scholarly journals Researcher perspectives on challenges and opportunities in conservation physiology revealed from an online survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine L Madliger ◽  
Oliver P Love ◽  
Vivian M Nguyen ◽  
Neal R Haddaway ◽  
Steven J Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Reference Ranges ◽  
Conservation Science ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Conservation Physiology ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Abstract Conservation physiology represents a recently emerging arm of conservation science that applies physiological tools and techniques to understand and solve conservation issues. While a multi-disciplinary toolbox can only help to address the global biodiversity crisis, any field can face challenges while becoming established, particularly highly applied disciplines that require multi-stakeholder involvement. Gaining first-hand knowledge of the challenges that conservation physiologists are facing can help characterize the current state of the field and build a better foundation for determining how it can grow. Through an online survey of 468 scientists working at the intersection of physiology and conservation, we aimed to identify characteristics of those engaging in conservation physiology research (e.g. demographics, primary taxa of study), gauge conservation physiology’s role in contributing to on-the-ground conservation action, identify the perceived barriers to achieving success and determine how difficult any identified barriers are to overcome. Despite all participants having experience combining physiology and conservation, only one-third considered themselves to be ‘conservation physiologists’. Moreover, there was a general perception that conservation physiology does not yet regularly lead to tangible conservation success. Respondents identified the recent conceptualization of the field and the broader issue of adequately translating science into management action as the primary reasons for these deficits. Other significant barriers that respondents have faced when integrating physiology and conservation science included a lack of funding, logistical constraints (e.g. sample sizes, obtaining permits) and a lack of physiological baseline data (i.e. reference ranges of a physiological metric’s ‘normal’ or pre-environmental change levels). We identified 12 actions based on suggestions of survey participants that we anticipate will help deconstruct the barriers and continue to develop a narrative of physiology that is relevant to conservation science, policy and practice.

Effective Conservation Science

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Conservation Science ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Service Programs ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Effective Conservation

This book gathers together 28 personal stories told by leading thinkers and practitioners in conservation – all of whom have something to say about the uncomfortable tension that arises when data meet dogma. Together, they make a powerful argument for conservation science that measures effectiveness and evolves in response to new data, rather than clinging to its treasured foundational ideas. Several chapters raise doubts about some of conservation’s core tenets, including the notion that habitat fragmentation is bad for biodiversity, biodiversity declines are threatening ecosystem function, non-native species are a net negative for conservation, and fisheries management is failing. Another set of chapters warns of the potent power of conservation narratives: undeniably useful to inspire conservation action, but potentially dangerous in locking in thinking against contrary data. These chapters challenge iconic stories about GM crops, orangutans in oil palm forests, frog feminization, salmon versus dams, rehabilitating oiled otters, and wolves in Yellowstone. A final set of chapters addresses conceptual and methodological approaches such as environmental tipping points, global assessments, payment for ecosystem service programs, and working with corporations. Throughout, examples of confirmation bias emerge—not as dishonesty, but as a human foible that is a challenge for all science, not just conservation science. Graduate students, in particular, will find a wealth of ideas to inspire their own research. Each chapter points to additional data that could help resolve lingering debates and improve conservation effectiveness.

scholarly journals Dyads in Dementia Care: An International Perspective on Research Challenges and Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 757-757
Author(s):  
Marie Boltz ◽  
Karin Wolf-Ostermann ◽  
Katie Maslow
Keyword(s):  
Daily Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Informal Carers

Abstract Dementia poses a societal challenge that is life-changing not only for persons with dementia (PWD) but also for family members and friends (informal carers) directly involved in the care arrangement. Informal carers (IC) have typically poorer outcomes in terms of well-being, quality of life (QoL), health status, and use of health care resources. Dyads of PWD and IC living with dementia are characterized by strong reciprocal relationships and complex living contexts. Therefore, research should investigate home based dementia caregiving from a dyadic perspective to yield interventions that support the PWD, the IC, and the unit as a whole. However, it is an ongoing challenge to investigate dyadic needs and preferences in daily practice and develop effective interventions. Challenges are related to incomplete understanding of dyadic characteristics, attitudes and beliefs within the dyad, as well as how to adapt research approach to engage and retain the dyad in research. This international symposium will therefore address these issues. The first presentation will describe a typology of dementia care dyad characteristics and needs in Germany. The second presentation will examine the challenges and opportunities associated with recruiting and retaining dementia dyads. The third presentation will explore ethical challenges posed in communication with dyads and possible solutions for the researcher. The final presentation reports on the Meeting Centre Support Program as an example of an effective psychosocial intervention employing research strategies that transcend cultural barriers. Our discussant, Katie Maslow, will synthesize the presentations and lead a discussion of future directions for policy and practice.

scholarly journals Applied Research, Diffractive Methodology, and the Research-Assemblage: Challenges and Opportunities

2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042110299
Author(s):  
Nick J Fox ◽  
Pam Alldred
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Representational Approach ◽  
Oriented Research

This article offers a critical assessment of the challenges for policy- and practice-oriented social research of ‘diffractive methodology’ (DM): a post-representational approach to data analysis gaining interest among social researchers. Diffractive analyses read data from empirical research alongside other materials – including researchers’ perspectives, memories, experiences, and emotions – to provide novel insights on events. While this analytical approach acknowledges the situatedness of all research data, it raises issues concerning the applicability of findings for policy or practice. In addition, it does not elucidate in what ways and to what extent the diffractions employed during analysis have influenced the findings. To explore these questions, we diffract DM itself, by reading it alongside a DeleuzoGuattarian analysis of research-as-assemblage. This supplies a richer understanding of the entanglements between research and its subject-matter, and suggests how diffractive analysis may be used in conjunction with other methods in practice- and policy-oriented research.

scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities: Experiences of Mathematics Lecturers Engaged in Emergency Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (18) ◽  
pp. 2303
Author(s):  
Eabhnat Ní Fhloinn ◽  
Olivia Fitzmaurice
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Teaching Mathematics ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Teaching Of Mathematics ◽  
Nature Of Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, we consider the experiences of mathematics lecturers in higher education and how they moved to emergency remote teaching during the initial university closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted in May–June 2020 which received 257 replies from respondents based in 29 countries. We report on the particular challenges mathematics lecturers perceive there to be around teaching mathematics remotely, as well as any advantages or disadvantages of teaching mathematics online that they report. Over 90% of respondents had little or no prior experience teaching mathematics online, and, initially, 72% found it stressful and 88% thought it time-consuming. 88% felt there was a difference between teaching mathematics in this way compared with other disciplines. Four main types of challenges were associated with emergency remote teaching of mathematics: technical challenges; student challenges; teaching challenges; and the nature of mathematics. Respondents identified flexibility as the main advantage of online teaching, with lack of interaction featuring strongly as a disadvantage. We also consider respondents’ personal circumstances during this time, in terms of working conditions and caring responsibilities and conclude by summarizing the impact they perceive this experience may have upon their future teaching. Forty-six percent% of respondents self-identified as having caring responsibilities, and 61% felt the experience would affect their future teaching.

New Modes of Governance and Democratic Accountability

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Héritier ◽  
Dirk Lehmkuhl
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Strict Sense ◽  
Democratic Accountability ◽  
Public Policy Making ◽  
Multi Stakeholder ◽  
Modes Of Governance ◽  
New Modes Of Governance

AbstractThis article raises the question of the link between new modes of governance and democratic accountability. Our definition of new modes of governance as modes refers to public policy-making that includes private actors and/or public policy-making by public actors that takes place outside legislative arenas, and which focuses on delimited sectoral or functional areas. We identify three different ways in which new modes of governance can be subjected to democratic control: parliamentary control, multi-stakeholder involvement and control through the public sphere and civil society at large. Building on a number of the illustrative insights from various empirical projects, we find that, in our cases at least, new modes of governance did not have a negative effect on existing patterns of democratic accountability. At the same time, neither multi-stakeholder policies nor the participation of civil society guarantee democratic accountability in the strict sense. We provide some evidence to the effect that, if institutionally linked to democratically elected governmental bodies – meaning, in this context, the European Parliament – it is more likely that negative externalities deriving from public policy-making in functionally segmented arenas of the European Union's multilevel polity will be dealt with in a more systematic way.

Considering the role of negotiated developer contributions in financing ecological mitigation and protection programs in England: A cultural perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 026909422110535
Author(s):  
Malachy Buck
Keyword(s):  
Practice Change ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Value Capture ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
The Status ◽  
Legislative Changes ◽  
Planning Culture

This paper explores the potential of ‘Land Value Capture’ in addressing the shortfall in funding to address the biodiversity crisis through a series of interviews with Local Planning Authority officers in England. It finds heterogeneity in their responses to financial austerity and imperatives to deliver development, which heavily influences developer contribution (DC) practice. The response to these pressures differed depending upon localised planning culture and its interrelation with behavioural biases, which defined the scope of officer agency to influence developer contribution outcomes. Most LPAs placed a strong emphasis upon securing real estate investment to drive economic growth and to provide opportunities to secure DC to address socio-economic issues, with the status quo bias contributing towards inertia in policy and practice change. Elsewhere, there was a greater emphasis placed upon reconciling the need to deliver development with the preservation of environmental amenity, enabling officers to carefully frame practice changes, to successfully secure funding for ecological mitigation programs. The paper illustrates the cultural and behavioural challenges in implementing DC policy change to support funding these priorities, whilst this may be overcome by legislative changes, integrating these may be compromised by resource limitations whilst also affecting the existing delivery of public goods.

Evaluating the ARF diagnosis calculator: A survey and content analysis. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Fisher ◽  
Christian James ◽  
Diana Mosca ◽  
Bart J Currie ◽  
Anna P Ralph
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Reference Ranges ◽  
Clinical Expertise ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Support Tool

BACKGROUND Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) is a critically important condition for which there is no diagnostic test. Diagnosis requires the use of a set of criteria comprising clinical, laboratory, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings. The complexity of the algorithm and the fact that clinicians lack familiarity with ARF, make ARF diagnosis ideally suited to an electronic decision support tool. We developed an ARF Diagnosis Calculator to assist clinicians in diagnosing ARF and correctly assigning categories of ‘possible, ‘probable’ or ‘definite’ ARF. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the acceptability and accuracy of the ARF Diagnosis Calculator as perceived by clinicians in Northern Australia where ARF rates are high, and test performance against a ‘gold standard’. METHODS Three strategies were used to provide triangulation of data. Users of the calculator employed at Top End Health Service, Northern Territory, Australia were invited to participate in an online survey about the calculator, and clinicians with ARF expertise were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive analysis. Performance of the calculator in correctly assigning a diagnosis of possible, probable or definite ARF, or not ARF, was assessed using clinical data from 35 patients presenting with suspected ARF. Diagnoses obtained from the calculator were compared using the Kappa statistic with those obtained from a panel of expert clinicians, considered the ‘gold standard’. Findings were shared with developers of the calculator and changes were incorporated. RESULTS Survey responses were available from 23 Top End Health Service medical practitioners, and interview data were available from five expert clinicians. Using a 6-point Likert scale, participants highly recommended the ARF Diagnosis Calculator (median score 6, IQR 1) and found it easy to use (median 5, IQR 1). Participants believed the calculator helped them diagnose ARF (median 5, IQR 1). Valued features included educational content and laboratory test reference ranges. Criticisms included: too many pop-up messages to be clicked through; that it is less helpful in remote areas which lack access to investigation results; and the need for more clarity about actively excluding alternative diagnoses to avoid false-positive ARF diagnoses. Importantly, clinicians with ARF expertise noted that electronic decision making is not a substitute for clinical experience. There was high agreement between the ARF Diagnosis Calculator and the ‘gold standard’ ARF diagnostic process (κ=0.767, 95% CI: 0.568-0.967). However, incorrect assignment of diagnosis occurred in 4/35 (11%) patients highlighting the greater accuracy of expert clinical input for ambiguous presentations. Sixteen changes were incorporated into a revised version of the calculator. CONCLUSIONS The ARF Diagnosis Calculator is an easy-to-use, accessible tool, but it does not replace clinical expertise. Effective resources to support clinicians in diagnosing and managing ARF are critically important for improving the quality of care of ARF.

It Takes a Village to Implement a Judgment: Creating a Forum for Multi-Stakeholder Involvement in the Czech Republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-198
Author(s):  
Vít Alexander Schorm
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
European Court ◽  
National Implementation ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
The Government ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

Abstract In this practice note, the Government Agent of the Czech Republic before the European Court of Human Rights and other international bodies for the protection of human rights reflects on national implementation, with the help of selected examples.

scholarly journals EXPERIENCE OF LGBT PATIENTS AND FAMILY WITH HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S623-S624
Author(s):  
Gary L Stein ◽  
Cathy Berkman
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Staff Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hospice And Palliative Care

Abstract This study examines the degree to which hospice and palliative care staff observe or perceive inadequate, disrespectful, or abusive care to LGBT patients and family members. A cross-sectional study using an online survey completed by 865 providers, including social workers, physicians, nurses, and chaplains. Among respondents, 55% reported that LGB patients were more likely to experience discrimination at their institution than non-LGB patients; 24% observed discriminatory care; 65% reported that transgender patients were more likely than non-transgender patients to experience discrimination; 20% observed discrimination to transgender patients; 14% observed the spouse/partner of LGBT patients having their treatment decisions disregarded or minimized; and 13% observed the spouse/partner being treated disrespectfully. Findings reported also include: institutional non-discrimination policy, staff training, intake procedures, and comfort in assessing LGBT status. Implications for future research, policy, and practice will be presented.

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