The Partnership Paperchase: Structuring Partnership Agreements in Water and Sanitation in Low-income Communities

Tripartite partnerships between water utilities, local government and civil society are often seen as a good way to deliver services to informal urban communities and slums. However, while these 'partnerships' can be seen as benign relationships, they often fail because the incentives and interests of the partners are not well aligned. In this report, the authors argue that the development of robust documentation (in forms which consitute a 'contractual' agreement) can enhance the performance of such partnerships. Aspects of the partnership which should be included in such documentation include roles and responsibilities, financing, objectives and indicators of success and dispute-resolution mechanisms. The report provides practical guidance and examples of good practice to guide the reader through a process of developing such documentation

The Partnership Paperchase: Structuring Partnership Agreements in Water and Sanitation in Low-income Communities

Tripartite partnerships between water utilities, local government and civil society are often seen as a good way to deliver services to informal urban communities and slums. However, while these 'partnerships' can be seen as benign relationships, they often fail because the incentives and interests of the partners are not well aligned. In this report, the authors argue that the development of robust documentation (in forms which consitute a 'contractual' agreement) can enhance the performance of such partnerships. Aspects of the partnership which should be included in such documentation include roles and responsibilities, financing, objectives and indicators of success and dispute-resolution mechanisms. The report provides practical guidance and examples of good practice to guide the reader through a process of developing such documentation

CO(J=6-5) Observations of the Quasar SDSS1044-0125 at z = 5.8

We present a result of the quasar CO(J=6-5) observations of SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2 at z = 5.8. Ten-days observations with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array yielded an rms noise level of ~ 2.1 mJy/beam in a frequency range from 101.28 GHz to 101.99 GHz at a velocity resolution of 120 km/s. No significant clear emission line was detected in the observed field and frequency range. Three sigma upper limit on the CO(J=6-5) luminosity of the object is 2.8 x 10^10 K km/s pc^2, corresponding to a molecular gas mass of 1.2 x 10^11 Solar Mass, if a conversion factor of 4.5 Solar Mass /(K km/s pc^2) is adopted. The obtained upper limit on CO luminosity is slightly smaller than those observed in quasars at z=4-5 toward which CO emissions are detected.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX2e, to appear in Publication of Astronomical Society of Japan (PASJ), Postscript file available at ftp://ftp.kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp/pub/iwata/preprint/sdss1044/sdss.ps.g

Are these students lost to nursing?

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Moderation for professional learning

Sarah Earle, with Kendra McMahon, outlines how Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) can support different ways of moderating

Macrophage-sensory neuronal interaction in HIV-1 gp120-induced neurotoxicity

Acknowledgements We thank Dr Jim Perkins of University College London for his help with the statistical analysis of our gene array data. We thank Prof. Maria Papathanasopoulos from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the gift of gp120Bal.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Composite Reflective/Absorptive IR-Blocking Filters Embedded in Metamaterial Antireflection Coated Silicon

Infrared (IR) blocking filters are crucial for controlling the radiative loading on cryogenic systems and for optimizing the sensitivity of bolometric detectors in the far-IR. We present a new IR filter approach based on a combination of patterned frequency selective structures on silicon and a thin (50 $\mu \textrm{m}$ thick) absorptive composite based on powdered reststrahlen absorbing materials. For a 300 K blackbody, this combination reflects $\sim$50\% of the incoming light and blocks \textgreater 99.8\% of the total power with negligible thermal gradients and excellent low frequency transmission. This allows for a reduction in the IR thermal loading to negligible levels in a single cold filter. These composite filters are fabricated on silicon substrates which provide excellent thermal transport laterally through the filter and ensure that the entire area of the absorptive filter stays near the bath temperature. A metamaterial antireflection coating cut into these substrates reduces in-band reflections to below 1\%, and the in-band absorption of the powder mix is below 1\% for signal bands below 750 GHz. This type of filter can be directly incorporated into silicon refractive optical elements

Thyroxine treatment in patients with symptoms of hypothyroidism but thyroid function tests within the reference range: randomised double blind placebo controlled crossover trial

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether thyroxine treatment is effective in patients with symptoms of hypothyroidism but with thyroid function tests within the reference range, and to investigate the effect of thyroxine treatment on psychological and physical wellbeing in healthy participants. DESIGN: Randomised double blind placebo controlled crossover trial. SETTING: Outpatient clinic in a general hospital. Participants: 25 patients with symptoms of hypothyroidism who had thyroid function tests within the reference range, and 19 controls. Methods: Participants were given thyroxine 100 microgram or placebo to take once a day for 12 weeks. Washout period was six weeks. They were then given the other to take once a day for 12 weeks. All participants were assessed physiologically and psychologically at baseline and on completion of each phase. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thyroid function tests, measures of cognitive function and of psychological and physical wellbeing. RESULTS: 22 patients and 19 healthy controls completed the study. At baseline, patients' scores on 9 out of 15 psychological measures were impaired when compared with controls. Patients showed a significantly greater response to placebo than controls in 3 out of 15 psychological measures. Healthy participants had significantly lower scores for vitality when taking thyroxine compared to placebo (mean (SD) 60 (17) v 73 (16), P<0.01). However, patients' scores from psychological tests when taking thyroxine were no different from those when taking placebo except for a poorer performance on one visual reproduction test when taking thyroxine. Serum concentrations of free thyroxine increased and those of thyroid stimulating hormone decreased in patients and controls while they were taking thyroxine, confirming compliance with treatment. Although serum concentrations of free triiodothyronine increased in patients and controls taking thyroxine, the difference between the response to placebo and to thyroxine was significant only in the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Thyroxine was no more effective than placebo in improving cognitive function and psychological wellbeing in patients with symptoms of hypothyroidism but thyroid function tests within the reference range. Thyroxine did not improve cognitive function and psychological wellbeing in healthy participants