'In the shadow of hierarchy': meta-governance, policy reform and urban regeneration in the West Midlands

This paper explores the relationship between political hierarchy and the complex webs of political organization associated with urban governance. Deploying the concept of meta-governance and a study of urban policy reform in the West Midlands region of England, this paper claims that state and governmental hierarchies continue to have a crucial role in coordinating the activities of governance regimes in the UK. This paper concludes by considering the effects of hierarchical power on the systems of political participation and representation that are associated with urban governance.     

Marine birds breeding in Penny Strait and Queens Channel, Nunavut, Canada

Surveys of breeding birds on small islands in Penny Strait and Queens Channel, Nunavut Territory, Canada, were conducted in July 2002 and 2003. Approximately 3600 marine birds were observed, with the most common species being Arctic terns ( Sterna paradisaea , N=2400) and common eiders ( Somateria mollissima borealis , N=620). We observed no Ross's gulls ( Rhodostethia rosed ) in either year, and we found ivory gulls ( Pagophila eburned ) only in 2003, even though these species commonly bred here in the 1970s. This previously unsurveyed region supports numerous breeding marine birds, but reproductive success on these small islands may be dependent on annual ice conditions and consequent movements of Arctic foxes ( Alopex lagopus ).     

Wind erosion from military training lands in the Mojave Desert, California, U.S.A.

Military training activities reduce vegetation cover, disturb crusts, and degrade soil aggregates, making the land more vulnerable to wind erosion. The objective of this study was to quantify wind erosion rates for typical conditions at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, CA, U.S.A. Five Big Spring Number Eight (BSNE) sampler stations were installed at each of five sites. Each BSNE station consisted of five BSNE samplers with the lowest sampler at 0·05 m and the highest sampler at 1·0 m above the soil surface. Once a month, sediment was collected from the samplers for analysis. Occurrence of saltating soil aggregates was recorded every hour using Sensits, one at each site. The site with the most erosion had a sediment discharge of 311 kg m⁻¹ over a period of 17 months. Other sites eroded much less because of significant rock cover or the presence of a crust. Hourly sediment discharge was estimated combining hourly Sensit count and monthly sediment discharge measured using BSNE samplers. More simultaneously measured data are needed to better characterize the relationship between these two and reconstruct a detailed time-series of wind erosion. This measured time-series can then be used for comparison with simulation results from process-based wind erosion models such as the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), once it has been adapted to the unique aspects of military lands.     

Sectoral Shifts and Occupational Migration in the United States

This research is grounded in notions of differential economic restructuring across employment sectors and geographic space, as well as migration selectivity by occupation. A series of unconstrained competing‐destinations models were employed to analyze the response by workers in thirteen occupational categories to sectoral employment change, average wages, and distance. As was hypothesized, workers in occupations that require high levels of education and skills are more responsive, in terms of migration, to economic opportunities in alternative labor‐market areas. However, the results do not support the hypothesis that highly educated and skilled workers migrate longer distances. Further investigation suggests that opportunities for highly educated and skilled workers may be clustering in relatively few areas that are in relatively close proximity.     

含矿流体混合反应与成矿作用的动力平衡模拟研究

本文在约定热液体系中成矿元素成矿速率(成矿过程中单位时间内单位体积所合成矿元素重量的变化)的基础上。借助于物质-热-化学-成矿四重全耦合的研究思路，构建了均匀热液体系、层状热液体系、岩浆侵入热液体系下成矿元素的迁移、富集、溶解与沉淀作用数值模型。模拟结果表明；(1)硫化物(H2S)和硫酸盐(SO42-)流体的混合反应是成矿热液体系中铅、锌、铁成矿元素成矿的重要控制因素；(2)均匀介质、岩浆侵入或地质构造的存在，对成矿元素在成矿流体运移的速度、流线、温度分布和成矿元素的溶解与沉淀分布都有着各自的特征．不同的成矿环境或成矿背景制约了成矿元素的迁移与富集以及矿体的产出定位。暗示成矿环境及成矿速率对热液体系中成矿元素的沉淀与溶解具重要作用；成矿流体的混合反应是成矿作用发生的重要机制之一。在成矿理论研究中必须充分考虑不同地质构造因素的约束。     

长江河源区的河水主要元素与Sr同位素来源

长江源区河水化学成分来自雨雪、蒸发盐岩、碳酸盐岩和硅酸盐岩。主要支流楚玛尔河、北麓河的主要阳离子为Na 、Ca2 和Mg2 ,占阳离子总量的97%以上.Ca Na,Mg Na,K Na的比值较低,87Sr 86Sr为0 709180±20～0 710280±11,河水成分以蒸发岩类溶解为主。发源于唐古拉山北坡的长江源头,及其支流主要阳离子为Ca2 ,Mg2 ,Na 占阳离子总量的97%以上,Ca Na,Mg Na,K Na的比值较楚玛尔河等河流高,87Sr 86Sr为0 708954±20～0 710455±18,表现为以碳酸盐岩和硅酸盐岩的溶解为主。计算表明,长江河源区河水中主要化学成分来自蒸发岩中Na 和Cl-,在河流水化学成分中占比例最大,长江河水中Cl-含量从河源区向下游明显逐渐减小,反应出河源区高寒干旱环境下河流蒸发岩的化学侵蚀作用较强的特征。     

DEVELOPMENT OF A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MANAGING PESTICIDE LOSSES IN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS

1 INTRODUCTION Agricultural use of pesticides has been recognized as one of the important non-point pollution sources in the world, and the pesticide application to agricultural lands has led to large amounts of residues discharged into surface water through runoff (Leonard, 1990). There have been growing concerns about the fate and transport of pesticides in agricultural lands, due to the associated adverse impacts on water environment and human health (Agassi et al., 1995; Ng and Clegg…     

Focused ion beam technique and transmission electron microscope studies of microdiamonds from the Saxonian Erzgebirge, Germany

A focused ion beam of Ga ions is a relatively new technique that has been developed for microelectronic industries. Now researchers of the Earth sciences find it to be a promising tool for studying various geological materials. Using the FIB technique and an FEI Strata DB 235 dual beam system, we have successfully prepared several electron-transparent foils, which crossed μm-sized diamonds included in host minerals such as zircon and garnet from quartzofeldspathic rocks of the Saxonian Erzgebirge, Germany. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy applied to these foils revealed that the diamonds contain crystalline nanometric inclusions. These inclusions consist of minerals of known stoichiometries such as SiO₂ and Al₂SiO₅, whereas others are characterized by different combinations of Si, K, P, Ti, and Fe in the presence of oxygen (stoichiometries are not clear at this stage of research). One suite of inclusions is assumed to be represented by archerite, KH₂PO₄, which is known to be stable at pressures of 4–22 GPa, and one nanocrystal containing Pb, oxygen and carbon is interpreted to be Pb_xO_y or PbCO₃. Along with solid crystalline inclusions, the diamonds contain cavities filled by liquid/gas that escaped during sample preparation. These are associated with dislocations of diamond growth. Our data are consistent with the concept of diamond crystallization from a COH-rich multicomponent supercritical fluid and suggest that the composition of such a fluid is more consistent with a local crustal source rather than that of a mantle origin.