The Web-based Recruitment of Female Foreign Domestic Workers in Asia

In the last three decades, there has been an increased "feminisation" of international migration within the Asian region. In part, the increased mobility of women migrant workers within Asia has resulted from the increased bureaucratic regulation of labour migration. This commodification of the migratory process, however, has placed women in significantly more vulnerable positions vis-´-vis their male counterparts. Comparatively little research, however, has examined the critical role of private recruitment agencies, and especially the use of the Internet, within the migratory process. In this paper, I examine the Web-based recruitment strategies of private recruitment agencies in Asia. Based on a qualitative analysis of 25 recruitment-related Web sites, I suggest that the commercialisation of migration serves an important "socialisation" process that contributes to the vulnerability and exploitation of female foreign domestic workers.     

Sustainable environmental resource utilisation: a case study of farmers’ ethnobotanical knowledge and rural change in Bungoma district, Kenya

This paper examines farmers’ ethnobotanical knowledge, innovation and rural change, and indicates one way in which indigenous technical knowledge complementing scientific knowledge may be documented for use by development planners and agencies. This paper firstly identifies plant species recognised as resources by farmers, and considers the value of these resources. Secondly, the paper documents and assesses the ethnobotanical knowledge associated with the utilisation of plant species, before turning to examine how plant resources are defined by use and culture. It also demonstrates that some components of ethnobotanical knowledge have potential for the sustainable development of plant species. The study shows that farmers have started to domesticate some of the ‘traditional’ plants, and new crops have been introduced associated with corresponding innovations in local agricultural systems. Since the farmers have a relatively strong tradition in natural resources conservation, this study suggests that it will be possible to introduce community-based gene banks linked to formal or government facilities. The paper demonstrates that it is important to combine and interweave ‘modern’ and indigenous knowledges to produce a more realistic and sensitive understanding and management of natural environmental resources for sustainable development.     

Variations in some physico-chemical parameters in a hypersaline coastal lagoon of Baja California,Mexico

San Jose lagoon is a hypersaline body of water located in Mexico in the Baja California Peninsula. The lagoon belongs to a system that lies between the fault ridge known as San Jose Creek. Because of its marine origin, it can be considered as thalassohaline, but its isolation from the ocean has brought about changes in its salt composition. It has an area of 13,500 m², a mean depth of 80 cm and a total volume of 10,000 m³. It does not desiccate and can be considered as a permanent lagoon. Seasonal variations are small. TheArtemia population in San Jose produces cysts all year. To determine the physico-chemical conditions inducing permanent production of cysts, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH of the lagoon were monitored, as well as relative humidity and wind conditions in the region in different seasons of the year. From spring to summer, differences of 1 mg L^–1 of O₂, 1°C in water temperature, and 8 g L^–1 in salinity were observed, and from summer to winter differences of 3.3 mg L^–1, 6.5°C, and 14 g L^–1, respectively. Despite small seasonal variations, the lagoon exhibits strong spatial and daily changes that are important for cyst production.     

Storm rainfall conditions for floods and debris flows from recently burned areas in southwestern Colorado and southern California

Debris flows generated during rain storms on recently burned areas have destroyed lives and property throughout the Western U.S. Field evidence indicate that unlike landslide-triggered debris flows, these events have no identifiable initiation source and can occur with little or no antecedent moisture. Using rain gage and response data from five fires in Colorado and southern California, we document the rainfall conditions that have triggered post-fire debris flows and develop empirical rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for the occurrence of debris flows and floods following wildfires in these settings. This information can provide guidance for warning systems and planning for emergency response in similar settings.Debris flows were produced from 25 recently burned basins in Colorado in response to 13 short-duration, high-intensity convective storms. Debris flows were triggered after as little as six to 10 min of storm rainfall. About 80% of the storms that generated debris flows lasted less than 3 h, with most of the rain falling in less than 1 h. The storms triggering debris flows ranged in average intensity between 1.0 and 32.0 mm/h, and had recurrence intervals of two years or less. Threshold rainfall conditions for floods and debris flows sufficiently large to pose threats to life and property from recently burned areas in south-central, and southwestern, Colorado are defined by: I = 6.5D^− 0.7 and I = 9.5D^− 0.7, respectively, where I = rainfall intensity (in mm/h) and D = duration (in hours).Debris flows were generated from 68 recently burned areas in southern California in response to long-duration frontal storms. The flows occurred after as little as two hours, and up to 16 h, of low-intensity (2–10 mm/h) rainfall. The storms lasted between 5.5 and 33 h, with average intensities between 1.3 and 20.4 mm/h, and had recurrence intervals of two years or less. Threshold rainfall conditions for life- and property-threatening floods and debris flows during the first winter season following fires in Ventura County, and in the San Bernardino, San Gabriel and San Jacinto Mountains of southern California are defined by I = 12.5D^−0.4, and I = 7.2D^−0.4, respectively. A threshold defined for flood and debris-flow conditions following a year of vegetative recovery and sediment removal for the San Bernardino, San Gabriel and San Jacinto Mountains of I = 14.0D^−0.5 is approximately 25 mm/h higher than that developed for the first year following fires.The thresholds defined here are significantly lower than most identified for unburned settings, perhaps because of the difference between extremely rapid, runoff-dominated processes acting in burned areas and longer-term, infiltration-dominated processes on unburned hillslopes.     

Unsiting Nuclear Power Plants: Decommissioning Risks and Their Land Use Context*

Nuclear power plant siting provided the first significant public opportunity to examine nuclear safety and to affect nuclear policy. These discussions were prompted and fueled by perceptions of nuclear risk. Now, as we begin the process of nuclear decommissioning, we are finding that power plant removal—unsiting–is also likely to attract public interest. This paper presents a preliminary survey of how we are likely to react to this emerging theme, applying these findings within a land use context to see if it is likely to produce issues salient to the public. In so doing it also examines how these issues could affect decommissioning timing and type. It suggests that the most likely prospect is that power plants will remain on the landscape long after they are closed.     

Local traditions as a means for commercial production of historical beers: The case of Vossaøl,Norway

The aim of the article is to analyse challenges facing the commercial production of historical beers, which are ‘extinct’ beers. The concept of ‘fictive terroir’ is introduced to emphasize these challenges. The author addresses the following questions: What kind of knowledge is needed to produce historical beers? How can this knowledge be acquired? How can it be used commercially in craft breweries? The studied case is Vossaøl, a craft beer imitation of a beer produced in the early 19th century. The data were obtained from written sources and interviews with local home brewers and brewers at Voss Brewery in Norway. The study revealed the need to reconstruct the terroir in the early 19th century. Additionally, Voss Brewery had to acquire knowledge about how to process and combine the ingredients, which included the traditional yeast (kveik). Involving traditional home brewers was crucial to determine how ingredients could be combined to produce Vossaøl. The author concludes that a synthetic knowledge base was a useful point of departure in this respect. Participation in the traditional culture of brewing proved an important means when working with this knowledge base. The results are interesting in the broader context of the reconstruction of beverages and food.     

Soil erosion rates in rangelands of northeastern Patagonia: A dendrogeomorphological analysis using exposed shrub roots

Soil erosion is an important process of land degradation in many rangelands and a significant driver of desertification in the world's drylands. Dendrogeomorphology is an alternative to traditional methods for determining soil erosion rate. Specifically, the vertical distance between the upper portion of exposed roots and the actual soil surface can be used as a bioindicator of erosion since plant establishment. In this study, we determined (i) the soil erosion rate from exposed roots of the dwarf shrub Margyricarpus pinnatus [Lam.] Kuntze in two ecological sites in the northeastern rangelands of Patagonia and (ii) the relationship between shrub age and upper root diameter. We selected two ecological sites, a pediment-like plateau and a flank pediment, where the dominant soils were Xeric Haplocalcids and Xeric Calciargids, respectively. The soil erosion rates in the pediment-like plateau and in the flank pediment were 2.4 and 3.1 mm yr^− 1, respectively. Data clearly indicate a high rate of soil erosion during the mean 8-year life span of the dwarf shrubs in degraded patches, which represent ~ 10% of surface cover in the study area. Simple linear regression analysis yielded a highly significant predictive model for age estimation of M. pinnatus plants using the upper root diameter as a predictor variable. The measurement of ground lowering against datable exposed roots represents a simple method for the determination of soil erosion rates. In combination with other soil surface features, it was used to infer the episodic nature of soil erosion. This approach could be particularly useful for monitoring the effects of land management practices on recent soil erosion and for the establishment of records in regions where historical data regarding this process are scarce or absent.     

中国农村空间商品化与乡村重构及其研究展望

基于已有文献,采用定量与定性相结合的分析方法讨论农村空间商品化与乡村重构之间的关联。借助CiteSpaceⅤ软件可视化分析发现乡村重构研究热点趋于多样化、分散化。“乡村旅游”作为乡村重构的实现路径之一,同时也是农村空间商品化的重点研究对象。梳理二者的研究框架,得出农村空间商品化研究从属于乡村重构研究框架,且突出概括农村经济重构过程。农村空间商品化是乡村重构实现的有效途径,乡村重构得益于农村空间商品化的推动等结论。     

Economic assessment of production of flour from Prosopis alba and P. pallida pods for human food applications.

This paper presents a detailed cost accounting of the processes involved in the production of flours from the mesocarps of the fruits of Prosopis alba and P. pallida to be used in human foods. The flours from both species are similar and contain 7–8% protein, 0·8–2% fat, 26–32% total dietary fiber and 48–59% sucrose. The data were based on actual production rates in use at the Universidad de Piura pilot plant using simple machinery. Machinery hourly charges were based on equivalent rental costs in order to avoid interest charge calculations. As opposed to other analyses which only included processing costs delivered to the plant, our analysis ascribed value to the owner of the trees in order to provide incentives to plant and care for the trees. The sensitivity analyses showed that the most economically important factor was the conversion efficiency of pods into flour. When a 40% conversion efficiency, such as that which has been obtained in both Peru and Argentina was obtained, and by-product credits for high fiber containing fraction were assumed, the wholesale selling price with a 5% marketing cost and a 40% profit direct costs was estimated to be $0·66 kg⁻¹ for Peru (using a $0·40 h⁻¹ labor rate ) and $1·76 kg⁻¹ for Argentina (using a $1·5 h⁻¹ labor rate).     

Methodological sensitivity of morphometric estimates of coarse fluvial sediment transport

The estimation of fluvial sediment transport rate from measurements of morphological change has received growing recent interest. The revival of the ‘morphological method’ reflects continuing concern over traditional methods of rate determination but also the availability of new survey methods capable of high-precision, high-resolution topographic monitoring. Remote sensing of river channels through aerial digital photogrammetry is a potentially attractive alternative to labour intensive ground surveys. However, while photogrammetry presents the opportunity to acquire survey data over large areas, data precision and accuracy, particularly in the vertical dimension are lower than in traditional ground survey methods. This paper presents results of recent research in which digital elevation models (DEMs) have been developed for a reach of a large braided gravel-bed river in Scotland using both digital photogrammetry and high-resolution RTK GPS ground surveys. A statistical level of change detection is assessed by comparing surfaces with independent check points. The methodological sensitivity of the annual channel sediment budget (1999–2000) to the threshold is presented. Results suggest that while the remote survey methods employed here can be used to develop qualitatively convincing, moderate precision DEMs of channel topography (RMSE=±0.21 m), the remaining errors imply significant limits on reliable change detection which lead to important information losses. Tests at a 95% confidence interval for change detection show that over 60% of channel deposition and 40% of erosion may be obscured by the lower level of precision associated with photogrammetric monitoring when compared to ground survey measurements. This bias reflects the difficulty of detecting the topographic signature of widespread, but shallow deposition on bar tops.     

Dynamics of mule deer forage in the Sonoran Desert

Forage availability for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Sonoran Desert depends on plant biomass, which is influenced by rainfall. We determined how rainfall, temperature and plant characteristics affected biomass of deer forage. We measured forage biomass, rainfall and temperature every 3 months from April 2000 to December 2002. Quarterly rainfall ranged from <1 to 57 mm, and forage biomass in desert washes fluctuated between 6 and 34 g m⁻². There was a positive relationship between forage biomass and rainfall the previous six months (p<0.001), and a negative relationship between biomass and average temperature the previous 3 months (p<0.001). Quarterly forage growth was positively influenced by rainfall (p<0.001) and negatively influenced by forage biomass (p<0.001). The relationships between deer forage and environmental factors established here will be useful in understanding population ecology of mule deer as part of an interactive model of plant–herbivore dynamics in arid environments.     

发达地区乡村空间商品化的过程与机制解析——以苏州市西巷村为例

随着城镇化的快速推进,中国乡村经历着剧烈的转型与重构,乡村地区的建筑民居、生态景观、文化遗产等物质与非物质空间要素的潜在价值逐步显化,乡村空间商品化的态势逐渐显现。论文以苏州市吴中区西巷自然村为案例,采用田野调查、非结构化访谈等方式,开展发达地区乡村空间商品化的过程与机制研究。研究发现：乡村空间商品化是在市场经济条件下,乡村空间本身逐渐成为商品被“销售”,进而获取一定利润的过程,该过程的空间内涵体现在空间表征与空间实践2个层面。从空间表征来看,西巷村空间商品化由乡村空间中农产品的商品化扩展到乡村空间本身的商品化,并且伴随着由单一的农业生产空间向生产与消费相结合的多功能空间转变,更加注重营销空间品质与体验等非实体产品。从空间实践来看,基于行动者网络理论视角,西巷村空间商品化是由村庄内外部多元异质主体的一系列实践推动,各行动者能获取共同利益是其得以联结形成网络的基础条件,网络中非人类行动者的主体性与能动性需要得到充分重视。     

Design of a view-based DSS for location planning

Abstract.

The traditional approach in DSS falls short of providing a highly interactive problem solving environment for planning. Often, cumbersome procedures are required to implement optional plans and obtain feedback information. In dynamic graphic systems, the user is able to view different linked graphic representations (e.g., spatial or statistical graphs) of statistical data and interact (e.g., selecting items) with these graphics. In this paper we describe the design of a DSS for planning facility locations, which uses principles of dynamic graphics to achieve a highly interactive problem solving environment. As in dynamic graphic systems, the user interacts with the DSS through active and linked views. However, where views in dynamic graphics are different representations of a given dataset, the views in the DSS are active data structures describing the facility system to be planned from different perspectives. The declarative and procedural forms of knowledge involved are identified by a logical analysis of planning problems. A frame-based formalism is proposed to represent the knowledge contained in the views. The main advantage of this view-based approach is that it offers the user a highly flexible and interactive environment for performing ‘what-if’ analyses.     

Identifying and Preventing Biopiracy in Australia: patent landscapes and legal geographies for plants with Indigenous Australian uses

There are legal and moral imperatives to protect biological resources and the ‘traditional knowledge’ associated with them. These imperatives derive from complex legal geographies: international law (such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol), State and federal laws, Indigenous customary law, codes of ethics and research protocols. This paper reports on a ‘patent landscape’ analysis of patents that refer to Australian plant species for which there is Indigenous Australian knowledge. We have identified several patents of potential new biopiracy concern. The paper highlights the way in which actors can gain private property monopolies over biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, even though there are overlapping sovereign rights and Indigenous rights claims. Regulatory gaps need to be closed nationally to fully govern the diverse human–plant bio-geographies in Australia. Further, Indigenous laws and governance have largely been ignored by these actors. We suggest that the introduction of ‘disclosure of origin’ requirements in patent applications, sui generis Indigenous knowledge protections, the development of biocultural protocols, and a more nationally consistent system for ‘access and benefit-sharing’ are required to ensure more ‘fair and equitable’ use of plants and Indigenous knowledge in/from Australia, and to ensure the recognition of Indigenous rights to knowledge.     

'You Gotta Love This City': The Whitlams and inner Sydney

This analysis of music in cultural geography, in the context of the inner Sydney-based band, The Whitlams, traces the creative links between sounds, 'scenes' and places. Based in Newtown, The Whitlams are associated with political values, evident in the band's name, and social values tied to and opposed to urban changes, such as gentrification, where community is threatened. The band's lyrics emanate from their experiences, challenging commercialisation of city life at different scales and reflecting the anomie of city living, but defending its virtues, whilst also fostering place stereotypes. The audience was similarly inner-city based until the band's recent commercial success, which has challenged The Whitlams' identity and radicalism, and resulted in mainstream appropriation. Though The Whitlams continue to reaffirm their local identity, and local audiences have remained, the popularity and commodification of their music has challenged concepts of shared meaning, the link between bands and their fans, and the connection between music and its place of origin. The Whitlams' music nevertheless remains a means of evoking and sharing a sense of place.     

Saxicolous and riparian vegetation of a piedmont in central-western Argentina

Four plant communities were determined through floristical and non-metric analysis: a Dolichlasium lagascae community in crevices on sunny rock outcrops; a Cercidium praecox ssp. glaucum community on sunny slopes; an Artemisia mendozana–Adesmia trijuga community on shady slopes; and a Eupatorium buniifolium community on dry riverbanks. The discriminant function analysis showed that the first group corresponds to the sunny rock outcrops discriminated by Na content (r=0·53, p<0·05), the second group is for sunny slopes discriminated by electric conductivity and the third for shady slopes–riparian discriminated by the (Ca+Mg) content (r=0·54, p<0·05). A pattern of primary succession on outcrop surfaces is proposed.     

Salinity tolerance in Schinopsis quebracho colorado: Seed germination, growth, ion relations and metabolic responses

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress influencing plant productivity worldwide. Schinopsis quebracho colorado is one of the most important woody species in the Gran Chaco, an arid and salt-prone subtropical biome of South America. To gain a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms that allow plant establishment under salt conditions, germination and seedling growth of S. quebracho colorado were examined under treatment with a range of NaCl solutions (germination: 0–300 mmol l⁻¹ NaCl; seedling growth: 0–200 mmol l⁻¹ NaCl). The aim was to test the hypothesis that S. quebracho colorado is a glycophite that shows different salt tolerance responses with development stage. Proline content, total soluble carbohydrates and Na⁺, K⁺ and Cl⁻ concentrations in leaves and roots of seedlings, and the chlorophyll concentration and relative water content of leaves were measured. Germination was not affected by 100 mmol l⁻¹ NaCl, but decreased at a concentration of 200 mmol l⁻¹. At 300 mmol l⁻¹ NaCl, germination did not occur. Seedling growth decreased drastically with increasing salinity. An increase in NaCl from 0 to 100 mmol l⁻¹ also significantly reduced the leaf relative water content by 22% and increased the proline concentration by 60% in roots. In contrast, total soluble carbohydrates were not significantly affected by salinity. Seedlings showed a sodium exclusion capacity, and there was an inverse correlation between Cl⁻ concentration and the total chlorophyll concentration. S. quebracho colorado was more tolerant to salinity during germination than in the seedling phase. The results suggest that this increased tolerance during germination might, in part, be the result of lower sensitivity to high tissue Na⁺ concentrations. The significant increment of proline in the roots suggests the positive role of this amino acid as a compatible solute in balancing the accumulation of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ as a result of salinity. These results help clarify the physiological mechanisms that allow establishment of S. quebracho colorado on salt-affected soils in arid and semi-arid Gran Chaco.     

Municipal initiatives for managing dunes in coastal residential areas: a case study of Avalon, New Jersey, USA

The characteristics of foredunes created in a municipal management program on a developed barrier island are evaluated to identify how landforms used as protection structures can be natural in appearance and function yet compatible with human values. Shoreline management zones include a naturally evolving, undeveloped segment; a noneroding, developed segment; eroding and noneroding segments of an “improved beach” where dunes have been built by artificial nourishment; and a privately built, artificially nourished dune on the shoreline of an inlet.A disastrous storm in 1962 resulted in an aggressive program for building dunes using sand fences, vegetation plantings, purchase of undeveloped lots, and sediment backpassing to maintain beach widths and dune elevations. The present nourished and shaped foredune in the improved beach is higher, wider, and closer to the berm crest than the natural dune. Restricted inputs of aeolian sand keep the surface flat and poorly vegetated. A stable section of this engineered shore has a wider beach, and sand fences have created a higher foredune with greater topographic diversity. The cross shore zonation of vegetation here is more typical of natural dunes, but the environmental gradient is much narrower. The privately built dune is low, narrow, and located where it could not be created naturally. Foreshore and aeolian sediments in the undeveloped segment and the improved beach are similar in mean grain size (0.16–0.21 mm) and sorting (0.31–0.39φ), but sediment on the surface of the nourished dune is coarser (28.1% gravel) with a more poorly sorted sand fraction (1.30φ) representing lag elements on the deflation surface.Willingness to enhance beaches and dunes for protection has reduced insurance premiums and allowed the municipality to qualify for funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to replace lost sediment, thus placing an economic value on dunes. Success of the management program is attributed to: (i) timing property-purchase and dune-building programs to periods immediately after storms (causing residents to accept high dunes that restrict access or views); (ii) instituting a vigorous education program (reminding residents of hazards during nonstorm periods); (iii) maintaining control over local sediment supplies (to keep pace with erosion and create new shoreline environments); (iv) investing private and municipal economic resources in landforms (qualifying them for external funds for replacement); and (v) maintaining, augmenting, or simply tolerating biodiversity and natural processes (retaining a natural heritage).