Un guide pratique pour la mesure et la gestion de l'impact

A five-step toolkit to measure the impact of a social investment made by a Venture Philanthropy project or organisation, and to manage it for more efficiency.For more information: http://evpa.eu.com/publication/guide-pratique-pour-la-mesure-et-la-gestion-de-limpact

A Practical Guide To Measuring and Managing Impact

The Practical Guide is a comprehensive resource that distills best practice in impact measurement into five easy-to-understand steps and provides practical tips and recommendations for how to implement impact measurement at the level of the social investor and in the social sector organisations that they support

Characterization of wood-adhesive bonds in wet conditions by means of nanoindentation and tensile shear strength

The performance of adhesive-hardwood bonds can often be sensitive to humidity and temperature variation. Therefore, it is frequently challenging to achieve standard requirements for structural applications. To gain a better understanding of the wood-adhesive bond, the properties of the individual constituents as well as the local interface of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood cell walls in contact with structural adhesives were analyzed by means of nanoindentation. These results are compared to classical lap-shear strength. As adhesives two different one-component polyurethane adhesives (1C PUR) and a phenol resorcinol formaldehyde adhesive (PRF) were used. In one case, the beech wood was additionally pre-treated with an adhesion-promoting agent (primer) prior to bonding with 1C PUR. Beech wood joints were analyzed subsequent to several treatments, namely standard climate, after wet storage and in re-dried conditions. In addition, the influence of the primer on the hydroxyl accessibility of beech wood was investigated with dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). The lap-shear strength revealed good performance in dry and re-dried conditions for all adhesives on beech. Both polyurethane adhesives obtained deficits when tested in wet conditions. The use of a primer significantly improved the PUR performance in wet condition. DVS experiment demonstrated a decrease in hydroxyl group accessibility when using a high primer concentration. As novelty, nanoindentation was used for the first time to characterize the local wood–adhesive-interface properties in wet conditions. Nanoindentation showed that all tested 1C PUR perform quite similar in room climate, while PRF achieves considerable higher values for reduced E-modulus and hardness. Wet storage led to a considerable reduction in mechanical properties for all adhesives, while the highest relative change was observed for PRF. After re-drying, the adhesives re-gained a large part of their original mechanical properties in room climate. No distinct effect of the primer on the local micromechanical properties could be detected with nanoindentation in terms of specific work of indentation

Modifying elastic modulus of two-component polyurethane adhesive for structural hardwood bonding

Subject to this study is the modification of an experimental two-component polyurethane (2C PUR) as an alternative adhesive for structural hardwood bonding. The 2C PUR has been adapted by calcium carbonate as filler to increase its modulus of elasticity with the aim of increasing the modulus analogue to the ones typically observed for classic amino- and phenol based adhesives. The 2C PUR system was compared with a commercial one-component polyurethane (1C PUR) and a phenol resorcinol formaldehyde (PRF) adhesive. The wetting properties of the adhesives were tested in terms of surface tension, polar and dispersive part and contact angle on European beech wood ( Fagus sylvatica L.). In addition, adhesive polymer films of 2C PUR were tested for tensile strength and modulus of elasticity (E-Modulus) following ISO 527-1. The adhesives bond performance on beech wood was determined by lap-joints according to EN 302-1 in various climate conditions. The results show that 2C PUR has proper wettability properties on beech wood. Adding 60% wt filler to the polyol component increased the E-Modulus from 2.3 GPa (0%) to 4.4 GPa. The tensile strength of the modified 2C PUR polymer films was comparable with the industrial 1C PUR. Tensile shear strength and wood failure percentage of 2C PUR lap-joints were increased by adding filler and met requirements in dry and re-dried conditions according to EN 302-1. However, the addition of filler didn’t result in an improvement in wet conditions. The present study shows sufficient performance for bonding hardwood with 2C PUR in dry conditions, while the system still needs to be improvement regarding its performance in humid conditions

Ethical considerations in global HIV phylogenetic research.

Phylogenetic analysis of pathogens is an increasingly powerful way to reduce the spread of epidemics, including HIV. As a result, phylogenetic approaches are becoming embedded in public health and research programmes, as well as outbreak responses, presenting unique ethical, legal, and social issues that are not adequately addressed by existing bioethics literature. We formed a multidisciplinary working group to explore the ethical issues arising from the design of, conduct in, and use of results from HIV phylogenetic studies, and to propose recommendations to minimise the associated risks to both individuals and groups. We identified eight key ethical domains, within which we highlighted factors that make HIV phylogenetic research unique. In this Review, we endeavoured to provide a framework to assist researchers, public health practitioners, and funding institutions to ensure that HIV phylogenetic studies are designed, done, and disseminated in an ethical manner. Our conclusions also have broader relevance for pathogen phylogenetics

Human Resource and Funding Constraints for Essential Surgery in District Hospitals in Africa: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey

In the second of two papers investigating surgical provision in eight district hospitals in Saharan African countries, Margaret Kruk and colleagues describe the range of providers of surgical care and anesthesia and estimate the related costs

The Association between Household Socioeconomic Position and Prevalent Tuberculosis in Zambia: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Although historically tuberculosis (TB) has been associated with poverty, few analytical studies from developing countries have tried to: 1. assess the relative impact of poverty on TB after the emergence of HIV; 2. explore the causal mechanism underlying this association; and 3. estimate how many cases of TB could be prevented by improving household socioeconomic position (SEP). METHODS AND FINDINGS: We undertook a case-control study nested within a population-based TB and HIV prevalence survey conducted in 2005-2006 in two Zambian communities. Cases were defined as persons (15+ years of age) culture positive for M. tuberculosis. Controls were randomly drawn from the TB-free participants enrolled in the prevalence survey. We developed a composite index of household SEP combining variables accounting for four different domains of household SEP. The analysis of the mediation pathway between household SEP and TB was driven by a pre-defined conceptual framework. Adjusted Population Attributable Fractions (aPAF) were estimated. Prevalent TB was significantly associated with lower household SEP [aOR = 6.2, 95%CI: 2.0-19.2 and aOR = 3.4, 95%CI: 1.8-7.6 respectively for low and medium household SEP compared to high]. Other risk factors for prevalent TB included having a diet poor in proteins [aOR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.1-8.7], being HIV positive [aOR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.7-5.8], not BCG vaccinated [aOR = 7.7, 95%CI: 2.8-20.8], and having a history of migration [aOR = 5.2, 95%CI: 2.7-10.2]. These associations were not confounded by household SEP. The association between household SEP and TB appeared to be mediated by inadequate consumption of protein food. Approximately the same proportion of cases could be attributed to this variable and HIV infection (aPAF = 42% and 36%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: While the fight against HIV remains central for TB control, interventions addressing low household SEP and, especially food availability, may contribute to strengthen our control efforts

Erosion and resilience of the Iraqi-Syrian border

Syria and Iraq’s accelerating fragmentation has prompted feverish speculation about the erasure of the modern Middle East’s Western-imposed borders. Such notions are not altogether divorced from reality: Syria and Iraq today are scarcely recognizable as nation-states, and their once rigid border has become increasingly porous while falling entirely from governmental control. Yet this erosion must not be mistaken for dissolution. The post-Ottoman border continues to serve an array of material and symbolic functions, and as such will remain of paramount relevance, as a resilient object of contention, for the foreseeable future. By grappling with this paradoxical state of mutation and durability—and by tracing its roots back into the late twentieth century—we can draw broader insights into the seismic changes roiling the Middle East, where brittle, centralizing power structures are increasingly giving way to a more grassroots and fluid political landscape with which Western actors have yet to come to terms.Funded by the European Research Council (ERC) within the 7th Framework Programme, the BORDERLANDS project is hosted at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, and directed by Professor Raffaella A. Del Sarto

La guerre d'Irak : la stratégie du faible face à la puissance américaine

The War in Iraq, the Strategy of the Weak in the Face of the American Superpower, by David BARAN The recent conflict in Iraq has produced an uncertain vision of the real unfolding of events and of the Iraqi adversary. The Iraqi resistance was the object of a political and media campaign of disinformation aimed at projecting the image of a rapid war of liberation. The resistance did in reality develop a subtle strategy, constructed around the victimisation of the regime, the conciliation of the population and the organisation of an armed resistance, but which ultimately revealed itself to be inadequate. The extent of the disym-metry between Iraqi and American forces provoked a strong sense of helplessness within the Iraqi population which reinforced its apathy and the incoherence of its reactions: pockets of civilian resistance facecf the American offensive while an ultimate wave of defiance towards the regime provoked its betrayal by the military. Iraq did not believe in victory, while not believing in a "liberation" by saviours either, official déclarations having relentlessly assimilated the conflict to a war for Iraqi oil and against Islam. It is nevertheless on the forces of occupation that tne country is now banking in order to fulfill the hopes of the Iraqi people.Le conflit qui s'est achevé en Irak a laissé une perception trouble de son déroulement réel et de l'adversaire irakien. Objet d'une forte désinformation politico-médiatique de la part des Etats-unis, qui ont accrédité l'image d'une guerre de libération éclair, la résistance irakienne a cependant développé une stratégie subtile (victimisation du régime, conciliation de la population, organisation d'une résistance armée...), mais en définitive inefficace. La dissymétrie des forces a suscité dans la population irakienne un fort sentiment d'impuissance qui est venu renforcer son apathie et l'incohérence de ses réactions : des poches de résistance civile faisaient face à l'offensive américaine tandis qu'une ultime vague de défiance vis-à-vis du régime provoquait la trahison des militaires. L'Irak n'a pas cru à sa victoire, il n'a pas cru non plus à une « libération » salvatrice, tant les déclarations officielles assimilaient le conflit à une guerre pour le pétrole et contre l'islam ; aujourd'hui, il compte pourtant sur les forces d'occupation pour répondre à ses attentes.David Baran. La guerre d'Irak : la stratégie du faible face à la puissance américaine. In: Politique étrangère, n°2 - 2003 - 68ᵉannée. pp. 395-408