From economic integration to socioeconomic inclusion: day labor worker centers as social intermediaries

Day labor worker centers have emerged as an important mode of regulatory action in the informal economy of major US cities. Research suggests that these organizations are beneficial in improving employment outcomes experienced by migrant workers engaged in this labor market sector. Yet, the extent to which these organizations impact the social integration of this working population remains relatively undeveloped in the literature. Using data from the National Day Labor Survey, we examine the impact of day labor worker centers on the level of social inclusion experienced by migrant day laborers. We find that worker centers have a modest, but statistically significant, impact on the levels of social integration experienced by this working population and that this varies from city to city. Ultimately we argue that the social intermediary role of these organizations may offer a type of counter mobilization necessary to promote the socioeconomic integration of this working population, but that issues of capacity remain.     

First record of Branchinella spinosa (Milne-Edwards) (Crustacea: Branchiopodacolon; Anostraca) from Greece

As the result of a first screening of temporary inland water habitats,Branchinella spinosa is here recorded for the first time in Greece. This finding extends the circum-Mediterranean part of its vast distribution. The species was collected from a shallow astatic coastal salt-marsh that is mainly fed by rainwater, where it coexists but rarely co-occurs withArtemia parthenogenetica. Branchinella spinosa is only the fourth anostracan species currently known from Greece. The poor knowledge of anostracan richness and abundance is mainly due to limited sampling efforts in this area. As temporary aquatic habitats are threatened by several anthropogenic activities, especially agriculture and land clearing for urbanisation and tourism, there is an urgent necessity for further monitoring and protection of these precious habitats.     

Shallow Water Bathymetry Derived from Green Wavelength Terrestrial Laser Scanner

Abstract

Shallow water bathymetry has proved to be a challenging task for remote sensing applications. In this work, Green-Wavelength Terrestrial Laser Scanning (GWTLS) is employed to survey nearshore bathymetry under clear atmospheric and water conditions. First, the obtained seabed points were corrected for refraction and then geo-registration, and filtering processes were exerted to obtain an accurate bathymetric surface. Terrain analysis was performed with respect to a reference surface derived from classical surveying techniques. The overall analysis has shown that the best results stem from 35° to 50° incident angles, whereas for angles higher than 65° measurements are not acceptable, although for the same angle in front and close to the instrument accuracy is considered acceptable due to the high laser power. Also, high resolution micro-topography, shallower than 1?m water depth, was managed to be captured. Systematic experimental approaches are expected to improve the GWTLS technique to detect bathymetry, which is anticipated to assist in mapping very shallow foreshore, tidal, and deltaic environments, to contribute conceptual into developing hybrid observation systems for coastal monitoring, and also to be applied in various maritime applications.     

Fate of the Evros River suspended particulate matter in the northern Aegean Sea

Evros River is the most important river flowing into the North Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean) in terms of freshwater discharge, and the second largest one of Eastern Europe after the Danube River. Salinity and temperature measurements, together with suspended particulate matter concentrations were obtained in various depths at 14 stations in the adjacent Alexandroupolis Gulf during four seasons (June 1998, September 1998, February 1999 and March 2000) in order to investigate the particle dynamics and distributions in the northern Aegean Sea. Analysis of the collected data, together with particle observations under the scanning electron microscope and study of satellite images showed that, under certain circumstances driven by the hydrological and wind regime of the area, the Evros River particulate matter, with the associated pollutants, can be transferred far away from the estuary and implicitly comprise a hazardous factor for the environmental status of the northern Aegean Sea. This fact, combined with the future construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline, may cause a negative impact on the studied natural ecosystem.     

Application of discriminant function analysis to the felsic rocks of the Bushveld Complex,South Africa

The technique of multivariate analysis was used to investigate the geochemical relationships between the felsic rocks of the Bushveld Complex. The Bushveld granite and Rooiberg felsite form two distinct geochemical groups based on their major element compositions, possibly indicating that they originated from separate and genetically unrelated magmas. A discriminant function based on six major oxides was found to be 90 percent effective in distinguishing between the two groups. These conclusions have important implications for the petrogenesis of the Bushveld Complex.     

Compositional fractionation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the karst soils, South China

This study aims to explore the condensation and fractionation trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the karst soils. The tiankeng is a karst surface expression that can act as a focal point for introduction of contaminants to a karst aquifer, which may serve both as condenser for vapor phase POPs and as barrier/sink for particulate associated less volatile POPs. The fractionation of POPs in soils from the upper rim and floor of tiankeng is of interest in understanding the role of tiankeng in the long-distance transport of POPs. In the present study, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the surface soils from the upper rim and floor of Dashiwei tiankeng in Southern China were analyzed. The total PAH concentrations in soils were 23.40–190 ng g⁻¹, with phenanthrene being the most abundant. The distribution patterns of PAH compounds in the soil samples matched well with their properties. It indicated the heavy PAHs were susceptible to retention by the floor soils of tiankeng than light PAHs. A plot of Cfloor/Crim against PAH molecular weight gave a good positive relationship in the molecular weight range of 152–276. It is suggested that the floor soils can be focal points of more concentrated PAH and deserve attention. The concentrations of total PAHs in the floor soils (43.40–190 ng g⁻¹, mean 87.76 ng g⁻¹) were higher than those in the upper rim (23.40–88.94 ng g⁻¹, mean 57.74 ng g⁻¹). In addition, there was a shift in compound pattern with an increase in the proportion of light PAHs (2–3 rings), a decrease in heavy PAHs (5–6 rings) and a relatively stable content of 4-ring PAHs. A combination of particulate scavenging and cold condensation is proposed as the major mechanism for the compositional fractionation of PAHs in the soils from the upper rim and floor of tiankeng.     

Ultraviolet complex refractive index of Martian dust: Laboratory measurements of terrestrial analogs

The optical complex index of refraction of four candidate Martian surface materials has been determined between 0.185 and 0.4 μm using a modified Kubelka-Munk scattering theory. The candidate materials were limonite, andesite, montmorillonite, and basalt. The effect of scattering has been removed from the results. Also presented are diffuse reflection and transmission data on these samples.