Managing droughts in the low-rainfall areas of the Middle East and North Africa:

Drought is a recurrent and often devastating threat to the welfare of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) where three-quarters of the arable land has less than 400 mm of annual rainfall, and the natural grazings, which support a majority of the 290 million ruminant livestock, have less than 200 mm. Its impact has been exacerbated in the last half century by the human population increasing yearly at over 3%, while livestock numbers have risen by 50% over the quinquennium. Virtually no scope exists for further expansion of rainfed farming and very little for irrigation, hence there is competition between mechanized cereal production and grazing in the low rainfall areas, and traditional nomadic systems of drought management through mobility are becoming difficult to maintain. Moreover droughts seem to be increasing in frequency, and their high social, economic, and environmental costs have led governments to intervene with various forms of assistance to farmers and herders, including distribution of subsidized animal feed, rescheduling of loans, investments in water development, and in animal health. In this paper we examine the nature and significance of these measures, both with respect to their immediate benefits and costs to the recipients and to governments, and to their longer term impact on poverty and the environment. We conclude that while they have been valuable in reducing catastrophic losses of livestock and thus alleviating poverty, especially in the low rainfall areas where they are the predominant source of income, continued dependence on these programs has sent inappropriate signals to farmers and herders, leading to moral hazards, unsustainable farming practices, and environmental degradation, while generally benefiting the affluent recipients most.Rainfed farming., Environmental impact analysis., Irrigation., Droughts., Middle East., North Africa.,

Posttraumatic stress disorder in mothers of individuals with Anorexia Nervosa.

This pilot study aimed to investigate the prevalence of maternal posttraumatic stress (PTSD), anxiety and depressive symptoms and what aspects of having a child with anorexia nervosa (AN) are perceived as traumatic by the mothers. Thirty-one mothers of daughters with AN completed a range of self-report questionnaires and a structured clinical interview. Higher rates of anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms were found in mothers than in the general UK population. Mothers reported acute traumatic stressors during the course of AN, such as 'thinking their daughter was about to die or dead', 'seeing or consenting to their daughter being tube-fed'. We also found that mothers rated chronic aspects of their daughter's AN as very severely distressing, such as 'worrying about permanent damage to daughter's health'. Results suggest that maternal mental health should be kept in mind during assessments of individuals with eating disorders and referral for a service in their own right might be indicated

Modelling and characterization of cell collapse in aluminium foams during dynamic loading

Plate-impact experiments have been conducted to investigate the elastic–plastic behaviour of shock wave propagation and pore collapse mechanisms of closed-cell aluminium foams. FE modelling using a meso-scale approach has been carried out with the FE software ABAQUS/Explicit. A micro-computed tomography-based foam geometry has been developed and microstructural changes with time have been investigated to explore the effects of wave propagation. Special attention has been given to the pore collapse mechanism. The effect of velocity variations on deformation has been elucidated with three different impact conditions using the plate-impact method. Free surface velocity (ufs) was measured on the rear of the sample to understand the evolution of the compaction. At low impact velocities, the free-surface velocity increased gradually, whereas an abrupt rise of free-surface velocity was found at an impact velocity of 845 m/s with a copper flyer-plate which correlates with the appearance of shock. A good correlation was found between experimental results and FE predictions

The efficacy of problem-solving treatments after deliberate self-harm: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with respect to depression, hopelessness and improvement in problems

Background. Brief problem-solving therapy is regarded as a pragmatic treatment for deliberate self-harm (DSH) patients. A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating this approach indicated a trend towards reduced repetition of DSH but the pooled odds ratio was not statistically significant. We have now examined other important outcomes using this procedure, namely depression, hopelessness and improvement in problems. Method. Six trials in which problem-solving therapy was compared with control treatment were identified from an extensive literature review of RCTs of treatments for DSH patients. Data concerning depression, hopelessness and improvement in problems were extracted. Where relevant statistical data (e.g. standard deviations) were missing these were imputed using various statistical methods. Results were pooled using meta-analytical procedures. Results. At follow-up, patients who were offered problem-solving therapy had significantly greater improvement in scores for depression (standardized mean difference =[minus sign]0·36; 95% CI [minus sign]0·61 to [minus sign]0·11) and hopelessness (weighted mean difference =[minus sign]3·2; 95% CI [minus sign]4·0 to [minus sign]2·41), and significantly more reported improvement in their problems (odds ratio = 2·31; 95% CI 1·29 to 4·13), than patients who were in the control treatment groups. Conclusions. Problem-solving therapy for DSH patients appears to produce better results than control treatment with regard to improvement in depression, hopelessness and problems. It is desirable that this finding is confirmed in a large trial, which will also allow adequate testing of the impact of this treatment on repetition of DSH

Africa and Technology in Higher Education: Trends, Challenges, and Promise

Showing that technology in higher education in African countries is lagging behind the developed world and also that Internet connectivity is on the rise in African nations, this paper describes and analyzes trends in the use of ICTs as well as the impact that the shortage in technological use and capacity has on Africa, particularly that needed to address the changing demands within the higher education sector. Challenges to the proposed widespread implementation of technology exist, particularly because most institutions of higher education have very limited technological capacity and basic resources, such as electricity, equipment, and funding; brain drain, improper use of ICT, and the colonial mindset are also factors. It is suggested that ICT be integrated into education with a purpose and within the context of postcolonial theory and a critical pedagogy perspective. Key uses of ICT in education, including mobile technology, are access, support, and communication, making learning available to anyone anywhere and enhancing learning as an interactive process, with much potential for collaboration and problem-solving. Four salient components related to incorporating ICTs into higher education are discussed: (a) teacher education; (b) curriculum; (c) distance learning; and (d) educational policy, planning, and management. Examples of technological initiatives in higher education as well as recommendations are given. Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, representative of other African nations to varying degrees, are highlighted in regard to ICT infrastructure and its relevancy to higher education. It is concluded that African higher education has high potential for catching up in the technological race

On the dynamic tensile strength of Zirconium

Despite its fundamental nature, the process of dynamic tensile failure (spall) is poorly understood. Spall initiation via cracks, voids, etc, before subsequent coalesce, is known to be highly microstructure-dependant. In particular, the availability of slip planes and other methods of plastic deformation controls the onset (or lack thereof) of spall. While studies have been undertaken into the spall response of BCC and FCC materials, less attention has paid to the spall response of highly anisotropic HCP materials. Here the dynamic behaviour of zirconium is investigated via plate-impact experiments, with the aim of building on an ongoing in-house body of work investigating these highly complex materials. In particular, in this paper the effect of impact stress on spall in a commercially sourced Zr rod is considered, with apparent strain-rate softening highlighted

Measurement practices in hallucinations research

Introduction In several sub-fields of psychology, there has been a renewed focus on measurement practices. As far as we are aware, this has been absent in hallucinations research. Thus, we investigated (a) cross-study variation in how hallucinatory experiences are measured and (b) the reliability of measurements obtained using two tasks that are widely employed in hallucinations research. Method In Study 1, we investigated to what extent there was variation in how the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS) has been used across 100 studies. In Study 2, we investigated the reliability of the measurements obtained through source monitoring and signal detection tasks, using data from four recent publications. Materials/data are available at doi: 10.17605/osf.io/d3gnk/. Results In Study 1, we found substantial variation in how hallucinatory experiences were assessed using the LSHS and that descriptions of the LSHS were often incomplete in important ways. In Study 2, we reported a range of reliability estimates for the measurements obtained using source monitoring and signal discrimination tasks. Some measurements obtained using source monitoring tasks had unacceptably low levels of reliability. Conclusions Our findings suggest that suboptimal measurement practices are common in hallucinations research and we suggest steps researchers could take to improve measurement practices

Evasion of the toxic effects of oxygen

Oxygen is an efficient terminal electron acceptor in respiratory pathways. During aerobic respiration the electron transport chain generates free radical oxygen species as a result of electron leakage; this generation of toxic species is proportional to the oxygen tension (51). In addition, toxic oxygen species (TOS) may be formed exogenously, for example, by chemical processes or through radiation. TOS also result from the oxidative burst of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Infection with Helicobacter pylori induces an inflammatory response (gastritis), which leads to an increase in the level of TOS in the gastric mucosa and the gastric juice (4, 24–26, 59). This increase in the level of toxic metabolites is probably the result of the generation of the superoxide anion (O2·− ), a reactive TOS, formed as part of the oxidative burst of PMN and enzymic activities of gastric epithelial cells. There is evidence that H. pylori infection leads to increased production of O2·− via NADPH oxidase in gastric cells, stimulated by lipopolysaccharide as well as xanthine oxidase, another mechanism for the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals (8, 80). In response to increased superoxide anion production in gastric tissue, changes have been detected in the level of expression of human superoxide dismutase (SOD) (12). Human gastric SOD exists as a cytoplasmic copper-zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD) found in gland cells of the gastric body and antral mucosa, and as a manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) within mitochondria (63). An increase in the amount and activity of Mn-SOD has been observed in response to H. pylori infection and gastritis, whereas the amount and activity of the Cu, Zn-SOD remained constant or decreased slightly (39). It has been suggested that the induction of Mn-SOD is in response to increased cytokine production within the inflamed gastric mucosa (39). This situation is reversed following successful treatment of the infection (38). The data suggest that within the gastric environment H. pylori may be exposed to increased levels of TOS. In such an environment it is important for bacterial survival that the impact of such TOS be neutralized

Lateral stress evolution in chromium sulfide cermets with varying excess chromium

The shock response of chromium sulfide-chromium, a cermet of potential interest as a matrix material for ballistic applications, has been investigated at two molar ratios. Using a combustion synthesis technique allowed for control of the molar ratio of the material, which was investigated under near-stoichiometric (cermet) and excess chromium (interpenetrating composite) conditions, representing chromium:sulfur molar ratios of 1.15:1 and 4:1, respectively. The compacts were investigated via the plate-impact technique, which allowed the material to be loaded under a onedimensional state of strain. Embedded manganin stress gauges were employed to monitor the temporal evolution of longitudinal and lateral components of stress in both materials. Comparison of these two components has allowed assessment of the variation of material shear strength both with impact pressure/strain-rate and time for the two molar ratio conditions. The two materials exhibited identical material strength despite variations in their excess chromium content