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The paper deals with the development of a general as well as integrative and holistic framework to systematize and assess vulnerability, risk and adaptation. The framework is a thinking tool meant as a heuristic that outlines key factors and different dimensions that need to be addressed when assessing vulnerability in the context of natural hazards and climate change. The approach underlines that the key factors of such a common framework are related to the exposure of a society or system to a hazard or stressor, the susceptibility of the system or community exposed, and its resilience and adaptive capacity. Additionally, it underlines the necessity to consider key factors and multiple thematic dimensions when assessing vulnerability in the context of natural and socio-natural hazards. In this regard, it shows key linkages between the different concepts used within the disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) research. Further, it helps to illustrate the strong relationships between different concepts used in DRM and CCA. The framework is also a tool for communicating complexity and stresses the need for societal change in order to reduce risk and to promote adaptation. With regard to this, the policy relevance of the framework and first results of its application are outlined. Overall, the framework presented enhances the discussion on how to frame and link vulnerability, disaster risk, risk management and adaptation concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster associated with natural hazards can lead to important changes-positive or negative-in socio-ecological systems. When disasters occur, much attention is given to the direct disaster impacts as well as relief and recovery operations. Although this focus is important, it is noteworthy that there has been little research on the characteristics and progress of change induced by disasters. Change, as distinct from impacts, encompasses formal and informal responses to disaster events and their direct and indirect impacts. While smaller disasters do not often lead to significant changes in societies and organizational structures, major disasters have the potential to change dominant ways of thinking and acting. Against this background, the article presents an analytical framework for distinguishing change from disaster impacts. Drawing from research in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, formal and informal changes after the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 are examined and discussed against the background of the conceptual framework. The changes examined range from the commencement of the peace process in Aceh, Indonesia, to organizational and legal reforms in Sri Lanka. The article concludes that change-making processes after disasters need to be understood more in depth in order to derive important strategic policy and methodological lessons learned for the future, particularly in view of the increasing complexity and uncertainty in decision making due to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate change and natural hazard communities have developed the notion of vulnerability and associated methods for its assessment in parallel, with only limited interaction. What are the underlying reasons for this diversity; is there advantage in greater synergy? If yes, what are the pathways through which greater integration could be fostered? This paper discusses these issues using vulnerability studies in coastal areas to describe gaps between climate change and natural hazard approaches, and investigates scope for mutual learning and collaboration in the development of methodologies for vulnerability assessment. An overview of methods highlights the separation between climate change and natural hazard approaches. The main differences identified, beyond formal divergences in terminology, are linked to: process (stress vs shock), scale (temporal, functional and spatial), assessment approach (statistical vs prospective) and levels of uncertainty. We argue that the underlying source of divergence is the initial difference of purpose, one being identification of climate change adaptation pathways, the other being disaster risk reduction. In this context, the notion of vulnerability and its expression through assessment studies is the focal point connecting both domains. Indeed, the ongoing and active development of vulnerability concepts and methods have already produced some tools to help overcome common issues, such as acting in a context of high uncertainties, taking into account the dynamics and spatial scale of a social-ecological system, or gathering viewpoints from different sciences to combine human and impact-based approaches. Based on this assessment, this paper proposes concrete perspectives and possibilities to benefit from existing commonalities in the construction and application of assessment tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous balloon dilatation and temporary internal stenting in the treatment of transplant ureteral strictures.Methods: Nine patients presenting with obstructed renal transplants were treated by antegrade nephrostomy insertion, ureteroplasty, and temporary internal stenting. Following stent removal, patients were divided into two groups for analysis according to whether the obstruction occurred less than (group A) or more than (group B) 3 months following transplantation.Results: All procedures were technically successful. In group A (n = 6), all patients were successfully treated by one or two dilatations with stenting. In group B (n = 3), two patients were successfully treated by one dilatation with stenting. Overall, eight patients (89%) have had their primary or secondary stent removed successfully at a mean interval of 97.5 days after insertion, and remain well at a mean follow-up interval of 22 months.Conclusion: Balloon dilatation and temporary internal stenting is a useful method for treating transplant ureteral strictures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The positive half A of an ordered abelian group A is the set { x ∈ A∣x ⩾ 0} and M $$ \subseteq$$ A is a module if for all x, y ∈ M also x + y, |x − y| ∈M. If θ ∈ A \M then M(θ) is the module generated by M and θ. S $$ \subseteq$$ M is unbounded in M if (∀x ∈ M)(∃ y ∈ S)(x ⩽ y) and is dense in M if (∀x, x ∈M)(∃y ∈ S) (x < x ℂ x ⩾ y ⩾ x). If M is a module, or a subgroup of any abelian group, a real-valued g: M → R is subadditive if g(x + y) ⩽ g(x) + g(y) for all x, y ∈ M. The following hold: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Stein groupoid (quasigroup) is a groupoid (quasigroup) satisfying the identity x( xy)= yx. We show that, for certain two variable identities, the variety of Stein groupoids defined by any one of these identities has the properties that every groupoid in the variety is a quasigroup and that the free groupoid generated by two elements is of finite (small) order which we determine. These results provide characterizations of some Stein quasigroups of small order and we give some further characterizations involving other identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 49-year-old man who underwent endoscopic musocal resection (EMR) using Duette® Multiband Mucosectomy Kit. The patient was diagnosed with small submucosal mass on the distal lesser curve of the stomach and was attempted to undergo standard EMR to remove the lesion. The lesion was not removed by the procedure, hence EMR was conducted using Duette®. It reveals that EMR using Duette® kit is safe and is effective in gastric lesion removal.