La légende de Śāntideva

Sans résumé A propos de Amalia Pezzali, {Śāntideva, mystique bouddhiste des VIIe et VIIIe siècles}, Firenze, Vallecchi Editore, 1968. USA $7.80.     

F.B.J. Kuiper

Indo-Iranian Journal -     

Die Berechnung von Wasserfluten. Tideforschung in den Niederlanden, 1920–1960

In the first half of this century a computing problem became evident in the course of preparatory research for major hydraulic projects in the Netherlands. One of the most novel problems was to predict the changes in the tidal movements caused by hydraulic works in coastal waters. Between 1920 and 1960 several solutions were proposed and put into practice: numerical methods, contracting young men for the calculations, analogue electronical networks and large scale models. The amount of computing labour played a decisive part in the choice between these methods. After a storm surge in 1953 causing estensive inundations in the southern part of The Netherlands, the requirements of the Delta Works project gave an enormous impetus to all three types of methods.     

Long-term Characteristics of Seasonal Rainfall at Katherine,Northern Territory

Rainfall at Katherine, Northern Territory, is concentrated into a few months, mainly December-March. For the 101 seasons, 1888–89 to 1988–89, the average rainfall is 947 mm and it is relatively reliable with a coefficient of variation of 24 per cent. Within this period use of the 15 seasons moving average shows two major spans of seasons in which average seasonal rainfall has increased and two others of decreasing average seasonal rainfall Also, the rain-causing mechanisms that operate in the region produce markedly more variable rainfall within seasons. This paper characterises the types of growing seasons at Katherine on the basis of the proportion of the seasonal total that falls within each of the seventeen fortnightly periods from 9 October to 3 June. Overall, 31 different groups of seasons are identified with 13 groups consisting of a single season. Conversely, the largest group contains 35 seasons. The analyses identify groups of seasons in which rainfall has occurred early or late in the season and others which have featured dry spells or wet spells in the core of the season. This variability helps to explain some of the challenges for farming systems research and for the development of sustainable farming systems.