Modeling of circulation and salinity in Hooghly estuary

The circulation and salinity distribution in the Hooghly Estuary have been studied by developing a two‐dimensional depth‐averaged numerical model for the lower estuary, where the flow is vertically well mixed. This has been coupled with a one‐dimensional model for the upper estuary, where the flow is assumed to be unidirectional and well mixed over the depth and breadth. The Hooghly River receives high freshwater discharge during the monsoon season (June to September), which has significant effect on the salinity distribution in the estuary. The model‐simulated currents, elevations, and salinities are in good agreement with observations during the dry season. However, during the wet season the computed salinities seem to deviate slightly from the observed values.     

A model of impulsive loop flares revisited

A critical examination of the components of the recent impulsive loop flare model of Takakura is made. It is found that his analysis of the stability of the electron distribution resulting from anomalous heat conduction is in error and electron plasma waves would not be excited. Rather, in the regions where the electron/proton temperature ratioT _e/T _i 10, electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves would be excited and in the regions whereT _e 10, ion-acoustic waves would be excited. Ratios ofT _e/T _i 10 occur only in the late time development behind the conduction fronts. Since the anomalous resistivity due to electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves is fortuitously about 70% of the one used by Takakura, the general development will follow closely the one calculated by him. Because the anomalous resistivity due to ion-acoustic waves is about 95 times the one used by Takakura, the development in the parts of the loop whereT _e/T _i 10 for late times would be altered considerably.Also Guest Worker at NOAA Space Environment Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

URBAN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND WOMEN'S STRATEGIES IN SUSTAINING FAMILY LIVELIHOODS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

The growing of crops on open and undeveloped spaces within urban zones in eastern and southern African cities has become an important source of food security. Urban populations have expanded without a corresponding increase in economic opportunities for employment. Economic reforms have led to the removal of subsidies on food commodities and retrenchments in the formal employment sectors. It is reported that a result of this is that vulnerable households have resorted to urban agriculture to sustain their livelihoods. Though a widespread practice, urban agriculture is not planned for or supported by urban planners and managers as a legitimate form of urban land use in Harare, Zimbabwe. As women are the main participants in urban agriculture, their activities come into direct conflict with planning provisions for urban space. This study examines the role of women in urban agriculture and views and perceptions of the use of urban space for agricultural activities in Harare. It shows that urban agriculture is useful in meeting household food needs by those who undertake it. The study offers empirical insight on the perceptions of the use of space in an urban tropical environment for agriculture, where conflicts can arise as a result of different perceptions and alternative uses.     

SIRO-DBMS SIRO-DBMS: a database tool-kit for geographical information systems

Abstract

Progress in technical database management systems offers alternative strategies for the design and implementation of databases for geographical information systems. Desirable extensions in the user data types and database management are reviewed. A prototype geographical database tool-kit, SIRO-DBMS, which provides some spatial data types and spatial access methods as external attachments to a kernel relational database management system, is described. An ability to fragment a large set of entities into several relations while retaining the ability to search the full set as a logical unit is provided. Implementation of the geometric data types is based on mapping the types of data into a set of attributes of the atomic types supported by the kernel and specifying the relational designs for the set of atomic attributes.     

N and O isotope effects during nitrate assimilation by unicellular prokaryotic and eukaryotic plankton cultures

In order to provide biological systematics from which to interpret nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) isotope ratios of nitrate (¹⁵N/¹⁴N, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, respectively) in the environment, we previously investigated the isotopic fractionation of nitrate during its assimilation by mono-cultures of eukaryotic algae (Granger et al., 2004). In this study, we extended our analysis to investigate nitrate assimilation by strains of prokaryotic plankton. We measured the N and O isotope effects, ¹⁵ε and ¹⁸ε, during nitrate consumption by cultures of prokaryotic strains and by additional eukaryotic phytoplankton strains (where ε is the ratio of reaction rate constants of the light vs. heavy isotopologues, ^lightk and ^heavyk; ε = ^lightk/^heavyk − 1 × 1000, expressed in per mil). The observed ¹⁵ε ranged from 5‰ to 8‰ among eukaryotes, whereas it did not exceed 5‰ for three cyanobacterial strains, and was as low as 0.4‰ for a heterotrophic α-protoeobacterium. Eukaryotic phytoplankton fractionated the N and O isotopes of nitrate to the same extent (i.e., ¹⁸ε ∼ ¹⁵ε). The ¹⁸ε:¹⁵ε among the cyanobacteria was also ∼1, whereas the heterotrophic α-proteobacterial strain, which showed the lowest ¹⁵ε, between 0.4‰ and 1‰, had a distinct ¹⁸ε:¹⁵ε of ∼2, unlike any plankton strain observed previously. Equivalent N vs. O isotope discrimination is thought to occur during internal nitrate reduction by nitrate reductase, such that the cellular efflux of the fractionated nitrate into the medium drives the typically observed ¹⁸ε:¹⁵ε of ∼1. We hypothesize that the higher in the ¹⁸ε:¹⁵ε of the α-proteobacterium may result from isotope discrimination by nitrate transport, which is evident only at low amplitude of ε. These observations warrant investigating whether heterotrophic bacterial assimilation of nitrate decreases the community isotope effects at the surface ocean.     

Inductive magnetic footpoint tracking by combining the minimum energy fit with the local correlation tracking and doppler velocity

Time-dependent magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of active region coronal magnetic field require the underlying photospheric magnetic footpoint velocities. The minimum energy fit (MEF) is a new velocity inversion technique to infer the photospheric magnetic footpoint velocities using a pair of vector magnetograms, introduced by Longcope (2004). The MEF selects the smallest overall flow from several consistent flows by minimizing an energy functional. The inferred horizontal and vertical flow fields by the MEF can be further constrained by incorporating the partial or imperfect velocity information obtained through independent means. This hybrid method is expected to give a velocity close to the true magnetic footpoint velocity. Here, we demonstrate that a combination of the MEF, the local correlation tracking (LCT) and Doppler velocity is capable of inferring the velocity close to the photospheric flow.     

NEGOTIATING DUALISMS: WOMEN, LOCALITY AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN OAXACA CITY, MEXICO

This paper examines the validity of the public/private and reproductive/productive dichotomies commonly adopted in the analysis of gender and employment. It considers three aspects of the dualisms: spatial division, activity patterns and the construction of identities. The discussion is based on fieldwork undertaken in three districts of Oaxaca City, Mexico, between 1992 and 1995. While recognising the usefulness of spatial dualisms within Mexican cities, the paper seeks to identify the ways in which class and location within the urban space affect the construction of the boundary between “public” and “private”, women's “employment” experiences, and women's identities.     

Facies Structure and Quantitative Parameters of Pleistocene Sediments of the Bering Sea

Lithofacies zoning is described for the first time for the Neo- and Eopleistocene of the Bering Sea. Four lithofacies sedimentation zones are distinguished: (I) terrigenous; (II) siliceous–terrigenous; (III) siliceous, and (IV) volcanoterrigenous ones. Corresponding maps were treated using Ronov volumetric method to quantify sedimentation parameters for distinguished lithofacies zones (subzones) and types of Pleistocene sediments. It was revealed that terrigenous sediments predominate over other sediments. Accumulation of the terrigenous sediments was more intense (by 1.4 times) in the Neopleistocene than in the Eopleistocene. The sedimentation rate of siliceous sediments of the Bowers Ridge in the Eopleistocene was two times higher than in the Neopleistocene.