellers and thereby curbing the wave of rural-urban migration and its attendant social ills. This should be accompanied by unqualified deep-rooted revolution in the monstrously unjust socio-economic system we currently operate, for afterall, as Peet (1975) rightly observed crime is a surface expression of discontents which lie deeply embedded in the social system.     

Synergetics—an interdisciplinary approach to phenomena of self-organization

Synergetics is a rather new field of interdisciplinary research and originated from physics. There it turned out that systems composed of many parts can acquire macroscopic structures or functions by self-organization, i.e. without any specific ordering forces from the outside. It then turned out that the spontaneous formation of ordered structures in other fields, such as chemistry and biology, is governed by the same principles. These principles and the structural laws they obey are of such a general nature that they have become applicable to other sciences as well, e.g. to linguistics and history. The present paper shows by means of simple examples how the concepts of order parameters, instability and slaving can become operational in various fields and hold the promise of wide application, e.g. in geography with respect to the formation of settlements.     

Hornblende barometry of the Galway batholith,Ireland: an empirical test

Summary The application of four hornblende geobarometers, two empirical and two experimental, to the 400 Ma Galway Granite, Ireland gives a pressure of crystallization of the zoned hornblende cores in the western parts of the granite of 2.62 ± 1.2 kb falling to < 1.53 ±1.02 kb at the hornblende rims whereas in the more eastern part of the batholith the value of 4.30 ± 0.70 kb is obtained from unzoned hornblendes. These results are consistent with field and petrographic evidence which indicates a much deeper level of early crystallization of the granite in the central and eastern area with larger K-feldspar phenocrysts (up to 6 cm). Although some of the uplift is related to late upward faulting, the main uplift of the centre of the granite in the east was due to late magmatic differential slip against the marginal granite which became vertically foliated. In the west the crystallization of hornblende started and completed at lower pressures than in the east with final hornblende crystallization at the limit of the field of igneous hornblende and at depth of < 5 km. Hornblende geobarometry reveals: (1) that different parts of some batholiths crystallized at very different pressures (and therefore depths) and have been juxtaposed at the present level of erosion (2) that at least the early part of the crystallization of some granites took place at significantly greater depths than the final crystallization and emplacement position; (3) in zoned hornblendes crystallization occurred during magma movement.

---

Hornblende-Barometrie des Galway-Batholithen, Irland: Ein empirischer Test

Zusammenfassung Vier Hornblende-Geobarometer, zwei empirische and zwei experimentelle wurden auf den 400 m.y. alten Galway-Granit, Irland, angewendet and ergeben ähnliche Resultate. Der Durchschnitt der Berechnungen gibt einen Kristallisationsdruck der zonierten Hornblendekerne in den westlichen Teilen des Granits von 2.62 ± 1.2 kbar. Diese Werte fallen auf weniger als < 1.53 ± 1.02 kbar in den Hornblenderändern, während in den östlichen Teilen des Batholithen ein Wert von 4.30 ± 0.70 kbar von nicht zonierten Hornblenden erhalten wurde. Diese Ergebnisse stimmen gut mit Geländebeobachtungen und petrographischen Daten überein, die darauf hinweisen, daß der Granit im zentralen und östlichen Bereich in größerer Tiefe kristallisiert ist. Dabei erreichten K-Feldspat Kristalle Maximumlängen von 6 cm, verglichen mit nur 3 cm im Westen und am Rand. Obwohl ein Teil der Hebung auf späte Verwerfungen zurückgeht, war die Haupthebung zentraler Teile des Granites im Osten durch spätmagmatische, differentielle Gleitung gegenüber den randlichen Granitzonen bedingt, wobei letztere vertikal gefältelt wurden. Im Westen begann die Kristallisation der Hornblende bei niedrigeren Drucken als im Osten, wobei die späteste Hornblende-Kristallisation an der Grenze des Feldes magmatischer Hornblende und in Tiefe von < als 5 km stattfand. Hornblende-Geobarometrie zeigt, daß 1. verschiedene Teile des gleichen Batholithen unter verschiedenen Drucken (und somit in verschiedenen Tiefen) kristallisierten und erst im gegenwärtigen Erosions-Niveau nebeneinander gestellt wurden; 2. daß wenigstens die Frühkristallisation einiger Granite in signifikant größeren Tiefen als die Endkristallisation, und die Position der Platznahme lagen; 3. in zonierten Hornblenden Kristallisation während magmatischer Bewegung stattfand.

---

---

With 2 Figures

---

Formerly Oum-toub, Skikda, BP56, 21450, Algeria     

Market risk in carbon market: an empirical analysis of the EUA and sCER

The paper uses a capital asset pricing model to analyze the market risk in the European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and clean development mechanisms (CDM) and Zipf analysis technology to analyze the carbon price volatility in different expectations of returns in the two markets. The results show that the systematic risk of the EU ETS market is around 0.07 %, but the CDM market is clearly divided into two stages; the systematic risk of the futures contracts in the first stage (DEC09–DEC12) is less than the EU ETS market, but the systematic risk of the futures contracts that enter the market is greater than the EU ETS market and has a higher market sensitivity, although on the unsystematic risk. The CDM market is always greater than the EU ETS market. Abnormal returns in the two carbon markets are both lower than 0.02 %, but CDM is higher. The probability of price down is greater than that of price up. The carbon price is affected by market mechanisms and external factors (economic crisis and environmental policies) in the low expectations of returns. However, in the high expectations of returns, compared with the CDM market, the carbon price change in the EU ETS market is less stable and has higher risks.

     

Market risk in carbon market: an empirical analysis of the EUA and sCER

The paper uses a capital asset pricing model to analyze the market risk in the European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and clean development mechanisms (CDM) and Zipf analysis technology to analyze the carbon price volatility in different expectations of returns in the two markets. The results show that the systematic risk of the EU ETS market is around 0.07 %, but the CDM market is clearly divided into two stages; the systematic risk of the futures contracts in the first stage (DEC09–DEC12) is less than the EU ETS market, but the systematic risk of the futures contracts that enter the market is greater than the EU ETS market and has a higher market sensitivity, although on the unsystematic risk. The CDM market is always greater than the EU ETS market. Abnormal returns in the two carbon markets are both lower than 0.02 %, but CDM is higher. The probability of price down is greater than that of price up. The carbon price is affected by market mechanisms and external factors (economic crisis and environmental policies) in the low expectations of returns. However, in the high expectations of returns, compared with the CDM market, the carbon price change in the EU ETS market is less stable and has higher risks.     

Coping strategies with floods in Bangladesh: an empirical study

In the time of the flooding, rural people in Bangladesh suffer from the lingering effects of labor market disruption and income deficiency. This study shows a model based analysis on the research question, ??what coping strategies are followed by the flooded households in Bangladesh and how???. Data are collected through a three stage stratified random sampling technique on 595 flooded and rural households??. Survey is carried out aftermath of the flood in the year 2005, from four different districts in Bangladesh. A major proportion of households are found to borrow money or resources from informal sources, such as nearby shops or the pharmacy, friends or relatives, or local money lenders, to buy food items and other essentials. A censored tobit model analysis shows that households initiate coping with borrowing money after the realization of floods, and gradually lead to cope with savings and selling assets as the duration of flood increases.     

Ramadan and Bussorah Street: the spirit of place

The presence of ‘seasonal spaces’ such as the Ramadan-related activities associated with Bussorah Street, Singapore, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan surfaces significant issues on the convergence and management of identity, heritage, space and conservation important to all Singaporeans. Conservation projects to ‘prettify’ or commodify the historic district of Kampong Glam, which contains Bussorah Street had to be revised to include the local tradition of the Ramadan food bazaar but at the adjoining Kandahar Street. Undoubtedly, what is being underlined by this seasonal space is the affirmation of identity, the reclamation of space and the possibility for improved management and economic viability of the Kampong Glam district. However, as stressed in the paper, that while the spirit of Bussorah Street can be construed as forms of spatial or cultural resilience, the new Malay Heritage Centre (Taman Warisan Melayu) located in the district acts as a strong reminder that, ultimately, ‘seasonal spaces’ are still subjected to the calculated considerations of the Singapore urban planners or the governing elite with significant implications for those with strong ethnic and religious connections with the area and its Islamic heritage.

Smallholder groundwater irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa: an interdisciplinary framework applied to the Usangu plains, Tanzania

A simple but comprehensive framework for analysing the potential for and constraints to groundwater development for irrigated agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is proposed. The framework, based on food value chain principles, is applied to the sub-Saharan context and a specific catchment in Tanzania, the Usangu plains, where groundwater has been proposed as a strategic resource for augmenting food production and smallholder livelihoods and to alleviate seasonal water scarcity. The novel contribution of the work is the presentation of a tool that can be applied to support an interdisciplinary approach to systematically identify most significant barriers and most critical water management and development interventions for sustainable development of groundwater irrigation. The result of the case study shows that farmer economics, capacity, and pump and well drilling market constraints limit groundwater irrigation in the Usangu plains rather than hydrogeological conditions.     

Solubility of Ca and Al in orthopyroxene from spinel peridotite: an improved version of an empirical geothermometer

Geothermometric equations for spinel peridotites by Fujii (1976), Gasparik and Newton (1984), and Chatterjee, and Terhart (1985) based on the reaction enstatite (en)+spinel (sp)Mg–Tschermaks (mats)+forsterite (fo) were tested using a nearly isothermal suite of mantle xenoliths from the Eifel, West Germany. In spite of using activities of MgAl₂O₄, en, and mats to allow for the non-ideal solution behaviour of the constituent phases, temperatures calculated from these equations systematically change as a function of Cr/(Cr+AL+Fe³⁺) in spinel. We propose an improved version of the empirical geothermometer for spinel peridotites of Sachtleben and Seck (1981) derived from the evaluation of the solubilities of Ca and Al in orthopyroxene from more than 100 spinel peridotites from the Rhenish Volcanic Province. A least squares regression yielded a smooth correlation between

Poverty tourism: theoretical reflections and empirical findings regarding an extraordinary form of tourism

During the mid-1990s, a new form of tourism was established in metropolises of several developing countries or emerging nations. This type of tourism consists in visits to the most disadvantaged parts of the respective city. Poverty tours or slum tours are offered on a relatively large scale in the South African cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, as well as in Indian metropolises, to name some important examples. The target group of these tours consists primarily of international tourists. It is estimated that 40,000 such tourists visit favelas in Rio de Janeiro each year, around 300,000 the townships in Cape Town. This contribution refers to and comments on these developments and insights regarding poverty tourism or slumming, based on empirical research and experiences in South Africa, Brazil, and India. It will be shed light on the phenomenon from an observational-theoretical perspective. It is aimed to open a discussion on the ways poverty tours or slumming observes and simultaneously programmatically charges poverty. And, it will be considered in which way poverty tourism is observed.     

Post-Cyclone Sidr illness patterns in coastal Bangladesh: an empirical study

After the landfall of Cyclone Sidr along the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on November 15, 2007, emergency and public health personnel within and beyond Bangladesh anticipated a massive outbreak of water-borne and other diseases in most affected areas. Fortunately, such an outbreak did not occur. The objectives of this paper are to examine the extent and pattern of illnesses experienced by Cyclone Sidr survivors in the aftermath of its landfall and to investigate household and individual-level factors associated with such illnesses. Based on face-to-face interviews conducted among 277 randomly selected Sidr survivors living in the four most severely impacted coastal districts, this study found that the post-cyclone incidence of water-borne, respiratory, and other diseases was not unusually high. Only 52 persons suffered Sidr-related illnesses, and their illnesses were significantly associated with household income, and gender and age of the Sidr survivors. A major outbreak of such diseases was largely avoided because of the proper distribution of food and safe drinking water, as well as the timely implementation of health care intervention measures. This important finding will aid relevant authorities in successfully responding to outbreaks of diseases following a future extreme event in Bangladesh and perhaps elsewhere.     

Multidimensional poverty in slums: an empirical study from urban India

Poverty is the most important metric for determining the nature and sense of wellbeing in a given area. Most economists consider poverty to be an economic criterion for assessing many aspects of human development as well as overall social development; yet, society is multi-faceted in its many forms. To address this pressing societal issue, the current study used the Multidimensional poverty index (MPI). To analyse urban poverty among slum communities, the researchers used the Global MPI of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and UNDP (following Alkire and Foster) techniques. Researchers attempted to create a Multidimensional poverty index (MPI) for impoverished households in Purulia's designated slums in this study. In the second phase, the multidimensional poverty of Purulia's urban poor households was assessed based on (a) location, (b) social groupings, and (c) length of stay. Finally, researchers have attempted to identify the factors that contribute to multidimensional poverty. Two indicators, the Head Count Ratio (H) and Intensity of Poverty, have been offered to better explain the nature of MPI (A). Based on slum population density and areal density, eight urban slum areas with 320 households has been taken from 8 selected slums based on Yamane’s methodology from Purulia Municipality's wards. A structured questionnaire, an oral history interview, and a focus group discussion were used as primary data sources, with secondary data acquired from several officially published sources. The study displays a decomposed multidimensional poverty picture in terms of overall condition, socioeconomic groups, and household age, with a quantitative methodology that is transparent. When the locations have been considered, a qualitative approach has been used to determine that the slums closest to the railway track are the most multidimensionally disadvantaged of the eight slums. Furthermore, the schedule caste population has been found to be more deprived across many socioeconomic groups, with Scheduled tribe (ST) households being the most deprived in terms of health on one hand (applied quantitative methodology) and multi-nominal regression (applied qualitative methodology) indicating a mix mode approach. This form of analysis, which combines quantitative and qualitative approaches, can aid stakeholders and policymakers in developing specific poverty-reduction policies at the regional level.

     

Post-Cyclone Sidr nutritional status of women and children in coastal Bangladesh: an empirical study

Cyclone Sidr, a Category 4 storm, struck the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on November 15, 2007, causing 3,406 deaths, 2.51 million acres of crop damage, and aggregated damage of US$1.7 billion. It significantly damaged household food availability and increased post-cyclone nutritional insecurity. This study assesses the nutritional status of household and explores influences of various socioeconomic variables on nutritional security. More specifically, it explores the impact of the cyclone on short-term nutritional status of women of reproductive age and children under 5?years. For this study, 331 households living in three villages devastated by Cyclone Sidr were selected. The nutritional status of women of reproductive age was measured based on body mass index, and that of children aged 6?C59?months was measured based on weight-for-height (wasting), height-for-age (stunting), and weight-for-age (underweight). This study found that the nutritional status, along with other household characteristics, of the study groups was not remarkably different across the three selected villages. Findings of this study further suggest that the nutritional security situation was not much changed in the post-cyclone period compared with the pre-cyclone period primarily because of rapid and effective distribution of essential food items among cyclone survivors by the government of Bangladesh along with donor and other organizations. However, nutritional insecurity was more prevalent in the island village relative to inland and coastline villages. Similarly, fishermen were found to be the most vulnerable to nutritional insecurity in the post-cyclone period. Several recommendations are made to improve food aid distribution in the aftermath of a cyclone.