Nutrition, Disease and Death in Times of Famine

In this article we review the relationship between malnutrition and mortality, and the interaction of morbidity, with the aim of clarifying the health risks of malnutrition in situations of famine and food insecurity. Apart from reviewing what is known about this relationship, we highlight areas where further research is needed. Among refugee and famine affected populations living in camps, there appears to be a close association between high rates of malnutrition and excess mortality. Results from communitybased prospective studies of malnutrition and mortality among individuals conclude that as nutritional status declines the risk of death increases, although the discriminating power of different nutritional indices and the strength of the association varies considerably in different locations and at different times. These differences are attributed mainly to the different prevailing patterns of morbidity and growth failure, which are influenced by both environmental and social factors. In situations of famine and population displacement, the deterioration in the health environment increases exposure to infection and is likely to raise the threshold of nutritional status which corresponds to an increased risk of mortality. This has important implications for nutritional assessments and interventions.     

Environmental Change in Refugee-Affected Areas of the Third World: The Role of Policy and Research

This paper reviews the current nature of policy responses to environmental change in refugee assistance programmes. Based on a review of existing documentary material and a survey of UK-based NGOs, it is suggested that although refugee assistance agencies are aware of environmental issues, this is rarely translated into effective policy measures to identify and combat environmental degradation. Various existing methods used to calculate environmental impacts are considered, but a number of pitfalls are identified. It is suggested that little is known about the processes that lead to accelerated environmental change in situations of forced displacement, and that research providing deeper understanding of local environments and resource management systems is required for environmental policies to be effective.     

Coping strategies developed as a result of social structure and conflict: Kosovo in the 1990s

The end of 1989 brought with it political and economic decisions which resulted in Kosovo being stripped of its autonomy and the Albanian population being expelled from their jobs. These facts combined with ethnic tensions created a decade of conflict and oppression affecting hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Thousands of Kosovars moved overseas to seek work to support families at home, altering the way of life of the population of Kosovo irredeemably. The loss of income had serious repercussions on food security throughout the 1990s; possibilities of purchasing food were diminished, control on goods in 1998 reduced availability of foodstuffs, conflict affected accessibility to markets and shops and consequently food intake and nutritional status was compromised. The most vulnerable were those who had no family members overseas. Mass displacement of population due to ethnic cleansing during the war of spring 1999, further jeopardised food security status. Destruction at this time rendered large parts of Kosovo useless and resulted in a shift in the determinant of vulnerability in the post-war period: destruction of houses, land, livestock and agricultural products as well as loss of family members, became a far more pertinent indicator of food insecurity. The strong and clear links between conflict, socio-economic issues and food security are highlighted and discussed in this paper.     

Revealing the socioeconomic impact of small disasters in Colombia using the DesInventar database

Small disasters are usually the product of climate variability and climate change. Analysis of them illustrates that they increase difficulties for local development—frequently affecting the livelihoods of poor people and perpetuating their level of poverty and human insecurity—and entail challenges for a country's development. In contrast to extreme events, small disasters are often invisible at the national level and their effects are not considered as relevant from a macroeconomic standpoint. Nevertheless, their accumulated impact causes economic, environmental and social problems. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the DesInventar database, developed in 1994 by the Network for Social Studies in Disaster Prevention in Latin America. In addition, it proposes a new version of the Local Disaster Index developed in 2005 within the framework of the Disaster Risk and Management Indicators Program for the Americas, with the support of the Inter‐American Development Bank.     

HIV/AIDS among conflict-affected and displaced populations: dispelling myths and taking action

Conflict, displacement, food insecurity and poverty make affected populations more vulnerable to HIV transmission. However, the common assumption that this vulnerability necessarily translates into more HIV infections and consequently fuels the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not supported by data. Whether or not conflict and displacement affect HIV transmission depends upon numerous competing and interacting factors. This paper explores and explains the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in conflict and addresses the unique characteristics that must be addressed when planning and implementing HIV/AIDS interventions among populations affected by conflict as compared with those in resource-poor settings. These include targeting at-risk groups, protection, programming strategies, coordination and integration and monitoring and evaluation. Areas for future HIV/AIDS operational research in conflict are discussed.     

Hazardscapes in reunified Germany

Abstract

German reunification had significant political, economic, social, and environmental impacts. A major environmental impact involved changes to the German technological hazardscape (especially in the East). Hazardscapes are defined here as the spatial distribution and attributes of human engineered facilities such as industrial plants, military bases and power stations that contain or emit substances harmful to humans and the environment. The purpose of this paper is to explain how and why the German technological hazardscape changed after reunification. A cursory analysis might ascribe hazardscape change to the application of strict West German environmental laws and sophisticated environmental protection technologies to the East. This paper contends, however, that it was a political economy rather than an environmental imperative that drove the changes to the hazardscape, and that this continuing conflict may have serious repercussions on the future environmental health of eastern Germany.     

Environmental degradation and political constraints in ethiopia

The article begins by outlining the extent and origins of environmental degradation in northern Ethiopia. Soil conservation and related environmental rehabilitation measures adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture, with donor assistance, are outlined and shown to be inadequate to reverse the trend of environmental degradation. Their scope and financing are too limited, there are too few immediate production returns for the peasants, and the conventional 'top-down' implementation of the measures means that peasants participate in rehabilitation programmes as paid workers (food-for-work) rather than as responsible landowners. The post-revolutionary government has continued the centralising and state-building policies of its predecessors, substituting the state for feudal lords as the appropriator of peasant production and labour. The wars in Eritrea and Tigray consume the lion's share of the state's resources and development programmes have become increasingly extractive (procurement of grain at low prices, labour campaigns, etc.) and penetrative (relocation of population, collectivisation of agriculture, etc). The problem of land degradation is ultimately a political one: how to find a political formula within which efficient development administration can be combined with power sharing and cultural pluralism.     

Entitlements, coping mechanisms and indicators of access to food: wollo region, ethiopia, 1987-88

Vulnerability to famine and traditional responses to food insecurity in Wollo Region, Ethiopia are described. The timeliness of anthropometric and socio-economic indicators of access to food is then assessed, using data collected in Wollo by Save the Children Fund during 1987–88, a period of drought and subsequent food insecurity. The movements of different indicators are then examined for evidence of correspondence at sub-district level. The author concludes that although anthropometric status does not respond as early as crop yield or grain price, a deterioration in anthropometric status is detectable at a stage when livestock and migration indicators show little or no change and mortality rate remains unaffected. At sub-district level, changes in different indicators are not well-correlated.     

Changing tracks as situations change: humanitarian and health response along the Liberia–Côte d'Ivoire border

In recent years, protracted crises and fragile post‐conflict settings have challenged the co‐existence, and even the linear continuum, of relief and development aid. Forced migration has tested humanitarian and development paradigms where sudden‐onset emergencies, violence and displacement arise alongside ongoing development work. Drawing on Médecins Sans Frontières interventions in the region from December 2010 to May 2011, this paper examines aid and healthcare responses to displacement in Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia; it focuses on challenges to the maintenance of preparedness for such foreseeable emergencies and to adaptation in response to changing situations of displacement and insecurity. This ‘backsliding’ from development to emergency remains a substantial challenge to aid; yet, in exactly such cases, it also presents the opportunity to ensure access to medical care that is much more urgently needed in times of crisis, including the suspension of user fees for medical care.     

饱和砂土地基相变桩的热力学特性试验研究

能源桩是一种新型的能源地下结构,相变材料能够改变自身状态来提供潜热。制作相变混凝土能源桩来实施室内大尺寸模型试验,将直径为0.2 m,长度为1.5 m的相变能源桩放入长宽高分别为2.45 m×2.45 m×2 m的模型箱中,模型箱中为饱和砂土地基。随后对能源桩施加三次循环温度荷载,测量桩体内部以及桩周土体温度的分布,并对相变能源桩的力学特性进行监测和分析,研究了循环温度荷载下相变能源桩的应力应变以及桩顶位移。研究结果表明:① 能源桩在循环温度荷载作用下产生的温度变化会给桩周土体带来一定的温度累积;② 沿桩身深度方向及桩体内部同一平面内都存在着不均匀的应力应变分布;③ 桩顶位移随温度循环过程变化,温度循环结束后会产生不可恢复的塑性位移。     

Characteristics, context and risk: NGO insecurity in conflict zones

This paper reports on research conducted on the insecurity of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) between 1999 and 2002, with the goal of contributing to the debate on the reasons why NGO actors are targets of violence in conflict settings. The research involved the collection of data from three countries-Angola, Ecuador and Sierra Leone-and exploration of the relationship between levels of insecurity, context and the characteristics of NGOs. Four risk factors appear to heighten the degree of insecurity that NGOs face: (1) carrying out multiple types of activities and providing material aid; (2)'operationality'(that is, implementing programmes and activities); (3) working with both sides of the conflict; and (4) integrating into the local community. The paper discusses the methodological approach adopted for the research, the differences between ambient and situational insecurity and the findings related to risk factors. It concludes with a summary of the study's implications.     

Nation‐building policies in Timor‐Leste: disaster risk reduction,including climate change adaptation

Few studies have explored the relationships between nation‐building, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Focusing on small island developing states, this paper examines nation‐building in Timor‐Leste, a small island developing state that recently achieved independence. Nation‐building in Timor‐Leste is explored in the context of disaster risk reduction, which necessarily includes climate change adaptation. The study presents a synopsis of Timor‐Leste's history and its nation‐building efforts as well as an overview of the state of knowledge of disaster risk reduction including climate change adaptation. It also offers an analysis of significant gaps and challenges in terms of vertical and horizontal governance, large donor presence, data availability and the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for nation‐building in Timor‐Leste. Relevant and applicable lessons are provided from other small island developing states to assist Timor‐Leste in identifying its own trajectory out of underdevelopment while it builds on existing strengths.     

The creation of vulnerability to natural disaster: Case studies from the Dominican Republic*

This paper argues that natural disasters are not a category of events which can be separated from the broader Issues of development, since economic change can create vulnerability to natural disaster. The analysis of case studies from the Dominican Republic shows how the development of large scale commercialized agricultural production has created such vulnerability by reducing or restricting the resource base of certain sectors of the population. It b suggested that the vulnerable state of a population should be considered as much a cause of natural disaster as the extreme physical phenomena Involved. Therefore there Is a need both for a broader framework for analysis of disasters and for strategies to reduce such vulnerability to be an Integral part of long term development planning.     

The potential for combining indigenous and western knowledge in reducing vulnerability to environmental hazards in small island developing states

The benefits of indigenous knowledge within disaster risk reduction are gradually being acknowledged and identified. However, despite this acknowledgement there continues to be a gap in reaching the right people with the correct strategies for disaster risk reduction.

This paper identifies the need for a specific framework identifying how indigenous and western knowledge may be combined to mitigate against the intrinsic effects of environmental processes and therefore reduce the vulnerability of rural indigenous communities in small island developing states (SIDS) to environmental hazards. This involves a review of the impacts of environmental processes and their intrinsic effects upon rural indigenous communities in SIDS and how indigenous knowledge has contributed to their coping capacity. The paper concludes that the vulnerability of indigenous communities in SIDS to environmental hazards can only be addressed through the utilisation of both indigenous and Western knowledge in a culturally compatible and sustainable manner.     

Environmental influences on the distribution of the incidence of cholera: a case study in quelimane, mozambique

Cholera continues to cause widespread suffering in many parts of the world. Previous research has mainly described modes of transmission and has correctly indicated the role of predisposing socio-economic conditions in affected areas. Little field research has been carried out, however, in endemic zones, on the contribution of physical characteristics in environmental reservoirs which prolong the survival time or increase the toxigeneity of Vibrio cholerae 01, despite substantial indication of their significance at laboratory scale. A study carried out in Quelimane, Mozambique, to test for such environmental influences on the spatial and temporal distribution of cholera incidence, is described. The role of population displacement in this relationship is also discussed. The practical implications of the results for prevention of primary infection and subsequent reinfection are outlined.     

The potential for combining indigenous and western knowledge in reducing vulnerability to environmental hazards in small island developing states

The benefits of indigenous knowledge within disaster risk reduction are gradually being acknowledged and identified. However, despite this acknowledgement there continues to be a gap in reaching the right people with the correct strategies for disaster risk reduction.This paper identifies the need for a specific framework identifying how indigenous and western knowledge may be combined to mitigate against the intrinsic effects of environmental processes and therefore reduce the vulnerability of rural indigenous communities in small island developing states (SIDS) to environmental hazards. This involves a review of the impacts of environmental processes and their intrinsic effects upon rural indigenous communities in SIDS and how indigenous knowledge has contributed to their coping capacity. The paper concludes that the vulnerability of indigenous communities in SIDS to environmental hazards can only be addressed through the utilisation of both indigenous and Western knowledge in a culturally compatible and sustainable manner.     

时变参数模型用于滑坡位移量预测的研究

滑坡的位移量发展受地质条件、气候环境以及人类活动等多种因素的影响,变化复杂,通常难以用固定参数的数学模型准确表达。时变参数模型的模型参数随时间变化,能够描述更为复杂的函数关系。将时变参数模型应用于滑坡位移量预测,通过对比发现,时变参数模型有望提高滑坡位移量的预测精度。     

Continue to blame it on the rain? Conceptualization of drought and failure of food systems in the Greater Horn of Africa

Food insecurity continues to be prevalent in parts of Africa. In December 2015, there were approximately 21.6 million food insecure people in the Horn and East Africa. Climate change is likely to exacerbate current volatility of agricultural production and lead to further food insecurity. Whilst the academic literature has acknowledged the complexity of food insecurity and systems, it is not clear to what extent this has been translated into practice. We argue that there is a tendency to explain complex failures of food systems as ‘droughts’, with insufficient attention paid to other drivers. We analyse humanitarian documents and climate outlook statements in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and assess how these are reflected in the humanitarian responses to food insecurity in the region by analysing the financing of humanitarian operations. Our findings indicate that the continued evolution in understanding the complex causes of food insecurity and attempts to move away from emergency relief to a more sophisticated approach has not translated into an observable change in humanitarian responses. The reasons behind this persistence of short-term relief, which is being justified with reference to climatic factors, mainly drought, would warrant further research into the decision-making process that triggers humanitarian responses.

List of abbreviations: ACF: Action Contre le Faim; DCM: Drought Cycle Management; DEC: Disaster Emergency Committee; ECHO: European Commission Humanitarian Office; EU: European Union; EWS: Early Warning System; FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization; FEWSNET: Famine Early Warning System Network; FSNAU: Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit; FTS: Financial Tracking Service; GHACOF: Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum; GIEWS: Global Information and Early Warning System; IASC: Inter Agency Standing Committee; ICPAC: IGAD Climate Application and Prediction Centre; IFRC: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; IGAD: Inter-Governmental Authority on Development; IPCC: International Panel for Climate Change; LEWS: Livestock Early Warning System; ODI: Overseas Development Initiative; PASDEP: Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to Eradicate Poverty; PSNP: Productive Safety Net Programme; UNDRO: United Nations Disaster Relief Office; UNISDR: United Nations International; UN OCHA: United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; USAID: United States Agency for International Development; WFP: World Food Programme     

某位移比超限偏心结构地震响应及阻尼器控制分析

利用SAP 2000有限元软件,以某实际偏心结构为工程背景,对使用粘滞阻尼器、粘弹性阻尼器、软钢阻尼器和复合铅粘弹性阻尼器控制位移比超限的偏心结构进行了模态分析、反应谱分析和时程分析,比较了各类减震结构在地震作用下的周期比、位移比和阻尼器内力。结果表明:设置阻尼器后,结构位移比减小;阻尼器宜布置在偏心结构水平刚度相对较小、结构侧移较大的一端;粘弹性阻尼器、软钢阻尼器和复合铅粘弹性阻尼器通过提供侧向刚度和阻尼来调节偏心结构扭转效应;粘滞阻尼器通过增加结构阻尼比可起到减小结构位移比的作用。此外,粘滞阻尼器和粘弹性阻尼器在小震下能够起到良好的消能效果,软钢阻尼器和铅粘弹性阻尼器在小震情况下基本上处于弹性状态,仅提供刚度,在大震下阻尼器也具有良好的耗能能力和减震效果。     

油页岩地下开采巷道围岩的流变特性及工程应用

为研究油页岩巷道围岩的流变特性,采用岩土SJ-1B三轴蠕变仪对油页岩进行了三轴蠕变试验。根据试验结果,建立了油页岩非线性蠕变方程。根据上述非线性蠕变方程,以吉林桦甸油页岩矿一井运输大巷为工程背景,分析了围岩的应力场和位移场,并对不同支护强度和应力状态下的蠕变变形进行了系统的分析。研究结果表明,油页岩蠕变具有非线性,控制油页岩巷道围岩过量变形的根本途径是改变围岩的应力状态,以及适当提高锚杆、锚索的初始预应力。本文为有效控制油页岩开采时巷道围岩的有害变形提供了理论依据。