Levels and causes of household food and nutrition insecurity in dryland Kenya

Ensuring food and nutrition security in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa is a critical challenge. Often, information on the level of insecurity is either scanty or unavailable. This paper looks at food and nutrition access at the household level and its determinants in two cases in one of the sub-Saharan African countries: Kenya. Data were collected from a repeat-visit survey of 50 households in two areas of Makueni District, located in the southern part of the country, during 1994–1996, a period that included ‘normal’ and drought seasons. Even in a season of normal rains, 32 to 42 per cent of households were food insecure, percentages that rose to 40 and 52 during drought. The annual incidence of food poverty was higher (46%) in the drier area than in the wetter area (36%). Food distribution among households, however, showed a reverse trend with the drier area having a Gini coefficient of 0.32 compared to 0.34 in the wetter area. Regressions were used to examine the causes of food and nutrition insecurity. Amongst the main factors improving food and nutrition security was earnings from off the farm. Households headed by women were more food secure than those headed by men, all other things being equal. These findings provide support for prioritising entitlements in terms of earnings and food prices in policy-making, rather than focusing on food production alone. They also indicate that there may be higher social returns to addressing issues of livelihoods associated with women rather than me

LANL seismic screening method for existing buildings

The purpose of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Seismic Screening Method is to provide a comprehensive, rational, and inexpensive method for evaluating the relative seismic integrity of a large building inventory using substantial life-safety as the minimum goal. The substantial life-safety goal is deemed to be satisfied if the extent of structural damage or nonstructural component damage does not pose a significant risk to human life. The screening is limited to Performance Category (PC) -0, -1, and -2 buildings and structures. Because of their higher performance objectives, PC-3 and PC-4 buildings automatically fail the LANL Seismic Screening Method and will be subject to a more detailed seismic analysis. The Laboratory has also designated that PC-0, PC-1, and PC-2 unreinforced masonry bearing wall and masonry infill shear wall buildings fail the LANL Seismic Screening Method because of their historically poor seismic performance or complex behavior. These building types are also recommended for a more detailed seismic analysis. The results of the LANL Seismic Screening Method are expressed in terms of separate scores for potential configuration or physical hazards (Phase One) and calculated capacity/demand ratios (Phase Two). This two-phase method allows the user to quickly identify buildings that have adequate seismic characteristics and structural capacity and screen them out from further evaluation. The resulting scores also provide a ranking of those buildings found to be inadequate. Thus, buildings not passing the screening can be rationally prioritized for further evaluation. For the purpose of complying with Executive Order 12941, the buildings failing the LANL Seismic Screening Method are deemed to have seismic deficiencies, and cost estimates for mitigation must be prepared. Mitigation techniques and cost-estimate guidelines are not included in the LANL Seismic Screening Method

Zona incerta neurons projecting to the ventral tegmental area promote action initiation towards feeding

Key pointsThe zona incerta (ZI) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are brain areas that are both implicated in feeding behaviour. The ZI projects to the VTA, although it has not yet been investigated whether this projection regulates feeding.We experimentally (in)activated the ZI to VTA projection by using dual viral vector technology, and studied the effects on feeding microstructure, the willingness to work for food, general activity and body temperature.Activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding by facilitating action initiation towards food, as reflected in meal frequency and the willingness to work for food reward, without affecting general activity or directly modulating body temperature.We show for the first time that activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding, which improves the understanding of the neurobiology of feeding behaviour and body weight regulation.Both the zona incerta (ZI) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have been implicated in feeding behaviour. The ZI provides prominent input to the VTA, although it has not yet been investigated whether this projection regulates feeding. Therefore, we investigated the role of ZI to VTA projection neurons in the regulation of several aspects of feeding behaviour. We determined the effects of (in)activation of ZI to VTA projection neurons on feeding microstructure, food-motivated behaviour under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement, locomotor activity and core body temperature. To activate or inactivate ZI neurons projecting to the VTA, we used a combination of canine adenovirus-2 in the VTA, as well as Cre-dependent designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) or tetanus toxin (TetTox) light chain in the ZI. TetTox-mediated inactivation of ZI to VTA projection neurons reduced food-motivated behaviour and feeding by reducing meal frequency. Conversely, DREADD-mediated chemogenetic activation of ZI to VTA projection neurons promoted food-motivated behaviour and feeding. (In)activation of ZI to VTA projection neurons did not affect locomotor activity or directly regulate core body temperature. Taken together, ZI neurons projecting to the VTA exert bidirectional control overfeeding behaviour. More specifically, activity of ZI to VTA projection neurons facilitate action initiation towards feeding, as reflected in both food-motivated behaviour and meal initiation, without affecting general activity

Policy actions required to improve nutrition for brain health

Brain health is a pressing global concern. Poor diet quality is a recognized major environmental risk factor for brain disorders and one of the few that is modifiable. There is substantial evidence that nutrition impacts brain development and brain health across the life course. So why then is the full potential of nutrition not utilized to improve brain function? This commentary, which is based on discussions of the European Brain Research Area BRAINFOOD cluster, aims to highlight the most urgent research priorities concerning the evidence base in the area of nutrition and brain health and identifies 3 major issues that need to be addressed: (1) increase causal and mechanistic evidence on the link between nutrition and brain health, (2) produce effective messages/education concerning the role of food for brain health, and (3) provide funding to support collaborative working across diverse stakeholders

Differential cross section and recoil polarization measurements for the gamma p to K+ Lambda reaction using CLAS at Jefferson Lab

We present measurements of the differential cross section and Lambda recoil polarization for the gamma p to K+ Lambda reaction made using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. These measurements cover the center-of-mass energy range from 1.62 to 2.84 GeV and a wide range of center-of-mass K+ production angles. Independent analyses were performed using the K+ p pi- and K+ p (missing pi -) final-state topologies; results from these analyses were found to exhibit good agreement. These differential cross section measurements show excellent agreement with previous CLAS and LEPS results and offer increased precision and a 300 MeV increase in energy coverage. The recoil polarization data agree well with previous results and offer a large increase in precision and a 500 MeV extension in energy range. The increased center-of-mass energy range that these data represent will allow for independent study of non-resonant K+ Lambda photoproduction mechanisms at all production angles.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figure

Measurement of the Nucleon Structure Function F2 in the Nuclear Medium and Evaluation of its Moments

We report on the measurement of inclusive electron scattering off a carbon target performed with CLAS at Jefferson Laboratory. A combination of three different beam energies 1.161, 2.261 and 4.461 GeV allowed us to reach an invariant mass of the final-state hadronic system W~2.4 GeV with four-momentum transfers Q2 ranging from 0.2 to 5 GeV2. These data, together with previous measurements of the inclusive electron scattering off proton and deuteron, which cover a similar continuous two-dimensional region of Q2 and Bjorken variable x, permit the study of nuclear modifications of the nucleon structure. By using these, as well as other world data, we evaluated the F2 structure function and its moments. Using an OPE-based twist expansion, we studied the Q2-evolution of the moments, obtaining a separation of the leading-twist and the total higher-twist terms. The carbon-to-deuteron ratio of the leading-twist contributions to the F2 moments exhibits the well known EMC effect, compatible with that discovered previously in x-space. The total higher-twist term in the carbon nucleus appears, although with large systematic uncertainites, to be smaller with respect to the deuteron case for n<7, suggesting partial parton deconfinement in nuclear matter. We speculate that the spatial extension of the nucleon is changed when it is immersed in the nuclear medium.Comment: 37 pages, 15 figure

A Bayesian analysis of pentaquark signals from CLAS data

We examine the results of two measurements by the CLAS collaboration, one of which claimed evidence for a $\Theta^{+}$ pentaquark, whilst the other found no such evidence. The unique feature of these two experiments was that they were performed with the same experimental setup. Using a Bayesian analysis we find that the results of the two experiments are in fact compatible with each other, but that the first measurement did not contain sufficient information to determine unambiguously the existence of a $\Theta^{+}$. Further, we suggest a means by which the existence of a new candidate particle can be tested in a rigorous manner.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Observation of the Ξc+\Xi_c^+ Charmed Baryon Decays to Σ+K−π+\Sigma^+ K^-\pi^+, Σ+Kˉ∗0\Sigma^+ \bar{K}^{*0}, and ΛK−π+π+\Lambda K^-\pi^+\pi^+

We have observed two new decay modes of the charmed baryon $\Xi_c^+$ into $\Sigma^+ K^-\pi^+$ and $\Sigma^+ \bar{K}^{*0}$ using data collected with the CLEO II detector. We also present the first measurement of the branching fraction for the previously observed decay mode $\Xi_c^+\to\Lambda K^-\pi^+\pi^+$. The branching fractions for these three modes relative to $\Xi_c^+\to\Xi^-\pi^+\pi^+$ are measured to be $1.18 \pm 0.26 \pm 0.17$, $0.92 \pm 0.27 \pm 0.14$, and $0.58 \pm 0.16 \pm 0.07$, respectively.Comment: 12 page uuencoded postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

First measurement of direct f0(980)f_0(980) photoproduction on the proton

We report on the results of the first measurement of exclusive $f_0(980)$ meson photoproduction on protons for $E_\gamma=3.0 - 3.8$ GeV and $-t = 0.4-1.0$ GeV$^2$. Data were collected with the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The resonance was detected via its decay in the $\pi^+ \pi^-$ channel by performing a partial wave analysis of the reaction $\gamma p \to p \pi^+ \pi^-$. Clear evidence of the $f_0(980)$ meson was found in the interference between $P$ and $S$ waves at $M_{\pi^+ \pi^-}\sim 1$ GeV. The $S$-wave differential cross section integrated in the mass range of the $f_0(980)$ was found to be a factor of 50 smaller than the cross section for the $\rho$ meson. This is the first time the $f_0(980)$ meson has been measured in a photoproduction experiment