Social services delivery through community-based projects

The World Bank is financing an increasing number of community-based social services projects. The objective of this paper is to review and categorize the extent, scope and mechanisms of these projects in the current Bank portfolio, and to identify good practices and potential pitfalls. The authors identify 99 projects that finance at least $1.6 billion in social services. While most of the projects surveyed deliver"traditional"services such as nutrition, maternal and child care, and literacy, the scope of many projects has expanded to include newer services such as counseling, home-based care for the elderly and disabled, and early childhood development.Health Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform,Governance Indicators,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Municipal Financial Management

A social protection strategy for Togo

Social protection can be defined as interventions intended to assist individuals, households, and communities in managing risk in order to reduce vulnerability, smooth consumption, and improve equity. Social protection in Togo has been put to test by the political and economic developments of the last decade, which have seen living conditionsdecline sharply as a result of a deteriorating economy, government's inability to provide basic social services, and repeated political crises. The document proposes a) a definition of social protection meaningful to the Togolese, to be adopted by the Bank in its work in Togo; b) criteria to analyze and classify social protection mechanisms and a description of such mechanism; c) an assessment of the effectiveness of different social protection mechanisms, and a discussion of the relationship of social capital and gender; d) suggestions for a comprehensive social protection strategy to be considered by the Togolese government as well as for World Bank contribution. Togo is the first country in Africa with which the Bank develops a social protection strategy, this work will be a test of the conceptual framework for social protection in a low-income country and will contribute to the formulation of a Bank-wide social protection strategy.Poverty Assessment,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Social Risk Management,Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies

Application of optimal data-based binning method to spatial analysis of ecological datasets

Investigation of highly structured data sets to unveil statistical regularities is of major importance in complex system research. The first step is to choose the scale at which to observe the process, the most informative scale being the one that includes the important features while disregarding noisy details in the data. In the investigation of spatial patterns, the optimal scale defines the optimal bin size of the histogram in which to visualize the empirical density of the pattern. In this paper we investigate a method proposed recently by K.~H.~Knuth to find the optimal bin size of an histogram as a tool for statistical analysis of spatial point processes. We test it through numerical simulations on various spatial processes which are of interest in ecology. We show that Knuth optimal bin size rule reducing noisy fluctuations performs better than standard kernel methods to infer the intensity of the underlying process. Moreover it can be used to highlight relevant spatial characteristics of the underlying distribution such as space anisotropy and clusterization. We apply these findings to analyse cluster-like structures in plants' arrangement of Barro Colorado Island rainforest.Comment: 49 pages, 25 figure

Le système d'évaluation des contrats de TGRNR

National audienceSont tout d'abord rappelées les grandes lignes de l'évolution historique et spatiale des Transferts de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables (TGRNR) à Madagascar, ainsi que les dispositions légales et réglementaires relatives à leur renouvellement. L'adoption d'un système d'évaluation des transferts de gestion par l'Administration forestière repose sur un certain nombre de contraintes. C'est sur une base pragmatique et réaliste, à partir des résultats issus de différentes interventions, qu'a été conçu et mis en œuvre un système d'évaluation approprié et facilement utilisable, notamment dans le cadre du renouvellement des contrats. Le respect des dispositions légales et réglementaires, mais également l'implication d'autres entités que le VOI dans l'évaluation, sont des principes essentiels de ce système d'évaluation. Il s'agit en premier lieu d'apprécier les capacités de gestion des VOI, leur organisation socioprofessionnelle et leur investissement technique. Sont ensuite abordés les impacts environnementaux et socio- économiques. Un guide de l'évaluation des TG en vue de leur renouvellement a été conçu par l'administration centrale exposant les différentes phases de l'évaluation, les méthodes et techniques de collecte de données et les personnes et/ou entités cibles, le cadre logique de l'évaluation. Enfin, l'analyse des FFOM (Forces, Faiblesses, Opportunités et Menaces) explique le choix de cette analyse pour la compréhension de la situation actuelle et de la planification/programmation des actions futures, en vue de la gestion durable et rationnelle des RNR

Implicit gradient approach for numerical analysis of laser welded joints

Abstract This paper analyzes the fatigue strength of laser welded steel joints by applying the implied gradient method. This method is adopted using the same procedure proposed for studying arc welded joints. The fatigue scatter band of laser joints, obtained from numerical analysis of experimental data taken from the literature, is different from the relative curve of arc welded joints. However, at high cycles fatigue the two bands maintain exactly the same average values and the same scatter. The fatigue strength of lap joints with different weld patterns confirms the use of the proposed generalized fatigue scatter band for laser joints

Il gradiente implicito nella verifica a fatica di giunzioni saldate sollecitate a fatica

L’incremento delle potenzialità di strumenti per la progettazione assistita (come modellatori solidi e strumenti per FEA in grado di gestire modelli molto complessi) permette di ipotizzare lo sviluppo di strumenti numerici specifici per la previsione della resistenza a fatica delle giunzioni saldate. Tali strumenti potrebbero essere in grado di valutare l’influenza di geometria e carichi senza la necessità di elaborazioni successive, e spesso, del progettista (come nelle tensioni di Hot Spot). Il presente lavoro propone una metodologia di calcolo adatta alla previsione della vita a fatica di giunzioni saldate complesse. Un indice di resistenza è ottenuto innanzitutto risolvendo il problema tensionale completamente in modo numerico (agli elementi finiti) . La previsione della resistenza a fatica, è calcolata facendo uso di un modello analitico basato sul gradiente implicito che assume come tensione efficace la tensione equivalente non locale derivante dalla tensione principale. Dapprima verrà tarato il metodo su prove sperimentali eseguite su giunzioni saldate a croce, successivamente il metodo verrà utilizzato per la verifica a fatica di giunzioni saldate più complesse a sviluppo tridimensionale

A brittle fracture criterion for PMMA V-notches tensile specimens based on a length-enriched eXtended Finite Element approach

A criterion for the prediction of the static failure loads in tensile PMMA specimens with sharp notches is presented. The proposed criterion is based on a regularized version of the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM), which has been previously applied to concrete-like materials. The main feature of the proposed approach is that the cracking process is not treated as a local process, but it is modeled by assuming that macro-cracks stem from the interaction of micro-cracks within a finite width process zone. The case of a brittle materials with thin process zone is tackled by assuming one layer of enriched finite elements. Preliminary results concerning PMMA specimens subjected to mode-one loading are presented

vibration fatigue tests by tri axis shaker design of an innovative system for uncoupled bending torsion loading

Abstract An innovative system for bending-torsion fatigue tests by tri-axis shaker is designed and presented. The system mounts a cylindrical specimen with eccentric tip mass, excited by horizontal and vertical base accelerations. A lateral thin plate prevents specimen horizontal displacement and allows torsional and bending deformations to be controlled independently. A lumped-mass model is first used to verify if input accelerations and resultant dynamic forces, required in testing, comply with shaker specifications. A finite element model is then used to perform both modal and harmonic analyses, necessary to determine the system natural frequencies and the dynamic response under horizontal and vertical accelerations. Experimental measures on a prototype are finally used to gather preliminary information for validating the numerical model and to verify that the proposed testing system can control bending and torsion loadings independently