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Background In response to the rise in opioid-related deaths, communities across Ontario have developed opioid or overdose response plans to address issues at the local level. Public Health Ontario (PHO) leads the Community Opioid / Overdose Capacity Building (COM-CAP) project, which aims to reduce overdose-related harms at the community level by working with communities to identify, develop, and evaluate capacity building supports for local needs around overdose planning. The ‘From Design to Action’ co-design workshop used a participatory design approach to engage communities in identifying the requirements for capacity building support. Methods A participatory approach (co-design) provided opportunity for collaborative discussion around capacity building needs at the community level. The co-design workshop included three structured collaborative activities to 1) prioritize scenarios that illustrated various challenges associated with community overdose response planning, 2) prioritize the challenges within each scenario and 3) prioritize the supports to address each of these challenges. It was conducted with fifty-two participants involved in opioid/overdose-related response plans in Ontario. Participatory materials were informed by the results of a situational assessment (SA) data gathering process, including survey, interview, and focus group data. A voting system, including dot stickers and discussion notes, was applied to identify priority supports and delivery mechanisms. Results At the workshop, key challenges and top-priority supports were identified, for development and implementation. The prioritized challenges were organized into five categories of capacity building supports addressing: 1) stigma & equity; 2) trust-based relationships, consensus building & on-going communication; 3) knowledge development & on-going access to information and data; 4) tailored strategies and plan adaptation to changing structures and local context; and 5) structural enablers and responsive governance. Conclusion Using a participatory approach, the workshop provided an opportunity for sharing, generating, and mobilizing knowledge to address research-practice gaps at the community level for opioid response planning. The application of health design methods such as the ‘From Design to Action’ co-design workshop supports teams to gain a deeper understanding of needs for capacity building as well as illustrating the application of participatory approaches in identifying capacity building needs for complex public health issues such as the overdose crisis.

We find that the phase appearing in the unitarity relation between $$ \mathcal{B}\left({K}_L\to {\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right) $$ B K L → μ + μ − and $$ \mathcal{B}\left({K}_L\to \gamma \gamma \right) $$ B K L → γγ is equal to the phase shift in the interference term of the time- dependent K → μ+μ− decay. A probe of this relation at future kaon facilities constitutes a Standard Model test with a theory precision of about 2%. The phase has further importance for sensitivity studies regarding the measurement of the time-dependent K → μ+μ− decay rate to extract the CKM matrix element combination $$ \mid {V}_{ts}{V}_{td}\sin \left(\beta +{\beta}_s\right)\mid \approx {A}^2{\lambda}^5\overline{\eta} $$ ∣ V ts V td sin β + β s ∣ ≈ A 2 λ 5 η ¯ . We find a model-independent theoretically clean prediction, cos2φ0 = 0.96 ± 0.03. The quoted error is a combination of the theoretical and experimental errors, and both of them are expected to shrink in the future. Using input from the large-NC limit within chiral perturbation theory, we find a theory preference towards solutions with negative cos φ0, reducing a four-fold ambiguity in the angle φ0 to a two-fold one.

Although West African nations are flourishing economically of late, they still have environmental issues due to the high rate of emissions in the bloc. Despite the worsening environmental condition, there have been limited studies on the causal agents of this situation in the region. Therefore, drawing strength from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targeted impacts of 2030, this study explored the nexus between financial development and environmental sustainability in West Africa (WA) for the period 1990 to 2016. The cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) estimator alongside the cross-sectionally augmented distributed lag (CS-DL) and the cross-sectional augmented error correction (CAEC) estimators were engaged to examine the elastic effects of the explanatory variables on the explained variable and from the results, financial development was harmful to environmental sustainability in WA through high carbon emissions. Also, control variables foreign direct investments, energy consumption, industrialization, and population growth were detrimental to the sustainability of the environment. On the causal connections amid the series, a unidirectional causality from financial development and population growth to carbon emissions was uncovered. Also, feedback causalities between foreign direct investments and carbon emissions, between energy consumption and the effluents of carbon, and between industrialization and environmental pollution were unraveled. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that the countries should integrate environmental welfare objectives into their financial development policies. Also, the nations should ensure that their citizens have access to energy that is affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern (SDG 7). Finally, improvement in energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and good use of resources (SDG 12) should be promoted by the nations. The above recommendations if seriously taken into consideration will help the region to combat climate change and its impacts, which is the focus of SDG 13. The main flaw of this exploration was the lack of data for some specific time periods. Therefore, in future when such data become available, similar investigations could be carried out to confirm the robustness of the study’s results.

The behavioral responses of two bed bug species, Cimex lectularius L. and C. hemipterus (F.), to conspecific or heterospecific nymphal aldehyde blends were examined using a two-choice olfactometer. Volatile cues from exuviae or a synthetic blend containing (E)-2-hexenal, 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, and 4-oxo-(E)-2-octenal were tested. In both species, the adults settled preferentially on the olfactometer treatment side when conspecific volatile aldehyde cues were provided. When tested with heterospecific volatile aldehyde cues, only adult C. lectularius preferentially responded to C. hemipterus volatile cues. Adult C. hemipterus was indifferent to the aldehyde blend of C. lectularius. Potential implications of the finding on bed bug biology and practical pest management are discussed.

Motivated by recent research suggesting that uncertainty and financial shocks have become the most important sources of business cycle fluctuations, we assess the relative importance of monetary policy, uncertainty, and financial shocks in explaining key macroeconomic variations. Using a Bayesian monetary structural vector autoregressive model augmented with measures of uncertainty and tightness of financial conditions, we identify monetary policy, uncertainty, and financial shocks based on a penalty function approach. We find that uncertainty shocks have become a relatively more important source of output fluctuations than traditional monetary policy shocks and financial shocks. We also find that monetary policy shocks outperform uncertainty and financial shocks in explaining inflation dynamics and that financial shocks are relatively more important than monetary policy and uncertainty shocks in explaining the swings in the stock market. However, these shocks are not the major driver of exchange rates.

The selective recognition of nanoparticles (NPs) can be achieved by nanoparticle-imprinted matrices (NAIMs), where NPs are imprinted in a matrix followed by their removal to form voids that can reuptake the original NPs. The recognition depends on supramolecular interactions between the matrix and the shell of the NPs, as well as on the geometrical suitability of the imprinted voids to accommodate the NPs. Here, gold NPs stabilized with citrate (AuNPs-cit) were preadsorbed onto a conductive surface followed by electrografting of p-aryldiazonium salts (ADS) with different functional groups. The thickness of the matrix was carefully controlled by altering the scan number. The AuNPs-cit were removed by electrochemical dissolution. The recognition of the NAIMs was determined by the reuptake of the original AuNPs-cit by the imprinted voids. We found that the recognition efficiency is a function of the thickness of the NAIM layer and is sensitive to the chemical structure of the matrix. Specifically, a subtle change of the functional group of the p-aryldiazonium building block, which was varied from an ether to an ester, significantly affected the recognition of the NPs.

A voting center is in charge of collecting and aggregating voter preferences. In an iterative process, the center sends comparison queries to voters, requesting them to submit their preference between two items. Voters might discuss the candidates among themselves, figuring out during the elicitation process which candidates stand a chance of winning and which do not. Consequently, strategic voters might attempt to manipulate by deviating from their true preferences and instead submit a different response in order to attempt to maximize their profit. We provide a practical algorithm for strategic voters which computes the best manipulative vote and maximizes the voter's selfish outcome when such a vote exists. We also provide a careful voting center which is aware of the possible manipulations and avoids manipulative queries when possible. In an empirical study on four real-world domains, we show that in practice manipulation occurs in a low percentage of settings and has a low impact on the final outcome. The careful voting center reduces manipulation even further, thus allowing for a non-distorted group decision process to take place. We thus provide a core technology study of a voting process that can be adopted in opinion or information aggregation systems and in crowdsourcing applications, e.g., peer grading in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

Fall armyworm (FAW) infestation in African countries presents significant threats to maize production. Such infestation has major economic implications in terms of the cost of measures taken at individual and international levels. Today’s problems cannot be solve with the same thinking which created them. Past interventions have generally resulted in policy revision from The MDGs to SDGs with little success. The complex nature of agri-business has necessitated the use of a systemic approach in solving operational problems. The study used a systemic approach to develop systems models that determine the components of current systems and its interaction with policies, social, environmental and economic dimensions of the agriculture industry. Results indicates that only by increasing our appreciation for “systemic approach” that addresses the needs of the present while safeguarding earth’s life-support system, can our social institutions achieve some modicum of effective control and stability. The systems models will help governments and agricultural proponents to anticipate the long-term consequences of their decisions and actions, as well as help to avoid any unintended consequences of policies and strategies such as ‘silo mentality’ and ‘organizational myopia’. As demonstrated in the aforementioned CLD and archetype, agriculture projects will continue to be the engine that develops and empowers the emerging and existing commercial business, and nation building across Africa. This systems thinking approach will provide more clarity in dealing with the complex management challenges and gradually replace the traditional theoretical approach of dealing with agricultural project management.

While social discourses on gender and sexuality have become controversial in the African context, there is a tendency to overlook how the domestic space contrives and participates in such productions. This paper examines the domestic space to reveal the ways that it reproduces, sanctions, challenges, and disrupts discursive productions on sexuality. Drawing on interviews with selected urban Ghanaian families, the paper contributes to scholarship by arguing that the processuality of sexual scripts linked to moral scripts and cultural taboos produces complex tensions and ambivalences, with implications for cultural authenticity, power relations, fear-mongering, and social persecution. The analysis shows that sexuality, much like gender, is deeply discursive, processual, fluid, and shaped by culture and history, requiring scholars to engage in deep reflections on how discourses of sexuality inscribe themselves into the social and moral fabric to shape individual actions and behaviors. Taking evidence from urban Ghana, we argue that an important question remains eminent against the background of transformation for harnessing the potentials of the domestic space, which prescribes gender-specific behaviors and expectations between men and women across families.

The K → μ+μ− decay is often considered to be uninformative of fundamental theory parameters since the decay is polluted by long-distance hadronic effects. We demonstrate that, using very mild assumptions and utilizing time-dependent interference effects, ℬ(KS → μ+μ−)ℓ=0 can be experimentally determined without the need to separate the ℓ = 0 and ℓ = 1 final states. This quantity is very clean theoretically and can be used to test the Standard Model. In particular, it can be used to extract the CKM matrix element combination $$ \mid {V}_{ts}{V}_{td}\sin \left(\beta +{\beta}_s\right)\mid \approx \mid {A}^2{\lambda}^5\overline{\eta}\mid $$ ∣ V ts V td sin β + β s ∣ ≈ ∣ A 2 λ 5 η ¯ ∣ with hadronic uncertainties below 1%.

This paper argues that flood vulnerability around the Weija Dam, near Accra, the capital of Ghana, can be explained by the city’s complex peri-urbanization trajectories. The dam, which was constructed 40 years ago, supplies water to many parts of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. To offset the impacts of potential dam failure due to seismic activities, as well as accidental and planned water spillages, about 100 m of lands around the dam and 30 m of riparian lands around River Densu were reserved. Despite planning prohibitions, these reservations have largely been encroached by homebuilders and business operators. Analyses of time-series rainfall data and hazard mapping showed that during periods of torrential rainfall, the dam and the river are overwhelmed with storm water hence exposing the Weija Township located downstream to flood hazards. Questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews with selected homebuilders, and institutional consultations revealed that the spatial and institutional management dynamics, customary land ownership, along with the growing defiance of planning regulations were the key influences of floods in the Weija Township. The affected households have attempted to mitigate the effects of flooding by elevating structures with stones and sandbags, strengthening walls, constructing drains and pumping water out during flooding events, but with little success. However, given the lack of political will to remove the unauthorized structures constructed within the buffers and reservations, the challenge now is to minimize flood vulnerabilities by flood-proofing buildings, improving drains and channelizing portions of the river within the township. These structural measures should be complemented by flood vulnerability maps, early flood warning and evacuation systems, mandatory property insurance policies, and above all, improved institutional coordination and collaboration for flood management. The paper recommends a re-examination of Ghana’s urban land use planning and management of water bodies in urban areas.

The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn.) is a major parkland species occurring across Africa from East to West. Its fruits, butter, and further products from shea butter play key roles in the Sustainable Development Goals of poverty eradication, hunger elimination, and gender equity in many African regions. The inter-play of abiotic conditions (e.g. rainfall patterns, drought periods) and biotic interactions (grazing by large herbivores) shape parklands because they influence vital processes like photosynthesis, transpiration and biomass production of common plant species including shea. We measured gas exchange of shea seedlings grown under ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO(2)), with and without competition of the C4 grass Cenchrus pedicellatus, and under different water availabilities in greenhouse chambers. We hypothesized that eCO(2) will generally increase seedling growth in shea via increases in photosynthesis. When growing together with C4 grass at low water availability, we expect an improved competitiveness of shea under eCO(2), beacuse eCO(2) is reported to augment water use efficiency (WUEi) of C3 plants more than C4 plants. Increased CO2 caused a 10% (p

In the recent years, various high spatial resolution nanospectroscopy methods were developed and utilized to uncover catalysts’ heterogeneities and the ways by which these heterogeneities control the catalytic reactivity. High spatial resolution nanospectroscopy measurements identified that heterogeneities within catalytic particles lead to substantial gradients in reaction rates at different positions in the catalytic particle and variation in the reactivity between particles in the same batch. Here we review the latest developments in the field of high spatial resolution spectroscopy measurements of catalytic reactions on the surface of solid catalysts. Specifically, in this review we discuss the capabilities of various spectroscopic methods, such as super resolution imaging, tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy and IR nanospectroscopy to characterize the reactant-into-product-transformation on the surface of solid catalysts with nanometer resolution. It is demonstrated that high-spatial resolution spectroscopy measurements reveal the ways by which differences in the size, shape and composition of solid catalysts influence their reactivity, uncovering structure–reactivity correlations that are mostly masked while using averaging, ensemble based spectroscopy measurements.