Therapists\u27 use of the graded repetitive arm supplementary program (GRASP) intervention: A practice implementation survey study

The aims of this study were: (1) to explore the extent of practice implementation of GRASP in the United Kingdom; (2) using an implementation framework, to explore UK therapists\u27 opinions of implementing GRASP; and (3) if GRASP is found to be used in the United Kingdom, to investigate differences in opinions between therapists who are using GRASP in practice and those who are not

MEASUREMENT OF ACCUMULATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTAL QUANTUM DOTS BY PIMEPHALES PROMELAS

As the production and use of nanomaterials increases, it is important to understand their environmental and biological fate. Because their unmatched chemical, physical, and optical properties make them useful in a wide variety of applications including biomedical imaging, photo-voltaics, and light emitting diodes, the use of semiconductor nanocrystals such as quantum dots (QDs) is increasing rapidly. Although QDs hold great potential in a wide variety of industrial and consumer applications, the environmental implications of these particles is largely unexplored. The nanocrystal core of many types of QDs contains the toxic metal cadmium (Cd), so possible release of Cd from the QD core is cause for concern. Because many types of QDs are miscible in water, QD interactions with aquatic organisms and their environment require more attention. In the present study we used fluorometry to measure time and dose dependent uptake, accumulation, and post-exposure clearance of accumulated QDs in the gut tract by the aquatic vertebrate Pimephales promelas. By using fluorometry, we were able to measure accumulated QD concentrations. To our knowledge, this is the first reported attempt to quantify accumulated QDs in an organism and is an important step in understanding the interactions among QDs in aquatic organisms and environments

Understanding farmers’ indicators in climate-smart agriculture prioritization in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).

In order to increase the uptake of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies, it is important to understand the contexts in which farmers operate. Farmers use different indicators to decide whether or not to implement, what to implement, and where to implement specific technologies. Identifying and understanding such indicators can be helpful to efforts aiming to scale out adoption. The purpose of this study was to identify indicators that farmers use to prioritize agricultural innovations, in general, and CSA, in particular. Kilolo and Mbarali Districts lie in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania. Four participatory workshops, in the form of focus group discussions, were conducted in these two districts. In each district, a separate workshop was held with farmers from each agro-ecological zone (AEZ). Separate workshops were held with farmers and experts to explore differences between stakeholders and across the districts regarding perceptions of the status of soil fertility, prioritized practices, and ranking of indicators for prioritizing practices. Characterization of the AEZ, prioritization of practices, identification of indicators for prioritizing CSA, and selection of practices for demonstration as well as sites for the demonstration plots were done separately with men and women groups. Practices were prioritized using pairwise ranking, while indicators were scored on a rating scale from least important (1) to most important (5). Results showed that, both in Kilolo and Mbarali Districts, farmers perceive the status of soil fertility as poor. Up to 60 % of the workshop participants were not satisfied with the status of soil fertility in their farms. More than 80% of workshop participants in each of the four workshops reported that they practiced burning. The main reasons for burning were to save labour and time and to reduce crop–livestock conflict. The men’s group in the upland zone in Mbarali District ranked mulching, water harvesting, improved varieties, and crop rotation as the most important practices in respective order. In the lowlands, both men and women groups selected irrigation, chemical fertilizer, and crop rotation as most relevant practices. Awareness and use of the practices was low among participants in the two workshops. The most prioritized practices by the women’s group in the uplands, Kilolo District, were improved breeds and improved varieties. Intercropping was the least prioritized practice. The men’s group prioritized improved varieties and pesticides application, while irrigation and fertilizer application ranked lowest. In the lowlands, men’s and women’s groups prioritized irrigation, inorganic fertilizer and improved varieties as most important. Mulching and herbicides ranked as least prioritized. In addition, the men’s group from the lowland zone ranked pesticide application among the most important practices, while farmyard manure and zero grazing were ranked as least important. Important indicators that farmers identified to prioritize agricultural practices across the two districts included yield, income, cost, labour, availability of inputs, the status of soil fertility, and knowledge about the practices. Several practices were selected for the proposed CSA demonstration plots. The women’s group in the uplands zone in Mbarali prioritized improved crop varieties, water harvesting, mulching, and fertilizer application. The men’s group chose irrigation, herbicides, inorganic fertilizers, and seed selection. In the lowlands, improved crop varieties, inorganic fertilizer, farmyard manure, and mulching were selected by women. Men preferred seed preparation, right use of fertilizers (i.e., rate and type), integrated pest management, and improved storage. The selected important practices for demonstration in the uplands in Kilolo District were minimum tillage, soil testing, improved varieties, fertilizer application, and irrigation. Farmers in the lowlands chose production of clean seeds of different crops, such as tomatoes, beans, maize, and chillies. In addition, they were interested in learning about fertilizer application, pesticides application, and preparation and application of compost manure. The findings of this research have several implications for policy. First, there is need to increase awareness of farmers about CSA practices, particularly those that they prioritize. The finding that farmers perceive poor soil fertility but do not prioritize soil fertility management practices implies the need to promote adoption of such technologies. Thirdly, a bottom-up approach that involves working with farmers to prioritize agricultural practices suitable for their specific AEZ and preferred by either the men or women is important to inform investment of limited resources to increase food security and resilience to climate risks while minimizing trade-offs. The findings highlight indicators that influence farmers’ adoption of agricultural practices as well as constraints to implementation

Climate Smart Agriculture Rapid Appraisal (CSA-RA) report from the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT)

A Climate Smart Agriculture Rapid Appraisal (CSA-RA) was carried out by CIAT in collaboration with Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) for the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) in September 2014. The CSA-RA aimed to assess within and between district variations in farming systems, agricultural management practices, challenges for current agricultural practices, and climate vulnerability, in order to inform targeting of climate smart agriculture (CSA). The CSA-RA used key-informant interviews, participatory workshops, transect walks, farmer interviews, as well as gender-disaggregated methods to gather information on important agriculture-related features and constraints faced by farmers. The CSA-RA from the SAGCOT was carried out in four districts: Bagamoyo, Kilosa, Kilolo and Mbarali

Understanding farmers’ indicators in climate-smart agriculture prioritization in Nwoya District, Northern Uganda

The purpose of this study was to understand the indicators that farmers use to prioritize agricultural innovations, in general, and climate-smart agriculture (CSA), in particular

Workshop report: Playing out transformative adaptation in Usambara, Tanzania

This report documents the information collected during the participatory workshop hosted by The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) in partnership with the Selian Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) and Lushoto District Office in the CCAFS site of Usambara Tanzania. This workshop was conducted as part of the CCAFS project “Playing out transformative adaptation in CCAFS benchmark sites in East-Africa: ‘When, where, how and with whom?’ which seeks to identify and understand, through integrated agricultural research, the adaptation process in the CCAFS benchmark site of Usambara, Tanzania. The workshop included farmers from various villages in the CCAFS site, who discussed agricultural practices and perceptions of climate change/variability. The workshop started off with an introduction/icebreaker, after which historical calendars, a discussion of crop suitability and baseline data and gender questions followed. Finally a vision for the future was made, in which the groups were asked to say what they would like to see in the future concerning climate change, food security and gender. The introduction/icebreaker and the general presentation of results were done in a large group but smaller groups were formed to do the historical calendars and to discuss crop suitability and baseline data as well as the gender questions. Most of the small groups were divided by gender, typically with two men’s groups and two women’s groups. In general it can be stated that the farmer is aware of a changing climate and the (negative) consequences this brings about. Furthermore there are differences in perspectives between men and women on the division of tasks and on the household decisionmaking process. Concerning the vision of the future, many farmers let us know that they would like to see more extended information and capacitation on climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies

Future Distribution of Suitable Habitat for Pelagic Sharks in Australia Under Climate Change Models.

Global oceans are absorbing over 90% of the heat trapped in our atmosphere due to accumulated anthropogenic greenhouse gases, resulting in increasing ocean temperatures. Such changes may influence marine ectotherms, such as sharks, as their body temperature concurrently increases toward their upper thermal limits. Sharks are high trophic level predators that play a key role in the regulation of ecosystem structure and health. Because many sharks are already threatened, it is especially important to understand the impact of climate change on these species. We used shark occurrence records collected by commercial fisheries within the Australian continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to predict changes in future (2050-2099) relative to current (1956-2005) habitat suitability for pelagic sharks based on an ensemble of climate models and emission scenarios. Our predictive models indicate that future sea temperatures are likely to shift the location of suitable shark habitat within the Australian EEZ. On average, suitable habitat is predicted to decrease within the EEZ for requiem and increase for mackerel sharks, however, the direction and severity of change was highly influenced by the choice of climate model. Our results indicate the need to consider climate change scenarios as part of future shark management and suggest that more broad -scale studies are needed for these pelagic species

Variable responses of human and non-human primate gut microbiomes to a Western diet

BACKGROUND: The human gut microbiota interacts closely with human diet and physiology. To better understand the mechanisms behind this relationship, gut microbiome research relies on complementing human studies with manipulations of animal models, including non-human primates. However, due to unique aspects of human diet and physiology, it is likely that host-gut microbe interactions operate differently in humans and non-human primates. RESULTS: Here, we show that the human microbiome reacts differently to a high-protein, high-fat Western diet than that of a model primate, the African green monkey, or vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). Specifically, humans exhibit increased relative abundance of Firmicutes and reduced relative abundance of Prevotella on a Western diet while vervets show the opposite pattern. Predictive metagenomics demonstrate an increased relative abundance of genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism in the microbiome of only humans consuming a Western diet. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the human gut microbiota has unique properties that are a result of changes in human diet and physiology across evolution or that may have contributed to the evolution of human physiology. Therefore, the role of animal models for understanding the relationship between the human gut microbiota and host metabolism must be re-focused.P40 OD010965 - NIH HHS; P40 RR019963 - NCRR NIH HHS; P51 OD011132 - NIH HHS; R01 RR016300 - NCRR NIH HHS; 5R01RR016300 - NCRR NIH HH

Rapid Rural Appraisal Report of Northern Uganda

A rapid rural appraisal (RRA) was carried out by the CIAT-IITA team in northern Uganda between 18th February and 1st March 2014. The RRA aimed to assess within and between district variations in farming systems and agricultural management practices in order to guide strategic agricultural investments and projects. The RRA used key-informant interviews, participatory workshops, transect walks, village and farm visits, as well as gender-disaggregated methods to gather information on important agriculture- related features and constraints faced by farmers