Farmers’ Attitude towards the Climate-Resilient Technologies of NICRA Project in Anantapur District

Climate change has been perceived with high emphasis from the beginning of this century. Since it directly impacts the ecosystem and agriculture especially over the farmers of dryland regions. The research study has been conducted to assess the farmers’ attitude towards climate-resilient technologies of the National Initiatives on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project by farmers of Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The sample consists of 60 farmers as beneficiaries from NICRA villages and 60 farmers as nonbeneficiaries from non-NICRA villages were selected randomly. The ex-post facto research design was used in the study. The results of the study showed that more than half of the beneficiaries (51.67 %) and 48.33 per cent of non-beneficiaries had a medium level of favorableness towards climate-resilient technologies of the NICRA project. From the above findings, this is concluded that both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the NICRA project have a positive favourable attitude towards climate-resilient technologies which is considered as a precursor for adoption of those technologies by the farming community. Hence the results of this research study may help extension organizations for good training and implementation of climate-resilient technologies of National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA).

Mental health and wellbeing among Iranian medical students: a descriptive study

Background: The psychological wellbeing and stresses on medical students are currently under a global spotlight. Under a wider initiative supported by the British Medical Association (BMA), international surveys have been conducted to understand and begin to tackle these issues. Method: This study aimed at describing the mental wellbeing and levels of burnout of Iranian medical students. A total of 179 medical students from 19 different cities participated voluntarily in the survey by answering an online questionnaire between April and August 2020. We detected a trend toward higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders (namely depressive disorders) and substance misuse when compared to previous national studies. Results: About 6% of students screened positive for alcohol problems with the CAGE questionnaire. About 77% of medical students screened positive for mental health problems with the GHQ12 questionnaire. Very high rates of burnout were also reported. These findings emphasize the urgent need to define methods to screen at risk medical students and implement local and national initiatives to curtain their potential detrimental effects.

MRV of support: National keys actions for forests conservation and reforestations promotion in Burkina Faso from 1985 to 2015 to mitigate climate changes

ABSTRACT Land cover improvement constitutes an essential element for greenhouse gas removal in the atmosphere and constitute at the same time the most challenges for worldwide. This study aim to synthetize the national initiatives or actions developed and implemented to improve land cover from 1985 to 2015 through national implemented policies analysis. Results shown that during 30 last pass years’ three key policies such as Policy Speech of 02 October 1983, Strategy for Poverty Alleviation and Accelerated Increasing Strategy and Sustainable Development with at least 10 important actions have been developed and implemented. Thereby, in term of protected area, 4.2 million hectare were created and conserved. For reforestation promotion, more than 63954.304 Kg of trees seeds was harvested and more than 128 116 182 trees plants were planted from 2002 to 2015 on 150 316.54 hectares. Butane consumption promotion through household reduced considerably firewood and butane consumption ratio from 451 times in 2000 to 88 time in 2015. Implementations of those policies were contributed to reduce pressure on the forests and improve land cover and improved significantly Burkina Faso CO2 sequestration potential. RESUMEN La mejora de la cubierta terrestre constituye un elemento esencial para la eliminación de los gases de efecto invernadero en la atmósfera y constituye al mismo tiempo el mayor desafío para el mundo. Este estudio pretende sintetizar las iniciativas o acciones nacionales desarrolladas e implementadas para mejorar la cubierta terrestre desde 1985 hasta 2015 a través del análisis de las políticas nacionales implementadas. Los resultados muestran que durante los últimos 30 años se han desarrollado e implementado tres políticas clave, como el Discurso Político del 2 de octubre de 1983, la Estrategia de Alivio de la Pobreza y la Estrategia de Aumento Acelerado y Desarrollo Sostenible, con al menos 10 acciones importantes. De este modo, se han creado y conservado 4,2 millones de hectáreas de zonas protegidas. Para la promoción de la reforestación, se cosecharon más de 6.954,304 kg de semillas de árboles y se plantaron más de 128.116.182 plantas de árboles entre 2002 y 2015 en 150.316,54 hectáreas. La promoción del consumo de butano a través de los hogares redujo considerablemente la proporción de consumo de leña y butano de 451 veces en 2000 a 88 veces en 2015. La aplicación de estas políticas ha contribuido a reducir la presión sobre los bosques y a mejorar la cobertura del suelo y a mejorar significativamente el potencial de secuestro de CO2 de Burkina Faso.

Impulse für den Klimaschutz – der Beitrag der Corona-Maßnahmen zur Transformation der Wirtschaft

Germany was already undergoing an ambitious energy transformation process when the corona pandemic hit in 2020. The German government reacted both quickly and decisively by initiating a huge rescue package to stabilize firms and employment. Besides immediate economic aid, the stimulus programme implemented in June 2020 contains more than 40 Billion Euro to foster both the green and the digital transformation. However, to achieve carbon neutrality effectively and efficiently market mechanisms allowing individuals and firms to internalize the environmental costs of their consumption and production behaviour are key. Therefore, in addition to the EU ETS, in 2021 Germany introduced a national carbon pricing scheme for the heating and transport sector. Certainly, unilateral European or national initiatives will not suffice to accomplish the goals of the Paris Agreement. Therefore, striving for joint global action is equally crucial both to combat the Corona-virus and to limit global warming.

ASSESSMENT OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES IN VET: A REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES

There is a growing need for valid tools for assessing skills and certifying qualifications in the context of increasing labour migration and mobility. Due to the growing internationalization of business activities, companies are interested in standardized skills assessments that ensure valid and comparable ratings of job applicants and employees. At the same time, assessment of professional or vocational skills, which are highly domain-specific and numerous, remains challenging, especially in terms of comparability. Therefore, objective skills assessment tops the list of challenges faced by national VET systems. This paper presents an overview of practices and tools for assessing vocational skills and VET learning outcomes, and covers the following issues: a) current practices and challenges in measuring vocational skills and learning outcomes in VET; b) initiatives for internationally comparable assessment of vocational skills, including PISA-VET and WorldSkills competitions; c) national initiatives for assessment of VET learning outcomes in the cases of Germany and Russia; d) labor market- and industry-driven initiatives in skills assessment for job seekers and qualification assurance. This paper contributes to the literature on skills assessment by providing a more comprehensive picture of approaches to skills assessments, including well-established ones and emerging initiatives outside the field of measuring learning outcomes in education.

Establishing a National Strategy for Shared Research Resources

President Biden’s renewed push to develop cures for society’s most devastating diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s, in tandem with infrastructure investments to “Build Back Better,” represents an opportunity to harness our nation’s critical shared research resources (SRRs). For over 40 years, SRRs have played a key role in accelerating biomedical research discoveries and innovations by providing widespread access to cutting-edge technologies, services, and scientific expertise. Yet a national strategy that addresses how to leverage these resources to ensure new treatments, cures, and economic vitality is noticeably absent. A national strategy for SRRs—led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—is crucial to advance key national initiatives and enable long-term efficiency, coordination, and economic impact of these critical assets.

Part I International Capital Markets in Context, 2 Making International Markets Work—Regulatory Techniques

This chapter discusses the regulatory techniques in the international capital markets. Regulation, as it is usually understood, emanates from a national (or perhaps sub-national) authority and operates locally. Capital markets predate the nation state and have been boundary blind. So, how have modern international capital markets been regulated? Different approaches have waxed and waned in popularity, but several broad groupings can be discerned: inaction; unilateralism; formal and informal cooperative efforts; and international or supra-national initiatives. The different regulatory approaches operating in modern international capital markets are not mutually exclusive; they often coexist or interact, in both a positive and negative manner. Ultimately, the different regulatory approaches to international capital markets, which ones dominate, which ones wither away, have been shaped by the geopolitical forces of empire, the emergence of the supra-national state, and hegemony.

Severe Pneumonitis in Omani Infants During An In-Hospital Measles Outbreak

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease. Despite aggressive national initiatives to eradicate measles, outbreaks have occurred in recent years. We report three infants with measles who developed pneumonitis, received intensive care treatment and made full recoveries. Infants can have an atypical presentation and develop severe symptoms. Pneumonitis is a serious complication, and the management strategies are controversial. The early detection of measles and isolation of affected individuals play major roles in the elimination of measles outbreaks. Keywords: Measles, Pneumonitis, Infant, Complication, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Vitamin.

Beating the Plastic Pollution: A Policy Perspective on India and UNEP Partnership

Plastic pollution has become a major environmental concern around the world due to the rapidly increasing production, consumption of single-use plastic products, and our inability to manage it properly. Plastic production increased exponentially, from about 2 million metric tonnes in 1950 to 348 million metric tonnes in 2017, and it is expected to double in capacity yet again by 2040. However, only 9 percent of the 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic produced since the early 1950s, has been recycled, and that most plastic ends its life in landfills, dumps and the environment is an increasing cause of concern. Plastic pollution is a major challenge in developing nations like India, where garbage collection systems are often informal with low recycling rates. The COVID 19 pandemic has exacerbated the use of plastic through personal protective equipments (PPEs). Management of this biomedical plastic waste is an addition to this existing challenge. Tackling plastic pollution is high up on UNEP’s global agenda to enhance the political visibility of this concern, UNEP along with the Government of India designated it as the theme of World Environment Day 2018. UNEP also provides technical assistance through its partners to support India towards its national and sub-national initiatives. This paper highlights the magnitude of the problem and the role UNEP is playing in addressing some concerns.