Using operations research to strengthen programmes for encouraging abandonment of female genital cutting. Report of a consultative meeting on methodological issues for FGC Research

The Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program, with funding from USAID, organized a consultative meeting on the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2002. The meeting brought together a small group of researchers and program managers who are actively undertaking operations research and systematic program evaluations to review the state of the art concerning intervention research design and measurement issues. The deliberations at this workshop should stimulate interest both in undertaking operations research more routinely when programming anti-FGC activities and in furthering the development and application of research methods appropriate for this subject. Several challenges remain: ensuring that those implementing and funding anti-FGC interventions appreciate how an operations research approach can benefit their efforts; building organizational and individual capacity to undertake operations research on anti-FGC interventions as well as to use the results from such studies; and communicating widely the findings from operations research so that future activities are evidence-based

Youth reproductive health: Investing in the future

Youth—young people aged 10–24—constitute about a quarter of the world\u27s population. Nearly three-quarters of these young people live in the developing world, and they suffer a disproportionate share of unplanned pregnancies, STIs including HIV, and other reproductive health (RH) problems. Research undertaken by FRONTIERS has shed light on numerous aspects of youth RH, including the information needs of young people, married adolescents, and parents and guardians. Findings from over 20 studies on youth RH provide important lessons about which interventions are effective, what kind of impact is possible, and what approaches have limited impact. This paper focuses on engaging all stakeholders in youth RH, addressing underserved groups, and using research to guide youth programming. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing major lessons learned in research conducted under the FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health Program. The full set of Legacy Papers includes: Capacity Building, Family Planning, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Gender, Integration of Services, Sustainability of Services, Utilization of Research Findings, and Youth Reproductive Health

Capacity building: Creating a culture of evidence-based decisionmaking

For research to have significant impact, it is important to have not only trained individuals and institutions capable of conducting research, but also program managers and donors who believe in making decisions based on evidence. The focus on fostering research utilization through capacity building has been a major contribution of the FRONTIERS legacy. The FRONTIERS capacity-building initiative began in 1999 in response to the need for developing-country partners and institutions to conduct research, understand study findings, and develop policies and programs based on evidence. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing major lessons learned in research conducted under the FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health Program. The full set of Legacy Papers includes: Capacity Building, Family Planning, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Gender, Integration of Services, Sustainability of Services, Utilization of Research Findings, and Youth Reproductive Health

Gender and reproductive health services: Putting gender perspective into practice

Promoting gender equity is widely acknowledged as important for improving reproductive health (RH) programs, as gender shapes all aspects of RH service delivery. Thus promoting gender equity—fairness and justice in responsibilities and access to benefits for women, men, girls, and boys—is a major goal for RH programs. But how can programs operationalize the concept of gender perspective when delivering family planning (FP) and other RH services? What impact does this have on use and effectiveness? FRONTIERS projects have improved understanding of the impact of gender issues on RH and have helped identify effective actions for incorporating gender perspective into services. This paper covers evidence-based measures for approaching gender equity by incorporating gender into services, engaging men in safeguarding reproductive health, and addressing gender-based violence. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing major lessons learned in research conducted under the FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health Program. The full set of Legacy Papers includes: Capacity Building, Family Planning, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Gender, Integration of Services, Sustainability of Services, Utilization of Research Findings, and Youth Reproductive Health

Game AI revisited

More than a decade after the early research efforts on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in computer games and the establishment of a new AI domain the term “game AI” needs to be redefined. Traditionally, the tasks associated with game AI revolved around non player character (NPC) behavior at different levels of control, varying from navigation and pathfinding to decision making. Commercial-standard games developed over the last 15 years and current game productions, however, suggest that the traditional challenges of game AI have been well addressed via the use of sophisticated AI approaches, not necessarily following or inspired by advances in academic practices. The marginal penetration of traditional academic game AI methods in industrial productions has been mainly due to the lack of constructive communication between academia and industry in the early days of academic game AI, and the inability of academic game AI to propose methods that would significantly advance existing development processes or provide scalable solutions to real world problems. Recently, however, there has been a shift of research focus as the current plethora of AI uses in games is breaking the non-player character AI tradition. A number of those alternative AI uses have already shown a significant potential for the design of better games. This paper presents four key game AI research areas that are currently reshaping the research roadmap in the game AI field and evidently put the game AI term under a new perspective. These game AI flagship research areas include the computational modeling of player experience, the procedural generation of content, the mining of player data on massive-scale and the alternative AI research foci for enhancing NPC capabilities.peer-reviewe