Oscillation propagation features of the atmosphere around the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau during the spring season of typical strong and weak monsoon years

The interaction between the low-frequency atmospheric oscillation(Madden-Julian Oscillation,MJO) and the diabatic heating over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau(QXP) from March to June is analyzed.The results show that there are respectively two and one wave trains around the QXP during the onset of the South China Sea monsoon in strong and weak monsoon years.The locations and strength of the wave train propagation differ between the strong and weak monsoon years.Because diabatic heating of the QXP prevents the lo...     

Palm Oil: A New Ethics of Visibility for the Production Landscape

The explosion of the palm oil industry in recent decades has transformed vast swathes of the Malaysian and Indonesian countryside. Milica Topalovic , Assistant Professor of Architecture and Territorial Planning at ETH Zurich, asserts that the resulting agro-industrial landscapes challenge the very concept of what is rural, and considers how such areas should be conceptualised.     

In the Hands of the People: Harnessing the Collective Power of Village Life in India

Top-down attempts by governments and charities to rebuild rural communities after natural disasters, or to rehabilitate slums, can leave communities feeling fractured. The Hunnarshala Foundation instead focuses on re-establishing social capital, providing funding and professional support for residents so that they can work together to improve their lot. This also reinforces the value of traditional artisans' knowledge in solving modern problems. Hunnarshala's Executive Vice Chairman Sandeep Virmani explains.     

南苏丹Melut裂谷盆地扇体的发现及油气意义

Melut盆地为中非剪切带走滑背景下形成的裂谷盆地,具有早期白垩世被动裂谷盆地和晚期古近纪—新近纪主动裂谷盆地相叠合的特征,长期以来一直围绕辫状河、三角洲等领域进行勘探。通过地质—地球物理综合研究,在盆地北部凹陷识别出一系列扇体沉积,包括凹陷东部Abyat扇三角洲、西部Ruman近岸水下扇等。这些扇体主要形成于盆地初始被动裂谷期,发育于下白垩统Al Renk组烃源岩及烃源岩附近的白垩系Galhak组和Al Gayger组内,具有良好的生、储、盖配置条件。扇体的发现证实了Melut等中非裂谷盆地的初始被动裂谷期同样发育类似于主动裂谷盆地的扇三角洲、水下扇等各种扇体沉积,且具有良好的成藏条件和勘探潜力,这一发现和认识拓展了中非裂谷盆地的勘探潜力和空间。     

Design for the Future: Educational Institutions in the Gulf

Despite a distinguished heritage of learning in the Middle East, the expansion of provision for higher education is currently at an unprecedented scale. The Gulf States, in particular, are seeking to keep up with accelerated population growth and a demographic ‘youth bulge’. Guest-Editor Kevin Mitchell describes the architectural approaches employed in the design of institutions in the region from the first universities in Saudi Arabia to Foster + Partners's ground-breaking sustainable design for the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi and future projects.     

In the Pursuit of Pleasure: The Not so Fleeting Life of the Pavilion and its Ilk

Author and architecture critic for the London Evening Standard, Robert Bevan reflects on the enduring appeal of the temporary structure, speaking ‘to a latent desire for freedom and movement’ as a hangover of our nomadic past in a sedentary ‘civilised’ society. He highlights the type's historical apex in Henry VIII's palatial pop-up on the Field of the Cloth of Gold, questioning the purpose and purposelessness of more recent examples.     

当代苏南城市公园空间的地域个性营建

在多元理念介入的现代风景园林中,城市公园呈现出鲜明时代特征的同时也面临着园林空间个性的缺失。苏南各地公园凭借着深厚的造园根基和人文内涵,在景观营建上拥有深远的意境,丰富的空间,精致的建构和素雅的色彩,在中国当代公园建设中形成了富有个性的地域特色。     

Measuring the severity of transboundary freshwater conflict: structural vs. behavioural indices in Africa

In the global crisis over access to clean, adequate freshwater, Africa is a special case. Not only are many African states under severe water stress, but the continent is one of the most hydrologically interconnected regions on the planet. With 113 rivers, lakes and aquifers that cross an international border, over 60% of Africa’s territory falls into a transboundary watershed. Africa’s hydrology is interdependent, and mass poverty and political volatility heighten the risk of conflict over freshwater resources. This paper compares two approaches to understanding the severity of transboundary freshwater conflict; one based in behavior and the other based on structural factors unique to each water resource and its users. The goal is to identify Africa’s water hot spots, or those areas where violence over water resources is most likely. The broader aim is to better understand how the way we measure severity affects our understanding of freshwater conflict, and how policy-makers might best approach water politics in Africa.     

Effect of dietary and synthetic chelating agents on the intestinal absorption of lead

The effect of a number of dietary and synthetic chelating agents on the intestinal absorption of lead has been examined using the everted sac preparation and the tracer isotope ²⁰³Pb. All the agents examined increased lead transport into the serosal compartment. An explanation of the way in which these agents modify the model to describe lead transport is proposed.     

Perceptions of HIV/AIDS policies and treatment programmes by Western Cape construction firms

The HIV/AIDS pandemic poses a substantial long‐term threat to economic development in South Africa. A questionnaire survey explored the perceptions of a sample of construction firms in the Western Cape regarding HIV/AIDS policy and treatment programmes. The findings show that there is no universal view about the long‐term threat of HIV/AIDS. Most organizations have awareness policies in place but prevention and treatment policies are less common. Treatment programmes are the least implemented of all intervention services due to insufficient resource capacity, the potential stigmatization of infected persons, and low take‐up rates. Despite an acknowledgement of the benefits flowing from mounting treatment programmes, doubt exists as to their financial viability.