What Influences the Diffusion of Grassroots Innovations for Sustainability? Investigating Community Currency Niches

Community action for sustainability is a promising site of socio-technical innovation. Here we test the applicability of co-evolutionary niche theories of innovation diffusion (Strategic Niche Management, SNM) to the context of ‘grassroots innovations’. We present new empirical findings from an international study of 12 community currency niches (such as LETS, time banks, local currencies). These are parallel systems of exchange, designed to operate alongside mainstream money, meeting additional sustainability needs. Our findings confirm SNM predictions that niche-level activity correlates with diffusion success, but we highlight additional or confounding factors, and how niche theories might be adapted to better fit civil-society innovations. In so doing, we develop a model of grassroots innovation niche diffusion which builds on existing work and tailors it to this specific context. The paper concludes with a series of theoretically-informed recommendations for practitioners and policymakers to support the development and potential of grassroots innovations

Digital interventions for screening and treating common mental disorders or common mental illness symptoms in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Digital interventions targeting common mental disorders (CMD) or CMD symptoms are fast-growing and gaining popularity, probably in response to the increased prevalence of CMD and better awareness of early help-seeking and self-care. However, no previous systematic reviews focusing on these novel interventions were found. Objectives: This systematic review aimed to scope entirely web-based interventions which provided screening and signposting for treatment, including self-management strategies, for people with CMD or sub-threshold symptoms. In addition, a meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions for mental wellbeing and mental health outcomes. Methods: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science, ASSIA, DARE, HTA, and NHS EED) were searched from 1st January 1999 to early April 2020. We included randomised controlled trials (RCT) which evaluated a digital intervention (1) targeting adults with common mental health disorder symptoms, (2) providing both screening and signposting to other resources including self-care, and (3) delivered entirely through the internet. Intervention characteristics including target population, platform used, key design features, and outcome measure results were extracted and compared. Trial outcome results were included in a meta-analysis on the effectiveness on users’ wellbeing and mental health outcomes. Health economic data were used to compile cost-effectiveness analysis. We also rated the meta-analysis results with GRADE to establish the quality of the evidence. Results: The electronic searches yielded 21 papers describing 16 discrete digital interventions. These interventions were investigated by 19 unique trials including one health economic study. Most studies were conducted in Australia and North America. Populations targeted varied from the general population to allied health professionals. All interventions offered algorithm-driven screening with measures to assess symptom levels and to assign treatment options including automatic online psychoeducation, self-care strategies, and signposting to existing services. Meta-analysis of usable trial data showed that digital interventions improve wellbeing (3 RCTs, n = 1307, SMD 0.40, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.51, I2 = 28%, fixed effect), mental illness symptoms (6 RCTs, n = 992, SMD -0.29, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.09, I2 = 51%, random effects) and work and social functioning (3 RCTs, n = 795, SMD -0.16, 95% CI -0.30 to -0.02, I2 = 0%, fixed effect) comparing to waitlist or attention-control. However, scarce follow-up data failed to show any sustained effects beyond the post-intervention timepoint. Data on mechanisms of change and cost-effectiveness was also lacking, precluding further analysis. Conclusions: Digital mental health interventions to assess and signpost people experiencing CMD symptoms appear to be acceptable to sufficient number of people and to have enough evidence for effectiveness to warrant further study. We recommend future studies incorporate economic analysis and process evaluation to assess mechanism of actions and cost-effectiveness so to aid scaling up implementation

Homeschooling and the criticism of school: hybridisms and educational (dis)continuities

Desde os anos 1960, o homeschooling apresenta dinâmicas de crescimento atualizadas nos diagnósticos da crise do capitalismo e dos sistemas educativos. Por ser praticado por famílias próximas do progressismo libertário, do cristianismo conservador ou de outras inspirações axiológicas, a abordagem investigativa presente neste texto pressupôs romper com uma visão unívoca e alheia à sua diversidade e aos diferentes graus de (in)formalidade dos quotidianos educativos de crianças e de jovens que caracterizam este fenómeno educativo. Procura-se captar as especificidades do ensino doméstico (ED) em Portugal e a sua crescente expressão social e educacional e reflete-se sobre os sentidos das aprendizagens que ele encerra. Conclui-se que o ED parece ser contrário aos horizontes formativos da criança segundo o interesse da sociedade, sendo omisso sobre o seu papel na emancipação dos sujeitos. Confrontam-se a escola e o seu modo de funcionamento a partir do racional do ED, à procura de novas epistemologias e de novas linhas de pesquisa.Since the 1960s, homeschooling has shown growth dynamics updated by the diagnosis of the crisis of capitalism and of educational systems. Because it is practiced by families close to libertarian progressivism, conservative Christianity, or other axiological inspirations, this paper’s approach sought to break with a univocal conception alien to its diversity and to the different degrees of (in)formality of the children’s and young people’s educational daily lives inherent to this educational practice. Therefore, this paper seeks to understand the specificities of Portuguese homeschooling and its increasing social and educational expression, and to reflect on the meanings of the learning it entails. Being unclear about its role on the emancipation of the subjects, homeschooling seems to be contrary to the educational horizons of the child according to the interests of the whole society. This paper confronts school and its way of functioning with the homeschooling rationale in order to search for new epistemologies and new lines of research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

United States Bureau of Mines Bulletin 201

From Introduction: "Part I of this paper discusses briefly some of the features of oil and gas accumulation and describes certain oil-field rocks and minerals. Part II deals with the kinds of tools that should be used and the information necessary for selecting proper tools. Part III discusses the accurate testing of strata for oil or gas and states principles based on conditions that have frequently existed in well drilling.

Wicked persuasion:a designerly approach

Persuasive computing has tended to be applied toward the promotion of minor behavior change in the direction of easily understood and uncontroversial goals. The approaches used for achieving success in these cases may not make sense, however, when designing for so called `wicked problems'. We argue that wicked problems can be effectively addressed through persuasive means, but that the development of systems for this purpose is better suited to a `designerly' (as opposed to engineering or experimental psychology) approach. We detail the development of our thought process in designing for our own chosen wicked problem as inspiration for future persuasive computing for various other wicked problems

Inventory of county records, Gaines County courthouse, Seminole, Texas

Inventory of records of Gaines County. Begins with an explanation of the roles of various county government offices. Describes the records of the County Clerk as Secretary for Commissioners Court, County Clerk as Recorder, County Clerk as Reporter for County Court, District Clerk, Tax Assessor-Collector, Justice of the Peace, Sheriff, County Judge, County Treasurer, and County Auditor. Also includes a list of records accessioned by the Texas State Library