Reimagining local news to fulfill its democratic function

The free press is not a newspaper. The function of the free press is to collect, process and share the news. Journalism can be viewed as the "system in a democratic system" - where, "if the system of journalism doesn’t function then the system of democracy can’t function.

Re-defining journalism education: Using systems thinking and design to revolutionize the future of storytelling

The problem Journalism education has not kept pace with the growing complexity of the professional practice. The first crisis in journalism had to do with transitioning to a vastly more complex digital environment. Now, journalism is struggling to sustain itself amidst outdated business models, fractured audiences, declining trust, and a White House bent on undermining the whole operation. At stake is a vital part of the checks and balances system of a functioning democracy. Journalism + Design is a forward-looking, iterative education program preparing students and professionals alike to function in the complex ecosystem of contemporary journalism. We use systems thinking and design practices to help journalists better understand the interconnected nature of the problems they face, both as journalists having to operate within a complex adaptive system as well as practitioners and future practitioners expected to report on and explain the most important stories of our times – climate change, the effects of unfettered global capitalism, income inequality, racism, crumbling democracies. These are all stories of complex adaptive systems, or what Rittel and Webber called, wicked problems – impossible to even name, let alone solve, and with boundaries that blur into other wicked problems (Rittel and Webber, 1973). Design and systems journalism initiative This abstract seeks to outline the theory and practice behind our efforts to bring design practices and systems thinking into journalism education for both students and professionals. As mentioned above, the problem for journalists is two-fold: First, how do we build a sustainable system by which news is gathered, verified, synthesized, and distributed in a way that is independent from powerful interests? Many people talk about “saving the newspapers” or in other ways propping up existing entities. French economist, Julia Cagé, in her book, Saving the Media, argues that what will fix the news is a new, not-for-profit business model (Cagé, 2016). There’s Victor Pickard who, in his piece for The Guardian, recognizes that traditional ways of thinking about the news is not helping the industry, but still recommends a new, non-commercial business model (Pickard, 2009). Our analysis is that what is at stake is not so much the longevity of existing manifestations, but rather ensuring that some system for doing the above-mentioned work itself exists in the future – whatever that might look like. Second, how do we prepare journalists to tell the most important stories of our times – those of complex adaptive systems, or, wicked problems? This does not require merely digital skills, which is the strategy of most news organizations. Rather, it requires the ability to understand the forces behind events in the news, the interconnections between those forces, the non-linear natures of how events occur and multiply, and how to identify feedback loops and leverage points. A systems approach to redesigning journalism education and professional development is necessary to address these problems. The Journalism + Design initiative involves identifying leverage points for interventions in the education and professional spheres as well as opportunities for inspiring public discourse, such as publishing papers and popular articles, launching a podcast, and convening open workshops with community partners. The additional challenge is how to foster a change in attitude among the future of journalism community from one of trying to solve the problem of the crisis in journalism to one seeking to sustain a healthy system of journalism. Re-designing journalism education and professional development A significant part of the work of this initiative has been the development of an undergraduate journalism major at The New School in New York that marries fundamental journalistic practices and ethics with a systems and design practice. Our definition of design is a set of flexible processes for navigating unknown environments. We define systems thinking as the practice of studying wholes rather than parts in isolation, studying patterns of change overtime and identifying driving forces. This work has been primarily done through the Journalism + Design program at The New School. The program started four years ago with seven classes and 30 majors. Today, we offer 27 classes, have nearly 100 majors and see 406 students taking our classes. It has already become the second biggest major in the school. The excitement generated by the program among professionals led to the development of workshops and events outside the college, such as systems thinking for beat reporters, basic design process workshops, and systems and design support for projects around complex topics like homelessness, gentrification, and gerrymandering. In addition, the initiative has also begun work fostering systems and design approaches to journalism among community leaders in underserved urban neighborhoods in order to help build informal information networks to serve needs unmet by professional news organizations or the closing of local professional news outlets. The aim is to equip journalists with the ability to surface and diversify story ideas and sources, explore complex relationships, be more resilient in the face of uncertainty, identify how the structure of complex systems dictate outputs and consequences, and develop and maintain participatory and collaborative partnerships with non-media organizations and community members. Presenting In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the theories and intellectual work behind this initiative as well as surface learning to be gleaned from the work itself. This presentation will provide the audience with years of innovative research, curriculum, and insights, and, since playful experimentation is a key tenant of how our program was designed, our presentation will incorporate how our initiative actually operates in the field. More specifically, it will look at how systems thinking and design cooperate, how our program has integrated them into fast-paced, overworked newsrooms, and what this initiative means for sustainable journalism and democracy at large

Rétroaction multisources à la suite d’une simulation en réanimation : une étude qualitative

Background: The direct observation and assessment of learners’ resuscitation skills by an attending physician is challenging due to the unpredictable and time-sensitive nature of these events. Multisource feedback (MSF) may address this challenge and improve the quality of assessments provided to learners. We aimed to describe the similarities and differences in the assessment rationale of attending physicians, registered nurses, and resident peers in the context of a simulation-based resuscitation curriculum. Methods: We conducted a qualitative content analysis of narrative MSF of medical residents in their first postgraduate year of training who were participating in a simulation-based resuscitation course at two Canadian institutions. Assessments included an entrustment score and narrative comments from attending physicians, registered nurses, and resident peers in addition to self-assessment. Narrative comments were transcribed and analyzed thematically using a constant comparative method. Results: All 87 residents (100%) participating in the 2017-2018 course provided consent. A total of 223 assessments were included in our analysis. Four themes emerged from the narrative data: 1) Communication, 2) Leadership, 3) Demeanor, and 4) Medical Expert. Relative to other assessor groups, feedback from nurses focused on patient-centred care and communication while attending physicians focused on the medical expert theme. Peer feedback was the most positive. Self-assessments included comments within each of the four themes. Conclusions: In the context of a simulation-based resuscitation curriculum, MSF provided learners with different perspectives in their narrative assessment rationale and may offer a more holistic assessment of resuscitation skills within a competency-based medical education (CBME) program of assessment.Contexte : Le contexte imprévisible et contraignant au niveau du temps lors de l’observation directe et de la rétroaction associée sur les compétences en réanimation des apprenants constituent un défi pour un médecin superviseur. La rétroaction multisources (RMS) peut être un moyen de relever ce défi et d'améliorer la qualité des rétroactions fournies aux apprenants. Nous visons à décrire les similitudes et les différences quant à la démarche évaluative auprès de médecins traitants, d’infirmières cliniciennes et de pairs résidents dans le cadre d'un cours de réanimation offert par simulation. Méthodes : Nous avons réalisé une analyse de contenu à partir des rétroactions narratives offertes aux résidents en première année de formation postdoctorale dans deux universités canadiennes dans le cadre d’un cours de réanimation offert par simulation. En plus de l’auto-évaluation, la rétroaction comportait un score de confiance et des commentaires narratifs de la part de médecins superviseurs, d’infirmières cliniciennes et des pairs. Les commentaires ont été transcrits et analysés par thèmes en appliquant la méthode générale de comparaison constante. Résultats : Un consentement pour participer à l’étude a été obtenu auprès des 87 résidents (100 %) qui ont suivi le cours en 2017-2018. Nous avons analysé un total de 223 rétroactions. Quatre thèmes ont émergé à partir des données narratives soit : 1) la communication, 2) le leadership, 3) le comportement, et 4) l’expertise médicale. Alors que les infirmières ont ciblé leurs commentaires sur les soins centrés sur le patient et la communication, les médecins superviseurs ont les ont ciblés sur l’expertise médicale. Les commentaires des pairs étaient les plus positifs. Les auto-évaluations comportaient des commentaires sur chacun des quatre thèmes. Conclusions : Dans le contexte d’un cours de réanimation offert par simulation, la RMS a permis aux apprenants d’obtenir des évaluations narratives selon différentes perspectives. Permettant ainsi une approche plus holistique de rétroaction sur les habiletés en réanimation dans le cadre d’un programme d’évaluation axé sur les compétences

Orbital misalignment of the super-Earth π\pi Men c with the spin of its star

Planet-planet scattering events can leave an observable trace of a planet's migration history in the form of orbital misalignment with respect to the the stellar spin axis, which is measurable from spectroscopic timeseries taken during transit. We present high-resolution spectroscopic transits observed with ESPRESSO of the close-in super-Earth $\pi$ Men c. The system also contains an outer giant planet on a wide, eccentric orbit, recently found to be inclined with respect to the inner planetary orbit. These characteristics are reminiscent of past dynamical interactions. We successfully retrieve the planet-occulted light during transit and find evidence that the orbit of $\pi$ Men c is moderately misaligned with the stellar spin axis with $\lambda = -24.0^\circ \pm 4.1^\circ$ ($\psi = 26.9^{\circ +5.8^\circ}_{\,-4.7^\circ}$). This is consistent with the super-Earth $\pi$ Men c having followed a high-eccentricity migration followed by tidal circularisation, and hints that super-Earths can form at large distances from their star. We also detect clear signatures of solar-like oscillations within our ESPRESSO radial velocity timeseries, where we reach a radial velocity precision of ${\sim}20$ cm/s. We model the oscillations using Gaussian processes and retrieve a frequency of maximum oscillation, $\nu_\text{max} = 2771^{+65}_{-60}$ $\mu$Hz. These oscillations makes it challenging to detect the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect using traditional methods. We are, however, successful using the reloaded Rossiter-McLaughlin approach. Finally, in an appendix we also present updated physical parameters and ephemerides for $\pi$ Men c from a Gaussian process transit analysis of the full TESS Cycle 1 data.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures. Published in MNRA

Models of natural pest control : Towards predictions across agricultural landscapes

Natural control of invertebrate crop pests has the potential to complement or replace conventional insecticide based practices, but its mainstream application is hampered by predictive unreliability across agroecosystems. Inconsistent responses of natural pest control to changes in landscape characteristics have been attributed to ecological complexity and system-specific conditions. Here, we review agroecological models and their potential to provide predictions of natural pest control across agricultural landscapes. Existing models have used a multitude of techniques to represent specific crop-pest-enemy systems at various spatiotemporal scales, but less wealthy regions of the world are underrepresented. A realistic representation of natural pest control across systems appears to be hindered by a practical trade-off between generality and realism. Nonetheless, observations of context-sensitive, trait-mediated responses of natural pest control to land-use gradients indicate the potential of ecological models that explicitly represent the underlying mechanisms. We conclude that modelling natural pest control across agroecosystems should exploit existing mechanistic techniques towards a framework of contextually bound generalizations. Observed similarities in causal relationships can inform the functional grouping of diverse agroecosystems worldwide and the development of the respective models based on general, but context-sensitive, ecological mechanisms. The combined use of qualitative and quantitative techniques should allow the flexible integration of empirical evidence and ecological theory for robust predictions of natural pest control across a wide range of agroecological contexts and levels of knowledge availability. We highlight challenges and promising directions towards developing such a general modelling framework.Peer reviewe

Natural capital informing decisions: from promise to practice

This is the accepted manuscript of a paper that will be published in PNAS. It is currently under an infinite embargo.The central challenge of the 21st century is to develop economic, social, and governance systems capable of ending poverty and achieving sustainable levels of population and consumption while securing the life-support systems underpinning current and future human well-being. Essential to meeting this challenge is the incorporation of natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides into decision-making. Here, we explore progress and crucial gaps at this frontier, reflecting upon the 10 years since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. We focus on three key dimensions of progress and ongoing challenges: raising awareness of the interdependence of ecosystems and human well-being; advancing the fundamental, interdisciplinary science of ecosystem services; and implementing this science in decisions to restore natural capital and use it sustainably. Awareness of human dependence on nature is at an all-time high, the science of ecosystem services is rapidly advancing, and talk of natural capital is now common from governments to corporate boardrooms. However, successful implementation is still in early stages. We explore why ecosystem service information has yet to fundamentally change decision-making and suggest a path forward that emphasizes: 1) developing solid evidence linking decisions to impacts on natural capital and ecosystem services, and then to human well-being, 2) working closely with leaders in government, business, and civil society to develop the knowledge, tools, and practices necessary to integrate natural capital and ecosystem services into everyday decision-making; and 3) reforming institutions to change policy and practices to better align private short-term goals with societal long-term goals.http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.150375111

Crop Pests and Predators Exhibit Inconsistent Responses to Surrounding Landscape Composition

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies

Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies

The Eleventh and Twelfth Data Releases of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Final Data from SDSS-III

The third generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) took data from 2008 to 2014 using the original SDSS wide-field imager, the original and an upgraded multi-object fiber-fed optical spectrograph, a new near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph, and a novel optical interferometer. All of the data from SDSS-III are now made public. In particular, this paper describes Data Release 11 (DR11) including all data acquired through 2013 July, and Data Release 12 (DR12) adding data acquired through 2014 July (including all data included in previous data releases), marking the end of SDSS-III observing. Relative to our previous public release (DR10), DR12 adds one million new spectra of galaxies and quasars from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) over an additional 3000 deg2 of sky, more than triples the number of H-band spectra of stars as part of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), and includes repeated accurate radial velocity measurements of 5500 stars from the Multi-object APO Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey (MARVELS). The APOGEE outputs now include the measured abundances of 15 different elements for each star. In total, SDSS-III added 5200 deg2 of ugriz imaging; 155,520 spectra of 138,099 stars as part of the Sloan Exploration of Galactic Understanding and Evolution 2 (SEGUE-2) survey; 2,497,484 BOSS spectra of 1,372,737 galaxies, 294,512 quasars, and 247,216 stars over 9376 deg2; 618,080 APOGEE spectra of 156,593 stars; and 197,040 MARVELS spectra of 5513 stars. Since its first light in 1998, SDSS has imaged over 1/3 of the Celestial sphere in five bands and obtained over five million astronomical spectra. \ua9 2015. The American Astronomical Society

Gothic Revival Architecture Before Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill

The Gothic Revival is generally considered to have begun in eighteenth-century Britain with the construction of Horace Walpole’s villa, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in the late 1740s. As this chapter demonstrates, however, Strawberry Hill is in no way the first building, domestic or otherwise, to have recreated, even superficially, some aspect of the form and ornamental style of medieval architecture. Earlier architects who, albeit often combining it with Classicism, worked in the Gothic style include Sir Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, William Kent and Batty Langley, aspects of whose works are explored here. While not an exhaustive survey of pre-1750 Gothic Revival design, the examples considered in this chapter reveal how seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Gothic emerged and evolved over the course of different architects’ careers, and how, by the time that Walpole came to create his own Gothic ‘castle’, there was already in existence in Britain a sustained Gothic Revivalist tradition