TOWARD A STATUS-OF-WOMEN INDEX

A useful index of the status of women should be mappable, in order to allow global and regional comparisons. Ideally, such an index should include political, economic, and social components. In actuality, data that measure political and economic equality are available only in Western societies. An index that measures the general well-being of women, however, can be mapped and used crossculturally. An index is proposed that includes indicators from the areas of health, education and fertility.     

Towards identifying sources of subsurface flow: A comparison of components identified by a physically based runoff model and those determined by chemical mixing techniques

A physically-based semidistributed model, TOPMODEL, is applied to a 340 hectare spruce forested catchment in mid-Wales. the model is calibrated to runoff and the subsurface flow is divided into components of flow identified by depth of origin. in addition, chemical mixing techniques are used to provide a hydrograph separation between acidic soil waters and well buffered deep waters. the short-term variations in the components of flow identified by these two approaches compare well.     

Partnering between a geography department and a community initiative to provide a wind resource assessment for the Blueskin Bay region,Otago, New Zealand

This paper explores the partnership between a community group and a geography department to assess the wind energy potential of the Blueskin Bay region in southern New Zealand. The partnership has provided opportunities for research and is of strategic importance. Year‐long wind observations and numerical modelling have revealed that the hills surrounding Blueskin Bay show potential for wind energy generation. Despite challenges for both parties, the university–community partnership has allowed a successful research platform to be established.     

Contraction and convergence: an assessment of the CCOptions model

Well before President Putin ratified the Kyoto Protocol, the debate had begun as to the appropriate form of any post-Kyoto agreement. Amongst the emission reduction regimes being considered is that of Contraction and Convergence; conceived by Global Commons Institute (GCI) as a practical interpretation of the philosophy that “every adult on the planet has an equal right to emit greenhouse gases”. To support the Contraction and Convergence regime, the GCI have developed a computer model, CCOptions, to correlate CO₂ stabilisation levels with global, regional and national carbon reduction targets. This paper analyses the model, concluding that, whilst the aim of CCOptions is laudable, the application of the model in its current form is unnecessarily ambitious and as a consequence potentially misleading to all but the well-informed user.     

The vertical structure of planet-induced gaps in protoplanetary discs

Giant planets embedded in circumstellar discs are expected to open gaps in these discs. We examine the vertical structure of the gap edges. We find that the planet excites spiral arms with significant (Mach number of a half) vertical motion of the gas, and discuss the implications of these motions. In particular, the spiral arms will make the edge appear 'puffed up' relative to the bulk of the disc. Infrared observations (sensitive to dust) would be dominated by the light from the thick inner edge of the disc. Submillimetre observations (sensitive to gas velocities) would appear to be hot in 'turbulent' motions (actually the ordered motion caused by the passage of the spiral arms), but cold in chemistry. Resolved submillimetre maps of circumstellar discs might even be able to detect the spiral arms directly.     

Copper Isotopic Analysis in Geological and Biological Reference Materials by MC‐ICP‐MS

The characterisation of relative copper isotope amount ratios (δ⁶⁵Cu) helps constrain a variety of geochemical processes occurring in the geosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. The accurate and precise determination of δ⁶⁵Cu in matrix reference materials is crucial in the effort to validate measurement methods. With the goal of expanding the number and variety of available geological and biological materials, we have characterised the δ⁶⁵Cu values of ten reference materials by MC‐ICP‐MS using C‐SSBIN model for mass bias correction. SGR‐1b (Green River shale), DOLT‐5 (dogfish liver), DORM‐4 (fish protein), TORT‐3 (lobster hepatopancreas), MESS‐4 (marine sediment) and PACS‐3 (marine sediment) have for the first time been characterised for δ⁶⁵Cu. Additionally, four reference materials (with published δ⁶⁵Cu values) have been characterised: BHVO‐1 (Hawaiian basalt), BIR‐1 (Icelandic basalt), W‐2a (diabase) and Seronorm? Trace Elements Serum L‐1 (human serum). The reference materials measured in this study possess complex and varied matrices with copper mass fractions ranging from 1.2 µg g^?1 to 497 µg g^?1 and δ⁶⁵Cu values ranging from ?0.20‰ to 0.52‰ with a mean expanded uncertainty of ± 0.07‰ (U, k = 2), covering much of the natural copper isotope variability observed in the environment.     

Subaquatic slope instabilities: The aftermath of river correction and artificial dumps in Lake Biel (Switzerland)

River engineering projects are developing rapidly across the globe, drastically modifying water courses and sediment transfer. Investigation of the impact of engineering works focuses usually on short-term impacts, thus a longer-term perspective is still missing on the effects that such projects have. The ‘Jura Water Corrections’ – the largest river engineering project ever undertaken in Switzerland – radically modified the hydrological system of Lake Biel in the 19th and 20th Century. The deviation of the Aare River into Lake Biel more than 140 years ago, in 1878, thus represents an ideal case study to investigate the long-term sedimentological impacts of such large-scale river rerouting. Sediment cores, along with new high-resolution bathymetric and seismic reflection datasets were acquired in Lake Biel to document the consequences of the Jura Water Corrections on the sedimentation history of Lake Biel. Numerous subaquatic mass transport structures were detected on all of the slopes of the lake. Notably, a relatively large mass transport complex (0·86 km²) was observed on the eastern shore, along the path of the Aare River intrusion. The large amount of sediment delivered by the Aare River since its deviation into the lake likely caused sediment overloading resulting in subaquatic mass transport. Alternatively, the dumping since 1963 in a subaquatic landfill of material excavated during the second phase of river engineering, when the channels flowing into and out of Lake Biel were widened and deepened, might have triggered the largest mass transport, dated to 1964 or 1965. Additional potential triggers include two nearby small earthquakes in 1964 and 1965 (M_W 3·9 and 3·2, respectively). The data for this study indicate that relatively large mass transports have become recurrent in Lake Biel following the deviation of the Aare River, thus modifying hazard frequency for the neighbouring communities and infrastructure.     

The degree of urbanization across the globe is not reflected in the δN of seagrass leaves

Many studies show that seagrass δ¹⁵N ratios increase with the amount of urbanization in coastal watersheds. However, there is little information on the relationship between urbanization and seagrass δ¹⁵N ratios on a global scale. We performed a meta-analysis on seagrass samples from 79 independent locations to test if seagrass δ¹⁵N ratios correlate with patterns of population density and fertilizer use within a radius of 10–200 km around the sample locations. Our results show that seagrass δ¹⁵N ratios are more influenced by intergeneric and latitudinal differences than the degree of urbanization or the amount of fertilizer used in nearby watersheds. The positive correlation between seagrass δ¹⁵N ratios and latitude hints at an underlying pattern in discrimination or a latitudinal gradient in the ¹⁵N isotopic signature of nitrogen assimilated by the plants. The actual mechanisms responsible for the correlation between δ¹⁵N and latitude remain unknown.     

iTRAQ-based proteomic profiling of the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) gonad exposed to BDE-47

A recent study demonstrated that 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) may have an adverse effect on the reproduction in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma), but the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the protein expression profiles of male and female gonads of O. melastigma exposed to dietary BDE-47 at two dosages (0.65 and 1.30 μg/g/day, respectively) for 21 days. Extracted proteins were labeled with iTRAQ and analyzed on a MALDI TOF/TOF analyzer, as results, 133 and 144 unique proteins were identified in testis and ovary, respective, and they exerted dose- and sex-dependent expression patterns. In testis, among the 42 differentially expressed proteins; down-regulation of histone variants and parvalbumins implicated BDE-47 may disrupt the spermatogenesis and induce sterility in fishes. In ovary, 38 proteins were differentially expressed; the elevation of vitellogenins and apolipoprotein A–I expression indicated BDE-47 acts as an estrogen-mimicking compound and led to reproductive impairment in O. melastigma.     

Lithostratigraphy, Sedimentology, and Provenance of the Balfour Formation (Beaufort Group) in the Fort Beaufort–Alice Area, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract: The Balfour Formation has a pronounced lithological variation that is characterized by alternating sandstone- and mudstone-dominated members. The sandstone-dominated Oudeberg and Barberskrans Members are composed of lithofacies that range from intraformational conglomerates to fine-grained sediments, whereas the mudstone-dominated members (Daggaboersnek, Elandsberg, and Palingkloof) are dominated by the facies Fm and Fl. Petrography, geochemistry, and a paleocurrent analysis indicated that the source rock of the Balfour Formation was to south east and the rocks had a transitional/dissected magmatic arc signature. The sandstones-rich members were deposited by seasonal and ephemeral high-energy, low-sinuous streams, and the fine-grained-rich members were formed by ephemeral meandering streams. The paleoclimates have been equated to present temperate climates; they were semiarid becoming arid towards the top of the Balfour Formation. This has been determined by reconstructing the paleolatitude of the Karoo Basin, geochemistry, paleontology, sedimentary structures, and other rock properties, like color.