Governments' policy response to drought in Eswatini and Lesotho : a systematic review of the characteristics, comprehensiveness, and quality of existing policies to improve community resilience to drought hazards

The southern African kingdoms of Eswatini and Lesotho experience recurrent drought-induced disasters. Policies have been enacted, but no attempt has been made to synthesise the effects on disaster resilience. This review analyses the characteristics, quality, and comprehensiveness of drought-resilience policies in Eswatini and Lesotho. We have systematically reviewed public policies that shape responses to disaster resilience published between 1 January 1980 and 30 June 2019. A combination of keywords was used to search electronic bibliographic databases, multidisciplinary databases, key organisational websites, and the first 20 pages of Google for policies that addressed disaster and/or drought resilience. Identified documents were downloaded into an EndNote database and screened for eligibility using predetermined criteria. The logic of events framework was used for quality assessment, and a metaethnographic approach was applied for data synthesis. Three broad categories of characteristics, thematic outcomes and quality, and comprehensiveness of policy documents emerged and are presented. Policy responses contributing to disaster resilience were found in n = 32 out of 13,700 documents. Three (n = 3/32) policies were statutory, and the rest were nonstatutory. Eleven (n = 11/32) were assessed to be of high quality. Policy responses relating to drought resilience focused on reducing vulnerability to recurrent disasters; promoting drought and climate change adaptation; improving agriculture and food security; safeguarding cultural heritage; and preventing gender inequality and gender-based violence as well as improving disaster governance. However, the construct of drought resilience was not strongly articulated as a major policy goal across policy documents. There is an urgent need to promote better understanding of drought resilience in order to motivate policymakers to steer away from reactive interventions and position resilience as a major national policy goal in both countries to expedite inclusive growth and safeguard development gains and the health and wellbeing of the majority of their populations who are rural-based populations

Nonet Symmetry and Two-Body Decays of Charmed Mesons

The decay of charmed mesons into pseudoscalar (P) and vector (V) mesons is studied in the context of nonet symmetry. We have found that it is badly broken in the PP channels and in the P sector of the PV channels as expected from the non-ideal mixing of the \eta and the \eta'. In the VV channels, it is also found that nonet symmetry does not describe the data well. We have found that this discrepancy cannot be attributed entirely to SU(3) breaking at the usual level of 20--30%. At least one, or both, of nonet and SU(3) symmetry must be very badly broken. The possibility of resolving the problem in the future is also discussed.Comment: 9 pages, UTAPHY-HEP-

Использование и перераспределение земель сельскохозяйственного назначения в Томском районе

Актуальность темы магистерской диссертацией связана с неэффективностью использования земель СХНО как основы продовольственной безопасности Томской области. Объектом исследования являются земли сельскохозяйственного назначения Томского района Томской области Цель работы – обоснование комплексного подхода к решению сложившихся проблем использования земель СХН и разработка его алгоритма на примере Томского района Томской области. В ходе работы были рассмотрены почвенные и климатические условия Томского района, их влияние на земли СХН.Object of research are the earth of agricultural purpose of the Tomsk region of the Tomsk region The work purpose – justification of an integrated approach to the solution of the developed problems of use of lands of agricultural tenure and development of his algorithm on the example of the Tomsk region of the Tomsk region. During work soil and climatic conditions of the Tomsk area, their influence on lands of SHN have been considered. The analysis of the possible reasons promoting reduction of the areas and decrease in fertility of this category, standard and legal base is carried out, and the existing problems of use and non-use of lands of agricultural purpose on the example of the Tomsk area are also revealed and proved. As a result of research the scheme covering in itself the factor

Parton distributions in the virtual photon target up to NNLO in QCD

Parton distributions in the virtual photon target are investigated in perturbative QCD up to the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO). In the case $\Lambda^2 \ll P^2 \ll Q^2$, where $-Q^2$ ($-P^2$) is the mass squared of the probe (target) photon, parton distributions can be predicted completely up to the NNLO, but they are factorisation-scheme-dependent. We analyse parton distributions in two different factorisation schemes, namely $\bar{\rm MS}$ and ${\rm DIS}_{\gamma}$ schemes, and discuss their scheme dependence. We show that the factorisation-scheme dependence is characterised by the large-$x$ behaviours of quark distributions. Gluon distribution is predicted to be very small in absolute value except in the small-$x$ region.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, version to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

Carbon Nanotubes by a CVD Method. Part I: Synthesis and Characterization of the (Mg, Fe)O Catalysts

The controlled synthesis of carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition requires tailored and wellcharacterized catalyst materials. We attempted to synthesize Mg1-xFexO oxide solid solutions by the combustion route, with the aim of performing a detailed investigation of the influence of the synthesis conditions (nitrate/urea ratio and the iron content) on the valency and distribution of the iron ions and phases. Notably, characterization of the catalyst materials is performed using 57Fe Mo¨ssbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. Several iron species are detected including Fe2+ ions substituting for Mg2+ in the MgO lattice, Fe3+ ions dispersed in the octahedral sites of MgO, different clusters of Fe3+ ions, and MgFe2O4-like nanoparticles. The dispersion of these species and the microstructure of the oxides are discussed. Powders markedly different from one another that may serve as model systems for further study are identified. The formation of carbon nanotubes upon reduction in a H2/CH4 gas atmosphere of the selected powders is reported in a companion paper

Carbon Nanotubes by a CVD Method. Part II: Formation of Nanotubes from (Mg, Fe)O Catalysts

The aim of this paper is to study the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from different Fe/MgO oxide powders that were prepared by combustion synthesis and characterized in detail in a companion paper. Depending on the synthesis conditions, several iron species are present in the starting oxides including Fe2+ ions, octahedral Fe3+ ions, Fe3+ clusters, and MgFe2O4-like nanoparticles. Upon reduction during heating at 5 °C/min up to 1000 °C in H2/CH4 of the oxide powders, the octahedral Fe3+ ions tend to form Fe2+ ions, which are not likely to be reduced to metallic iron whereas the MgFe2O4-like particles are directly reduced to metallic iron. The reduced phases are R-Fe, Fe3C, and ç-Fe-C. Fe3C appears as the postreaction phase involved in the formation of carbon filaments (CNTs and thick carbon nanofibers). Thick carbon nanofibers are formed from catalyst particles originating from poorly dispersed species (Fe3+ clusters and MgFe2O4-like particles). The nanofiber outer diameter is determined by the particle size. The reduction of the iron ions and clusters that are well dispersed in the MgO lattice leads to small catalytic particles (<5 nm), which tend to form SWNTS and DWNTs with an inner diameter close to 2 nm. Well-dispersed MgFe2O4-like particles can also be reduced to small metal particles with a narrow size distribution, producing SWNTs and DWNTs. The present results will help in tailoring oxide precursors for the controlled formation of CNTs

The effects of acute CRAM supplementation on reaction time and subjective measures of focus and alertness in healthy college students

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of acute and prolonged (4-weeks) ingestion of a supplement designed to improve reaction time and subjective measures of alertness, energy, fatigue, and focus compared to placebo.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nineteen physically-active subjects (17 men and 2 women) were randomly assigned to a group that either consumed a supplement (21.1 ± 0.6 years; body mass: 80.6 ± 9.4 kg) or placebo (21.3 ± 0.8 years; body mass: 83.4 ± 18.5 kg). During the initial testing session (T1), subjects were provided 1.5 g of the supplement (CRAM; α-glycerophosphocholine, choline bitartrate, phosphatidylserine, vitamins B3, B6, and B12, folic acid, L-tyrosine, anhydrous caffeine, acetyl-L-carnitine, and naringin) or a placebo (PL), and rested quietly for 10-minutes before completing a questionnaire on subjective feelings of energy, fatigue, alertness and focus (PRE). Subjects then performed a 4-minute quickness and reaction test followed by a 10-min bout of exhaustive exercise. The questionnaire and reaction testing sequence was then repeated (POST). Subjects reported back to the lab (T2) following 4-weeks of supplementation and repeated the testing sequence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Reaction time significantly declined (p = 0.050) between PRE and POST at T1 in subjects consuming PL, while subjects under CRAM supplementation were able to maintain (p = 0.114) their performance. Significant performance declines were seen in both groups from PRE to POST at T2. Elevations in fatigue were seen for CRAM at both T1 and T2 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.000, respectively), but only at T2 for PL (p = 0.029). Subjects in CRAM maintained focus between PRE and POST during both T1 and T2 trials (p = 0.152 and p = 0.082, respectively), whereas significant declines in focus were observed between PRE and POST in PL at both trials (p = 0.037 and p = 0.014, respectively). No difference in alertness was seen at T1 between PRE and POST for CRAM (p = 0.083), but a significant decline was recorded at T2 (p = 0.005). Alertness was significantly lower at POST at both T1 and T2 for PL (p = 0.040 and p = 0.33, respectively). No differences in any of these subjective measures were seen between the groups at any time point.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results indicate that acute ingestion of CRAM can maintain reaction time, and subjective feelings of focus and alertness to both visual and auditory stimuli in healthy college students following exhaustive exercise. However, some habituation may occur following 4-weeks of supplementation.</p

Resting-State Connectivity Biomarkers of Cognitive Performance and Social Function in Individuals With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder and Healthy Control Subjects

BACKGROUND: Deficits in neurocognition and social cognition are drivers of reduced functioning in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, with potentially shared neurobiological underpinnings. Many studies have sought to identify brain-based biomarkers of these clinical variables using a priori dichotomies (e.g., good vs. poor cognition, deficit vs. nondeficit syndrome). METHODS: We evaluated a fully data-driven approach to do the same by building and validating a brain connectivity-based biomarker of social cognitive and neurocognitive performance in a sample using resting-state and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (n = 74 healthy control participants, n = 114 persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, 188 total). We used canonical correlation analysis followed by clustering to identify a functional connectivity signature of normal and poor social cognitive and neurocognitive performance. RESULTS: Persons with poor social cognitive and neurocognitive performance were differentiated from those with normal performance by greater resting-state connectivity in the mirror neuron and mentalizing systems. We validated our findings by showing that poor performers also scored lower on functional outcome measures not included in the original analysis and by demonstrating neuroanatomical differences between the normal and poorly performing groups. We used a support vector machine classifier to demonstrate that functional connectivity alone is enough to distinguish normal and poorly performing participants, and we replicated our findings in an independent sample (n = 75). CONCLUSIONS: A brief functional magnetic resonance imaging scan may ultimately be useful in future studies aimed at characterizing long-term illness trajectories and treatments that target specific brain circuitry in those with impaired cognition and function

Genome-wide expression analyses of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168 reveals coordinate regulation of motility and virulence by flhA.

We examined two variants of the genome-sequenced strain, Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168, which show marked differences in their virulence properties including colonization of poultry, invasion of Caco-2 cells, and motility. Transcript profiles obtained from whole genome DNA microarrays and proteome analyses demonstrated that these differences are reflected in late flagellar structural components and in virulence factors including those involved in flagellar glycosylation and cytolethal distending toxin production. We identified putative sigma(28) and sigma(54) promoters for many of the affected genes and found that greater differences in expression were observed for sigma(28)-controlled genes. Inactivation of the gene encoding sigma(28), fliA, resulted in an unexpected increase in transcripts with sigma(54) promoters, as well as decreased transcription of sigma(28)-regulated genes. This was unlike the transcription profile observed for the attenuated C. jejuni variant, suggesting that the reduced virulence of this organism was not entirely due to impaired function of sigma(28). However, inactivation of flhA, an important component of the flagellar export apparatus, resulted in expression patterns similar to that of the attenuated variant. These findings indicate that the flagellar regulatory system plays an important role in campylobacter pathogenesis and that flhA is a key element involved in the coordinate regulation of late flagellar genes and of virulence factors in C. jejuni