"Join together, work together, for the common good - solidarity": village formation processes in the rural south of Laos

This article explores the concept of the solidary village in contemporary Laos. It argues that the "village" today is not a fixed, primordial entity, but a continually emergent formation resulting from numerous processes, including but not limited to modern state processes. The notion of "village" circulates in the ambiguous "common sense" pertaining to rural Laos, in the attitudes, expectations, representations, and regulated requirements of the rural, in what I term village formation projects. Case studies of "village formation projects" in one village in southern Laos illustrate not only the importance of the village concept, but also its indeterminacy and fluidity, and the ensuing difficulty of achieving the "solidarity" and cooperative donation required by poverty reduction policies.

Discovery of Ordovician-Devonian strata in the south of the Qiangtang area, Tibet

Low-grade metamorphic rocks are exposed extensively in the Qiangtang area, Tibet. There is a great dispute about the age of the strata because of no reliable fossil evidence and other chronological evidence. Cephalopods, crinoids, graptolites and tentaculites fossils are discovered at Tashi Hill north of Gangtang Co. Primary identification indicates that the cephalopod is Sinoceras,Michelinoceras, Wennanoceras, Archigeisonoceras etc. and the crinoid is Monograptus. The Sinoceras-Michelinoceras assemblage is the key fossil assemblage of Mid Ordovician Baotaan age, which reflects the Mid Ordovician aspects. There are several tens of meters of fossil-free clastic rocks below the Mid Ordovician cephalopod-bearing horizon, which are probably Ordovician sediments. The discovery of Ordovician-Devonian biotas and strata provide new important evidence for the stratigraphic division and correlation and the study of the tectonic evolution of the Qiangtang area.

The Carboniferous and Permian sequences in north and south of the Longmucuo-Shuanghu suture zone in Tibet

The location of the Palaeo-tethys suture in Tibet has been in great dispute for past two decades. The Longmucuo-Shuanghu suture has long been considered as the Palaeo-tethys in Tibet. Restudy of the Carboniferous and Permian sequences in the north and south of this suture reveal that: (1) the Carboniferous and Permian sequence of the North Qiangtang Block is characterized by containing compound corals and intact fusulinids zones from Moscovian Fusulinella, Fusulina to Changhsingian Palaeofusulina zones; (2) the Early Permian of the South Qiangtang Block is

Discovery of early paleozoic strata in south of Qiangtang, Northern Tibet and its significance

Due to the lack of fossil evidence, the age of Amugang Group, previously referring to the large area of metamorphic formations developed along the south of Longmucuo-Shuanghu suture in southern Qiangtang area, northern Tibet, has been under heated debate. Some geologists were convinced that the age of metamorphic formations was of Pre-Devonian according to the emergence of nonmetamorphic fossil-beating Devonian in Chasang area, north of the suture. Most geologists believed that its age was of Pre-Sinian. From 2003 to 2004, we collected a large amount of Nautiloid and Graptolite fossils in upper metamorphic formations of Mayigangri area and determined the age to be middle and Late Ordovician-Silurian. It is the first time to discover the Early Paleozoic strata based on reliable fossils, which not only provides evidence to its age ascription, classification of the strata and its correlation to adjacent areas but also offers data to lithofacies, palaeogeography and tectonic pattern of studied area.

Determinants of growth of the flammable grass, Triodia scariosa: consequences for fuel dynamics under climate change in the Mediterranean region of South Eastern Australia

Environmental conditions may influence the presence and strength of competitive interactions between different life forms, thereby shaping community composition and structure, and corresponding fuel dynamics. Woodland and shrubland communities of the Mediterranean climate region of South Eastern Australia contain a varied mixture of herbaceous and woody plants. The ratio of herbaceous to woody plants changes along gradients of temperature, moisture and soil fertility. This study aimed to experimentally examine the relative importance of, and interactions between environmental controls (moisture and soil fertility) on the balance of dominant herbaceous (Triodia scariosa) and woody plants (e.g. Acacia ligulata and Leptospermum coriaceum) and their ultimate effects on fuel and fire regimes. The results suggest that environmental determinants of the growth of T. scariosa are likely to be more important than interactions with shrubs in controlling the distribution of T. scariosa. The growth of T. scariosa was consistently higher under hot temperatures and on the less fertile yellow sands, which dominate the south of the region. The results suggest that there is strong potential for the distribution and abundance of T. scariosa to be altered in the future with changes in temperature associated with climate change. The distribution of soil types across the Mediterranean climate region of South Eastern Australia may be predisposed to favour the southerly expansion of T. scariosa-dominated communities in the future under a warmer climate.

Terrain characteristics influencing aquifer salinisation of the Glenelg-Hopkins CMA region, using GIS

Salinisation of aquifers is an issue of great concern in the Glenelg-Hopkins region. The GlenelgHopkins region is located in south-west Victoria, south of the Great Dividing Range and covers 2.6 million hectares. The area receives an annual average rainfall of 500-910 mm and experiences a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cold wet winters and has varied geology and soil types. Terrain characteristics, such as soil type, geology, depth-to-water table, land use and topography have been integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS). A geostatistical approach, including the use of multiple linear regression is used to analyse the spatial variability of the relationships between aquifer salinity and terrain characteristics across the entire region. Results from this study should greatly improve knowledge of aquifer salinisation across the region. It is expected that this work will enable managers to determine the most appropriate mitigating measures for each specific area affected.

Distribution and abundance of seabirds in Western Port, Victoria

The distribution, abundance and biomass of seabirds in Western Port, Victoria, were surveyed between April 1991 and August 1994. Individuals were counted along an 81-km series of transects from a boat at approximately monthly intervals. A total of 25 seabird taxa were recorded, of which 18 and 15 were common to those recorded by an earlier study in Port Phillip Bay and waters south of Phillip Island, respectively. The most numerous species by far was the Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) followed by the Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae), Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) and Crested Tern (Sterna bergii). Distribution within Western Port was not uniform, with pursuit divers such as cormorant and grebe species being recorded mostly in the shallow Eastern Arm. In contrast, surface-seizing (e.g. albatrosses), surface-plunging (e.g. Crested Terns), shallow-plunging (Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator) and pursuit-plunging (e.g. shearwaters) species predominated in the deeper Western Arm of Western Port. These species were also seasonally abundant, with peak numbers for most occurring in late summer–early autumn, which coincides with the reported influx of juvenile clupeoid fish into Western Port. Average biomass (686 ± 395 kg) comprised mostly Short-tailed Shearwaters, Little Penguins and Pied Cormorants (Phalacrocorax varius). Biomass density (8.5 kg km^–2) was similar to that reported for Port Phillip Bay (8.1 kg km^–2) but lower than off the southern coast of Phillip Island (9.9 kg km^–2).

The North-South gap in overweight and obesity in England

Regional differences in overweight and obesity levels in England have mirrored those of CVD, with higher levels in the North. It is unclear whether the increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity over the last 15 years has been consistent in different regions of the country. BMI data from each of the health surveys for England conducted between 1993 and 2004 were analysed. Annual grouped estimates of the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≤ 25 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI ≤ 30 kg/m²) for the North and the South of England were produced by appropriately combining regional administrative authorities. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the independence of the geographical effect after adjustment for age and social class. The prevalence of both overweight and obesity in women has risen more quickly in the North than in the South between 1993 and 2004, leading to a widening of inequalities. The prevalence of both overweight and obesity in women in the South has remained reasonably stable since 1997. The prevalence rates of both conditions in men have risen in parallel in the North and the South between 1993 and 2004 by approximately 8%. The OR for obesity for young women increased between 1993/98 and 1998/2004 from 1·07 (1·00, 1·14) to 1·21 (1·13, 1·30). Widening geographical inequalities in overweight and obesity rates in women could lead to widening inequalities in cardiovascular and other diseases.

Towards a southern theory of higher education

Crudely, social inclusion in Australian higher education is a numbers game. While the student recruitment departments of universities focus on ‘bums on seats’, equity advocates draw attention to ‘which bums’, in ‘what proportions’, and, more to the point, ‘which seats’, ‘where’. But if the counting of bums is crude, so is the differentiation of seats. Just distinguishing between courses and universities and scrutinizing the distribution of groups, is a limited view of equity. The most prestigious seats of learning give students access primarily to dominant forms of knowledge and ways of thinking. In terms of access, it is to a diminished higher education, for all. Further, undergraduates – particularly in their first year – are rarely credited with having much to contribute. Higher education is the poorer for it. In this paper I propose an expanded conception for social inclusion and an enlarged regard for what is being accessed by students who gain entry to university. Drawing on Connell’s conception of ‘Southern Theory’, I highlight power/knowledge relations in higher education and particularly ‘southerners’: those under‐represented in universities – often located south of ENTER (Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank) cut‐offs – and whose cultural capital is similarly marginalised and discounted. While increasing regard for the importance of Indigenous knowledges is beginning to challenge the norms of higher education, we are yet to generalise such reconceptions of epistemology to include knowledges particular to people from regional and rural areas, with disabilities, and from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Nor have we really engaged with different ways of thinking about the physical and social worlds that are particular to these groups. To take account of marginalized forms of knowledge and of thinking will mean thinking differently about what higher education is and how it gets done.

Patterns of morphological and genetic variation in the endemic Malagasy bat Miniopterus gleni (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae), with the description of a new species, M. griffithsi

Over the past decade, major advances have been made concerning the systematics and species diversity of Malagasy bats, largely based on specimens collected during inventories and associated morphological and molecular genetic studies. Herein we describe a new species of endemic bat from southern Madagascar, Miniopterus griffithsi sp. n., which is the sister taxa to Miniopterus gleni, a taxon described in 1995 (holotype from Sarodrano, just north of the Onilahy River in the southwest). Based on current information, M. griffithsi is found in the sub-arid bioclimatic zone, south of the Onilahy River, and M. gleni occurs in a variety of different bioclimatic zones, north of the Onilahy River to the northern portion of the island and on the near shore island of Ile Sainte Marie. The realization that M. griffithsi was a separate entity was first based on phylogeographic studies of the M. gleni complex. Comparisons using 397 bp of mitochondrial cytochrome b found a divergence of 1.2% within animals occurring across much of Madagascar north of the Onilahy River, 0.07% in those south of the Onilahy River, and 7.4% in populations separated by this river. Subsequently, morphological characters were identified that supported the specific separation of populations occurring south (M. griffithsi) and north of the Onilahy River (M. gleni), which include tragus shape, pelage coloration, and skull proportions.

Towards a southern theory of student equity in Australian higher education : enlarging the rationale for expansion

Student equity in Australian higher education is a numbers game. While university student recruitment departments focus on ‘bums on seats’, equity advocates draw attention to which bums, in what proportions and, more to the point, which seats, where. But if the counting of ‘bums’ is crude, so is the differentiation of seats. Just distinguishing between courses and universities and scrutinizing the distribution of groups is a limited view of equity. This paper proposes an expanded conception for student equity and an enlarged regard for what is being accessed by students who gain entry to university. Drawing on Connell’s notion of ‘southern theory’, the paper highlights power/knowledge relations in higher education and particularly for ‘southerners’: those under-represented in universities, often located south of cut-off scores, and whose cultural capital is similarly marginalised and discounted. The paper concludes that taking account of marginalized forms of knowledge requires thinking differently about what higher education is and how it gets done.