The use of remotely sensed rainfall for managing drought risk: a case study of weather index insurance in Zambia

Remotely sensed rainfall is increasingly being used to manage climate-related risk in gauge sparse regions. Applications based on such data must make maximal use of the skill of the methodology in order to avoid doing harm by providing misleading information. This is especially challenging in regions, such as Africa, which lack gauge data for validation. In this study, we show how calibrated ensembles of equally likely rainfall can be used to infer uncertainty in remotely sensed rainfall estimates, and subsequently in assessment of drought. We illustrate the methodology through a case study of weather index insurance (WII) in Zambia. Unlike traditional insurance, which compensates proven agricultural losses, WII pays out in the event that a weather index is breached. As remotely sensed rainfall is used to extend WII schemes to large numbers of farmers, it is crucial to ensure that the indices being insured are skillful representations of local environmental conditions. In our study we drive a land surface model with rainfall ensembles, in order to demonstrate how aggregation of rainfall estimates in space and time results in a clearer link with soil moisture, and hence a truer representation of agricultural drought. Although our study focuses on agricultural insurance, the methodological principles for application design are widely applicable in Africa and elsewhere

Extension of the TAMSAT satellite-based rainfall monitoring over Africa and from 1983 to present

Tropical Applications of Meteorology Using Satellite Data and Ground-Based Observations (TAMSAT) rainfall monitoring products have been extended to provide spatially contiguous rainfall estimates across Africa. This has been achieved through a new, climatology-based calibration, which varies in both space and time. As a result, cumulative estimates of rainfall are now issued at the end of each 10-day period (dekad) at 4-km spatial resolution with pan-African coverage. The utility of the products for decision making is improved by the routine provision of validation reports, for which the 10-day (dekadal) TAMSAT rainfall estimates are compared with independent gauge observations. This paper describes the methodology by which the TAMSAT method has been applied to generate the pan-African rainfall monitoring products. It is demonstrated through comparison with gauge measurements that the method provides skillful estimates, although with a systematic dry bias. This study illustrates TAMSAT’s value as a complementary method of estimating rainfall through examples of successful operational application

Women and ARVâ based prevention: opportunities and challenges

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138349/1/jia29419.pd

A Violaceous Nodule in a Lung-transplant Patient

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a rare complication of solid organ or allogenic bone marrow transplantation. Cases localized to the skin are even rarer, with only around 100 cases recorded in the literature [2]. We present a case of 60 year-old-woman, a lung transplant recipient, who presented with an asymptomatic violaceous nodule on her left medial calf. Histopathology was consistent with PTLD of the B-cell subtype, EBV negative. This case is unique in that it was of the B cell subtype of cutaneous PTLD, which has been less commonly observed than the T cell subtype. In addition, the case was EBV negative, which is rare in B cell cutaneous PTLD. The patient was treated with rituximab 600 mg IV weekly for four weeks and cytomegalovirus immune globulin (Cytogam) 100 mg/kg once, with resolution of the nodule

A Violaceous Nodule in a Lung-transplant Patient

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a rare complication of solid organ or allogenic bone marrow transplantation. Cases localized to the skin are even rarer, with only around 100 cases recorded in the literature [2]. We present a case of 60 year-old-woman, a lung transplant recipient, who presented with an asymptomatic violaceous nodule on her left medial calf. Histopathology was consistent with PTLD of the B-cell subtype, EBV negative. This case is unique in that it was of the B cell subtype of cutaneous PTLD, which has been less commonly observed than the T cell subtype. In addition, the case was EBV negative, which is rare in B cell cutaneous PTLD. The patient was treated with rituximab 600 mg IV weekly for four weeks and cytomegalovirus immune globulin (Cytogam) 100 mg/kg once, with resolution of the nodule

What Do(n't) American Undergraduate Social Work Students Learn About Sex? A Content Analysis of Sex Positivity and Diversity in Five Popular HBSE Textbooks

Despite an emphasis within American social work to operationalize important professional values, such as embracing human diversity and promoting social justice, it is not clear how this may or may not occur with respect to human sexuality and sexual practices. In considering this issue, the present study employed a thorough content analysis of undergraduate level Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) textbooks in order to explore how human sexuality and sexual practices are presented to undergraduate college students. Specifically, this study focused on the extent that texts in the sample reflect sexual diversity and sex positivity, which are consistent with key social work values, and thus how such texts may shape students’ professional views of sexuality. Findings suggest that the educational presentation of sexuality and sexual practices varies across HBSE texts in terms of embracing sexual diversity and promoting sex-positivity

Evaluating Dermatology Residency Program Websites

Background: Internet resources play an important role in how medical students access information related to residency programs.Evaluating program websites is necessary in order to provide accurate information for applicants and provide information regarding areas of website improvement for programs. To date, dermatology residency websites (D  WS) have not been evaluated.This paper evaluates dermatology residency websites based on availability of predefined measures.Methods: Using the FREIDA (Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database) Online database, authors searched forall accredited dermatology program websites. Eligible programs were identified through the FREIDA Online database and had a functioning website. Two authors independently extracted data with consensus or third researcher resolution of differences. This data was accessed and archived from July 15th to July 17th, 2015.Primary outcomes measured were presence of content on education, resident and faculty information, program environment, applicant recruitment, schedule, salary, and website quality evaluated using an online tool (WooRank.com).Results: Out of 117 accredited dermatology residencies, 115 had functioning webpages. Of these, 76.5% (75) had direct links found on the FRIEDA Online database. Most programs contained information on education, faculty, program environment, and applicant recruitment. However, website quality and marketing effectiveness were highly variable; most programs were deemed to need improvements in the functioning of their webpages. Also, additional information on current residents and about potential away rotations were lacking from most websites with only 52.2% (60) and 41.7% (48) of programs providing this content, respectively.Conclusions: A majority of dermatology residency websites contained adequate information on many of the factors we evaluated. However, many were lacking in areas that matter to applicants. We hope this report will encourage dermatology residencyprograms to improve their websites and provide adequate content to attract the top residents for their respective programs