Fair Trade and organic initiatives confronted with Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh,India: A paradox

This paper explores a confluence of Fair Trade and organic initiatives under the prevalence of Bt cotton in India, using as an interpretative framework Guthman’s conventionalization thesis for organic farming in the Northern context. In a case study conducted in Andhra Pradesh, the confluence of the two initiatives, contrary to their ethical standards, contributed to the spread of genetically modified (GM) seed. The Fair Trade initiative, lacking a scheme for compensating for the decrease in income that producers have to endure during the conversion period, tends to take a more relaxed attitude toward GM crops in order to assist small farmers. Fair Trade’s dilemma between helping poor farmers and promoting organic farming may have indirectly allowed Fair Trade producers to tend towards conventional farming with Bt seeds. As a result, the confluence of the two initiatives has not intensified the organic concept as “an alternative accumulation strategy for agrarian capitalism,” but neither has it released disadvantaged Southern farmers from agrarian capitalism. Rather, it has led farmers into another form of agrarian capitalism.     

Ecological variations in diatom assemblages in the Paleo-Kathmandu Lake linked with global and Indian monsoon climate changes for the last 600,000 years

Variations in fossil diatom assemblages and their relationship with global and Indian monsoon climate changes for the last 600,000 yr were investigated using a core of ancient lake (Paleo-Kathmandu Lake) sediments drilled at the Kathmandu Basin, Nepal Himalaya. Chronological scales of the core were constructed by tuning pollen wet and dry index records to the SPECMAP δ¹⁸O stack record. Examinations of biogenic silica contents and fossil diatom assemblages revealed that variations in productivity and compositions of diatom assemblages were closely linked with global and Indian monsoon climate changes on glacial and interglacial time scales. When summer monsoonal rainfall increased during interglacials (interstadials), diatom productivity increased because of increased inputs of terrestrial nutrients into the lake. When summer monsoonal rainfall reduced and/or winter monsoonal aridification enhanced during glacials (stadials), productivity of the diatoms decreased and lake-level falling brought about changes in compositions of diatom assemblages. Monospecific assemblages by unique Cyclotella kathmanduensis and Puncticulata versiformis appeared during about 590 to 390 ka. This might be attributed to evolutionary fine-tuning of diatom assemblages to specific lake environmental conditions. Additionally, low-amplitude precessional variations in monsoon climate and less lake-level changes may have also allowed both species to dominate over the long periods.     

西北太平洋黑潮主轴区浮游有孔虫的垂直分布及其古海洋学意义

我们对位于西北太平洋黑潮主轴区ＭＴＤ－０２站的１１个不同深度进行水平浮游拖网,并将采集到的活体浮游有孔虫(＞１２５μｍ)进行定量分析。结果表明,绝大多数活体浮游有孔虫生存于１００～２００ｍ以上的水体中,并集中分布于７５ｍ以上的水体。本站位８月份的最主要属种为：Ｇｌｏｂｉｇｅｒｉｎｏｉｄｅｓｒｕｂｅｒ,Ｇ．ｓａｃｃｕｌｉｆｅｒ,Ｎｅｏｇｌｏｂｏｑｕａｄｒｔｎａｄｕｔｅｒｔｒｅｉ和Ｇｌｏｂｉｇｅｒｉｎｉｔａｇｌｕｔｉｎａｔａ。次主要属种为Ｇｌｏｂｉｇｅｒｉｎｅｌｌａ　ａｅｑｕｉｌａｔｅｒａｌｉｓ,　ｇｌｏｂｉｇｅｒｉｎａｂｕｌｌｏｉｄｅｓ,Ｐｕｌｌｅｎｉａｔｉｎａｏｂｌｉｑｕｉｌｏｃｕｌａｔａ,Ｇｌｏｂｏｒｏｔａｌｉａｔｒｕｎｃａｔｕｌｉｎｏｉｄｅｓ,Ｏｒｂｕｌｉｎａｕｎｉｖｅｒｓａ和Ｇ．ｃｏｎｇｌｏｂａｔｕａ。这些种在不同的深度其产出量大不相同,但绝大多数均在叶绿素最为丰富的２５ｍ处显示出最大值。这表明食物来源是控制浮游有孔虫在ＭＴＤ－０２站垂直分布的最主要因素。另外,Ｇｌｏｂｉｇｅｒｉｎｅｌｌａａｅｑｕｉｌａｔｅｒａｌｉｓ和Ｐｕｌｌｅｎｉａｔｉｎａｏｂｌｉｑｕｉｌｏｃｕｌａｔａ两个种在温跃层的底部５０ｍ处显     

Observations of molecular clouds in nearby galaxies with ALMA

We present recent results of the observations of giant molecular clouds in nearby galaxies with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope and Millimeter Array. We give some brief comments about observations of GMCs in nearby galaxies with ALMA.     

Rifting and basin inversion in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea

Abstract Extensional basin formation and subsequent basin inversion in the southern area of the eastern margin of the Japan Sea were studied on the basis of the interpretation of seismic profiles (total length approximately 15 000 km) and the fossil analyses of 77 sea-bottom samples. Rift (Early to Early Middle Miocene), post-rift (Middle to Late Miocene), pre-inversion (Late Miocene to Pliocene) and inversion stages (Pliocene to Quaternary) were differentiated by the extension and contraction of the crust. Many small-scale rifts were formed in the Sado Ridge and the Mogami Trough during the rift stage, simultaneous with back-are spreading of the Japan Sea. Most of the rifts were east- or southeast-facing, rotational half-grabens bounded by west-dipping normal faults at their eastern boundaries. The syn-rift sequence can be divided into lower and upper units by an erosional surface. The sequences are presumed to be composed mainly of fining-upward sediments. The trend of most rifts is north-northeast with the remainder being of east-northeast-bias. The north-northeast trending rifts are distributed widely in the Sado Ridge and Mogami Trough and do not show an en échelon arrangement, suggesting that they were formed mainly by pure extension nearly perpendicular to the arc. The east-northeast trending rifts are presumed to have been developed by a north-northwest extension in the late rift stage, which may have accompanied a right-lateral movement in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. During the post-rift stage, the rifts and adjacent horsts subsided and became covered by the post-rift sequence, characterized by parallel and continuous reflections. This suggested no significant tectonic movements in this period. In the pre-inversion stage many of the rifts subsided again, presumably because of down-warping due to weak compressional stress. The normal faults reactivated as reverse faults during the inversion stage due to an increase in compressional stress. Many of the rifts have been uplifted and transformed into east-vergent asymmetric anticlines. The basin inversion is greatest in the Sado Ridges and in the Dewa Bank Chain, while it is least developed in the Mogami Trough and in the western slope of the Sado Ridge, in which some normal faults have not been reactivated. The increase and decrease of the inversion corresponds to the peak and trough of undulation at an interval of about 50 km trending parallel to the arc.     

Underground oil storage facilities in Japan

In Japan, three underground crude-oil storage facilities with a total capacity of 5 million kl are under construction as a chain of the national oil storage project. Because the NATM method was used in this project, we applied a systematic work control system, consisting ofin situ measurements and engineering geological observations, including an original rock-mass classification system. The classification system used can be slightly modified depending upon site-specific geological conditions and the purposes of the facilities such as, i.e., an artificial water sealing system.     

Trends and relationships in victims’ recovery perceptions: a case study of the recovery process following the Great East Japan Earthquake

Natural Hazards - In the aftermath of a disaster, the recovery process has long-term, multi-dimensional, and interactive aspects. To clarify the recovery conditions and victims’ perceptions...     

南极中山站极光形态的统计特征

利用极光全天空摄象机１９９５年和１９９７年在南极中山站观测的极光数据,对中山站上空极光的出现情况进行了统计分析。在南极中山站,午后（磁地方时１４００～１８００ＭＬＴ）和子夜前后（２２００～０３００ＭＬＴ）出现极光的情况比较多,在傍晚（１８００～２２００ＭＬＴ）出现极光的情况要少一些;较强的极光主要也出现在午后和子夜附近。冕状极光主要出现在子夜附近和午后的极向侧和天顶,在傍晚出现很少;带状极光主要出现在午后和赤道侧的傍晚与子夜;极光浪涌主要出现在子夜前后;向日极光弧则主要出现在子夜前后,子夜前比子夜后多,极向和天顶比赤道侧多。除向日极光弧外,其它形态的极光在中山站的出现情况与Ｋｐ指数相关。中山站进入极光带的时间通常在午后,具体时间也与Ｋｐ指数有关     

Evaluation of intrinsic vulnerability to nitrate contamination of groundwater: appropriate fertilizer application management

In agricultural areas, fertilizer application is the main source of nitrate contamination of groundwater. To develop fertilizer management strategies to combat this problem, arable land in Hokkaido, Japan was evaluated using geographic information system techniques for intrinsic groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination. The DRASTIC method was modified to adapt it to the Hokkaido environment and used for the evaluation. Of the seven original DRASTIC factors, the depth to water (D), net recharge (R), soil media (S), topography (T), and impact of vadose zone media (I) were selected and used to explain the vertical movement of contaminants to the aquifer. The rating for the net recharge factor was also modified to a dilution factor for contaminants, rather than as a transporter. The frequency of wells with nitrate concentrations exceeding the Japanese environmental standard (10 mg/L) was reasonably explained by vulnerability evaluation results (GLM: logit-link, quasi-binomial distribution, Y = [1 + exp(6.873765 − 0.045988 × X)]⁻¹, p < 0.001). However, in the paddy fields and pastures, vulnerability did not exhibit a clear relationship with the frequency of wells exceeding the standard. This suggests that the modified DRASTIC method is applicable for fertilizer application management in upland fields. In addition, under the ongoing policy for acreage allotment for rice production, this method will be useful for deciding the arrangement of arable land and crop rotation taking into consideration the potential risk of fertilizer-induced nitrate contamination of groundwater.     

Oxygen Isotope Composition Of Human Teeth And The Record Of Climate Changes In France (Lorraine) During The Last 1700 Years

In order to study climate variations during the last 1700 years in eastern France, fifty-eight oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate were measured in human tooth enamel. The individuals, who lived in Lorraine, are assumed to have drunk local water derived directly from rainfall. According to previous work, drinking water is the main source of oxygen that sets the isotopic composition of phosphatic tissues in humans. The empirical fractionation equation determined from our data combined with those of Longinelli’s one [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 48 (1984) 385] was used to calculate the oxygen isotope composition of meteoric waters. The mean air temperature was inferred from these isotope ratios and the Von Grafenstein et al.’s [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60 (1996) 4025] relationship between δ¹⁸O and air temperature. Oxygen isotope composition of present-day individuals yields a mean air temperature of 9.9± 1.7 ^∘C which is consistent with meteorological data. Application of this method to historical individuals results in mean air temperatures estimates 0 to 3 ^∘C higher than present-day air temperature. These warm air temperatures are not realistic during the so-called Little Ice Age for which an air-cooling of about 0.5 to 2 ^∘C has been documented. We propose that these relatively high δ¹⁸O values of human tooth enamel reflect higher mean δ¹⁸O values of meteoric water which can be attributed to an increased proportion of summer rainfall during the “Little Ice Age” time frame in Lorraine.