The study was conducted in the Awbarre district of the Fafen zone of the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to assess the breeding practices and reproductive performance of Black-head So...The study was conducted in the Awbarre district of the Fafen zone of the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to assess the breeding practices and reproductive performance of Black-head Somali sheep under a traditional management system. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select targeted kebeles and households, respectively. A total of 120 households were selected from four kebeles, each of 30 households, based on the production system and sheep population. Semi-structured questionnaires, group discussions, key informants interviews and field observations were used to generate the required data. The primary purpose of keeping sheep was for income generation, followed by saving as a future asset. The majority (89.2%) of the respondents separated male and female animals during herding. The selection criteria for breeding rams were appearance, growth, pedigree, and color while for breeding ewes were appearance, adaptability, pedigree, color, and lamb growth. The overall weaning age of Black-head Somali sheep in the study area was 3.7 months for both males & females. The castration of male sheep was common for the purpose of fattening, fattening with breeding control and breeding control as well. The castration is mainly performed during the summer and autumn and the methods of castration were both traditional and modern methods, the traditional castration method being the most important one in pastoral areas. The age of sexual maturity was 7.64 months for rams and 8.97 months for ewe’s male and female lambs in the pastoral area and 8.42 & 8.38 for rams & ewes in agro-pastoral and overall lambing interval was 11 months. On average, the ewe of Black-head Somali sheep in pastoral & agro-pastoral could produce 9.49 & 9.57 lambs, respectively in their lifetime. As the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists indicated the source of the breeding ram was their own, so the exchange of breeding ram is recommended to minimize the risk of inbreeding and further studies of on-farm performance investigation would be necessary to be carried out so as to understand the uniqueness of the breed better.展开更多
The temporal variations during 1948-2010 and vertical structures of the summer Somali and Australia cross-equatorial flows (CEFs) and the implications for the Asian summer monsoon were explored in this study. The st...The temporal variations during 1948-2010 and vertical structures of the summer Somali and Australia cross-equatorial flows (CEFs) and the implications for the Asian summer monsoon were explored in this study. The strongest southerly and northerly CEFs exist at 925 hPa and 150 hPa level, respectively. The low-level Somali (LLS) CEFs were significantly connected with the rainfall in most regions of India (especially the monsoon regions), except in a small area in southwest India. In comparison to the climatology, the low- level Australia (LLA) CEFs exhibited stronger variations at interannual time scale and are more closely connected to the East Asian summer monsoon circulation than to the LLS CEFs. The East Asian summer monsoon circulation anomalies related to stronger LLA CEFs were associ- ated with less water vapor content and less rainfall in the region between the middle Yellow River and Yangtze River and with more water vapor and more rainfall in southern China. The sea-surface tempera- ture anomalies east of Australia related to summer LLA CEFs emerge in spring and persist into summer, with implications for the seasonal prediction of summer rainfall in East Asia. The connection between the LLA CEFs and East Asian summer monsoon rainfall may be partly due to its linkage with E1 Nino-Southern Oscillation. In addition, both the LLA and LLS CEFs .exhibited interdecadal shifts in the late 1970s and the late 1990s, consistent with the phase shifts of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).展开更多
The teleconnection impact of the boreal winter Antarctic Oscillation(AAO) on the Somali Jet(SMJ) intensity in the following spring and summer is examined in this paper.The variability of the boreal winter AAO is p...The teleconnection impact of the boreal winter Antarctic Oscillation(AAO) on the Somali Jet(SMJ) intensity in the following spring and summer is examined in this paper.The variability of the boreal winter AAO is positively related to the SMJ intensity in both spring and summer.The analyses show that the SST in southern high and middle latitudes seems to serve as a bridge linking these two systems.When the AAO is in strong positive phase,SST over the Southern Ocean cools in the high latitudes and warms in the middle latitudes,which persists into summer;however,the variability of SST in southern high and middle latitudes is also closely correlated to SMJ intensity.A possible mechanism that links SST variability with the AAO-SMJ relationship is also discussed.The AAO in boreal winter produces an SST anomaly pattern in southern high and middle latitudes through the air-sea coupling.This AAOrelated SST anomaly pattern modulates the local Ferrel cell anomaly in summer,followed by the regional Hadley cell anomaly in tropics.The anomalous vertical motion in tropics then changes the land-sea thermal contrast between the tropical Indian Ocean and the Asian continent through the variability of low cloud cover and downward surface longwave radiation flux.Finally,the land-sea thermal contrast anomaly between the tropical Indian Ocean and the Asian continent changes the SMJ intensity.The results from Community Atmosphere Model experiments forced by the SST anomaly in southern high and middle latitudes also confirm this diagnostic physical process to some extent.展开更多
Maternal and child nutrition is critical for child health and survival. Appropriate feeding practices are of fundamental importance for health, nutrition, survival and development of infants and children. In pastoral ...Maternal and child nutrition is critical for child health and survival. Appropriate feeding practices are of fundamental importance for health, nutrition, survival and development of infants and children. In pastoral areas of Ethiopia, barriers related to cultu</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">re</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, knowledge, social norms, beliefs, behaviors, decision making in the household and burden of other responsibilities contribute to nutritional status of women and children to deteriorate. Policies and strategies are recommending assessment of barriers for designing programs and interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition practices. This study is aimed to assess barriers of optimal maternal and child feeding practices in Pastoralist areas of Somali region, Eastern Ethiopia</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. </span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">A q</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ualitative community based research method was used involving 17 focus group discussions and 20 in-depth interviews with mothers, grandmothers, health professionals and religious leaders from three districts. Data from FGDs and interviews were transcribed and coded. The agreed upon codes were synthe</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">sized and grouped into exhaustive categories. The categories were then merged</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> into themes representing the most common barriers on maternal and child feeding practice that emerged from the FGDs and interviews</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></i><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We found that traditional beliefs, myths, culture custodian influence, low accessibility and availability of nutritional foods, pattern and burden of other responsibilities, poor knowledge and health seeking behavior, perceived milk insufficiency as main barriers for optimal maternal and child feeding practices</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></i><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Barriers on optimal maternal and child feeding are very common in the study areas. More work needs to be done to strengthen community-based nutrition with </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">strong social behavioral change communication with emphasis on age-specific</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> counselling on maternal and child nutrition at health facilities, during antenatal and early postnatal visits in the study areas through different media channels, particularly, Somali Region TV and FMs to promote optimal nutrition in the region.展开更多
The objective of this article was to investigate existing challenges of crop production on farmers in Afgoye District lower Shabelle Somalia. The Focus was farmer’s attitude toward existing or not constraints to thei...The objective of this article was to investigate existing challenges of crop production on farmers in Afgoye District lower Shabelle Somalia. The Focus was farmer’s attitude toward existing or not constraints to their crop production and what the experts have seen and what are far from their perception. Sixty famers and academic experts were distributed questionnaires and interview about the constraints of crop production other than agricultural disciplines. This paper used survey descriptive research which facilitates easily connection between past constrains and challenges of crop production. Questionnaire was comprised in the following two parts;Part one;demographic variables and Part two;objective related questions. The study found both major and minor constraints are exists in the Somali farmers. The major constraints include unstable weather, water scarcity, pests damaging crops, and poor transportation, and minor constraints such as inability to access and use such as seed and fertilizers, lack of capital to buy, inadequate investment in irrigation which makes farmers very vulnerable to drought, and there is less knowledge and skill of all farmers. The finding with highest percentage that was challenged in Afgoye farmer was “there is fear of gunner and thieves in the farmers” and 75% of respondents strongly agreed and second question with highest score is “there is fear of conflict between rebels and government”, and 61.7% of them selected strongly agreed.展开更多
The study was conducted to assess management practices and constraints of Black head Somali sheep in Awbarre district of Fafen zone, Somali regional state, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected...The study was conducted to assess management practices and constraints of Black head Somali sheep in Awbarre district of Fafen zone, Somali regional state, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected for this study using purposive sampling technique. The data were collected through the questionnaire, key informants interview, focus group discussions & field observations. The primary purpose of keeping sheep was for income generation followed by saving, meat production, milk, social and cultural functions. The main feeds for sheep during wet season were communal & private natural pastures. In dry season, communal natural pasture, crop residues & private natural pasture were used. The major source of water during wet season was dam/pond, whereas in the dry season spring & pipe water were used. The majority of the respondents (85.8%) used houses enclosed with thorn woody trees and houses enclosed with stone/brick fence were also reported. Majority of the respondents used controlled mating system and sheep are bred to lamb when forage is plentiful because they are less drought tolerant than goats and to avoid unwanted lambing in dry season. Majority (90%) of respondents own their breeding ram and those who have no breeding males used their neighbors’ rams and borrow from others. The breeding rams were born in the flock implying that animals within the flock are very closely related which leads to inbreeding. The most important health problems affecting sheep were circling disease, sheep pox, tick lameness (tick paralysis), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), bloating, and Foot & mouth disease (FMD). The major constraints hindering sheep production in the study area were shortage of veterinary service, feed shortage, scarcity of water, predators, diseases, and marketing. Therefore, to improve and increase the productivity of sheep production in the study area, better management practices and establishing of veterinary service centers are necessary.展开更多
Despite the dramatic increase in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) globally, no research has been conducted in Somalia regarding ASD. However, research studies from Somali immigrants (diaspora) living in Sweden, the US,...Despite the dramatic increase in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) globally, no research has been conducted in Somalia regarding ASD. However, research studies from Somali immigrants (diaspora) living in Sweden, the US, the UK, etc., have been major contributors to the subject of ASD among people of Somali descent. In this review, we aimed to examine ASD among the Somali diaspora community in terms of its prevalence, possible causes, knowledge of the diseases among the diaspora community, and the challenges faced in raising ASD-affected children in a foreign country. These findings create a general picture of the magnitude of the burden of ASD diagnosis and management and the coping mechanisms adopted by the Somali diaspora community, which are vital lessons for policymakers, child health non-governmental organizations, and the professional medical bodies aiming to tackle ASD back home in Somalia. The study found that ASD is three to five times more prevalent among children of Somali descent than their peers from other backgrounds and that Somali children were generally diagnosed much later than their peers and often presented with lower intellectual abilities than their peers. Furthermore, Somali immigrants were found to have low levels of knowledge about autism, faced stigma and discrimination and often resorted to religion and a small tight circle of friends and family for social support. They faced a huge challenge of seeking access to healthcare and schools for their autistic children and have a mistrust of social services for fear of the government taking away their children. These findings raise the possibility that neglected ASD cases may be prevalent in Somalia and thus makes recommendations for future research, social policy development, and early intervention services for individuals with autism in Somalia.展开更多
One of the major high-latitude circulation systems in the Southern Hemisphere is the Southern Annular Mode(SAM). Its effect on the Somali Jet(SMJ), which connects the Southern and Northern hemispheres, cannot be ignor...One of the major high-latitude circulation systems in the Southern Hemisphere is the Southern Annular Mode(SAM). Its effect on the Somali Jet(SMJ), which connects the Southern and Northern hemispheres, cannot be ignored. The present reported results show that time series of both the Southern Annular Mode Index(SAMI) during the preceding winter and the summertime Somali Jet intensity Index(SMJI) display a significant increasing trend and have similar interdecadal variation. The latter was rather strong around 1960, then became weaker up to the mid-1980 s, before starting to strengthen again. The lead-lag correlations of monthly mean SAMI with the following summertime SMJI showed significant positive correlations in November, December, and January. There are thus connections across two seasons between the SAM and the SMJ. The influence of the winter SAM on the summer SMJ was explored via analyses of SST anomalies in the Southern Indian Ocean. During strong(weak) SAM/SMJ years, the SST east of Madagascar is colder(warmer) while the SST west of Australia is warmer(colder), corresponding to the positive(negative) Southern Indian Ocean Dipole-like(SIODL) event. Subsequently, the SIODL excites an anticyclone located over the Arabian Sea in summer through air-sea coupling from winter to summer, which causes an increase in the summer SMJ intensity. The anticyclone/high branch of the SAM over the Southern Hemisphere subtropics and the cyclone/low over the east coast of Madagascar play an important role in the formation of Southern Indian Ocean "bridge" from winter to summer.展开更多
Based on the ERA reanalysis winds data, the multi-time scale variations of Somali jet are analyzed synthetically. The jet's influences on rainfall in China on interannual, interdecadal and sub-monthly scales are a...Based on the ERA reanalysis winds data, the multi-time scale variations of Somali jet are analyzed synthetically. The jet's influences on rainfall in China on interannual, interdecadal and sub-monthly scales are also studied using correlation and composite analyses. The results demonstrate that the interdecadal variations of the jet are significant.The Somali jet became weaker in the 1960 s and became the weakest in the early 1970 s before enhancing slowly in the late 1970 s. Moreover, the relation between the Somali jet and summer precipitation in China is close, but varies on different timescales. Preliminary analysis shows that the intensity variations in May and June during the early days of establishment are well correlated with summer precipitation in China. The Somali jet intensity on the interdecadal scale is closely related with interdecadal variations of the precipitation in China. Regardless of leading or contemporaneous correlation, the correlations between the Somali jet intensity and the rainfall in northern and southern China show obvious interdecadal variations. Moreover, the link between the anomalies of the jet intensity in May-August and precipitation evolution on synoptic scale in China is further studied. China has more rainfall with positive anomalies of the Somali jet but less rainfall with negative anomalies during the active period of the jet. The influence of positive Somali jet anomalies on China precipitation is more evident.展开更多
This observational study demonstrates that the Somali jet(SMJ) experienced a notable interdecadal transition in not only its lower-level parts(〈 850 hP a) but also its higher-level parts(850-600 h Pa) in the la...This observational study demonstrates that the Somali jet(SMJ) experienced a notable interdecadal transition in not only its lower-level parts(〈 850 hP a) but also its higher-level parts(850-600 h Pa) in the late 1990 s. The results also show that the jet at higher level is more significantly related to East Asian monsoon rainfall than that at lower level. Thus, a new whole-layer SMJ(WSMJ) index which includes variations of the higher-level jet is defined based on the average meridional wind speed at five levels(1000-600 h Pa). The interdecadal transition of the SMJ can be mainly attributed to the meridional thermal contrast anomalies near the equator which are associated with the three-pole pattern of the southern Indian Ocean.展开更多
Somali Jet changes will influence the variability of Asian monsoon and climate. How would Somali Jet changes respond to the global warming in the future climate? To address this question, we first evaluate the abilit...Somali Jet changes will influence the variability of Asian monsoon and climate. How would Somali Jet changes respond to the global warming in the future climate? To address this question, we first evaluate the ability of IPCC-AR4 climate models and perform the 20th century climate in coupled models (20C3M) experiments to reproduce the observational features of the low level Somali Jet in JJA (June-July-August) for the period 1976 1999. Then, we project and discuss the changes of Somali Jet under the climate change of Scenario A2 (SRESA2) for the period 2005 2099. The results show that 18 IPCC-AR4 models have performed better in describing the climatological features of Somali Jet in the present climate simulations. Analysis of Somali Jet intensity changes from the multi-model ensemble results for the period 2005-2099 shows a weakened Somali Jet in the early 21st century (2010-2040), the strongest Somali Jet in the middle 21st century (2050 2060), as well as the weakest Somali Jet at the end of the 21st century (2070-2090). Compared with the period 1976-1999, the intensity of Somali Jet is weakening in general, and it becomes the weakest at the end of the 21st century. The results also suggest that the relationship between the intensity of Somali Jet in JJA and the increment of global mean surface air temperature is nonlinear, which is reflected differently among the models, suggesting the uncertainty of the IPCC-AR4 models. Considering the important role of Somali Jet in the Indian monsoon and East Asian monsoon and climate of China, the variability of Somali Jet and its evolvement under the present climate or future climate changes need to be further clarified.展开更多
Objective:The purpose of this study is to improve vaccination rates at a clinic with a large Somali population,and many vaccine hesitant parents.The study evaluated the effectiveness of some new materials for vaccine ...Objective:The purpose of this study is to improve vaccination rates at a clinic with a large Somali population,and many vaccine hesitant parents.The study evaluated the effectiveness of some new materials for vaccine hesitant parents.Methods:Educational sessions were given to providers and staff to give“talking points”and to introduce a vaccine refusal form.Chart reviews were done for notes from 50 random well child visits per month of children less than six years old for 7 months before and after the intervention.Results:Before the intervention,44% of Somali children who needed shots did not get them at their well child visit.Afterwards,34% of the Somali children did not get their needed shots.Of non-Somali children,16.8% did not get needed shots before the intervention,and 12.7% did not get needed shots after the intervention(P=0.07).The MMR was the most frequent vaccine omitted.After the intervention,29 parents signed the vaccine refusal form.Conclusion:The“talking points”and vaccine refusal form were associated with improve-ments in immunization rates in this challenging patient population that were not statistically signifi-cant.Refusal form use was not well documented,so its true value requires further study.展开更多
文摘The study was conducted in the Awbarre district of the Fafen zone of the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to assess the breeding practices and reproductive performance of Black-head Somali sheep under a traditional management system. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select targeted kebeles and households, respectively. A total of 120 households were selected from four kebeles, each of 30 households, based on the production system and sheep population. Semi-structured questionnaires, group discussions, key informants interviews and field observations were used to generate the required data. The primary purpose of keeping sheep was for income generation, followed by saving as a future asset. The majority (89.2%) of the respondents separated male and female animals during herding. The selection criteria for breeding rams were appearance, growth, pedigree, and color while for breeding ewes were appearance, adaptability, pedigree, color, and lamb growth. The overall weaning age of Black-head Somali sheep in the study area was 3.7 months for both males & females. The castration of male sheep was common for the purpose of fattening, fattening with breeding control and breeding control as well. The castration is mainly performed during the summer and autumn and the methods of castration were both traditional and modern methods, the traditional castration method being the most important one in pastoral areas. The age of sexual maturity was 7.64 months for rams and 8.97 months for ewe’s male and female lambs in the pastoral area and 8.42 & 8.38 for rams & ewes in agro-pastoral and overall lambing interval was 11 months. On average, the ewe of Black-head Somali sheep in pastoral & agro-pastoral could produce 9.49 & 9.57 lambs, respectively in their lifetime. As the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists indicated the source of the breeding ram was their own, so the exchange of breeding ram is recommended to minimize the risk of inbreeding and further studies of on-farm performance investigation would be necessary to be carried out so as to understand the uniqueness of the breed better.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant Nos. 2009CB421406 and 2010CB950304)the Special Fund for the Public Welfare Industry (Meteorology+1 种基金Grant Nos. GYHY201006022 and GYHY200906018)the strategic technological program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA05090405)
文摘The temporal variations during 1948-2010 and vertical structures of the summer Somali and Australia cross-equatorial flows (CEFs) and the implications for the Asian summer monsoon were explored in this study. The strongest southerly and northerly CEFs exist at 925 hPa and 150 hPa level, respectively. The low-level Somali (LLS) CEFs were significantly connected with the rainfall in most regions of India (especially the monsoon regions), except in a small area in southwest India. In comparison to the climatology, the low- level Australia (LLA) CEFs exhibited stronger variations at interannual time scale and are more closely connected to the East Asian summer monsoon circulation than to the LLS CEFs. The East Asian summer monsoon circulation anomalies related to stronger LLA CEFs were associ- ated with less water vapor content and less rainfall in the region between the middle Yellow River and Yangtze River and with more water vapor and more rainfall in southern China. The sea-surface tempera- ture anomalies east of Australia related to summer LLA CEFs emerge in spring and persist into summer, with implications for the seasonal prediction of summer rainfall in East Asia. The connection between the LLA CEFs and East Asian summer monsoon rainfall may be partly due to its linkage with E1 Nino-Southern Oscillation. In addition, both the LLA and LLS CEFs .exhibited interdecadal shifts in the late 1970s and the late 1990s, consistent with the phase shifts of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).
基金jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41175051 and 41490642)the National Basic Research and Development (973) Program of China (Grant No. 2012CB957804)+1 种基金the Postgraduate Science and Technology Innovation Project of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. CXZZ13 0517)the financial support of the China Scholarship Council (CSC)
文摘The teleconnection impact of the boreal winter Antarctic Oscillation(AAO) on the Somali Jet(SMJ) intensity in the following spring and summer is examined in this paper.The variability of the boreal winter AAO is positively related to the SMJ intensity in both spring and summer.The analyses show that the SST in southern high and middle latitudes seems to serve as a bridge linking these two systems.When the AAO is in strong positive phase,SST over the Southern Ocean cools in the high latitudes and warms in the middle latitudes,which persists into summer;however,the variability of SST in southern high and middle latitudes is also closely correlated to SMJ intensity.A possible mechanism that links SST variability with the AAO-SMJ relationship is also discussed.The AAO in boreal winter produces an SST anomaly pattern in southern high and middle latitudes through the air-sea coupling.This AAOrelated SST anomaly pattern modulates the local Ferrel cell anomaly in summer,followed by the regional Hadley cell anomaly in tropics.The anomalous vertical motion in tropics then changes the land-sea thermal contrast between the tropical Indian Ocean and the Asian continent through the variability of low cloud cover and downward surface longwave radiation flux.Finally,the land-sea thermal contrast anomaly between the tropical Indian Ocean and the Asian continent changes the SMJ intensity.The results from Community Atmosphere Model experiments forced by the SST anomaly in southern high and middle latitudes also confirm this diagnostic physical process to some extent.
文摘Maternal and child nutrition is critical for child health and survival. Appropriate feeding practices are of fundamental importance for health, nutrition, survival and development of infants and children. In pastoral areas of Ethiopia, barriers related to cultu</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">re</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, knowledge, social norms, beliefs, behaviors, decision making in the household and burden of other responsibilities contribute to nutritional status of women and children to deteriorate. Policies and strategies are recommending assessment of barriers for designing programs and interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition practices. This study is aimed to assess barriers of optimal maternal and child feeding practices in Pastoralist areas of Somali region, Eastern Ethiopia</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. </span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">A q</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ualitative community based research method was used involving 17 focus group discussions and 20 in-depth interviews with mothers, grandmothers, health professionals and religious leaders from three districts. Data from FGDs and interviews were transcribed and coded. The agreed upon codes were synthe</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">sized and grouped into exhaustive categories. The categories were then merged</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> into themes representing the most common barriers on maternal and child feeding practice that emerged from the FGDs and interviews</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></i><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We found that traditional beliefs, myths, culture custodian influence, low accessibility and availability of nutritional foods, pattern and burden of other responsibilities, poor knowledge and health seeking behavior, perceived milk insufficiency as main barriers for optimal maternal and child feeding practices</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">.</span></i><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Barriers on optimal maternal and child feeding are very common in the study areas. More work needs to be done to strengthen community-based nutrition with </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">strong social behavioral change communication with emphasis on age-specific</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> counselling on maternal and child nutrition at health facilities, during antenatal and early postnatal visits in the study areas through different media channels, particularly, Somali Region TV and FMs to promote optimal nutrition in the region.
文摘The objective of this article was to investigate existing challenges of crop production on farmers in Afgoye District lower Shabelle Somalia. The Focus was farmer’s attitude toward existing or not constraints to their crop production and what the experts have seen and what are far from their perception. Sixty famers and academic experts were distributed questionnaires and interview about the constraints of crop production other than agricultural disciplines. This paper used survey descriptive research which facilitates easily connection between past constrains and challenges of crop production. Questionnaire was comprised in the following two parts;Part one;demographic variables and Part two;objective related questions. The study found both major and minor constraints are exists in the Somali farmers. The major constraints include unstable weather, water scarcity, pests damaging crops, and poor transportation, and minor constraints such as inability to access and use such as seed and fertilizers, lack of capital to buy, inadequate investment in irrigation which makes farmers very vulnerable to drought, and there is less knowledge and skill of all farmers. The finding with highest percentage that was challenged in Afgoye farmer was “there is fear of gunner and thieves in the farmers” and 75% of respondents strongly agreed and second question with highest score is “there is fear of conflict between rebels and government”, and 61.7% of them selected strongly agreed.
文摘The study was conducted to assess management practices and constraints of Black head Somali sheep in Awbarre district of Fafen zone, Somali regional state, Ethiopia. A total of 120 households were purposively selected for this study using purposive sampling technique. The data were collected through the questionnaire, key informants interview, focus group discussions & field observations. The primary purpose of keeping sheep was for income generation followed by saving, meat production, milk, social and cultural functions. The main feeds for sheep during wet season were communal & private natural pastures. In dry season, communal natural pasture, crop residues & private natural pasture were used. The major source of water during wet season was dam/pond, whereas in the dry season spring & pipe water were used. The majority of the respondents (85.8%) used houses enclosed with thorn woody trees and houses enclosed with stone/brick fence were also reported. Majority of the respondents used controlled mating system and sheep are bred to lamb when forage is plentiful because they are less drought tolerant than goats and to avoid unwanted lambing in dry season. Majority (90%) of respondents own their breeding ram and those who have no breeding males used their neighbors’ rams and borrow from others. The breeding rams were born in the flock implying that animals within the flock are very closely related which leads to inbreeding. The most important health problems affecting sheep were circling disease, sheep pox, tick lameness (tick paralysis), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), bloating, and Foot & mouth disease (FMD). The major constraints hindering sheep production in the study area were shortage of veterinary service, feed shortage, scarcity of water, predators, diseases, and marketing. Therefore, to improve and increase the productivity of sheep production in the study area, better management practices and establishing of veterinary service centers are necessary.
文摘Despite the dramatic increase in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) globally, no research has been conducted in Somalia regarding ASD. However, research studies from Somali immigrants (diaspora) living in Sweden, the US, the UK, etc., have been major contributors to the subject of ASD among people of Somali descent. In this review, we aimed to examine ASD among the Somali diaspora community in terms of its prevalence, possible causes, knowledge of the diseases among the diaspora community, and the challenges faced in raising ASD-affected children in a foreign country. These findings create a general picture of the magnitude of the burden of ASD diagnosis and management and the coping mechanisms adopted by the Somali diaspora community, which are vital lessons for policymakers, child health non-governmental organizations, and the professional medical bodies aiming to tackle ASD back home in Somalia. The study found that ASD is three to five times more prevalent among children of Somali descent than their peers from other backgrounds and that Somali children were generally diagnosed much later than their peers and often presented with lower intellectual abilities than their peers. Furthermore, Somali immigrants were found to have low levels of knowledge about autism, faced stigma and discrimination and often resorted to religion and a small tight circle of friends and family for social support. They faced a huge challenge of seeking access to healthcare and schools for their autistic children and have a mistrust of social services for fear of the government taking away their children. These findings raise the possibility that neglected ASD cases may be prevalent in Somalia and thus makes recommendations for future research, social policy development, and early intervention services for individuals with autism in Somalia.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41175051 and 41101045)Plans to Graduate Research and Innovation Projects of Jiangsu Province Colleges and Universities (CXZZ13_0517)
文摘One of the major high-latitude circulation systems in the Southern Hemisphere is the Southern Annular Mode(SAM). Its effect on the Somali Jet(SMJ), which connects the Southern and Northern hemispheres, cannot be ignored. The present reported results show that time series of both the Southern Annular Mode Index(SAMI) during the preceding winter and the summertime Somali Jet intensity Index(SMJI) display a significant increasing trend and have similar interdecadal variation. The latter was rather strong around 1960, then became weaker up to the mid-1980 s, before starting to strengthen again. The lead-lag correlations of monthly mean SAMI with the following summertime SMJI showed significant positive correlations in November, December, and January. There are thus connections across two seasons between the SAM and the SMJ. The influence of the winter SAM on the summer SMJ was explored via analyses of SST anomalies in the Southern Indian Ocean. During strong(weak) SAM/SMJ years, the SST east of Madagascar is colder(warmer) while the SST west of Australia is warmer(colder), corresponding to the positive(negative) Southern Indian Ocean Dipole-like(SIODL) event. Subsequently, the SIODL excites an anticyclone located over the Arabian Sea in summer through air-sea coupling from winter to summer, which causes an increase in the summer SMJ intensity. The anticyclone/high branch of the SAM over the Southern Hemisphere subtropics and the cyclone/low over the east coast of Madagascar play an important role in the formation of Southern Indian Ocean "bridge" from winter to summer.
基金National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,2012CB957804)Natural Science Foundation of China(41175051)
文摘Based on the ERA reanalysis winds data, the multi-time scale variations of Somali jet are analyzed synthetically. The jet's influences on rainfall in China on interannual, interdecadal and sub-monthly scales are also studied using correlation and composite analyses. The results demonstrate that the interdecadal variations of the jet are significant.The Somali jet became weaker in the 1960 s and became the weakest in the early 1970 s before enhancing slowly in the late 1970 s. Moreover, the relation between the Somali jet and summer precipitation in China is close, but varies on different timescales. Preliminary analysis shows that the intensity variations in May and June during the early days of establishment are well correlated with summer precipitation in China. The Somali jet intensity on the interdecadal scale is closely related with interdecadal variations of the precipitation in China. Regardless of leading or contemporaneous correlation, the correlations between the Somali jet intensity and the rainfall in northern and southern China show obvious interdecadal variations. Moreover, the link between the anomalies of the jet intensity in May-August and precipitation evolution on synoptic scale in China is further studied. China has more rainfall with positive anomalies of the Somali jet but less rainfall with negative anomalies during the active period of the jet. The influence of positive Somali jet anomalies on China precipitation is more evident.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41175051 and 41375069)National Basic Research and Development(973)Program of China(2012CB957804)+1 种基金Postgraduate Science and Technology Innovation Project of Jiangsu Province(CXZZ13-0517)the China Scholarship Council(CSC)
文摘This observational study demonstrates that the Somali jet(SMJ) experienced a notable interdecadal transition in not only its lower-level parts(〈 850 hP a) but also its higher-level parts(850-600 h Pa) in the late 1990 s. The results also show that the jet at higher level is more significantly related to East Asian monsoon rainfall than that at lower level. Thus, a new whole-layer SMJ(WSMJ) index which includes variations of the higher-level jet is defined based on the average meridional wind speed at five levels(1000-600 h Pa). The interdecadal transition of the SMJ can be mainly attributed to the meridional thermal contrast anomalies near the equator which are associated with the three-pole pattern of the southern Indian Ocean.
基金Supported by the Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) under Grant No.2009CB421406the Research Fund for excellent Ph.D dissertations in Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.40523001.
文摘Somali Jet changes will influence the variability of Asian monsoon and climate. How would Somali Jet changes respond to the global warming in the future climate? To address this question, we first evaluate the ability of IPCC-AR4 climate models and perform the 20th century climate in coupled models (20C3M) experiments to reproduce the observational features of the low level Somali Jet in JJA (June-July-August) for the period 1976 1999. Then, we project and discuss the changes of Somali Jet under the climate change of Scenario A2 (SRESA2) for the period 2005 2099. The results show that 18 IPCC-AR4 models have performed better in describing the climatological features of Somali Jet in the present climate simulations. Analysis of Somali Jet intensity changes from the multi-model ensemble results for the period 2005-2099 shows a weakened Somali Jet in the early 21st century (2010-2040), the strongest Somali Jet in the middle 21st century (2050 2060), as well as the weakest Somali Jet at the end of the 21st century (2070-2090). Compared with the period 1976-1999, the intensity of Somali Jet is weakening in general, and it becomes the weakest at the end of the 21st century. The results also suggest that the relationship between the intensity of Somali Jet in JJA and the increment of global mean surface air temperature is nonlinear, which is reflected differently among the models, suggesting the uncertainty of the IPCC-AR4 models. Considering the important role of Somali Jet in the Indian monsoon and East Asian monsoon and climate of China, the variability of Somali Jet and its evolvement under the present climate or future climate changes need to be further clarified.
文摘Objective:The purpose of this study is to improve vaccination rates at a clinic with a large Somali population,and many vaccine hesitant parents.The study evaluated the effectiveness of some new materials for vaccine hesitant parents.Methods:Educational sessions were given to providers and staff to give“talking points”and to introduce a vaccine refusal form.Chart reviews were done for notes from 50 random well child visits per month of children less than six years old for 7 months before and after the intervention.Results:Before the intervention,44% of Somali children who needed shots did not get them at their well child visit.Afterwards,34% of the Somali children did not get their needed shots.Of non-Somali children,16.8% did not get needed shots before the intervention,and 12.7% did not get needed shots after the intervention(P=0.07).The MMR was the most frequent vaccine omitted.After the intervention,29 parents signed the vaccine refusal form.Conclusion:The“talking points”and vaccine refusal form were associated with improve-ments in immunization rates in this challenging patient population that were not statistically signifi-cant.Refusal form use was not well documented,so its true value requires further study.