Suchergebnisse

Opportunity: Currently, there are approximately 3 million individuals in Mexico without access to grid-based electricity. These individuals spend a substantial portion of their income purchasing candles and kerosene. Mexico is investing public funds in rural electrification. However ILUMEXICO has developed a more sustainable model of bringing light to rural communities. one with many advantages. such as after-sale services. over centralized solutions. It could be more efficient and cost-effective for the Mexican government to invest in ILUMEXICO's solution than pursuing its own. Research Activities: Our team conducted 32 research interviews with both I LU MEXICO customers and government program recipients to assess their satisfaction with their solar home systems. We used the Net Promoter Score (NPS) methodology. Findings After-sale services and strong company-customer relationships result in enhanced customer satisfaction. and increase the likelihood that customers recommend ILUMEXICO products and service to other community members. I LU MEXICO received a 100% promoter score versus a 75% promoter score of government programs. This validates ILUMEXICO's approach to customer acquisition and support. Deliverable: We present field data indicating that ILUMEXICO's approach satisfies the needs of beneficiaries better than donation-based government programs. This is consistent with current trends in sustainable development practice and scholarship comparing government-led programs with social entrepreneurship. We identify key elements of ILUMEXICO's business model that influence greater customer satisfaction. Recommendations: Based on comparison data. we recommend a partnership between the Mexican government and ILUMEXICO. Through collaboration. these parties can more effectively and cost-effectively reduce energy poverty in Mexico. generating positive impacts throughout rural Mexico.

Opportunity: ILUMEXICO is growing its solar home business and has an opportunity to acquire more customers through the development of a referral program. A referral program would leverage social connections and ILUMEXICO's reputation within the communities to attract non-customers to ILUMEXICO. In the majority of communities where ILUMEXICO works. there are numerous individuals who received donated solar home systems through the Secretaria de Desarollo Social (SEDESOL). However. in order to maintain. repair. and/or buy new products. many of these individuals often go to expensive hardware stores. Unlike ILUMEXICO, these stores do not offer after-sale services. suggesting that there is a market opportunity of individuals that ILUMEXICO could include in its customer network. To realize this opportunity, ILUMEXICO, can invite its existing customers to participate in a referral program. Research Activities: The comparative study research conducted in rural Campeche. Mexico (see our report. Lighting the Way Forward in Rural Mexico). revealed fundamental differences between ILUMEXICO's customer network and the government solar program recipients. One hundred percent of ILUMEXICO customers who were interviewed in the Campeche communities during the comparative study would recommend ILUMEXICO's products and services to others in their community. Furthermore. many said they have already recommended ILUMEXICO to others. However. currently there isn't a system in place to track/monitor if ILUMEXICO's customers are actually referring the product and service. or that others are buying from ILUMEXICO based on those referrals. Deliverable Description: This report offers case studies of how other social enterprises. in similar situations to ILUMEXICO, were able to expand their customer. It then outlines next steps ILUMEXICO could take to obtain the necessary information that will inform a design of a successful referral program. The report suggests two possible avenues for starting and implementing a referral program.

La recherche-action-participative Capdroits vise à réduire les inégalités de pouvoir inhérentes aux injustices épistémiques en proposant des modalités de recherche symétrisant les savoirs des personnes concernées par des situations de handicap, de maladie ou de dépendances, des acteur·e·s de la relation d'aide et de soin (proches ou professionnel·le·s), et des professionnel·le·s de la recherche en sciences sociales et juridiques. Elle repose sur des principes de réciprocité, d'empowerment, et d'identification de gains. Nous nous centrons dans cet article sur l'une des étapes centrales des pratiques de recherche, à savoir celles de leurs publications et des enjeux d'auteurisation qui soulèvent des questions de reconnaissance scientifique et politique. Nos analyses reposent sur une forme d'auto-ethnographie collective.

The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a quarantine organism in the European Union and the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD), a serious threat to pine forests worldwide, leading to rapid decline and death. In Europe, this invasive pest was first reported in Portugal in 1999, on Pinus pinaster. Due to its economic importance and worldwide distribution, an enormous effort has been devoted to research on B. xylophilus and PWD. However, relating the presence and abundance of this pest with actual forest decline and mortality is not straightforward. In the present work, we assess the interaction between B. xylophilus populations and pine decline at the tree and landscape level. To test this, we determined PWN population densities from different sections of healthy and declining P. pinaster – considered very susceptible to PWN – and P. pinea – considered resistant, in two consecutive years. The studied site was Herdade da Apostiça (Sesimbra, Portugal), a 4 thousand ha forest that exhibits areas of moderate to severe decline. An approximate 500 m long transect was set in four different areas of the experimental site, along which healthy and declining P. pinaster trees were randomly selected. Wood samples from lower (DBH), middle (M) and upper (T) sections of trees were retrieved whenever possible, and kept in individual plastic bags to avoid cross contamination. Twigs from the canopy were also sampled. When present, samples from P. pinea were collected as well. Nematodes were extracted from wood material using a modified Baermann tray method, and counted under a stereoscopic microscope. With only few exceptions, M and T sections consistently displayed the lowest PWN densities, although samples collected at breast height (DBH) also had relatively low numbers of B. xylophilus. On the other hand, twigs had the highest numbers of nematodes in all areas. Surprisingly, nematodes were extracted from the canopy of apparently healthy P. pinaster trees, including the PWN, although in low densities. Expectedly, areas with no visible tree decline had low population densities of B. xylophilus, and declining trees tended to present higher numbers. P. pinea samples were mostly free of the PWN. To further understand the complex dynamics shaping pine forest decline caused by the PWN, more sampling will be carried out in the upcoming months. This will allow us to build predictive models on the spread and damage of PWD.

Cette contribution présente une réflexion sur les transformations de l'offre médico-sociale à partir d'expériences et de pratiques partagées par quatre professionnels qui ont nourri le livret contributif Capdroits sur l'autonomie de vie comme droit humain. Il s'agit de mieux comprendre d'où vient la force transformatrice de l'offre médico-sociale et comment elle nécessite une incarnation par des professionnels, une actualisation et une traduction des idéaux dans des dispositifs visant à changer les pratiques.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Data on associations between cannabis use and psychopathology, cognition and functional impairment in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) is controversial. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> To examine the effect of cannabis on psychopathology, cognition and real-world functioning in SSD patients. <b><i>Method:</i></b> Naturalistic cross-sectional study, 123 clinically stable SSD outpatients. <i>Assessment:</i> demographic and clinical data, psychometric evaluation: Positive and Negative Syndrome, Hamilton Depression Rating, Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Personal and Social Performance and Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) scales. Patients were classified as cannabis user patients (CUP) and non cannabis user patients (NCUP) according to self-report, both lifetime and last year. Statistical analysis: chi-square, Student <i>t</i> test, ANOVA (Duncan post hoc), and general linear model analysis for adjusting for antipsychotic doses. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Mean age 40.75, 66.7% male, single (66.7%), prior hospital admissions 2.75, mean length of illness 13.85 years. 53.7% were lifetime cannabis users and 8.9% last year users. Lifetime CUP had more hospitalizations (<i>p</i> = 0.013) at a younger age (<i>p</i> = 0.002), and showed better cognitive functioning globally (CGI-C: <i>p</i> = 0.045) and on working memory and processing speed (SCIP-2: <i>p</i> = 0.039; SCIP-5: <i>p</i> = 0.033) and worse functioning in socially useful activities (<i>p</i> = 0.014) than NCUP. All these differences remained after adjusting for antipsychotic doses. Last year cannabis users had worse mood (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 9.66 vs. 5.64; <i>p</i> = 0.002), but this difference disappears when adjusting for antipsychotic doses. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Lifetime cannabis use is associated with better working memory and processing speed and worse real-world functioning in the area of socially useful activities in patients with schizophrenia-related disorders. Clinicians should, therefore, be aware of it to provide patient-centred care in their daily clinical practice.

Government of the Principality of Asturias [PCTI-2018-2022 IDI/2018/235]; CIBERSAM; Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)

This research was partially supported by grants FIS PI14/02029 and PI17/01433 (PI: PS) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), by the Government of the Principality of Asturias PCTI-2018-2022 IDI/2018/235. Finally, LF-T, AV, and CM-C received Severo Ochoa grants (PA-17-PF-B16-179, PA-18-PF-BP17-177, and PA-19-PF-BP-19-050, respectively) from the Government of the Principality ofAsturias.