V1: Targeting and Scaling Out

Numerous pilot studies and case studies in the Volta Basin have evaluated practices, methods, and tools that could prove beneficial to others, both within the basin and outside of it. However, the question whether an intervention successfully applied in one location has a reasonable chance of success at any other location remains extremely difficult to answer. A consistent finding in pilot studies is that detailed characteristics of the study location – economic, biophysical, institutional, and cultural – can all play an essential role in the eventual success, and failure of achieving a successful outcome. For out-scaling of initiatives it is impractical to collect detailed information at every potential site where an agricultural land and water management (AWM) intervention might be introduced. This project starts with the premise that, while certainty is unobtainable, degrees of certainty are both obtainable, using available information in a systematic way, and useful.The CPWF Project V1, “Targeting and Scaling Out”, proposal aims to develop an evidence and knowledge-based tool that will map the likelihood that a given intervention will be successful in given locations. The proposed V1 project will contribute to achieving the BDC challenge of improving rainwater and small reservoir management to contribute to poverty reduction and improved livelihoods resilience by producing a framework and web-based and electronic “decision support”, (or targeting and scaling out tool) that will identify likely sites to introduce AWM interventions for smallholder farming systems

Spatial and Temporal Variation in Aedes albopictus Prevalence Across Arkansas

Aedes albopictus is a well-known vector species of mosquito that is responsible for the transmission of many arboviruses such as Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. The objective of this study was to quantify spatial and temporal variation of Ae. albopictus prevalence in Arkansas. We used egg abundance as a proxy for mosquito prevalence. Across 2 years, we worked with the Arkansas Department of Health to collect mosquito eggs using oviposition traps. Eggs were desiccated, counted, and later rehydrated in rearing chambers and raised through adulthood for species determination (\u3e99% Ae. albopictus). We determined mean egg abundance by month, year, and latitude, and mapped egg counts using graduated colors to visually display county-specific patterns. Egg abundance was typically low in spring, peaked in late summer, and steadily declined through fall. We observed north-south differences in egg abundance, though the latitude of peak abundance varied across years and throughout the seasons. This research reveals temporal variation and spatial hotspots in Ae. albopictus prevalence across the state of Arkansas and highlights existing gaps that should be targeted by future sampling

A Novel HDL-Mimetic Peptide HM-10/10 Protects RPE and Photoreceptors in Murine Models of Retinal Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the developed world. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a critical site of pathology in AMD. Oxidative stress plays a key role in the development of AMD. We generated a chimeric high-density lipoprotein (HDL), mimetic peptide named HM-10/10, with anti-oxidant properties and investigated its potential for the treatment of retinal disease using cell culture and animal models of RPE and photoreceptor (PR) degeneration. Treatment with HM-10/10 peptide prevented human fetal RPE cell death caused by tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (tBH)-induced oxidative stress and sodium iodate (NaIO3), which causes RPE atrophy and is a model of geographic atrophy in mice. We also show that HM-10/10 peptide ameliorated photoreceptor cell death and significantly improved retinal function in a mouse model of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced PR degeneration. Our results demonstrate that HM-10/10 protects RPE and retina from oxidant injury and can serve as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of retinal degeneration

L1: Targeting and scaling out

Despite hosting some of the most developed sub Saharan countries, a majority of rural smallholder farmers in the Limpopo basin still live in poverty. The challenge of low and highly variable rainfall together with inadequate technology transfers, inadequate policy and investment context all act to disable successful transitions out of poverty. The CPWF Phase I identified several opportunities to manage rainfall in more efficient and productive manners at field to basin scales. The challenge of successful targeting and scaling out is still a key research and development area to contribute towards the Limpopo development challenges with opportunities to enable transformations of rural livelihoods at a greater scale. The project L1 ”Targeting and scaling out” aims to develop an evidence and knowledge-based tool that will map the likelihood that a given intervention will be successful in given locations. The tool would be intended for non-expert users and would be available via the World Wide Web. The proposed L1 project will contribute to achieving the BDC challenge of improving rainwater and small reservoir management to contribute to poverty reduction and improved livelihoods resilience. It will do this by producing a framework and web-based and electronic “decision support”, (or targeting and scaling out tool) that will identify likely sites to introduce AWM interventions for smallholder farming systems

A comparison of Eocene climate model results to quantified paleoclimatic interpretations

The integration of climate model results and geologic information offers considerable potential for deriving greater insight into the geologic record. In this study, climate model results and quantified climatic interpretations derived from proxy data are compared, to assess model capabilities and to examine proxy data interpretations. Atmospheric general circulation model experiments were used to produce a range of "possible" representative Eocene climate states, based on current knowledge of the Eocene record. The climate model experiments incorporate two idealized endmembers of Eocene ocean-surface temperature distributions characterized by very different latitudinal gradients. Model results are compared to quantified interpretations of the climate of early Eocene North America in an attempt to identify one of the sea-surface temperature distributions as more likely to have existed during the Eocene.The comparisons do not produce a conclusive match between inferred paleoclimatic information and any single case of model results, but some interesting insights become apparent. Model predictions of mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation compare favorably to interpretations from geologic evidence, but there are large differences between model results and interpreted paleoclimatic parameters of minimum surface temperature and mean annual temperature range. Several possible causes for these differences are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30000/1/0000367.pd

Report of the panel on the land surface: Process of change, section 5

The panel defined three main areas of study that are central to the Solid Earth Science (SES) program: climate interactions with the Earth's surface, tectonism as it affects the Earth's surface and climate, and human activities that modify the Earth's surface. Four foci of research are envisioned: process studies with an emphasis on modern processes in transitional areas; integrated studies with an emphasis on long term continental climate change; climate-tectonic interactions; and studies of human activities that modify the Earth's surface, with an emphasis on soil degradation. The panel concluded that there is a clear requirement for global coverage by high resolution stereoscopic images and a pressing need for global topographic data in support of studies of the land surface

Abelian varieties isogenous to a power of an elliptic curve

Let $E$ be an elliptic curve over a field $k$. Let $R:= \text{End}\, E$. There is a functor $\mathscr{H}\!\!\mathit{om}_R(-,E)$ from the category of finitely presented torsion-free left $R$-modules to the category of abelian varieties isogenous to a power of $E$, and a functor $\text{Hom}(-,E)$ in the opposite direction. We prove necessary and sufficient conditions on $E$ for these functors to be equivalences of categories.Comment: 21 pages, comments welcom

Implication of FORCEnet on coalition forces

The coalition navies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States (AUSCANNZUKUS) are in a period of transformation. They are stepping out of the Industrial Age of warfare and into the Informational Age of warfare. Network Centric Warfare (NCW) is the emerging theory to accomplish this undertaking. NCW describes "the combination of strategies, emerging tactics, techniques, and procedures, and organizations that a fully or even partially networked force can employ to create a decisive war fighting advantage." 1 This theory is turned into a concept through Network Centric Operations (NCO) and implemented through the FORCEnet operational construct and architectural framework. The coalition navies are moving in a direction to develop and leverage information more effectively and efficiently. This will lead to an informational advantage that can be used as a combat multiplier to shape and control the environment, so as to dissuade, deter, and decisively defeat any enemy. This analysis was comprised of defining three TTCP AG-6 provided vignettes into ARENA model that captured Coalition ESG configurations at various FORCEnet levels. The results of the analysis demonstrated that enhanced FORCEnet capabilities such as FORCEnet Levels 2 and 4 would satisfy the capability gap for a needed network-centric ESG force that can effectively counter insurgency operations in Maritime warfare. Furthermore, the participating allied navies in the Coalition ESG should pursue acquisition strategies to upgrade their ship platforms in accordance with our recommendation which indicates that FORCEnet Level 2 is the best value.http://archive.org/details/implicationoffor109456926N