The wicked problem of invasive species management in India

Globally, climate change has been recognized as a critical threat to social and ecological systems. As climate change affects larger portions of our world, acknowledging the need to adapt to the change, and to build more resilient systems, becomes imperative. These challenges bear further complexity in developing countries such as India, which is characterised by its growing population, rapid economic growth, rampant socio-economic inequality and ecological and socio-cultural diversity

Wells and Well-being in South India: Gender dimensions of groundwater dependence

Groundwater has played a pivotal role in transforming the rural agrarian landscape, augmenting rural livelihoods and improving household wellbeing. Through our research, we attempt to understand how the growing prevalence and importance of groundwater has impacted intra household relations, in particular the gendered divisions of labour, and use of assets. Further, we explore the impacts of failed borewells on gendered vulnerabilities, identities and wellbeing. Our research indicates that groundwater usage in semi-arid regions has increased the short-term resilience of communities in the region, but simultaneously increased gendered risks, especially for small-holders, by promoting unsustainable livelihood trends and risky coping strategies to groundwater shortages

What shapes vulnerability and risk management in semi-arid India? : moving towards an agenda of sustainable adaptation

The paper examines the implications of multi-scalar response strategies on local adaptive capacities and adaptation processes using data from three semi-arid regions in India. It focuses on how development and adaptation interventions are shaping local capacities to deal with risk. Few studies distinguish development interventions from climate adaptation actions, making it difficult to identify particular entry points for enabling and strengthening adaptation actions. The paper finds most adaptive responses were reactive coping strategies applicable for shorter-term climate variability. It concludes with a discussion linking the case-based findings to broader development and adaptation trajectories.UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID

A scoping review of research funding for small-scale farmers in water scarce regions

Water scarcity is a global issue that disproportionately affects small-scale farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through geospatial analysis, we estimated that less than 37% of small-scale farms probably have irrigation in water scarce regions across LMICs, compared with 42% of non-small-scale farms. Through a literature synthesis assisted by machine learning, we then systematically mapped the existing research for on-farm interventions that improve the incomes or yields of small-scale farmers in water scarce regions. We mapped over 888 on-farm interventions used to combat water scarcity from 560 publications and showed a research bias towards yields rather than livelihoods. We found gaps in evidence for many commonly proposed solutions, including livestock management, digital technology and solutions to protect natural resources at the farm-level, such as buffer strips. Our findings can be used to set a funding agenda for research on the geographies that are most at risk of water scarcity and the interventions that most lack evidence

Gendered vulnerabilities to climate change insights from the semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia Information brief

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.Vulnerabilities to impacts of climate change are gendered. Still, policy approaches aimed at strengthening local communities’ adaptive capacity largely fail to recognise the gendered nature of everyday realities and experiences

Effect of akyl chain length, flow, and temperature on the corrosion inhibition of carbon steel in a simulated acidizing environment by an imidazoline-based inhibitor

An imidazoline, 2-heptadecyl-1-[2-(octadecanoylamino)ethyl]-2- imidazoline (QSI) with -C17H35 as the tail chain length was synthesized, characterized, and studied as corrosion inhibitor for low carbon steel in 15% HCl solution under static and hydrodynamic conditions. Influence of addition of KI, temperature, and chain length of pendant hydrocarbon on inhibition efficiency (η) was also examined. It is found that, QSI exhibits a mixed type behavior but fairly inhibited the corrosion of low carbon steel in the studied medium. The maximum concentration studied (400 mg/L) afforded η of <50%. Addition of KI to QSI synergistically enhanced the corrosion inhibition performance of QSI, upgrading the η to approximately 90%. Increase in the system temperature increases the η of both QSI and QSI + KI. From the variation of η with temperature and the calculated corrosion kinetic parameters, chemical adsorption is proposed as the adsorption mechanism of the additives. QSI performs better under hydrodynamic condition than static condition. However, the corrosion resistance of the metal decreases at rotation speed higher than 1000 rpm. Inhibition efficiency of imidazoline decreases as the length of the hydrocarbon pendant chain increases. Imidazoline compounds with -C13H27 and - C15H31 as the length of the pendant group hydrocarbon perform better than QSI with -C17H35

Examining Biomechanical Correlates to Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Professional Guitarists

Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) are painful conditions that may hinder musicians’ ability to play their instruments, affecting them financially, emotionally, and physically (Kenny & Ackermann, 2015; Zaza et al.,1998). Biomechanical risk factors associated with occupational health disorders include repetitive anatomical movements (Candia et al., 2006), excessive force exerted on the upper-body (Chiang et al., 1993), awkward postures (Blanco et al., 2017), and inefficient muscular contraction patterns while playing (Horisawa, 2013). Despite the high prevalence of PRMDs in guitarists, research on biomechanical correlates of PRMDs is limited (Fjellman-Wiklund & Chesky, 2006). Previous research also suggests that biological females experience significantly greater rates of PRMDs than biological males (Ajidahun et al., 2017; Baadjou et al., 2016; Kok et al., 2018; Ranelli et al., 2011), yet little research investigates why this disparity exists. Therefore, the present research aims to investigate potential mechanisms underlying PRMDs in guitarists and this sex-based disparity. Participants will answer a modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ; Kuorinka et al., 1987) to assess the presence, location, and frequency of PRMD pain. We will utilize the combination of a novel force-measuring guitar, Vicon motion capture system, and electromyography to compare finger force and torque, posture, muscular activation and co-contraction, and variability in playing technique between male and female guitarists with and without symptoms of PRMDs. We hypothesize that biological females and those with PRMDs will exert higher finger contact forces and joint torques, more joint torques in unnatural anatomical positions, greater muscle co-activation, and decreased variability in contact forces and joint torques.Gemstone Honors College, Neuromechanics Research Core, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Launch UMD donor

Gendered vulnerabilities to climate change: insights from the semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia

Emerging and on-going research indicates that vulnerabilities to impacts of climate change are gendered. Still, policy approaches aimed at strengthening local communities’ adaptive capacity largely fail to recognize the gendered nature of everyday realities and experiences. This paper interrogates some of the emerging evidence in selected semi-arid countries of Africa and Asia from a gender perspective, using water scarcity as an illustrative example. It emphasizes the importance of moving beyond the counting of numbers of men and women to unpacking relations of power, of inclusion and exclusion in decision-making, and challenging cultural beliefs that have denied equal opportunities and rights to differently positioned people, especially those at the bottom of economic and social hierarchies. Such an approach would make policy and practice more relevant to people’s differentiated needs and responses

Changing ecosystem services are increasing people's vulnerability in semi-arid regions : an ASSAR cross-regional insight

Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions (ASSAR) researchers collaborated to understand the complex changes and patterns in semi-arid vegetation and socio-ecological systems. Ecosystems were mapped using a cross-regional coarse scale study, relying on climate data to capture global and regional trends. Finest spatial scale mapping relied on LANDSAT to show changes in land use and land cover. Details of observed changes are provided for Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Ghana, West Africa, and India. Links to referenced studies are embedded in the report. Ecosystem services need to be sustainably managed through regulatory measures.UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID

Managing risk, changing aspirations and household dynamics: implications for wellbeing and adaptation in semi-arid Africa and India

Semi-arid regions across Africa and Asia are characterized by rapidly changing biophysical regimes, structural vulnerabilities, and increasing livelihood precarity. Gender, class, and caste/ethnic identities and relationships, and the specific social, economic and political power, roles and responsibilities they entail, shape the choices and decisions open to individuals and households in managing the risks they face. Unpacking the multiple, intersecting inequalities confronting rural populations in these climate hotspots is therefore vital to understand how risk can be managed in a way that supports effective, inclusive, and sustainable local adaptation. Drawing on empirical evidence from six countries, generated through a mixed methods approach, we examine how changes in household dynamics, structure, and aspirations, shape risk management with implications for household well-being, adaptive capacity, and ultimately sustainable development. The ability of individuals within households, differentiated by age, marital status, or education, to manipulate the very structure of the household and the material and social resources it offers, differentiates risk management strategies such as livelihood diversification, migration, changing agricultural practices and leveraging social support. Our evidence suggests that while greater risks can drive conflictive behavior within households, with women often reporting lower subjective wellbeing, new forms of cooperative behavior are also emerging, especially in peri-urban spaces. Through this study, we identify entry points into enabling sustainable and inclusive adaptation behavior, emphasizing that interventions should work for both women and men by challenging inequitable social and gender norms and renegotiating the domains of work and cooperation to maintain overall household wellbeing