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Several leading theorists embrace the Simple Desert Account of Discrimination. This account involves two claims: it claims that a mismatch between what people deserve, on the one hand, and what they get, on the other hand, is (a) integral to discrimination, and (b) wrong. I shall query (a). First, I challenge what I see as the principal, positive argument for the Simple Desert Account. Second, in some cases wrongful discrimination brings about a better match between desert and what people get. Situations in which this could be the case include those where: the discriminatee is a serial discriminator herself; the person wrongfully discriminated in favour of deserves greater advantages than she enjoys; by engaging in wrongful discrimination the discriminator reduces her moral deservingness and thereby the gap between her level of deservingness and her otherwise unfittingly low level of advantage.

Les tragiques d’Agrippa d’Aubigné portent les traces de l’exode des réformés au seizième siècle. L’exil n’y est pas un bannissement punitif, mais la quête délibérée d’un territoire où la dépravation et l’inquisition n’existent pas. Ce terroir et les voies qui y conduisent sont variées, leurs implications aussi.

Background matching, a common form of camouflage, is a widespread anti-predator adaptation that hinders detection or recognition by increasing the resemblance of prey to its environment. However, the natural environment is complex and both spatially and temporally variable, which constrains effective background matching as an anti-predator strategy. Here, using remote sensing data (publicly available satellite imagery), we investigated how variation of habitat parameters predicts background matching in 16 Sahara–Sahel rodent species across spatial and temporal scales. All fur colour parameters (hue, saturation and brightness) strongly matched the respective habitats of the different species. Background matching in terms of hue was best at the microscale, whereas results for saturation and brightness showed more variation across spatial scales among species. Camouflage across the temporal scale (from 1 to 3 years before capture) was variable among species for all colour parameters. These complex interactions suggest that, in desert rodents, colour parameters are differentially sensitive to the respective scale of the habitat, plausibly reflecting the behaviour and life history of the species and the ecological properties determining their activity patterns. Consequently, the division between habitat (camouflage) generalists and specialists might become blurred in temporally changing and spatially variable environments.

Herein we describe two new species of Paruroctonus (Werner 1934) from California: Paruroctonus sodasp. nov. from the Soda Lake playa at the center of the Carrizo Plain in San Luis Obispo county and Paruroctonus conclusussp. nov. from the Koehn Lake playa in the Mojave Desert of Kern County. They can be differentiated from other Paruroctonus by a combination of morphological features including deeply scalloped pedipalp fingers in males, specific patterns of fuscous pigmentation, unique setal counts, and unique morphometric ratios. They can also be separated from one another by the latter three characters. Photographs of a large selection of live scorpions are provided, including detailed images and figures of many morphological features. Their distributions, habitats, and ecologies are discussed; and important steps towards their conservation are described.

The terrestrial isopod Porcellio albinus is a burrowing species, dwelling in the desert of south Tunisia. Field studies were carried out in the coastal area of Zarat, Tunisia, to examine the surface activity rhythm of P. albinus in relation to daily and seasonal variations in environmental conditions. The activity of P. albinus was followed once a month, from November 2012 through October 2013. Hourly capture frequency was compared across the different seasons of the year. Porcellio albinus is a strictly nocturnal species showing a nycthemeral rhythm regulated by the rhythmic and natural variations of the duration of the dark period. A positive correlation is observed between the circadian rhythm of the locomotor activity of the species and the duration of the dark period outside its burrow, P. albinus has a single daily activity peak. Individuals concentrated their activity in the first part of the night in winter and in the second part in summer. This peak is more spread out in spring and autumn. The differences in the activity rhythm of P. albinus between different seasons may be determined by two important factors, namely temperature and the length of the dark period.

This thesis is a collection of poems examining certain paradoxes of my body. As a survivor of sexual violence, my body relives trauma which makes it feel uninhabitable. I compare my experiences with the Southern Utah desert. The physical beauty, destruction and inhabitability of the desert teaches me to accept my body as both beautiful and full of grief. The poems move chronologically through my life, beginning with an abusive relationship at the age of sixteen, a move to Moab at nineteen, and becoming a mother at twenty-five. Ultimately, with the desert as my guide, I learn to accept my body as unfixed and empowered through the use of my voice.

Ce livre met à disposition une grande variété de témoignages féminins et de textes issus de plumes masculines ou restés anonymes permettant de reconstituer l’histoire de la révocation telle que les femmes l’ont vécue., This book offers a wide variety of women’s testimonies and texts from both male writers and anonymous authors about the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, enabling a reconstruction of the event as it was experienced by women at the time.

Alors que l’Algérie française fait encore partie de l’Europe d’après-guerre, et que les premiers conflits d’indépendance ont déjà éclaté, Albert Camus met en scène, dans ses nouvelles « L’Hôte » et « Le Renégat », un « choc des cultures [...] flagrant » et une « barrière de civilisation [qui semble] infranchissable » (J. Guérin), avec des personnages qui évoluent éloignés de la mer Méditerranée. Cependant, en toile de fond, l’écrivain fait jouer une méditerranéité qu’il fréquente depuis sa jeunesse et qui alimente un « esprit méditerranéen » toujours disposé à inclure les altérités et à établir des dialogues. Cette étude s’intéresse à la géographie méditerranéenne de l’œuvre camusienne qui se dessine par dichotomies, à la recherche d’une tension dynamique et créatrice entre ses pôles, pour tendre vers une mesure qui assume ses limites. L’analyse des symboles et des mythes évoqués par Camus oriente la conclusion vers l’identification d’un mythe d’Euphorion potentiel, représentant d’une nouvelle « méditerranéisation de la pensée » faisant de l’écrivain un « philosophe de la relation ». En una Argelia francesa sacudida por los primeros conflictos independentistas, pero todavía miembro de la Europa de la postguerra, van evolucionando los personajes de los dos relatos breves de Albert Camus, “El huésped” y “El renegado”, lejos del mar Mediterráneo, a su vez que ponen en evidencia un “choque de culturas […] flagrante” y una “barrera de civilización [que parece] infranqueable” (J. Guérin). Sin embargo, a modo de telón de fondo, el escritor pone en escena una mediterraneidad con la que trata desde su juventud y que alimenta un “espíritu mediterráneo” siempre dispuesto a incluir las alteridades y a dialogar. Este estudio investiga la geografía de la obra camusiana que va dibujándose por dicotomías, buscando una tensión dinámica entre sus polos, para tender hacia una mesura que asume sus límites. El análisis de los símbolos y mitos evocados por Camus orienta la conclusión hacia la identificación de un potencial mito de Euforión, representante de una nueva “mediterraneización del pensamiento”, convirtiendo a su autor en un “filósofo de la relación”.

International audience; Drylands represent about 41% of Earth’s land area, host more than 1,500 tree species and support more than 20% of the world’s human population. Trees are key to the functioning of numerous dryland ecosystems and contribute to goods and services for many local humancommunities, but many are threatened by global changes. From this perspective, mapping tree species assemblages of drylands can provide valuable information for conservation. To our knowledge, warm drylands, including hot deserts, have never been subject to a comprehensivetree biodiversity analysis independent of administrative boundaries or pre-defined regions. Our study aimed to address this gap by redefining warm drylands based on climate data and delineating bioregions using tree species assemblages at the global scale. We based the analyseson aridity and temperature data and a co-occurrence network approach using more than 1,000 tree species.Our data are mined from the Desert Trees of the World database, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility database, and the African Plant Database. This new delimitation of warm drylands reveals eight bioregions, covering about 19% of Earth’s land area across all continents. These are: North America, two bioregions in South America, the southern Mediterranean Basin and Macaronesian islands, the Saharo-Sindian region and the Horn of Africa, Southern Africa, the Socotra archipelago, and Australia. These bioregions have very distinct treespecies assemblages, as well as high rates of endemism.This original diversity is found under a wide range of aridity conditions both within and between bioregions, offering the opportunity to anticipate different responses of tree assemblages face to future climate change among the world’s warm drylands. It will aid in conservation,restoration, and rehabilitation strategies involving the use of native trees among the most threatened regions worldwide.

From November 2021 to May 2022, a corrosion-prevention experiment was conducted at the Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms, California. The experiment consisted of 21 bare steel coupons exposed to the desert environment and 30 bare steel coupons subjected to accelerated testing. Of the 21 test coupons, three were left untreated to act as a control group, six were coated with CorrosionX, six were coated with Carwell CP-90, and six were coated with Fluid Film. Of the 30 test coupons subjected to accelerated aging, 10 were coated with CorrosionX, 10 were coated with Carwell CP 90, and 10 were coated with Fluid Film. After the experiment was finished, the test coupons were analyzed by the analysis of variance statistical method. The results of the test suggested CorrosionX or Fluid Film was effective in slowing corrosion. Due to a small sample size, a relatively short experimental period, and unusual weather, however, further testing is recommended. Civilian, Department of the Navy Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

The Subject Article pertain to Post Graduate Diploma / Master of Environment, and Natural Resources Management (D/MENRM) at the University of the Philippines aligns with "Environmental Natural Resources and Management." And this is one of the approved Doctoral Subject Curriculum Courses towards Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, a research thesis submitted to the Atlantic International University (AIU USA) in 2011. This article paper is one of the "Most Read" in the LinkedIn Publishing and Academia platform that has been provided as a course background based on the observation and hands-on experiences within the socio-cultural environmental management afflicting due to environmental possibilism towards air pollution and malpractices causing global climate change. I just went through with the environmental science website and took note of some essential facts. Investigate instead cultivate some information that needs for clarification of the laws that will satisfy in the prevention of environmental pollution. Through mitigation will understand clearly of the effect and its constituents in the country’s ecological management relevance to Air Pollution Management as my concentration in this research not only for evaluation but to widen and further understanding the consequences effect of environmental possibilism in Qatar.

The Subject Article pertain to my Post Graduate Diploma / Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management (D/MENRM) at the University of the Philippines aligning with the "Environmental Natural Resources and Management" approved Doctoral Subject Curriculum Course with the Atlantic International University (AIU USA) Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering. This write-up Article excerpt from my D/MENRM Subject Course Thesis submitted at the University of the Philippines with a grade of 4.00 or "A" (US grade equivalent). Moreover, this article paper will provide innovative means and experiences with the learning process as an expatriate working in Qatar. It was the author mode to share something that might everyone can benefit from it in securing a happy life with all the opportunities out there waiting for us with the "Socio-Cultural Perspective on the Environment" that is a distinct process towards development.

The Subject Article pertain to Post Graduate Diploma / Master of Environment, and Natural Resources Management (D/MENRM) at the University of the Philippines aligns with "Environmental Natural Resources and Management." And this is one of the approved Doctoral Subject Curriculum Courses towards Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, a research thesis submitted to the Atlantic International University (AIU USA) in 2011. This article paper is one of the "Most Read" in the LinkedIn Publishing and Academia platform that has been provided as a course background based on the implication towards HEIS Environmental Possibilism. Testimonies have been through observation and hands-on experiences within the country, furthermore, causing global climate change within the ecology.

This article paper has been published through Durreesamin Journal as a series of Environmental Advocacy & Conservation Personal Journal & Reflections compositions for the subject course at the University of the Philippines. However, this paper explains the impact and the repercussions of Sandstorm occurrence within the three pillars of the environment and that is; the sustainability, the society, and the economy affecting the environmental landscape most specifically the Middle East Region including Qatar.

This article focuses on justified responses to "immoral" behavior and crimes committed by patients undergoing neuromodulation therapies. Such patients could be held morally responsible in the basic desert sense - the one that serves as a justification of severe practices such as backward-looking moral outrage, condemnation, and legal punishment - as long as they possess certain compatibilist capabilities that have traditionally served as the quintessence of free will, that is, reasons-responsiveness; attributability; answerability; the abilities to act in accordance with moral reasons, second-order volitions, or Deep Self. Recently leading compatibilist neuroethicists added the condition of not feeling alienated from desires motivating a person's action. This article argues against such attempts to determine conditions under which patients undergoing neuromodulation should be subject to negative reactive attitudes and legal punishment. Compatibilism should not be used to justify basic desert moral responsibility and legal punishment. Instead, a new way of thinking about the function of moral responsibility attribution is proposed for patients with neuromodulation. Their compatibilist capabilities should serve as important indicators for determining appropriate, forward-looking courses of action, such as quarantining and restorative treatment, to ensure the public safety and well-being of the patients.

The invasive mustard species Sahara mustard (Brassica tournefortii), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and elongated mustard (Brassica elongata) negatively impact a variety of ecological systems across the state of Utah. The distribution of these species in Utah is relatively limited at the current time. If prompt action is taken, it may be possible to contain and manage these species before irreparable ecological and agricultural damage occurs. For this reason, all three mustards are listed by the State of Utah as weeds of high priority for management. This project tested multiple strategies to determine effective species-specific methods for invasive mustard management. Field and greenhouse experiments compared effectiveness of herbicide combinations, application timings, and physical removal treatments up to five years after initial treatment. For all field trials, final analysis examined how applications reduced cover and densities of invasive mustards as well as the effect on desirable vegetation and long-term impacts. Results provide managers with viable management solutions as well as information concerning unsuccessful treatment methods, future steps, and important considerations when implementing management plans.

Desert areas in northern Chile are highly valuable ecosystems. While human activities are impacting the area in different ways, there are few environmental studies available. The current study analysed the ecological health status (water, sediment, biota) of a northern coastal area in the Atacama Region, including a national park (with a protected marine area), a tourist and benthic management area, and an industrial area. Results from the physical–chemical characterization and physiological state of organisms of ecological importance (macroalgae and microalgae) were integrated to determine pollution and toxic responses. The results identified high and moderate pollution levels for Bi, Ca, As, Ag and Cd in sediments. The As concentration in sediments is the leading environmental problem, with average values above the threshold effect level, associated with fine sediments. The stations showed increasing contamination and stress from north to south (national park > tourist and benthic management area > industrial area), associated with the proximity to the discharge of mining waste from the Salado River. The national park registered the poorest health status as demonstrated by high Cu bioaccumulation and high photosynthetic stress in the macroalgae and the lowest biomass concentration of the microalgae in water. The tourist and benthic management area demonstrated high As concentrations in sediments and Cd bioaccumulation. The industrial area was the least contaminated area, exhibiting lower photosynthetic stress and bioaccumulation.

There have been few attempts to estimate the effects of land use and land cover (LULC) on ecosystem services in desert-oasis ecotones, which are recognized as critical ecological barriers and buffers that prevent deserts from expanding into oases. This research investigated how remote sensing and geographic information technology may be used to monitor changes in LULC in the Cholistan desert and the Bahawalpur region of Pakistan between the years 2015 and 2022. The objective of this research was to identify thematic and statistical shifts in LULC in the study area due to various human interventions in the area. Landsat-8 images were processed using the maximum likelihood supervised classification technique using 500 training samples to categorize the study area into four LULC classes, i.e., desert/barren land, waterbodies, vegetation, and built-up areas, with an overall accuracy of 93% and 98% for 2015 and 2022, respectively. Results indicate a significant expansion in built-up area in 2022, which is up to 43%, agriculture and vegetation area declined by 8%, waterbodies decreased by 41%, and desert area decreased by 2% when compared with 2015. The change detection approach revealed that agricultural land was directly encroached on by rapidly increasing built-up area and urbanization as the area had an overall 19% rise in population growth within eight years with an annual growth rate of more than 3%. This study will be helpful to assess the quantity of spatial and temporal changes in the desert ecosystem, which is usually ignored by policymakers and governments due to less economic activity, although it plays a huge role in biodiversity conservation and balancing the regional ecosystem.

Qanat is one of the cultural and geological attractions in arid regions. Iran's Qanat has become the 20th UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. Since the Qanat is a cultural, historical, and ecological heritage in addition to its tectonic features, it can include geotourism and, it offers potentials in planning sustainable tourism. Therefore qanat tourism with emphasis sustainable tourism can cause conservation and regeneration of this local capacity. This research has been conducted with the aim of investigating the capabilities of qanats in Yazd from different aspects of tourism. Yazd city was registered as the World heritage city at UNESCO in 2017. According to the hydrologic and tourism experts, the Delphi model has been used, and the SWOT matrix has been formed. According to the AHP model, the results indicate the importance of the strengths and opportunities of the qanat of tourism in this city. The top strategies for tourism boom include investment, the participation of indigenous people, and the creation of museums and Qanatel in qanats.

Saudi Arabia has no permanent lakes or rivers but has wet meadows, which are desert wetlands temporarily formed due to the seasonal rainfall. This work investigates the environmental variables' impact on the vegetation pattern in the desert-wetland ecosystem in Taif highlands. Forty-one stands were randomly selected representing three main habitats (wet meadows, slopes, and terraces) to study their floristic features and vegetation analysis. A total of 142 species were recorded belonging to 111 genera and 45 families in the desert wetlands of Taif Province. About 64.1% were natural plants, while 25.4% were segetal weeds, 7.7% were aquatic plants, and 2.8% were plants that escaped from cultivation. Therophytes dominated over the other life forms, and mono-regional taxa were the dominant chorotype. Multivariate analysis of the recorded plants produced eight vegetation groups; four of them (A: Potamogeton nodosus-Nasturtium officinale, B: Lemna gibba-Leptochloa fusca, C: Typha domingensis- Xanthium strumarium and D: Conyza stricta- Cyperus longus) represented the wet meadows, while two (E: Acacia gerrardii- Commicarpus plumbagineus and H: Osteospermum vaillantii- Eragrostis Pilosa) for slopes and other two (F: Argemone ochroleuca-Cyperus rotundus and G: Pulicaria undulata- Solanum incanum) for the desert terraces. The vegetation zonation was clear, which started from real aquatic species in the wet meadows passing through mixed vegetation in the slopes and ended with proper xerophytic vegetation in the terraces. Conyza stricta- Cyperus longus community had the highest species diversity, while that of Potamogeton nodosus-Nasturtium officinale had the lowest. The principal component analysis indicated that HCO3, NO3, Mg, Cl, Ca, and pH values were the most effective soil variable. The presence of several segetal weeds suggests the alteration of the natural status of the desert-wetland ecosystem, and thus the conservation of these natural habitats becomes urgent.

Globally, the impacts of anthropogenic climate change can displace species into more favourable climates. Semi‐arid desert specialists, such as the sandhill dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila, are typically susceptible to rainfall deficits, wildfires and extreme temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change. We first used maximum entropy (MaxEnt) species distribution models (SDMs) to predict the current distribution of S. psammophila. Between 2016 and 2018, we ground validated the model’s predictions throughout Western Australia, confirming S. psammophila in 18 locations in which it was predicted to occur. The predicted distribution of S. psammophila appears mostly constrained to within its known range. However, S. psammophila was verified 150 km north of its range in Western Australia and connectivity between the South Australian populations was correctly predicted. In 2019, we used updated occurrence data to project SDMs for S. psammophila during the mid‐Holocene, present day and under two future representative concentration pathways (RCPs) of RCP 4.5 (an optimistic emissions scenario) and RCP 8.5 (“business as usual”) for 2050 and 2070. By 2050 (RCP 8.5), almost all Western Australian Great Victoria Desert (WAGVD) habitat is predicted to be unsuitable for S. psammophila. By 2070 (RCP 8.5), the climates of the WAGVD and Yellabinna Regional Reserve populations are predicted to become unsuitable, and the species’ geographical range is predicted to contract in Australia by 80%. However, the 2070 (RCP 4.5) scenario predicts that this contraction could be halved. As a sandy desert specialist, the distribution of S. psammophila is geographically limited at its southern bounds due to the cessation of suitable spinifex (Triodia spp.) habitats, and so further extension of the range southwards is not possible. Sympatric desert species may be similarly affected, and we suggest that SDMs will be a useful tool in helping to predict the effects of climate change on their distributions.

In much of the world, pattern of burn injuries can vary depending on the season. This study examines the seasonal impact of admissions, acuity, mortality, and resource utilization at an accredited burn center located in a desert climate. It is a retrospective analysis of patients admitted from March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2019 for acute burns. Patients were categorized into four groups according to each season based on their date of admission: Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July, August), Fall (September, October, November), and Winter (December, January, February). A total of 1519 patients were included. 1016 were male (66.9%) with an average age 39.6 years. Most admissions came during the Summer (35%), followed by Winter (23%), Spring (21%) and Fall (21%). Most common mechanisms are flame/flash (677, 44.6%), scald (414, 27.3%) and pavement (194, 12.8%). 169 (87.1%) of 194 pavement burn admissions occurred during the Summer. Average hospital LOS was 18.7 days, longest for pavement at 25.8 days, flash/flame 21.9 days and electrical 11.8 days. Log-rank test of LOS showed longer LOS for pavement burns compared to all other etiologies combined. Average daily census was highest in Summer (14.1), followed by Winter (9.8), Spring (8.7) and Fall (7.1). Summer was the peak season for burn admissions and average daily census in large part from pavement burns. As these burns have a longer LOS, it leads to increase in resource utilization compared to the other mechanisms. Volume of non-pavement burns appear steady throughout the year.

Eco-feminist writers, in general, investigate the relationship between the oppression of women and the degradation of nature. Cultural ecofeminism, as a branch of ecofeminism, reclaims the twinning of nature with women in terms of productivity and bounty. Cultural eco-feminists emphasize a kind of affinity between elements of nature such as land, woods, desert….etc. and women, in an attempt to reach out to a better cultural community. They try to integrate their views of nature with culture. With such perspective, the current study approaches the poetry of the Mexican American poet, Pat Mora (1942-). Mora's attachment to the Mexican environment and culture greatly influences her literary output which is imbued with images of the desert stressing the cultural concept of the desert as a mother who is endowed with a healing power. She believes that one's culture and environment knit one's heritage and the process of recovering heritage conditions reviving cultural traditions, concepts, practices, values, beliefs and character of place. Thus, her writings focus on the cultural value of land, of communal identities and the Latino mythologies. She depicts Latino people who dwell in a harsh desert from which she unearths the stories of the past to heal the present with special emphasis on the role of land/ desert as a healer by exploiting the image of the curandera, the woman healer in the Mexican culture.

Warming climate and increasing desertification urge the identification of genes involved in heat and dehydration tolerance to better inform and target biodiversity conservation efforts. Comparisons among extant desert-adapted species can highlight parallel or convergent patterns of genome evolution through the identification of shared signatures of selection. We generate a chromosome-level genome assembly for the canyon mouse (Peromyscus crinitus) and test for a signature of parallel evolution by comparing signatures of selective sweeps across population-level genomic resequencing data from another congeneric desert specialist (Peromyscus eremicus) and a widely distributed habitat generalist (Peromyscus maniculatus), that may be locally adapted to arid conditions. We identify few shared candidate loci involved in desert adaptation and do not find support for a shared pattern of parallel evolution. Instead, we hypothesize divergent molecular mechanisms of desert adaptation among deer mice, potentially tied to species-specific historical demography, which may limit or enhance adaptation. We identify a number of candidate loci experiencing selective sweeps in the P. crinitus genome that are implicated in osmoregulation (Trypsin, Prostasin) and metabolic tuning (Kallikrein, eIF2-alpha kinase GCN2, APPL1/2), which may be important for accommodating hot and dry environmental conditions.

Este artículo se propone indagar las relaciones entre arte, poesía, tierra, paisaje y territorio a partir de las piezas visuales de la artista, poeta y docente Mercedes Resch, habitante de Cura Malal, un pueblo rural de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, firme testigo geográfico e histórico del largo proceso de modernización nacional que, desde comienzos del siglo XX hasta su actual presente neoliberal, ha expuesto a la tierra de ese lugar a una violenta campana patriarcal de desertificación. La obra de Mercedes Resch nos permitirá recorrer, por el contrario, un paisaje repleto de formas de vida latente que resisten permanentemente a la amenaza histórica de la gran sequia., This article aims to investigate about the relationships between art, poetry, land, landscape and territory from the visual pieces of the artist, poet and teacher Mercedes Resch, a resident of Cura Malal, a rural town in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a solid geographical and historical witness to the long process of national modernization that, from the beginning of the 20th century to its current neoliberal present, has exposed the land of that place to a violent patriarchal desertification campaign. The work of Mercedes Resch will allow us to explore, on the contrary, a landscape full of latent life forms that permanently resist the historical threat of the great drought., Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar as relações entre arte, poesia, terra, paisagem e território a partir das peças visuais da artista, poeta e professora Mercedes Resch, moradora de Cura Malal, uma cidade rural da província de Buenos Aires, Argentina, forte testemunho geográfico e histórico do longo processo de modernização nacional que, desde o início do século XX até o seu atual presente neoliberal, expôs as terras daquele lugar a uma violenta campanha de desertificação patriarcal. O trabalho de Mercedes Resch nos permitirá enxergar, ao contrário, uma paisagem cheia de formas de vida latentes que resistem permanentemente à ameaça histórica da grande seca., Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación

The soil seed bank is an essential functional component of plant communities. In arid ecosystems, the island-like distribution of shrubs influences the spatial distribution of the soil seed bank. Very little is known about seed banks in deserts of the Middle East. The present study aimed to evaluate the facilitative effects of Haloxylon persicum shrubs on the soil seed bank of annual plants in a sandy desert region in northwestern Saudi Arabia during two consecutive growing seasons (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) with contrasting rainfall. A total of 480 soil samples at 12 stands were collected from two microhabitats, under shrubs and in open areas, soon after the two growing seasons. The germinable seed bank of annual plants was estimated by controlled seedling emergence method. Shrubs significantly facilitated the accumulation of seed bank beneath their canopies after the two growing seasons. In both microhabitats, the size and species richness of soil seed bank were significantly greater after the wet growing season (2018–2019) than following the dry season (2017–2018). The facilitative effects of shrubs were greater following the moister growing season than after the dry season. The effect of shrubs on seed bank–annual vegetation similarity varied between growing seasons, being greater in shrub interspaces than beneath shrub canopies for the dry growing season, while during the wet season, the similarity of the seed bank with standing annual vegetation was greater in sub-canopy microhabitat than in bare soil.

Two new species of Dzhanokmenia Kostjukov (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae), D. stefaniolae Li, Wang & Hu, sp. nov. and D. yuxuannis Li, Wang & Hu, sp. nov., are described and illustrated from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. D. stefaniolae was reared from stem-galls made by Stefaniola sp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on black saxaul, Haloxylon ammodendron (Chenopodiaceae); D. yuxuannis was collected by sweeping from both black saxaul and white saxaul, H. persicum, in Beishawo Desert near Fukang. A key to females of all known species of Dzhanokmenia is provided.

Indexado en Scopus Si pensamos que la selva peruana es vegetación y los Andes son topografía, a la costa la caracterizamos como espacio o vacío esperando ser delimitado. En la segunda mitad del siglo xx, artistas y arquitectos peruanos reflexionan sobre las zonas desérticas alejadas de la ciudad construyendo una narrativa sobre el paisaje. El desierto es conceptualizado como una entidad abstracta, casi como un espejismo de la realidad que se está construyendo en la ciudad. El objetivo del escrito es dar lectura de un paisaje que ha sido idealizado por la alta cultura a pesar de ser una realidad urbana precaria que representa más del 60% de la extensión de Lima Metropolitana, reforzando la tensión entre las categorías de centro y periferia. Más allá de las posibilidades plásticas, la lectura del desierto nos permite centrar el tema con una mirada de actualidad que ayude a construir una ciudad contemporánea y equitativa, manteniendo los valores espaciales y sociales que corresponden al paisaje y el territorio en el cual habitamos. Recordemos que Lima, la ciudad más grande y poblada del Perú, con casi 10 millones de habitantes, es una de las metrópolis más grandes del mundo construidas en un desierto. We think about the Peruvian rainforest as vegetation and the Andes as topography, but we characterize the coast as a space or emptiness waiting to be defined. In the second half of the twentieth century, Peruvian artists and architects reflect on the desert areas far from the city forming a narrative about the landscape. The desert is conceptualized as an abstract entity, almost as a mirage of the reality that is being built in the city. The objective of the paper is to offer a reading about a landscape that has been idealized by high culture despite being a precarious urban reality that represents more than 60% of the extension of Metropolitan Lima, reinforcing the tension between the categories of center and outskirts. Beyond the plastic possibilities, a reading about the desert allows us to focus on a current perspective that helps to build a contemporary and equitable city, maintaining the spatial and social values corresponding to the landscape and the territory in which we live. Remember that Lima, the largest and most populous city in Peru, with almost 10 million inhabitants, is one of the largest metropolises in the world built on a desert. Revisión por pares

Background In hot deserts daily/seasonal fluctuations pose great challenges to the resident organisms. However, these extreme ecosystems host unique microenvironments, such as the rhizosheath–root system of desert speargrasses in which biological activities and interactions are facilitated by milder conditions and reduced fluctuations. Here, we examined the bacterial microbiota associated with this structure and its surrounding sand in the desert speargrass Stipagrostis pungens under the contrasting environmental conditions of summer and winter in the Sahara Desert. Results The belowground rhizosheath–root system has higher nutrient and humidity contents, and cooler temperatures than the surrounding sand. The plant responds to the harsh environmental conditions of the summer by increasing the abundance and diversity of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) compared to the winter. On the contrary, the bacterial community associated with the rhizosheath–root system and its interactome remain stable and, unlike the bulk sand, are unaffected by the seasonal environmental variations. The rhizosheath–root system bacterial communities are consistently dominated by Actinobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria and form distinct bacteria communities from those of bulk sand in the two seasons. The microbiome-stabilization mediated by the plant host acts to consistently retain beneficial bacteria with multiple plant growth promoting functions, including those capable to produce EPS, which increase the sand water holding capacity ameliorating the rhizosheath micro-environment. Conclusions Our results reveal the capability of plants in desert ecosystems to stabilize their below ground microbial community under seasonal contrasting environmental conditions, minimizing the heterogeneity of the surrounding bulk sand and contributing to the overall holobiont resilience under poly-extreme conditions.

RESUMEN Al considerar el auge que actualmente experimenta el turismo en desiertos y sus efectos, se presenta una propuesta de indicadores para conocer la valoración ambiental en 2019, expresada a través de un índice sintético denominado índice ambiental para el turismo sostenible (IATS) en el desierto de la Tatacoa. La metodología consiste en seleccionar un conjunto de indicadores que toman como referencia la propuesta de indicadores para el turismo sostenible de la Organización Mundial del Turismo, algunos criterios de selección de indicadores y las características específicas del territorio. El resultado es una propuesta que se compone de veintiocho indicadores, de los cuales ocho fueron calculados para la construcción del IATS, el cual permite valorar el estado ambiental del destino turístico como bueno. CLASIFICACIÓN JEL: L83, Q51, Q01 CONTENIDO: Introducción; 1. Turismo sostenible e indicadores en entornos desérticos; 2. Metodología; 3. Resultados; 4. Conclusiones; Bibliografía. ABSTRACT By considering the boom in which deserts tourism currently is and its effects, here we present an indicators proposal to know the environmental values of 2019, expressed through an index known as sustainable tourism index (STI) in the Tatacoa desert. The methodology employed consists in selecting a group of indicators that take as a reference the sustainable tourism index of the World Tourism Organization, some of the criteria for selecting indicators and the specific features of the territory. The result is a proposal composed by 28th indicators from which eight were calculated for the construction of the STI, which allows the assessment of the environmental status of the tourist site as good. JEL CLASSIFICATION: L83, Q51, Q01 CONTENT: Introduction; 1. Sustainable tourism and indicators in desert environments; 2. Methodology; 3. Results; 4. Conclusions; Bibliography. RESUMO Ao considerar o auge atual do turismo em desertos e seus efeitos, é apresentada uma proposta de indicadores para conhecer a avaliação ambiental em 2019, expressa pelo índice sintético denominado “índice ambiental para o turismo sustentável” (IATS) no deserto da Tatacoa. A metodologia consiste em selecionar um conjunto de indicadores que tomam como referência a proposta de indicadores para o turismo sustentável da Organização Mundial do Turismo, alguns critérios de seleção de indicadores e das características específicas do território. O resultado é uma proposta composta de 28 indicadores, dos quais 8 foram calculados para a construção do IATS, o que permite avaliar o estado ambiental do destino turístico como bom. JEL RATING: L83, Q51, Q01 CONTEÚDO: Introdução; 1. Turismo sustentável e indicadores em ambientes desérticos; 2. Metodologia; 3. Resultados; 4. Conclusões; Bibliografia.

The predicted changes in precipitation patterns because of global change have profound effects on terrestrial ecosystems. In the present study, the principle and design details of a rainfall enrichment system (RAINES) for open field experiments in semi-arid and arid ecosystems are presented. The rainfall intensity, validity and uniformity of this experimental facility were also tested. During the period from 2008 to 2010, our data showed that the RAINES was able to simulate rainfall events with different rainfall sizes, frequencies and timing. The greatest advantage of the RAINES was its high uniformity in rainfall distribution over a relatively large experimental surface area (>65 m2), which was important for experimental studies of semi-arid and arid ecosystems where vegetation distribution is sparse. The rainfall validity of RAINES was steadily at 66% or higher as long as the hydraulic pressure exceeded 1.4 KPa and the wind speed was below 2.5 m s-1. Since the RAINES is light-weight, inexpensive and versatile enough to be used to simulate various rainfall events with needed properties in remote fields, it is able to provide reliable simulated rainfall in the field for studying possible responses of soil and vegetation processes to rainfall change in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The application of the RAINES will improve our understanding on the relationship between water availability and ecosystem processes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, which will provide useful knowledge for the protection, restoration and sustainable management of semi-arid and arid desert ecosystems worldwide. Los cambios predichos en los modelos de precipitación como resultado del cambio global tienen efectos profundos en los ecosistemas terrestres. Un equipo que simule la lluvia es una herramienta de investigación efectiva para explorar los efectos de los cambios en los modelos de lluvia sin varias restricciones naturales. En el presente estudio, se presentan los principios y detalles de diseño de un equipo simulador de lluvia (RAINES) para estudios a campo en ecosistemas áridos y semiaridos. También se determinaron la intensidad de lluvia, validez y uniformidad del RAINES. Durante el período 2008 al 2010, nuestros datos mostraron que el RAINES fue capaz de simular eventos de lluvia con diferentes cantidades, frecuencias y momentos de lluvia. La mayor ventaja del RAINES fue su gran uniformidad en la distribución de la lluvia sobre una superficie experimental relativamente grande (>65 m2 ). Esto es importante para estudios experimentales en ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos donde la distribución de la vegetación es dispersa. La validez de la lluvia provista por el RAINES fue al menos de 66% siempre y cuando la presión hidráulica excedió los 1.4 KPa y la velocidad del viento fue menor que 2.5 m s-1. El RAINES es de bajo peso, no costoso y lo suficientemente versátil como para ser usado para simular varios eventos de lluvia bajo condiciones de campo distantes. Es capaz de proveer lluvia simulada en forma confiable en el campo para estudiar la respuesta de procesos en el suelo y la vegetación a cambios en la cantidad de lluvia en ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos. El uso del RAINES mejorará nuestro entendimiento en la relación entre la disponibilidad de agua y los procesos en ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos. También proveerá conocimiento útil para la protección, restauración y menejo sustentable de ecosistemas de desierto áridos y semiáridos a escala mundial. Fil: Xin, Zhiming. Chinese Academy of Forestry; China Fil: Qian, Jianqiang. Henan Agricultural University; China Fil: Busso, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; Argentina Fil: Wu, Bo. Chinese Academy of Forestry; China Fil: Zhu, Yajuan. Chinese Academy of Forestry; China Fil: Zhang, Jinxin. Chinese Academy of Forestry; China Fil: Li, Yonghua. Chinese Academy of Forestry; China. State Forestry Administration; China Fil: Lu, Qi. Chinese Academy of Forestry; China. State Forestry Administration; China

В статье рассматриваются архитектурные особенности колокольни Свято-Успенской Вышенской пустыни Рязанской области в контексте развития архитектурного ансамбля монастыря. Подробное изучение истории создания и строительства колокольни, описаний современников и аналогов станет основой для проекта воссоздания памятника архитектуры., The report examines the architectural features of the bell tower of the Holy Dormition Vyshenskaya Hermitage in the Ryazan region in the context of the development of the architectural ensemble of the monastery. A detailed study of the history of the creation and construction of the bell tower, descriptions of contemporaries and analogues will become the basis for the project of recreating the architectural monument.

La representación barroca del nacimiento de Cristo se ubicaba en un paisaje simbólico caracterizado como un desierto para mostrar la soledad en que este tuvo lugar. Paisaje y figuras respondían a la misma forma y mensaje, la historia de la salvación y de la redención. Sobre la escenografía se disponían, junto a las escenas evangélicas del Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento, las figuras de santos penitentes, como san Jerónimo, san Juan Bautista o santa María Magdalena, ermitaños y una serie de animales, algunos de ellos exóticos y otros fantásticos, como las arpías y los unicornios, a modo de símbolos cristológicos, representaciones del triunfo del bien sobre el mal y ejemplos morales de conducta, que contribuían a sugerir que el paisaje recreado no era habitual. The Baroque representation of the birth of Christ was set in a symbolic landscape characterized as a desert to show the solitude in which it took place. Landscape and figures responded to the same form and message, the story of salvation and redemption. Alongside the Gospel scenes from the Old and New Testaments, the scenery included the figures of penitent saints such as Saint Jerome, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Mary Magdalene, hermits and a series of animals, some of them exotic and others fantastic, such as harpies and unicorns, as Christological symbols. They were representations of the triumph of Good over Evil and moral examples of conduct, which helped to suggest that the recreated landscape was unusual. Área de Historia del Arte

The results showed that drought tolerance was higher for seeds of the non-saline than those of saline habitat and this tolerance was more obvious at higher temperatures. Seeds of the saline habitat germinated in lower osmotic potentials (-0.8 and -1.0 MPa) only at lower temperatures, but those of the non-saline habitat germinated to higher levels at all higher temperatures. Germination rate index was significantly greater in seeds of non-saline at lower osmotic potentials. Most seeds that failed to germinate in the different PEG concentrations recovered their germination when transferred to distilled water. Seeds from both saline and non-saline habitats were germinated in different levels of salinity (0 to 500 mM NaCl) in both light and darkness at three different temperatures (15/25 °C, 20/30 and 25/35 °C). The overall germination was significantly greater for seeds of non-saline, compared to that of saline habitat. In addition, light germination was significantly Few halophytes can grow well in both saline and non-saline habitats (i.e., habitat- indifferent). These plants offer a good opportunity to assess maternal salinity on drought and salinity tolerances during germination. Habitat-indifferent halophyte Suaeda vermiculata (Amaranthaceae) in a desert ecosystem of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was assessed in this PhD Memory. Here, we assessed the effects of maternal salinity, drought as simulated with PEG (Polyethylene glycol), and light and temperature of incubation and their interactions on germination. In addition to, the effects of maternal salinity, temperature, and light of seed incubation on seed dormancy and salinity tolerance during the seed germination stage. Furthermore, determine the maternal salinity on some plant physiological and biochemical traits on different organs of S. vermiculata from salty and non-salty habitats. Matured seeds of S. vermiculata in saline and non-saline soils were germinated in six PEG concentrations (0 to -1.0 MPa) and in different levels of salinity (0 to 500 mM NaCl) with incubation in different temperatures in both light and dark regimes. Studied germination attributes were final germination, germination rate index (GRI) and germination recovery of non-germinated seeds when transferred to distilled water. Furthermore, samples of different organs were collected from both habitats. Physiological and bio-chemical features (chlorophyll and carotenoids, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), antioxidant enzymes (Catalase, CAT; guaiacol peroxidase, GPX; Ascorbate peroxidase, APX) activities) were assessed. Elemental compositions in soil and plant samples from both habitats were also assessed.

Space and solitude relationship has historically been related to the concept of the desert. Desert’s physical and natural factors have helped to motivate a collective fear to vacuum in contrast to the refuge feeling in theecumene. However, this apparent duality encloses on the one hand the desert and solitude as a cultural construct that have served to reinforce social forms of coexistence. Therefore, desert and solitude both conceptually and because of its dependency linkage, they would be an intrinsic part of the sameecumene. On the other hand far from fear, the desert appears as a vehicle to achieve individual liberation, rethinking our complex societies. In this conceptual article we will first introduce the meaning and construction of the relationship between the desert and solitude in the Western cultural context. Secondly, we will focus on the development of the social fear of emptiness with opposed to a vision of coexistence with solitude, focusing on isolation in our over-informed postmodern societies. Finally, we will conclude with a consideration on the need for solitude as a way of recovering our view of the world., La relación del espacio con la soledad se ha vinculado históricamente con el concepto de desierto. Los factores físicos y naturales del desierto han ayudado a fomentar el temor colectivo de su vacío en contraste con la seguridad que representa la ecúmene. No obstante, esa aparente dualidad encierra por un lado al desierto y la soledad como una construcción cultural que ha servido para reforzar las formas sociales de convivencia. Por lo tanto, tan conceptualmente como por su vinculación sería parte intrínseca de la misma ecúmene. Por otro lado, al profundizar, el desierto lejos del temor asoma de ese modo como un vehículo para conseguir una liberación individual replanteando entonces los cimientos mismos de nuestras sociedades complejas. En el presente artículo conceptual introduciremos en primer lugar el significado y la construcción de la relación entre el desierto y la soledad en el contexto cultural occidental. En segundo lugar, nos centraremos en el desarrollo del miedo social al vacío respecto de una visión de convivencia con la soledad poniendo énfasis en el aislamiento en nuestras sociedades postmodernas sobre-informadas. Por último, concluiremos con una reflexión sobre la necesidad de la soledad como forma de recuperar la mirada sobre el mundo.

Paranthaclisis stangei Marquez, Martins, and Contreras, sp. n., is a new myrmeleontid from Baja California Sur state, Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, which is an important area of endemism. After this new discovery, the genus Paranthaclisis is composed by five species, three occurring in Mexico. This new species is easily identified by a rostrum completely yellowish-white, an area of pre-origin of RP with spurial vein on hindwing and with marks; males are easily separated by the conspicuous posterior thinning of the parameres and mediuncus dorsally without teeth and a basomedial split.

Intense heat waves are occurring more frequently, with concomitant increases in the risk of catastrophic avian mortality events via lethal dehydration or hyperthermia. We quantified the risks of lethal hyperthermia and dehydration for 10 Australian arid-zone avifauna species during the 21st century, by synthesizing thermal physiology data on evaporative water losses and heat tolerance limits. We evaluated risks of lethal hyperthermia or exceedance of dehydration tolerance limits in the absence of drinking during the hottest part of the day under recent climatic conditions, compared to those predicted for the end of this century across Australia. Increases in mortality risk via lethal dehydration and hyperthermia vary among the species modelled here but will generally increase greatly, particularly in smaller species (~10–42 g) and those inhabiting the far western parts of the continent. By 2100 CE, zebra finches’ potential exposure to acute lethal dehydration risk will reach ~ 100 d y−1 in the far northwest of Australia and will exceed 20 d y−1 over > 50% of this species’ current range. Risks of dehydration and hyperthermia will remain much lower for large non-passerines such as crested pigeons. Risks of lethal hyperthermia will also increase substantially for smaller species, particularly if they are forced to visit exposed water sources at very high air temperatures to avoid dehydration. An analysis of atlas data for zebra finches suggests that population declines associated with very hot conditions are already occurring in the hottest areas. Our findings suggest that the likelihood of persistence within current species ranges, and the potential for range shifts, will become increasingly constrained by temperature and access to drinking water. Our model adds to an increasing body of literature suggesting that arid environments globally will experience considerable losses of avifauna and biodiversity under unmitigated climate change scenarios.

In May 2001, a traveling party of 26 Mexican citizens tried to cross the Arizonan desert in order to enter the United States illegally. Their attempt turned into a front-page news event after 14 died and 12 barely made it across the border due to Border Patrol intervention. Against the background of consistent tightening of anti-immigration laws in the United States, my essay aims to examine the manner in which Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway: A True Story (2004) reenacts the group’s journey from Mexico through the “vast trickery of sand” to the United States in a rather poetic and mythical rendition of the travel north. Written to include multiple perspectives (of the immigrants and their coyotes, the immigration authorities, Border Patrol agents, high officials on both sides of the border), Urrea’s account, I argue, stands witness to and casts light on the often invisible plight of those attempting illegal passage to the United States across the desert. It thus humanizes the otherwise dry statistics of immigration control by focusing on the everyday realities of human-smuggling operations and their economic and social consequences in the borderland region. At the same time, my paper highlights the impact of the Wellton 26 case on the (re)negotiation of identity politics and death politics at the US-Mexican border.

Deserts, as an unexplored extreme ecosystem, are known to harbor diverse actinobacteria with biotechnological potential. Both multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens and environmental issues have sharply raised the emerging demand for functional actinobacteria. From 2000 to 2021, 129 new species have been continuously reported from 35 deserts worldwide. The two largest numbers are of the members of the genera Streptomyces and Geodermatophilus, followed by other functional extremophilic strains such as alkaliphiles, halotolerant species, thermophiles, and psychrotolerant species. Improved isolation strategies for the recovery of culturable and unculturable desert actinobacteria are crucial for the exploration of their diversity and offer a better understanding of their survival mechanisms under extreme environmental stresses. The main bioprospecting processes involve isolation of target actinobacteria on selective media and incubation and selection of representatives from isolation plates for further investigations. Bioactive compounds obtained from desert actinobacteria are being continuously explored for their biotechnological potential, especially in medicine. To date, there are more than 50 novel compounds discovered from these gifted actinobacteria with potential antimicrobial activities, including anti-MDR pathogens and anti-inflammatory, antivirus, antifungal, antiallergic, antibacterial, antitumor, and cytotoxic activities. A range of plant growth-promoting abilities of the desert actinobacteria inspired great interest in their agricultural potential. In addition, several degradative, oxidative, and other functional enzymes from desert strains can be applied in the industry and the environment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of desert environments as a remarkable source of diverse actinobacteria while such rich diversity offers an underexplored resource for biotechnological exploitations.

Genus Ziziphus (Z.) contains various important species in tropical and subtropical regions that are globally famous for their food and medicinal uses. However, no comprehensive study was available on the morphology and phytochemistry of Ziziphus species, mainly under different growth conditions, i.e., irrigated and desert (Cholistan). Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the morphological and phytochemical characteristics of Ziziphus species, i.e., Z. jujuba, Z. mauritiana, Z. spina-christi, and Z. nummularia, found in the irrigated and desert conditions. Our results revealed significant variations for most of the measured parameters, showing a large-scale diversity among Ziziphus species under irrigated and desert conditions. Specifically, Ziziphus species showed better morphology of all measured parameters of leaves and fruits under irrigated conditions compared to desert conditions, indicating that the optimum water availability in irrigated conditions improved the morphological parameters of Z. species. Meanwhile, among all Ziziphus species, the maximum leaf length (7.4 cm), leaf width (4.1 cm), leaf area (30.6 cm2), and leaf petiole length (1.3 cm) were observed for Z. jujuba, and the highest leaf dry weight (55.4%) was recorded for Z. mauritiana. Similarly, the highest fruit length (3.9 cm), fruit stalk length (1.5 cm), fruit diameter (3.6 cm), fruit width (3.8 cm), fruit area (66.1 cm2), seed length (2 cm), and seed diameter (1.1 cm) were measured for species Z. jujuba, while the maximum fruit dry weight (49.9%) and seed width (1.4 cm) were recorded for species Z. nummularia. Interestingly, compared to irrigated conditions, higher values of bioactive contents, i.e., phenol, flavonoid, and antioxidant activity, in fruits and leaves of Ziziphus species under desert conditions indicated the positive impact of desert climate on the phytochemistry of the Z. plants. Among Ziziphus species, Z. nummularia accumulated the maximum fruit phenols (304.4 mg GAE/100 g), leaf phenols (314.2 mg GAE/100 g), fruit flavonoids (123.7 mg QE/100 g), and leaf flavonoids (113.4 mg QE/100 g). Overall, this study demonstrated the significant morphological and phytochemical variations of the Ziziphus species under irrigated and desert conditions, which could be utilized for future studies to improve the production and medicinal potential of the Ziziphus, especially in desert areas.

Cet article étudie la production d’espaces habités dans un rassemblement de retraités vivant dans des habitats mobiles en Arizona, où n’opère aucun champ de l’architecture ou de l’aménagement. Nous étudions les effets des différentes socialisations des individus sur la production de l’espace en faisant l’hypothèse que les productions spatiales sont des expressions directes des habitus des habitants qui s’inscrivent dans des enjeux d’appropriation de l’espace. L’article mobilise des outils issus du champ de l’architecture (diagramme, axonométrie) et des outils issus du champ de la sociologie (ethnographie, photographie), outils complémentaires dans une étude sociologique de la production de l’espace habité. This article studies the production of inhabited space in a temporary gathering of elderly people living in mobile dwellings in the Arizona desert, where there are no field of architecture and urban planning involved. We study the effects of socialization on the production of space and formulate the hypothesis that this production of space is a direct expression of inhabitants’ habitus in a context where appropriation of space is at stakes. This article mobilizes tools from fields of both architecture (diagrams, axonometric perspective) and sociology (ethnography, photography), complementary tools to a study of the production of inhabited space from a sociological standpoint. Sociología de una arquitectura sin arquitectos: la producción del espacio dentro de una agrupación de viviendas móviles en ArizonaEste artículo estudia la producción de espacios habitados dentro de una agrupación de jubilados que viven dentro de viviendas móviles en Arizona, en un lugar donde ningún campo de la arquitectura o de la planificación territorial actúa. Estudiamos los efectos de las diferentes socializaciones de los individuos sobre la producción del espacio, formulando la hipótesis que las producciones espaciales son expresiones directas de los habitus de los habitantes que se inscriben dentro del reto de la apropiación del espacio. El artículo moviliza herramientas que provienen del campo de la arquitectura (diagrama, axonometría) y del campo de la sociología (etnografía, fotografía), herramientas complementarias de un estudio de la producción del espacio habitado.

Mining activities have led to serious environmental (soil erosion, degradation of vegetation, and groundwater contamination) and human health (musculoskeletal problems, diarrheal conditions, and chronic diseases) issues at desert mining areas in northwest China. Native plant species grown naturally in desert regions show a unique tolerance to arid and semiarid conditions and are potential candidates for soil phytoremediation. Here, an ex situ experiment involving pot planting of seedlings of three native plant species (Suaeda glauca, Artemisia desertorum, and Atriplex canescens) was designed to explore their phytoremediation potential and the underlying physiological mechanism. For Zn and Cu, the three plants were all with a biological accumulation coefficient (BAC) greater than 1. For Cd, Ni, and Pb, Atriplex canescens had the highest bioaccumulation concentrations (521.52, 862.23, and 1734.59 mg/kg), with BAC values (1.06, 1.30, 1.25) greater than 1, which indicates that Atriplex canescens could be a broad-spectrum metal extraction plant. Physiological analysis (antioxidation, extracellular secretions, photosynthesis, and hydraulics) showed that the three desert plants exploited their unique strategy to protect against the stress of complex metals in soils. Moreover, the second growing period was the main heavy metal accumulation and extraction stage concomitant with highest water use efficiency (iWUE). Taken together, the three desert plants exhibited the potent heavy metal extraction ability and physiological and ecological adaptability to a harsh polluted environment in arid desert areas, providing potential resources for the bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils in an arid and semiarid desert environment.

Over 40% of the Earth’s surface has been converted to agricultural use and agroecosystems have become important habitats for wildlife. In arid regions, intensive agriculture creates artificial oasis-like habitats due to their high irrigation inputs. Date production is one of the primary agricultural practices in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. Insectivorous bats are known to use agricultural areas, but the role of date plantations as their foraging habits and the importance of insectivorous bats as date bio-pest control agents are still unknown. We assessed the role of date plantations as foraging habitats for local desert bat species by acoustically recording bat activity in conventional and organic date plantations in the southern Arava Valley, Israel. In addition, we captured bats in the plantations and collected feces for DNA metabarcoding analysis to investigate the presence of pest species in their diets. We found that 12 out of the 16 known species of bats in this region frequently used both conventional and organic date plantations as foraging habitats. Species richness was highest in the organic plantation with complex ground vegetation cover. Foraging activity was not affected by plantation type or management. However, bat species richness and activity increased in all plantations during summer date harvesting. Molecular analysis confirmed that bats feed on a variety of important date pests, but the particular pests consumed and the extent of consumption varied among bat species. Our results highlight a win–win situation, whereby date plantations are an important foraging habitat for desert bats, while bats provide bio-pest control services that benefit the date plantations. Therefore, date farmers interested in bio-pest control should manage their plantations to support local desert bat populations.

Presentamos este artículo que es una transcripción de una conferencia que el doctor Luis Ángel Tau brindó el 15 de julio de 1978 en la Junta Catequística de la Arquidiócesis de La Plata, como parte de un ciclo de Conferencias sobre los Santos Padres de la Iglesia. La Fundación Santa Ana se ocupó de recopilar estas conferencias y publicarlas en escrito en una colección. Tau fue profesor de Historia de la Filosofía Medieval en el Seminario San José. Es uno de los muchos laicos que pasaron por nuestra casa y dejaron huella en los seminaristas con su sabiduría y su mirada de la realidad., We present this article that is a transcription of a conference offered by doctor Luis Tau on July 15 from 1978 on the Catechesis Committee of Archdiocese of La Plata, as part of a cycle of Conferences about Church’s Holy Fathers. Tau was professor of Medieval Philosophy History in Seminary San José. He’s one from a few of seculars that passed for our house and left a mark on the seminarists with their knowledge and their sight about reality., Cátedra Libre de Pensamiento Cristiano (UNLP), Seminario Mayor San José (La Plata)

Few studies have investigated how the reclamation of the desert to cropland affects soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. A study site was initiated in 2005 at the southern Taklimakan Desert by establishing four fields along the desert−oasis ecotone. Three fields were reclaimed as croplands for continuous cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production and received (1) high, (2) low, and (3) no fertilizer inputs and the fourth field remained as a native desert. Static-chamber monitoring of N2O flux was conducted from April 2019 to March 2021. N2O emissions occurred in cropland mainly after drip fertigation during the growing season. The two−year N2O emissions in the desert, no fertilizer, low fertilizer, and high fertilizer were 248, 670, 2232, and 3615 g N ha−1, respectively. The native desert was a weak source of N2O emissions, with the non−growing season emissions accounting for 66% of the annual emissions. N2O emissions from farmland mainly occurred over the growing season, accounting for 73−98% of the total annual emissions. The N2O flux was positively related to soil NO3−−N concentration and soil water−filled pore space (WFPS), highlighting the importance of soil N availability and moisture in affecting N2O emissions in extremely arid areas. Our results demonstrate that land reclamation from the desert to cropland significantly increased N2O emissions due to high nutrient inputs. Thus, appropriate fertilizer management in the reclaimed land is essential for maintaining yield, improving soil quality, and reducing N2O emissions for continuous cotton production.

Changes in ecosystems resulting from anthropause caused by Covid-19 relate to both abiotic and biotic factors which have both a positive or negative effect on wildlife. The lockdown was manifested by reduced air and water pollution, lower mortality of animals on the roads, an increase in animals' body condition and reproduction success. On the other hand, the closures lead to an increase in the populations of invasive species or poaching. We studied the behavioural reaction of natural, desert-dwelling Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) on the appearance of a new element in the environment - the facial-masks. We hypothesized that the mask would trigger a response expressed through differences in the vigilance towards a potentially new threat. We applied the flight initiation distance (FID) technique to check the reaction at the approach of a human with a facial-mask and without it. The average FID was 8.8 m and was longer when the observer was wearing a mask (10.7 m) as compared to trials without the mask (6.9 m). Our study indicates that wildlife, even if habituated to human silhouette at a distance, appear to notice unusual accessories when up-close and respond by increased vigilance and what may affect their overall fitness.

This paper proposes the concept of zombie infrastructure to understand the entangled histories of railroad colonialism, Indigenous dispossession, and corporate power in the California desert. I examine debates over the Cadiz project, a contemporary water project that proposes to take water from a California desert aquifer and transport it to the California coast. I argue that the life of the Cadiz project depends on Cadiz Inc.’s ability to revive the legal rights and body of a little-used railroad shortline, thus bringing back a legal infrastructure and corporate power from the late nineteenth century in the service of a new corporation. In so doing, the Cadiz project enlivens the racialized dispossession of land and labor that the railroad initially required. Routing the politics of a contemporary infrastructure project through the railroad and its octopus past, I argue, places the politics of infrastructure at the intersection of laws, monstrosity, and dispossession. Drawing on economic and legal geography, this paper proposes the concept of zombie infrastructure, a concept that builds on what activists call zombie projects in order to show the life and death of infrastructure, and reveals how contemporary capitalists enliven old infrastructures for new purposes.

Instead of fossil fuels, clean renewable energy resources are being used to meet space heating and cooling needs, to reduce global warming and air pollution worldwide. In the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, extensive solar irradiance and drastic variations in air temperatures (daily and/or seasonally) are common; thus, geothermal energy resources are a promising solution that is nearly independent of weather fluctuations. Due to a lack of information about in-ground temperature profiles in these regions, the use of geothermal energy resources for domestic applications is very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the in-ground temperature (Tg) up to 3.5 m in depth for one year. Due to the difficulty of digging in the ground (i.e., gravelly sand; rocky, dry soil), numerical equations were adopted and used to simulate the in-ground temperature (Tg) for a depth > 3 m. These equations were validated by comparing the measured and simulated values of Tg for depths ≤ 3 m under extreme weather conditions. The validation yielded a mean absolute error (EMA) of ≤ 1.2 °C and a root mean square error (ERMS) of ≤ 1.42 °C. The measurements showed that at 3 m depth, the in-ground temperature was 32 °C in summer and 29 °C in winter. The simulation showed that values of Tg increased with depth in winter and decreased in summer and became constant as 30 °C at 13 m depth throughout the year (i.e., the undisturbed ground temperature (UGT)). This temperature would provide considerable heating and cooling capacity if an earth-to-air heat exchanger were implemented in arid regions where ambient temperatures exceed 47 °C on summer days and drop below 10 °C on winter nights. The theoretical prediction of Tg using the proposed equations is a useful tool for designers who use geothermal effects for indoor space cooling and heating in the desert of arid regions.

This is reflection on artistic inquiry as an expedition, construction and modification of a watercraft, where image-making occurs en route. The journey is from the Queensland Gold Coast to the fringes of the Simpson Desert, undertaken in May-June 2018. The place of boats in Australian inland exploration is considered. The author-artist situates performance/art-making as a post-structural practice. Research or inquiry is seen partly as a self-realization occurring after the process has already begun. The origins of the craft and the expedition are also described. From the images the artist imagines the search for Burke and Wills, the lost explorers, as it might be conducted by boat. Encounters with ‘Grey Nomads’ are considered. An inland sea is discovered, and the existence of the Peoples Republic of Wangkangurra imaginatively arises in the vacated fringes of the Simpson Desert. Key images of the emergent inquiry are provided and discussed. Discoveries and disruptions of settler fictions are made, concluding on the value of the approach in challenging cultural authorities.