Situating the Next Generation of Impact Measurement and Evaluation for Impact Investing

In taking stock of the landscape, this paper promotes a convergence of methods, building from both the impact investment and evaluation fields.The commitment of impact investors to strengthen the process of generating evidence for their social returns alongside the evidence for financial returns is a veritable game changer. But social change is a complex business and good intentions do not necessarily translate into verifiable impact.As the public sector, bilaterals, and multilaterals increasingly partner with impact investors in achieving collective impact goals, the need for strong evidence about impact becomes even more compelling. The time has come to develop new mindsets and approaches that can be widely shared and employed in ways that will advance the frontier for impact measurement and evaluation of impact investing. Each of the menu options presented in this paper can contribute to building evidence about impact. The next generation of measurement will be stronger if the full range of options comes into play and the more evaluative approaches become commonplace as means for developing evidence and testing assumptions about the processes of change from a stakeholder perspective– with a view toward context and systems.Creating and sharing evidence about impact is a key lever for contributing to greater impact, demonstrating additionality, and for building confidence among potential investors, partners and observers in this emergent industry on its path to maturation. Further, the range of measurement options offers opportunities to choose appropriate approaches that will allow data to contribute to impact management– to improve on the business model of ventures and to improve services and systems that improve conditions for people and households living in poverty.

Le Mile-End comme synthèse d’une montréalité en devenir

La métropole montréalaise présente une dynamique sociale spécifique ne correspondant pas aux modèles occidentaux connus. Maelström culturel postmoderne, les références identitaires y sont multiples. Le quartier Mile-End, situé au coeur de l’île, synthétise et symbolise mieux que tout autre ce caractère pluriel et hybride. Ici, il faut comprendre le terme hybridité, à la suite de Sherry Simon, comme une marque positive et non au sens péjoratif qu’il a pu avoir autrefois. Le présent article propose donc une réflexion sur ce quartier ainsi que sur le sens et la portée de la notion d’hybridité culturelle, et ce à partir de nos observations du quotidien. Nous proposerons de concevoir cette particularité du Mile-End comme la synthèse d’une montréalité en devenir.Montreal’s interethnic dynamic does not correspond to any known occidental model. In the city’s postmodern cultural maelstrom, plural identity referents are the norm. Located in the heart of the city, the Mile-End neighbourhood synthetizes and symbolizes better than any other the city’s plural and hybrid social reality. In this article, the concept of hybridity as defined by Sherry Simon is presented as a hybrid marker, even though it as been considered pejorative in the past. Based on observations of everyday life, I propose a reflexion on the meaning and scope of the concept of cultural hybridity in the Mile-End neighbourhood. I see this aspect of Mile-End as the crystallization of an emerging « montréalité »

Dynamics and stability of radiation-driven double ablation front structures.

The dynamics of double ablation front (DAF) structures is studied for planar targets with moderate atomic number ablators. These structures are obtained in hydrodynamic simulations for various materials and laser intensities and are qualitatively characterized during the acceleration stage of the target. The importance of the radiative transport for the DAF dynamics is then demonstrated. Simulated hydrodynamic profiles are compared with a theoretical model, showing the consistency of the model and the relevant parameters for the dynamics description. The stability of DAF structures with respect to two-dimensional perturbations is studied using two different approaches: one considers the assumptions of the theoretical model and the other one a more complete physics. The numerical simulations performed with both approaches demonstrate good agreement of dispersion curve

Control de un sistema de 3 ejes cartesianos con SIMOTION

El presente trabajo de fin de grado tiene como objetivo el control de velocidad y posicionamiento de una estructura de tres ejes cartesianos con el sistema de control de movimiento SIMOTION ofertada por la marca Siemens. Para llevar a cabo dicho control, será necesario conocer las características y el funcionamiento de todos los equipos que formarán el sistema, ya sean reales o virtuales. Posteriormente, se procederá a diseñar el código necesario combinando dos lenguajes diferentes (MCC y ST) con el objetivo de probar y ejecutar la aplicación deseada, tanto en simulación como en la máquina. Finalmente, se construirá la estructura donde se llevará a la realidad la aplicación propuesta.The objective of the present final degree project is to establish a control of speed and positioning of a structure with three Cartesian axes with the SIMOTION motion control system offered by the Siemens brand. To carry out this job, it will be essential to know the characteristics and the operation of the equipment the system is compound with, whether they are real or virtual. Subsequently, we will proceed to design the necessary code combining two different languages (MCC and ST) in order to load and execute the desired application, either in simulation or in the machine. Finally, the structure in which the proposed application will be taken to reality, will be built.Hemen aurkitzen dugun gradu amaierako lan honetan, Siemens markak eskeinitako SIMOTION mugimendu kontrol sisteman oinarritzen den hiru ardatz kartesiarren posizio eta abiaduraren kontrola proposatzen da. Horretarako, beharrezkoa izango da sistema osatzen duten ekipoen ezaugarriak eta hauen funtzionamendua guztiz ulertzea, nahiz eta hauek errealak zein birtualak izan. Ondoren, makinan zein simulazioan konprobatu eta exekutatzeko helburuarekin, kodigoa bi lengoaia ezberdin konbinatuz (MCC eta ST) idatziko da. Bukatzeko, desiratutako aplikazioa burutuko den prototipoa eraikiko da

Tackling the metals and mining industry crisis : Anglo American’s successful restructuring plan

This paper studies the metals and mining industry during the last commodity super-cycle, which triggered by explosive growth of emerging economies helps understand the empire building behavior engaged in by leading mining companies and the financially distressed industry at the end of the cycle in early 2016. The study documents the costly asset acquisition plans and the excessive leverage levels pursued by various firms, hence finding additional evidence of managerial overconfidence and excessive corporate investment theories during boom cycles. With further aim of understanding successful company restructuring processes, we present the case of Anglo-American, a diversified metals and mining company that faced the wrath of plunging commodity prices on top of an enormous debt pile and major operational inefficiencies. The analysis of the company’s trajectory during the boom cycle and the radical restructuring plan implemented to enhance long-term prosperity serves as a proxy for future commodity super-cycles and helps flag certain actions taken by managers at times of favorable economic conditions.Esta tese estuda a indústria mineira durante o último super-ciclo das commodities o que, desencadeado por um enorme crescimento das economias emergentes, ajuda a perceber o comportamento de empire building adoptado por empresas que lideram a indústria, bem como as dificuldades financeiras sofridas no fim do ciclo, no início de 2016. Este estudo documenta o dispendioso plano de aquisição de ativos e os excessivos níveis de endividamento adoptados pelas empresas e, por esta razão, vai de encontro às teoria de excesso de confiança por parte dos gestores da empresa e de excesso de investimento empresarial. Com o objetivo adicional de perceber processos de restruturação bem sucedidos, apresentamos o caso da Anglo-American, uma empresa diversificada da indústria mineira que sofreu o impacto da descida do preço das commodities, num momento em que estava sobre-alavancada e com elevadas ineficiências operacionais. A análise da trajetória da empresa durante o ciclo de expansão, aliado ao seu plano de restruturação radical implementado para melhorar a perspetiva de longo prazo, serve como um indicador para o futuro super-ciclo das commodities e ajuda a sinalizar ações levadas a cabo pelos gestores aquando de condições económicas favoráveis

Studies on AUF1-regulated deubiquitinase complexes: USP1/UAF1, USP12/UAF1 and USP46/UAF1

169 p.Deubiquitinases (DUBs) regulate a wide range of cellular processes and are potential targets for cancer therapy. Our knowledge on the biology of these enzymes is still limited. We focused on three human DUBs (USP1, USP12 and USP46) that share a common regulatory mechanism: they are activated by UAF1. We have explored several aspects of the function and regulation of these three DUBs to clarify standing controversies and to uncover novel details. Our results show that phosphorylation of USP1 at serine 313 is not necessary for UAF1 binding, neither for its catalytic activity. We also provide evidence that USP1 autocleavage occurs in cis. We map the UAF1-binding site of USP1, USP12 and USP46 to their ¿Fingers¿ subdomain, and contribute to identify critical residues for the interaction between these DUBs and UAF1. We show for the first time that cancer-related mutations in USP1 can alter its function and regulation. Regarding the potential role of the USP1/UAF1 complex as a target in cancer, we observed overexpression of USP1 and UAF1 in pancreatic tumors and derived cell lines, and our data suggest that the USP1 inhibitor ML323 can increase oxaliplatin sensitivity in a relatively resistant pancreatic cancer cell line. In this Thesis we also significanlty expand the repertoire or potential USP1 substrates. By applying a novel approach, termed bioUB, and label-free quantification (LFQ)-based proteomics, we have identified 10 proteins whose ubiquitination level increases when USP1 is silenced. Finally, regarding USP12 and USP46, our data suggest that these enzymes may differently bind to their common cofactor WDR20, and to at least another interactor (DMWD). This differential binding appears to be mediated by the presence/absence of a 4 amino acid motif (MEIL) at their N-terminus, and may contribute to explain the previously observed functional differences between these two highly similar enzymes