Improving the accessibility to public schools in urban areas of developing countries through a location model and an analytical framework

The location of primary public schools in urban areas of developing countries is the focus of this study. In such areas, new schools and modification of the current schools are required, and this process should be developed using rational and broad supporting tools for decision makers, such as optimization models. We propose a realistic coverage location model and a framework to analyze the location of schools. Our approach considers the existing schools and their resizing, the best locations of the new schools that may have different capacities, population coverage, walking distances and budget provisions for building and updating schools. As a case study, we assess the current primary school network in Ciudad Benito Juarez to provide managerial insights. Through the proposed framework, we analyze the current locations of schools and decisions to be made by considering future scenarios in different time periods. The proposed model is quite flexible and easy to adapt to new considerations, allowing it to be applied to regions in developing countries under similar conditions.

A framework for the quantification of soundscape diversity using Hill numbers

1. Soundscape studies are increasingly common to capture landscape-scale ecological patterns. Yet, several aspects of soundscape diversity quantification remain unexplored. Although some processes influencing acoustic niche usage may operate in the 24h domain, most acoustic indices only capture the diversity of sounds co-occurring in sound files at a specific time of day. Moreover, many indices do not consider the relationship between the spectral and temporal traits of sounds simultaneously. To provide novel insights into landscape-scale patterns of acoustic niche usage at broader temporal scales, we present a workflow to quantify soundscape diversity through the lens of functional ecology. 2. Our workflow quantifies the functional diversity of sound in the 24-hour acoustic trait space. We put forward an entity, the Operational Sound Unit (OSU), which groups sounds by their shared functional properties. Using OSUs as our unit of diversity measurement, and building on the framework of Hill numbers, we propose three metrics that capture different aspects of acoustic trait space usage: (i) soundscape richness; (ii) soundscape diversity; (iii) soundscape evenness. We demonstrate the use of these metrics by (a) simulating soundscapes to assess if the indices possess a set of desirable behaviours; and (b) quantifying the soundscape richness and evenness along a gradient in species richness to illustrate how these metrics can be used to shed unique insights into patterns of acoustic niche usage. 3. We demonstrate that: (a) the indices outlined herein have desirable behaviours; and (b) the soundscape richness and evenness are positively correlated with the richness of soniferous species. This suggests that the acoustic niche space is more filled where taxonomic richness is higher. Moreover, species-poor acoustic communities have a higher proportion of rare sounds and use the acoustic space less effectively. As the correlation between the soundscape and taxonomic richness is strong (>0.8) and holds at low sampling intensities, soundscape richness could serve as a proxy for taxonomic richness. 4. Quantifying the soundscape diversity through the lens of functional ecology using the analytical framework of Hill numbers generates novel insights into acoustic niche usage at a landscape scale and provides a useful proxy for taxonomic richness measurement.

Analyzing Student Problem-Solving With MAtCH

Problem-solving has been recognized as a critical skill that students lack in the current education system, due to the use of algorithmic questions in tests that can be simply memorized and solved without conceptual understanding. Research on student problem-solving is needed to gain deeper insight into how students are approaching problems and where they lack proficiency so that instruction can help students gain a conceptual understanding of chemistry. The MAtCH (methods, analogies, theory, context, how) model was recently developed from analyzing expert explanations of their research and could be a valuable model to identify key components of student problem-solving. Using phenomenography, this project will address the current gap in the literature of applying the MAtCH model to student responses. Twenty-two undergraduate students from first-year general chemistry and general physics classes were recorded using a think-aloud protocol as they worked through the following open-ended problems: 1) How many toilets do you need at a music festival? 2) How far does a car travel before one atom layer is worn off the tires? 3)What is the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere? The original definitions of MAtCH were adapted to better fit student problem-solving, and then the newly defined model was used as an analytical framework to code the student transcripts. Applying the MAtCH model within student problem-solving has revealed a reliance on the method component, namely, using formulas and performing simple plug-and-chug calculations, over deeper analysis of the question or evaluation of their work. More important than the order of the components, the biggest differences in promoted versus impeded problem-solving are how students incorporate multiple components of MAtCH and apply them as they work through the problems. The results of this study will further discuss in detail the revisions made to apply MAtCH definitions to student transcripts and give insight into the elements that promote and impede student problem-solving under the MAtCH model.

Nexus approach and environmental resource governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is replete with significant environmental resources including forests, water, land, and energy; although its transition to a bio-resource economy is yet to be actualized. Consequently, there are limited socio-economic gains from resource valorization. These challenges which stall progress towards the attainment of several interlinked sustainable development goals, are rooted, among others in resource governance defects. Furthermore, the persistence of knowledge fragmentation on resource governance shades possibilities for an in-depth theorizing of the nexus approach. In this light, two questions beg for answers: (i) To what extent are governance indicators captured in empirical studies on the nexus approach in SSA? (ii) What questions and approaches should inform future research on the nexus approach in SSA? To answer these questions, this paper systematically reviews 100 peer-reviewed articles (with 154 cases) that address governance questions in nexus studies within the broad framework of bioeconomy transitioning in SSA. Using the PROFOR analytical framework, our analysis reveals the following: (1) Although sub-regional variations exist in the application of nexus thinking, the overall emphasis in SSA is on first-level resource transformation. (2) With only 5% of studies explicitly mentioning the nexus approach, there is a strong indication for nexus thinking to be prioritized in future research. (3) While efficiency is the most recurrent in the literature (69%), its assurance in resource nexus and transformation is insignificant. (4) Interlinked questions of equity, participation, transparency, and conflict management have not been sufficiently addressed in studies on the nexus approach. The paper suggests an urgent need for in-depth, multi-country, and interdisciplinary research on these governance parameters in the nexus approach, as prerequisite to advancing the science–policy intercourse in nexus thinking in SSA.

Network resilience and EU fisheries policy engagement in third countries: Lessons for post-Brexit governance

This article examines the ways in which third countries can engage with, and respond to, European Union policy-making processes. A novel analytical framework based on the concept of network resilience which consists of an institutional, political and policy dimension is operationalised to understand third country access to European Union policy-making. Empirically, the article examines the experiences of three non-European Union countries, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway in the context of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy. The article concludes by presenting a research agenda based on an in-depth analysis of network resilience and reflects on what the findings mean for future research, particularly within the context of understanding the development of UK–EU post-Brexit relations.

Using Adaptive Capacity to Shift Absorptive Capacity: A Framework of Water Reallocation in Highly Modified Rivers

Damming and water regulation creates highly modified rivers with limited ecosystem integrity and resilience. This, coupled with an ongoing global biodiversity crisis, makes river restoration a priority, which requires water reallocation. Coupled human–natural systems research provides a suitable lens for integrated systems’ analysis but offers limited insight into the governance processes of water reallocation. Therefore, we propose an analytical framework, which combines insight from social–hydrological resilience and water reallocation research, and identifies the adaptive capacity in highly modified rivers as the capacity for water reallocation. We test the framework by conducting an analysis of Sweden, pre- and post-2019, a critical juncture in the governance of the country’s hydropower producing rivers. We identify a relative increase in adaptive capacity post- 2019 since water reallocation is set to occur in smaller rivers and tributaries, while leaving large-scaled rivers to enjoy limited water reallocation, or even increased allocation to hydropower. We contend that the proposed framework is broad enough to be of general interest, yet sufficiently specific to contribute to the construction of middle-range theories, which could further our understanding of why and how governance processes function, change, and lead to outcomes in terms of modified natural resource management and resilience shifts.