adaptation

摘要： The adverse impacts of climate variability and change are felt mostly by smallholder farmers and smallholder farming systems where rain-fed agriculture is predominant.Continuous dependence on rain-fed agriculture has led to declining crop productivity and crop failure in most cases as weather patterns shift which is very problematic for crop growth.Agroforestry which is one of the climate-smart,environmentally benign and agroecological practices has been found to mitigate climate change adversities while fostering adaptation,enhancing resilience and attenuating vulnerability especially in smallholder farming systems.However,in Cameroon,limited empirical research has been done to ascertain the role played by agroforestry in climate change adaptation,resilience enhancement and vulnerability attenuation.This paper which is based on an in-depth review of literature was undertaken to uncover what has been done so far in terms of empirical studies tackling the role played by agroforestry in climate change adaptation,resilience and vulnerability attenuation in Cameroon.It was found that most of the empirical studies have been carried out in one agroecological zone-the western highlands of Cameroon,showing that smallholder farmers adopt different agroforestry practices in the face of climate change with the most common being home gardens with livestock,home gardens without livestock,scattered trees on croplands,improved fallows,live fences/hedges and windbreaks,coffee-based agroforestry,cocoa-based agroforestry,apiculture-based agroforestry,fodder banks,and plantation crop-based agroforestry practices.These agroforestry practices provide a plethora of ecosystem services categorized into provisioning,supporting,regulating and cultural which play an important role towards fostering climate change adaptation,enhancing resilience and attenuating vulnerability in smallholder farming systems.From the findings uncovered by this study,it is imperative for more empirical studies to be carried out in the other four agroecological zones of Cameroon where there is a paucity of information regarding the role played by agroforestry towards fostering climate change adaptation,enhancing resilience and attenuating vulnerability in smallholder farming systems.

摘要： Background: Our previous research concerned the relation between Sense of Coherence, workplace stress, and burnout for nurses in their first three years of work. We found that their psychological state in the first three months on the job was particularly critical to their success and retention. As workplace stress increased over their first three years, their Sense of Coherence declined, and their burnout increased. Follow-up interviews after five years revealed the importance of identifying role models early on and feeling their own growth in the responses of their patients. Based on these findings, in 2015 we instituted a program to improve new nurses’ Sense of Coherence. The present research was to evaluate the effectiveness of this training program. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program in raising Sense of Coherence. Method: From June of 2015 to March of 2017, we surveyed Sense of Coherence of 137 new nurses who completed our training program, comparing them to a cohort of 960 nurses whom we had studied in 2010-11 without such a training program. We analyzed their responses using SPSS Version 24.0, taking a probability of less than 5% to be significant. Results: In terms of Sense of Coherence, the training program improved new nurses’ “comprehensibility” and “manageability” in the first three months, but both dropped to levels comparable to the untrained nurses after six months. There was no significant difference in “meaningfulness”, which dropped over the first year in both groups. Categorized into three groups according to SOC score at the time of employment in the intervention group, 36 participants were classified into the low score group, 41 participants were classified into the medium score group, and 44 participants were classified into the high score group. Then changes in SOC in each group were then compared. In the LOW group, the scores for “comprehensibility”, “manageability”, and “meaningfulness” increased significantly throughout the year, while in the HIGH group, scores decreased significantly. Conclusions: Our training program did raise new nurses’ sense of growth over the first year, and significantly improved their “comprehensibility” and “manageability” over the first three months. However, the fact that their Sense of Coherence dropped to control group levels after six months suggests the need for further intervention to maintain “comprehensibility” and “manageability” over the longer term. In the LOW group, the scores for “comprehensibility”, “manageability”, and “meaningfulness” increased significantly throughout the year, however, the total SOC score for the LOW group remained low throughout the year. Thus, additional support is needed over-and-above the training presented in this study for those nurses with low SOC scores at time of employment.

摘要： It is increasingly recognised that collecting patient reported outcome measures(PROMs)data is an important part of healthcare and should be considered alongside traditional clinical assessments.As part of a more holistic view of healthcare provision,there has been an increased drive to implement PROM collection as part of routine clinical care in hepatology.This drive has resulted in an increase in the number of PROMs currently developed to be used in various liver conditions.However,the development and validation of a new PROM is time-consuming and costly.Therefore,before deciding to develop a new PROM,researchers should consider identifying existing PROMs to assess their appropriateness and,if necessary,make adaptations to existing PROMs to ensure their rigour when used with the target population.Little is written in the literature on how to identify and adapt the existing PROMs in hepatology.This article aims to provide a summary of the current literature and guidance regarding identifying and adapting existing PROMs in clinical practice.

摘要： Climate change is a global phenomenon that involves the long-term fluctuation of the earth’s climate system. Specifically, climate change is acknowledged as a vital challenge to pastoralist production systems. However, limited research attention was given to exploring the determinants of climate change adaptation strategies in the southeastern part of Ethiopia. Thus, the study tried to assess the predictors of pastoralists’ climate change adaptation strategies in the Korahey zone of Ethiopia. The study was based on a survey of 215 representative pastoralist households were randomly selected from the three districts of the Korahey zone. To achieve the objective, household questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions were conducted to collect data at the household as well as the district level. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like percentage, frequency, mean, and inferential statistics (multinomial logit model). Multinomial logit was employed to analyze the determinant factors of pastoralists’ adaptation strategies to climate change. The finding shows that household pastoralists adopt different climate change adaptation strategies in their locality;from this herd diversification (10.7%), storage of fodder (14.4%), mobility (23.7%), Livestock off-take (12%), saving scheme (8.8%) and household and herd splitting (15.3%) are the major pastoralists’ adaptation strategies to climate change in the study area. The results of the multinomial logit model show that sex, age, family size, access to climate information, access to credit services, access to extension services and livestock ownership were identified as the major determinants factors of climate change adaptation strategies in Korahey zone. The study recommended that the local government, planners and decision-makers should give awareness regarding the role of information in the pastoralists’ adoption of climate change adaptation strategies and enhance extension services to support pastoralists in their adaptation efforts.

摘要： To optimize the overall layout of water resource allocation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region,the adaptabil‐ity of the water resource system to the regional social-ecological systems has to be enhanced.Based on the driver-pressure-state-impact-response(DPSIR)framework,this study constructs an evaluation index system to analyze the adaptability mechanisms of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei’s water resource system according to the three major constituent social-ecological systems(i.e.,economic,social,and ecological systems).Moreover,it adopts the technique of order preference similarity to the ideal solution(TOPSIS)to comprehensively evaluate the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei’s water resource system based on three constituent social-ecological systems(i.e.,economic,social,and ecological systems)and identifies the spatiotemporal differentiation char‐acteristics of the region.Our results showed that,①from 2000 to 2020,the adaptability of Beijing-Tianjin Hebei’s water resource system,as a whole,significantly improved.In terms of stages,from 2000 to 2007,the adaptability of the water resource social system was significantly higher than that of economic and ecological systems in the region.From 2008 to 2015,by accelerating the transformation and upgrading of industrial structures,improving the efficiency of economic water utilization,and strengthening the governance of the water ecosystem,the adaptability of water resource economic and ecological systems rapidly improved;how‐ever,that of the water resource ecological system was still the lowest.Additionally,the adaptability of the wa‐ter resource economic system exceeded that of the social system.From 2016 to 2020,the gap in adaptability of the water resource system to all three major constituent systems gradually narrowed.By 2020,the three sys‐tems entered a relatively balanced development stage,with the adaptability of the entire water resource system and the three major constituent systems maintaining a high level.②The economic system was significantly af‐fected by per capita GDP,per capita water resources,and the efficiency of economic water utilization.Addition‐ally,the social system was significantly affected by water consumption per unit of irrigation area.Meanwhile,the ecological system was significantly influenced by precipitation,water pollution discharge performance indi‐cators,and the structure optimization indicators of water supply.According to the evaluation results,we pro‐pose countermeasures and provide recommendations to optimize the overall layout of water resource alloca‐tion and promote the coordinated management of water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

摘要： Polyploids contribute substantially to plant evolution and biodiversity;however,the mechanisms by which they succeed are still unclear.According to the polyploid adaptation hypothesis,successful polyploids spread by repeated adaptive responses to new environments.Here,we tested this hypothesis using two tetraploid yellowcresses(Rorippa),the endemic Rorippa elata and the widespread Rorippa palustris,in the temperate biodiversity hotspot of the Hengduan Mountains.Speciation modes were resolved by phylogenetic modeling using 12 low-copy nuclear loci.Phylogeographical patterns were then examined using haplotypes phased from four plastid and ITS markers,coupled with historical niche reconstruction by ecological niche modeling.We inferred the time of hybrid origins for both species as the mid-Pleistocene,with shared glacial refugia within the southern Hengduan Mountains.Phylogeographic and ecological niche reconstruction indicated recurrent northward colonization by both species after speciation,possibly tracking denuded habitats created by glacial retreat during interglacial periods.Common garden experiment involving perennial R.elata conducted over two years revealed significant changes in fitness-related traits across source latitudes or altitudes,including latitudinal increases in survival rate and compactness of plant architecture,suggesting gradual adaptation during range expansion.These findings support the polyploid adaptation hypothesis and suggest that the spread of polyploids was aided by adaptive responses to environmental changes during the Pleistocene.Our results thus provide insight into the evolutionary success of polyploids in high-altitude environments.

摘要： The third view of space states that space is neither lifeless nor neutral,but a living structure capable of being more living or less living.The living structure is defined as a physical and mathematical structure or simply characterized by the recurring notion(or the inherent hierarchy) of far more small substructures than large ones.The more substructures the more living,and the higher hierarchy of the substructures the more living.This paper seeks to lay out a new kind of GeoInformatics on the notion of living structure and on the third view of space.The new GeoInformatics aims not only to better understand the forms and processes of everyday space but also-maybe more importantly-to make the space or the Earth’s surface living or more living.We introduce two fundamental laws of living structure:Tobler’s law on spatial dependence or homogeneity and scaling law on spatial interdependence or heterogeneity.We further argue that these two laws favor statistics over exactitude,because the statistics tend to make a structure more living than the exactitude.We present the concept of living structure through some working examples and make it clear how a living structure differs from a non-living or less-living structure.In order to make a structure or space living or more living,we introduce two design principles-differentiation and adaptation-using two paintings and two city plans as working examples.The new GeoInformatics is a science of living structure,dealing with a wide range of scales of the everyday space,from the smallest scale of ornaments on walls to the scale of the entire Earth’s surface.

摘要： Facing climate and land use change,a species’ability to successfully adapt to changing environments is crucial for its survival.Extensive drainage and intensification of agriculture and forestry set wetlands and associated species at risk of population declines.The population of Common Cranes(Grus grus)has experienced considerable fluctuations over the last century.Despite increasing population numbers,hatching success seemed to have decreased over the last years.The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing hatching success and nest survival of Common Cranes based on analyses of long-term individual-based monitoring data from northeastern Germany and evaluate the species ability to adapt to changing environments.Hatching success decreased over the course of the study period from 0.75 to 0.55.Surprisingly,nest survival and hatching success did not vary across different nesting habitats,whereas factors such as female age,timing of nest initiation and breeding pair density were found to have significant effects on hatching success.Older females showed higher hatching success,even though the proportion of unhatched eggs was highest in females aged 20 years or older.Early nest initiation had a positive effect on hatching success.Water levels are more favorable early in the nesting season,whereas increasing evaporation with time causes water levels to decrease,granting easier access for predators.Independently of female age,hatching success decreased with increasing numbers of breeding pairs within a 2-km radius around a nesting site.High population densities intensify competition for resources and promote intraspecific interactions,affecting reproductive outcome negatively.This study gives first insights into mechanisms behind population regulation in Common Cranes,highlighting the importance of population dynamics and individual features.We suggest to further investigate density dependent effects including landscape and habitat features as well as reproductive success in terms of chick survival,since successfully raising juveniles is crucial for a species survival.

摘要： For the past few decades,illegal mining sector in Ghana popularly known as galamsey has received public outcry due to its negative impacts on quantity and quality of water resources.The purpose of this study was to explore the combined effects of mining in water bodies and climate change on water resources in Ghana.The methodology explored in the study was quantitative approach.The quality and quantity of most water bodies in Ghana had been compromised due to extraction of minerals,and such contaminants(heavy metals)include mercury,zinc,cyanide,sulphur etc.This phenomenon had made most water resources(e.g.River Fena,River Pra)unwholesome or inhabitable.Apart from this,climate change had also dried up some streams and rivers such as Anyinam,Offin and Goa.These unfortunate events had made water resources precarious which could spike water scarcity in the country in the near future.This paper,therefore,commends that stringent measures are to be taken to protect water bodies in the country as a menace of climate will continue to get worse.

摘要： CRISPR-Cas systems provide the small RNA-based adaptive immunity to defend against invasive genetic elements in archaea and bacteria.Organisms of Sulfolobales,an order of thermophilic acidophiles belonging to the Crenarchaeotal Phylum,usually contain both type I and typeⅢCRISPR-Cas systems.Two species,Saccharolobus solfataricus and Sulfolobus islandicus,have been important models for CRISPR study in archaea,and knowledge obtained from these studies has greatly expanded our understanding of molecular mechanisms of antiviral defense in all three steps:adaptation,expression and crRNA processing,and interference.Four subtypes of CRISPR-Cas systems are common in these organisms,including I-A,I-D,Ⅲ-B,andⅢ-D.These cas genes form functional modules,e.g.,all genes required for adaptation and for interference in the I-A immune system are clustered together to form aCas and i Cas modules.Genetic assays have been developed to study mechanisms of adaptation and interference by different CRISPR-Cas systems in these model archaea,and these methodologies are useful in demonstration of the protospacer-adjacent motif(PAM)-dependent DNA interference by I-A interference modules and multiple interference activities byⅢ-B Cmr systems.Ribonucleoprotein effector complexes have been isolated for SulfolobalesⅢ-B andⅢ-D systems,and their biochemical characterization has greatly enriched the knowledge of molecular mechanisms of these novel antiviral immune responses.