Towards a feminization of agricultural labour in northwest Syria

Smallholdings in the rural areas of northwest Syria are a result of land fragmentation that is due to inheritance. Because of rapid population growth combined with land fragmentation, these smallholdings are increasing and cannot sustain the rural households whose sizes and needs are also increasing rapidly. This situation has led to increasing numbers of mates migrating to urban areas in Syria and to neighbouring countries looking for work opportunities. In addition, recent agricultural intensification trends seem to have led to the emergence of a waged labour force which, in the absence of male workers owing to significant rates of migration, is now predominantly female. Agricultural labour use depends upon household characteristics and resources (type of labour used, gender of labour waged/exchanged/familial). The article attempts to present a comprehensive analysis of household labour use in distinctive farming systems in one region of Syria that has undergone great change in recent decades, and examines the changes in the composition of the agricultural labour force. Secondary information, rapid rural appraisals and formal farm surveys were used to gather information on the households in a study area where different farming systems coexist. The results show that the decrease in landholding size, the resulting male migration, and land intensification have resulted in the expansion of female labour in agricultural production, which has been termed in this research a 'feminization of agricultural labour'. This suggests that agricultural research and extension services will have to work more with women farmers and farm workers, seek their wisdom and involve them in technology and tran, fer This is not easy in conservative societies but requires research and extension institutions to take this reality into consideration in their programmes.

A qualified defense of American drone attacks in northwest Pakistan under international humanitarian law

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, international law has had to grapple with the fundamental challenges that large-scale violence carried out by non-State actors poses to the traditional inter- State orientation of international law. Questions related to the “adequacy” and “effectiveness” of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the law related to the use of force have been particularly pronounced. This paper focuses on the international humanitarian law implications of American drone attacks in northwest Pakistan. A highly-advanced modality of modern warfare, armed drones highlight the possibilities, problems, prospects and pitfalls of high-tech warfare. How is the battlefield to be defined and delineated geographically and temporally? Who can be targeted, and by whom? Ultimately, this paper concludes that American drone attacks in northwest Pakistan are not unlawful as such under international humanitarian law, though, like any tactical decision in the context of asymmetric warfare, they should be continuously and closely monitored according to the dictates of law with sensitivity to facts on the ground.

Seasonal temperature variability of the Neoglacial (3300–2500 BP) and Roman Warm Period (2500–1600 BP) reconstructed from oxygen isotope ratios of limpet shells (Patella vulgata), Northwest Scotland

Seasonal sea-surface temperaturevariability for the Neoglacial (3300–2500 BP) and Roman WarmPeriod (RWP; 2500–1600 BP), which correspond to the Bronze and Iron Ages, respectively, was estimated using oxygen isotope ratios obtained from high-resolution samples micromilled from radiocarbon-dated, archaeological limpet (Patella vulgata) shells. The coldest winter months recorded in Neoglacial shells averaged 6.6 ± 0.3 °C, and the warmest summer months averaged 14.7 ± 0.4 °C. One Neoglacial shell captured a year without a summer, which may have resulted from a dust veil from a volcanic eruption in the Katla volcanic system in Iceland. RWP shells record average winter and summer monthly temperatures of 6.3 ± 0.1 °C and 13.3 ± 0.3 °C, respectively. These results capture a cooling transition from the Neoglacial to RWP, which is further supported by earlier studies of pine history in Scotland, pollen type analyses in northeast Scotland, and European glacial events. The cooling transition observed at the boundary between the Neoglacial and RWP in our study also agrees with the abrupt climate deterioration at 2800–2700 BP (also referred to as the Subboreal/Subatlantic transition) and therefore may have been driven by decreased solar radiation and weakened North Atlantic Oscillation conditions.

Identification and ranking of extraordinary rainfall events over northwest Italy: the role of Atlantic moisture

An objective identification and ranking of extraordinary rainfall events for Northwest Italy is established using time series of annual precipitation maxima for 1938–2002 at over 200 stations. Rainfall annual maxima are considered for five reference durations (1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h). In a first step, a day is classified as an extraordinary rainfall day when a regional threshold calculated on the basis of a two-components extreme value distribution is exceeded for at least one of the stations. Second, a clustering procedure taking into account the different rainfall durations is applied to the identified 163 events. Third, a division into six clusters is chosen using Ward's distance criteria. It is found that two of these clusters include the seven strongest events as quantified from a newly developed measure of intensity which combines rainfall intensities and spatial extension. Two other clusters include the weakest 72% historical events. The obtained clusters are analyzed in terms of typical synoptic characteristics. The two top clusters are characterized by strong and persistent upper air troughs inducing not only moisture advection from the North Atlantic into the Western Mediterranean but also strong northward flow towards the southern Alpine ranges. Humidity transports from the North Atlantic are less important for the weaker clusters. We conclude that moisture advection from the North Atlantic plays a relevant role in the magnitude of the extraordinary events over Northwest Italy.

Diet and lifestyle in Bronze Age Northwest Spain: the collective burial of Cova do Santo

A multidisciplinary investigation of the collective burial of Cova do Santo is presented as a novel approach to understand daily life during the Bronze Age in Northwest Iberia. The research is focused on three main aspects: i) taphonomy and patterns of disposal, ii) paleopathology and -demography as indicators of health status and lifestyle, and iii) stable isotope analysis to reconstruct paleodiet and to investigate the timing of the introduction of millet to the Iberian Peninsula. Osteological analyses were performed on 64 bones (61 human and 3 animal); additionally, bone collagen was extracted from 15 samples (13 human and 2 animal) and analyzed for its carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes composition. The radiocarbon age of the human remains is consistent with the Middle Bronze Age (c. 1890 to 1600 cal BC). The recovered remains belonged to a minimum number of 14 individuals with an estimated age at death of forty years or younger. This relatively young age is in contrast to a high prevalence of degenerative joint disease in the group. The isotopic results suggest a very homogeneous diet, which was almost exclusively based on C3 plants and terrestrial animal products. Overall, the data suggest that the studied population belonged to a period prior to the introduction of spring or summer-grown crops such as millets. The collective burial from the cave of Cova de Santo, Galicia, currently represents the largest assemblage of prehistoric human remains from Northwest Spain and the relatively good preservation of the bones offers a unique opportunity to investigate daily life in Northern Iberia during the Bronze Age.

Spatial and temporal variations of the seasonal sea level cycle in the northwest Pacific

The seasonal sea level variations observed from tide gauges over 1900-2013 and gridded satellite altimeter product AVISO over 1993-2013 in the northwest Pacific have been explored. The seasonal cycle is able to explain 60-90% of monthly sea level variance in the marginal seas, while it explains less than 20% of variance in the eddy-rich regions. The maximum annual and semi-annual sea level cycles (30cm and 6cm) are observed in the north of the East China Sea and the west of the South China Sea respectively. AVISO was found to underestimate the annual amplitude by 25% compared to tide gauge estimates along the coasts of China and Russia. The forcing for the seasonal sea level cycle was identified. The atmospheric pressure and the steric height produce 8-12cm of the annual cycle in the middle continental shelf and in the Kuroshio Current regions separately. The removal of the two attributors from total sea level permits to identify the sea level residuals that still show significant seasonality in the marginal seas. Both nearby wind stress and surface currents can explain well the long-term variability of the seasonal sea level cycle in the marginal seas and the tropics because of their influence on the sea level residuals. Interestingly, the surface currents are a better descriptor in the areas where the ocean currents are known to be strong. Here, they explain 50-90% of inter-annual variability due to the strong links between the steric height and the large-scale ocean currents.

Two new species of Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae) from the Caatinga, Northwest Brazil

Two syntopic species of Cnemidophorus are described from the Caatingas of the Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusoes (PNSC), located in the Southwestern region of the state of Piaui in Brazil. Both species are assigned to the ocellifer group, differing from all other members of the group by their distinct color pattern and lepidosis. Besides these differences, both new species share a number of particular features with other members of the group. One of them, C. venetacaudus, shares with C. abaetensis and C. littoralis the presence of spurs in the heels of males, six supraciliar scales, a high number of femoral pores (from 21-45), a row of enlarged scales in the dorsal region of the arm, 8-10 rows of ventral scales, and a bright bluish-green tail, while the other species, C. confusionibus, shares with C. ocellifer, C. mumbuca, and C. jalapensis a low number of femoral pores, enlarged scales in the temporal region (posterior to third subocular), 5 supraciliar scales, and 6-8 rows of ventral scales. Based on these comparisons, we suggest that the ocellifer group is more complex than previously admitted, being composed by at least two morphologically recognizable species subgroups.

Arterial spin labeling of cerebral perfusion territories using a seperate labeling coil

Purpose: To obtain cerebral perfusion territories of the left, the right. and the posterior circulation in humans with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and robust delineation. Materials and Methods: Continuous arterial spin labeling (CASL) was implemented using a dedicated radio frequency (RF) coil. positioned over the neck, to label the major cerebral feeding arteries in humans. Selective labeling was achieved by flow-driven adiabatic fast passage and by tilting the longitudinal labeling gradient about the Y-axis by theta = +/- 60 degrees. Results: Mean cerebral blood flow (CBF) values in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) were 74 +/- 13 mL center dot 100 g(-1) center dot minute(-1) and 14 +/- 13 mL center dot 100 g(-1) center dot minute(-1), respectively (N = 14). There were no signal differences between left and right hemispheres when theta = 0 degrees (P > 0.19), indicating efficient labeling of both hemispheres. When theta = +60 degrees, the signal in GM on the left hemisphere, 0.07 +/- 0.06%, was 92% lower than on the right hemisphere. 0.85 +/- 0.30% (P < 1 x 10(-9)). while for theta = -60 degrees, the signal in the right hemisphere. 0.16 +/- 0.13%, was 82% lower than on the contralateral side. 0.89 +/- 0.22% (P < 1 x 10(-10)). Similar attenuations were obtained in WM. Conclusion: Clear delineation of the left and right cerebral perfusion territories was obtained, allowing discrimination of the anterior and posterior circulation in each hemisphere.

Petrogenesis of Upper Paleozoic post-collisional peraluminous leucogranites, Sierra de Ancasti, northwest Argentina

The Santa Rosa and Sauce Guacho plutons are two post-collisional peraluminous Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous leucogranites that intruded the banded schists of the Ancasti Formation. The leucogranites are composed of microcline phenocrysts along with quartz, plagioclase, muscovite, biotite, ilmenite, tourmaline, apatite, monazite and zircon. Their geochemical composition is consistent with S-type granites and mineralogically they belong to MPG granites (muscovite-peraluminous granites). It is proposed that granite magma generation was related to shear zones that concentrated fluids in the metasedimentary crust during a collision or transcurrent tectonics. U-Pb analyses on monazite gave an age of 369.8 +/- 5.3 Ma, while Sm/Nd isotopic data yield epsilon(Nd(t)) values of -5.3 for Sauce Guacho and -5.7 for Santa Rosa indicating crustal provenance. Nd model ages between 1,544 and 1,571 Ma are within the range of magmatic rocks from the Lower Ordovician Famatinian Arc in the Central Sierras Pampeanas.

Evaluation of ten tropical grasses in the northwest region of the state of Sao-Paulo Brazil

The experiment was carried out in the northwest region of the State of São Paulo-Brazil to evaluate ten grasses recently introduced in the region. The grasses studied were: Cynodon nlemfuensis cv. Tifton 68, C dacrylon cv. Tifton 78, Cynodon spp. cv. Tifton 85, C. dactylon cv. Florakirk, C. nlemfuensis cv. Florico, C nlemfuensis cv. Florona, C dactylon cv. Coastcross, Paspalum notation cv. Tifton and NDF (717 to 749 g.kg(-1)) were observed in the Cynodon cultivars while lower values of CP (102 and 107 g.kg(-1)) and NDF (697 and 705 g.kg(-1)) were registered in the cvs. Marandu and Tanzania 1. The contents of ADF were higher in the the cvs. Tanzania 1 and Tifton 9. The average values of IVDMD differed (Ppound0.05) among grasses and were all above 564 g.kg(-1), except for cv. Tifton-9 (499 g.kg(-1)). The results obtained in this work allowed to conclude that the cvs. Tifton 78, Tifton 85, Coastcross, Florona, and Tanzania 1 are interesting options for pastures establishment in the northwest region of the State of São Paulo-Brazil.

Cryptosporidium spp. infection in mares and foals of the northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a ocorrência da infecção por Cryptosporidium spp. em éguas e seus respectivos potros. Este estudo foi realizado em 11 fazendas localizadas nos municípios de Araçatuba, Birigui, Guararapes e Santo Antônio do Aracangua, na região Noroeste do Estado de São Paulo, de novembro de 2010 a março de 2011. Um total de 98 éguas e 98 potros de diversas raças foram analisados, sendo que, entre os filhotes, 59 eram machos e 39 fêmeas, cujas idades variavam de três até 330 dias. Fezes foram colhidas diretamente da ampola retal, purificadas e processadas pela técnica de Kinyoun modificada. A ocorrência de Cryptosporidium spp. observada foi de 21,4% (21/98) para potros e 18,4% (18/98) para éguas. A ocorrência de Cryptosporidium spp. teve uma associação significativa com a raça e a idade dos animais. A partir dos resultados obtidos, conclui-se neste estudo que potros com idade superior a dois meses e animais da raça Mangalarga foram menos susceptíveis à ocorrência de Cryptosporidium spp.

Population biology of shrimp Macrobrachium jelskii (Miers, 1778) (Decapoda, Palaemonoidea) at the Grande River at northwest of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

OBJETIVO: A biologia populacional do camarão de água doce Macrobrachium jelskii foi investigada, com ênfase na distribuição de frequência em classes de tamanho, razão sexual, período reprodutivo e recrutamento juvenil. Além disso, a abundância dos indivíduos foi correlacionada com os fatores abióticos. MÉTODOS: Amostras foram coletadas mensalmente de julho de 2005 a junho de 2007, às margens do Rio Grande, região de Planura, estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil (20º 09' S e 48º 40' W), usando uma rede de arrasto (1.0 mm tamanho da malha e 2.0 × 0.5 m de largura). O equipamento foi arrastado por duas pessoas às margens da vegetação do rio por 100 metros de distância, percorridos por uma hora. em laboratório, os espécimes foram identificados, mensurados e sexados. RESULTADOS: Um total de 2,789 espécimes foi analisado, no qual correspondem a 1,126 machos (549 jovens e 577 adultos) e 1,663 fêmeas (1,093 jovens, 423 adultos não ovígeras e 147 ovígeras). A razão sexual diferiu significativamente a favor de fêmeas de M. jelskii (1:1.48; χ² = 103.95; p < 0.0001). A média de tamanho do comprimento da carapaça (CL) das fêmeas (6.32 ± 1.84 mm CL) foi estatisticamente maior do que dos machos (5.50 ± 1.07 mm CL) (p < 0.001). A distribuição de freqüência em classes de tamanho dos espécimes revela um padrão de distribuição unimodal e não normal para machos e fêmeas (W = 0.945; p < 0.01). Não foi observada relação entre a abundância de M. jelskii e as variáveis ambientais (p = 0.799). CONCLUSÃO: A presença de fêmeas ovígeras e jovens na população sugere um padrão de reprodução e recrutamento contínuos para M. jelskii na região de Planura.

Peripheral position of CCND1 and HER-2/neu oncogenes within chromosome territories in esophageal and gastric cancers non-related to amplification and overexpression

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)