Gender dynamics in rice-farming households in Vietnam: A literature review

This literature review is part of the CCAFS program on low emission agriculture flagship of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. It serves as a background document to better understand gender roles and dynamics in the rice sector in Vietnam, and provides input into research activities on the gender dimensions of mitigation options such as alternate wetting and drying. An understanding of gender issues helps to both improve effective design and delivery of mitigation technologies and ensure that the benefits of mitigation technologies reach women and men equitably. This will enable mitigation technologies to contribute to livelihood resilience, gender equity, and other development objectives as well as to lowering greenhouse gas emissions

Outgassing on stagnant-lid super-Earths

We explore volcanic outgassing on purely rocky, stagnant-lid exoplanets of different interior structures, compositions, thermal states, and age. We focus on planets in the mass range of 1-8 ME (Earth masses). We derive scaling laws to quantify first- and second-order influences of these parameters on volcanic outgassing after 4.5 Gyrs of evolution. Given commonly observed astrophysical data of super-Earths, we identify a range of possible interior structures and compositions by employing Bayesian inference modelling. [..] The identified interiors are subsequently used as input for two-dimensional (2-D) convection models to study partial melting, depletion, and outgassing rates of CO2. In total, we model depletion and outgassing for an extensive set of more than 2300 different super-Earth cases. We find that there is a mass range for which outgassing is most efficient (~2--3 ME, depending on thermal state) and an upper mass where outgassing becomes very inefficient (~5--7 \ME, depending on thermal state). [..] In summary, depletion and outgassing are mainly influenced by planet mass and thermal state. Interior structure and composition only moderately affect outgassing. The majority of outgassing occurs before 4.5 Gyrs, especially for planets below 3 ME. We conclude that for stagnant-lid planets, (1) compositional and structural properties have secondary influence on outgassing compared to planet mass and thermal state, and (2) confirm that there is a mass range for which outgassing is most efficient and an upper mass limit, above which no significant outgassing can occur. Our predicted trend of CO2-atmospheric masses can be observationally tested for exoplanets. These findings and our provided scaling laws are an important step in order to provide interpretative means for upcoming missions such as, e.g., JWST and E-ELT, that aim at characterizing exoplanet atmospheres.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 19 Figures, 20 page

Plutonic‐Squishy Lid: A New Global Tectonic Regime Generated by Intrusive Magmatism on Earth‐Like Planets

The thermal and chemical evolution of rocky planets is controlled by their surface tectonics and magmatic processes. On Earth, magmatism is dominated by plutonism/intrusion versus volcanism/extrusion. However, the role of plutonism on planetary tectonics and long‐term evolution of rocky planets has not been systematically studied. We use numerical simulations to systematically investigate the effect of plutonism combined with eruptive volcanism. At low‐to‐intermediate intrusion efficiencies, results reproduce the three common tectonic/convective regimes as are usually obtained in simulations using a viscoplastic rheology: stagnant‐lid (a one‐plate planet), episodic (where the lithosphere is usually stagnant and sometimes overturns into the mantle), and mobile‐lid (similar to plate tectonics). At high intrusion efficiencies, we observe a new additional regime called “plutonic‐squishy lid.” This regime is characterized by a set of small, strong plates separated by warm and weak regions generated by plutonism. Eclogitic drippings and lithospheric delaminations often occur close to these weak regions, which leads to significant surface velocities toward the focus of delamination, even if subduction is not active. The location of the plate boundaries is strongly time dependent and mainly occurs in regions of magma intrusion, leading to small, ephemeral plates. The plutonic‐squishy‐lid regime is also distinctive from other regimes because it generates a thin lithosphere, which results in high conductive heat fluxes and lower internal mantle temperatures when compared to a stagnant lid. This regime has the potential to be applicable to the Early Archean Earth and present‐day Venus, as it combines elements of both protoplate tectonic and vertical tectonic models

Melting-induced crustal production helps plate tectonics on Earth-like planets

AbstractWithin our Solar System, Earth is the only planet to be in a mobile-lid regime. It is generally accepted that the other terrestrial planets are currently in a stagnant-lid regime, with the possible exception of Venus that may be in an episodic-lid regime. In this study, we use numerical simulations to address the question of whether melting-induced crustal production changes the critical yield stress needed to obtain mobile-lid behaviour (plate tectonics). Our results show that melting-induced crustal production strongly influences plate tectonics on Earth-like planets by strongly enhancing the mobility of the lid, replacing a stagnant lid with an episodic lid, or greatly extending the time in which a smoothly evolving mobile lid is present in a planet. Finally, we show that our results are consistent with analytically predicted critical yield stress obtained with boundary layer theory, whether melting-induced crustal production is considered or not

Management of Agitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has radically altered delivery of care in emergency settings. Unprecedented hardship due to ongoing fears of exposure and threats to personal safety, along with societal measures enacted to curb disease transmission, have had broad psychosocial impact on patients and healthcare workers alike. These changes can significantly affect diagnosing and managing behavioral emergencies such as agitation in the emergency department. On behalf of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, we highlight unique considerations for patients with severe behavioral symptoms and staff members managing symptoms of agitation during COVID-19. Early detection and treatment of agitation, precautions to minimize staff hazards, coordination with security personnel and psychiatric services, and avoidance of coercive strategies that cause respiratory depression will help mitigate heightened risks to safety caused by this outbreak

Hydraulic “Fracking”: Are surface water impacts an ecological concern?

Use of high‐volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) in unconventional reservoirs to recover previously inaccessible oil and natural gas is rapidly expanding in North America and elsewhere. Although hydraulic fracturing has been practiced for decades, the advent of more technologically advanced horizontal drilling coupled with improved slickwater chemical formulations has allowed extensive natural gas and oil deposits to be recovered from shale formations. Millions of liters of local groundwaters are utilized to generate extensive fracture networks within these low‐permeability reservoirs, allowing extraction of the trapped hydrocarbons. Although the technology is relatively standardized, the geographies and related policies and regulations guiding these operations vary markedly. Some ecosystems are more at risk from these operations than others because of either their sensitivities or the manner in which the HVHF operations are conducted. Generally, the closer geographical proximity of the susceptible ecosystem to a drilling site or a location of related industrial processes, the higher the risk of that ecosystem being impacted by the operation. The associated construction of roads, power grids, pipelines, well pads, and water‐extraction systems along with increased truck traffic are common to virtually all HVHF operations. These operations may result in increased erosion and sedimentation, increased risk to aquatic ecosystems from chemical spills or runoff, habitat fragmentation, loss of stream riparian zones, altered biogeochemical cycling, and reduction of available surface and hyporheic water volumes because of withdrawal‐induced lowering of local groundwater levels. The potential risks to surface waters from HVHF operations are similar in many ways to those resulting from agriculture, silviculture, mining, and urban development. Indeed, groundwater extraction associated with agriculture is perhaps a larger concern in the long term in some regions. Understanding the ecological impacts of these anthropogenic activities provides useful information for evaluations of potential HVHF hazards. Geographic information system–based modeling combined with strategic site monitoring has provided insights into the relative importance of these and other ecoregion and land‐use factors in discerning potential HVHF impacts. Recent findings suggest that proper siting and operational controls along with strategic monitoring can reduce the potential for risks to aquatic ecosystems. Nevertheless, inadequate data exist to predict ecological risk at this time. The authors suggest considering the plausibility of surface water hazards associated with the various HVHF operations in terms of the ecological context and in the context of relevant anthropogenic activities. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:1679–1689 . © 2014 SETACPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108102/1/etc2619.pd

Timescales of chemical equilibrium between the convecting solid mantle and over- and underlying magma oceans

After accretion and formation, terrestrial planets go through at least one magma ocean episode. As the magma ocean crystallises, it creates the first layer of solid rocky mantle. Two different scenarios of magma ocean crystallisation involve that the solid mantle either (1) first appears at the core–mantle boundary and grows upwards or (2) appears at mid-mantle depth and grows in both directions. Regardless of the magma ocean freezing scenario, the composition of the solid mantle and liquid reservoirs continuously change due to fractional crystallisation. This chemical fractionation has important implications for the long-term thermo-chemical evolution of the mantle as well as its present-day dynamics and composition. In this work, we use numerical models to study convection in a solid mantle bounded at one or both boundaries by magma ocean(s) and, in particular, the related consequences for large-scale chemical fractionation. We use a parameterisation of fractional crystallisation of the magma ocean(s) and (re)melting of solid material at the interface between these reservoirs. When these crystallisation and remelting processes are taken into account, convection in the solid mantle occurs readily and is dominated by large wavelengths. Related material transfer across the mantle–magma ocean boundaries promotes chemical equilibrium and prevents extreme enrichment of the last-stage magma ocean (as would otherwise occur due to pure fractional crystallisation). The timescale of equilibration depends on the convective vigour of mantle convection and on the efficiency of material transfer between the solid mantle and magma ocean(s). For Earth, this timescale is comparable to that of magma ocean crystallisation suggested in previous studies (Lebrun et al., 2013), which may explain why the Earth's mantle is rather homogeneous in composition, as supported by geophysical constraints

Idiopathic club foot treated with the Ponseti method. Clinical and sonographic evaluation of Achilles tendon tenotomy. A review of 221 club feet

SummaryThe Ponseti method applied to treating idiopathic club foot consists in placing successive corrective casts, possibly an Achilles tendon tenotomy, then derotation braces, a method that has proven its efficacy. This study compared 221 cases of club foot treated with this method between 2002 and 2007 divided into two groups, based on whether or not Achilles tendon tenotomy was performed. Assessment was both clinical and sonographic. We observed clear improvement of the results in the group that underwent Achilles tendon tenotomy and a significant difference in the rate of secondary surgery. The sonographic evaluation also showed improvement of the morphological results. We now systematically propose Achilles tendon tenotomy however severe club foot may be

gender and inorganic nitrogen what are the implications of moving towards a more balanced use of nitrogen fertilizer in the tropics

ABSTRACTFor agriculture to play a role in climate change mitigation strategies to reduce emissions from inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer through a more balanced and efficient use are necessary. Such strategies should align with the overarching principle of sustainable intensification and will need to consider the economic, environmental and social trade-offs of reduced fertilizer-related emissions. However, the gender equity dimensions of such strategies are rarely considered. The case studies cited in this paper, from India, Lake Victoria in East Africa and more broadly from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), show that the negative externalities of imbalanced inorganic N use in high- and low-use scenarios impact more strongly on women and children. We examine, through a literature review of recent work in SSA, the relative jointness of intra-household bargaining processes in low N use scenarios to assess the degree to which they impact upon N use. We suggest that gender-equitable strategies for achieving more ba..

From working in the wheat field to managing wheat: women innovators in Nepal

This article presents research conducted in Nepal’s Terai plains in 2014-15 showing that women are innovating in wheat to the extent that wheat farming is experiencing a shift from feminization of agricultural labor towards women taking control over decision making. Processes accounting for this include male out-migration, non-governmental organizations working on promoting women’s equality that has developed women’s confidence, individual support from extension agents, and strong cooperation between women to foster each other’s “innovation journeys.