Absence of evidence for the conservation outcomes of systematic conservation planning around the globe : A systematic map

Background Systematic conservation planning is a discipline concerned with the prioritisation of resources for biodiversity conservation and is often used in the design or assessment of terrestrial and marine protected area networks. Despite being an evidence-based discipline, to date there has been no comprehensive review of the outcomes of systematic conservation plans and assessments of the relative effectiveness of applications in different contexts. To address this fundamental gap in knowledge, our primary research question was: what is the extent, distribution and robustness of evidence on conservation outcomes of systematic conservation planning around the globe? Methods A systematic mapping exercise was undertaken using standardised search terms across 29 sources, including publication databases, online repositories and a wide range of grey literature sources. The review team screened articles recursively, first by title only, then abstract and finally by full-text, using inclusion criteria related to systematic conservation plans conducted at sub-global scales and reported on since 1983. We sought studies that reported outcomes relating to natural, human, social, financial or institutional outcomes and which employed robust evaluation study designs. The following information was extracted from included studies: bibliographic details, background information including location of study and broad objectives of the plan, study design, reported outcomes and context. Results Of the approximately 10,000 unique articles returned through our searches, 1209 were included for full-text screening and 43 studies reported outcomes of conservation planning interventions. However, only three studies involved the use of evaluation study designs which are suitably rigorous for inclusion, according to best-practice guidelines. The three included studies were undertaken in the Gulf of California (Mexico), Réunion Island, and The Nature Conservancy’s landholdings across the USA. The studies varied widely in context, purpose and outcomes. Study designs were non-experimental or qualitative, and involved use of spatial landholdings over time, stakeholder surveys and modelling of alternative planning scenarios. Conclusion Rigorous evaluations of systematic conservation plans are currently not published in academic journals or made publicly available elsewhere. Despite frequent claims relating to positive implications and outcomes of these planning activities, we show that evaluations are probably rarely conducted. This finding does not imply systematic conservation planning is not effective but highlights a significant gap in our understanding of how, when and why it may or may not be effective. Our results also corroborate claims that the literature on systematic conservation planning is dominated by methodological studies, rather than those that focus on implementation and outcomes, and support the case that this is a problematic imbalance in the literature. We emphasise the need for academics and practitioners to publish the outcomes of systematic conservation planning exercises and to consider employing robust evaluation methodologies when reporting project outcomes. Adequate reporting of outcomes will in turn enable transparency and accountability between institutions and funding bodies as well as improving the science and practice of conservation planning

Optimization of switching frequencies in the limited-pool random space vector PWM strategy for inverter-fed drives

A space vector PWM technique for inverter fed ac drives which, in contrast with known random modulation methods, is characterized by a very small pool of randomly used switching frequencies, is presented. The limited size of the pool facilitates design of digitally implemented subsystems of the drive, whose settings depend on the length of sampling interval. A method for optimal selection of pool frequencies is described and validated by experimental evidence, including EMI measurements

Enhancing the user experience Promoting a service culture through customized staff training

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to highlight a series of initiatives generated from, and managed within, a major university library and aimed at improving a customer service focus. Design/methodology/approach - The paper documents a series of approaches, including a customized staff training package, that were intended to enhance users' experience with staff. Over a period of six years the responses to a biannual user survey were tracked in order to identify improvements, or otherwise, in users' perceptions of staff performance in terms of their customer service. Findings - The survey results seem to indicate that improvements in users' perceptions of staff performance have improved with time and have done so most dramatically following a series of self-initiated workshops conducted by library staff. Research limitations/implications - While it is difficult to directly correlate the successful outcomes with the initiatives, including the staff-conducted workshops, it will be necessary to continue to track users' perceptions of staff to ascertain whether the trend is sustainable or an aberration. Originality/value - The paper provides a unique perspective of applying a range of approaches aimed at improving the user experience with staff in a major Asian university library. The success of these approaches is linked to the outcomes of the library's biannual user survey.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Time Delay Estimation in Room Acoustic Environments: An Overview

<p/> <p>Time delay estimation has been a research topic of significant practical importance in many fields (radar, sonar, seismology, geophysics, ultrasonics, hands-free communications, etc.). It is a first stage that feeds into subsequent processing blocks for identifying, localizing, and tracking radiating sources. This area has made remarkable advances in the past few decades, and is continuing to progress, with an aim to create processors that are tolerant to both noise and reverberation. This paper presents a systematic overview of the state-of-the-art of time-delay-estimation algorithms ranging from the simple cross-correlation method to the advanced blind channel identification based techniques. We discuss the pros and cons of each individual algorithm, and outline their inherent relationships. We also provide experimental results to illustrate their performance differences in room acoustic environments where reverberation and noise are commonly encountered.</p

Rationale, design, implementation, and baseline characteristics of patients in the DIG trial: A large, simple, long-term trial to evaluate the effect of digitalis on mortality in heart failure

This article provides a detailed overview of the rationale for key aspects of the protocol of the Digitalis Investigation Group (DIG) trial. It also highlights unusual aspects of the study implementation and the baseline characteristics. The DIG trial is a large, simple, international placebo-controlled trial whose primary objective is to determine the effect of digoxin on all cause mortality in patients with clinical heart failure who are in sinus rhythm and whose ejection fraction is less than or equal to 0.45. An ancillary study examines the effect in those with an ejection fraction > 0.45. Key aspects of the trial include the simplicity of the design, broad eligibility criteria, essential data collection, and inclusion of various types of centers. A total of 302 centers in the United States and Canada enrolled 7788 patients between February 1991 and September 1993. Follow-up continued until December 1995 with the results available in Spring 1996