Characteristics of Extreme Rainfall Events over Uganda during September to November Rainfall Season

Understanding the characteristics of extreme rainfall is crucial for effective flood management planning, as it enables the incorporation of insights from past extreme rainfall patterns and their spatiotemporal distribution. This work investigated the changes in the frequency and pattern of extreme rainfall over Uganda, using daily datasets sourced from Climate Hazard Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS-v2) for the period 1981 to 2022. The study utilized the extreme weather Indices provided by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). Attention was directed towards September to November (SON) rainfall season with precise analysis of four indices (Rx1day, Rx5day, R95p, and R99p). The Sequential Mann-Kendall (SQMK) non-parametric test was applied to identify abrupt changes in SON extreme rainfall trends. Results showed that October consistently recorded the highest count of extreme rainfall days across all four indices. The long-term analysis revealed fluctuations in extreme rainfall events across years, with certain periods exhibiting heightened intensity. The analysis portrayed a shift in the decadal variations and region-specific distribution of extreme rainfall, with Eastern Uganda and areas around Lake Victoria standing out compared to other regions. The findings further revealed an increase in extreme rainfall for all indices in the recent decade (2011-2022) with 2019/2020 standing out as the extreme years of SON for the study period. While trendlines suggested a slight increase in intense daily rainfall events, the SQMK tests revealed statistical significance in the trend of prolonged periods of intense daily rainfall. This study contributes to the understanding of the spatiotemporal variability and trends of extreme rainfall events over Uganda during the SON season, which is crucial for the assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies. It provides valuable information for seasonal extreme rainfall forecasting, development of early warning systems, flood risk management, and disaster preparedness plans.

The therapeutic prospects and challenges of human neural stem cells for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder associated with aging.Due to its insidious onset,protracted progression,and unclear pathogenesis,it is considered one of the most obscure and intractable brain disorders,and currently,there are no effective therapies for it.Convincing evidence indicates that the irreversible decline of cognitive abilities in patients coincides with the deterioration and degeneration of neurons and synapses in the AD brain.Human neural stem cells(NSCs)hold the potential to functionally replace lost neurons,reinforce impaired synaptic networks,and repair the damaged AD brain.They have therefore received extensive attention as a possible source of donor cells for cellular replacement therapies for AD.Here,we review the progress in NSC-based transplantation studies in animal models of AD and assess the therapeutic advantages and challenges of human NSCs as donor cells.We then formulate a promising transplantation approach for the treatment of human AD,which would help to explore the disease-modifying cellular therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human AD.