Approaches and tools for inclusive value chain development: lessons from Uganda for improved impact

Value chain development (VCD) with smallholders forms a central element of the poverty reduction strategies of governments and NGOs in developing countries. Nevertheless, too little is known about how VCD interventions are designed and implemented, the approaches and tools used, and the challenges faced in the process. This paper helps to fill this gap with evidence from six cases in Uganda. For each case, data was collected from interviews with NGOs, government organizations, buyers, and smallholder business organizations. Results indicate that use of available VCD guides and tools facilitated productive partnerships among chain actors, engagement with support organizations, and feedback mechanisms on intervention processes. Results also challenge NGOs, government agencies, and researchers to better understand the circumstances of resource-poor chain actors, the implications of VCD on gender relations, and the cultural and business context when designing and implementing VCD. This calls for stakeholders to employ a broader approach to VCD, using a combination of available and new tools, and to seek out deeper collaboration with key actors within and outside the value chain

A Study to Validate a Self-Reported Version of the ONS Drug Dependence Questionnaire

Aim: A prospective study to establish the reliability of a self-completion version of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) questionnaire for assessing drug dependence of substance misuse clients. Method: A total of 47 treatment seeking opioid-dependent clients completed the self-complete version of the ONS questionnaire (ONS-sc) followed by the interviewer-administered ONS questionnaire (ONS-ia) at a single clinic appointment. Scores for four Class A drugs (heroin, methadone, speed and crack/cocaine) from both formats were compared. Results: The observed agreement was 87% or more and Cohen's kappa was 0.7 (p < 0.001) or more for all four Class A drugs. Sensitivity for each Class A drugs was 56% or higher and specificity was 87% or higher. Sensitivity for severe heroin dependency was 98% (CI 89–100%). There was a 100% correlation between the ONS-sc and positive urine analysis for heroin use. However, methadone and crack/cocaine drug use appeared under reported. Conclusion: ONS-sc is a feasible, practical and time-saving alternative to a detailed interview on drug dependence. Further research with a larger sample size and non-opiate-dependent clients are needed, as this could prove a useful tool for monitoring clients in everyday practice, or for survey purposes where interviews are impractical

Assessing the impact of Swales on receiving water quality

Swales are one type of sustainable drainage system (SuDS) which contribute to the management of water quality in receiving waterbodies. Using a semi-quantitative approach, an impact assessment procedure is applied to the residual water quality that is carried forward to surface waters and groundwaters following treatment within a swale. Both volumetric and pollutant distributions are considered as stormwater passes through the swale system. The pollutant pathways followed by TSS, nitrate, chloride, metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are determined for a swale receiving highway runoff. For TSS, metals and PAHs between 20% and 29% of the total mean influent pollutant load is predicted to be directed to infiltration through the underlying soils compared to between 4% and 16% of chloride and nitrate. Although surface water impacts are deemed possible, the discharges of swales to groundwaters are assessed to represent a negligible impact for effectively maintained systems

Matrix metalloproteinase-8 activity in gingival crevicular fluid: development of a novel assay.

Background and Objective: The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a role in regulating turnover and metabolism of connective tissues in health but they have also been implicated in a wide variety of pathological conditions, including periodontal disease. MMP-8 has been extensively studied in periodontal health and disease using ELISA, although this technique is limited by its inability to determine enzyme activity. The aim was to develop an assay specifically to measure MMP-8 activity and to demonstrate its use in the analysis of gingival crevicular fluid samples.Material and Methods: A specific antibody was used to coat black 96-well microtitre plates to capture MMP-8 selectively. The activity of bound MMP-8 was measured using a fluorogenic substrate. Gingival crevicular fluid samples, from healthy and periodontally diseased sites, were collected using PerioPaper strips and tested for MMP-8 activity.Results: Significantly higher MMP-8 activity was demonstrated in gingival crevicular fluid from periodontally diseased sites compared with healthy sites that exhibited basal or no MMP-8 activity. No cross-reactivity with other MMPs was noted.Conclusion: We show, for the first time, that MMP-8 activity can be specifically detected and quantified in gingival crevicular fluid samples. Measurement of MMP-8 activity could prove to be useful in monitoring periodontal disease progression

A mixed methods approach to urban ecosystem services: experienced environmental quality and its role in ecosystem assessment within an inner-city estate

This paper contributes to the notion of ecosystem services (ES) and dis-services (EDS) through an exploration of how they are experienced in an inner-city neighbourhood. We contrast the findings of a science-led assessment with qualitative interview and visual data from the residents of the Woodberry Down Estate (London, UK). We use the ontology of co-production and co-construction to understand how material and interpretative factors condition the translation of identified service-providing units (SPUs) into directly experienced ES and EDS. Findings demonstrate that aspects contributing to the perceived liveability of a neighbourhood also condition the experienced ES and EDS. In our case study, the history of the estate translates into subjective feelings of safety which influence whether individuals access parts of the regenerated estate. While the regeneration project provides a broad range of new and improved SPUs with significant ES potential, the access and recreational functions these offer are especially appreciated for the increased opportunities for social interaction and visitors they provide. However, new SPUs such as landscape vistas and formal gardens that attract people are also assigned further significance as markers of new divisions among social housing residents. We suggest that in order to realise the much-prophesised health and wellbeing benefits of urban ES in an equitable manner, a science-led approach to designing and assessing potential ES should be accompanied by a context-sensitive assessment of community needs and liveability aspects

Wind generated rogue waves in an annular wave flume

We investigate experimentally the statistical properties of a wind-generated wave field and the spontaneous formation of rogue waves in an annular flume. Unlike many experiments on rogue waves, where waves are mechanically generated, here the wave field is forced naturally by wind as it is in the ocean. What is unique about the present experiment is that the annular geometry of the tank makes waves propagating circularly in an {\it unlimited-fetch} condition. Within this peculiar framework, we discuss the temporal evolution of the statistical properties of the surface elevation. We show that rogue waves and heavy-tail statistics may develop naturally during the growth of the waves just before the wave height reaches a stationary condition. Our results shed new light on the formation of rogue waves in a natural environment

A role for whey acidic protein four-disulfide-core 12 (WFDC12) in the regulation of the inflammatory response in the lung

Introduction: Secretory leucocyte protease inhibitor and elafin are members of the whey acidic protein (WAP), or WAP four disulfide-core (WFDC), family of proteins and have multiple contributions to innate defence including inhibition of neutrophil serine proteases and inhibition of the inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This study aimed to explore potential activities of WFDC12, a previously uncharacterised WFDC protein expressed in the lung. Methods: Recombinant expression and purification of WFDC12 were optimised in Escherichia coli. Antiprotease, antibacterial and immunomodulatory activities of recombinant WFDC12 were evaluated and levels of endogenous WFDC12 protein were characterised by immunostaining and ELISA. Results: Recombinant WFDC12 inhibited cathepsin G, but not elastase or proteinase-3 activity. Monocytic cells pretreated with recombinant WFDC12 before LPS stimulation produced significantly lower levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 compared with cells stimulated with LPS alone. Recombinant WFDC12 became conjugated to fibronectin in a transglutaminase-mediated reaction and retained antiprotease activity. In vivo WFDC12 expression was confirmed by immunostaining of human lung tissue sections. WFDC12 levels in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from healthy and lung-injured patients were quantitatively compared, showing WFDC12 to be elevated in both patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and healthy subjects treated with LPS, relative to healthy controls. Conclusions: Together, these results suggest a role for this lesser known WFDC protein in the regulation of lung inflammation.</p

Metal size distribution in rainfall and snowmelt-induced runoff from three urban catchments

The size distribution of metals transported by urban runoff has implications for treatment type and design, predicting their mobility and evaluating their potential impact on receiving waters. There is an urgent need to better understand the distribution of metals between fractions, particularly those in the sub-dissolved fractions. As a contribution to addressing this need, this study characterises the size distribution of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, V and Zn using conventional and novel techniques. Data is presented as event mean concentrations (EMC) of a total of 18 rainfall and snowmelt events at three urban sites. For all studied metals in all events and at all sites, the contribution of the truly dissolved fraction made a greater contribution to the total concentrations than the colloidal fraction. Truly dissolved Cd and Zn concentrations contributed (on average) 26% and 28% respectively, of the total EMCs with truly dissolved Cu and Ni contributing (on average) 18%. In contrast, only 1% (V) and 3% (Cr) were identified in the truly dissolved fraction. The greatest contribution of truly dissolved Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations (relative to total oncentrations) were reported during rainfall events. However, no seasonal differences were identified and differences between the sites regarding the EMCs distribution by fractions were not at a statistically significant level (p N 0.05) for any metal or event. The loads of truly dissolved and colloidal metals did not follow the patterns of particulate metal loads indicating particulates are not the main source of subdissolved metals. The data suggests that ultrafiltration as a treatment technique would not efficiently mitigate the risks posed by metals to receiving water cologie

The sources, impact and management of car park runoff pollution: a review

Traffic emissions contribute significantly to the build-up of diffuse pollution loads on urban surfaces with their subsequent mobilisation and direct discharge posing problems for receiving water quality. This review focuses on the impact and mitigation of solids, metals, nutrients and organic pollutants in the runoff deriving from car parks. Variabilities in the discharged pollutant levels and in the potentials for pollutant mitigation complicate an impact assessment of car park runoff. The different available stormwater best management practices and proprietary devices are reported to be capable of reductions of between 20% and almost 100% for both suspended solids and a range of metals. This review contributes to prioritising the treatment options which can achieve the appropriate pollutant reductions whilst conforming to the site requirements of a typical car park. By applying different treatment scenarios to the runoff from a hypothetical car park, it is shown that optimal performance, in terms of ecological benefits for the receiving water, can be achieved using a treatment train incorporating permeable paving and bioretention systems. The review identifies existing research gaps and emphasises the pertinent management practices as well as design issues which are relevant to the mitigation of car park pollution