Footbridge for the School of El Yomo in El Salvador

Author(s):  
Thomas Allen ◽  
Javier Cañada Pérez-Sala ◽  
Constantina Coureas ◽  
Grace Porter ◽  
Javier Sánchez Fernández ◽  
...  

<p>The El Salvador Project is a student-led initiative born in 2001 at Imperial College London that provides simple and effective engineering solutions to rural communities in El Salvador. The projects are developed in close collaboration with the Salvadorian NGO REDES and the UK-based charity Engage for Development. This paper presents the work developed over the summer 2019, when a footbridge was constructed for the School of the community of El Yomo, in the town of Alegría. The footbridge was intended to restore the path connecting the main settlement with the local school, which heavy rainfall had eroded in the previous years forming an impassable ravine. The footbridge was designed as a 15 m long steel truss beam supported on masonry walls. The construction was a collective effort. The main challenges faced during construction were the unexpected conditions of the site, the unreliable supply of materials and the lack of means for excavation, lifting and auxiliary constructions. The success of the project relied considerably on the knowledge of the local workers. The involvement of the community helped develop a feeling of ownership over the project which has resulted in a strong commitment in its maintenance since the opening. The footbridge was enthusiastically inaugurated by the community and has provided the children of El Yomo with a safer and faster route to their school, based on a comprehensive risk management approach.</p>

Author(s):  
NG Mowbray ◽  
L Hurt ◽  
A Powell-Chandler ◽  
N Reeves ◽  
S Chandler ◽  
...  

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic stimulated a national lockdown in the UK. The public were advised to avoid unnecessary hospital attendances and health professionals were advised to avoid aerosol-generating procedures wherever possible. The authors hypothesised that these measures would result in a reduction in the number of patients presenting to hospital with acute appendicitis and alter treatment choices. Methods A multicentred, prospective observational study was undertaken during April 2020 to identify adults treated for acute appendicitis. Searches of operative and radiological records were performed to identify patients treated during April 2018 and April 2019 for comparison. Results A total of 190 patients were treated for acute appendicitis pre-lockdown compared with 64 patients treated during lockdown. Patients treated during the pandemic were more likely to have a higher American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score (p = 0.049) and to have delayed their presentation to hospital (2 versus 3 days, p = 0.03). During the lockdown, the use of computed tomography (CT) increased from 36.3% to 85.9% (p < 0.001), the use of an antibiotic-only approach increased from 6.2% to 40.6% (p < 0.001) and the rate of laparoscopic appendicectomy reduced from 85.3% to 17.2% (p < 0.001). The negative appendicectomy rate decreased from 21.7% to 7.1% during lockdown (p < 0.001). Conclusions The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with a decreased incidence of acute appendicitis and a significant shift in the management approach. The increased use of CT allows the identification of simple appendicitis for conservative treatment and decreases the negative appendicectomy rate.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (15) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Patricia Castro Fuentes

Este artículo presenta resultados de la investigación «Género y migración: Recomposición Familiar», que fue llevada a cabo en los municipios de Comalapa y Concepción Quezaltepeque del Departamento de Chalatenango, en El Salvador; cuyo trabajo de campo se realizó entre 2009 y 2010. De esa investigación se ha retomado el análisis del fenómeno migratorio que experimenta El Salvador desde la perspectiva de la hibridación cultural, y se centra en la vida cotidiana de los municipios antes mencionados con la intención de comparar las dinámicas culturales que se establecen en ambos, tomando en cuenta que en el primero las personas migran hacia EUA y en el segundo mayoritariamente a Italia.   MIGRATION AND SOCIOCULTURAL CHANGE IN TWO RURAL COMMUNITIES FROM CHALATENANGO, EL SALVADORABSTRACTThis article presents results from the piece of research titled «Gender and Migration: Family Recomposition.» This study was conducted in the municipalities of Comalapa and Concepción Quezaltepeque in Chalatenango, El Salvador. Fieldwork was carried out between 2009 and 2010. The analysis of the migration phenomenon experienced in El Salvador has been taken from this piece of research. This analysis was made from a cultural hybridization perspective and focuses on the everyday life in the aforementioned municipalities. The intention is to compare the cultural dynamics established between the two, taking into consideration that in the former, people migrate to the USA, whereas in the latter they mostly migrate to Italy.


Author(s):  
Michael Hardman ◽  
Mags Adams ◽  
Melissa Barker ◽  
Luke Beesley

With the concept of Urban Agriculture (UA) growing in popularity, more cities and towns are exploring opportunities to enable the practice and transform neglected spaces into havens for produce. This chapter provides an insight into one such town, Todmorden and its Incredible Edible movement, located in the heart of England. This chapter adopts a qualitative approach to critically exploring the IET movement and to understand its impact on Todmorden. We engaged with key actors and the public in order to ascertain views towards the schemes, analysing the positives and negatives of the model. Findings revealed that the scheme has an overwhelmingly positive impact on the town, with social, environmental and economic benefits. Furthermore, it was made clear that IET is helping to create a more just food movement in Todmorden, particularly through its free for all philosophy. However, some negatives were also highlighted during the course of the research, predominately around maintenance issues and a lack of perceived inclusivity in parts. Overall, the scheme was highly valued and seen as a powerful method for growing the wider UA movement; recommendations centred on further replicating the model and helping local food to prosper in similar locations globally.


Author(s):  
Mark Jewell ◽  
Derek H.T. Walker

This chapter provides insights from a large UK construction organisation case study where communities of practice have been supported through use of a software tool and management approach that encourages their spread across the organisation. We provide a descriptive characterisation of what the community of practice (COP) software tool does, how it evolved, and anecdotal evidence from interviews with its users of its value to the UK case study organisation. We recognise the need to investigate COP value generation more formally, and we have developed a research proposal to undertake further work in a collaborative study with industry to provide useful COP performance measures to be undertaken. This chapter provides valuable insights from several years’ reflection upon the tool’s use and application, and we highlight both drivers and barriers to its deployment. The objective was to provide a practical example of what COP management tools could and should address.


Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Anna E. Chalkley ◽  
Ash C. Routen ◽  
Jo P. Harris ◽  
Lorraine A. Cale ◽  
Trish Gorely ◽  
...  

The adoption of school-based running programs has rapidly increased over the last five years in the UK and globally. However, there is currently a lack of information on how these initiatives are implemented, and whether they are generalizable and/or sustainable. This study evaluated the implementation (including reach, fidelity, and dose) of a school-based running program over seven months to inform future delivery. This observational study used a mixed-method, single-group, before-and-after design strengthened by multiple interim measurements to evaluate the implementation of an optional school-based running program. Five state-funded primary schools in Leicestershire, UK, participated, with 17 teachers and 189 (81 boys (47.4%) and 90 girls (52.6%)) Year 5 pupils (aged 9–10 years) from eight classes. During the 2016/2017 academic year, data were collected via several measures (including interviews, focus groups, observations, questionnaires, and teacher implementation logs) at multiple levels (i.e., school and individual) and at multiple time points during implementation. Follow up qualitative data were also collected during 2017/2018. The school-based running program achieved good reach, with 100% of pupils opting to participate at some point during the academic year. All schools implemented the program with good fidelity, although the level of implementation varied between schools and over time. The average number of sessions held per week ranged from 0.94–3.89 with the average distance accumulated per pupil per week ranging from 0.02 to 2.91 kilometers and boys being more likely than girls to be classed as high-level participators. Despite an initial drop off in participation over time, all schools remained engaged in the program and continued to implement it until the end of the school year. Contextual features (e.g., staff capacity and resources) differed between schools and influenced the quality of implementation and the frequency of delivery. The school-based running program is simple, inexpensive, and versatile and can be implemented by schools with relative ease. However, schools are diverse settings, with unique challenges to ongoing delivery. Thus, planned adaptations, specific to each school’s context, are likely necessary to sustain participation in the longer term and should be considered prior to implementation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 249-249
Author(s):  
H Prosser

The work of the UK Climate Change Commission (UKCCC) in recommending targets and options for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is focusing attention on what agriculture and land use can contribute to deliver these targets. Although overall the major issue is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from energy use, agriculture and land use are significant emitters of methane and nitrous oxide. UKCCC has identified three main routes by which emissions can be reduced• Lifestyle change with less reliance on carbon intensive produce -eg switching from sheep, and beef to pig, poultry and vegetables.• Changing farm practices – eg to improve use of fertilisers and manures• Using new technology on farms – eg modifying rumen processes, anaerobic digestion.


2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Dyrness ◽  
Enrique Sepúlveda, III

In this article, Dyrness and Sepúlveda argue that in El Salvador, young people are participants in a diasporic social imaginary that connects them with Salvadorans and other Latinos in the United States—before they have ever left the country. The authors explore how this transnational relationship manifests in two school communities in San Salvador: a private school long recognized as a gateway to the elite and a public school serving one of the most violent and impoverished urban marginalized communities in San Salvador. Focusing on two different contexts of socialization—“homeboy” expressive culture and school-based English instruction—they argue that both groups of students were experiencing contradictory forces of cultural socialization that are characteristic of the diaspora.


Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Robinson ◽  
Crystal S. Lim ◽  
Elizabeth Hinton ◽  
Irene Pintado ◽  
Abigail Gamble ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Alan Barrell ◽  
Joanne Hsu

Shanghai Energy Corporation—SHEnergy Group, a major Chinese enterprise in energy provision and the development of continuous improvements in energy conservation within urban development, is undertaking a major initiative in establishing the Shanghai International Energy Innovation Centre (SIEIC). Within the programme, study visits to London and Cambridge in the UK led to a decision to seek close collaboration with established and mature centres of excellence in technology transfer and the support of new company development and scale up, providing the rapid transfer of methodology and process and in addition to establishing longer term connections and relationships enabling the identification, curation, funding and eventual adoption of promising new technology from Cambridgexf and other UK and Western centres by SIEIC—in ways bringing benefits to all parties.


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