Yes / This briefing paper compares two approaches to community-based planning in Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda. Analysing these interventions through an audit of sustainable livelihood `principles¿ (as a proxy for best practice) reveals general lessons about both the practical opportunities and challenges for employing sustainable livelihoods approaches to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development interventions and also about the changing format of development interventions. / Department for International Development

Yes / This paper is one in a series of working papers prepared under a research project on Goodbye to Projects? The Institutional Impacts of a Livelihood Approach on Projects and Project Cycle Management. This is a collaborative project between the Bradford Centre for International Centre for Development (BCID) with the Economic and Policy Research Centre (EPRC), Uganda; Khanya ¿ managing rural change, South Africa; and, the Institute for Development Management (IDM), Tanzania. The project is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under their Economic and Social Research Programme (ESCOR). / Department for International Development

Bakgrund: Palliativ vård är en avgörande del av vården för personer med allvarliga sjukdomar och deras närstående. Närstående har en betydande roll för en person i behov av palliativ vård. I detta känsliga sammanhang blir närstående en nyckelkomponent och deras behov av stöd och vägledning behöver bli tydligare. Ett bristande stöd till närstående kan leda till ohälsa och negativa konsekvenser. Insikten om detta kan vägleda framtagande av mer effektiva och användarvänliga digitala interventioner, för att bättre stödja närstående till en person med palliativa vårdbehov. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva erfarenheter av digitala stödjande interventioner i ett palliativ skede ur ett närståendeperspektiv. Metod: Detta är en integrativ litteraturstudie med induktiv ansats, baserad på vetenskapliga artiklar. Analys utfördes enligt Whittemore och Knaflas (2005). Litteraturöversikten baserade på vetenskapliga artiklar. Sökningar efter relevanta studier utfördes i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL. Resultat: Resultatet baseras på sexton artiklar som beskrev digitala stödjande interventioner för närstående till en person med palliativa vårdbehov. I resultatet framkom två huvudteman som beskriver möjligheter och hinder vid användning av digitala interventioner. Efter ytterligare granskning av artiklarna framkom sedan fem subteman som beskriver tillgänglighet, psykosocialt stöd, utbildningsmöjligheter, symptomhantering och förbättrad kommunikation. Slutsats: Litteraturöversikten fokuserar på digitala stödjande interventioner för närstående med palliativ vårdbehov och visar på goda möjligheter. Närståendes erfarenheter indikerar på ökad kommunikation, tillgänglighet, psykosocialt stöd, utbildningsmöjligheter och symptomhantering. / Background: Palliative care is a crucial part of care for people with serious illnesses and their relatives. These relatives have a role for a person in need of palliative care. In this sensitive context, relatives become a key component and their need for support and guidance needs to be made more clear. Digital interventions are a supportive resource for loved ones to meet their unique care needs. Aim: The purpose of this literature study was to describe experiences of digital supportive interventions in a palliative stage from a close perspective. Method: This is an integrative literature study with an inductive approach, based on scientific articles. Analysis was performed according to Whittemore and Knafl (2005). The literature review is based on scientific articles. Searches for relevant studies were performed in the databases PubMed and CINAHL. Results: The result is based on 16 articles that described digital support interventions for relatives of a person with palliative care needs. In the result, two main categories of opportunities when using digital interventions and obstacles when using digital interventions could be distinguished and after further review of the articles, five subcategories of accessibility, psychosocial support, educational opportunities, symptom management, communication and improved communication. Conclusion: The literature compilation focuses on digital supportive interventions from a close perspective to a person with palliative care needs and it shows good possibilities. Based on relatives' experiences of digital supportive interventions, increased communication between healthcare professionals and relatives can promote well-being and increase opportunities for improved communication, symptom relief, various educational opportunities, psychosocial support and accessibility.

Bakgrund: Inom palliativ vård är en av de fyra hörnstenarna närståendestöd. Detta sker under vårdtiden men också i efterlevandestödet till närstående i deras sorgeprocess. Hur efterlevandestödet ska utformas varierar utifrån verksamheten och det råder ingen konsensus hur det stödet ska utformas. Utan en tydlig vetenskaplig förankring finns det risk att stödet baseras godtyckligt och att vissa behov inte tillgodoses. Genom ökad kunskap om olika interventioners effekter kan ett evidensbaserat efterlevandestöd utformas. Syfte: Att utforska olika interventioner för efterlevandestöd och dess effekt i närståendes sorgeprocess. Metod: Litteraturöversikt som är baserad på vetenskapliga artiklar publicerade mellan år 2010 och 2021. Analysen är gjord med induktiv ansats av 13 artiklar med Stroebe och Schuts pendlingsteori som teoretiskt ramverk. Resultat: Resultatet presenterar olika interventioner, från olika vårdkontexter, som närstående erhållit vid olika tidpunkter efter ett dödsfall. Interventioner från valda artiklar presenteras utifrån tre teman: Interventioner genom en symbolisk handling, interventioner som skedde individuellt samt interventioner som skedde i grupp. Slutsats: En interventions påverkan på sorgeprocessen är individuell och kan påverkas av flera faktorer. Oberoende av vilken intervention som genomfördes, var ett återkommande resultat i studierna att närstående upplevde sig sedda, bekräftade och normaliserade i sina känslor vilket skapade en positiv effekt på sorgeprocessen. Att stödet kändes standardiserat snarare än personligt var en viktig aspekt som ledde till att den positiva effekten kunde utebli eller i vissa fall ge en negativ effekt för närstående. Interventionerna är gjorda vid olika tidpunkter vilket försvårar att göra slutsatser om optimal tidpunkt. Det är dock av stor vikt att det finns rutiner i verksamheter för efterlevandestöd för att identifiera de närstående som har behov av utökade stödinsatser. / Background: In palliative care one of the four cornerstones is support for the family. This includes during the care period and also by providing bereavement care in their grieving process. How the bereavement care is provided differs between different care providers and there is a lack of consensus in the content. Without a clear scientific connection there is a risk that the support is planned from the care provider's personal experiences and some needs are not met. With an increased knowledge of different interventions and their effect can an evidence-based bereavement care be formed. Aim: To explore different interventions for bereavement support and their effect on the families grieving-process. Method: Literature review which is based on scientific journals published between the years 2010 and 2021. The analysis is made by an inductive approach on 13 journals with Stroebes and Schuts theory of dual process of bereavement as a theoretical framework. Results: The results present different interventions, from different care contexts, that relatives received at different times after a death. The various interventions were presented based on three themes: interventions through a symbolic act, interventions that took place individually and group interventions. Conclusion: The impact of an intervention on the grieving process is individual and can be influenced by several factors. Independently on which intervention was given, there was a recurring trend in the outcome of the studies that relatives experienced they were feeling seen, confirmed and normalized in their emotions which had a positive effect on their grieving process. The experience of the support felt standardized rather than personal was an important aspect which could lead to the positive effect could be absent orin some cases have a negative effect. The interventions are made at different times, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the optimal time. However, it is of great importance that there are routines inactivities for bereavement support in order to identify the relatives who have extended needs of support.

Bakgrund: Inom palliativ vård är en av de fyra hörnstenarna närståendestöd. Detta sker under vårdtiden men också i efterlevandestödet till närstående i deras sorgeprocess. Hur efterlevandestödet ska utformas varierar utifrån verksamheten och det råder ingen konsensus hur det stödet ska utformas. Utan en tydlig vetenskaplig förankring finns det risk att stödet baseras godtyckligt och att vissa behov inte tillgodoses. Genom ökad kunskap om olika interventioners effekter kan ett evidensbaserat efterlevandestödutformas. Syfte: Att utforska olika interventioner för efterlevandestöd och dess effekt i närstående sorgeprocess Metod: Litteraturöversikt som är baserad på vetenskapliga artiklar publicerade mellan år 2010 och 2021. Analysen är gjord med induktiv ansats av 13 artiklar med Stroebe och Schuts pendlingsteori som teoretiskt ramverk. Resultat: Resultatet presenterar olika interventioner, från olika vårdkontexter, som närstående erhållit vid olika tidpunkter efter ett dödsfall. Interventioner från valda artiklar presenteras utifrån tre teman: Interventioner genom en symbolisk handling, interventioner som skedde individuellt samt interventioner som skedde i grupp. Slutsats: En interventions påverkan på sorgeprocessen är individuell och kan påverkas av flera faktorer. Oberoende av vilken intervention som genomfördes, var ett återkommande resultat i studierna att närstående upplevde sig sedda, bekräftade och normaliserade i sina känslor vilket skapade en positiv effekt på sorgeprocessen. Att stödet kändes standardiserat snarare än personligt var en viktig aspekt som ledde till att den positiva effekten kunde utebli eller i vissa fall ge en negativ effekt för närstående. Interventionerna är gjorda vid olika tidpunkter vilket försvårar att göra slutsatser om optimal tidpunkt. Det är dock av stor vikt att det finns rutiner i verksamheter för efterlevandestöd för att identifiera de närstående som har behov av utökade stödinsatser. / Background: In palliative care one of the four cornerstones is support for the family. This includes during the care period and also by providing bereavement care in their grieving process. How the bereavement care is provided differs between different care providers and there is a lack of consensus in the content. Without a clear scientific connection there is a risk that the support is planned from the care provider's personal experiences and some needs are not met. With an increased knowledge of different interventions and their effect can an evidence-based bereavement care be formed Aim: To explore different interventions for bereavement support and their effecton the families grieving-process. Method: Literature review which is based on scientific journals published between the years 2010 and 2021. The analysis is made by an inductive approach on 13 journals with Stroebes and Schuts theory of dual process of bereavement as a theoretical framework Results: The results present different interventions, from different care contexts, that relatives received at different times after a death. The various interventions were presented based on three themes: interventions through a symbolic act, interventions that took place individually and group interventions. Conclusion: The impact of an intervention on the grieving process is individual and can be influenced by several factors. Independently on which intervention was given, there was a recurring trend in the outcome of the studies that relatives experienced they were feeling seen, confirmed and normalized in their emotions which had a positive effect on their grieving process. The experience of the support felt standardized rather than personal was an important aspect which could lead to the positive effect could be absent orin some cases have a negative effect. The interventions are made at different times, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the optimal time. However, it is of great importance that there are routines inactivities for bereavement support in order to identify the relatives who have extended needs of support.

<p dir="ltr">I investigate how we can make the content of international instruments on human rights, such as covenants and treaties, frequently applicable in all contexts. Further, I argue that the problem of widespread implementation of human rights norms is two-fold insofar as it concerns (i) recognition of their content, which is often difficult due to cultural or political disputes, and/or (ii) the enforcement of related policies through administrative institutions. After laying out the scope of the project, I propose to use the causal and explanatory properties of social contract theory to elaborate on the relationship between informal (cultural) and formal (legal) norms of human rights. Indeed, I maintain an interpretation of this theory that combines its justificatory powers, like traditional contractarians, and its explanatory role, like contemporary contractarians have done, and I suggest that there is a third, namely, the causal role. From that conceptual framework, I show a successful case of implementation of human rights norms in Colombia, which was one of the countries participants of the Latin American wave of constitutionalism in the 1980s and 1990s. This intense period of constitutional changes in the region allowed for an openness towards international human rights norms in dialogue with national experiences and customs. The relevance of this case study is that it will help me identify lessons and strategies potentially applicable on a global scale. Indeed, I show how a reconsideration of the national political pact contained in political constitutions may be a successful strategy to strengthen the incorporation of human rights norms into the legal domestic sphere. The last part of the dissertation project surveys one possible external solution for the problem of implementation: military humanitarian interventions. I conclude that military interventions do not fit within the model of social contract theory and the justification of its employment in difficult cases may proceed only with certain conditions extracted from the contract.</p>

As school divisions across the country toil with closing achievement gaps and work towards finding a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of all learners, many have turned to the implementation of multi-tiered response to intervention (RTI) models. While RTI initially surfaced as an alternative to the IQ discrepancy model used to identify students with specific learning disabilities, it is now being used by school divisions as a systemic framework for responding to the needs of all students. The difficulty, however, for many school divisions as they move forward with the implementation of such a model is the conceptualization of what RTI should look like, especially at the middle school level. The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the perceptions of faculty and staff (teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and social workers), and administrators at two middle schools in the same school division regarding the fidelity of implementation of key RTI components in their schools. The study utilized school administrator interviews and teacher focus group interviews to make comparisons and draw conclusions about similar challenges and successes. The researcher used a combination of descriptive and inferential procedures to determine the perceptions of fidelity of RTI implementation in two middle schools within a school division in southeastern Virginia. The two overarching research questions for the study were: How does the integrity tool survey completed by faculty and staff reflect the concerns and successes perceived when interviewing faculty and staff? What, if any, similarities and differences were identified in the implementation of RTI between two middle schools in a school division in southeastern Virginia? In addition to the interviews, an integrity survey was utilized as a method to identify levels of fidelity to the key features of the RTI program. Implementation profiles were developed for each participating school, and comparisons were made through the surveys and interviews to determine if strategies, barriers and infidelity features could be identified as a means to direct overall school feedback, growth and facilitate RTI implementation at the middle school level. The findings from the study indicated that both middle schools are implementing the various components of an RTI framework, although at relatively low levels of implementation fidelity. Because of the complexity of such a system and lack of empirical evidence regarding systems change for RTI implementation, schools are still struggling with attaining higher levels of fidelity of implementation with all RTI components. / Ed. D.

Historical hydroelectric stations are part of an aging industrial heritage that is still extremely relevant today through its form of generating energy. Many stations built in the 20th c. are categorized as architectural heritage, therefore protected against demolition or radical change, thus also a radical expansion that would allow to modernize the station and allow for bigger energy output. Viskafors power station in Borås (Sweden) built in 1917 for the former local textile factory,  is a small-scale power station that is marked as architectural heritage, currently owned by Vattenfall.  The town of Viskafors is one of many factory towns along the river and as the industry went bankrupt in the 1970-ties it has become a suburb to the city of Borås. The only public buildings in Viskafors are schools. The town once defined by the industry is now left with an inaccessible waterfront and plenty of unused and unattainable space.The former factory grounds and the restricted area around the hydroelectric station, railway and regional road block the waterfront.The latest station renovation happened in 2013, leaving the second floor and the lift tower empty. Forming another void in the total space that Viskafors has to offer.Can this void be used as leverage to explore the potential of formerly unattainable space within the station and in connection to the waterfront? Keeping this in mind, this thesis aims to find meaningful ways to inhabit and repurpose formerly unattainable space as it is today; to find methods of organizing complex landscapes; initiate a discussion of new thinking of potential hybrid scenarios for the complexities of our future settlements.Can the future be a link to the past and vice versa?The project space stretches from the street level approaching the building to the rooftop, extends into the empty space of the station's second floor, and continues over the other side of the river. The existing second-floor space dimensions are  33 m x 11m x 5.5 m forming a box space. In theory, a box space this size holds infinite potential as long as it remains empty and has no walls, this project aims to explore the method of placing programmed pavilions/interventions as a space-organizing method of work and extending the approach to the rest of the project site area.The aim is to keep the hydroelectric station running while inhabiting the empty space surrounding it, and learning how to live with it.

<p dir="ltr">Accumulating evidence suggests a potential role for almond consumption in ameliorating post-prandial glycemia. Yet their effect on HbA1c, an indicator of long-term glycemic control, is mixed. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of sustained almond consumption to reduce HbA1c concentrations among individuals with elevated HbA1c concentrations. A 16-week randomized, parallel-arm, controlled trial was conducted. Eighty-one adults with elevated HbA1c concentrations (>5.7%) were randomly assigned to incorporate two servings (2 oz) of raw almonds (A group; N=39) or energy-matched snacks (pretzels C group; N=42) into their daily diets. Half of these intervention foods were to be ingested at breakfast and the other half as a replacement for either a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. Throughout the intervention period, measurements were made of body weight, body composition, plasma lipids, HbA1c, alpha and gamma-tocopherol, glycemia (by meal tolerance test) and continuous glucose monitoring, dietary intake, and hedonic responses to test foods at stipulated time points. Participants consuming almonds ingested 253 kcal/d more than participants in the control group (p=0.02), but this did not result in a significant difference in body weight (A: 0.2kg SEM ±0.5, C: 0.4kg SEM ±0.5); p>0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in HbA1c concentrations (A: 0.1% SEM ±0.1, C: 0% SEM ±0.1; p>0·05), blood chemistries, body composition, or glycemia over time or between groups. However, Healthy Eating Index scores improved within the almond group as compared to the control group (A: 8.3 points SEM ±1.9, C: -2.3 points SEM ±2.1; p<0.001). Additionally, the hedonic rating of almonds did not decline within the almond group in comparison to the control group's reduced liking of the pretzel snack. Alpha-tocopherol increased significantly, and gamma-tocopherol tended to decrease in the almond group, indicating compliance with the dietary intervention. Overall, daily ingestion of 2 oz of raw almonds in a regular diet for 16 weeks did not alter short-term or longer-term glycemia or HbA1c concentrations in adults with elevated HbA1c concentrations, but they were well-tolerated and improved diet quality without promoting weight gain.</p>

BACKGROUND: Malaria in pregnant women continues to be a public health problem in India. The prevalence of malaria in pregnancy is particularly high in the tribal conflict areas of India such as Chhattisgarh. Pregnant women have less acquired immunity protecting them against malaria than non-pregnant women of child bearing age. The decreased immunity results in a much more severe presentation of malaria symptoms, and potential death of both mother and fetus during malaria in pregnancy. Recognizing the need for effective malaria interventions in pregnant women, global and national malaria prevention and treatment guidelines have been established. Practice of these guidelines has been found to be inadequate in the Asian Pacific Region. LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS: Qualitative studies on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of malaria interventions have demonstrated that meeting communities at their level of understanding is essential in circumventing malaria spread. In an effort to create a synergy between health care workers, national and global malaria control strategies and pregnant women, there is the need to identify pregnant women’s knowledge, attitudes and practices of malaria interventions. Currently, there is no data on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women in the conflict districts of Chhattisgarh, India, where malaria prevalence and related symptoms have been identified to be significantly high. PROPOSED PROJECT: This study seeks to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of malaria prevention and treatment in pregnant women in the conflict areas of Chhattisgarh, India, using a cross-sectional qualitative research design. This study will highlight the understanding of malaria transmission, perceptions of cause, recognition of signs and symptoms, treatment-seeking behaviors, preventive measures and practices of pregnant women who visit the antenatal clinic and those who do not. CONCLUSION: If this study demonstrates knowledge and attitudes that favor customary or unproven methods of malaria interventions as shown in previous studies, then this may explain the present rate of MIP in these districts and hence the need for specific mediations for controlling and preventing malaria in this populace. SIGNIFICANCE: Findings from this study will help inform malaria education programs, health policies and practices that are tailored or targeted towards pregnant women in Chhattisgarh, India.