Farm Size Change in New Zealand

The size of farm holdings is a commonly used indicator of change in rural societies and economies. This paper reviews the explanation for changes in farm size in developed western countries and identifies the inadequacy of national data in presenting an accurate explanation of change. The literature is characterised by relative neglect of the influence of different farming systems, policy and legislative changes and other factors. In New Zealand, national farm size has decreased since the mid-1970s, but the experiences of different parts of the country has varied considerably. Farm size has decreased the most where subdivision and intensification of land use have taken place, whilst in some pastoral regions farm size has been maintained or has even increased.     

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISKS AND GENDER IN THE KARAKORAM‐HIMALAYA,NORTHERN PAKISTAN*

ABSTRACT. Many mountain peoples face water and environmental health problems. At particular risk is the health of women and of children who live in remote and marginalized mountain areas. Environmental health concerns are often associated with the waterborne parasitic and endemic diseases responsible for much child morbidity and mortality in the Karakoram‐Himalaya of northern Pakistan. Poor environmental health and water‐quality conditions affect child survival, and challenges to viable local interventions are severe. Transformations in women's productive and reproductive work have health consequences for children, and gender and household dynamics shape and mediate women's responses to environmental health risks. Significantly, these findings draw attention to the need for improved water and health policy, especially policy that recognizes different gender and child‐care roles in mountainous regions of the developing world.     

土地利用变化的内在动力——新疆地区农业生产要素产出效率的变动趋势分析

土地利用变化的动力因子和动力机制是土地科学研究的核心问题。这一问题近30年来得到前所未有的关注,相关研究成果不断涌现,但是这些成果主要关注自然因子和社会经济因子等外在因素,却没有充分重视土地利用变化中蕴含的内在目标和由此派生的内在动力,客观上导致土地利用变化动力机制研究一直难以深入。本文以新疆地区为案例区,以土地、资本和劳动等生产要素生产效率变化为切入点,利用趋势拟合方法,分析了区域土地利用变化过程中要素产出效率的变动规律。结果显示,无论是近10年还是近30年区域棉花生产中,以及近30年区域粮食生产中,只有劳动生产率呈长期增长趋势。这一结果意味着人们对劳动生产率的追求可能是土地利用变化的内在动力。据此,进一步讨论了人们追求劳动生产率增长的原因及其与追求利润最大化等目标的关系,提出了"土地利用变化是人们在变化环境下不断追求劳动生产率增长的结果"这样一个观点。     

大磷虾性比、怀卵量与某些生殖特点的分析

对1985年在南极半岛西北海域各拖网点获得的3852尾大磷虾标本,进行了性别、体长、体重、性成熟度和即将排卵的雌性成体怀卵量的测定。结果得出雌性个体占61.9％,雄性占38.1％;雄性比例在体长51-55毫米个体组中降为20.7％,大于55毫米个体组中仅占8.3％。雌性怀卵量在2457到10799个之间。同一虾群内已排卵的雌性成体比未排卵成体的体重小约1/3。乔治王岛东北海域的虾群在考察时(1月22日)已完成交配,并有2.3％的雌体已经排卵,大部分雌体到2月下旬才会排卵。布兰斯菲尔德海峡的大磷虾性成熟度较低。     

Regional variations in the female age at marriage in India: an analysis by agro-climatic zones

"The effect of agro-climatic factors on female age at marriage [in India] is studied by carrying out areal analysis of the 1981 Census data. The study found a close association between agricultural and climatic conditions in an area and corresponding female age at marriage. In general, women in Himalayan regions and coastal areas have higher age at marriage than most hinterland regions. Rainfall, altitude, forest area, land availability and productivity are observed to be associated with female age at marriage. In addition, female age at marriage in rural areas is found to be more sensitive to the agro-climatic conditions. It is hypothesized that with socio-economic and technological development, the agricultural and climatic factors are losing their grip on female age at marriage in India."     

全球增暖下我国旱涝灾害可能情景的初步研究

在全球变暖的情况下,我国东南沿海、西南、西北、内蒙古和东北部分地区,洪涝灾害可能增加;而黄河中游以南和华北平原干旱可能增加.这一变化特征与本世纪暖期降水分布变化,以及与CO_2倍增情况下气候模似结果基本一致.     

Disease environments and subnational patterns of under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa

This study examined the subregional spatial distribution of child mortality risk (CMR) in sub-Saharan Africa. Data for maps were obtained from Demographic and Health Surveys in the 1980s and 1990s for 95 provinces. Two distinct regions are identified: West Africa and a belt of countries spanning East to Southern Africa. Some countries are missing from the analysis. CMR was higher in West Africa. East/Southern Africa had the following patterns: low mortality in Central/South and North/West provinces of Namibia, Botswana, and all of Zimbabwe, except Manicaland and Mashonaland Central provinces (adjoining areas with moderately low mortality); low mortality in the Kenya/Tanzania highlands, with the Rift Valley, Central, Eastern, Nairobi, and northern highlands of Tanzania (adjacent provinces with moderately low or moderate mortality); high mortality in northern Zambia and Malawi (adjacent provinces with moderately high mortality); and moderate or moderately high mortality in the Lake Victoria basin and western provinces. West Africa had south/north or coastal/interior patterns. Coastal and southern provinces had low or moderately low mortality, while interior provinces had high mortality. Regression models indicate that the spatial patterns in West Africa were due to socioeconomic differences. In East/Southern Africa, mortality differences were due to differences in intensity of malaria transmission.     

Operationalizing the new concept of sexual and reproductive health in Indonesia

The new politics of family planning in the 1990s has involved the articulation of a comprehensive concept of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Following the ratification of the SRH concept and goals at recent international conferences, one major issue is how governments translate the broad statements into operational policies and programs. The authors consider the ways in which the process is occurring in Indonesia, defining SRH, and reviewing the levels of its attainment in 8 of its components in Indonesia. The policy process in Indonesia is explored with regard to pre-existing reassessments, setting important priorities and moralistic and pragmatic policy orientations. The following SRH components are discussed: family planning, infertility, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, adolescents' needs, sexual health, and gender issues. In terms of SRH, Indonesia has achieved considerable success in addressing family planning and infant and child mortality, limited success in addressing maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS, and very little progress in addressing STDs, adolescent needs, and positive sexuality. There are few data on gender issues.     

The secular acceleration of the Earth's spin

Summary. The power spectrum of the Earth's spin has important components with periods ranging from a few days to at least a few thousand years, and probably to the age of the Earth. The secular acceleration, as the term is used here, refers to the components with periods longer than three centuries. In the year 600, the secular acceleration was —19.9 ± 0.8 parts in 10⁹ per century, while the value at the present time is less than half this size. The spin acceleration has important contributions from tidal friction and from an effect that is proportional to the square of the magnetic dipole moment. When these contributions are subtracted from the observed acceleration, we are left with a contribution that amounts to +41 parts in 10⁹ per century. This amount probably results from an unknown combination of changes in the size of the core, in the amount of glaciation, and in the size of the gravitational constant.     

Palaeomagnetism and radiometric dating of the British Tertiary Igneous Province: Muck and Eigg

Summary. The lavas, dykes and other intrusive bodies of Muck and Eigg have been sampled for palaeomagnetic purposes. All the bodies are reversely magnetized except for four dykes of Muck which are normally magnetized. The lavas show variations of direction of magnetism believed to be a record of secular variation.
The radiometric dates support the geological evidence that the lavas of Eigg and Muck predate parts of the Rhum central igneous complex, the lavas of Rhum and Canna and some of those of Skye. The combined evidence shows that most of the activity took place during an R-N-R-N sequence between 63 and 58 Ma. The younger R-N sequence is the same as the first part of the R-N-R sequence found in Mull but the Sgurr pitchstone of Eigg and parts of the Eastern Redhills of Skye belong to later reversed intervals and correspond to Chron 26r and Chron 26. The igneous activity occurred over a 10 Myr period from about 63 Ma and can probably be associated with Chrons 27r to 23r of the Harland et al. time-scale.     

Female literacy in Rajasthan, 1961-1981

"The paper attempts to highlight the significance of female literacy in Rajasthan [India] as an instrument of socio-economic change, [especially] among its scheduled tribe and scheduled caste components."     

Seasonal mortality rates of Oithona similis (Cyclopoida) in a large Arctic fjord

Instantaneous mortality rates of the common planktonic copepod Oithona similis were investigated for the first time in Kola Bay, a region of the Barents Sea that is influenced by freshwater discharge. The rates were estimated in different seasons (December, May, September 2005 and July 2006). A vertical life table approach (VLT) was used to assess mortality. The total abundance of O. similis (copepodites IV and V, and adults) was highest in autumn and lowest in winter. The maximum mortality of O. similis for the stage pair copepodite IV–copepodite V (0.005 ± 0.001 day^?1) occurred in December 2005, while the highest mortality rates for the pairs copepodite VM–adult male (0.453 ± 0.026 day^?1) and copepodite VF–adult female (0.228 ± 0.006 day^?1) occurred in summer 2006. Simple regression analyses showed that the total abundance of each stage and the mortality rates were positively significantly correlated with water temperature. The mortality rates for the stage pairs copepodite VM–adult male and copepodite VF–adult female were positively significantly correlated with chlorophyll a concentration. The abundance and mortality rate of O. similis in each season was determined by life cycle factors, and possibly by the dynamics of its food resources and potential predators.     

Gender-related differences of shrubs in stands of Atriplex canescens with different histories of grazing by cattle

Atriplex canescens is a relatively common dioecious shrub in western North America. It is considered a valuable forage resource for both wild and domestic herbivores. Sex ratios and shrub dimensions were recorded in stands of tetraploid A. canescens that had been either protected from cattle grazing or summer- or winter-grazed by cattle for at least 20 years. Stem diameter and crown shape were used as surrogates for shrub age which could not be estimated by counting growth rings. Shrub sex ratios in exclosures were significantly more female biased than the empirically derived ratio for tetraploid A. canescens (55 female:35 male: 10 monecious). Conversely, shrub sex ratios in grazed pastures were not significantly different from the empirical ratio. Proportion of female shrubs in exclosures was significantly higher than in grazed pastures. Proportion of male shrubs, on the other hand, was similar in exclosures and grazed pastures. Winter-grazed shrub stands were apparently younger than both summer-grazed and protected shrubs. Protected shrubs appeared to be the oldest. Grazed female shrubs were apparently younger than grazed males, however, shrub ages of protected male and female shrubs were apparently not different. Cattle-grazing may have affected female shrubs more negatively at this site, causing gender-based differential mortality, and/or sex-shifting. Such processes could account for the differences in sex ratios, and for the apparent gender-related differences in shrub age that were observed.     

The geography of dual career households: a research agenda and selected evidence from secondary data sources for Britain

"Amongst the key dimensions of population and labour market change in most parts of western Europe and other similar economies in the 1990s are low fertility rates, rising numbers of smaller households, increasing female participation rates, growth in higher level non-manual occupations and the spread of flexible employment patterns. This paper explores how these trends have led to an increase in the number and significance of one particular subgroup: dual career households. An overview from available secondary sources of the geography and socio-economic characteristics of such households in Britain is presented, and directions for possible future research on dual career households are outlined."     

河流纵剖面陡峭指数对庐山构造抬升的指示

庐山是位于江南造山带北缘的断块山,其抬升过程对于认识本区的构造演化至关重要。利用河流纵剖面的形态参数可以定量估算相对的构造抬升速率。基于5 m分辨率的DEM提取了庐山9条主要河流的纵剖面,依据坡度—面积图确定了裂点类型,结合地质图判别出裂点成因,并利用河流水力侵蚀模型计算了稳定态河段的陡峭指数以及凹曲度。结果显示,庐山的河流基本呈过渡态,以发育数量不等的裂点为标志;垂阶型裂点的形成主要与岩石强度不均一有关,而坡断型裂点是侵蚀基准面下降产生的。坡断型裂点以下的基岩河段具有较大的陡峭指数,表明庐山经历了从早期低抬升速率到晚期高抬升速率的转变。庐山受快速抬升影响的河段,陡峭指数具有南高北低的特点,主要是由于庐山整体抬升过程中南部、北部的抬升速率存在一定差异,亦可能是岩性不同造成的。     

Improving map generalisation with new pruning heuristics

Many automated generalisation methods are based on local search optimisation techniques: Starting from an initial state of the data, one or several new child states are produced using some transformation algorithms. These child states are then evaluated according to the final data requirements, and possibly used as new candidate state to transform. According to this approach, the generalisation process can be seen as a walk in a tree, each node representing a state of the data, and each link a transformation. In such an approach, the tree exploration heuristic has a great impact on the final result: Depending on which parts of the tree are either explored or pruned, the final result is different, and the process more or less computationally prohibitive. This article investigates the importance of exploration heuristic choice in automated generalisation. Different pruning criteria are proposed and tested on real generalisation cases. Recommendations on how to choose the pruning criterion depending on the need are provided.     

Literacy differentials in tribal and non-tribal population of India, 1981

The author investigates literacy differentials between tribal and non-tribal populations in India, using 1981 census data. "Spatially, the index is high in tradition gripped and economically backward areas of Western Rajasthan, of central highlands and of Western Arunachal Pradesh. It is low in [the] Christian tribal belt of [the] northeast; the early exposed areas of [the] southern peninsula, parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka, and numerically insignificant areas of northern Rajasthan and Western Himalayas."     

Carsten Borchgrevink

Abstract. The division of Norwegian land forms into two groups of different character—paleic (= old) and young—was introduced by REUSCH (1901). Earlier papers—shortly reviewed—dealing with the paleic surface are mainly concerned with tracing and reconstruction of old land surfaces, regarded partly to be mature, but mostly to be peneplains formed in one, two, or more cycles of base levelling. The present paper calls attention to the fact that common forms of Norway's paleic surface are hills, basins connected by passes, and forms which may be regarded as modifications of these, like single hills and isolated hill groups, upland plains, valley-like depressions, etc. Deep weathering may have contributed to the development of hills and depressions (as suggested by REUSCH 1903b), but characteristic features of the hill-basin slope profiles indicate that also subaerial slope processes, like surface weathering and areal transport, have been of importance. Certain ‘levels’ or a step-like arrangement of the paleic forms, which can be discerned in different parts of the country may be due to phases of tectonic uplift, but the naleic hills basins, etc. have probably been developed by processes which were more or less unrelated to the regional base level. Norway's paleic surface was probably developed in pre-Quaternary warmer climates. Studies on forms and processes in present-day warm arid and semi-arid areas and on inherited forms in present-day temperate-humid climates of Europe seem to support this conclusion.     

Palaeosecular variation in Central Mexico over the last 30 000 years: the record from lavas

13 lava flows of known age (ages from ¹⁴C dating), which have been erupted in the last 30 000 years, have been studied to determine the palaeosecular variation of the geomagnetic field in Central Mexico. Samples were taken from two different monogenetic volcanic fields: the Michoacan-Guanajuato volcanic field (six sites) and the Chichinautzin Formation (seven sites), both part of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt. The lavas were studied in detail using rock magnetic methods (magnetic susceptibility at room temperature, low-temperature susceptibility behaviour, hysteresis loops, Curie temperatures), combined with reflected light microscopy, in order to deduce their magnetic mineralogy and the domain states of the magnetic minerals. The magnetic carriers are titanomagnetites, which show differing degrees of high-temperature deuteric oxidation, and seem to be predominantly pseudo-single domain (PSD), though in many cases are probably a mixture of domain states. Mean palaeomagnetic directions and palaeointensity values using Shaw and Thellier techniques were obtained using several specimens from each flow. Our data seem to indicate a sharp easterly swing in declination about 5000 years ago, which is also observed in lake sediments from Central Mexico. The calculated values of the virtual dipole moment (VDM) range from 3.1 to 14.9 × 10²² A m². Our data indicate that the virtual dipole moment seems to have increased gradually in magnitude over the last 30 kyr, with a peak at about 9000 years BP. These are features that have been observed in other parts of the globe and are probably caused by variations in the dipole part of the geomagnetic field.     

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) predation on adult thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) at Coats Island, Nunavut, Canada

Although the diet of walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus ) is considered varied, records of walrus consuming marine birds are rare in the published literature. In 2001 and 2002 we observed walrus foraging on adult thick-billed murres ( Uria lomvia ) at Coats Island in Nunavut, Canada. Approximately 46% of the attacks on murres were successful, and as many as 67 murres may have been killed in one day in August 2002. All soft parts of the murres were sucked out, with carcasses of only bones, feathers and skin left floating on the water. The extent to which predation on seabirds by walrus occurs across the eastern Arctic is unknown, but it could represent an important source of mortality for murres at some breeding colonies.