DETERMINANTS OF PROFITABILITY IN MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The aim of this study was to investigate and present the most prominent determinants of pro tability of micro nance institutions (MFI) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Creating an empirical framework including variables concluded to be of protruding e ect to pro tability and adapting it to the micro nance eld, we are able to isolate the determinants which play the central role in this emerging market. The model is applied to a dataset of MFIs in Sub-Saharan Africa during the period 2005-2014, which result in estimations showing that MFI speci c variables, such as credit risk, cost management and size are important factors in explaining why some succeed while others fail. We nd some, yet sparse, convincing evidence of macroeconomic determinants signi cantly a ecting MFI pro tability, although we acknowledge our model may be limited in its ability to capture the complexity of the economic environment in Sub-Saharan Africa

Report on the possibilities for re-use and recycling of the materials

The construction sector in Europe is the largest user of material in the economy and the solid waste from the sector amounts to almost a third of all generated on the continent, not counting mining and quarrying. Much is landfilled, leading to unsustainable resource use. The OSIRYS project sets out to develop eco-innovative façade and inner partitioning products. They should improve indoor air quality, increase thermal and acoustic insulation and control breathability of the construction systems. Important constituents of the products are composites of natural fibres and bio-derived plastics, bio-composites. The objective of task 8.3 is to assess the reuse and recycling potential of OSIRYS products, both regarding design and necessary infrastructure. Recycling of bio-composites has been examined in lab studies and required reuse structures and recycling routes have been examined through literature studies and interviews. The conclusions in chapter 8 on how to enable reuse and recycling in a systems perspective are valid for many building products and should be considered in product development. Enabling reuse or recycling of building materials and products is a challenge. It put special requirements on product design as well as systems of services such as databases on product properties and quality assurance. There is a legal incentive to reuse and recycle through the European Construction Product Regulation and the Directive 2008/98/EC on Waste. Reuse of a product is usually preferable from an environmental point of view, but in some cases recycling may be more feasible from a practical and economical perspective.This deliverable, D8.3, is a public document of the OSIRYS project, delivered in the context of WP8, Task T8.3. The OSIRYS project sets out to develop eco-innovative façade and inner partitioning products. They should improve indoor air quality, increase thermal and acoustic insulation and control breathability of the construction systems

The effect of physical activity on walking ability and quality of life in people with intermittent claudication : A literature study

Bakgrund: Claudicatio Intermittens är vanligt förekommande hos äldre personer och ger upphov till fysiska och psykiska besvär såsom försämrad gångförmåga och sämre livskvalite. Fysisk aktivitet är en viktig fysioterapeutisk behandlingsmetod som har visat goda resultat för patientgruppen. Därför är det viktigt att sammanställa aktuell evidens för att öka och tillgängliggöra ny kunskap. Syfte: Att undersöka det vetenskapliga underlaget för fysisk aktivitet som behandling och dess effekt på gångförmåga och livskvalitet hos patienter med claudicatio intermittens. Metod: Studiens design var litteraturstudie. En litteratursökning efter randomiserade kontrollerade studier genomfördes i databasen PubMed. De utvalda studiernas kvalitet granskades enligt PEDro-skalan och tillförlitligheten av resultatet bedömdes utifrån ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter”. Resultat: Sex studier inkluderades i litteraturstudien. Bäst resultat gällande gångförmåga och livskvalitet fick grupperna som genomgick endovaskulär revaskularisering i kombination med en intervention som innehöll fysisk aktivitet. Samtliga studier fick hög kvalitet från granskningen enligt PEDro. Tillförlitligheten av det sammanvägda resultatet bedömdes enligt ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter” vara låg. Konklusion: Kombinationen av endovaskulär revaskularisering och fysisk aktivitet hade positiv effekt på utfallsmåttet gångförmåga och livskvalitét hos patienter med claudicatio intermittens, men ingen skillnad mellan olika sorters fysisk aktivitet framgick. Fler studier av hög kvalitet som jämför liknande interventioner behövs för att med hög tillförlitlighet kunna avgöra vilken behandling som ger bäst effekt.Background: Intermittent claudication is common in the elderly population and causes physical and psychological problems such as impaired walking ability and poorer quality of life. Physical activity is an important physiotherapeutic method that has shown promising results for this population. Therefore, it is important to summarize current evidence in order to increase new knowledge and make it available. Purpose: The aim of this literature study was to examine the scientific evidence for physical activity as a treatment, and its effect on walking capacity and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication  Method: The design of the study was literature study. A literature search for randomized controlled trials was conducted in the PubMed database. The quality of the included studies was examined by the PEDro scale, and the reliability of the results was assessed with ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter”. Result:  Six studies were included in the literature study. The best results regarding walking ability and quality of life were obtained by the groups that underwent endovascular revascularization in combination with an intervention that included physical activity. All studies received high quality according to PEDro. According to with ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter”, the reliability of the combined results was considered low. Conclusion: The combination of endovascular revascularization and physical activity had a positive effect on the outcome measures walking ability and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication. No difference between different types of physical activity could be seen. More studies of high quality comparing similar interventions are needed to be able to determine, with high reliability, which treatment produces the best effect

Den snart färdiga sjuksköterskans kunskaper om trycksårsprevention : En enkätstudie utförd bland sistaterminsstudenter på sjuksköterskeutbildningen

Sammanfattning Bakgrund: Säker vård och vårdskador är en viktig kvalitetsindikator för vården och sjuksköterskan med sitt ledningsansvar för omvårdnadsarbetet har en viktig roll här. Med trycksår som en vanligt förekommande vårdskada som har stora möjligheter att förhindras är god kunskap om trycksårsprevalens av väldigt stor vikt för de som inom kort är legitimerade sjuksköterskor. Syfte: Att undersöka kunskap kring trycksårsprevention hos sjuksköterskestudenter som går sista terminen på utbildningen. Metod: En kvantitativ icke-experimentell deskriptiv design valdes till denna tvärsnittsstudie. En enkät baserad på TAK-enkäten, den svenska översättningen av Beeckman et al.s (2010) validerade instrument användes. Resultat: Resultatet presenteras i sex diagram samt en tabell uppdelat i Demografi, Självskattning och Kunskap. Svaren på kunskapsfrågorna visade ett genomsnittsresultat på 11 rätt av 19 frågor (57.9 %). Bristfälliga kunskaper visades särskilt på frågan om vad som orsakar trycksår där endast 27% svarade rätt. Att fukt från urin, avföring eller sårsekretion orsakar trycksår anger majoriteten är ett korrekt påstående, trots att det är felaktigt. Majoriteten av de medverkande skattade sin kunskap inom trycksårsprevention som god eller mycket god. Slutsats: Det finns en dissonans mellan självskattningen och den kunskap som studenterna uppvisade. Okunskapen kring vad som orsakar trycksår kan få konsekvenser för ett effektivt preventivt arbete. Bättre möjligheter för att ta in denna kunskap bör ges sjuksköterskestudenter på väg ut i arbetslivet för att kunna möta det behov som finns och stödja dem i att kunna leda omvårdnadsarbetet, ta ansvar för säker vård och lindra det lidande som trycksår ofta innebär. Att undersöka skillnader mellan olika lärosäten och eventuella framgångsfaktorer vid goda resultat är förslag på fortsatt forskning, liksom hur sjuksköterskeprogrammet skulle kunna utvecklas för att främja denna kunskap.

Food Redistribution in the Nordic Region - Phase II: Identification of best practice models for enhanced food redistribution

Food waste reduction is an area of growing importance among the Nordic governments as well as at the EU level. The Nordic Council of Ministers has published several reports in recent years as part of the Green Growth Program, showing the amounts of food wasted and proposing technical and organizational solutions to the problems of food waste. Based on previous work done in the Nordic Food Redistribution Project, this report investigates best practice models among donors, receivers and authorities and proposes concrete steps towards safe and comprehensive systems for food redistribution through food banks and direct redistribution. This report summarizes results from phase II in the Nordic project on food redistribution through food banks and direct redistribution (referred to as the Nordic food redistribution project). The project is initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers through the Green Growth program and financed by the Food and Agriculture program. The Green Growth program aims at greening the Nordic economies through eight prioritized areas, one of which is to develop techniques and methods for waste treatment. Viewing food redistribution as a method for reducing food waste, the food redistribution project falls within the scope of this prioritized area.This report summarizes experiences and results from Phase II of the Nordic Food Redistribution Project. The project was initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers as part of the Nordic Prime Ministers’ green growth initiative, “The Nordic Region – leading in green growth”, with budget from the Food and Agriculture program. Den här rapporten finns endast på engelska

The effect of physical activity on walking ability and quality of life in people with intermittent claudication : A literature study

Bakgrund: Claudicatio Intermittens är vanligt förekommande hos äldre personer och ger upphov till fysiska och psykiska besvär såsom försämrad gångförmåga och sämre livskvalite. Fysisk aktivitet är en viktig fysioterapeutisk behandlingsmetod som har visat goda resultat för patientgruppen. Därför är det viktigt att sammanställa aktuell evidens för att öka och tillgängliggöra ny kunskap. Syfte: Att undersöka det vetenskapliga underlaget för fysisk aktivitet som behandling och dess effekt på gångförmåga och livskvalitet hos patienter med claudicatio intermittens. Metod: Studiens design var litteraturstudie. En litteratursökning efter randomiserade kontrollerade studier genomfördes i databasen PubMed. De utvalda studiernas kvalitet granskades enligt PEDro-skalan och tillförlitligheten av resultatet bedömdes utifrån ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter”. Resultat: Sex studier inkluderades i litteraturstudien. Bäst resultat gällande gångförmåga och livskvalitet fick grupperna som genomgick endovaskulär revaskularisering i kombination med en intervention som innehöll fysisk aktivitet. Samtliga studier fick hög kvalitet från granskningen enligt PEDro. Tillförlitligheten av det sammanvägda resultatet bedömdes enligt ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter” vara låg. Konklusion: Kombinationen av endovaskulär revaskularisering och fysisk aktivitet hade positiv effekt på utfallsmåttet gångförmåga och livskvalitét hos patienter med claudicatio intermittens, men ingen skillnad mellan olika sorters fysisk aktivitet framgick. Fler studier av hög kvalitet som jämför liknande interventioner behövs för att med hög tillförlitlighet kunna avgöra vilken behandling som ger bäst effekt.Background: Intermittent claudication is common in the elderly population and causes physical and psychological problems such as impaired walking ability and poorer quality of life. Physical activity is an important physiotherapeutic method that has shown promising results for this population. Therefore, it is important to summarize current evidence in order to increase new knowledge and make it available. Purpose: The aim of this literature study was to examine the scientific evidence for physical activity as a treatment, and its effect on walking capacity and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication  Method: The design of the study was literature study. A literature search for randomized controlled trials was conducted in the PubMed database. The quality of the included studies was examined by the PEDro scale, and the reliability of the results was assessed with ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter”. Result:  Six studies were included in the literature study. The best results regarding walking ability and quality of life were obtained by the groups that underwent endovascular revascularization in combination with an intervention that included physical activity. All studies received high quality according to PEDro. According to with ”Bedömning av den sammanvägda tillförlitligheten i systematiska översikter”, the reliability of the combined results was considered low. Conclusion: The combination of endovascular revascularization and physical activity had a positive effect on the outcome measures walking ability and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication. No difference between different types of physical activity could be seen. More studies of high quality comparing similar interventions are needed to be able to determine, with high reliability, which treatment produces the best effect

Radar reflecting pavement markers for vehicle automation

Dependable and fail-safe control of autonomous vehicles requires multiple independent sensors for lane detection and positioning. From analysis of modern sensing technologies, we conclude that radars are underutilized for positioning, and that they might be an enabling technology for achieving safety requirements posed by the standard ISO 26262. To fully utilize the radar potential, we have conducted a pre-study of equipping infrastructure with radar reflectors. We estimate that such reflectors should be installed in the lane markings, about 20-25 meters apart and with some kind of identification. We propose to design and evaluate a combi-reflector based on the traditional cat’s eye design, which will be detectable both by human drivers, radars and lidars. Furthermore, the combi-reflector can be equipped with a magnet for in-vehicle electromagnetic field sensor. From the redundancy evaluation performed, we conclude that the proposed solution increases the level of redundancy significantly. Therefore, the proposed solution could be an enabler for autonomous driving. RadarreflektorerRealiserbarhetsstudie positioneringssystem med reflektorer i vägbana

Radar reflecting pavement markers for vehicle automation

Dependable and fail-safe control of autonomous vehicles requires multiple independent sensors for lane detection and positioning. From analysis of modern sensing technologies, we conclude that radars are underutilized for positioning, and that they might be an enabling technology for achieving safety requirements posed by the standard ISO 26262. To fully utilize the radar potential, we have conducted a pre-study of equipping infrastructure with radar reflectors. We estimate that such reflectors should be installed in the lane markings, about 20-25 meters apart and with some kind of identification. We propose to design and evaluate a combi-reflector based on the traditional cat’s eye design, which will be detectable both by human drivers, radars and lidars. Furthermore, the combi-reflector can be equipped with a magnet for in-vehicle electromagnetic field sensor. From the redundancy evaluation performed, we conclude that the proposed solution increases the level of redundancy significantly. Therefore, the proposed solution could be an enabler for autonomous driving. Radarreflektore

Rethinking construction in preschool : discerning didactic strategies in Swedish preschool activities

Even though construction tasks have a long history as an activity in the Swedish preschool, technology as a content matter (e.g., construction) is relatively new. Hence, preschool teachers are generally unsure of the content of technology and how to handle it from a teaching perspective. Thus, there is need for deeper understanding of how construction tasks in preschool can be enacted and what kind of premises are offered to the children. To investigate this, we took our stance in activity theory and the concepts of mediating artifacts, rules and division of labour. This helped us discern what type of instructional practices that were enacted by preschool teachers when working with construction tasks. Activity theory in combination with thematic analysis helped us distinguish four general didactic actions that the teachers used to bring about the construction task-to engage, to guide, to coordinate, to show. These four strategies were then formulated into specific technology didactic actions through the perspectives of technology as product, process and concepts.Funding Agencies|Linnaeus University</p