Successful Projects - What Makes Them Work? A Cross-National Analysis

[Excerpt] This cross national analysis is based on national studies made by research teams in India, Kenya, Romania and South Africa. It aims to draw out the lessons learnt from successful social development processes in these countries. In each country, studies have been made of projects identified as interesting, successful and/or outstanding in the way they have improved the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. In national reports, the respective teams have made their own national conclusions. This comparative report briefly describes the national studies. It then continues with a cross national analysis attempting to identify circumstances or factors that are common to these successful projects. Finally, the report summarises the conclusions and their implications. We hope that the findings presented in the report will be used as inspiration in future planning, implementation and funding of projects aiming at improving life conditions of groups that are marginalised in society. Chapter 1 and 2, describing the research process and the national reports have been written by Annika and Lennart Nilsson. Anders Gustavsson and Johans Sandvin are responsible for the cross national analysis in chapter 3 to 7. The conclusions and implications in chapter 8 have been written jointly. The study has been commissioned by Inclusion International and financed by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida)

Severe thiamine deficiency in eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)

The eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) population has been decreasing in the Baltic Sea for at least 30 years. Condition indices of the Baltic cod have decreased, and previous studies have suggested that this might be due to overfishing, predation, lower dissolved oxygen or changes in salinity. However, numerous studies from the Baltic Sea have demonstrated an ongoing thiamine deficiency in several animal classes, both invertebrates and vertebrates. The thiamine status of the eastern Baltic cod was investigated to determine if thiamine deficiency might be a factor in ongoing population declines. Thiamine concentrations were determined by chemical analyses of thiamine, thiamine monophosphate and thiamine diphosphate (combined SumT) in the liver using high performance liquid chromatography. Biochemical analyses measured the activity of the thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzyme transketolase to determine the proportion of apoenzymes in both liver and brain tissue. These biochemical analyses showed that 77% of the cod were thiamine deficient in the liver, of which 13% had a severe thiamine deficiency (i.e. 25% transketolase enzymes lacked thiamine diphosphate). The brain tissue of 77% of the cod showed thiamine deficiency, of which 64% showed severe thiamine deficiency. The thiamine deficiency biomarkers were investigated to find correlations to different biological parameters, such as length, weight, otolith weight, age (annuli counting) and different organ weights. The results suggested that thiamine deficiency increased with age. The SumT concentration ranged between 2.4-24 nmol/g in the liver, where the specimens with heavier otoliths had lower values of SumT (P = 0.0031). Of the cod sampled, only 2% of the specimens had a Fulton's condition factor indicating a healthy specimen, and 49% had a condition factor below 0.8, indicating poor health status. These results, showing a severe thiamine deficiency in eastern Baltic cod from the only known area where spawning presently occurs for this species, are of grave concern

Thrombotic Occlusion of All Left Coronary Branches in a Young Woman with Severe Ulcerative Colitis

Background. The thrombosis risk is increased in active ulcerative colitis. The limited number of reported complications have predominantly been cerebrovascular but other vessel territories may also be affected. Patient. During a severe attack of ulcerative colitis a 37-year-old woman suffered occlusion of all left coronary artery branches. Serial angiographies showed progressive recanalisation of the coronary arteries during anticoagulation, but no atherosclerotic stenosis. The cause of infarction was thus considered to be an extensive coronary thrombosis. However, a large battery of blood tests failed to identify any procoagulant abnormality. Conclusion. Evidence is now accumulating that the increased thrombosis risk also may involve the coronary arteries, even in young patients. To the best of our knowledge this is the third reported case of myocardial infarction despite angiographically normal coronary arteries in a patient with active ulcerative colitis. The extent of affected myocardium was in this case exceptionally large

Reduction of the N2O Emission from Fluidized Bed Combustion by Afterburning

A method for reducing N2O emissions from fluidized bed combustion is presented and investigated. In contrast to flame combustion, fluidized bed combustion generates significant amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O) which are emitted to the atmosphere. The method investigated, called afterburning, means that a secondary fuel is introduced downstream the combustor of a circulating fluidized bed boiler. Combustion of the secondary fuel raises the temperature of the gases, which is accompanied by a steep decrease in N2O emissions. The injection fuel ratio, i.e. energy in secondary fuel divided by energy in primary fuel, is in the range 10-20%. Afterburning has been investigated both by chemical modelling and by full-scale experiments in a 12 MW CFB boiler. In the experiments, Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil, pulverized coal, pulverized wood and sawdust were used as afterburning fuels. The primary cyclone of the fluidized bed boiler was used as an afterburning chamber. The results showed that the N2O emission can be reduced by 90% or more by this method. The resulting N2O emission was principally a function of the gas temperature achieved in the afterburning fuel. The excess-air ratio in the gases from the primary combustion also influence the results, in the way that a low excess-air ratio decreased the N2O emission. No negative effects on NO or CO emissions or on sulphur capture were recorded. The amount of afterburning fuel needed to achieve a given N2O reduction was influenced by various losses, e.g. cyclone cooling, heating of particles and unburned afterburning fuel. In a plant designed and optimized for afterburning, these losses could be reduced considerably, and it is shown that in such a plant an injection fuel ratio of 10% should be sufficient to remove practically all N2O. Chemical modelling was performed in order to study the governing processes in afterburning. A kinetic scheme describing hydrocarbon (C1-C3) oxidation, nitrogen chemistry as well as interactions between hydrocarbon and nitrogen-containing species was used together with a Perfectly stirred reactor model. The results showed that N2O was destroyed by both radical reactions, primarily with hydrogen radicals, and by thermal decomposition under the conditions prevailing in the experiments. Heterogeneous reactions such as quenching of radicals and heterogeneous decomposition of N2O were shown to have small influence on N2O emissions from afterburning. A comparison between modelling of full-scale experiments and corresponding experimental data shows good correlation at higher temperatures, but the difference grows larger at lower temperatures

Reduction of the N2O Emission from Fluidized Bed Combustion by Afterburning

A method for reducing N2O emissions from fluidized bed combustion is presented and investigated. In contrast to flame combustion, fluidized bed combustion generates significant amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O) which are emitted to the atmosphere. The method investigated, called afterburning, means that a secondary fuel is introduced downstream the combustor of a circulating fluidized bed boiler. Combustion of the secondary fuel raises the temperature of the gases, which is accompanied by a steep decrease in N2O emissions. The injection fuel ratio, i.e. energy in secondary fuel divided by energy in primary fuel, is in the range 10-20%. Afterburning has been investigated both by chemical modelling and by full-scale experiments in a 12 MW CFB boiler. In the experiments, Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil, pulverized coal, pulverized wood and sawdust were used as afterburning fuels. The primary cyclone of the fluidized bed boiler was used as an afterburning chamber. The results showed that the N2O emission can be reduced by 90% or more by this method. The resulting N2O emission was principally a function of the gas temperature achieved in the afterburning fuel. The excess-air ratio in the gases from the primary combustion also influence the results, in the way that a low excess-air ratio decreased the N2O emission. No negative effects on NO or CO emissions or on sulphur capture were recorded. The amount of afterburning fuel needed to achieve a given N2O reduction was influenced by various losses, e.g. cyclone cooling, heating of particles and unburned afterburning fuel. In a plant designed and optimized for afterburning, these losses could be reduced considerably, and it is shown that in such a plant an injection fuel ratio of 10% should be sufficient to remove practically all N2O. Chemical modelling was performed in order to study the governing processes in afterburning. A kinetic scheme describing hydrocarbon (C1-C3) oxidation, nitrogen chemistry as well as interactions between hydrocarbon and nitrogen-containing species was used together with a Perfectly stirred reactor model. The results showed that N2O was destroyed by both radical reactions, primarily with hydrogen radicals, and by thermal decomposition under the conditions prevailing in the experiments. Heterogeneous reactions such as quenching of radicals and heterogeneous decomposition of N2O were shown to have small influence on N2O emissions from afterburning. A comparison between modelling of full-scale experiments and corresponding experimental data shows good correlation at higher temperatures, but the difference grows larger at lower temperatures

Language taught and language used : dialogue processes in dyadic lessons of Swedish as a second language compared with non-didactic conversations

The purpose of the research reported in this monograph has been twofold. First, it aims at contributing to an inquiry of the ways in which language and context are intertwined. Second, it aims at giving a characterization of a specific communicative event, second language teaching. The study starts out from a broad social-theoretical perspective, inspired by language game theory and ethnomethodology, as well as Goffman's (1974) 'frame analysis' and the work of Ragnar Rommetveit (1974, 1987). Levinson's (1979) notion 'activity type' is used in exploring how relevance criteria and frames of interpretation vary with the context of the activity in which language is used. The empirical material for the study consists of eight dyadic lessons of Swedish as a second language in grades 4-6 of the Swedish comprehensive, compulsory school. As material for comparison, the pupils, 10-12 year old boys from the Middle East, also participate in two non-didactic conversations around tasks defined by the research team, one together with his teacher of Swedish, one together with a class-mate of his. The first of the three empirical studies is a qualitative, discursive analysis of salient dialogue processes in language teaching activities. Abrupt shifts and breaks in the dialogue, misunderstandings, and lack of tuning between the conversational parties are interpreted as results of a tension between language at two levels in the language lesson. The dialogue in the language lessons of the corpus is characterized by an ambivalence between two perspectives on language, the ordinary, everyday perspective on language as a means for constructing and conveying messages versus the 'level 2 perspective', where language is seen as anabstract system of decontextualized linguistic items. The two other empirical studies are quantitatively oriented. In the first of these, important differences in dialogue processes, concerning dynamics, coherence and fluency are found between the lessons and the non-didactic conversations, as well as between different activities within the confines of a lesson. One of the most important results is that the teacher's interactional dominance seems to be systematically related to the content of lesson activities. The results of the last study suggest that in lessons, and especially language lessons proper, the pupil is givenfewer opportunities for talking and, also, that he refrains from taking the opportunities actually given to him. The main significance of the research is the demonstration of the dynamic character of linguistic communication and of the way in which linguistic meaning is the product of utterances being embedded in activities on which activity-specific premisses for communication are brought to bear. Also, the second language teaching situation is characterized as connected with particular communicative practices that are imbued with a certain degree of ambivalence and ambiguity

Language taught and language used : dialogue processes in dyadic lessons of Swedish as a second language compared with non-didactic conversations

The purpose of the research reported in this monograph has been twofold. First, it aims at contributing to an inquiry of the ways in which language and context are intertwined. Second, it aims at giving a characterization of a specific communicative event, second language teaching. The study starts out from a broad social-theoretical perspective, inspired by language game theory and ethnomethodology, as well as Goffman's (1974) 'frame analysis' and the work of Ragnar Rommetveit (1974, 1987). Levinson's (1979) notion 'activity type' is used in exploring how relevance criteria and frames of interpretation vary with the context of the activity in which language is used. The empirical material for the study consists of eight dyadic lessons of Swedish as a second language in grades 4-6 of the Swedish comprehensive, compulsory school. As material for comparison, the pupils, 10-12 year old boys from the Middle East, also participate in two non-didactic conversations around tasks defined by the research team, one together with his teacher of Swedish, one together with a class-mate of his. The first of the three empirical studies is a qualitative, discursive analysis of salient dialogue processes in language teaching activities. Abrupt shifts and breaks in the dialogue, misunderstandings, and lack of tuning between the conversational parties are interpreted as results of a tension between language at two levels in the language lesson. The dialogue in the language lessons of the corpus is characterized by an ambivalence between two perspectives on language, the ordinary, everyday perspective on language as a means for constructing and conveying messages versus the 'level 2 perspective', where language is seen as anabstract system of decontextualized linguistic items. The two other empirical studies are quantitatively oriented. In the first of these, important differences in dialogue processes, concerning dynamics, coherence and fluency are found between the lessons and the non-didactic conversations, as well as between different activities within the confines of a lesson. One of the most important results is that the teacher's interactional dominance seems to be systematically related to the content of lesson activities. The results of the last study suggest that in lessons, and especially language lessons proper, the pupil is givenfewer opportunities for talking and, also, that he refrains from taking the opportunities actually given to him. The main significance of the research is the demonstration of the dynamic character of linguistic communication and of the way in which linguistic meaning is the product of utterances being embedded in activities on which activity-specific premisses for communication are brought to bear. Also, the second language teaching situation is characterized as connected with particular communicative practices that are imbued with a certain degree of ambivalence and ambiguity

Småskalig förbränning av rörflen - inventering och värdering av tillgänglig teknik

Detta projekt har genomförts med syftet att få en uppfattning om vilka pannor i storleksintervallet 50 kW – 1 MW på den europeiska marknaden som kan bedömas ha förutsättningar för eldning av rörflen i briketterad eller riven form. Förbränningstekniskt har rörflen besvärligare egenskaper än träbränslen, framför allt i form av hög askhalt, 2 – 9 %. Avsevärt större askmängder per tidsenhet måste därmed föras ut ur pannan än för träbränslen. Askan har också en annan struktur är träaska, är voluminös och bygger lätt upp strukturer som håller samman och inte självmant faller ned i t.ex. askskruvar etc. De praktiska erfarenheterna i Sverige från rörflenseldning i små anläggningar är begränsade till endast ett par panntyper och med mindre goda erfarenheter.Totalt har ett tjugotal pannor och brännare studerats översiktligt mot bakgrund av en preliminär kravspecifikation. Därefter har elva produkter identifierats som intressanta för vidare undersökning. Dessa har delats in i de tre kategorierna 1-3 enligt följande:1. Bedöms fungera med rörflen och inga behov föreligger kring djupare tester och utvärderingar med rörflen.2. Bedöms ha potential att fungera med rörflen men det finns behov att djupare utvärdera och långtidstesta tekniken för att kontrollera dess kapacitet med rörflen (askhalt 2-9 %).3. Bedöms ej fungera tillfredsställande med rörflen med varierande askhalt (2-9 %) utan anpassning/ombyggnad.Bedömningen ledde till följande resultat för pannor:Kategori 1: Ökotherm CompactKategori 2: Reka HKRST, Linka, Schmid UTSWKategori 2(3): ETA Hack, Fröling, Heizomat RHKAK, BiokompaktKategori 3: CatfireFör brännare erhölls följande bedömning:Kategori 2: Veto Flisomat, Ariterm MultijetOvan redovisade resultat utgör inte en absolut sanning utan är resultatet av en kvalificerad bedömning på basis av tillgängligt underlag