MEASURING & MONITORING Plant Populations

The root of the word monitoring means to warn, and an essential purpose of monitoring is to raise a warning flag that the current course of action is not working. Monitoring is a powerful tool for identifying problems in the early stages, before they become dramatically obvious or crises. If identified early, problems can be addressed while cost-effective solutions are still available. For example, an invasive species that threatens a rare plant population is much easier to control at the initial stages of invasion, compared to eradicating it once it is well established at a site. Monitoring is also critical for measuring management success. Good monitoring can demonstrate that the current management approach is working and provide evidence supporting the continuation of current management

Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Using R

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has become a standard approach for analyzing complex inter-relationships between observed and latent variables. Researchers appreciate the many advantages of PLS-SEM such as the possibility to estimate very complex models and the method’s flexibility in terms of data requirements and measurement specification. This practical open access guide provides a step-by-step treatment of the major choices in analyzing PLS path models using R, a free software environment for statistical computing, which runs on Windows, macOS, and UNIX computer platforms. Adopting the R software’s SEMinR package, which brings a friendly syntax to creating and estimating structural equation models, each chapter offers a concise overview of relevant topics and metrics, followed by an in-depth description of a case study. Simple instructions give readers the “how-tos” of using SEMinR to obtain solutions and document their results. Rules of thumb in every chapter provide guidance on best practices in the application and interpretation of PLS-SEM

The correctional rehabilitation programme on recidivism among inmates: A case of Oke-Kura prison, Kwara State, Nigeria

The apprehension for high rates of recidivism within Nigerian prisons received inadequate attention. It is pertinent to consider how best to practice correctional rehabilitation programmes. It is imperative to have a better orientation of rehabilitation for re-integration of inmate into the society. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the correctional rehabilitation programme to reduced inmates recidivism in Oke-Kura Prison. The study used a mixed-method design. The study explored the correctional rehabilitation programme. The in-depth interview conducted with ten Informants, who are staffs from Oke-Kura prison, Kwara Sate, Nigeria were dominantly used meanwhile 242 inmates participated in the survey, purposive sampling procedure with the aid of questionnaires for data collection. The interview data was analyzed thematically with the coded data structure, while the quantitative findings was descriptively done by using analysis and results of Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling in determining the forces which shape the cause of recidivism. The results of the quantitative showed that there is a significant relationship between correctional rehabilitation programmes with the rate of inmate’s recidivism. In addition, the qualitative study found that there are issues affecting the effectiveness of correctional rehabilitation programme such as perception of prison staffs and inmates in participation in rehabilitation programmes are the main protagonists in the correctional rehabilitation programmes. The study has significantly contributed a new angles to the overall perspectives of how rehabilitation have been directly and indirectly influencing the recidivism. In addition the possible solutions have been proposed. The study concludes that structural factors (Rehabilitation cycles, Designing Programmes, Types of programmes and How to be accomplished) are the reasons for the intractable recidivism among inmates. For effective rehabilitation therefore, the study proposed a model to guide the rehabilitation pathways understanding and solution strategie

New statistical metliods in risk assessment by probability bounds

In recent years, we have seen a diverse range of crises and controversies concerning food safety, animal health and environmental risks including foot and mouth disease, dioxins in seafood, GM crops and more recently the safety of Irish pork. This has led to the recognition that the handling of uncertainty in risk assessments needs to be more rigorous and transparent. This would mean that decision makers and the public could be better informed on the limitations of scientific advice. The expression of the uncertainty may be qualitative or quantitative but it must be well documented. Various approaches to quantifying uncertainty exist, but none are yet generally accepted amongst mathematicians, statisticians, natural scientists and regulatory authorities. In this thesis we discuss the current risk assessment guidelines which describe the deterministic methods that are mainly used for risk assessments. However, probabilistic methods have many advantages, and we review some probabilistic methods that have been proposed for risk assessment. We then develop our own methods to overcome some problems with the current methods. We consider including various uncertainties and looking at robustness to the prior distribution for Bayesian methods. We compare nonparametric methods with parametric methods and we combine a nonparametric method with a Bayesian method to investigate the effect of using different assumptions for different random quantities in a model. These new methods provide alternatives for risk analysts to use in the future

The Contingent Effects of Value Creation Processes on Project Value–An Empirical Analysis from Project Managers’ Perspective

Projects are seen as platforms for bringing changes that may create value for stakeholders. There are two main schools of thought on the value creation processes; one based on transactional exchange theories and the other on relations-based theories. The former focus on value creation through reduction of transactional costs, while the latter emphasises addressing project stakeholder’s needs through establishing close interactions with involved parties. Accordingly, this research examines effects on project value of the two value creation processes for project delivery: independent value creation– where the firm relies on its capabilities and expertise to deliver the project, without the need for seeking collaboration from other firms; and value co-creation– where the firm and key stakeholders collaborate to deliver the project based on close relationships. Extant studies have conceptually identified the effects on project value of both value creation processes. Nevertheless, there is a little empirical investigation of these effects. Hence, the main objective of this research is to investigate how both processes of value creation affect project value and the moderating effects of two critical contingent variables –requirements uncertainty and project complexity– on the relationship between value creation processes and project value. The study employs a deductive approach to fulfil this aim, and applies a cross-sectional survey to collect data; 168 valid responses from Chilean project managers were returned. A multivariate analysis using PLS-SEM was conducted to validate the conceptual framework and to test the hypotheses. Contributing to literature, the findings demonstrate that both value creation processes impact jointly on project value, and these impacts are moderated by the current level of requirements uncertainty and project complexity. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. Directions for future research are elaborated