Migration and gender identity among Chinese skilled male migrants to Australia

This paper reports on a study of the effects of migration on constructions of masculinities among Chinese skilled male migrants to Australia over the past 50 years. Data were collected in in-depth, semi-structured interviews of a sample of 40 Chinese male migrants in Brisbane city. The respondents came from a variety of countries of origin and varied in marital status, sexuality, age and previous migration experiences as well as duration of settlement in Australia. Because of an immigration policy based on a points system for measuring skill potential among migrants, these informants were of middle to upper-middle socio-economic status. Core ideas which emerged from the study included: Chineseness; insularity; the centrality of family, kin and friendship networks; Chinese males in the workplace; the division of labour in the household; employment and the fears of unemployment. These Chinese skilled male migrants displayed qualities of hegemonic masculinity in their households where traditional Chinese division of labour persisted. The markers of masculinity included: centrality of work and education; being a successful provider and protector; the accumulation of wealth and power. Unlike local hegemonic variants of masculinity these males placed little emphasis on sport, sexual prowess and performance and alcohol consumption. There were no ambitions among this sample of males to model local variants of masculinities, however gay males in the sample while experiencing marginalisation, racism and homophobic behaviour at the hands of local hegemonically masculine males, were more like the local dominant males in terms of an emphasis on sexual performance and preferences for well-muscled and fit bodies. Gay males in the Chinese sample found it necessary to restrict their social circles and physical locales. This Australian study has demonstrated the importance of the cultural sensitivity of concepts in doing comparative studies, and of considering sexuality as a dimension of identity in migration research that seems to assume a heteronormativity in its samples.     

Is there utility in rigorous combinations of VLBI and GPS Earth orientation parameters?

Combinations of station coordinates and velocities from independent space-geodetic techniques have long been the standard method to realize robust global terrestrial reference frames (TRFs). In principle, the particular strengths of one observing method can compensate for weaknesses in others if the combination is properly constructed, suitable weights are found, and accurate co-location ties are available. More recently, the methodology has been extended to combine time-series of results at the normal equation level. This allows Earth orientation parameters (EOPs) to be included and aligned in a fully consistent way with the TRF. While the utility of such multi-technique combinations is generally recognized for the reference frame, the benefits for the EOPs are yet to be quantitatively assessed. In this contribution, which is a sequel to a recent paper on co-location ties (Ray and Altamimi in J Geod 79(4–5): 189–195, 2005), we have studied test combinations of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and Global Positioning System (GPS) time-series solutions to evaluate the effects on combined EOP measurements compared with geophysical excitations. One expects any effect to be small, considering that GPS dominates the polar motion estimates due to its relatively dense and uniform global network coverage, high precision, continuous daily sampling, and homogeneity, while VLBI alone observes UT1-UTC. Presently, although clearly desirable, we see no practical method to rigorously include the GPS estimates of length-of-day variations due to significant time-varying biases. Nevertheless, our results, which are the first of this type, indicate that more accurate polar motion from GPS contributes to improved UT1-UTC results from VLBI. The situation with combined polar motion is more complex. The VLBI data contribute directly only very slightly, if at all, with an impact that is probably affected by the weakness of the current VLBI networks (small size and sparseness) and the quality of local ties relating the VLBI and GPS frames. Instead, the VLBI polar motion information is used primarily in rotationally aligning the VLBI and GPS frames, thereby reducing the dependence on co-location tie information. Further research is needed to determine an optimal VLBI-GPS combination strategy that yields the highest quality EOP estimates. Improved local ties (including internal systematic effects within the techniques) will be critically important in such an effort.     

Characterizing frictional behavior for use in predicting the seismic response of unattached equipment

Characterizing friction is a fundamentally important aspect of modeling the seismic response of a body resting on any mechanical interface. In the context of rigid bodies mounted within building structures, the numerous types of elements and interfaces encountered in practice require specific characterization before any modeling assumptions can be undertaken. To this end, in this paper, the specific problem of characterizing the frictional behavior for a variety of small equipment types typically found in Biological and Chemical Science laboratories is studied using two different methods of testing. A simple approach is presented to determine the instantaneous coefficients of friction considering inertial effects. Resulting coefficients of static friction μ_s and kinetic friction μ_k for these types of equipment and their plausible range of uncertainty are presented. Analytical comparisons with shake table experiments, using mean frictional resistance values, illustrate that reasonable estimations of time history response can be determined. The accuracy of the prediction increases as the effects of stick-slip are minimized.     

Relationships among remotely sensed soil moisture,precipitation and landslide events

Landslides are triggered by earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and heavy continuous rainfall. For most types of slope failure, soil moisture plays a critical role because increased pore water pressure reduces the soil strength and increases stress. However, in-situ soil moisture profiles are rarely measured. To establish the soil moisture and landslide relationship, a qualitative comparison among soil moisture derived from AMSR-E, precipitation from TRMM and major landslide events was conducted. This study shows that it is possible to estimate antecedent soil moisture conditions using AMSR-E and TRMM satellite data in landslide prone areas. AMSR-E data show distinct annual patterns of soil moisture that reflect observed rainfall patterns from TRMM. Results also show enhanced AMSR-E soil moisture and TRMM rainfall prior to major landslide events in landslide prone regions of California, U.S.; Leyte, Philippines; and Dhading, Nepal.     

Experimental constraints on pre-eruption conditions of pantelleritic magmas: Evidence from the Eburru complex, Kenya Rift

The phase relationships and compositions of a pantellerite from the Eburru complex in the Kenya Rift Valley have been determined at 150 MPa and under reducing conditions, 2 log units below the Ni–NiO solid buffer. The effects of temperature and melt water content on phase relationships have been explored. Alkali feldspar and quartz crystallise alone at temperatures above 700 °C, irrespective of melt water content. Below 700 °C, sodic amphibole and clinopyroxene also crystallise; the amphibole being the liquidus phase under water-rich conditions. The coexistence of amphibole phenocrysts with alkali feldspar and quartz in a crystal-poor pantellerite implies temperatures below 700 °C and melt water contents higher than 4 wt.%, possibly up to 5–6 wt.%. Pantellerites have lower liquidus temperatures than associated comendites, which supports a parent–daughter relationship between the two magma types. The melts produced in the experiments extend the compositional trend displayed by the natural rock series, and reproduce some extreme compositions occasionally observed in alkaline volcanic series, with FeO contents above 12 wt.% and Na₂O contents approaching 10 wt.%. Pantellerites are therefore the true near-minimum melt compositions of alkaline oversaturated magma series.     

Satellite imagery activism: Sharpening the focus on tropical deforestation

Since the first land remote sensing satellite was launched in the early 1970s, government agencies, private companies and research institutions have used satellite imagery data for a growing range of civil and commercial applications focused on natural resource management and exploitation, and environmental monitoring. The global diffusion of remote sensing expertize, along with growing public access to satellite images, has created conditions for improving levels of global transparency. One aspect of this global transparency is the advent of new users of imagery data – or 'imagery activists'– including, among others, issue-oriented nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), media groups, multinational organizations and academic researchers who now are able to access satellite imagery in order to draw domestic and international attention to particular public policy concerns. This paper broadly surveys the contemporary phenomenon of satellite imagery activism and outlines the main challenges facing imagery activists, particularly in relation to deforestation and other forest monitoring issues.     

The structural and geochemical evolution of the Singhbhum granite batholithic complex, India

The Singhbhum granite batholithic complex of eastern India is composed mainly of (a) the Older Metamorphic Group, tonalite (-trondhjemite) gneiss (OMTG, 3800 Ma old), whch intruded synkinematically into the enveloping Older Metamorphic Group (OMG, > 3800 Ma old) and (b) the Singhbhum granite (SBG) consisting of three distinct but closely related phases of at least twelve separate magmatic units of granodiorite-granite (2950 Ma old), and a number of patches of granitised OMG orthoamphibolites. Geochemical studies including REE and LIL elements suggest that (a) the OMG orthoamphibolites were derived either by re-melting of a K-poor basalt (LKT) or of mantle peridotite with high concentration of LIL elements, (b) the OMG tonalite was derived by partial melting of amphibolite and (c) the Singhbhum granite magmas appear to have formed in two distinct modes: (i) partial melting of amphibolite for the magmas of phases I and II and (ii) partial melting of a siliceous, garnet-bearing granulite for magmas of the phase III units.     

An ion microprobe study of the partitioning of trace elements between clinopyroxene and liquid in the system diopside-albite-anorthite

The partitioning of trace elements (Sc, Ti, Sr and Sm) between diopsidic clinopyroxene and liquid was studied experimentally in the system diopside-albite-anorthite at 1250°C, 1300°C and 1345°C at 1 atm. Twelve different bulk compositions were selected to study the effects of temperature and chemical composition. A Cameca ion microprobe was used to determine trace element concentrations in both clinopyroxene and liquid. Experiments of different run duration $\text{1}\text{4}\text{8}\text{?}$ days) showed that equilibrium was approached in less than 4 days at 1275°C. Equilibrium was also evaluated by a reversal run. A series of runs of constant bulk composition but with variable trace element contents showed that Henry's Law was obeyed over concentration ranges of the trace elements similar to those encountered in natural systems. The partition coefficients show significant ranges: Sc, 0.345~2.61; Ti, 0.084~0.214; Sr, 0.075~0.136; Sm, 0.054~0.328; the values are comparable with those obtained experimentally by other investigators. The partition coefficients vary as a function of both temperature and chemical composition. The experimental results are discussed in terms of exchange equilibria using the Bottinga-Weill silicate melt model. It is demonstrated that analytical uncertainties of both major and trace elements play an important role in understanding trace element exchange equilibria; propagation of analytical errors in the thermodynamic treatment is equally important.     

Cadmium in tissues of lobsters captured near a lead smelter

Cadmium distribution among tissues of lobsters (Homarus americanus) from Belledune Harbour near a lead smelter was determined and compared with that of lobsters from uncontaminated areas of Stonehaven, N.B., Canada and from Maine, USA. The hepatopancreas contained more than 90% of the body burden of cadmium. High concentrations of cadmium were also present in green glands and gills. Cadmium concentrations in the hepatopancreas, gills, and green glands were correlated with the concentrations in most of the other tissues.