Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Computing Science:Culture is the Key, Curriculum Contributes

Undergraduate computer science programs worldwide struggle to attract and retain underrepresented students for many reasons. Culture, stereotype threats, uneven gender and racial representations, lack of role models, and uncertain career prospects for minority groups are among the many reasons behind this situation. Many computer science programs are trying to change course through strategies to foster equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), aimed at improving outreach, recruitment, admissions, and retention of underrepresented students. EDI approaches may also include modifications to the undergraduate computer science curriculum. However, if not properly planned, these modifications risk amplifying existing stereotypes rather than producing positive change [38]. In this study, through an extensive literature review, a rigorous curriculum analysis of 49 computer science programs across the globe, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of surveys and interviews bringing in the voices of 613 students and 30 educators participating from around the world, we explore equity, diversity, and inclusion in the computer science curriculum. We highlight the role of inclusive content and course design, discuss program flexibility, and the impact of inclusive courses and program design in attracting and retaining historically marginalized students. Finally, we provide concrete steps to make computing science undergraduate curricula more appealing to a diverse audience.</p

Hybrid and improved forage seed markets in East Africa: Developments, bottlenecks, and future opportunities

In East Africa, forages are the main feed source for dairy cattle. Producers use local varieties but in recent years there has been a sustained increase in the adoption of improved forage varieties and hybrids aimed at increasing productivity and improving adaptation to climate change. However, little is known yet about the forage seed market and how it can be improved to further boost the adoption of improved materials. The objective of this research is to describe the behaviour of the seed market for improved forage varieties and hybrids in East Africa in recent years and to develop a perspective analysis on how this market is expected to evolve over the next decade, in addition to identifying the main bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. We applied a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from the forage value chain in 10 East African countries. Our research covered three pillars, namely i) the past: how did the forage market evolve over the last ten years, ii) the future: how could the market evolve over the next ten years, and iii) bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. A total of 46 key informant interviews were carried out. We found a virtuous circle that could facilitate the acceleration of the adoption of (hybrid) forages in East Africa. Research centres want to continue their breeding and seed selection programmes to improve existing varieties and bring new varieties on the market. Seed companies are interested in increasing their supply of seeds both in terms of quantities and diversification of varieties. Governments and development organisations express their interest in continuing to support and finance the promotion and adoption of (hybrid) forages. Producer associations plan alliances with seed companies to distribute seeds among their producers at more affordable prices. Finally, dairy farmers are interested in (hybrid) forages to increase milk production, maximise the space used for cattle farming, and reduce their vulnerability to climate change

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk outcome associations. Methods: We used the CRA framework developed for previous iterations of GBD to estimate levels and trends in exposure, attributable deaths, and attributable disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age group, sex, year, and location for 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or groups of risks from 1990 to 2017. This study included 476 risk outcome pairs that met the GBD study criteria for convincing or probable evidence of causation. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from 46 749 randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL), we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We explored the relationship between development and risk exposure by modelling the relationship between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and risk-weighted exposure prevalence and estimated expected levels of exposure and risk-attributable burden by SDI. Finally, we explored temporal changes in risk-attributable DALYs by decomposing those changes into six main component drivers of change as follows: (1) population growth; (2) changes in population age structures; (3) changes in exposure to environmental and occupational risks; (4) changes in exposure to behavioural risks; (5) changes in exposure to metabolic risks; and (6) changes due to all other factors, approximated as the risk-deleted death and DALY rates, where the risk-deleted rate is the rate that would be observed had we reduced the exposure levels to the TMREL for all risk factors included in GBD 2017. Findings: In 2017,34.1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 33.3-35.0) deaths and 121 billion (144-1.28) DALYs were attributable to GBD risk factors. Globally, 61.0% (59.6-62.4) of deaths and 48.3% (46.3-50.2) of DALYs were attributed to the GBD 2017 risk factors. When ranked by risk-attributable DALYs, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) was the leading risk factor, accounting for 10.4 million (9.39-11.5) deaths and 218 million (198-237) DALYs, followed by smoking (7.10 million [6.83-7.37] deaths and 182 million [173-193] DALYs), high fasting plasma glucose (6.53 million [5.23-8.23] deaths and 171 million [144-201] DALYs), high body-mass index (BMI; 4.72 million [2.99-6.70] deaths and 148 million [98.6-202] DALYs), and short gestation for birthweight (1.43 million [1.36-1.51] deaths and 139 million [131-147] DALYs). In total, risk-attributable DALYs declined by 4.9% (3.3-6.5) between 2007 and 2017. In the absence of demographic changes (ie, population growth and ageing), changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs would have led to a 23.5% decline in DALYs during that period. Conversely, in the absence of changes in risk exposure and risk-deleted DALYs, demographic changes would have led to an 18.6% increase in DALYs during that period. The ratios of observed risk exposure levels to exposure levels expected based on SDI (O/E ratios) increased globally for unsafe drinking water and household air pollution between 1990 and 2017. This result suggests that development is occurring more rapidly than are changes in the underlying risk structure in a population. Conversely, nearly universal declines in O/E ratios for smoking and alcohol use indicate that, for a given SDI, exposure to these risks is declining. In 2017, the leading Level 4 risk factor for age-standardised DALY rates was high SBP in four super-regions: central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia; north Africa and Middle East; south Asia; and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania. The leading risk factor in the high-income super-region was smoking, in Latin America and Caribbean was high BMI, and in sub-Saharan Africa was unsafe sex. O/E ratios for unsafe sex in sub-Saharan Africa were notably high, and those for alcohol use in north Africa and the Middle East were notably low. Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning