Evaluating Coalitions and Networks: Frameworks, Needs, and Opportunities

This review is for coalitions and networks that are considering embarking on evaluation. It begins with what makes coalitions and networks different from standalone organizations, and the implications for evaluation. It then reviews five selected evaluation frameworks, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and applicability. Finally, it offers a set of lessons and opportunities related to coalition/network evaluation based on real-life experiences, along with insights for funders on how best to support evaluation of the coalitions/networks they support. Findings are based on a broad review of evaluation materials, along with 17 interviews with evaluators, funders, and coalition/ network practitioners (see Appendix 1). Direct quotes from these interviews are integrated throughout to highlight findings and firsthand experiences

Toward a Human Rights Impact Assessment Tool

Human rights organizations are increasingly questioned about impact, which is particularly challenging for overextended and under-resourced groups that tackle complex issues requiring a long view to be achieved. They would greatly benefit from a manageable assessment tool to capture how well they are doing on key dimensions that are essential for that long-view impact. Building on my experience with the Ford Foundation’s Organizational Mapping Tool designed to assess organizational capacity, I propose to develop a tool to assess human rights impact. The tool will enable any human rights organization to assess how it is doing in areas that are essential to the wider human rights movement, if we are to achieve our long-range objective of fully human rights respecting societies. The tool will capture, for example, organizations’ strengths/weaknesses in areas such as constituency building, collaboration, de-siloing, shifting power, and other dimensions that are extremely difficult to assess but are essential to building a successful human rights movement. The self-administered, highly participatory tool will provide organizations an opportunity to reflect on their contributions to that wider human rights movement, point to what else they can do, and identify tangible ways of getting there. I envision a session devoted to either a presentation of the actual tool or enlisting session participants in fleshing out descriptors for its key components, depending on where I am with the development of the tool by the time of the Conference. Minimally, the session will actively engage human rights practitioners and researchers in considering the dimensions of our issue-, country-, and methodologically-specific work from a movement-wide view

INFLUENCE OF YEAST EXTRACT ON GENE EXPRESSION OF CRWRKY1 AS A REGULATORY GENE IN ALKALOIDS PATHWAY IN CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS (L.) G. DON

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don is a medicinal plant rich in many alkaloids that are used in treatment of many diseases. It is unique in the production of vinblastine and vincristine compounds, which are used in treatment of several cancers. There are many genes in the biosynthesis pathway that produce these anti-cancer compounds, including the gene Crwrky1 which is a regulatory gene that codes for the transcription factor in the monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) pathway. In this study, the effect of yeast extract on crwrky1 gene expression levels from treated calli was studied. Quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) using SYBR Green I/ROX was used to analyze the changes in the expression level of this gene in response to different treatments of yeast extract. Crwrky1 expression increased to 3.6 folds in treated callus obtained under 0.4 mg/l yeast elicitor for 4 hours (YE2) treatment to compare with the control (untreated) callus

A Forest in the City? Recommendations for Developing, Implementing, and Maintaining the "A Forest for Every Classroom" in Milwaukee and Chicago for the U.S. Forest Service

This study, conducted in three phases from February 2009 to April 2010, was guided by a single overarching goal: to provide the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Urban Connections program in Region 9 and the Conservation Education Office in Washington D.C. with recommendations to develop, implement, and maintain a conservation education program based on the A Forest For Every Classroom (FFEC) model, and tailored for use in Chicago, IL and Milwaukee, WI. Urban Connections is an outreach program which operates in nine cities in the Eastern Region and which aims to increase awareness of National Forests among urban populations. FFEC is a place‐based conservation education program offering professional development for both formal and non‐formal K‐12 teachers which was originally developed in Vermont through a partnership between the USFS Green Mountain National Forest and other public‐ and private‐sector partners. The program is currently active in Vermont, New Hampshire, Texas and Montana. Participating teachers develop individual curricula that utilize their local environment and resources as a context for teaching any subject matter, with a focus on creating a sense of place and developing stewardship behavior and civic responsibility. To meet the study’s overarching goal, interviews and focus groups were conducted with 85 USFS personnel, potential external partners, FFEC ‐program representatives, teachers who have participated in FFEC (“FFEC alumni”), and teachers from Milwaukee and Chicago. Interview data was analyzed using content analysis with categorization of responses. Results were used to create recommendations specific to FFEC implementation in Milwaukee and Chicago. These recommendations fall into six categories: Getting Started, Partnerships, Program Design, Urban Adaptations, School Support and Recruitment, and In the Classroom: Curriculum Implementation.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69250/1/FinalDocument_SNRE.pd

Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis: A Paradigm of Paradoxical Immune Reconstitution Syndrome in Non-HIV/AIDS Patients

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease characterized by immune suppression. Successful treatment is usually followed by immune reconstitution and a dermatosis called post-Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). Recently, PKDL was described as one of the immune reconstitution syndromes (IRISs) in HIV/VL patients on HAART. This study aimed to present PKDL as a typical example of paradoxical IRIS in non-HIV/AIDS individuals. Published and new data on the pathogenesis and healing of PKDL was reviewed and presented. The data suggested that PKDL is a typical example of paradoxical IRIS, being a new disease entity that follows VL successful treatment and immune recovery. PKDL lesions are immune inflammatory in nature with granuloma, adequate response to immunochemotherapy, and an ensuing hypersensitivity reaction, the leishmanin skin test (LST). The data also suggested that the cytokine patterns of PKDL pathogenesis and healing are probably as follows: an active disease state dominated by IL-10 followed by spontaneous/treatment-induced IL-12 priming, IL-2 stimulation, and INF-γ production. INF-γ-activated macrophages eliminate the Leishmania parasites/antigen to be followed by LST conversion and healing. In conclusion, PKDL is a typical example of paradoxical IRIS in non-HIV/AIDS individuals with anti-inflammatory cytokine patterns that are superseded by treatment-induced proinflammatory cytokines and lesions healing

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Mapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries

Child growth failure (CGF), manifested as stunting, wasting, and underweight, is associated with high 5 mortality and increased risks of cognitive, physical, and metabolic impairments. Children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face the highest levels of CGF globally. Here we illustrate national and subnational variation of under-5 CGF indicators across LMICs, providing 2000–2017 annual estimates mapped at a high spatial resolution and aggregated to policy-relevant administrative units and national levels. Despite remarkable declines over the study period, many LMICs remain far from the World Health 10 Organization’s ambitious Global Nutrition Targets to reduce stunting by 40% and wasting to less than 5% by 2025. Large disparities in prevalence and rates of progress exist across regions, countries, and within countries; our maps identify areas where high prevalence persists even within nations otherwise succeeding in reducing overall CGF prevalence. By highlighting where subnational disparities exist and the highest-need populations reside, these geospatial estimates can support policy-makers in planning locally 15 tailored interventions and efficient directing of resources to accelerate progress in reducing CGF and its health implications

Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations. Educational attainment is an important social determinant of maternal, newborn, and child health(1-3). As a tool for promoting gender equity, it has gained increasing traction in popular media, international aid strategies, and global agenda-setting(4-6). The global health agenda is increasingly focused on evidence of precision public health, which illustrates the subnational distribution of disease and illness(7,8); however, an agenda focused on future equity must integrate comparable evidence on the distribution of social determinants of health(9-11). Here we expand on the available precision SDG evidence by estimating the subnational distribution of educational attainment, including the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling, across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017. Previous analyses have focused on geographical disparities in average attainment across Africa or for specific countries, but-to our knowledge-no analysis has examined the subnational proportions of individuals who completed specific levels of education across all low- and middle-income countries(12-14). By geolocating subnational data for more than 184 million person-years across 528 data sources, we precisely identify inequalities across geography as well as within populations.Peer reviewe

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations