Adaptive governance of utilities: case of the water sector in an emerging market context

Adequate, equitable provision of essential resources requires governance that can adapt to the needs of a complex resource regime. Insufficient coordination and cooperation are barriers to governance of a resource system that is characterised by human and social interaction. This thesis explores how the application of governance frameworks for complex resource regimes, adaptive governance and social contracts that enable a diversity of perspectives on governance to inform understanding of cooperation in the provision of essential resources. Utilising an in-depth case study of water and sanitation provision in Medellin, Colombia, the thesis identifies insights from adaptive governance for the provision of essential resources through data-driven and theory-driven analytical approaches to: 1) test whether the system of water governance in Medellin is adaptive 2) describe the regime characteristics in comparison with existing theory on adaptive governance and assess alternative governing arrangements and 3) assess the social contracts within these governance arrangements. The results of semi-structured interviews with 30+ representatives from 6 stakeholder groups (utility provider, metropolitan authority, municipal authority, universities, community-based organisations and water user associations) indicate that the system of water governance in Medellin has: 1) adaptive governance in the policy domain and mechanisms for multi-stakeholder participation, 2) Strong features of polycentric governance associated with ‘bridging actors’, 3) Strong forms of monocentric governance among environmental and municipal authorities and 4) top-down, mixed and bottom-up social contract arrangements. These findings suggest a form of governance that is consistent with “malleable” governance the capacity of actors within a system to demonstrate different types of arrangements that evolve in relation to needs within the system. Contributions include a multi-disciplinary approach for navigating complex resource regimes and findings that provide a case study narrative of governance that moves towards malleability

Exploring Teacher Turnover in Two High-Turnover Urban High Schools

Schools in the United States average an annual teacher turnover of 16%, with half of all teachers who change jobs also leaving the profession. This problem is important because high teacher turnover interrupts the development of pedagogical acumen among teachers, adversely affects student achievement, and diverts budget dollars that are needed elsewhere. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teacher turnover in two urban high schools that had twice the national average of teacher turnover so that research-derived recommendations could be made to improve teacher retention. Grounded in organizational development theory, appreciative inquiry was used to explore how the former teachers who no longer worked at the schools perceived teacher turnover, as well as gain their insights about how to mitigate teacher turnover within the two schools. An open-ended interview protocol guided interviews with a purposeful sample of 10 former high school teachers who taught for the district for one or more years before leaving. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed that high turnover was related to psychologically challenging work environments. The themes of relevant professional development and mentoring opportunities were unpacked for mitigating high turnover. The study resulted in a policy recommendation that outlines improvements for professional development and a teacher mentoring program that could lead to more supportive work environments for teachers. The teaching profession, schools, and students will benefit from implementing research-derived recommendations to improve teacher retention. Positive social change accrues when teachers remain and thrive in their chosen profession

Adaptive Governance as an Avenue for Delivering Public Purpose in the Wake of Financialization

The demand for infrastructure and utility services is an acute challenge for countries in middle- and low-income countries undergoing high levels of urbanization, demographic shifts, and civil and political reorganization. The demand for utilities occurs alongside a trend toward increased financialization of the local state. A challenge for meeting demand for utility services is the shift toward increased financialization where the delivery of public purpose is challenged. This chapter aims to highlight governing arrangements that aid in understanding how public purpose can be delivered through utilities using the case study of Medellin, Colombia. Through examples of public infrastructure projects and the delivery of water by its utility-company, Empresas Publicas de Medellin, the paper discusses how this company achieved alignment of essential services with public purpose through adaptive governance structures that mitigate adverse effects of financialization and promote the integration of economic, environmental, and social goals. While this case does not propose a transferable model of governance, it highlights arrangements that enable a more mixed, adaptive, and nuanced understanding of how adverse effects associated with total financialization might be abated

Profession satisfaction and self-actualisation of non-construction professionals within the construction industry of Abuja, Nigeria

Non-construction professionals do not experience self-actualisation within the construction industry as a result of inadequate motivation. The aim of this study is to assess selfactualisation potentials of non-construction professionals in medium-size and large building construction companies in Abuja, with a view to improving their professional satisfaction. The quantitative research approach was adopted; the population size of non-construction professionals was 348. Stratified sampling technique was used to select a sample of 186. Structured questionnaire was administered to the non-construction professionals. Weighted mean was used for the various ranking on professional satisfaction and self-actualisation of non-construction professionals. The findings of the study revealed that, majority of respondents (61.6%) are generally not professionally satisfied in their various construction companies. Based on the findings, the level of professional satisfaction and self-actualisation in relation to career advancement and job characteristics are low. While in relation to promotion opportunities, autonomy, training, and development, the level of professional satisfaction and self-actualisation is moderate. Therefore, for non-construction professionals to achieve professional satisfaction and self-actualisation within these construction companies, priority should be given to their career advancement opportunities, and job characteristics such as career prospects (professional membership), additional qualification, job rotation, challenging tasks and so forth, while still not neglecting the aspect of promotion opportunities, autonomy and training and development.Keywords: Construction Industry, Motivation, Non-Construction Professionals, Professional Satisfaction, and Self-Actualisatio

Liposomes fuse with sperm cells and induce activation by delivery of impermeant agents

AbstractSperm cell activation is a critical step in fertilization. To directly investigate the cell signaling events leading to sperm activation it is necessary to deliver membrane impermeant agents into the cytoplasm. In this study, the use of liposomes as possible agent-loading vectors was examined using (1) the octadecylrhodamine B (R18) and NBD phosphatidylethanolamine (NBD DHPE)/rhodamine phosphatidylethanolamine (rhod DHPE) fusion assays in bulk samples, (2) membrane transfer of fluorescence from liposome membranes labeled with R18 and rhodamine-tagged phosphatidylethanolamine (TRITC DHPE), and (3) lumenal transfer of impermeant calcium ions from liposomes to sperm cells, a process that stimulated sperm cell activation. Intermediate-sized unilamellar liposomes (98.17±15.34 nm) were prepared by the detergent-removal technique using sodium cholate as the detergent and a phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine/cholesterol (2:1:1 mole ratio) lipid composition. In the R18 fusion assays, self-quenching increased logarithmically with increasing concentrations of R18 in the liposome membranes; addition of unlabeled sperm to R18-labeled liposomes lead to a rapid release of self-quenching. In the NBD DHPE/rhod DHPE resonance energy transfer (RET) fusion assay, RET was rapidly reduced under similar conditions. In addition, individual sperm became fluorescent when TRITC DHPE-labeled liposomes were incubated with unlabeled sperm cells. Incubation of sperm cells with empty liposomes did not significantly affect sperm cell activation and did not alter cell morphology. However, incubation with Ca (10 mM)-loaded liposomes resulted in a time-dependent increase in sperm cell activation (7.5-fold over controls after 15 min). We conclude that liposomes can be used for direct loading of membrane-impermeant agents into sea squirt sperm cell cytoplasm, and that delivery occurs via fusion and content intermixing

Role of Teachers’ Quantity on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students

Sequel to a national personnel audit that was recently conducted on public and private education in Nigeria, there has been a growing debate on the immediate need to increase the academic staff strength in all secondary schools in the country. This debate has however taken a controversial trend as a large part of the educational chiefs in the country have stood on an opinion to ordinarily improving the working condition of the existing academic staff since, to them, teachers’ quantity has no direct impact on students’ academic achievement. This paper therefore investigated the role of teachers’ quantity on the academic achievement of secondary school students to determine whether small or excess teachers’ quantity have a direct significant influence on how students perform academically. Using a descriptive survey design, the study sampled 120 teachers from a population of 1,205 in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state, Nigeria. A researcher-designed questionnaire of Likert scale was used for the data collection and descriptive statistical tools of frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used for the data analysis. It was therefore concluded that most schools in the local government are underserved with teachers and that – that had created some sorts of low academic achievement among the secondary school students. Schools do not give a fair share of their revenue to improve staff strength in their schools. Also, schools that are characterized by a low number of teachers are faced by pressure, high workload, and overstress which invariably influence the poor academic achievement of students. Keywords: role, teachers’ quantity, academic achievement, secondary school, students DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-1-06 Publication date: January 31st 202

Social Justice Through Beach Access and Community-Based Placemaking in Puna, Hawai\u27i

This project investigates how tourist-dependent regions can implement community-based placemaking to create an inclusive outdoor space and experience for both tourists and locals. My area of focus is on Puna District, located on the southeast side of Hawai\u27i’s Big Island; their community was damaged by a volcanic eruption from Mount Kīlauea in 2018. The county, economic development organizations and community members are working to rebuild the region and infrastructure and reopen parts of the land covered by the lava. The research is conducted through a case study methodology of the Puna District and how the area is revitalizing their region, including their beach parks. Components of the case study included a secondary data analysis, context mapping, windshield survey, an online survey and interviews. This data was analyzed to create a list of recommendations on how Hawai\u27i County as well as other counties recovering from disasters can revitalize their public spaces to be more inclusive to both locals and visitors

Factors Influencing the Need for and Access to IVF Treatment

Infertility is defined as the inability for a couple to become pregnant after 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility can stem from an issue with the female reproductive tract, the male reproductive tract, or both. Individuals struggling with infertility seek medical assistance for a successful reproductive course. However, there are many aspects outside of pathology that may encourage or deter an individual to elect for medical assistance such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). In vitro fertilization is defined as a medical procedure in which an egg is fertilized outside the body. The increased usage of IVF demonstrates the need for equitable access to IVF care. The purpose of this literature review is to consider all the factors and challenges involved in one’s decision to utilize IVF

Exploring the business models of private health care providers in an emerging African market context

Thesis submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, April 2016A review of the private health sector of some economies shows the growing use of business models, by health care providers in the sector, to improve health care provision whilst simultaneously increasing financial performance. This growing use has been based on the ability of business models to engage the resource-based and market-based principles, which have been shown to provide a sustainable competitive advantage for firms in diverse industries. Emerging African economies like Ghana could leverage business models to improve the performance of their private health sectors. However, the application of business models is still unclear in these countries. This study thus sought to investigate how Ghanaian private hospitals apply business models, with reference to Alex Osterwalder's business model canvas. Findings were analyzed using the directed content analysis method. The results of the study showed the evidence of resource-based and market-based principles in Ghanaian private hospitals’ application of business models. The study also showed the existence of different business models within the Ghanaian private sector based on observed differences in the elements being utilized by each hospital. There were peculiar findings such as the reliance of private hospitals on the public sector for the provision of more advanced medical services, training and research; even as private hospitals are expected to be more efficient resource managers From the findings, further research is directed at investigating value flows between various blocks of the business model canvas and their impact on the Ghanaian private health sector.Ashesi University Colleg