This document is a thesis submitted by SSgt James P. Sankey to the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University examining policy recommendations for commercially operated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the United States. It notes the lack of current regulation for small, commercially operated UAVs and the potential risks this poses. The thesis will analyze different policy options for regulating UAV equipment, operators, and enforcement to address this issue in a way that balances business and national security interests. It employs qualitative historical analysis to examine previous studies and cases on integrating UAVs into the national airspace system to inform its policy recommendations.
Rainer Hansen is a South African civil engineer who graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2015. He has worked as a junior engineer for HOCHTIEF since 2016, where he has assisted on projects in South America and Norway. Hansen also completed internships with Agrico in 2015 and Blueconsult in 2014, gaining experience in design, analysis, and project management. He is trilingual in English, German, and Afrikaans and includes his contact information, education history, skills, and references.
This document discusses APIs and integration solutions. It introduces OpenLegacy, which is described as the world's first automated application integration and delivery solution. OpenLegacy allows organizations to generate APIs from existing applications in days instead of months, dramatically reducing costs. It provides a one stop shop for integration that is secure, scalable, and reduces risks and costs associated with traditional integration projects.
This review summarizes evidence from 91 studies on the effectiveness of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) approaches to improve nutrition behaviors during the first 1,000 days. Key findings include:
1) SBCC approaches can improve women's dietary intake during pregnancy/lactation, breastfeeding practices, and complementary feeding, though evidence is still limited for dietary practices.
2) Interpersonal communication was the most common SBCC approach used alone or combined with other strategies.
3) While media and community mobilization were used, they were always combined with another approach like interpersonal communication.
4) Implementation strategies varied greatly between studies in terms of interactions with other interventions, target groups, and content.
Rajendra Prasad has over 15 years of experience in retail management roles across various sectors like FMCG, cosmetics, and fresh goods. He is currently looking for a challenging retail managerial position. He has a proven track record of maximizing sales and profitability through excellent customer service and effective retail space management. His experience includes roles as Duty Manager at Metro Cash and Carry, Manager of Fresh Categories at Bharti Walmart, and Assistant Store Manager at Food Bazaar. He has received several awards and accomplishments for achievements like sales targets, inventory management, and staff leadership.
Top 10 security risks for mobile backend developersJiri Danihelka
The document outlines the top 10 security risks for mobile backend developers. These include: 1) SQL injection, 2) cross-site scripting and JavaScript injection, 3) broken authentication and session management, 4) insecure direct object references, 5) cross-site request forgery, 6) security misconfiguration, 7) insecure cryptographic storage, 8) failure to restrict URL access, 9) insufficient transport layer protection, and 10) unvalidated redirects and forwards. For each risk, the document provides recommendations on how to mitigate those risks.
This document is a thesis submitted by SSgt James P. Sankey to the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University examining policy recommendations for commercially operated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the United States. It notes the lack of current regulation for small, commercially operated UAVs and the potential risks this poses. The thesis will analyze different policy options for regulating UAV equipment, operators, and enforcement to address this issue in a way that balances business and national security interests. It employs qualitative historical analysis to examine previous studies and cases on integrating UAVs into the national airspace system to inform its policy recommendations.
Rainer Hansen is a South African civil engineer who graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2015. He has worked as a junior engineer for HOCHTIEF since 2016, where he has assisted on projects in South America and Norway. Hansen also completed internships with Agrico in 2015 and Blueconsult in 2014, gaining experience in design, analysis, and project management. He is trilingual in English, German, and Afrikaans and includes his contact information, education history, skills, and references.
This document discusses APIs and integration solutions. It introduces OpenLegacy, which is described as the world's first automated application integration and delivery solution. OpenLegacy allows organizations to generate APIs from existing applications in days instead of months, dramatically reducing costs. It provides a one stop shop for integration that is secure, scalable, and reduces risks and costs associated with traditional integration projects.
This review summarizes evidence from 91 studies on the effectiveness of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) approaches to improve nutrition behaviors during the first 1,000 days. Key findings include:
1) SBCC approaches can improve women's dietary intake during pregnancy/lactation, breastfeeding practices, and complementary feeding, though evidence is still limited for dietary practices.
2) Interpersonal communication was the most common SBCC approach used alone or combined with other strategies.
3) While media and community mobilization were used, they were always combined with another approach like interpersonal communication.
4) Implementation strategies varied greatly between studies in terms of interactions with other interventions, target groups, and content.
Rajendra Prasad has over 15 years of experience in retail management roles across various sectors like FMCG, cosmetics, and fresh goods. He is currently looking for a challenging retail managerial position. He has a proven track record of maximizing sales and profitability through excellent customer service and effective retail space management. His experience includes roles as Duty Manager at Metro Cash and Carry, Manager of Fresh Categories at Bharti Walmart, and Assistant Store Manager at Food Bazaar. He has received several awards and accomplishments for achievements like sales targets, inventory management, and staff leadership.
Top 10 security risks for mobile backend developersJiri Danihelka
The document outlines the top 10 security risks for mobile backend developers. These include: 1) SQL injection, 2) cross-site scripting and JavaScript injection, 3) broken authentication and session management, 4) insecure direct object references, 5) cross-site request forgery, 6) security misconfiguration, 7) insecure cryptographic storage, 8) failure to restrict URL access, 9) insufficient transport layer protection, and 10) unvalidated redirects and forwards. For each risk, the document provides recommendations on how to mitigate those risks.
The study aimed to identify feasible complementary feeding practices for caregivers in Malawi during the lean season when food insecurity is highest. Through a Trials of Improved Practices methodology with 36 caregivers, the study found that it is feasible to improve practices in four key areas: providing vegetables, fruits, fats, and increasing food quantities. While most caregivers could not increase animal-source foods, alternative protein sources like legumes and groundnuts were acceptable. Fathers also played an important role in trialing improved practices by providing financial and food resources. The findings will inform the development of behavior change materials to promote improved infant feeding during lean seasons.
This document summarizes the findings of a documentation exercise on the integrated community case management (iCCM) program in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It provides background on the iCCM approach and an overview of the DRC program. Key findings from analyzing data collected through document reviews, interviews, and focus groups at national, regional, district and community levels are presented. The analysis identified successes of the DRC program including strong leadership and coordination, effective technical documents, and integrated management of major childhood illnesses at community sites. It also noted bottlenecks such as the lack of a long-term extension plan and weakening advocacy. The document concludes with lessons learned that may help other countries implement iCCM programs, such as establishing supportive policies
This document introduces a toolkit for mapping the nutrition workforce. It was created by SPRING to help countries strengthen their capacity to deliver effective nutrition actions. The toolkit provides guidance and tools to assess the size, composition, qualifications and roles of the nutrition workforce within the health sector at the national, district, facility and individual provider levels. This data can then be used to develop strategies to strengthen the workforce and scale up nutrition programs. While focused on the health sector, the approach could also be adapted to assess the workforce delivering nutrition-sensitive actions across other sectors.
The document discusses the current scale of microfinance globally based on data from various sources. It estimates that there are around 30-50 million borrowers served by the core group of microfinance institutions. Another 25 million people are involved in Indian self-help groups, and millions more are served by government institutions. Demand is believed to far exceed current supply. Microfinance has developed unevenly across regions, with the largest outreach in South Asia, followed by East Asia and Latin America. Average loan sizes vary significantly by region from under $100 in South Asia to over $2,000 in Eastern Europe.
This document summarizes a study on integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses in Senegal. It documents best practices and bottlenecks in implementing iCCM programs. The study used document review, interviews, focus groups and observations to examine Senegal's iCCM program. It provides a historical overview of iCCM in Senegal from 1967-2010 and discusses findings related to coordination, financing, human resources, supply chain management, service delivery, and communication/social mobilization. The document aims to inform further strengthening of Senegal's iCCM program.
This document presents pathways between SBCC delivery strategies and improved maternal, infant, and young child nutrition practices. It introduces a conceptual framework that shows how SBCC can target different populations to address behavioral determinants and improve nutrition practices and status. The framework includes evidence-based high-impact nutrition practices in five areas: dietary practices during pregnancy/lactation, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, anemia prevention/control, and WASH. It then outlines key determinants of behavior change and SBCC delivery strategies like community mobilization, BCC, and advocacy. The document provides citations supporting the prioritized nutrition practices and refers readers to additional evidence on effective SBCC approaches on the SPRING website.
This document summarizes a systematic review of 117 peer-reviewed articles on social and behavior change communication (SBCC) approaches to improving maternal, infant, and young child nutrition practices. The review found that:
- Interpersonal communication approaches, like home visits and peer counseling, were the most commonly used and consistently reported some of the greatest positive changes in nutrition practices.
- Over half of the interventions targeted only one audience, such as pregnant/lactating women or caregivers.
- A variety of SBCC approaches have been found effective depending on context, including timing, frequency, intensity, duration and quality of the intervention.
- Further research is still needed to evaluate the relative effectiveness, complementarity and costs of
SPRING developed a tool to map the nutrition workforce in high malnutrition burden countries. The tool captures the numbers and types of personnel working in nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions at different levels. It matches interventions from national nutrition plans to high impact interventions identified by Lancet and WHO. The draft tool populates a matrix with interventions and the range of providers offering services at different levels. It will provide a comprehensive picture of the workforce engaged in nutrition and inform resource allocation decisions. The tool is designed to quantify skilled workers needed to serve communities and encourage translating policy into measurable objectives.
The study aimed to identify feasible complementary feeding practices for caregivers in Malawi during the lean season when food insecurity is highest. Through a Trials of Improved Practices methodology with 36 caregivers, the study found that it is feasible to improve practices in four key areas: providing vegetables, fruits, fats, and increasing food quantities. While most caregivers could not increase animal-source foods, alternative protein sources like legumes and groundnuts were acceptable. Fathers also played an important role in trialing improved practices by providing financial and food resources. The findings will inform the development of behavior change materials to promote improved infant feeding during lean seasons.
This document summarizes the findings of a documentation exercise on the integrated community case management (iCCM) program in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It provides background on the iCCM approach and an overview of the DRC program. Key findings from analyzing data collected through document reviews, interviews, and focus groups at national, regional, district and community levels are presented. The analysis identified successes of the DRC program including strong leadership and coordination, effective technical documents, and integrated management of major childhood illnesses at community sites. It also noted bottlenecks such as the lack of a long-term extension plan and weakening advocacy. The document concludes with lessons learned that may help other countries implement iCCM programs, such as establishing supportive policies
This document introduces a toolkit for mapping the nutrition workforce. It was created by SPRING to help countries strengthen their capacity to deliver effective nutrition actions. The toolkit provides guidance and tools to assess the size, composition, qualifications and roles of the nutrition workforce within the health sector at the national, district, facility and individual provider levels. This data can then be used to develop strategies to strengthen the workforce and scale up nutrition programs. While focused on the health sector, the approach could also be adapted to assess the workforce delivering nutrition-sensitive actions across other sectors.
The document discusses the current scale of microfinance globally based on data from various sources. It estimates that there are around 30-50 million borrowers served by the core group of microfinance institutions. Another 25 million people are involved in Indian self-help groups, and millions more are served by government institutions. Demand is believed to far exceed current supply. Microfinance has developed unevenly across regions, with the largest outreach in South Asia, followed by East Asia and Latin America. Average loan sizes vary significantly by region from under $100 in South Asia to over $2,000 in Eastern Europe.
This document summarizes a study on integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses in Senegal. It documents best practices and bottlenecks in implementing iCCM programs. The study used document review, interviews, focus groups and observations to examine Senegal's iCCM program. It provides a historical overview of iCCM in Senegal from 1967-2010 and discusses findings related to coordination, financing, human resources, supply chain management, service delivery, and communication/social mobilization. The document aims to inform further strengthening of Senegal's iCCM program.
This document presents pathways between SBCC delivery strategies and improved maternal, infant, and young child nutrition practices. It introduces a conceptual framework that shows how SBCC can target different populations to address behavioral determinants and improve nutrition practices and status. The framework includes evidence-based high-impact nutrition practices in five areas: dietary practices during pregnancy/lactation, breastfeeding, complementary feeding, anemia prevention/control, and WASH. It then outlines key determinants of behavior change and SBCC delivery strategies like community mobilization, BCC, and advocacy. The document provides citations supporting the prioritized nutrition practices and refers readers to additional evidence on effective SBCC approaches on the SPRING website.
This document summarizes a systematic review of 117 peer-reviewed articles on social and behavior change communication (SBCC) approaches to improving maternal, infant, and young child nutrition practices. The review found that:
- Interpersonal communication approaches, like home visits and peer counseling, were the most commonly used and consistently reported some of the greatest positive changes in nutrition practices.
- Over half of the interventions targeted only one audience, such as pregnant/lactating women or caregivers.
- A variety of SBCC approaches have been found effective depending on context, including timing, frequency, intensity, duration and quality of the intervention.
- Further research is still needed to evaluate the relative effectiveness, complementarity and costs of
SPRING developed a tool to map the nutrition workforce in high malnutrition burden countries. The tool captures the numbers and types of personnel working in nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions at different levels. It matches interventions from national nutrition plans to high impact interventions identified by Lancet and WHO. The draft tool populates a matrix with interventions and the range of providers offering services at different levels. It will provide a comprehensive picture of the workforce engaged in nutrition and inform resource allocation decisions. The tool is designed to quantify skilled workers needed to serve communities and encourage translating policy into measurable objectives.
1. Understanding “scale-up” for more purposeful and
effective use of systems thinking to improve nutrition
Alexis D’Agostino, Meghan Anson, Anu Narayan, Tim Williams
While many groups have attempted to
define “scale-up,” little research has been
done to determine how these definitions
affect, or don’t, implementation. Nutrition
is a special case for scale-up work since it
is not encompassed by any one sector, but
requires an interconnection between the
health and food systems. Additionally,
effective scale-up of nutrition requires an
in-depth of understanding of how these
systems work together to affect nutrition.
The USAID-funded Strengthening
Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in
Nutrition Globally (SPRING) project
conducted research to understand how
implementers understand scale-up and
how that understanding may be shaping
the way nutrition work is being carried out.
SPRING conducted interviews with USAID
nutrition project staff based in home and
country offices. Data from these interviews
were analyzed, using SPRING’s conceptual
framework of nutrition scale-up, to
determine how understanding of “scale-up”
affects the development and
implementation of nutrition programming,
especially when scale-up is an explicitly
named objective. Many thanks to the
projects that participated in the exercise:
ACCESO, Community Connector, FANTA III,
LIFT II, MCHIP, Mwanzo Bora, SHIKHA,
SPRING, Suaahara, TOPS, Yaajeende.
BACKGROUND
RESULTS
METHODS
Scholars generally agree that scale-up
encompasses more than just coverage, but
also issues of equity, quality, and
sustainability.* All of these issues depend
heavily on the interactions projects have
with the systems within which they are
operating. However, without a common
understanding of the term that includes
this broader view of scale-up, nutrition
projects are stymied in their ability to
develop programs that appropriately
incorporate scale, monitor those programs,
or achieve the scale-up they aim for.
Effective systems-thinking can help
projects address some of these challenges.
Overall, projects reported that there is a
lack of evidence on how best to reach scale
in nutrition and the approaches and types
of scale-up processes that are best for
nutrition work. On a related note, projects
do not agree on what integration does (or
should) look like as an effort to support
program scale-up. This is not surprising
considering that integration for a nutrition
project requires interactions with multiple
systems, including health, agriculture, etc.
Projects do agree, however, that current
M&E processes and metrics are insufficient
for measuring scale-up. With its role in
defining mandates as well as reporting
processes, USAID has the influence to
affect how projects understand, approach,
prioritize, and implement programs to
reach scale.
* For more reading on this topic, see SPRING’s Working Paper “Defining scale-up
of nutrition projects” on the SPRING website: http://www.spring-nutrition.org/
publications/briefs/defining-scale-nutrition-projects.
CONCLUSIONS
www.spring-nutrition.org
Kenya
Tanzania
Malawi
SenegalHonduras
Uganda
Nepal
Bangladesh
11 USAID-funded projects
– 5 centrally funded
– 6 bilaterals
22 interviews with staff from home
offices and 8 different countries
Regional/Global Institutions
National Organizations
and Institutions
Local Organizations
and Institutions
Families, Neighborhoods,
and Communities
VERTICAL
SPRING’S CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR SCALE-UP
Group A Group B Group C
HORIZONTAL FUNCTIONAL
Area A
Area B Area C
Equity
Proven
Efficacy
Sustainability
Quality
COMPONENTS
OF SCALE-UP
HOW PROJECTS TALK ABOUT
SCALE-UP
Many have a general
understanding…
“Scaling -up is identifying what
works and making sure that as many
people as possible have access
to those tools, technologies or
approaches.”
…But it is not shared by all…
“Scale-up is one of those terms that
people maybe throw around a little
too lightly…Something we all claim
we understand…without stopping to
define.”
…And it depends on the project’s
mandate…
“We can only take [scale-up] so far
because it is based on whatever our
contracts have asked us to do.”
…Which might not stay constant
over the life of the project.
“As a program matures you learn
more about scale…it’s not just scal-
ing-up technical interventions but
you also need to think about delivery
systems.”
2) IMPLEMENTATION
Integration: “Integration is everything when it comes to moving the bar on nutri-
tion,” versus “programming works even when there isn’t full integration.”
Partnership: “Nobody can get credit for working together.”
3) INSTITUTIONS
Government: “Implementing …at district and village level, it’s a different game.”
Donors: “Develop new ways of examining success...talk less about more and more
about better.”
4) Environment
Reach/Targets: “If you are only focused on rapid scale-up… [you are] going to miss
something.”
Knowledge/Learning: “It feels like you’re recreating the wheel every time.”
Theory: “Scale-up is not the end—scaling-up is the means.”
1) INPUTS
Capacity: “Changing behaviors at scale takes a skillset.”
Funding: “We could do everything at scale if we had the money.”
Timing: “Doing sustainable work…requires a structure that takes time to develop.”
CHALLENGES THAT PROJECTS IDENTIFY IN EFFECTIVELY
SCALING UP NUTRITION
TYPES OF SCALE-UP
While horizontal scale-up was the most
commonly mentioned, most projects
reported implementing multiple types of
scale-up in their nutrition programming, as
well as addressing multiple components of
scale-up. Lacking an official definition,
most nutrition projects rely on unofficial or
personal understandings of scale-up.
Unclear descriptions of scale-up lead to
non-uniform methods for tracking and
monitoring scale-up work, that may only
illustrate limited aspects of scale-up, such
as coverage. In addition, this lack of a
definition doesn’t allow projects to
effectively incorporate the systems thinking
necessary to identify forces that will act as
barriers or influencers to scale-up
interventions.