(Dis) integrated valuation - Assessing the information gaps in ecosystem service appraisals for governance support

The operational challenges of integrated ecosystem service (ES) appraisals are determined by study purpose, system complexity and uncertainty, decision-makers' requirements for reliability and accuracy of methods, and approaches to stakeholder-science interaction in different decision contexts. To explore these factors we defined an information gap hypothesis, based on a theory of cumulative uncertainty in ES appraisals. When decision context requirements for accuracy and reliability increase, and the expected uncertainty of the ES appraisal methods also increases, the likelihood of methods being used is expected to drop, creating a potential information gap in governance. In order to test this information gap hypothesis, we evaluate 26 case studies and 80 ecosystem services appraisals in a large integrated EU research project. We find some support for a decreasing likelihood of ES appraisal methods coinciding with increasing accuracy and reliability requirements of the decision-support context, and with increasing uncertainty. We do not find that information costs are the explanation for this information gap, but rather that the research project interacted mostly with stakeholders outside the most decision-relevant contexts. The paper discusses how alternative definitions of integrated valuation can lead to different interpretations of decision-support information, and different governance approaches to dealing with uncertainty. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Stakeholders' perspectives on the operationalisation of the ecosystem service concept : Results from 27 case studies

The ecosystem service (ES) concept is becoming mainstream in policy and planning, but operational influence on practice is seldom reported. Here, we report the practitioners' perspectives on the practical implementation of the ES concept in 27 case studies. A standardised anonymous survey (n = 246), was used, focusing on the science-practice interaction process, perceived impact and expected use of the case study assessments. Operationalisation of the concept was shown to achieve a gradual change in practices: 13% of the case studies reported a change in action (e.g. management or policy change), and a further 40% anticipated that a change would result from the work. To a large extent the impact was attributed to a well conducted science-practice interaction process (>70%). The main reported advantages of the concept included: increased concept awareness and communication; enhanced participation and collaboration; production of comprehensive science-based knowledge; and production of spatially referenced knowledge for input to planning (91% indicated they had acquired new knowledge). The limitations were mostly case-specific and centred on methodology, data, and challenges with result implementation. The survey highlighted the crucial role of communication, participation and collaboration across different stakeholders, to implement the ES concept and enhance the democratisation of nature and landscape planning. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Integrated assessment and valuation of ecosystem services - Guidelines and experiences

EU FP7 OpenNESS project deliverable D33 & D4

Prospective individual patient data meta-analysis of two randomized trials on convalescent plasma for COVID-19 outpatients

Data on convalescent plasma (CP) treatment in COVID-19 outpatients are scarce. We aimed to assess whether CP administered during the first week of symptoms reduced the disease progression or risk of hospitalization of outpatients. Two multicenter, double-blind randomized trials (NCT04621123, NCT04589949) were merged with data pooling starting when = 50 years and symptomatic for <= 7days were included. The intervention consisted of 200-300mL of CP with a predefined minimum level of antibodies. Primary endpoints were a 5-point disease severity scale and a composite of hospitalization or death by 28 days. Amongst the 797 patients included, 390 received CP and 392 placebo; they had a median age of 58 years, 1 comorbidity, 5 days symptoms and 93% had negative IgG antibody-test. Seventy-four patients were hospitalized, 6 required mechanical ventilation and 3 died. The odds ratio (OR) of CP for improved disease severity scale was 0.936 (credible interval (CI) 0.667-1.311); OR for hospitalization or death was 0.919 (CI 0.592-1.416). CP effect on hospital admission or death was largest in patients with <= 5 days of symptoms (OR 0.658, 95%CI 0.394-1.085). CP did not decrease the time to full symptom resolution

Procuring Social and Affordable Housing: Changing Demographics and Typologies

The changes occurring in the demographics of those needing access to social and affordable housing in Australia, and the associated impact on housing typologies, is the focus of this report. The aim of the report is to inform approaches to the provision of such housing over the next 20 years. This research is one element of the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre’s (SBEnrc) Procuring Social and Affordable Housing project . This project has also investigated current and emerging social procurement approaches and funding and financing models, in order to develop a set of social procurement criteria to inform policy and delivery decision-making. This report addresses current and emerging responses to the present situation in which social housing waiting lists are excessive and unlikely to be fully addressed in the foreseeable future. Home ownership and private rental is now unaffordable to many of those on low and medium incomes in a range of locations across Australia, placing additional pressure on social housing waiting lists. It is also now evident that housing stock (especially in social housing) no longer aligns with the demographic profiles of those needing and/or wanting housing. And there is also growing community demand for appropriate, resilient and resource-efficient housing, and community connectedness. Key demographic changes highlighted in this report include: 1) The population is aging. 2) Household composition is changing. 3) Cities are key growth areas. 4) Home ownership is declining. Together, these changes suggest the need for significant increases in social and affordable housing. This is particularly so in inner city and middle-ring areas in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, where demand outstrips supply. Providing appropriate housing in remote and very remote Indigenous communities is also a priority highlighted in this report. The changes in demographics identified are largely due to: longer life expectancy; migration (including of Indigenous households to urban locations); and growing household diversity (e.g. one person and multigenerational households). These general trends are altering the composition of households, and affecting lifestyles and the demand for appropriate housing. In terms of social and affordable private rental, these trends are affecting the capacity of governments and housing providers to effectively address specific needs. Key needs in terms of changing housing typologies highlighted in the report include: 1) More diverse housing typologies and approaches are needed which: are affordable (reduce up-front costs); are appropriate (respond to current and emerging cohort demographics); ensure affordable living (i.e. energy, water and transport); are resilient (address climate adaptation); and address community connectedness. 2) Indigenous housing for remote and very remote Indigenous communities which addresses environmental, cultural and spiritual needs. 3) Appropriate housing (in the right location) for those with a disability. 4) In urban centres higher density infill, more affordable community and private rental housing and inclusionary zoning targets for both social and affordable housing. 5) Responsive planning systems. What is also important is that we build a resilient Australian housing system, especial for those needing social and affordable housing. To do this we need to be able to better track and use data to respond to trends in cohort demographics, in order to better align housing portfolios. This is now being undertaken in several Australian States, where administrative data is being better utilised to build evidence-based policy. There is a need for such data across the whole population to be better tracked, visualised and shared across the housing system as a whole, to inform future planning and construction. A note of caution is also raised in terms of following current trends in the provision of housing types. The growth in social isolation has been recently highlighted by several organisations including Families Australia . This SBEnrc report finds a strong trend in the Australian population towards single person households, and thus a need for additional 1-2 bedroom housing to meet this need. However, we need to consider if this is sustainable as a society, and for individuals. Are there other policy initiatives we should be investigating before committing to long-term housing portfolios which support this way of living? One such example is the growing awareness of elder intentional communities , and associated housing typologies. Future research in this area, exploring other ways of living to ensure housing system resilience, should be considered

Long-term maintenance of channel distribution in a central pattern generator neuron by neuromodulatory inputs revealed by decentralization in organ culture

Organotypic cultures of the lobster (Homarus gammarus) stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) were used to assess changes in membrane properties of neurons of the pyloric motor pattern-generating network in the long-term absence of neuromodulatory inputs to the stomatogastric ganglion (STG). Specifically, we investigated decentralization-induced changes in the distribution and density of the transient outward current, I A, which is encoded within the STG by the shal gene and plays an important role in shaping rhythmic bursting of pyloric neurons. Using an antibody against lobster shal K � channels, we found shal immunoreactivity in the membranes of neuritic processes, but not somata, of STG neurons in 5 d cultured STNS with intact modulatory inputs. However, in 5 d decentralized STG, shal immunoreactivity was still seen in primary neurites but was likewise present in a subset of STG somata. Among th

Institutional challenges in putting ecosystem service knowledge in practice

The promise that ecosystem service assessments will contribute to better decision-making is not yet proven. We analyse how knowledge on ecosystem services is actually used to inform land and water management in 22 case studies covering different social-ecological systems in European and Latin American countries. None of the case studies reported instrumental use of knowledge in a sense that ecosystem service knowledge would have served as an impartial arbiter between policy options. Yet, in most cases, there was some evidence of conceptual learning as a result of close interaction between researchers, practitioners and stakeholders. We observed several factors that constrained knowledge uptake, including competing interests and political agendas, scientific disputes, professional norms and competencies, and lack of vertical and horizontal integration. Ecosystem knowledge played a small role particularly in those planning and policy-making situations where it challenged established interests and the current distribution of benefits from ecosystems. The factors that facilitated knowledge use included application of transparent participatory methods, social capital, policy champions and clear synergies between ecosystem services and human well-being. The results are aligned with previous studies which have emphasized the importance of building local capacity, ownership and trust for the long-term success of ecosystem service research. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe