A comparison of biodegradation caused by Teredinidae (Mollusca:Bivalvia), Limnoriidae (Crustacea:Isopoda), and C. terebans (Crustacea:Amphipoda) across 4 shipwreck sites in the English Channel

The need to protect underwater cultural heritage from biodegradation is paramount, however with many sites needing funding and support, it is hard to prioritise, thus the ability to identify high risk sites is crucial to ensure resources are best placed. In doing so a clear understanding of environmental conditions acting upon a site and abundance and composition of species present is essential to this identification. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the rate of biodegradation on four underwater cultural heritage sites in different marine environments by placing a series of wooden test panels in direct contact with the exposed structure on the sites. Upon recovery, test panels were photographed, X-rayed, and wood boring and sessile fouling species were identified and counted. The damage attributed to each species was recorded with CAD software. Results indicated a significant difference between sites, with HMS Invincible having the highest abundance of marine wood borers and the highest rate of surface area and volume degradation; whilst vestigial evidence of marine wood borers was found on the London, it would appear the environmental conditions had significantly impeded their survival. The study indicated further factors such as sediment type and coverage, availability of wood and the proximity of other colonised sites were also determining factors controlling the abundance of marine wood borers and the rate of biodegradation

Uneven geographies of organizational practice: explaining the cross-national transfer and diffusion of ISO 9000

There is growing recognition that organizational innovations can have a major influence on the geography of economic activity. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms and geographic preconditions underlying their diffusion, particularly at the global level. In this article, we test a series of hypotheses about the conditions under which organizations are most likely to adopt ISO 9000, the internationally recognized set of standards for quality management, using panel data for 130 countries from 1995 to 2001. Our findings support the idea that transnational networks that connect different countries at the international level provide conduits for the cross-national transfer of new organizational practices. Thus, exports to the European Union, local involvement of transnational corporations (TNCs), European colonial ties, and the availability of telecommunications all emerge as statistically significant determinants of ISO adoptions. Our findings also underscore the importance of national environmental conditions in influencing the receptiveness of organizations to new practices. A low regulatory burden, a high share of manufacturing activity, high rates of secondary school enrollment, and low levels of productivity are positively correlated with the number of ISO 9000 certificates. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for current debates about the mechanisms, preconditions, and scales of organizational transfer, diffusion, and convergence

Assessment of climate change impacts on the hydrology of the Peruvian Amazon-Andes basin

In this article, we propose an investigation of the modifications of the hydrological response of two Peruvian AmazonasAndes basins in relationship with the modifications of the precipitation and evapotranspiration rates inferred by the IPCC. These two basins integrate around 10% of the total area of the Amazonian basin. These estimations are based on the application of two monthly hydrological models, GR2M and MWB3, and the climatic projections come from BCM2, CSMK3 and MIHR models for A1B and B1 emission scenarios (SCE A1B and SCE B1). Projections are approximated by two simple scenarios (anomalies and horizon) and annual rainfall rates, evapotranspiration rates and discharge were estimated for the 2020s (20082040), 2050s (20412070) and 2080s (20712099). Annual discharge shows increasing trend over Requena basin (Ucayali river), Puerto Inca basin (Pachitea river), Tambo basin (Tambo river) and Mejorada basin (Mantaro river) while discharge shows decreasing trend over the Chazuta basin (Huallaga river), the Maldonadillo basin (Urubamba river) and the Pisac basin (Vilcanota river). Monthly discharge at the outlet of Puerto Inca, Tambo and Mejorada basins shows increasing trends for all seasons. Trends to decrease are estimated in autumn discharge over the Requena basin and spring discharge over Pisac basin as well as summer and autumn discharges over both the Chazuta and the Maldonadillo basins