Flash floods and their effects on the development in El-Qaá plain area in South Sinai, Egypt

The arid regions are dominated to a much larger degree than humid regions by major catastrophic events. Although most of Egypt lies within the great hot desert belt; it experiences especially in the north some torrential rainfall, which causes flash floods all over Sinai Peninsula. Flash floods in hot deserts are characterized by high velocity and low duration with a sharp discharge peak. Large sediment loads may be carried by floods threatening fields and settlements in the wadis and even people who are living there. The extreme spottiness of rare heavy rainfall, well known to desert people everywhere, precludes any efficient forecasting. Thus, although the limitation of data still reflects pre-satellite methods, chances of developing a warning system for floods in the desert seem remote. The relatively short flood-to-peak interval, a characteristic of desert floods, presents an additional impediment to the efficient use of warning systems. The present thesis contains introduction and five chapters, chapter one points out the physical settings of the study area. There are the geological settings such as outcrop lithology of the study area and the deposits. The alluvial deposits of Wadi Moreikh had been analyzed using OSL dating to know deposits and palaeoclimatic conditions. The chapter points out as well the stratigraphy and the structure geology containing main faults and folds. In addition, it manifests the pesent climate conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind and evaporation. Besides, it presents type of soils and natural vegetation cover of the study area using unsupervised classification for ETM+ images. Chapter two points out the morphometric analysis of the main basins and their drainage network in the study area. It is divided into three parts: The first part manifests the morphometric analysis of the drainage networks which had been extracted from two main sources, topographic maps and DEM images. Basins and drainage networks are considered as major influencing factors on the flash floods; Most of elements were studied which affect the network such as stream order, bifurcation ratio, stream lengths, stream frequency, drainage density, and drainage patterns. The second part of this chapter shows the morphometric analysis of basins such as area, dimensions, shape and surface. Whereas, the third part points the morphometric analysis of alluvial fans which form most of El-Qaá plain. Chapter three manifests the surface runoff through rainfall and losses analysis. The main subject in this chapter is rainfall which has been studied in detail; it is the main reason for runoff. Therefore, all rainfall characteristics are regarded here such as rainfall types, distribution, rainfall intensity, duration, frequency, and the relationship between rainfall and runoff. While the second part of this chapter concerns with water losses estimation by evaporation and infiltration which are together the main losses with direct effect on the high of runoff. Finally, chapter three points out the factors influencing desert runoff and runoff generation mechanism. Chapter four is concerned with assessment of flood hazard, it is important to estimate runoff and tocreate a map of affected areas. Therefore, the chapter consists of four main parts; first part manifests the runoff estimation, the different methods to estimate runoff and its variables such as runoff coefficient lag time, time of concentration, runoff volume, and frequency analysis of flash flood. While the second part points out the extreme event analysis. The third part shows the map of affected areas for every basin and the flash floods degrees. In this point, it has been depending on the DEM to extract the drainage networks and to determine the main streams which are normally more dangerous than others. Finally, part four presets the risk zone map of total study area which is of high inerest for planning activities. Chapter five as the last chapter concerns with flash flood Hazard mitigation. It consists of three main parts. First flood prediction and the method which can be used to predict and forecast the flood. The second part aims to determine the best methods which can be helpful to mitigate flood hazard in the arid zone and especially the study area. Whereas, the third part points out the development perspective for the study area indicating the suitable places in El-Qaá plain for using in economic activities.

Fremder Bruder: die Teilungssituation zwischen Süd- und Nordkorea im Spiegel des koreanischen Films seit dem Korea-Krieg

Als charakteristische Besonderheit in der koreanischen Geschichte besitzt der Korea-Krieg eine wichtige Position, so dass er bisher die gesamte Landesstruktur und -geschichte stark beeinflusst hat. Das gilt auch für die koreanische Filmgeschichte und nach dem Korea-Krieg im Jahr 1950 wurde in den Filmen das Thema „Landesteilung“ häufig aufgegriffen und bis heute oft behandelt.rnIn dieser Untersuchung werden solche Filme als Konflikt-Filme bezeichnet, die die Spaltung des Landes und die Beziehungen zu Nordkorea thematisieren, und insgesamt 60 Beispielfilme aus verschiedenen Filmgenres seit dem Ende des Korea-Kriegs bis zur Gegenwart analysiert und unter dem Aspekt beleuchtet, wie diese politischen und gesellschaftlichen Themen über das Verhältnis zwischen Süd- und Nordkorea repräsentiert werden. Mit Hilfe von Beispielfilmen wird versucht, herauszufinden, wie stark und unterschiedlich der Bruderkrieg und die davon abgeleitete Teilung des Landes in südkoreanischen Filmen im Wandel der Geschichte widergespiegelt werden. rnDiese Arbeit setzt sich zuerst mit Kracauers Spiegeltheorie, einer filmsoziologischen Theorie, und der Genretheorie als wichtigen theoretischen Überlegungen auseinander, um zu verdeutlichen, in welchem Bezug Konfliktfilme über die südkoreanische Gesellschaft angesehen werden und welche Rolle sie als Spiegel der Gesellschaft spielen, um gesellschaftliche Stimmungen, Bewusstseinsformen und Wünsche zu verdeutlichen. Dabei werden die kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen sowie filmwirtschaftlichen Aspekte berücksichtigt. rnDie vorliegende Arbeit bietet einen umfangreichen Überblick über den Konfliktfilm im südkoreanischen Kino seit dem Korea-Krieg. Die koreanischen Konflikt-Filme als regional-spezifische Filmkategorie stehen im engen Zusammenhang mit dieser politischen Situation und die Darstellung sowie Thematisierung Nordkoreas werden jeweils durch die verschiedenen Generationen der Filmemacher unterschiedlich präsentiert. Im südkoreanischen Diskurs bilden sie ein eigenes Genre, das alle klassischen und gemischten Filmgenres integriert; im Wandel der Geschichte haben sie sich dabei stetig weiterentwickelt, in engem Zusammenhang mit der Politik der verschiedenen Präsidenten Südkoreas gegenüber Nordkorea. rn

Sustainable regional development: Reconciling global and local dynamics and stakes in the Swiss Alps

This article explores how global and local dynamics and stakes can be brought together when trying to combine conservation and regional development. For this purpose we analyse a series of studies carried out in the area of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site (WHS). The approaches used in these studies to analyse the diversity and development of the region included data collection and evaluation of indicators such as population development, number of working places, occupation rates in various economic sectors and commuter balance, as well as interviews with key informants and assessment of existing planning tools. The major challenge of the newly declared World Heritage Region is that it is neither a political or administrative nor a cultural unit but constitutes a completely new type of space that breaks up and crosses traditional boundaries. The studies revealed an economic tertiarisation process and migration of the population from remote areas to regional centres. Tourism was identified as the key economic sector in the region. Regarding regional sustainability, the studies identified a need for quality dialogue and negotiation of interests and stakes. It was shown that in dealing with sustainability at the local level, many key issues cannot be resolved on the ground, as they depend on regional or national decisions, e.g. the conditions for tourism promotion in the region or economic validation of agricultural activity. We conclude from these findings that national or even international factors do not provide a basis for location-specific solutions, as they are often too general, and that the global label does not ensure sustainability in a designated WHS region; this depends entirely on local and regional dynamics.

Reducing vulnerability to climate change in the Swiss Alps: a study of adaptive planning

The Swiss Alps will experience pronounced effects of climate change due to the combination of their latitudinal positioning, altitude and unique ecosystems, placing socio-economic stresses on alpine communities, many of which rely on seasonal tourism. Studies into tourism adaptation within the Swiss Alps have so far focused on the technical adaptation options of alpine stakeholders, rather than perceptions of adaptation to climate change at the operational and community level. This article investigates attitudes to adaptation in two alpine regions within Switzerland's well-established decentralized political framework, through semi-structured qualitative interviews. Stakeholders focused almost entirely on maintaining the status quo of winter tourism, through technical or marketing measures, with mixed attitudes towards climatic impacts. A matrix based on the relative internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats of adaptation measures (a SWOT framework) was used to assess the measures and suggest how stakeholders could capitalize on the new opportunities thrown up by climate change to create a competitive advantage. A comprehensive and collaborative planning approach is vital to enable policy makers and stakeholders to maximize opportunities, minimize the adverse effects of climate change on the local economy, and develop inclusive adaptation measures that benefit the entire region in order to create more sustainable social, economic and environmental structures.

The Politics of Purchasing Power: Feminist Tourism and Women's Development in Nepal

My purpose in this essay is to explore how ideas about women and development are created and circulated at the moment of consumption of wares produced at a women's development project in Nepal. I analyze the project as an example of the ways that women's development is an object of material and discursive consumption. Artifacts produced and sold by Nepali women, and purchased by tourists from the "first world," become part of an international exchange of power, money, and meaning. Based on a survey of consumers and ethnographic observations, I conclude that feminist tourists forge relations with disempowered "Others" through the pleasurable activity of an alienated market transaction. Consumers of crafts produced at a women's development project assume a position of empowerment and enlightenment, ready to help out their "women" counterparts through their support of an enterprise with circular logic: within the industry of development (although not necessarily for feminist tourists themselves), at least one of the central projects of development is the development project itself. At the same time, feminist tourists locate themselves outside the oppressive structures and ideologies affecting their "third-world sisters." This is a relation of sympathy and imagined empathy, with no sense of differential location within systems of oppression. They fail to examine or articulate the global link between their own purchasing power and local living conditions of Maithil women; the connection is effectively built out of the discourse.

Seasonal variation in orthopedic health services utilization in Switzerland: the impact of winter sport tourism

BACKGROUND: Climate- or holiday-related seasonality in hospital admission rates is well known for many diseases. However, little research has addressed the impact of tourism on seasonality in admission rates. We therefore investigated the influence of tourism on emergency admission rates in Switzerland, where winter and summer leisure sport activities in large mountain regions can generate orthopedic injuries. METHODS: Using small area analysis, orthopedic hospital service areas (HSAo) were evaluated for seasonality in emergency admission rates. Winter sport areas were defined using guest bed accommodation rate patterns of guest houses and hotels located above 1000 meters altitude that show clear winter and summer peak seasons. Emergency admissions (years 2000-2002, n = 135'460) of local and nonlocal HSAo residents were evaluated. HSAo were grouped according to their area type (regular or winter sport area) and monthly analyses of admission rates were performed. RESULTS: Of HSAo within the defined winter sport areas 70.8% show a seasonal, summer-winter peak hospital admission rate pattern and only 1 HSAo outside the defined winter sport areas shows such a pattern. Seasonal hospital admission rates in HSAo in winter sport areas can be up to 4 times higher in winter than the intermediate seasons, and they are almost entirely due to admissions of nonlocal residents. These nonlocal residents are in general -and especially in winter- younger than local residents, and nonlocal residents have a shorter length of stay in winter sport than in regular areas. The overall geographic distribution of nonlocal residents admitted for emergencies shows highest rates during the winter as well as the summer in the winter sport areas. CONCLUSION: Small area analysis using orthopedic hospital service areas is a reliable method for the evaluation of seasonality in hospital admission rates. In Switzerland, HSAo defined as winter sport areas show a clear seasonal fluctuation in admission rates of only nonlocal residents, whereas HSAo defined as regular, non-winter sport areas do not show such seasonality. We conclude that leisure sport, and especially ski/snowboard tourism demands great flexibility in hospital beds, staff and resource planning in these areas.

Computed tomographic and radiographic examination of dental structures in South American camelid specimen of different ages.

BACKGROUND Tooth root problems and periodontal diseases are common in South American camelids (SAC). The objective was to evaluate and optimize the imaging technique for dental radiography in SAC and to describe the radiographic and computed tomographic (CT) anatomy of normal teeth at different ages. In this study, the heads of 20 healthy SAC slaughtered for meat production or euthanized for reasons not related to dental problems included 7 female and 10 male llamas and 3 male alpacas. Using a standardized protocol, radiographs and CT scans of the 20 specimen were performed. RESULTS The most useful radiographic projections for mandibular and maxillary cheek teeth evaluation turned out to be lateral30°ventral-laterodorsal and lateral30°dorsal-lateroventral with slight separation of the dental arcades respectively. Digital radiographic and CT appearance of the mandibular and maxillary teeth were described from the beginning of mineralization till maturity. In addition the normal range of the CT radio density of different cheek teeth and different dental tissues were measured. Hounsfield units of different dental tissues of SAC turned out to be similar to equids. Deviation, shortening and partial destruction of the distal tooth root of mandibular 09's and 10's and of maxillary 09's was observed and the existence of a common pulp chamber in younger teeth was revealed. CONCLUSIONS The present study provides information about the dental imaging morphology in clinically healthy SAC. This basic information provides fundamental knowledge for evaluating images and planning treatments in clinically affected animals.

Assessing and mapping LD and SLM to directly support the planning and scaling up of SLM interventions to combat desertification

Global investment in Sustainable Land Management (SLM) has been substantial, but knowledge gaps remain. Overviews of where land degradation (LD) is taking place and how land users are addressing the problem using SLM are still lacking for most individual countries and regions. Relevant maps focus more on LD than SLM, and they have been compiled using different methods. This makes it impossible to compare the benefits of SLM interventions and prevents informed decision-making on how best to invest in land. To fill this knowledge gap, a standardised mapping method has been collaboratively developed by the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), FAO’s Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) project, and the EU’s Mitigating Desertification and Remediating Degraded Land (DESIRE) project. The method generates information on the distribution and characteristics of LD and SLM activities and can be applied at the village, national, or regional level. It is based on participatory expert assessment, documents, and surveys. These data sources are spatially displayed across a land-use systems base map. By enabling mapping of the DPSIR framework (Driving Forces-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses) for degradation and conservation, the method provides key information for decision-making. It may also be used to monitor LD and conservation following project implementation. This contribution explains the mapping method, highlighting findings made at different levels (national and local) in South Africa and the Mediterranean region. Keywords: Mapping, Decision Support, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Ecosystem Services, Participatory Expert Assessment

Scheduling in service systems: an application in the event-tourism industry

This paper deals with an event-bus tour booked by Bollywood film fans. During the tour, the participants visit selected locations of famous Bollywood films at various sites in Switzerland. Moreover, the tour includes stops for lunch and shopping. Each day, up to five buses operate the tour; for organizational reasons, two or more buses cannot stay at the same location simultaneously. The planning problem is how to compute a feasible schedule for each bus such that the total waiting time (primary objective) and the total travel time (secondary objective) are minimized. We formulate this problem as a mixed-integer linear program, and we report on computational results obtained with the Gurobi solver.

A mixed-integer linear programming approach to the optimization of event-bus schedules: a scheduling application in the tourism sector

This paper deals with “The Enchanted Journey,” which is a daily event tour booked by Bollywood-film fans. During the tour, the participants visit original sites of famous Bollywood films at various locations in Switzerland; moreover, the tour includes stops for lunch and shopping. Each day, up to five buses operate the tour. For operational reasons, however, two or more buses cannot stay at the same location simultaneously. Further operative constraints include time windows for all activities and precedence constraints between some activities. The planning problem is how to compute a feasible schedule for each bus. We implement a two-step hierarchical approach. In the first step, we minimize the total waiting time; in the second step, we minimize the total travel time of all buses. We present a basic formulation of this problem as a mixed-integer linear program. We enhance this basic formulation by symmetry-breaking constraints, which reduces the search space without loss of generality. We report on computational results obtained with the Gurobi Solver. Our numerical results show that all relevant problem instances can be solved using the basic formulation within reasonable CPU time, and that the symmetry-breaking constraints reduce that CPU time considerably.

Attitudes toward end-of-life decision making in South Texas

Advance care planning has the potential to create positive outcomes in the realm of end-of-life health care. The completion of advance directives and living wills are vital in equipping patients with autonomy and ensuring that their end-of-life wishes are respected. However, there remains a lack of knowledge and low completion rates of advance directives despite their possible improvements and ramifications on health care at the end of life. This study seeks to determine the knowledge of and attitudes towards end-of-life decision-making in South Texas. The study is designed as a cross-sectional, exploratory survey using a descriptive survey instrument to query 71 subjects in South Texas. The setting for the study includes three distinct groups, two in San Antonio, Texas and one in Brownsville, Texas. Unique differences in demographics between the three groups, such as variability in age, ethnicity, language and religious affiliation allowed for preliminary associations to be concluded in describing the results of the survey instrument. Ultimately, this study describes the attitudes and perceptions of advance care planning in South Texas and reveals the need for further education and awareness of the topic, perhaps indicating the need for a public health initiative in this regard.^

Planktonic foraminifera and stable isotopic record of sediments from the east Sea of Korea

Foraminiferal assemblage and stable isotopic data are presented for three Quaternary piston cores from Ulleung Basin, East Sea of Korea ((ESK) Japan Sea) near the Korean Peninsula. Major changes in both temperature and salinity strongly affected surface and deep waters of the ESK during the transition from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the middle Holocene. Local environmental effects dominated during the LGM and the Bølling/Allerød (B/A) when the ESK became semi-isolated from the Pacific Ocean. Regional/global influences dominated following the B/A, after sufficient reconnection with the Pacific. This is reflected in the foraminiferal d18O record which was largely salinity-controlled before the Younger Dryas (YD) and temperature-controlled after the YD. Paleoceanographic changes in the ESK during the last deglaciation reflect sequential reconnection with the Pacific Ocean, through gateways, first (B/A) in the north (Tsugaru Strait) and later (Holocene) in the south (Korea Strait).

Transformaciones territoriales y análisis geográfico en ámbitos patagónicos de montaña : La comarca andina del paralelo 42

El estudio de las transformaciones territoriales en esta parte del Sur del país obedece en especial a dos circunstancias de distinta índole. La primera vinculada a la investigación y su potencial trascendencia teórica y práctica en contextos académicos y profesionales interesados por comprender las características de la instalación humana en ámbitos sujetos a importantes cambios. La segunda responde al desenvolvimiento incierto de las comarcas andino patagónicas frente a hechos, propuestas y proyectos referentes a cuestiones de decisiva impronta regional. Se trata de territorios en plena gestación identitaria, donde es habitual lo dubitativo y confuso, aún desde perspectivas históricas y literarias, que son en las que normalmente se asientan las raíces regionales. En los recientes años '90 y en concordancia con los ajustes propios del nuevo orden mundial, se observan re-acomodamientos locales inscriptos en modalidades que obligan a la revisión profunda. Modalidades postmodernas que pueden identificarse como espacios de consumo. Es la condición cultural la que imprime nuevas estructuras espaciales de fuertes proyecciones anímicas enraizadas en lo simbólico y lo estético, donde las transformaciones se suceden a partir de una resignificación de la naturaleza. Desde allí es que se hacen planteos hipotéticos en busca de explicaciones, atendiendo a las valorizaciones que existen para con la Patagonia Andina. Aquellas que implican una preeminencia singular de los aspectos afectivos y emocionales por sobre los económicos, aunque con el turismo como el vector principal de transformación y a cuyo derredor se entremezclan situaciones conflictivas. Es ésta la dirección del análisis que busca esclarecer dudas a partir de la producción de conocimiento geográfico con sentido 'examinador' de la realidad. Fenómenos como los de dispersión, neoruralidad y fragmentación espacial, se muestran como los resultados más visibles en materia paisajística y con ello estamos ante un marco problemático y complejo. Con la sistematización de una significativa cantidad de información involucrada y una fuerte carga empírica proveniente de la convivencia profesional de varios años con la mayor parte de los problemas abordados, se presenta un aporte al cuerpo teórico de la Geografía preocupada por los ámbitos montanos, así como también su proyección hacia la explicación geográfica regional y su eventual insumo para el Planeamiento y la Gestión Territorial. Se analiza el conjunto territorial ofreciendo una perspectiva integradora en escenarios novedosos que, desde nuestra disciplina pueden abordarse con la posibilidad cierta de orientar una importante cantidad de estudios sectoriales que ya se manifiestan, en particular por requerimientos políticos. Con la Comarca Andina del Paralelo 42 en el foco del análisis, la tesis se abocó a incursionar en la realidad andino patagónica, identificando, sistematizando y valorando los conflictos de estirpe territorial como camino explicativo.

Transformaciones territoriales y análisis geográfico en ámbitos patagónicos de montaña : La comarca andina del paralelo 42

El estudio de las transformaciones territoriales en esta parte del Sur del país obedece en especial a dos circunstancias de distinta índole. La primera vinculada a la investigación y su potencial trascendencia teórica y práctica en contextos académicos y profesionales interesados por comprender las características de la instalación humana en ámbitos sujetos a importantes cambios. La segunda responde al desenvolvimiento incierto de las comarcas andino patagónicas frente a hechos, propuestas y proyectos referentes a cuestiones de decisiva impronta regional. Se trata de territorios en plena gestación identitaria, donde es habitual lo dubitativo y confuso, aún desde perspectivas históricas y literarias, que son en las que normalmente se asientan las raíces regionales. En los recientes años '90 y en concordancia con los ajustes propios del nuevo orden mundial, se observan re-acomodamientos locales inscriptos en modalidades que obligan a la revisión profunda. Modalidades postmodernas que pueden identificarse como espacios de consumo. Es la condición cultural la que imprime nuevas estructuras espaciales de fuertes proyecciones anímicas enraizadas en lo simbólico y lo estético, donde las transformaciones se suceden a partir de una resignificación de la naturaleza. Desde allí es que se hacen planteos hipotéticos en busca de explicaciones, atendiendo a las valorizaciones que existen para con la Patagonia Andina. Aquellas que implican una preeminencia singular de los aspectos afectivos y emocionales por sobre los económicos, aunque con el turismo como el vector principal de transformación y a cuyo derredor se entremezclan situaciones conflictivas. Es ésta la dirección del análisis que busca esclarecer dudas a partir de la producción de conocimiento geográfico con sentido 'examinador' de la realidad. Fenómenos como los de dispersión, neoruralidad y fragmentación espacial, se muestran como los resultados más visibles en materia paisajística y con ello estamos ante un marco problemático y complejo. Con la sistematización de una significativa cantidad de información involucrada y una fuerte carga empírica proveniente de la convivencia profesional de varios años con la mayor parte de los problemas abordados, se presenta un aporte al cuerpo teórico de la Geografía preocupada por los ámbitos montanos, así como también su proyección hacia la explicación geográfica regional y su eventual insumo para el Planeamiento y la Gestión Territorial. Se analiza el conjunto territorial ofreciendo una perspectiva integradora en escenarios novedosos que, desde nuestra disciplina pueden abordarse con la posibilidad cierta de orientar una importante cantidad de estudios sectoriales que ya se manifiestan, en particular por requerimientos políticos. Con la Comarca Andina del Paralelo 42 en el foco del análisis, la tesis se abocó a incursionar en la realidad andino patagónica, identificando, sistematizando y valorando los conflictos de estirpe territorial como camino explicativo.