Heat stress in Africa under high intensity climate change.

Extreme weather events are major causes of loss of life and damage infrastructure worldwide. High temperatures cause heat stress on humans, livestock, crops and infrastructure. Heat stress exposure is projected to increase with ongoing climate change. Extremes of temperature are common in Africa and infrastructure is often incapable of providing adequate cooling. We show how easily accessible cooling technology, such as evaporative coolers, prevent heat stress in historic timescales but are unsuitable as a solution under climate change. As temperatures increase, powered cooling, such as air conditioning, is necessary to prevent overheating. This will, in turn, increase demand on already stretched infrastructure. We use high temporal resolution climate model data to estimate the demand for cooling according to two metrics, firstly the apparent temperature and secondly the discomfort index. For each grid cell we calculate the heat stress value and the amount of cooling required to turn a heat stress event into a non heat stress event. We show the increase in demand for cooling in Africa is non uniform and that equatorial countries are exposed to higher heat stress than higher latitude countries. We further show that evaporative coolers are less effective in tropical regions than in the extra tropics. Finally, we show that neither low nor high efficiency coolers are sufficient to return Africa to current levels of heat stress under climate change

Addressing School Related Gender Based Violence in Togo: A Scoping Study

This report presents findings from the scoping study of policy, practice and evidence on school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) in Togo, which took place in 2016. The study has been carried out as a collaboration between the government of Togo, UNICEF, and a team at the UCL Institute of Education (Jenny Parkes, Jo Heslop, Freya Johnson Ross, Rosie Westerveld and Elaine Unterhalter) working alongside the consultant Dr Kossi Sénamé Dodzi. Its core elements consisted of: stakeholder mapping and engagement in policy dialogue; analysis of legislation and policy; analysis of any programming on SRGBV; and the identification and evaluation of research and data. The findings presented here will be used to guide decision making for phase two of EGVS which will take place during 2017, as well as longer term planning and action on SRGBV in Togo. The findings will provide the basis for reflection and the development of the action plan for the next phase of the EGVS initiative

A selected ion flow tube study of the ion-molecule reactions of monochloroethene, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene

Data for the rate coefficients and product cations of the reactions of a large number of atomic and small molecular cations with monochloroethene, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene in a selected ion flow tube at 298 K are reported. The recombination energy of the ions range from 6.27 eV (H$_3$O$^+$) through to 21.56 eV (Ne$^+$). Collisional rate coefficients are calculated by modified average dipole orientation theory and compared with experimental values. Thermochemistry and mass balance predict the most feasible neutral products. Together with previously reported results for the three isomers of dichloroethene (J. Phys. Chem. A., 2006, 110, 5760), the fragment ion branching ratios have been compared with those from threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy over the photon energy range 9-22 eV to determine the importance or otherwise of long-range charge transfer. For ions with recombination energy in excess of the ionisation energy of the chloroethene, charge transfer is energetically allowed. The similarity of the branching ratios from the two experiments suggest that long-range charge transfer is dominant. For ions with recombination energy less than the ionisation energy, charge transfer is not allowed; chemical reaction can only occur following formation of an ion-molecule complex, where steric effects are more significant. The products that are now formed and their percentage yield is a complex interplay between the number and position of the chlorine atoms with respect to the C=C bond, where inductive and conjugation effects can be important

Analysis of Bidding Networks in eBay: Aggregate Preference Identification through Community Detection

Statistical analysis of networks plays a critical role in the context of economics and the social sciences. Here we construct a bidding network to represent the behavior of users of the eBay marketplace. We study the eBay markets for digital cameras and liquid crystal display screens, and employ network analysis to identify aggregate structure in bidder preferences. The network that we construct associates auctions with nodes, and weighted edges between nodes capture the number of bidders competing in a pair of auctions, where said bidders ultimately win in only a single auction. We show that current community detection methods applied to this network allow for the identification of goods that are considered substitutes and complements, and thus the identification of aggregate preference information. In closing we suggest additional opportunities as well as challenges for the analysis of structured data in electronic markets.Engineering and Applied Science

Addressing School-Related Gender-Based Violence in Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Zambia and Ethiopia: A Cross-country Report

This report synthesises findings from four scoping studies of policy, practice and evidence on school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) in Zambia, Togo, Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire carried out in 2016-2017.This work forms part of End Gender Violence in Schools (EGVS), an initiative led by UNICEF, with support from Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and UNGEI, which aims to strengthen the production and use of high quality evidence in order to build effective approaches to address SRGBV. Data were collected through stakeholder interviews, workshops and analyses of research, policy and programme texts. The research design offers a valuable framework through which to evaluate and strengthen national action on SRGBV through collecting evidence on: prevalence and patterns of SRGBV; laws, policies and plans; structures and partnerships; responses in and around schools; prevention through teaching and learning; and systems for data collection.Overall, these findings point to the need for using an evidence-based, multi-dimensional approach when analysing, developing and enacting policy and practice on SRGBV. The analysis generates an Action Map on SRGBV through legislation, policy and structures; work in schools; and through partnerships and communities

Evaluating palliative care training in the oncology registrar programme in South Africa

Background. Following a World Health Assembly call in 2014 to strengthen palliative care, the South African (SA) Department of Health approved this strategy as part of the SA National Policy Framework and Strategy on Palliative Care. In 2016, the University of Cape Town, together with the College of Radiation Oncology of SA, identified the need to integrate palliative care (PC) into the oncology curriculum. In collaboration with the Cancer Association of SA, a research project was developed to introduce a 12-module curriculum at five teaching hospitals. The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of a 1-year PC course within the training programme for specialist oncologists in SA. Objective. To determine the reaction of oncology registrars and their supervisors to the course to determine changes in knowledge and skills, and to determine the application in oncology practice. Methods. This study was a mixed-method prospective evaluation of an educational intervention. The educational programme used a blended learning method to train and support registrars (n=32) and facilitators (n=5) across five universities from August 2017 to September 2018. Evaluation feedback was electronically collected to determine the registrars’ reactions to the course materials. Pre and post multiple-choice questions (MCQs) were used to review their knowledge. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to explore reactions, change in knowledge and skills and how registrars integrated PC into their daily work. Results. There was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the PC course by the oncology registrars and their supervisors. The training was found to be feasible, and the topics addressed appropriate. Concerns previously raised by the College of Radiation Oncology of SA regarding the feasibility and appropriateness of the course and material were found to be unsubstantiated. The poor MCQ results can be ascribed to poor sequencing of the execution of the question. However, the MCQs in modules 7 and 8 (symptom management) demonstrated the most significant change in knowledge and skills (symptom management). The FGDs demonstrated a perceived change in knowledge and skills, especially for communication skills and pain and symptom management. The FGDs also indicated that the registrars’ approach to PC changed in that they were able to integrate the principles of PC into practice, and now saw PC as an essential component of oncology. Lastly, registrars and their supervisors felt that the course addressed topics that formed part of their daily clinical work. Conclusion. This research supports the view that PC training is an essential component of oncology training in the SA setting. PC forms part of the daily practice of oncologists, and a structured curriculum prepares clinicians to be able to integrate evidence-based PC into the practice of oncology if they receive appropriate training. Supervisors of the oncology training programme and registrars are confident that the training of 12 modules across 1 year is feasible and appropriate

Lutter contre les violences basées sur le genre en milieu scolaire en Côte d’Ivoire: Étude exploratoire

Les violences basées sur le genre en milieu scolaire (VBGMS) désignent les actes de violence physique, sexuelle et psychologique contre les garçons et les filles perpétrés au sein et aux abords des écoles, des communautés et des familles et fondés sur un accès inégal aux ressources et au pouvoir, ainsi que sur des normes et stéréotypes inéquitables. Bien que ce type de violences bénéficie d’une reconnaissance accrue en tant que problème majeur à l’échelle internationale, un examen rigoureux de la documentation disponible démontre l’absence de solutions concrètes dont l’efficacité serait avérée. Les liens entre les différents niveaux d’action (que ce soit au niveau des politiques internationales et nationales, des lois ou au niveau des projets et des actions mises en oeuvre au sein de l’école ou des communautés) n’ont, jusqu’ici, pas fait l’objet d’une attention à la hauteur de la problématique. L’initiative visant à mettre fin aux VBGMS est un partenariat entre l’UNICEF, l’Institute of Education de l’University College de Londres, l’Initiative des Nations Unies pour l’éducation des filles, le Partenariat mondial pour l’éducation et les partenaires de Côte d’Ivoire, d’Éthiopie, du Togo et de Zambie (2015–2017), et est financé par les subventions aux activités mondiales et régionales du Partenariat mondial pour l’éducation. L’initiative a pour objectif de mettre en évidence les faits en vue d’étayer, de renforcer et de mieux comprendre le processus de mise en oeuvre des politiques relatives aux VBGMS en Côte d’Ivoire, en Éthiopie, au Togo et en Zambie. Les conclusions de cette initiative contribueront aux débats internationaux et nationaux sur les façons de lutter contre les VBGMS. L'objectif principal de l'étude était d'analyser les réponses à la violence sexiste dans et aux abords des écoles en Côte d'Ivoire, en vue d'éclairer la planification des politiques et des initiatives pratiques à venir. Ce rapport s'appuie sur les données recueillies par l'équipe de recherche, l’UNICEF CO, des consultants nationaux et des partenaires, et expose les résultats d’une étude préliminaire sur les politiques, les pratiques et les faits relatifs aux VBGMS en Côte d’Ivoire

Addressing School-Related Gender-Based Violence in Côte d’Ivoire: A Scoping Study

The main objective of the study was to analyse responses to gender-based violence in and around schools in Côte d’Ivoire, in order to inform future planning of policy and practice initiatives. This report draws on the data gathered by the research team, UNICEF CO, national consultants and partners, and presents findings from a scoping study of policy, practice and evidence on schoolrelated gender-based violence (SRGBV) in Côte d’Ivoire

The derivation of the formyl-group oxygen of chlorophyll b in higher plants from molecular oxygen.

The mechanism of formation of the formyl group of chlorophyll b has long been obscure but, in this paper, the origin of the 7-formyl-group oxygen of chlorophyll b in higher plants was determined by greening etiolated maize leaves, excised from dark-grown plants, by illumination under white light in the presence of either H218O or 18O2 and examining the newly synthesized chlorophylls by mass spectroscopy. To minimize the possible loss of 18O label from the 7-formyl substituent by reversible formation of chlorophyll b-71-gem-diol (hydrate) with unlabelled water in the cell, the formyl group was reduced to a hydroxymethyl group during extraction with methanol containing NaBH4: chlorophyll a remained unchanged during this rapid reductive extraction process. Mass spectra of chlorophyll a and [7-hydroxymethyl]-chlorophyll b extracted from leaves greened in the presence of either H218O or 18O2 revealed that 18O was incorporated only from molecular oxygen but into both chlorophylls: the mass spectra were consistent with molecular oxygen providing an oxygen atom not only for incorporation into the 7-formyl group of chlorophyll b but also for the well-documented incorporation into the 131-oxo group of both chlorophylls a and b [see Walker, C. J., Mansfield, K. E., Smith, K. M. & Castelfranco, P. A. (1989) Biochem. J. 257, 599–602]. The incorporation of isotope led to as much as 77% enrichment of the 131-oxo group of chlorophyll a: assuming identical incorporation into the 131 oxygen of chlorophyll b, then enrichment of the 7-formyl oxygen was as much as 93%. Isotope dilution by re-incorporation of photosynthetically produced oxygen from unlabelled water was negligible as shown by a greening experiment in the presence of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea. The high enrichment using 18O2, and the absence of labelling by H218O, unequivocally demonstrates that molecular oxygen is the sole precursor of the 7-formyl oxygen of chlorophyll b in higher plants and strongly suggests a single pathway for the formation of the chlorophyll b formyl group involving the participation of an oxygenase-type enzyme