Comparison between detailed digital and conventional soil maps of an area with complex geology

Since different pedologists will draw different soil maps of a same area, it is important to compare the differences between mapping by specialists and mapping techniques, as for example currently intensively discussed Digital Soil Mapping. Four detailed soil maps (scale 1:10.000) of a 182-ha sugarcane farm in the county of Rafard, São Paulo State, Brazil, were compared. The area has a large variation of soil formation factors. The maps were drawn independently by four soil scientists and compared with a fifth map obtained by a digital soil mapping technique. All pedologists were given the same set of information. As many field expeditions and soil pits as required by each surveyor were provided to define the mapping units (MUs). For the Digital Soil Map (DSM), spectral data were extracted from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery as well as six terrain attributes from the topographic map of the area. These data were summarized by principal component analysis to generate the map designs of groups through Fuzzy K-means clustering. Field observations were made to identify the soils in the MUs and classify them according to the Brazilian Soil Classification System (BSCS). To compare the conventional and digital (DSM) soil maps, they were crossed pairwise to generate confusion matrices that were mapped. The categorical analysis at each classification level of the BSCS showed that the agreement between the maps decreased towards the lower levels of classification and the great influence of the surveyor on both the mapping and definition of MUs in the soil map. The average correspondence between the conventional and DSM maps was similar. Therefore, the method used to obtain the DSM yielded similar results to those obtained by the conventional technique, while providing additional information about the landscape of each soil, useful for applications in future surveys of similar areas.

Turkey's Accession to the European Union in terms of impact on the EU's security and defense policies: potential and drawbacks

This study explores the impact of Turkey's likely entry in the European Union (EU) in terms of the EU's foreign, security and defense policies. It reviews Turkish capabilities, namely its military capabilities, which could provide the EU with valuable defense assets. There are differences related to Turkey's relations with the EU, which have increasingly spilled over into the NATO, hindering the development of cooperation over crisis management operations. The article then delves in the implications of Turkey's strategic geographical location to EU policies. It reviews how far the EU and Turkey may have convergent interests in some of the neighboring regions, especially in the Middle East.

Human Rights promotion in Serbia: a difficult task for the European Union

This article explores the role of the European Union in the human rights protection, implementation and promotion in Serbia. It is clear that the EU demands on democratisation in the region of Western Balkans are crucial to achieve the respect for human rights. The human rights standards as part of the conditionality criteria of the EU is a clear message towards the countries aspiring membership. However, Serbia progress in the field has been difficult due to several internal constraints. This paper aims to uncover the democratisation process of Serbia on its path towards the EU, and its progress (or not) regarding human rights protection and implementation.

The contribution of the European Union to global climate change governance: explaining the conditions for EU actorness

Como organização regional, o papel da União Europeia na governança global do clima enfrenta obstáculos que não se aplicam a nenhuma outra parte da Convenção-Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre a Mudança do Clima (CQNUMC) e do Protocolo de Quioto. Avaliando essa singularidade, este artigo fornece uma analise teórica e empírica de como os elementos de actorness (reconhecimento, capacidade, oportunidade e coesão) definem a participação da UE no regime internacional de mudanças climáticas.

Vietnam's strategic hedging vis-à-vis China: the roles of the European Union and Russia

Against the backdrop of China's assertive policies in the South China Sea, the present study evaluates how Vietnam has sought to mitigate the increasingly unequal regional power distribution vis-à-vis China. It argues that Vietnam tends to cope with China mainly by engaging itself in hedging strategies on the basis of diversified and strong relationships with different players. Appraising the roles of Russia and the European Union (EU), the study analyzes the pay-offs of Vietnam's military hedging with Russia and its economic hedging with the EU.

Multi-level governance and social cohesion in the European Union: the assessment of local agents, a study case inside Galicia

Implementing multi-level governance has been a key priority in EU cohesion policy. This study assesses the perceived achievements and shortcomings in implementing European Social Fund by analyzing the deficits and weaknesses as well as the poor participation of local agents who are in direct contact with the beneficiaries in order to design and implement this fund, which is the main financial instrument of EU social policy.

EU Commission participation in the Troika mission: is there a European Union price to pay?

The article is intended to debate two questions regarding the involvement of the Commission in the Troika's action: firstly, considering the nature of financial assistance programs, it aims to discuss the effect of the Commission's participation in Troika negotiations on the balance of power of the EU institutions; and secondly, the article raises the issue of the Commission's liability for the results achieved by the financial assistance program, taking into account the extent of the conditions imposed, as well as the intensity of scrutiny by the Troika.

Reshaping European Union development policy: collective choices and the new global order

Abstract The European Union (EU) is one of the world´s leading donors in official development assistance (ODA) to give a strong weight in the relationship with recipient partner countries, in particular with those that are more dependent on it. Besides the material weight of its funding, the EU has retained historical ties and influence in diplomatic, political and economic terms in many of its ODA recipient partner countries (particular in Sub-Saharan Africa). Since the 2000s, the EU development policy has not only undergone major structural changes in its institutional framework but also has started to face a new international aid scenario. This paper explores why a normative-based EU development policy is being challenged by reformed EU institutions and a new global order, and how the EU is attempting to respond to this context in face of the deepest recession since the end of the Second World War.

The European Union and the Member States: two different perceptions of border

Abstract In this article we analyze two different perceptions of border inside Europe. On the one hand, we have the perception idealized by the European Union as an international organization, which believes that states benefit more from cooperation and dilution of borders in a common space than from keeping its borders as a symbol of its sovereignty. On the other hand, we have the European member states, taken individually, with particular interests and goals that, given the threat of illegal immigration, which is currently felt in the large-scale Europe, adopt a realistic perception of the border, and look at each territory as a space that needs protection from external threats. Following this argument, we reason that the current construction of walls in several European countries reflects the rebirth of a realistic perception of the border, and this is one more challenge for Europe regarding its unity and solidarity. Is this the end of the Schengen Agreement? What is going to happen to the European project if each state unilaterally adopts a strategy to deal with illegal immigration and refugees that are coming to Europe? Can immigration lead to a retrocession of the EU idealist significance of border?

Pagamento de proventos versus preços deações maduras e em expansão segundo Kohonen Maps

Este estudo investiga se a política de distribuição de resultados seria capaz de alterar os preços das ações de uma empresa. O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir os impactos do pagamento de proventos sobre os preços das ações, na data ex direito, de empresas maduras e de empresas em expansão, considerando-se ainda o efeito da classe da ação (ordinária ou preferencial) sobre os resultados. Para tal, adotou-se a metodologia de dados em painel, segmentando a amostra a partir dos Mapas Auto-organizáveis de Kohonen. Os resultados revelam que a estratégia de curto prazo de comprar ações na última data com, vender na primeira data ex e embolsar os dividendos é capaz de gerar perdas de capital que superam em até quatro vezes o ganho líquido decorrente do provento embolsado.

Malaria at Humaita county, Amazonas state, Brazil: XVII — immune response in patients with Plasmodium falciparum according to gametocytes

In August 1983 the Authors studied 36 patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria and 14 normal individuals born in Humaita region who had never had malaria, had no spleen enlargement and had negative parasitemia as well as passive hemagglutination. Medical histories were obtained and complete physical examination were performed in all of them just as blood tests, parasite density and lymphocyte typing. The lymphocytes were separated and then frozen in liquid nitrogen for later typing by rosette formation. The patients were divided in two groups according to the presence (13 patients) or abscence (23 patients) of gametocytes before treatment. Severe malaria was predominant in the group without gametocytes. The results showed a decrease in the T-cell numbers in Plasmodium falciparum acute malaria patients both with or without gametocytes before the treatment, while B-cell numbers were normal only in the patients with gametocytes. These observations as like as those previously reported by the Authors, permit to associate the presence of gametocytes in peripheral blood and normal number of B-cells in patients with mild Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Cryptosporidiosis among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the county of São Paulo, Brazil

Stool samples of 157 patients with AIDS, living in the county of São Paulo, were submitted to several techniques in the search for Cryptosporidium sp.. Among the various techniques tested for slide preparation (direct smear, spontaneous sedimentation method, and formol-ether concentration), the latter, formol-ether concentration, offered the best results, clearly outdoing all the others. Nineteen samples out of 157 prepared by this technique, after dyeing by the Kinyoun method or by carbol fuchsin dimethyl sulfoxide, were found to be positive for Cryptosporidium sp..

Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in dogs from Cotia county, São Paulo State, Brazil

Dogs sera samples collected from Cotia County, São Paulo were tested using indirect immunoenzymatic test (ELISA) in order to study Lyme disease serology in dogs. ELISA method was standardized and G39/40 North American strain of Borrelia burgdorferi was used as antigen. Positive results were confirmed employing the Western blotting technique. Because of the possibility of cross-reactions, sera were also tested for different serological strains of Leptospira interrogans and L. biflexa using microscopic sera agglutination test. Twenty-three of 237 (9.7%) serum samples were positive in the ELISA; 20 of them (86.9%) were confirmed by the Western blotting, what suggests that Cotia may be a risk area for Lyme disease. Although 4 samples (1.7%) were positive for Lyme disease and leptospirosis, no correlation was found between the results (X² = 0.725; p = 0.394) what suggests absence of serological cross reactivity.