Biodiversity-Health-Sustainability Nexus in Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS)

This is an open access book. It is a compilation of case studies that provide useful knowledge and lessons that derive from on-the-ground activities and contribute to policy recommendations, focusing on the interlinkages between biodiversity and multiple dimensions of health (e.g., physical, mental, and spiritual) in managing socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS). This book provides insights on how SEPLS approaches can contribute to more sustainable management of natural resources, achieving global biodiversity and sustainable development goals, and good health for all. It is also expected to offer useful knowledge and information for an upcoming three-year thematic assessment of “the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, and health” (the so-called “nexus assessment”) by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The book begins with an introductory chapter followed by eleven case study chapters demonstrating the nexus between biodiversity, health, and sustainable development, and then a synthesis chapter clarifying the relevance of the case study findings to policy and academic discussions. It will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and professionals in the field related to sustainable development

Strategies in Mitigating Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Risk

In the fiscal year 2014, approximately 1,337 health care providers lost their provider license to Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Out of the 1,318 criminal convictions reported by the U.S. Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCU), 395 (30%) were home health care aides who claimed to have rendered services not provided. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore licensed and certified home health care business managers\u27 strategies to mitigate Medicare/Medicaid fraud risk. A purposive sampling of 9 business managers and chief executive officers from 3 licensed and certified home health care businesses in Franklin County, Ohio participated in semistructured face-to-face interviews. Data from the interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to identify themes regarding Medicare/Medicaid fraud risk management strategies. Drawing from the Committee of Sponsoring Organization\u27s internal control framework and fraud management lifecycle theory, 5 themes emerged: the control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, and monitoring activities. Findings from this study included maintenance of integrity and culture, training and educating both staff and clients about fraud reporting processes and the consequences of fraud, rotating staff on a regular basis, performing fraud risk assessments, implementing remote timekeeping and monitoring system, and compensating shift leaders to coordinate activities in the clients\u27 residences. The implication for positive social change includes reducing healthcare cost for all taxpayers through Medicare/Medicaid fraud reduction

Explanations as governance? Investigating practices of explanation in algorithmic system design

The algorithms underpinning many everyday communication processes are now complex enough that rendering them explainable has become a key governance objective. This article examines the question of 'who should be required to explain what, to whom, in platform environments'. By working with algorithm designers and using design methods to extrapolate existing capacities to explain aglorithmic functioning, the article discusses the power relationships underpinning explanation of algorithmic function. Reviewing how key concepts of transparency and accountability connect with explainability, the paper argues that reliance on explainability as a governance mechanism can generate a dangerous paradox which legitimates increased reliance on programmable infrastructure as expert stakeholders are reassured by their ability to perform or receive explanations, while displacing responsibility for understandings of social context and definitions of public interes

Abundance, composition, distribution and fate of floating marine litter in the south-east Bay of Biscay

151 p.This PhD thesis presents a first overview of floating marine litter pollution in the south-east Bay of Biscay through a combination of harmonized observations, sampling methods, and numerical modelling techniques. Abundance and composition of floating marine litter (FML) were assessed combining net tows and visual observations in coastal and open waters of the Bay of Biscay. Floating riverine litter was also collected to explore the floating fraction of marine litter transported via rivers to the south-east Bay of Biscay. Simulations performed at regional (Bay of Biscay) and sub-regional scale (south-east Bay of Biscay) provided insights into the seasonal distribution patterns and fate of fishing-related and riverine litter items according to their observed buoyancy. The model was previously calibrated with data obtained from drifters released in the south-east Bay of Biscay and forced with hourly estimated and measured winds and currents. Data collection in the coastal waters of the south-east Bay of Biscay highlights the occurrence of submesoscale convergence zones for FML (¿litter windrows¿) during Spring and Summer. Fishing, shipping, and aquaculture sectors were the main source of macrolitter (size>2.5 cm) for litter windrows. Abundances derived from sampling the south-east Bay of Biscay revealed that the area is a hotspot for microplastics (size<5 mm). Most modelled particles released both in coastal andopen waters did not abandon the Bay of Biscay, reinforcing that the basin acts as accumulation region for FML. Results also demonstrated the impact of buoyancy and wind effect on FML behaviour, mainly in summer, when highly buoyant items strongly affected French Marine Protected Areas and Gipuzkoa and Pyrénées-Atlantiques regions. This thesis represents a milestone for supporting future science and policy actions in the south-east Bay of Biscay oriented to prevent and mitigate FML at local, sub-regional and regional scale

CROSS-BORDER DATA TRANSFER REGULATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHINA AND EUROPE

With the so-called Industry 4.0 revolution ongoing, end-to-end digitalisation of all assets and integration into a digital ecosystem led the world to the unprecedented increases in connectivity and global flows. Cross-border data flow has become the cornerstone of the cross-border economy, especially for digital products. Without cross-border data flow, there will be no transactions. As a result, governments have started updating the data-related policies, such as restrictive measures for data cross-border flows or rules to mandate local data storage. Against this background, this study focuses on emerging research topics, starting with contemporary public policies on the cross-border data transfer. The objective is to examine whether the policymakers from both regions could better achieve their goals of promoting digital economy by establishing a mutual understanding with the industrial entities, while maintaining the balance between the protection of personal information and the innovation in digital markets. For that purpose, this research explores the historical development of data transfer regulatory measures in China, the EU and the U.S., studied the specific challenges they are encountering in the data globalisation era. Part I studied the evolvement of the CBDT rules. It is pointed out that the CBDT regulation is a technology-led phenomenon yet not novel. It is an emerging threat to privacy posed by the development of technology, thus attracted the scrutiny from the public and the authorities. The CBDT regulation reflects the enforcement of national jurisdiction in the cyberspace, which does not enjoy an indisputable general consensus in the contemporary international law. The rulemaking of CBDT cannot avoid the controversial debate over the legitimacy of state supervision of the network. CBDT regulation is originated from the protection of personal data in the EU, yet the disagreement with regard to its philosophy is derived from the conflict of different legislative values, that is, different legislators have different understandings of the freedom of free flow of information and the right to personal information. The author also questioned the rationale of the EU data transfer rules by discussing the target validity of the current rules, that is, the target validity for data protection. Part II compared the EU and China\u2019s data protection laws as well as the CBDT rules respectively. Challenges that CBDT restriction measures might face are listed, since the data transborder transmission is not a legislative measure by nature. In the process of rulemaking and implementation existed dual pressures from domestic and abroad, categorised as technological, international legislative and theoretical challenges. Theoretically, Cyberspace does not have a boundary similar to a physical space, the theoretical premise that the EU CBDT rules ignored is that the state must control the transborder transmission of data by setting the borders. Thus, for China, two aspects must be addressed: is there an independent cyberspace law, and where is the boundary between the virtual and real world. International legislative challenges arise from the oversea data access of the U.S. government. The EU CBDT framework has limited impact when facing such data access under the cover of FISA and CLOUD Act of the U.S. Particularly, this dissertation discussed the potentials for a free flow of data transfer mechanism between the EU and China. It is worth exploring the possibility for a region-based bilateral collaboration, such as a free trade zone in China, to seek for the EU Commission\u2019s recognition of adequate level of protection of personal information. For general data-intensive entities, binding corporate rules and standard contractual clauses are still the preferrable approaches. Part III examines the data protection implementation and data transfer compliance in the context of the HEART project. By analysing the use-cases the HEART deployed, as well as the architecture that it proposed, Chapter 6 studies the privacy-enhancing measures from both the organisational and technical perspectives. Specifically, the data classification system and dynamic data security assessments are proposed. Chapter 7 studied the use case of federated recommender system within the HEART platform and its potentials for the promotion of GDPR compliance. The recommender system is thoroughly analysed under the requirements of the GDPR, including the fundamental data processing principles and threat assessment within the data processing

A Survey of Fuzzy Systems Software: Taxonomy, Current Research Trends, and Prospects

Fuzzy systems have been used widely thanks to their ability to successfully solve a wide range of problems in different application fields. However, their replication and application require a high level of knowledge and experience. Furthermore, few researchers publish the software and/or source code associated with their proposals, which is a major obstacle to scientific progress in other disciplines and in industry. In recent years, most fuzzy system software has been developed in order to facilitate the use of fuzzy systems. Some software is commercially distributed, but most software is available as free and open-source software, reducing such obstacles and providing many advantages: quicker detection of errors, innovative applications, faster adoption of fuzzy systems, etc. In this paper, we present an overview of freely available and open-source fuzzy systems software in order to provide a well-established framework that helps researchers to find existing proposals easily and to develop well-founded future work. To accomplish this, we propose a two-level taxonomy, and we describe the main contributions related to each field. Moreover, we provide a snapshot of the status of the publications in this field according to the ISI Web of Knowledge. Finally, some considerations regarding recent trends and potential research directions are presentedThis work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Grants TIN2014-56633-C3-3-R and TIN2014-57251-P, the Andalusian Government under Grants P10-TIC-6858 and P11-TIC-7765, and the GENIL program of the CEI BioTIC GRANADA under Grant PYR-2014-2S

Tracking the University Student Success: Statistical Quality Assessment

Higher education institutions are continually striving to make education relevant to the working environment students will encounter upon graduation. One of the tools for enhancing an institution’s quality and sufficiently informing students about their outcomes and learning opportunities is a quality assessment. Quality assessment is a long process which establishes measurable student learning outcomes, then analyses and interprets them. This enables students to receive feedback on their learning and helps them to improve their performance. The authors’ objective was to gather empirical data on students´ learning in order to improve the process of learning and to refine study programmes. A longitudinal study was used to observe students’ performance and outcomes from entrance exams to state exams. Statistical analysis revealed that there is a correlation between the results of the admission tests and the study results, especially the connection between the results of the entrance test and the chance of successful completion of studies. No statistically significant correlation was found between the overall results of military students’ studies. An interesting issue is a comparison between military and civilian students, as well as civilian students´ results. As a continuous process, assessment of students’ performance was observed up until the Final State Examination

Book of Abstracts & Success Stories National Conference on Marine Debris COMAD 2018

Marine debris has become a global problem with considerable threats to the habitat and to the functions of marine ecosystem. One of the first reports of large areas of plastics in the ocean has been by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1988 about the Great Pacific Garbage patch or the Pacific trash vortex, where the density of litter is estimated as four numbers per cubic meter. Globally, this shocking information led to initiation of new research programs on marine litter and in India, the ICAR-CMFRI started an in house research program on this theme in 2007.Understanding the significance of this ecological problem which is purely a direct impact of anthropogenic activity, the Marine Biological Association of India decided to organise a National Conference on Marine Debris (COMAD 2018 ) with an aim to bring together researchers, planners, NGOs, entrepreneurs and local governing bodies working on this theme. Thus, this conference was planned with three main componentsunderstand the research outputs, get first- hand information on the various activities carried out by the public to reduce or recycle non degradable waste generated at various levels and also to have an exhibition of eco-friendly activities and products which would help to reduce marine debris in the long run. The response to all the three themes has been very encouraging. We have received about 50 research articles on themes ranging from micro-plastics to ghost nets and the same number of success stories which are actually details of the diverse activities carried out in different maritime states of the country to solve the issue of solid waste generated in the country. The section on success stories includes attempts by eco-clubs, individuals, schools, colleges, local governing bodies, district administrations, Institutions and NGOs. Activities by some Panchayats like banning plastics in public functions and mechanisms to collect sold waste from households are really commendable. Similarly, the efforts put in by various groups to remove marine debris from the coastal waters is something which should be appreciated. The message from these success stories is that, this problem of increasing marine debris can be resolved. We have got success stories from almost all states and these leaders of clean campaign will be presenting their work in the conference. It is well known that visuals such as photographs and videos are powerful tools of communication. In COMAD 2018, we have provided an opportunity for all across the nation to contribute to this theme through photographs and videos. Am very happy that we have received more than 300 photographs and nearly 25 videos. The MBAI will place these on the web site. It is really shocking to see the quantity of litter in the fishing ground and in the coastal ecosystem

Analyzing Forest Policy to Advance Indigenous-Led Forestry Initiatives and Increase Adaptive Capacity

Indigenous groups across Canada continue to regain sovereignty over their traditional territories and this research focuses on their involvement in Manitoba’s forest sector. A large proportion of First Nations communities in Manitoba are forest-based, and there is a revitalized opportunity and vigor for communities to build successful and sustainable forestry initiatives that could address their respective goals while building adaptive capacity towards climate change impacts. The focus of this research was to understand the barriers and opportunities Indigenous groups experience in respect to federal and provincial forest policy and how Indigenous-led forestry initiatives can enhance the adaptive capacity and climate change resilience in First Nation communities. The first research objective was to describe federal, provincial, and Indigenous policy measures impacting Indigenous-led forestry. This was achieved through a systematic policy scan and interviews with Indigenous forestry experts that uncovered various impactful measures, including enabling legislation and preventative legislation. The second objective was to identify policy provisions that could support or hinder Indigenous-led forestry. The results show that while Indigenous groups are often excluded from forest policies and policy making processes, the provincial and federal governments have increased efforts towards Indigenous inclusion in recent years. A notable example is the progressive timber harvesting agreement that was negotiated between the provincial government and Norway House Cree Nation in 2022. The third objective aimed to identify opportunities for policy learning about Indigenous-led forestry. Indigenous inclusion in policy making could lead to greater learning opportunities and this research demonstrates there are increased opportunities for policy learning to occur in Manitoba’s forest sector. The final objective was to develop recommendations for improving the prospects for Indigenous-led forestry based on accrued evidence and consultation with First Nations communities. While recent strides have been made in Manitoba in advancing Indigenous participation in the forest sector, the wood supply surrounding many First Nations remains underutilized. Moving forward, the success of Indigenous-led forestry initiatives will hinge on increased collaboration with governments and industry, provincial reform of forestry legislation that does not explicitly address Indigenous rights and interests, and funding programs that could address the economic and logistical barriers associated with developing a local forestry initiative. Indigenous-led forestry initiatives that seek to advance the unique goals of individual First Nations remain limited in Manitoba, and this research hopes to help address this gap.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Polar Knowledge Canada, Research Manitoba, and The University of Winnipeg.Master of Environment in Environmental and Social Chang