Altgeld-Riverdale Consortium: Evaluation Findings

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) received a 9-month grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to support the further development of the Altgeld-Riverdale Consortium (ARC) in its efforts to improve safety in CHA's Altgeld Gardens and the surrounding Riverdale neighborhood in Chicago between January and September 2013.The Social IMPACT Research Center (IMPACT) at Heartland Alliance evaluated the group's efforts towards meeting the goals and objectives stated in the grant proposal

50 Years Later: Report on Illinois Poverty

America holds a long-cherished reputation as a land of opportunity. Yet 50 years ago, more than one in five Americans lived in poverty. To combat this soaring inequality, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a War on Poverty in his 1964 State of the Union address. The War on Poverty was part and parcel of Johnson's Great Society, a set of programs and policies designed to tackle social problems of the day. Fifty years later, how much progress has been made?Half a century after our country committed to an "unconditional war on poverty," it's high time to recalibrate the war to fit 2014 realities. To that end, this report provides an unprecedented snapshot of the last 50 years and uses data on the modern face of poverty in Illinois to inform the retooling of existing solutions and spur new innovations to help end poverty

Mineralogy of supports and selected pigments in mediaeval churches of Slovenia

FEDER MAT2002-0254

Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Phyllite Samples Based on Chemical (XRF) and Mineralogical Data by XRD

It is presented the results obtained of a multivariate statistical analysis concerning the chemical and phase composition, as a characterization purpose, carried out with 52 rock phyllite samples selected from the provinces of Almería and Granada (SE Spain). Chemical analysis was performed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Crystalline phase analysis was performed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and the mineralogical composition was then deduced. Quantification of weight loss (100° and 1000°C) was carried out by thermal analysis. The aims of this investigation were to analyze and compare the chemical and mineralogical composition of all these samples and to find similarities and differences between them to allow a classification. Several correlations between results of the characterization techniques have been also investigated. All the data have been processed using the multivariate statistical analysis method. The XRF macroelements (10) and microelements (39) data generate one macrogroup with two new subgroups (1 and 2), and an isolated sample. In subgroup 1 of macroelements, a positive correlation was found between XRF results and geographic location characterized by lower MgO content, which is associated to its geological origins. When multivariate statistical analysis is applied to results obtained by XRD, two groups appear: the first one with a sample with zero percentage of iron oxide and the second one with the rest of the samples, which is classified in two groups. A correlation is observed between the alkaline content (XRF) and illite (XRD), CaO and MgO with dolomite and indirectly between the weight loss after heating at 1000°C and the contents of phase minerals that lose structural water (illite + chlorite) or carbon dioxide (dolomite). The present investigation has interest and implications for geochemistry and analytical chemistry concerning earth rocks and silicate raw material

Servicios ambientales, agua y economía

Los servicios ambientales (SA) asociados a los ecosistemas naturales están seriamente amenazados por acciones locales y por el calentamiento global. El SA asociado al agua y su efecto sobre calidad y cantidad en cuencas hidrográficas aportantes a acueductos y sistemas de riego, son de gran importancia económica y social. Para Bogotá-Colombia el SA de los páramos y bosque nublado en la cuenca de Chingaza representa US$18,2 millones anuales. Para el abastecimiento de agua a la ciudad de Quito-Ecuador, el efecto negativo del cambio climático (CC) asociado a la contracción de los glaciares representa un incremento en la inversión de un 31$18.2 million per year. For water supply in the city of Quito-Ecuador, the negative effect of climate change (CC) related to the contraction of glaciers represents a 31% increase in investments versus the scenario without CC. Measures must be taken to ensure the permanence of ES and mitigate the effects of CC

Propuesta de actualización del manual de organización y funciones –MOF- y diseño del manual de procesos -MAPRO- de la Facultad de Arte y Diseño de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú – PUCP: 2017

El autor no autoriza la publicación de la tesis

Socio-ecological and economic aspects of tropical tuna fisheries in the Mozambique Channel

Industrial and small-scale tuna fisheries in Mozambique may compete over the same resources, which has potential socio-ecological impacts. The two types of fisheries were investigated by characterizing their catch trends, types of interactions, number of people they employ and revenues. Commercial landings, logbook data, and all previously established tuna Fishing Partner Agreements in the country were analysed as well as data collected from interviews with small-scale fishers. A declining trend in catches was observed in the industrial fisheries sector, which was also perceived by small-scale fishers, and suggests that there is some competition between these two sectors for the same tuna stocks even when these stocks are targeted in separate grounds. Whereas the small-scale tuna fisheries sector provides thousands of local direct and indirect jobs and high economic benefits for fishing communities the industrial fisheries sector may only be economically advantageous to Mozambique if Fishing Partner Agreements are improved and enforced. Although maintaining non-overlapping fishing grounds between industrial and small-scale fisheries may be positive for the fishers it could also be a cause of major stress for the tuna, as they would be exploited relentlessly.Preprint1,29

Differential regulation of dendritic cells migration after L. major and L. amazonensis infection

Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where it is mainly manifested within mammals. This zoonotic disease is caused by an infection with a protozoan parasite called Leishmania, which resides within the mammal\u27s macrophages and/or dendritic cells.;In this study we worked with 2 different species of Leishmania responsible for the cutaneous form of the disease, Leishmania major and Leishmania amazonensis. Generally, when C3H mice are infected with L. major, the mice display cutaneous self-healing lesions. The resolution of these lesions is characterized by a strong Th1 response. However, when C3H mice are infected with L. amazonensis, lesions do not heal due to an inability of the mice to mount an effective Th1 response.;This study was aimed to determine the effects of L. major and L. amazonensis on dendritic cells migration in vitro. Bone marrow derived-dendritic cells were infected with both the promastigotes and the amastigotes forms of L. major and L. amazonensis to detect differences between species or morphological forms. These studies indicate that bone marrow derived-dendritic cells infected with L. amazonensis amastigote after 24 hour display an impaired migration towards MIP-3beta and produce much lower levels of IL-12p40, an important Th1 cytokine, than cells infected with L. major amastigotes. These two major events may very well play an important role on susceptibility to L. amazonensis infection

Economic evaluation of supplementing the diet with 1 Souvenaid in patients with prodromal Alzheimer's disease

Background: The LipiDiDiet trial showed that Souvenaid, a medical food, might delay progression to dementia in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The objective of this study was to assess the cost-utility of Souvenaid compared to placebo in patients with prodromal AD under the conditions applied in that trial. Methods: A discrete event simulation model was developed based on the LipiDiDiet trial and a literature review to assess the cost-utility of Souvenaid from a societal perspective considering direct and indirect costs. For both intervention and control groups, patient trajectories in terms of functional decline on the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) scale in LipiDiDiet were reproduced statistically with mixed models by assigning time until events to simulated patients. From the societal perspective, four scenarios were analysed by combining different options for treatment duration and diagnostic test cost. Univariate sensitivity analysis assessed parameter uncertainties. Results: Validation results at year 2 of disease progression fit with CDR-SB progression in LipiDiDiet. The incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) in the baseline case was €22,743/quality-adjusted life year (QALY). All scenarios rendered an ICUR lower than €25,000/QALY (the societal threshold). Moreover, the treatment option was costsaving and increased health benefits when diagnostic costs were not considered and treatment was only administered during the prodromal stage. Conclusions: Treating prodromal AD with Souvenaid is a cost-effective intervention in all scenarios analysed. The LipiDiDiet trial showed a modest improvement in disease course but as the social costs of AD are very high, the intervention was efficient. Assessing small benefits at specific stages of AD is relevant because it is reasonable to expect that no effective, safe and affordable disease-modifying therapies will become available in the short to medium term