Huntington disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that involves preferential atrophy in the striatal complex and related subcortical nuclei. In this paper, which is based on a dataset extracted from the PREDICT-HD study, we use statistical shape analysis with deformation markers obtained through Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping of cortical surfaces to highlight specific atrophy patterns in the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus, at different prodromal stages of the disease. Based on the relation to cortico-basal-ganglia circuitry, we propose that statistical shape analysis, along with other structural and functional imaging studies, may help expand our understanding of the brain circuitry affected and other aspects of the neurobiology of HD, and also guide the most effective strategies for intervention.

Understanding, monitoring and mitigating drought is a very difficult task as a consequence of the intrinsic nature of the phenomenon. In addition, assessing the impact of drought on ecosystems and societies is also a complex task, because the same drought severity may have different consequences in different regions and systems due to the underlying vulnerabilities. New technologies based on geospatial information are available to determine the risk and vulnerability of a system to a drought and to develop monitoring and early warning systems based on real-time information to support decision making. To improve drought preparedness and mitigation, geospatial datasets based on climate information, Earth Observation Systems and statistical and dynamical modelling methodologies can make a noticeably difference in mitigating drought impacts in Africa. In this article we illustrate how the development of drought information systems based on geospatial technology, that combines static and real-time information, could improve the possibilities of drought mitigation in Africa. We stress that it is necessary to go beyond past attempts to manage drought risk based on a reactive crisis-response approach, by promoting drought mitigation and preparedness at the national and regional levels. For this purpose the development of drought information tools is fundamental for the implementation of drought management plans and to support real-time decision-making

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Many water sustainability and governance issues around the world can be viewed as wicked problems, whereby a solution, even if quite broad and comprehensive, may be contested because of high complexity, uncertainty, and diverging perspectives. These types of issues and their contestation thus create a complex landscape of possible solutions, which we term a water governance "solutionscape." We develop the concept of the solutionscape to identify different types of solutions that present themselves through the emphases placed upon four major dimensions: science, policy, practice, and participation. After first considering these four dimensions via a literature review, we then conceptualize the solutionscape's expressions comprising six different solution pathways. These are comprehensive solutions, where all four dimensions are equally supported and integrated; clumsy solutions, where multiple solutions are pursued separately without coordination (risking contradictions); two types of expedient solutions (high and low-cost), which involve attempts to pursue outcomes rapidly; solutionism, which refers to the over-emphasis of one dimension in an attempt to provide a quick-fix (leading to unintended consequences); and finally anti-solutions, whereby one or more dimensions are actively disputed or disregarded by policy makers. An example from South Africa is used to illustrate the framework's key components. We then discuss the allure of solutionism in solving wicked water problems, and how alternatives might be envisaged with the consideration of often-hidden institutional processes and power. Finally, we consider the value of the solutionscape as an integrative heuristic tool to discuss wicked water problems, recognizing issues such as plural perspectives and power asymmetries between stakeholders.

South Africa's National Water Act and National Water Resource Strategy set out an ambitious vision for Integrated Water Resources Management including a strong focus on the redistribution of water resources towards the poor and on empowering historically disadvantaged communities. To achieve this vision the Department of Water Affairs & Forestry (DWAF) has been pursuing a programme for devolving powers to 19 stakeholder-led catchment management agencies (CMAs) and more locally, transforming irrigation boards into more inclusive water user associations (WUAs), as well as creating new associations.Co-operative governance is a core principle of this programme. As well as being enshrined in South Africa's constitution, this principle is seen as key to enabling CMAs to implement their core functions, which include co-ordinating the activities of water users and water management institutions within their water management area. For WUAs also, the principle of co-operative governance is key to building engagement between White commercial farmers and emerging Black farmers, as well as (in some cases) engaging with a wider set of stakeholder interests including local government and environmental interests.Despite a commitment to the principle of co-operative governance, individual and institutional capacity for facilitating co-operative development processes is in relatively short supply within the South African water sector. This paper describes work-in-progress to build capacity in this area, working with: • DWAF's national Institutional Governance team • The Inkomati CMA (ICMA), the first of South Africa's new catchment management agencies • Two irrigation boards and a number of other stakeholders in the Mvoti catchment -with a view to the development of an appropriate institutional arrangement (WUA or otherwise) for the co-operative governance of this catchment. This paper focuses on the development of an interactive approach to capacity building in each of these three sites, drawing from a broad portfolio of approaches variously described as social learning, social appraisal, or whole system development.In the Inkomati we have worked primarily with the whole system approach known as Future Search, whereas in the Mvoti we have used the U-process and social appraisal as guiding metaphors and design principles.This paper describes some of our achievements, challenges and reflections to date, and argues that the interactive approaches we have been taking are better suited to the implementation of DWAF's institutional reform processes than the more established, top-down approaches, which involve issuing guidance, supported by training programmes. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for scaling up these types of approaches across the South African water system as a whole, and for the practice of integrated water resource management.