Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Implications for land acquisition and population relocation

In response to the challenge of climate change, governments of developing countries are evolving adaptation and mitigation programmes for which they are seeking international financing. This paper presents the findings of a review of national action programmes and other interventions to assess their likely societal impacts with an emphasis on land-use change, future land acquisitions, population displacement and resettlement. Evidence presented suggests there is likely to be additional and large-scale resettlement related to adaptation and mitigation investments in the coming decades. It describes such climate change-related projects as infrastructure development projects and the population displacement they may generate as a form of development-created involuntary resettlement. The article considers the policy and development challenges such involuntary resettlement will pose and assesses the robustness of current governance arrangements to manage that resettlement. It is argued that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process presents opportunities for improving the national and international management of land acquisition and resettlement, particularly in least developed countries and small island states, but cautions that, at present, the financing arrangements do not prioritise the legal protection of affected populations

Fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone: the experience of frontline NHS workers

A group of UK trainees find themselves face-to-face with one of the most catastrophic health crises in recent times

Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting as Metastasis to Scrotum and Spermatic Cord

Unusual site metastasis as presenting complaint of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been reported previously in literature. RCC is a notorious tumor with unpredictable behavior. We present a case of RCC who presented with scrotal mass and on subsequent investigation was found to have metastasis to scrotum and spermatic cord. Both testes were normal with no evidence of metastasis

Film support and the challenge of ‘sustainability’: on wing design, wax and feathers, and bolts from the blue

In recognition of the importance of film in generating both economic and cultural value, the UK Labour government set up a new agency – the United Kingdom Film Council (UKFC) – in 2000 with a remit to build a sustainable film industry. But, reflecting a plethora of differing expectations in relation to the purposes behind public support for film, the UKFC's agenda shifted and broadened over the organisation's lifetime (2000–11). Apparently unconvinced by the UKFC's achievements, the Coalition government which came to power in May 2010 announced the Council's abolition and reassigned its responsibilities as part of a general cost-cutting strategy. Based on original empirical research, this article examines how the UKFC's sense of strategic direction was determined, how and why the balance of objectives it pursued changed over time and what these shifts tell us about the nature of film policy and the challenges facing bodies that are charged with enacting it in the twenty-first century

Evaluation of Soil Reaction, Exchangeable Acidity and Cation Exchange Capacity of Soils from Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil Teaching, Research and Commercial Farm, Gaya

This study evaluates the soil reaction, CEC and exchangeable acidity of some soils in the newly established Teaching, Research and Commercial Farm of the University of Science and Technology Wudil. Four profile pits designated as EPU, RU, CPU and HORTU were sunk at each representative unit. Soil samples were taken from the profile according to the pedogenic horizons identified and used for laboratory analysis. The fertility capability classification (FCC), system was used to evaluate the soils. Result obtained indicated that all soil profiles were found to be slight to neutral in acid content. The exchangeable acidity and CEC were low in all the locations. The study concludes that, the exchangeable acidity and CEC of the soils of the study area are generally low with slightly acidic to slightly alkaline in reaction. Adequate application of both organic and inorganic fertilizers will improve the organic matter content which will increase the level of CEC of the soils and also liming was recommended to rise the pH of the soils for enhanced production capacity in the study area.Keywords: Exchangeable Acidity, Soil, Pedons and Fertility Status

Tau functions as Widom constants

We define a tau function for a generic Riemann-Hilbert problem posed on a union of non-intersecting smooth closed curves with jump matrices analytic in their neighborhood. The tau function depends on parameters of the jumps and is expressed as the Fredholm determinant of an integral operator with block integrable kernel constructed in terms of elementary parametrices. Its logarithmic derivatives with respect to parameters are given by contour integrals involving these parametrices and the solution of the Riemann-Hilbert problem. In the case of one circle, the tau function coincides with Widom's determinant arising in the asymptotics of block Toeplitz matrices. Our construction gives the Jimbo-Miwa-Ueno tau function for Riemann-Hilbert problems of isomonodromic origin (Painlev\'e VI, V, III, Garnier system, etc) and the Sato-Segal-Wilson tau function for integrable hierarchies such as Gelfand-Dickey and Drinfeld-Sokolov.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure

The NorthStar Ambulatory Assessment in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: considerations for the design of clinical trials.

With the emergence of experimental therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), it is fundamental to understand the natural history of this disorder to properly design clinical trials. The aims of this study were to assess the effects produced on motor function by different DMD genotypes and early initiation of glucocorticoids

Exploring satisfaction for transfers at intermodal interchanges: A comparison of Germany and India

Multimodality in Public Transport has been proven to be one of the main drivers of sustainability and economic feasibility for the last few decades. Consequently, user satisfaction for transfers is the key to adequately serving demand. This research studies on commuters’ perception of comfort at interchanges, focusing on the connection between metro systems and other modes. Satisfaction analysis and modelling is conducted using weighted regression, factor analysis and ordered logit models for nine transfers at major interchanges in two Indian cities (New Delhi and Kolkata) and one German city (Munich); aiming at revealing the differences in user satisfaction in developing and developed economy, and for different Public Transport quality and interchanges. The results indicate that factors of transfer quality, accessibility and physical hindrances are significant in Indian case and the human factor, and transfer quality are significant in the case of Munich, Germany. Additionally, it is found that perceived comfort differs on commuters’ experiences with transfer distance and time