Hygrothermal behaviour of a hemp concrete wall : influence of sorption isotherm modelling

International audienceConstructions built with environmentally friendly materials like hemp concrete know currently a real development. The development of numerical models able to evaluate their hygrothermal behaviour turns out to be a precious tool for their study. The model deals with coupled heat, mass and air transfer through multi-layer 1D porous media submitted to climatic variations. The model is used to simulate the behaviour of a hemp concrete wall. Comparison between simulation and experiment is done showing the importance of taking into account hysteresis for sorption isotherm modelling

Future outlook of a South African NPO: Formulating a fund-raising strategy and creating an impact report

Young Bafana Soccer Academy is a South African non-profit organisation (NPO) that focuses on the holistic development of children in one of the Western Cape’s poorest areas. Founded in 2010, they use the power of football and education to provide children between the age of five and eighteen with a diverse set of skills they need to realise their potential in life. In this way, the organisation aims at breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and providing all beneficiaries with a goal, a direction and a change in life. Young Bafana has been developing significantly since its establishment and currently finds itself entering its next phase of growth. In this project, we have been assigned to assist the organisation in the first steps of the above-mentioned subsequent stage on a diverse set of business areas. To be more specific, the first and most substantial part of our work concentrated on the creation of a strategic fundraising strategy. This was done with a view on enabling Young Bafana to seek funding opportunities beyond their personal network in the current competitive and challenging fundraising landscape. Subsequently, as a means to increase the accountability and transparency of the non-profit to a meaningful extent, we considered the topic of impact reporting and all its practical aspects. Further, since the organisation is looking to invest in their own facilities and home-ground, an additional component was centralized around the financing aspects of their lease-versus-buy decision of land. Lastly, with an eye on fulfilling our duty as external student-consultants, a perspective on various growth strategies and alternative business models for Young Bafana was developed. First, by applying various research tools and after careful evaluation of the current collection methods in place, an exhaustive fundraising strategy was formulated. A systematic and strategic approach was continuously maintained and attention was given to Young Bafana’s needs and resources. Based on our findings, a donor segmentation into five distinct categories has been made, being corporate sponsors, individual givers, football clubs, volunteers and Young Bafana’s unique social teams-department. Our research showed that certain segments, both on a geographical and categorical level, are significantly more relevant to focus on, such as corporate sponsors in the US, individuals in Germany and volunteers all over the world. Moreover, for each critical segment, we offered practical and ready-to-use recommendations that could allow Young Bafana to externalize their funding partners and grow its pool of donors beyond their saturated personal network. The second part of this project, concentrated on impact reporting, has likewise been carried out with a constant eye for practical relevancy and implementation. Therefore, we have not only elaborated on this subject by providing insights and recommendations, we additionally created the report itself, in line with existing best practices in the non-profit environment. Thirdly, our analysis showed that, from a purely theoretical and financial point of view, buying land with a loan would be optimal. Nevertheless, after taking into consideration several side-effects and the practical feasibility of this option, we have formulated our recommendation differently. Given the decrease in liquidity that would result from the increase in fixed costs (due to the capital-intensive loan instalments), Young Bafana’s flexibility and its ability to absorb risk would be seriously endangered. Therefore, with the purpose of enabling the organisation to primarily focus on the enlargement of its impact, our advice would be to buy the land with a loan only after a fixed amount of leasing years. As a prerequisite, the latter would need to be included as a special clause in the leasing contract. Hence, the moment the non-profit’s revenue streams become stable, its main priority should be turned into buying the land and accordingly benefit from the various advantages an acquisition would implicate such as an increase in equity, full control over the asset, etc. Finally, corresponding to the current growth phase in which we have been assigned to this project, a clear and delineated growth strategy has been formulated. This represents our own, external vision on the organisation of Young Bafana that resulted from being eagerly involved with the non-profit for a period of two months. On the one hand, we looked into scenarios that were in line with the current vision and resources of Young Bafana and classified these into 3 different time frames. More specifically, on the short-term, we would introduce an alternative team or league division for which we worked out an overview of the new names, number of players per team and the role/characteristics of each new league. In the medium term, in accordance with the holistic mission of the organisation, we suggest focusing on the creation of an end-to-end experience for each beneficiary. After the construction of their own facilities, Young Bafana could aim at becoming a social hub, a place for interaction and collaboration, a place where the community feels at home. In the long-term, we considered the option of geographical expansion with the introduction of a light-version of the organisation, such that the concept could easily be replicated in other areas. On the other hand, we have explored more out-of-the box growth perspectives which would require an adaptation of the current business model of the non-profit. This resulted in the discussion of either a hybrid dual business model or the introduction of a full asset-light operational format for Young Bafana. Overall, as a common denominator in all four facets of the project, it became apparent that there exists room and opportunity for growth of the organisation. However, it is worth pointing out that in order to be successful, a significant need for structuring, monitoring and evaluation of the different business decisions within the non-profit remains. By building further upon our strategic recommendations and critically assessing their own growth vision, Young Bafana has the ability to thrive, to excel and to stand out in changing lives

Hygrothermal transfers through a bio-based multilayered wall: Modeling study of different wall configurations subjected to various climates and indoor cyclic loads

International audienceThe hygrothermal behavior of a bio-based multilayered wall has been studied by numerical simulations. The key point of these research investigations was to properly describe the hygrothermal transfers occurring inside the studied wall solution. In previous work, the case of the wall subjected to a given real climate (Wroughton HIVE demonstrator, UK, Feb 2018) has been investigated. The present work, focused on the moisture regulation capacity of the wall, considers an improved kinetics model of sorption, different layer configurations, one additional climate (Bordeaux, FR, Apr 2008) and the effect of indoor cyclic loads. Compared to the classical approach, the local kinetics approach results in prediction of stronger and steeper hygric dynamics with larger relative humidity variations at small time scales. The study of the different wall configurations allows to determine the best one in terms of moisture damping: the vapor control membrane is advantageously removed provided the OSB3 12 mm layer is replaced by an OSB4 18 mm layer. Moreover, the simulations show that the Moisture Buffer Value characteristic of each material layer is not a sufficient criterion to evaluate hygric performance of the wall; strong hygric interactions occur with the layer's permeability independently of its sorption capacity. Finally, water content hysteresis phenomena are studied and it appears that under usual operating conditions, they can be ignored by adjusting the layers' permeabilities for adequate fits on the Moisture Buffer Value tests

Let’s Talk – Interoperability between University CRIS/IR and Researchfish : a case study from the UK

Research funders and research organisations both require feedback on the progress, productivity and quality of the research they support. This information originates with researchers, but may be captured in a variety of systems including University CRIS/IR and funder systems. In 2014 all 7 national Research Councils (collectively referred to as RCUK) implemented a harmonised approach to the collection of research output data, currently supported by Researchfish Ltd (referred to as the Researchfish® system). In 2016 this process is gathering feedback from over 60,000 researchers in all UK Universities, and for funders in the USA, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands, tracking more than £40billion of public and charity research investment and is adding to a dataset of more than 1.5 million outputs. Researchers, research managers and funders want to find ways to capture this data once and achieve wide re-use of the information. Working together University and Research Council officers, Researchfish Ltd. and Jisc have highlighted that it is important for the “interoperability” between research information systems to be improved. These organisations have started a programme of work to improve the bi-directional flow of information between University and funder systems

An improved whole life cycle culture protocol for the hydrozoan genetic model Clytia hemisphaerica

The jellyfish species Clytia hemisphaerica (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) has emerged as a new experimental model animal in the last decade. Favorable characteristics include a fully transparent body suitable for microscopy, daily gamete production and a relatively short life cycle. Furthermore, whole genome sequence assembly and efficient gene editing techniques using CRISPR/Cas9 have opened new possibilities for genetic studies. The quasi-immortal vegetatively-growing polyp colony stage provides a practical means to maintain mutant strains. In the context of developing Clytia as a genetic model, we report here an improved whole life cycle culture method including an aquarium tank system designed for culture of the tiny jellyfish form. We have compared different feeding regimes using Artemia larvae as food and demonstrate that the stage-dependent feeding control is the key for rapid and reliable medusa and polyp rearing. Metamorphosis of the planula larvae into a polyp colony can be induced efficiently using a new synthetic peptide. The optimized procedures detailed here make it practical to generate genetically modified Clytia strains and to maintain their whole life cycle in the laboratory

The Quality of Primary Care in a Country with Universal Health Care Coverage

BACKGROUND: Standard indicators of quality of care have been developed in the United States. Limited information exists about quality of care in countries with universal health care coverage. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of preventive care and care for cardiovascular risk factors in a country with universal health care coverage. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort of a random sample of 1,002 patients aged 50-80years followed for 2years from all Swiss university primary care settings. MAIN MEASURES: We used indicators derived from RAND's Quality Assessment Tools. Each indicator was scored by dividing the number of episodes when recommended care was delivered by the number of times patients were eligible for indicators. Aggregate scores were calculated by taking into account the number of eligible patients for each indicator. KEY RESULTS: Overall, patients (44% women) received 69% of recommended preventive care, but rates differed by indicators. Indicators assessing annual blood pressure and weight measurements (both 95%) were more likely to be met than indicators assessing smoking cessation counseling (72%), breast (40%) and colon cancer screening (35%; all p 75% for hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes. However, foot examination was performed only in 50% of patients with diabetes. Prevention indicators were more likely to be met in men (72.2% vs 65.3% in women, p < 0.001) and patients <65years (70.1% vs 68.0% in those ≥65years, p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Using standardized tools, these adults received 69% of recommended preventive care and 83% of care for cardiovascular risk factors in Switzerland, a country with universal coverage. Prevention indicator rates were lower for women and the elderly, and for cancer screening. Our study helps pave the way for targeted quality improvement initiatives and broader assessment of health care in Continental Europ

Vigilancia del desarrollo infantil: estudio de intervención con enfermeros de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia

Objetivo: avaliar a efetividade de uma ação educativa em vigilância do desenvolvimento infantil, de enfermeiros que atuam na atenção primária à saúde.Métodos: estudo de intervenção do tipo antes-depois, realizado com 45 enfermeiros e 450 mães de crianças menores de 2 anos. Inicialmente, avaliaram-se as práticas e conhecimentos dos enfermeiros quanto à vigilância do desenvolvimento infantil e entrevistaram-se as mães sobre estas práticas. Em seguida, realizaram-se oficinas com enfermeiros e após quatro meses reavaliaram-se os conhecimentos dos enfermeiros e as informações maternas.Resultados: após intervenção houve aumento significativo na frequência dos seguintes aspectos: de 73% para 100%, em relação à prática dos enfermeiros em perguntar a opinião das mães sobre o desenvolvimento dos filhos; de 42% para 91%, quanto à utilização de instrumento sistematizado para avaliação; de 91% para 100%, referente à orientação às mães sobre como estimular o desenvolvimento da criança.Conclusões: a intervenção contribuiu para o aumento dos conhecimentos dos enfermeiros e implementação da vigilância do desenvolvimento infantil, evidenciando a importância desta iniciativa para a melhoria da qualidade do cuidado em saúde da criança.Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational action in child development surveillance performed by nurses working in primary health care.Methods: interventional study with a before-and-after type of design, carried out with 45 nurses and 450 mothers of children under 2 years of age. Initially, it was evaluated the practices and knowledge of nurses on child development surveillance and the mothers were interviewed about these practices. Subsequently, workshops were carried out with nurses and four months later, the knowledge of nurses and the maternal information were reevaluated.Results: after intervention there was significant increase in the frequency of the following aspects: from 73% to 100%, in relation to the practice of nurses of asking the opinion of mothers about their children's development; from 42% to 91%, regarding the use of the systematized instrument of evaluation; from 91% to 100% with respect to guidance to mothers on how to stimulate child development.Conclusions: the intervention contributed to the increase of knowledge of nurses and implementation of child development surveillance, showing the importance of this initiative to improve the quality of child health care.Objetivo: evaluar la eficacia de una acción educativa en vigilancia del desarrollo infantil, de los enfermeros que trabajan en la atención primaria de salud.Métodos: estudio de intervención, con diseño tipo antes y después, llevado a cabo con 45 enfermeros y 450 madres de niños menores de 2 años. Inicialmente, se evaluó las prácticas y los conocimientos de los enfermeros sobre la vigilancia del desarrollo infantil y se entrevistó a las madres sobre estas prácticas. A continuación, talleres se llevaron a cabo con los enfermeros y después de cuatro meses, se reevaluaron los conocimientos de los enfermeros e la información materna.Resultados: después de la intervención se ha producido un aumento significativo en la frecuencia de los siguientes aspectos: del 73% al 100%, con respecto a la práctica de los enfermeros de preguntar la opinión de las madres sobre el desarrollo de sus hijos; del 42% al 91%, cuanto el uso de instrumento sistematizado para la evaluación; del 91% al 100%, con respecto a la orientación a las madres sobre cómo estimular el desarrollo del niño.Conclusiones: la intervención contribuyó para aumentar el conocimiento de los enfermeros y la implementación de la vigilancia del desarrollo infantil, destacando la importancia de esta iniciativa para mejorar la calidad de la atención a la salud infantil

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Women Scientists Who Made Nuclear Astrophysics

Female role models reduce the impact on women of stereotype threat, i.e., of being at risk of conforming to a negative stereotype about one's social, gender, or racial group [1,2]. This can lead women scientists to underperform or to leave their scientific career because of negative stereotypes such as, not being as talented or as interested in science as men. Sadly, history rarely provides role models for women scientists; instead, it often renders these women invisible [3]. In response to this situation, we present a selection of twelve outstanding women who helped to develop nuclear astrophysics