The appropriateness of canal water supplies: The response of the farmers - A case study in the Fordwah/Eastern Sadiqia area, Punjab, Pakistan

Irrigation water / Irrigation canals / Water supply / Farmer managed irrigation systems / Pakistan

Why didn't the Global Financial Crisis hit Latin America?

Latin America has a rich history of financial crises. However, it was relatively unharmed by the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This paper investigates why, and in particular the role of commodity prices and its institutional framework - in line with the fourth generation financial crisis model. We set up Early Warning Systems (EWS) for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. These consist of an ordered logit model for currency crises for the period 1990-2007 with a dynamic factor model to deal with the large number of explanatory variables. We present forecasts for the period 2008-2009. We find that international indicators play an important role in explaining currency crises in Mexico, while banking indicators and commodities explain the currency crisis in Argentina and Brazil. Furthermore, debt and domestic economy indicators are relevant for Argentina and Mexico. Finally, we observe that currency crises in all three countries are related to institutional indicators. For none of the countries the Early Warning System would have issued an early warning for the GFC.Financial crises, Early Warning Systems, Latin America, dynamic factor models, ordered logit model,

ON THE EXPRESSIVE POWER OF INFINITE TEMPORAL DATABASES

We discuss different techniques for representing infinite temporal data. There are two basic approaches: A procedural description, as used in production systems, and represented, in this paper, by a version of Datalog. The second approach is a more declarative method, using some form of temporal logic programming. We examine several versions of each approach, and compare their expressive power, i.e., what temporal data each formalism can capture.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

A new HW Vir binary from the Palomar Transient Factory: PTF1 J072455.75+125300.3 - An eclipsing subdwarf B binary with a M-star companion

We report the discovery of an eclipsing binary -- PTF1 J072456$+$125301-- composed of a subdwarf B (sdB) star ($g'=17.2^m$) with a faint companion. Subdwarf B stars are core helium-burning stars, which can be found on the extreme horizontal branch. About half of them reside in close binary systems, but few are known to be eclipsing, for which fundamental stellar parameters can be derived.\newline We conducted an analysis of photometric data and spectra from the Palomar 60'' and the 200" Hale telescope respectively. A quantitative spectral analysis found an effective temperature of $T_{\text{eff}}=33900\pm350$\,K, log g = $5.74\pm0.08$ and log($n_{\text{He}}/n_{\text{H}}) = -2.02 \pm0.07$, typical for an sdB star. The companion does not contribute to the optical light of the system, except through a distinct reflection effect. From the light curve an orbital period of 0.09980(25)\,d and a system inclination of 83.56\pm0.30\,^{\circ} were derived. The radial velocity curve yielded an orbital semi-amplitude of K_1=95.8\pm 8.1\,\text{km s^{-1}}. The mass for the M-type dwarf companion is $0.155\pm0.020\,M_{\odot}$. PTF1\,J072456$+$125301 has similar atmospheric parameters to those of pulsating sdB stars (V346 Hya stars). Therefore it could be a high-priority object for asteroseismology, if pulsations were detected such as in the enigmatic case of NY Vir.Comment: Accepted to A&A, 7pages, 4 figure

HyperImage – Image-Oriented e-Science Networks

Images are an important source of scientific knowledge in many disciplines. E.g. you want to analyse satellite photographs or x-ray images of human livers or symbols of death in Dutch baroque paintings. You study the relevant images closely and compare details of one image with details of another. When you want to share your knowledge you will necessarily also communicate about image details. Using paper images, you can just mark up details of interest with a pencil. But with digital images you either have to make marks by employing an image manipulation software, which is not as widespread and easy to use as current text processing software is. Or you have to describe your findings verbally, such as "... above left is an interesting dark spot in picture No. 1 ... now compare it to picture No. 2 where a similar dark spot can be found nearly in the centre of the picture ..." and so on. Neither the employment of a complex image manipulation software package nor the time consuming and not very precise verbal description is satisfactory and appropriate for everyday use in science. Additionally, any technical solution to the lack of easy-to-use technology has to be Web-based in order to support collaborative research on images. The HyperImage project is concerned with the currently unsolved technical problem of establishing links between image details. Our goal is to develop a Web-based workspace that will enable scientists in any image-oriented discipline to create simple and precise links between images and image details, in a fashion similar to that which until now has been the privilege of text. The HyperImage editor permits scientists to mark details of pictures and create links between images and image details of any scale. It is programmed as a platform independent Java application and is open source (GNU Lesser General Public Licence). Any work in progress can be stored within the Hyper- Image system by an author or group of authors, or it can be exported as XML for further usage outside the HyperImage system. Currently we are testing our software prototype with our HyperImage partners from the faculties of Art History and Biology

Transformation d'une innovation institutionnelle : l'exemple des associations d'usagers des eaux agricoles dans le Moyen Sebou au Maroc

International audienceDans le cadre du débat international sur la gestion participative et le transfert de la gestion de l'eau d'irrigation, de multiples recherches, expertises et études de cas existent. Elles sont centrées sur des évaluations avant et après transfert de la gestion de l'irrigation aux agriculteurs, mettant en jeu principalement des indicateurs qualitatifs de performance et de rendement pour mesurer l'échec ou la réussite de ce transfert. Cet article adopte une autre forme d'analyse, il s'appuie sur l'étude de l'appropriation des associations de l'eau par les agriculteurs à travers l'exemple du Moyen Sebou, un périmètre géré depuis sa mise en eau par des Associations des usagers des eaux agricoles, mises en place par les pouvoirs publics sous la pression des bailleurs de fonds. L'adoption et la transformation des règles de fonctionnement créent une dynamique collective autour de l'aménagement et parfois autour d'autres organisations collectives que celles de l'eau d'irrigation

De bénéficiaire à partenaire ? Evolution des rôles des agriculteurs familiaux pour la coordination au sein des périmètres de grande hydraulique au Maroc

International audienceDans les périmètres de grande hydraulique au Maroc, l'Etat a par le passé exercé un contrôle fort sur les activités de production, depuis l'exploitation agricole jusqu'aux usines de l'agro-industrie. Le retrait de l'Etat et la privatisation de certaines activités ont conduit à un système multipolaire, fait d'une autonomie accrue des agriculteurs et des usines pour leurs prises de décisions. L'article analyse dans quelle mesure les agriculteurs familiaux participent à la coordination et la négociation pour la gestion de l'eau et les filières agro-industrielles dans cinq périmètres de grande hydraulique au Maroc. L'analyse est conduite pour quatre thèmes : la gestion des ressources en eau, le service d'irrigation, la filière sucrière et la filière laitière. Les organisations professionnelles agricoles créées pour participer à la gestion des trois premiers thèmes sont soit inactives soit ont peu de liens avec les agriculteurs membres. En revanche, de nombreuses coopératives de collecte de lait rendent compte à leurs adhérents et fonctionnent comme intermédiaires efficaces entre les agriculteurs et les usines de transformation du lait. Bien que les agriculteurs ne soient pas dans l'ensemble associés comme partenaires aux décisions prises au niveau du périmètre irrigué, dans ces coopératives de collecte de lait les agriculteurs apprennent à coordonner, négocier et agir comme partenaires du développement de leurs communautés