Understanding the Influence of Power and Perspective-Taking on Collaborative Decision-Making

Public engagement in collaborative natural resource management necessitates perspective taking, shared understanding, and collaboration. There is currently little understanding about how to reliably generate perspective-taking and collaboration, particularly in situations involving the unequal distribution of resources. Here we examine how using a computer-mediated scenario to simulate resource gain and loss influenced individual perspective-taking and behavior. Participants (n=180) were randomly assigned to each condition: high resources, low resources, lose resources, gain resources. Multilevel analysis revealed that losing resources decreased perspective-taking and collaboration. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this research for public engagement in environmental decisions

Reform of the water supply institution of Aceh Province, Indonesia

The water supply companies (PDAM) of the province of Aceh are undergoing a revitalization following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of December 2004. The PDAMs were in a state of disrepair even before the tsunami, from almost thirty years of internal conflict. International aid agencies, including UNICEF and USAID/ESP, are supporting the rehabilitation of both the physical infrastructure and institutional capacity of the PDAMs. The PDAMs need a new structure to operate under; however extreme measures should be avoided at this stage. The PDAMs need support to increase revenue and make them truly autonomous. The tariff structure is the first problem to be addressed. There are internal as well as external changes required for the PDAMs to function successfully. The PDAMs need to learn how to develop a Corporate Plan to be able to realize it’s strengths and weaknesses. Basically the process has two principles; a participatory approach and simplicity

Public water utility versus private, the case of Burao and Borama, Somaliland: a comparison of PPP and semi-state water utility management models

Somaliland is a water scarce, drought prone country. Water is a precious resource and an important public good. The public private partnership (PPP) model has demonstrated that people will benefit from the private management of water, if the public’s interest are met. PPP is relatively new concept to Somaliland in the Water Sector and has shown potential to be scaled up. This paper will compare and contrast the public sector agency and PPP models in two towns in Somaliland. Often, fragile countries like Somaliland lack the capacity and will for sustainability. The Ministry of Water Resources and UNICEF, under a four year EU funded project “Improving Urban Water Service Delivery in Somaliland”, have worked together with the respective municipal authorities to develop both models. The key focus of this project included management and operational issues, regulatory framework and performance monitoring of water service providers, capacity development and Pro-Poor regulatory measures. It aims to ensure that well-planned investment in more efficient water systems in selected towns is underpinned by a common, Somaliland-wide approach to service delivery with better public-private arrangements, a more capable public oversight, and a stronger focus on service delivery to the most vulnerable. Recent research, commissioned under the project, demonstrates that both models are viable. In the case of the public utility model in Burao, it almost collapsed in 2010 due poor management if it were not for the timely intervention of the Ministry of Water Resources. The PPP model introduced in Boroma town since 2003 has worked relatively well but the need to review the performance monitoring and pro-poor regulatory measures were recognized in 2013. Both models have one new aspect in common, an empowered water user associations which advocate for the rights of the consumers – a significant game changer

A deep learning approach to photo–identification demonstrates high performance on two dozen cetacean species

We thank the countless individuals who collected and/or processed the nearly 85,000 images used in this study and those who assisted, particularly those who sorted these images from the millions that did not end up in the catalogues. Additionally, we thank the other Kaggle competitors who helped develop the ideas, models and data used here, particularly those who released their datasets to the public. The graduate assistantship for Philip T. Patton was funded by the NOAA Fisheries QUEST Fellowship. This paper represents HIMB and SOEST contribution numbers 1932 and 11679, respectively. The technical support and advanced computing resources from University of Hawaii Information Technology Services—Cyberinfrastructure, funded in part by the National Science Foundation CC* awards # 2201428 and # 2232862 are gratefully acknowledged. Every photo–identification image was collected under permits according to relevant national guidelines, regulation and legislation.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Understanding the Influence of Power and Perspective-Taking on Collaborative Decision-Making

Public engagement in collaborative natural resource management necessitates perspective taking, shared understanding, and collaboration. There is currently little understanding about how to reliably generate perspective-taking and collaboration, particularly in situations involving the unequal distribution of resources. Here we examine how using a computer-mediated scenario to simulate resource gain and loss influenced individual perspective-taking and behavior. Participants (n=180) were randomly assigned to each condition: high resources, low resources, lose resources, gain resources. Multilevel analysis revealed that losing resources decreased perspective-taking and collaboration. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this research for public engagement in environmental decisions.</p

Network governance for large‐scale natural resource conservation and the challenge of capture

Large‐scale natural resource conservation initiatives are increasingly adopting a network governance framework to respond to the ecological, social, and political challenges of contemporary environmental governance. A network approach offers new modes of management that allow resource managers and others to transcend a single institution, organization, resource, or landscape and engage in conservation that is multi‐species and multi‐jurisdictional. However, there are challenges to network governance in large‐scale conservation efforts, which we address by focusing on how special interests can capture networks and shape the goals, objectives, and outcomes of initiatives. The term “network capture” is used here to describe an array of strategies that direct the processes and outcomes of large‐scale initiatives in ways that advance a group's positions, concerns, or economic interests. We outline how new stakeholders emerge from these management processes, and how the ease of information sharing can blur stakeholder positions and lead to competing knowledge claims. We conclude by reasserting the benefits of network governance while acknowledging the unique challenges that networks present.Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.</p