Gender and Climate Change in Uganda: Effects of Policy and Institutional Frameworks

In order to obtain an enriched understanding of the framing of gender issues in climate change related policies in Uganda and to explore its impacts on climate change adaptation at grassroots, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) analyzed the influence of current policy and institutional frameworks on gender and climate issues. The study evaluated the institutional and political context under which policies related to climate change are developed and implemented in Uganda as well as examined the gender approaches employed at different administrative levels of the government

Barriers to successful climate change policy implementation in Uganda

A multi-level analysis has examined how policy processes within agriculture, forestry, natural resource- and land management in Uganda support or undermine climate change adaptive responses and policy implementation with a particular focus on the Nwoya and Rakai districts. This Info Note summarizes the findings

Climate Science, Development Practice, and Policy Interactions in Dryland Agroecological Systems

The literature on drought, livelihoods, and poverty suggests that dryland residents are especially vulnerable to climate change. However, assessing this vulnerability and sharing lessons between dryland communities on how to reduce vulnerability has proven difficult because of multiple definitions of vulnerability, complexities in quantification, and the temporal and spatial variability inherent in dryland agroecological systems. In this closing editorial, we review how we have addressed these challenges through a series of structured, multiscale, and interdisciplinary vulnerability assessment case studies from drylands in West Africa, southern Africa, Mediterranean Europe, Asia, and Latin America. These case studies adopt a common vulnerability framework but employ different approaches to measuring and assessing vulnerability. By comparing methods and results across these cases, we draw out the following key lessons: (1) Our studies show the utility of using consistent conceptual frameworks for vulnerability assessments even when quite different methodological approaches are taken; (2) Utilizing narratives and scenarios to capture the dynamics of dryland agroecological systems shows that vulnerability to climate change may depend more on access to financial, political, and institutional assets than to exposure to environmental change; (3) Our analysis shows that although the results of quantitative models seem authoritative, they may be treated too literally as predictions of the future by policy makers looking for evidence to support different strategies. In conclusion, we acknowledge there is a healthy tension between bottom-up/ qualitative/place-based approaches and top-down/quantitative/generalizable approaches, and we encourage researchers from different disciplines with different disciplinary languages, to talk, collaborate, and engage effectively with each other and with stakeholders at all levels

Conformal Radiotherapy Facilitates the Delivery of Concurrent Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy: A Case of Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumour of the Chest Wall

We illustrate the principle of conformal radiotherapy by discussing the case of a patient with a primitive neuroectodermal tumour of the chest wall. Recent advances in radiotherapy planning enable precise localization of the planning target volume (PTV) and normal organs at risk of irradiation. Customized blocks are subsequently designed to produce a treatment field that ‘conforms’ to the PTV. The use of conformal radiotherapy (CRT) in this case facilitated the delivery of concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy by significantly reducing the volume of red marrow irradiated.The lack of acute and late toxicities was attributed to optimal exclusion of normal tissues from the treatment field, made possible by CRT

Expression and regulation of neuron-specific enolase

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is an isoform of the glycolytic enzyme enolase which is expressed specifically in neurons and neuroendocrine cells in the mammalian nervous system. Its onset of expression coincides with neuronal differentiation and it has therefore become established as a marker of mature, postmitotic neurons (Zomzely-Neurath, 1983). The molecular basis of neuron- specific gene expression is still poorly understood (Twyman and Jones, 1995b) and the panneuronal NSE gene thus represents an excellent model for the investigation of mechanisms responsible for neuronal gene regulation. Recently, the proximal 1.8 kbp of 5' flanking sequence from the rat NSE gene was shown to confer neuron-specific and panneuronal expression upon a heterologous gene in transgenic mice (Forss-Petter et al., 1990). This suggested that the sequence probably contained neuron-specific cis-acting elements which could be investigated using a deletion-reporter strategy in cultured cells and transgenic mice. The 1.8 kbp flanking sequence has also been shown to respond to NGF and retinoic acid in parallel with the endogenous gene (Alouani et al., 1993). In this project, the 1.8 kbp 5' flanking sequence was dissected, and various truncated derivatives were compared to the full length construct in cultured cells of neuronal and nonneuronal origin. It was shown that 255 bp of 5' flanking sequence was capable of conferring full cell type-specific regulation upon a heterologous gene, indicating the presence of neuronal c/s-acting elements within 255 bp of the transcriptional start site. Further transfection experiments, concentrating on this short proximal fragment, showed that elements responsible for neuron-specific gene expression were present in this region and in vitro analysis identified at least one specific DNA-protein interaction. Preliminary analysis of NSE gene regulation was also carried out in transgenic mice. These experiments, taken together with previous studies, showed that the level of transgene expression was variable and subject to both position and gene dosage effects. It was concluded that further analysis should be carried out in transgenic lines, preferably utilising flanking boundary elements which would protect the NSE transgenes from the position effects (to which they were highly susceptible). The impact of the transfection and transgenic experiments was discussed with respect to the published literature and ideas for future experiments were suggested

Modifying the product distribution of a reaction within the controlled microenvironment of a colloidosome

A water-soluble colloidosome composed of PGMA–PS latex was used as a microcapsule to host a catalyzed oxidation reaction within its dodecane core. When compared to a control reaction a significant colloidosome effect was observed. Specifically, a 233% increase in the relative yield of all products was observed for the colloidosome reaction. Furthermore, when the product distributions were calculated it was evident that a switch in selectivity had taken place. These studies showed there is a significant reduction in the relative yield of the epoxide product compared to the remaining oxidation products. Additional control experiments confirmed that rate enhancements were not simply a result of concentration and that reactions were not occurring in the outer latex phase. As a consequence of these control experiments, we suggest that the colloidosome enhancement and shift in product distribution, comes about from differences in electronic environment at or close to the interface between the internal oil phase and the outer colloidal particles. This environment is able to stabilize any specific intermediates and or transition states leading to enhanced reactions for these products and higher relative yields

Asymmetric detection of changes in volatility: Implications for risk perception.

Variance of the outcomes associated with an option often provides a measure of the riskiness of that option. Hence, it is important that organisms are able to detect any sudden changes in outcome variance. In Experiment 1, we presented people with graphs of share price time series or water level time series. In half the graphs, variance (financial or flooding risk) changed at some point. People were better at detecting increases than decreases in risk - maybe because it is more important to detect increases in danger than decreases in it. However, in Experiment 2, people were still better at detecting increases than decreases in variance even when those changes did not reflect altered levels of risk. Our findings may reflect the fact that the actual change in variance exceeds the change needed to identify a regime change in variance by a larger amount for upward than for downward changes

Screening unsaturated fat sources included to low and high forage diets with different fat dietary concentration using an in vitro gas production system

Fat inclusion can increase energy density of diets fed to ruminants, but detrimental effects to nutrient digestion have been reported. There is evidence that not all fat sources have this negative response and this effect can vary depending on the forage concentration in the diet. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of including different types of unsaturated fats to high and low forage diets in vitro digestibility and fermentation. An experiment was conducted using an in vitro gas production (GP) system. Treatments included either low forage (LF; 35%) or high forage (HF; 70%) with 2 dietary fat concentrations (6 or 9%) and of 7 different fat source treatments (control + 6 different types of unsaturated fat sources). The control diet had a basal level of fat in the diet [3% fat (0% fat inclusion); and fat sources were added to attain 6% or 9% fat and consisted of (Coconut oil, CO; Poultry fat, PF; Palm oil, PO; Palm kernel oil, PKO; Ca Salts, MEG; Soybean oil, SOY)]. Modules (GP) were randomly assigned to treatments in a 2×2×7 factorial design and incubated for two 24 h runs. A randomized complete block design with 4 replicates per treatment and 2 runs was used. Run was the blocking factor. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Apparent digestibility (AD) for DM, OM, NDF, ADF and true dry matter digestibility (TDMD) were higher in LF-treatment. Cumulative gas produced in mL was greater in LF (P = 0.01). Fat concentration had no effect on AD, but the 6% fat had a higher gas production (P = 0.03; 109.6 vs. 103.5 mL ± 2.44). The CO had the highest DM AD followed by SOY and PF (54.5, 51.8, and 50.6% ± 0.48) and cumulative gas production followed same pattern. The TDMD and OM AD were higher in CO, however the NDF and ADF AD were higher in MEG-fed modules. Final pH was not affected by treatments. Final NH3N concentration was greater in HF and 9% fat. These results suggest that LF diets with high dietary fat concentration can be utilized and different types of fat sources may improve DM and fiber rumen digestibility

Prevalence of non-febrile seizures in children with idiopathic autism spectrum disorder and their unaffected siblings: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized not only by deficits in communication and social interactions but also a high rate of co-occurring disorders, including metabolic abnormalities, gastrointestinal and sleep disorders, and seizures. Seizures, when present, interfere with cognitive development and are associated with a higher mortality rate in the ASD population. METHODS: To determine the relative prevalence of non-febrile seizures in children with idiopathic ASD from multiplex and simplex families compared with the unaffected siblings in a cohort of 610 children with idiopathic ASD and their 160 unaffected siblings, participating in the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange project, the secondary analysis was performed comparing the life-time prevalence of non-febrile seizures. Statistical models to account for non-independence of observations, inherent with the data from multiplex families, were used in assessing potential confounding effects of age, gender, and history of febrile seizures on odds of having non-febrile seizures. RESULTS: The life-time prevalence of non-febrile seizures was 8.2% among children with ASD and 2.5% among their unaffected siblings. In a logistic regression analysis that adjusted for familial clustering, children with ASD had 5.27 (95%CI: 1.51–18.35) times higher odds of having non-febrile seizures compared to their unaffected siblings. In this comparison, age, presence of gastrointestinal dysfunction, and history of febrile seizures were significantly associated with the prevalence of non-febrile seizures. CONCLUSION: Children with idiopathic ASD are significantly more likely to have non-febrile seizures than their unaffected siblings, suggesting that non-febrile seizures may be ASD-specific. Further studies are needed to determine modifiable risk factors for non-febrile seizures in ASD