Differential Quality Assessment of Harm Reduction Service in Drop-in Centers and Shelters: from expectations to perceptions

Background and objective: Harm reduction centers are founded in Iran to reduce health, economic and social side effects of drug abuse. Nevertheless, the quality of services in these centers are of the main issues which facing the concerned organizations. The objective of this study was to assess the quality and the difference of providing services to reduce harms in drop-in centers and shelters of state welfare organization. Methods: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The study population is consisted of clients who were coming to harm reduction centers (drop-in centers and shelter). The sample size is 268 people.  The stratified random probability method was used for sampling. The data collection tools were adjusted questionnaire of measuring service quality (SERVQUAL) by Parasuraman et al. The data were analyzed by SPSS 22.0 software and paired t-test, Friedman and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: The findings showed that there is a significant difference between the clients’ expectations of overall quality of harm reduction services and their perception (p≤0.01). Beside that there is a significant difference between clients’ expectations of the quality of each one of the aspects of harm reduction services and their perception of their corresponding dimensions (p≤0.01). Dimensions of Tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, empathy and assurance and harm reduction centers of Nejatzendegi, Qoqnoos, Aramesh, Asak and Hedayet respectively had the lowest and highest mean ranking. Conclusion: The services which are given to clients of drop-in centers and shelters increase the possibility of reducing the social, economic, health consequences of drug abuse among them and in society. The clients of drop-in centers and shelters see the quality of harm reduction services as a supporting mechanism that need government support to increase the quality of programs and harm reduction services. Paper Type: Research Article

Accelerating the Renewable Energy Revolution to Get Back to the Holocene

Abstract The UN's Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming between 1.5 and 2°C is dangerously obsolete and needs to be replaced by a commitment to restore Earth's climate. We now know that continued use of fossil fuels associated with 1.5–2°C scenarios would result in hundreds of millions of pollution deaths and likely trigger multiple tipping elements in the Earth system. Unexpected advances in renewable power production and storage have radically expanded our climate response capacity. The cost of renewable technologies has plummeted at least 30‐year faster than projected, and renewables now dominate energy investment and growth. This renewable revolution creates an opportunity and responsibility to raise our climate ambitions. Rather than aiming for climate mitigation—making things less bad—we should commit to climate restoration—a rapid return to Holocene‐like climate conditions where we know humanity and life on Earth can thrive. Based on observed and projected energy system trends, we estimate that the global economy could reach zero emissions by 2040 and potentially return atmospheric CO2 to pre‐industrial levels by 2100–2150. However, this would require an intense and sustained rollout of renewable energy and negative emissions technologies on very large scales. We describe these clean electrification scenarios and outline technical and socioeconomic strategies that would increase the likelihood of restoring a Holocene‐like climate in the next 100 years. We invite researchers, policymakers, regulators, educators, and citizens in all countries to share and promote this positive message of climate restoration for human wellbeing and planetary stability

Ms. Apple is Missing!

Ms. Apple is Missing: The Case of the Chocolate Pudding Catastrophe! When your and the res of the students arrive to school, you find out that your teacher is missing! You, along with the rest of the students, need to try to figure out where Ms. Apple is. Make sure to make the right choices or your teacher will never be found!https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/snc_kids_books/1004/thumbnail.jp