The Indonesian consumer market for clothing: Institutions, firms and organizational behaviours

The clothing industry is widely cited as an industrial sector that is embedded primarily in buyer-driven structures of global commodity chains in which retailers and brand-name companies, rather than manufacturers, are the key driving forces. Analysis of clothing production systems within the commodity chain literature, however, has been predominantly Western-centric, with little emphasis on similarities and/or differences between competitors in different institutional and societal contexts. Therefore, this paper explores the ways in which international and domestic clothing brand-owners compete for market shares within Indonesia. The analytical focus includes important issues such as the influence of the regulatory policy framework on firm-specific behaviour as well as applied marketing strategies within individual fashion segments.     

Major and trace-element composition and pressure–temperature evolution of rock-buffered fluids in low-grade accretionary-wedge metasediments, Central Alps

The chemical composition of fluid inclusions in quartz crystals from Alpine fissure veins was determined by combination of microthermometry, Raman spectroscopy, and LA-ICPMS analysis. The veins are hosted in carbonate-bearing, organic-rich, low-grade metamorphic metapelites of the Bündnerschiefer of the eastern Central Alps (Switzerland). This strongly deformed tectonic unit is interpreted as a partly subducted accretionary wedge, on the basis of widespread carpholite assemblages that were later overprinted by lower greenschist facies metamorphism. Veins and their host rocks from two locations were studied to compare several indicators for the conditions during metamorphism, including illite crystallinity, graphite thermometry, stability of mineral assemblages, chlorite thermometry, fluid inclusion solute thermometry, and fluid inclusion isochores. Fluid inclusions are aqueous two-phase with 3.7–4.0 wt% equivalent NaCl at Thusis and 1.6–1.7 wt% at Schiers. Reproducible concentrations of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, B, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Sb, Cl, Br, and S could be determined for 97 fluid inclusion assemblages. Fluid and mineral geothermometry consistently indicate temperatures of 320 ± 20 °C for the host rocks at Thusis and of 250 ± 30 °C at Schiers. Combining fluid inclusion isochores with independent geothermometers results in pressure estimates of 2.8–3.8 kbar for Thusis, and of 3.3–3.4 kbar for Schiers. Pressure–temperature estimates are confirmed by pseudosection modeling. Fluid compositions and petrological modeling consistently demonstrate that chemical fluid-rock equilibrium was attained during vein formation, indicating that the fluids originated locally by metamorphic dehydration during near-isothermal decompression in a rock-buffered system.     

The role of climate and vegetation in weathering and clay mineral formation in late Quaternary soils of the Swiss and Italian Alps

Interactions between climate and soil remain ambiguous, particularly when silicate weathering and clay mineral formation and transformation rates are considered in relation to global climate changes. Recent studies suggest that climate affects weathering rates much less than previously thought. Here we show that the climate in the central European Alps has a significant, but indirect, influence on the weathering of soils through vegetation. The pattern of element leaching and mineral transformations is not only due to precipitation and temperature. Element leaching was greatest in subalpine forests near the timberline; weathering is lessened at higher and lower altitudes. Vegetation, therefore, contributes significantly to weathering processes. The highest accumulation of organic matter was found in climatically cooler sites (subalpine range) where the production of organic ligands, which enhance weathering, is greatest. Patterns of smectite formation and distribution had strong similarities to that of the elemental losses of Fe and Al (R = 0.69; P < 0.01) or base cations (R = 0.58; P < 0.05). Higher precipitation rates and the production of organic chelating compounds in the soil promoted the appearance of smectites. The relationship between climate, element leaching (Fe, Al, Ca, Mg, K, Na), and smectite formation is strongly nonlinear and driven by the podzolisation process, which is more pronounced near the timberline because of the bioclimatic constellation. Climate warming will probably, in the future, lead to a decrease in SOM stocks in the subalpine to alpine range because of more favourable conditions for biodegradation that would also affect weathering processes.     

Earthquake magnitude — recent research and current trends

The magnitude recommendations adopted by the IASPEI Assembly at Zürich in 1967 have had both a stabilizing and a stimulating effect on magnitude determinations and related research. From 1967 onwards, one magnitude research paper has appeared on the average almost every week, thus making this parameter the most studied one in seismology. New facilities and more accurate methods, e.g., concerning instrumental equipment and interpretation techniques, have made it possible to improve earlier achievements. The application of magnitude scales has been extended in all respects, e.g., with regard to epicentral distances, focal depths, wave types and wave periods. Magnitude—frequency relations have become the most investigated equations within seismology, observationally as well as theoretically. They have wide applications, e.g., for estimating the maximum magnitudes of future earthquakes — an important item in earthquake prediction. The magnitudes provide significant information on other source parameters, such as wave energy, fault length, seismic moment. Relations between different types of magnitude yield valuable information on source properties. For instance, relations between magnitudes based on body and surface waves are used for efficient discrimination between earthquakes and underground explosions. It is our purpose to review the magnitude development in the post-Zürich period (1967–1980), partly for geologists, tectonophysicists and engineers, who need an overview, partly for seismologists, who need an introduction to an overwhelmingly comprehensive literature.     

Evidence of central Alpine glacier advances during the Younger Dryas–early Holocene transition period

The transition phase from Lateglacial to Holocene climate conditions was accompanied by a pronounced reorganization of climate patterns in the Northern Hemisphere. Evidence of Alpine palaeoglaciers provides a basis for understanding climate downturns during a time of generally warming conditions. In this context a series of well‐preserved and previously undated moraines were investigated in the small Falgin cirque located in the central Alpine Langtaufers Valley (South Tyrol, Italy) and in the neighbouring Hinteres Bergle cirque of the Radurschl Valley (North Tyrol, Austria). Both localities are situated in the driest area of the eastern Alps. They lie well above prominent moraines associated with the Younger Dryas (YD) cold phase and represent the first moraines below Little Ice Age (LIA) positions. The corresponding equilibrium line altitude of the palaeoglaciers in both cirques was 100–120 m lower than during the LIA. Surface exposure dating (¹⁰Be) of the inner Falgin moraines shows a mean stabilization age of 11.2±0.9 ka, which is similar to the deglaciation age of 10.9±0.8 ka for the Hinteres Bergle cirque. The ages indicate glacier activity most likely during the earliest Holocene or the YD/Holocene transition. These findings point to a climate with mean summer temperatures about 1.5 °C lower than during the 20th century in the Alps.     

Arsenic speciation and turnover in intact organic soil mesocosms during experimental drought and rewetting

Wetlands are significant sources and sinks for arsenic (As), yet the geochemical conditions and processes causing a release of dissolved arsenic and its association with the solid phase of wetland soils are poorly known. Here we present experiments in which arsenic speciation was determined in peatland mesocosms in high spatiotemporal resolution over 10 months. The experiment included a drought/rewetting treatment, a permanently wet, and a defoliated treatment. Soil water content was determined by the TDR technique, and arsenic, iron and sulfate turnover from mass balancing stocks and fluxes in the peat, and solid phase contents by sequential extractions. Arsenic content ranged from 5 to 25 mg kg⁻¹ and dissolved concentrations from 10 to 300 μg L⁻¹, mainly in form of As(III), and secondarily of As(V) and dimethylated arsenic (DMA). Total arsenic was mainly associated with amorphous iron hydroxides (R² > 0.95, α < 0.01) and deeper into the peat with an unidentified residual fraction. Arsenic release was linked to ferrous iron release and primarily occurred in the intensely rooted uppermost soil. Volumetric air contents of 2-13 % during drought eliminated DMA from the porewater and suppressed its release after rewetting for >30 d. Dissolved As(III) was oxidized and immobilized as As(V) at rates of up to 0.015 mmol m⁻³ d⁻¹. Rewetting mobilized As(III) at rates of up to 0.018 mmol m⁻³ d⁻¹ within days. Concurrently, Fe(II) was released at depth integrated rates of up 20 mmol m⁻³ d⁻¹. The redox half systems of arsenic, iron, and sulfur were in persistent disequilibrium, with H₂S being a thermodynamically viable reductant for As(V) to As(III). The study suggests that rewetting can lead to a rapid release of arsenic in iron-rich peatlands and that methylation is of lesser importance than co-release with iron reduction, which was largely driven by root activity.     

Remediation of ground water containing chlorinated and brominated hydrocarbons, benzene and chromate by sequential treatment using ZVI and GAC

A laboratory experiment with two sequenced columns was performed as a preliminary study for the installation of a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) at a site where a mixed ground water contamination exists. The first column contained granular zero valent iron (ZVI), the second column was filled with granular activated carbon (GAC). Trichloromethane (TCM, 930 μg/l) and chlorobenzene (MCB, 260 μg/l) were added to the ground water from the site as the main contaminants. Smaller amounts (<60 μg/l) of benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA), 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE), trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE), 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP), bromodichloromethane (BDCM), dibromochloromethane (DBCM), tribromomethane (TBM), vinyl chloride and chromate were also added to the water to simulate the complex contamination pattern at the site of interest. PCE, TCE, 1,1-DCE, DBCM, BDCM, TBM, MCB and chromate were remediated in contact with ZVI, while the remaining contaminants showed incomplete degradation. A fraction of 8–16.5% TCM was converted to dichloromethane (DCM). Remaining contaminant concentrations were efficiently sorbed by the GAC until breakthrough of DCM was observed after 1,230 exchanged pore volumes in the GAC. The results show that the complex mixture of contaminants can be remediated by a sequenced PRB consisting of ZVI and GAC and that DCM sorption capacity is the critical parameter for the dimensions of the GAC reactor.     

The interactions between vegetation and erosion: new directions for research at the interface of ecology and geomorphology

Vegetation and processes of erosion and deposition are interactive. An objective of this paper is to review selected studies that emphasize the interdependencies. The reviews suggest new directions for research uniting ecology and geomorphology – the sub‐discipline of biogeomorphology. The research, which recently has become vigorous, includes the sources, movement, and fates of fluvial loads of sediment, organic carbon, nutrients, contaminants, and woody debris to low‐energy storage sites; the function of biota in causing soil evolution, stability, and sequestration of carbon; the development of new methods to characterize watersheds based on edaphic conditions; and the refinement of current empirical and conceptual models and dendrochronological techniques to measure landscape change. These well acknowledged topics and others less well anticipated ensure that biogeomorphology will remain vibrant. Published in 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the publish domain in the USA.     

Risk perception and decision-making: do farmers consider risks from climate change?

This paper provides one of the first empirical studies that examine the impact of climate change adaptation practices on technical efficiency (TE) among smallholder farmers in Nepal. An adaptation index is used to explore the impact of farmers’ adaptation on TE using the stochastic frontier analysis framework. Data for six districts of Nepal representing all three agro-ecological regions (terai, hill, and mountain) were collected from a focus group discussion, a stakeholder workshop and a household survey. The survey shows that about 91% of the farming households have adopted at least one practice to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change. Empirical results reveal that adaptation is an important factor explaining efficiency differentials among farming households. Those adopting a greater number of adaptation practices on a larger scale are, on average, found to be 13% more technically efficient than those adopting fewer practices on smaller scale. The empirical results also show that average TE is only 0.72, indicating that there are opportunities for farming households in Nepal to further improve productive efficiency, on average by 28%. Other important factors that explain variations in the productive efficiency across farming households include farmer’s education level, irrigation facilities, market access, and social capital such as farmer’s participations in relevant agricultural organizations and clubs. This study provides empirical evidence to policy makers that small scale adjustments made by farmers in response to climate change impacts are effective in improving farmers’ efficiency in agriculture production. This indicates a need for farmers’ involvement in climate change adaptation planning.     

On Monin–Obukhov Similarity In The Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Atmospheric measurements from several field experiments have been combined to develop a better understanding of the turbulence structure of the stable atmospheric boundary layer. Fast response wind velocity and temperature data have been recorded using 3-dimensional sonic anemometers, placed at severalheights (1 m to 4.3 m) above the ground. The measurements wereused to calculate the standard deviations of the three components of the windvelocity, temperature, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation andtemperature variance dissipation. These data were normalized and plottedaccording to Monin–Obukhov similarity theory. The non-dimensional turbulencestatistics have been computed, in part, to investigate the generalapplicability of the concept of z-less stratification for stable conditions. From the analysis of a data set covering almost five orders ofmagnitude in the stability parameter = z/L (from near-neutral tovery stable atmospheric stability), it was found that this concept does nothold in general. It was only for the non-dimensional standard deviation oftemperature and the average dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energythat z-less behaviour has been found. The other variables studied here(non-dimensional standard deviations of u, v, and w velocity components and dissipation of temperature variance) did not follow the concept of z-less stratification for the very stable atmospheric boundary layer. An imbalance between production and dissipation of TKE was found for the near-neutral limit approached from the stable regime, which matches with previous results for near-neutral stability approached from the unstable regime.