Policies and institutions to enhance the impact of irrigation development in mixed crop-livestock systemsLength: pp.168-184

Irrigation managementInstitutional developmentPolicyCrop productionLivestockWater demandIrrigation waterSmall scale systemsInvestmentFarmer managed irrigation systemsPovertyFarmersGenderWater users’ associations

Improving the water productivity of livestock: an opportunity for poverty reductionLength: pp.57-65

LivestockProductivityWater requirementsPoverty

Assault and Flattery: A Texas Legend

Assault and Flattery (A & F) is a student run, acted, and everything-elsed variety extravaganza, produced each year in the spring semester at the University of Texas in Austin

Non-destructive cavity QED probe of Bloch oscillations in a gas of ultracold atoms

We describe a scheme for probing a gas of ultracold atoms trapped in an optical lattice and moving in the presence of an external potential. The probe is non-destructive and uses the existing lattice fields as the measurement device. Two counter-propagating cavity fields simultaneously set up a conservative lattice potential and a weak quantum probe of the atomic motion. Balanced heterodyne detection of the probe field at the cavity output along with integration in time and across the atomic cloud yield information about the atomic dynamics in a single run. The scheme is applied to a measurement of the Bloch oscillation frequency for atoms moving in the presence of the local gravitational potential. Signal-to-noise ratios are estimated to be as high as $10^4$.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Canine Ascites

Canine ascites is an infrequently seen clinical sign which is often the primary complaint for presentation of an animal to a veterinarian. As in all cases a good history is a priority as further questions may reveal behavioral changes, vomiting, anorexia, and other clinical signs which may be important in defining the primary problem. Ascites itself can physically interfer with respiration, cause general discomfort, and disturb fluid and electrolyte metabolism

The steady-state of heterogeneous catalysis, studied by first-principles statistical mechanics

The turn-over frequency of the catalytic oxidation of CO at RuO2(110) was calculated as function of temperature and partial pressures using ab initio statistical mechanics. The underlying energetics of the gas-phase molecules, dissociation, adsorption, surface diffusion, surface chemical reactions, and desorption were obtained by all-electron density-functional theory. The resulting CO2 formation rate [in the full (T, p_CO, p_O2)-space], the movies displaying the atomic motion and reactions over times scales from picoseconds to seconds, and the statistical analyses provide insights into the concerted actions ruling heterogeneous catalysis and open thermodynamic systems in general.Comment: 4 pages including 3 figures, Related publications can be found at http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm

A systematic review of human behaviour in and around floodwater

Flooding can have a major impact on people's safety and livelihood. Understanding people's flood-related behaviours may assist in the development of more effective strategies aimed at lessening the impact of floods including mortality and morbidity. This systematic review examined peer-reviewed literature published from January-1989 to April-2019 on human behaviour in and around floodwater to identify behaviour patterns as well as protective and risk factors. We extracted three main themes from a thematic analysis of included studies (N = 54): activities and risk-taking behaviours (n = 24); loss reduction, knowledge, and warnings (n = 37); and diet and hygiene (n = 4). This review had limitations which prevented definitive conclusions being made. What does seem apparent is the limited knowledge of the social psychological mechanisms that guide behavioural responses in a flood event. Further exploration of methods to improve preparedness, increase the likelihood of evacuation, and reduce ‘risky’ behaviour during floods is needed. Future studies should prioritise addressing these gaps to enhance the evidence-base for reducing the impact of floods including flood-related mortality and morbidity

Personal, social, and environmental factors associated with lifejacket wear in adults and children: A systematic literature review

Objective: Drowning claims 7% of the global burden of injury-related deaths. Lifejackets are routinely recommended as a drowning prevention strategy; however, a review of related factors regarding lifejacket wear has not previously been investigated. Methods: This systematic review examined literature published from inception to December 2016 in English and German languages. The personal, social, and environmental factors associated with lifejacket wear among adults and children were investigated, a quantitative evaluation of the results undertaken, and gaps in the literature identified. Results: Twenty studies, with sample sizes of studies ranging between 20 and 482,331, were identified. Fifty-five percent were cross-sectional studies. All studies were scored IV or V on the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grading system indicating mostly descriptive and cross-sectional levels of evidence. Factors associated with increased wear included age (mostly children), gender (mostly female), boat type (non-motorised), boat size (small boats), role modelling (children influenced by adult lifejacket wear), and activity (water-skiing, fishing). Factors not associated or inconsistent with lifejacket wear included education, household income, ethnicity, boating ability, confidence in lifejackets, waterway type, and weather and water conditions. Factors associated with reduced lifejacket wear included adults, males, discomfort, cost and accessibility, consumption of alcohol, and swimming ability. Three studies evaluated the impact of interventions. Conclusion: This review identified factors associated with both increased and decreased lifejacket wear. Future research should address the motivational factors associated with individuals’ decisions to wear or not wear lifejackets. This, combined with further research on the evaluation of interventions designed to increase lifejacket wear, will enhance the evidence base to support future drowning prevention interventions

Quantized Vortex States of Strongly Interacting Bosons in a Rotating Optical Lattice

Bose gases in rotating optical lattices combine two important topics in quantum physics: superfluid rotation and strong correlations. In this paper, we examine square two-dimensional systems at zero temperature comprised of strongly repulsive bosons with filling factors of less than one atom per lattice site. The entry of vortices into the system is characterized by jumps of 2 pi in the phase winding of the condensate wavefunction. A lattice of size L X L can have at most L-1 quantized vortices in the lowest Bloch band. In contrast to homogeneous systems, angular momentum is not a good quantum number since the continuous rotational symmetry is broken by the lattice. Instead, a quasi-angular momentum captures the discrete rotational symmetry of the system. Energy level crossings indicative of quantum phase transitions are observed when the quasi-angular momentum of the ground-state changes.Comment: 12 Pages, 13 Figures, Version

Livestock grazing impact on vegetation, soil and hydrology in a tropical highland watershed

Abstract The aim of this research was to establish vegetation, soil and hydrologic responses to grazing pressure; and determine thresholds for optimum herbage utilisation of pastures and grazing land resources conservation. The treatments were no grazing (NOG, control), where animal grazing was excluded using 10 m by 10 m fenced enclosure, moderate grazing (MDG) and heavy grazing (HVG). During free grazing period (January-May) stocking rate on medium and heavily grazed plots depends much on the preference of grazing animals, and in some cases the stocking rate in controlled or medium grazing pressure exceeds that of the heavily grazed plots. The biomass yield on non-grazed plots varied from 2.84-4.13 t/ha, and on grazed plots from 0.84-2.25 t/ha. Grazing pressure increased the percentage cover of annual plant species and composition as compared with no grazing pressure. Particularly, in medium-grazing pressure annual plant species coverage has improved significantly. The soil loss at 4-8% slope was high in heavily grazed plots. Besides, the soil loss in grazed plots was below the soil tolerance limit for natural pasture. The infiltration rate was lower in heavily grazed plots