Contexts, Conditions and Methods Conducive to Knowledge Co-Production: Three Case Studies Involving Scientific and Community Perspectives in Arctic Wildlife Research

Decision-makers require current and robust information to address the effects of social-ecological changes facing ecosystems, wildlife, and humans; however, research defined by single disciplines and knowledge systems is often challenged in fully representing the complexity of such problems. There is a recognized need to include the perspectives of academic and local knowledge holders in research as evidence argues this can produce more robust knowledge and lead to greater public acceptance of policy. Knowledge co-production has been proposed as a research approach that can include academic and non-academic actors in addressing complex problems that transcend disciplinary and epistemological boundaries and have societal and scientific significance. While knowledge co-production has gained attention in environmental research in many regions, its application has not been extensively explored in the Arctic. This research used a case study approach to examine the contexts, conditions, and methods that support knowledge co-production on wildlife issues with Canadian Arctic communities. Three cases were selected to examine knowledge co-production in the context of a past research study, an ongoing study, and to consider the pre-conditions necessary for knowledge co-production to benefit future research. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, workshops, and participant observation with scientists and Inuit community members involved in ringed seal research in Kugaaruk and Iqaluit and fisheries research in Pangnirtung, Nunavut. Results indicate that Arctic wildlife research can benefit from knowledge co-production. There are particular structural and process conditions that help facilitate successful knowledge co-production and establishing these conditions requires deliberate work on the part of researchers and community members involved. Establishing shared goals and problem definitions, creating the space to identify and share positionalities and perspectives on issues, and clarifying roles of academic and community actors all emerged as important conditions in the cases. Further, results suggest that semi-structured interviews and purposefully designed and facilitated thematic workshops provide the flexibility to create the time and space needed for participants to learn about and engage with one anothers values, perspectives, and priorities. This research shows that when effort is made to establish the necessary conditions for knowledge co-production early on in the research process, projects can produce knowledge that is perceived as more credible, salient, and legitimate by all involved

Ringed Seal Monitoring and Planning Workshop

Ringed seals (Pusa hispida) are the most abundant seal in the Arctic. They are an important traditional food for Inuit throughout Nunavut, and ringed seal skins are an important resource used for clothing and other products. Ringed seals rely on first-year sea ice as a platform for resting and moulting (shedding old hair and replacing it with new growth) and they construct birth lairs beneath the snow for protecting pups against both predators and weather. In many parts of their range, ringed seals feed on fishes and other organisms associated with epontic (under-ice) biological communities. Ringed seals are therefore an important species to monitor as they are vulnerable to changes in environmental conditions, such as ice extent and thickness, snowfall, and abundance of other marine species. Changes in ringed seal health will also affect the health of Inuit communities. In particular, there have been advisories on the consumption of ringed seal liver as a result of contaminants and pollutants. Ringed seal research programs exist across the Canadian Arctic, especially in the eastern Arctic, and involve the participation of local hunters in the collection of samples and data. There is growing interest among communities and researchers in expanding both the focus of research and the communities involved. We held a workshop in Iqaluit, NU on March 6-7, 2014, that invited researchers, managers, community members, and students to discuss knowledge and issues around ringed seal research in Nunavut. The purpose of the workshop was to provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge, identify information gaps and priorities, plan for future collaborative and community-based research on ringed seals, as well as identify management and community concerns. The workshop involved 10 community members from across Nunavut; 14 researchers from universities and government; 5 staff from Nunavut government departments and management organizations; 2 representatives from Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated; a representative from the Nunavut Research Institute; and 14 students from the Environmental Technology Program (ETP) at Nunavut Arctic College. The workshop structure involved breakout sessions during which small groups shared their perspectives about specific topics, followed by plenary sessions where each breakout group reported the main points from their discussions to the full group. Breakout sessions focused on 1) identifying knowledge priorities, 2) the communication and use of knowledge, and 3) identifying a set of next steps for future action. Questions that were brought up throughout the plenary sessions were also recorded, and an additional breakout session was dedicated to providing groups with a chance to respond to those questions that were relevant to them.Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (Nunavut General Monitoring Plan and Northern Contaminants Program), Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, World Wildlife Fund Canada, Environment Canad

Perceptions of quality across the maternal care continuum in the context of a health financing intervention: Evidence from a mixed methods study in rural Malawi

Background: In 2013, Malawi with its development partners introduced a Results-Based Financing for Maternal and Newborn Health (RBF4MNH) intervention to improve the quality of maternal and newborn health-care services. Financial incentives are awarded to health facilities conditional on their performance and to women for delivering in the health facility. We assessed the effect of the RBF4MNH on quality of care from women’s perspectives. Methods: We used a mixed-method prospective sequential controlled pre- and post-test design. We conducted 3060 structured client exit interviews, 36 in-depth interviews and 29 focus group discussions (FGDs) with women and 24 in-depth interviews with health service providers between 2013 and 2015. We used difference-in-differences regression models to measure the effect of the RBF4MNH on experiences and perceived quality of care. We used qualitative data to explore the matter more in depth. Results: We did not observe a statistically significant effect of the intervention on women’s perceptions of technical care, quality of amenities and interpersonal relations. However, in the qualitative interviews, most women reported improved health service provision as a result of the intervention. RBF4MNH increased the proportion of women reporting to have received medications/treatment during childbirth. Participants in interviews expressed that drugs, equipment and supplies were readily available due to the RBF4MNH. However, women also reported instances of neglect, disrespect and verbal abuse during the process of care. Providers attributed these negative instances to an increased workload resulting from an increased number of women seeking services at RBF4MNH facilities. Conclusion: Our qualitative findings suggest improvements in the availability of drugs and supplies due to RBF4MNH. Despite the intervention, challenges in the provision of quality care persisted, especially with regard to interpersonal relations. RBF interventions may need to consider including indicators that specifically target the provision of respectful maternity care as a means to foster providers’ positive attitudes towards women in labour. In parallel, governments should consider enhancing staff and infrastructural capacity before implementing RBF

Status of the BELLE II Pixel Detector

The Belle II experiment at the super KEK B-factory (SuperKEKB) in Tsukuba, Japan, has been collecting $e^+e^−$ collision data since March 2019. Operating at a record-breaking luminosity of up to $4.7×10^{34} cm^{−2}s^{−1}$, data corresponding to $424 fb^{−1}$ has since been recorded. The Belle II VerteX Detector (VXD) is central to the Belle II detector and its physics program and plays a crucial role in reconstructing precise primary and decay vertices. It consists of the outer 4-layer Silicon Vertex Detector (SVD) using double sided silicon strips and the inner two-layer PiXel Detector (PXD) based on the Depleted P-channel Field Effect Transistor (DePFET) technology. The PXD DePFET structure combines signal generation and amplification within pixels with a minimum pitch of $(50×55) μm^2$. A high gain and a high signal-to-noise ratio allow thinning the pixels to $75 μm$ while retaining a high pixel hit efficiency of about $99$. As a consequence, also the material budget of the full detector is kept low at $≈0.21$$\frac{X}{X_0}$ per layer in the acceptance region. This also includes contributions from the control, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and data processing Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) as well as from cooling and support structures. This article will present the experience gained from four years of operating PXD; the first full scale detector employing the DePFET technology in High Energy Physics. Overall, the PXD has met the expectations. Operating in the intense SuperKEKB environment poses many challenges that will also be discussed. The current PXD system remains incomplete with only 20 out of 40 modules having been installed. A full replacement has been constructed and is currently in its final testing stage before it will be installed into Belle II during the ongoing long shutdown that will last throughout 2023

Belle II Vertex Detector Performance

The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB accelerator (KEK, Tsukuba, Japan) collected its first e+e− collision data in the spring 2019. The aim of accumulating a 50 times larger data sample than Belle at KEKB, a first generation B-Factory, presents substantial challenges to both the collider and the detector, requiring not only state-of-the-art hardware, but also modern software algorithms for tracking and alignment. The broad physics program requires excellent performance of the vertex detector, which is composed of two layers of DEPFET pixels and four layers of double sided-strip sensors. In this contribution, an overview of the vertex detector of Belle II and our methods to ensure its optimal performance, are described, and the first results and experiences from the first physics run are presented

Reactions and process separations in environmentally benign media

Ph.D.Charles L. Liott