The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

Living in an informal settlement with a visual impairment can be very challenging resulting in social exclusion. Mobile phones have been shown to be hugely beneficial to people with sight loss in formal and high-income settings. However, little is known about whether these results hold true for people with visual impairment (VIPs) in informal settlements. We present the findings of a case study of mobile technology use by VIPs in Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi. We used contextual interviews, ethnographic observations and a co-design workshop to explore how VIPs use mobile phones in their daily lives, and how this use influences the social infrastructure of VIPs. Our findings suggest that mobile technology supports and shapes the creation of social infrastructure. However, this is only made possible through the existing support networks of the VIPs, which are mediated through four types of interaction: direct, supported, dependent and restricted

La terapia insulinica sottocutanea continua (CSII) in Italia. Terza indagine nazionale

La diffusione della terapia insulinica sottocutanea continua con microinfusore (CSII) \ue8 in continuo aumento nel mondo, grazie anche al miglioramento della tecnologia degli strumenti. Scopo di questo lavoro \ue8 stato quello di valutare lo stato attuale della CSII in Italia. A tal fine ai responsabili di 272 strutture diabetologiche che seguono pazienti in terapia con microinfusore \ue8 stato inviato un questionario che indagava aspetti clinici, tecnici e organizzativi della terapia con microinfusore. Duecentodiciassette strutture (79,8%) hanno partecipato all\u2019indagine. Dai dati raccolti \ue8 emerso che a fine aprile 2013 in tali strutture vi erano 10.152 pazienti in terapia con microinfusore, quasi tutti (98,2%) affetti da diabete di tipo 1, prevalentemente adulti (82,4%) e di sesso femminile (57%). La diffusione della CSII risultava molto disomogenea tra le diverse Regioni e anche tra le diverse strutture diabetologiche di una stessa Regione: solo il 59% delle strutture seguiva pi\uf9 di 20 pazienti ciascuna. Motivo principale per iniziare la CSII era la ricerca del buon controllo glicemico. Il drop-out (8,65% dei casi), avveniva soprattutto per problemi legati alla portabilit\ue0 della pompa o al mancato raggiungimento del target glicemico. La maggior parte dei pazienti (61%) utilizzava un microinfusore tradizionale, il 39% un microinfusore integrato (32%) o associato (7%) a un dispositivo per il monitoraggio in continuo della glicemia. Le funzioni avanzate del microinfusore venivano mediamente utilizzate solo dal 68% dei pazienti e il sensore era utilizzato mediamente solo per 12 giorni al mese. L\u201981% delle strutture garantiva una reperibilit\ue0 24 ore su 24. Solo nel 40% delle strutture per adulti e nel 50% di quelle pediatriche i pazienti venivano seguiti da un team completo. In conclusione, la CSII si sta sempre pi\uf9 diffondendo in Italia, sia tra i pazienti adulti sia tra quelli pediatrici. \uc8 auspicabile una maggiore uniformit\ue0 tra le diverse Regioni e un uso pi\uf9 adeguato della tecnologia stessa

Does the type of silvicultural practice influence spruce budworm defoliation of seedlings?

Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem)) is the main defoliator in the boreal forest of North America, and its outbreaks have major ecological and economic consequences and represent a challenge for forest management. Numerous studies have addressed the effects of this defoliator on mature trees, whereas the effects of spruce budworm on regeneration remain elusive. Furthermore, intensive exploitation practices during the last decades have left a large area of the Canadian boreal forest in an early development stage. In this context, it becomes vital to understand those factors affecting the severity of spruce budworm-related defoliation on regeneration. Here, we determine the defoliation severity of black spruce and balsam fir seedlings in both mature pure black spruce and black spruce-balsam fir stands subjected to two different silvicultural treatments (clear-cutting and partial cutting). Defoliation intensity varied between stand types, silvicultural treatments, species, and height classes. Seedlings in black spruce-balsam fir stands experienced twice the defoliation of those in pure black spruce stands (black spruce seedlings 10% vs. 23%; balsam fir seedlings 29% vs. 47%, respectively). Harvesting methods also influenced seedling defoliation. Under clear-cutting, black spruce seedlings (24%) were three times as defoliated as black spruce seedlings in partial cutting stands (8%), whereas balsam fir seedlings in clear-cutting plots experienced twice the defoliation (42%) of balsam fir seedlings in partial cutting plots (20%). The level of defoliation also increased with seedling height. This study will help silvicultural strategies adapt to the effects of natural disturbance regimes. As the intensity and severity of defoliator outbreaks are expected to increase under climate change, these results will help guide forest management strategies to select harvesting methods that will limit the effects of defoliation on conifer regeneration

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS OF JOEL DAOU Refereed Journal Publications References

[3] Al-Malki, F and Daou, J. Triple-flame propagation against a Poiseuille flow in a channel with porous walls. Combustion Theory and Modelling (2013). [4] Pearce, P. and Daou, J. The effect of gravity and thermal expansion on the propagation of a triple flame in a horizontal channel. Combustion and Flame 160, 28002809 (2013). [5] Daou,J. Strainedpremixed flames: effect ofheat-loss, preferential diffusion, and the reversibility of the chemical reaction. Combustion Theory and Modelling 15:437-454 (2011). [6] Daou, J. and Al-Malki, F. Triple flame propagation in a parallel flow: an asymptotic study. Combustion Theory and Modelling 14:177-202 (2010). [7] Daou, J. Asymptotic analysis of flame propagation in weakly-strained mixing layers under a reversible chemical reaction. Combustion Theory and Modelling, 13:189-213 (2009). [8] Daou, J., Al-Malki, F. and Ronney, P. Generalized Flames Balls. Combustio