Evidence in practice: how structural and programmatic scaffolds enable knowledge transfer in international development

This inductive study of eight international development interventions across four countries analyzes the mechanisms that enable effective integration of evidence in practice, as an enduring challenge of learning and coordination across occupational and organizational boundaries. We identify how a set of critical, complementary structural and programmatic scaffolding practices, jointly provided a shared architecture for actors across organizations and communities of practice to collaborate and learn within the uncertainty and complexity inherent in the international development context. Scaffolding practices offered modular, temporary counter-balancing stabilizing and extending support that enabled the unusual and counter normative behaviors and mindsets required for continuous learning and adaptive coordination. Through 226 in-depth interviews with a range of international development experts, including practitioners engaged in eight matched interventions in India, Mexico, South Africa, and Ghana,we identified and analyzed the mechanisms that explain the varying degrees of effectiveness with which rigorous evidence was integrated in each case. Our findings have implications for interorganizational innovation and collaboration under conditions of complexity and uncertainty, as well as the dynamic interactions between individuals, their organizations, and their communities of practice when attempting to bring about systemic change.William and Flora Hewlett FoundationAccepted manuscrip

Effects of DDT on Steroid Metabolism and Energetics in Bobwhite Quail (Colinus Virginianus)

Female bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) fed low levels (5 ppm) of DDT in their diets showed increased enzyme induction in the liver and consequently a significant increase in steroid (progesterone) metabolism (a mean of 54% conversion of progesterone to its more polar metabolite in experimentals compared to a mean of 24.1% conversion in controls). The mean conversion of testosterone to its polar metabolite (25.1%) in experimental males was greater than in the controls (mean 18.1%) but was only significantly greater in certain males. There was a correlation (r = 0.7 P\u3c0.01) between percent body weight of testes and percent conversion of testosterone to its metabolites (the smaller the testes the greater the conversion). A correlation (r = 0.66 P\u3c0.02) was also found between circulating levels of DDE, DDT, and testes size (the higher the pesticide level the smaller the testes). Dietary levels of DDT (10,50,100,150 ppm) affected the energetics (oxygen consumption) of bobwhite quail. All DDT-treated birds had a higher metabolic rate than the controls at all ambient temperatures tested except 30 C. After acclimation to an ambient temperature of 5 C for 10-13 weeks, birds on 100-ppm DDT diets had a significantly (P\u3c0.01) higher metabolic rate than controls. After one week of exposure to -18 C there was a significant (P\u3c0.02) increase in thyroid weight in the birds on 100-ppm diets. Birds on 100-ppm diet exposed to extreme cold for 1 week died of DDT toxicity. Data on tissue residue levels, weight changes, I uptake by the thyroid, and adrenal changes are also presented. The ecological significance of the synergistic effect of DDT and cold stress on the bobwhite quail is discussed

Preserving the Essence, Adapting for Reach: Early Lessons from Large-Scale Implementations of the Graduation Approach, Four Case Studies and Synthesis Analysis

Among the development approaches aimed at reaching the extreme poor, one of the most promising has been the "Graduation Approach," originally developed by BRAC in Bangladesh. BRAC's theory of change was that with the right mix of interventions, offered in the right sequence, households could "graduate" from extreme poverty into sustainable livelihoods within a defined time period.This synthesis analysis provides an overview of these four programs' initial efforts in scaling up the Graduation Approach. It focuses primarily on lessons learned that may be valuable for other institutions and agencies implementing, or considering implementing, a large-scale Graduation program

D-branes, orbifolds, and Ext groups

In this note we extend previous work on massless Ramond spectra of open strings connecting D-branes wrapped on complex manifolds, to consider D-branes wrapped on smooth complex orbifolds. Using standard methods, we calculate the massless boundary Ramond sector spectra directly in BCFT, and find that the states in the spectrum are counted by Ext groups on quotient stacks (which provide a notion of homological algebra relevant for orbifolds). Subtleties that cropped up in our previous work also appear here. We also use the McKay correspondence to relate Ext groups on quotient stacks to Ext groups on (large radius) resolutions of the quotients. As stacks are not commonly used in the physics community, we include pedagogical discussions of some basic relevant properties of stacks.Comment: 51 pages, 3 figures; v2: material on Freed-Witten added; v3: more typos fixe

Educational development between faculty and administration

This essay employs Identity Theory to explore the professional identities of educational developers, arguing that it is important to pay attention to the different saliences, or weights, that developers attach to the faculty and administrative sides of their identities

US Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter 2017: Community Report

This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017.Comment: 102 pages + reference

Corrigendum: Inflammation and Tissue Remodeling in the Bladder and Urethra in Feline Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a debilitating chronic disease of unknown etiology. A naturally occurring disease termed feline interstitial cystitis (FIC) reproduces many features of IC/BPS patients. To gain insights into mechanisms underlying IC/BPS, we investigated pathological changes in the lamina propria (LP) of the bladder and proximal urethra in cats with FIC, using histological and molecular methods. Compared to control cat tissue, we found an increased number of de-granulated mast cells, accumulation of leukocytes, increased cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 expression in the bladder LP, and increased COX-2 expression in the urethra LP from cats with FIC. We also found increased suburothelial proliferation, evidenced by mucosal von Brunn’s nests, neovascularization and alterations in elastin content. Scanning electron microscopy revealed normal appearance of the superficial urethral epithelium, including the neuroendocrine cells (termed paraneurons), in FIC urethrae. Together, these histological findings suggest the presence of chronic inflammation of unknown origin leading to tissue remodeling. Since the mucosa functions as part of a “sensory network” and urothelial cells, nerves and other cells in the LP are influenced by the composition of the underlying tissues including the vasculature, the changes observed in the present study may alter the communication of sensory information between different cellular components. This type of mucosal signaling can also extend to the urethra, where recent evidence has revealed that the urethral epithelium is likely to be part of a signaling system involving paraneurons and sensory nerves. Taken together, our data suggest a more prominent role for chronic inflammation and tissue remodeling than previously thought, which may result in alterations in mucosal signaling within the urinary bladder and proximal urethra that may contribute to altered sensations and pain in cats and humans with this syndrome

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

New appraisal values of travel time saving and reliability in Great Britain

© 2017, The Author(s). This paper provides an overview of the study ‘Provision of market research for value of time savings and reliability’ undertaken by the Arup/ITS Leeds/Accent consortium for the UK Department for Transport (DfT). The paper summarises recommendations for revised national average values of in-vehicle travel time savings, reliability and time-related quality (e.g. crowding and congestion), which were developed using willingness-to-pay (WTP) methods, for a range of modes, and covering both business and non-work travel purposes. The paper examines variation in these values by characteristics of the traveller and trip, and offers insights into the uncertainties around the values, especially through the calculation of confidence intervals. With regards to non-work, our recommendations entail an increase of around 50% in values for commute, but a reduction of around 25% for other non-work—relative to previous DfT ‘WebTAG’ guidance. With regards to business, our recommendations are based on WTP, and thus represent a methodological shift away from the cost saving approach (CSA) traditionally used in WebTAG. These WTP-based business values show marked variation by distance; for trips of less than 20miles, values are around 75% lower than previous WebTAG values; for trips of around 100miles, WTP-based values are comparable to previous WebTAG; and for longer trips still, WTP-based values exceed those previously in WebTAG