No abstract

A 30-minute nucleic acid test for equine respiratory virus from nasal swab material, detected with a smartphone.

This paper reviews the effects of wastewater sodium on soil physical properties, particularly with respect to irrigation systems. Fundamental sodicity concepts are examined including (i) sodicity definitions, (ii) the effects of sodium on soil properties, (iii) a discussion of factors that impede the infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity, (iv) the changes that occur in ionic strength of percolating water in soil, and (v) consideration of the wastewater and soil constituents that modify the effective sodium adsorption ratio. Importantly, the ability for soils to assimilate wastewater over time changes, but these changes are not often considered prior to the planning of such irrigation systems, or after the irrigation systems are operating. The general lack of understanding of sodicity is in part due to the considerable variation in sodicity definitions. Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) values that are reported to pose a sodicity problem vary around the world due to the different mineralogy of the soils investigated, but variations in threshold ESP values have also been caused by a lack of consideration of the solution electrolyte concentration when determining ESP. In practice, the effects of sodicity may be evident in soils that are well under reported threshold values. When the effects of sodicity are identified, the landholder at least has the opportunity to implement remediation practices. However, more often than not, the effects of sodium from irrigation water are latent, leading to considerable problems following the cessation of effluent irrigation and changed land use.

Abstract. Given the increased attention on resilience strengthening in international humanitarian and development work, there is a growing need to invest in its measurement and the overall accountability of "resilience strengthening" initiatives. The purpose of this article is to present our framework and tool for measuring community-level resilience to flooding and generating empirical evidence and to share our experience in the application of the resilience concept. At the time of writing the tool is being tested in 75 communities across eight countries. Currently 88 potential sources of resilience are measured at the baseline (initial state) and end line (final state) approximately 2 years later. If a flood occurs in the community during the study period, resilience outcome measures are recorded. By comparing pre-flood characteristics to post-flood outcomes, we aim to empirically verify sources of resilience, something which has never been done in this field. There is an urgent need for the continued development of theoretically anchored, empirically verified, and practically applicable disaster resilience measurement frameworks and tools so that the field may (a) deepen understanding of the key components of "disaster resilience" in order to better target resilience-enhancing initiatives, and (b) enhance our ability to benchmark and measure disaster resilience over time, and (c) compare how resilience changes as a result of different capacities, actions and hazards.