Analysis Of Ecological Systems Research Articles

Effectiveness of educational interventions: An ecological systems analysis of initiatives from the UK opportunity areas programme

Effectiveness of educational interventions: An ecological systems analysis of initiatives from the <scp>UK</scp> opportunity areas programme

Trauma and psychosocial adversity in youth with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.

Traumatic experiences contribute significantly to behavioral and mood dysregulation syndromes presenting for treatment to behavioral health settings. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID) and developmental delay experience traumatic events more frequently than their typically developing peers. However, measures used to identify trauma related disorders and treatment thereof are based on typically developing individuals. Regardless of the baseline characteristics of individuals who experience trauma, trauma exposure is the result of multiple interdependent environmental, social, and familial characteristics. We used the "ecological systems analysis approach" to structure our review of the impact of trauma on those with ASD and ID. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic which exposed the global population to a collective trauma, has also catalyzed investigations into the challenges faced by members of society most dependent on social services. Children with ASD and ID were among those vulnerable individuals, and the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed researchers to better understand the impact of a collective trauma on those individuals. It is imperative that we understand current research and recommendations for identifying and treating trauma-related disorders in individuals with developmental disorders to best inform clinical practice and directions for future research in this area.

Sustainable Land Use Diagnosis Based on the Perspective of Coupling Socioeconomy and Ecology in the Xiongan New Area, China

Analysis of land use sustainability (LUS) coupling socioeconomic and ecological systems has drawn the interest of researchers and decision-makers concerned with sustainable development. Exploring the relationships between land use systems can offer a coordinated route for localized and effective land governance strategies. We proposed a new theoretical framework for LUS considering coordinated development between socioeconomy and ecology. We applied it further to the Xiongan New Area, typical of a new region with government-led construction in eastern China, to explore in depth the coupling and coordination relationship among land use systems and their driving factors. Results revealed that: (1) ecological sustainability grew while socioeconomic sustainability declined in most areas of Xiongan New Area during 2010–2020 at the township level, (2) relationships among land use systems in 2010–2020 showed a trend of coordinated development, but generally, their coordination was still only at a primary and moderate level, with a shift from prominent ecological lag to prominent socioeconomic lag, (3) economic factors are critical to the coordinated development of land use systems, while the influence of ecological factors is also increasing, and (4) four development types were identified for the towns: coupling and developed, coupling and undeveloped, tradeoff and developed, and tradeoff and undeveloped. Policymakers can better appreciate the importance of government interventions in future land use planning in terms of sustainable development with the help of land use zoning optimization and sustainable land governance.

Entrepreneurial growth: Bridging experiential learning, ecological systems analysis and governance of entrepreneurship center environments

This paper delves into the intricate interplay of leadership dynamics, governance, and regulatory concepts within a South African university-based entrepreneurship center (EC). Guided by Kolb’s (2014) experiential learning model (Kolb, 2014), the research aims to understand how experiential learning shapes leadership and the “self” within the EC, unraveling the nuanced relationship between leadership, personal mastery, governance, and regulatory compliance. The methodology integrates experiential insights, literature reviews, and systems analysis. Key findings highlight the implicit integration of governance and regulatory concepts, ensuring ethical standards adherence. Senge’s (2006) fifth discipline model emphasizes the pivotal role of a learning culture, while concepts of governance structure learning processes and ensure compliance. Personal mastery aligns with governance, emphasizing leaders’ responsibility for ethical standards and continuous self-improvement. Short’s (1998) insights on learning in relationships and Kaner’s (2014) facilitation guide contribute to the governance of participatory decision-making processes within the EC. The methodology contributes to a conceptual framework exploring the reciprocal influence between leadership and the “self”. The study concludes by offering actionable strategies for EC leaders, emphasizing adaptability, collaboration, and a profound understanding of leadership dynamics, governance, and regulatory concepts. Its relevance lies in guiding EC leaders toward sustained growth in the ever-evolving entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Earth Collective. Natural Conditions for a Transindividual Politics

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The concept of a transindividual relation has been articulated in order to resolve the problem of the unity of individuals in association with others. More particularly, it has been offered as a route for overcoming a disjunctive tendency whereby either individuality is lost to an encompassing collective, or the substance of the individual renders the collective accidental, optional, or a mere semblance. Transindividuality thus offers a way to think individuals and collectives thereof as relative, mutually dependent and constitutive, whilst maintaining a separation between the two. Equally, it affords a conception of a collective which is more than the sum of its parts, or an arbitrary aggregate of beings.&#x0D; Whilst this abstract description of transindividuality might appear apt for ecological or earth systems analysis, to date this has not been attempted. Neither of the two most significant thinkers of transindividuality, Gilbert Simondon and Étienne Balibar, broach the question of a natural transindividual at any length, nor do the various monographs and special editions of journals which have been dedicated to extending and criticising the former authors’ analysis of transindividuality. As such, this article addresses this lacuna through discussion of the problem of natural transindividuality, claiming that mutual dependency and constitution between individuals and collectives pertains to geophysical and vital relations as much as it does to human social relations.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

How Can Collective Action Support the Agroecological Transition in Geographical Indication Vineyards? Insights from the Loire Valley Wine Area

Few studies have examined the agroecological transition in viticulture, which involves transformation processes, especially at the territorial scale where collective action plays a key role in the dissemination of transition strategies. Collective action in the agroecological transition must be studied in order to encourage and accelerate changes in practices. In this study, collective action is analyzed to understand how governance structures influence the development of collective agroecological transition strategies. Elinor Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development and Social–Ecological Systems analysis frameworks were applied to the Anjou-Saumur wine area in the Loire Valley, where nearly 80% of wine production is under protected designations of origin. Data were collected through seven semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed qualitatively in order to identify the main actors and collective strategies in the agroecological transition. The study showed that the polycentric structure of governance in the protected designations of the origin system enables institutional actors to collectively coordinate their actions. Moreover, collective action is structured in three focal action situations that overlap at the institutional level due to two key actors in the agroecological transition, but also due to tacit rules of the organizational structure for some actors. Action situations dynamically interact with each other across time and geographical scales, helping the agroecological transition process forward by combining top-down and bottom-up strategies. This study provides a novel way of applying the IAD/SES framework as well as a new look at collective action for the agroecological transition at the institutional scale in French viticultural systems under protected designations of origin. This paves the way for interdisciplinary research for the agroecological transition, and might help to select the best strategies to encourage changes of viticultural practices.

Vertical Differences in Grassland Bacterial Community Structure During Non- Growing Season in Eastern Ulansuhai Basin

Grassland is an important part of the regional ecosystem, and its micro ecological structures play key roles in the process of element migration and the evolution of ecological diversity systems. To discover the spatial difference of the grassland soil bacterial community, we collected five total soil samples at 30 cm depth and 60 cm depth in Eastern Ulansuhai Basin in early May (before the beginning of the new growing season, with a minimum influence of human activities and other factors). Based on 16S rRNA gene-based high-throughput sequencing technology, the vertical characteristic of the bacterial community was analyzed in detail. First, Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteriota, Gemmatimonadota, Planctomycetota, Methylomirabilota, and Crenarchacota all appeared in the 30 cm and 60 cm samples, with the relative contents all being higher than 1%. In addition, there were a total of six phyla, five genera, and eight OTUs in the 60 cm sample with relative contents higher than those in the 30 cm sample. As a result, the relative abundance changes in dominant bacterial phyla, genera, and even OTUs at different sample depths did not correspond to their contribution to the bacterial community structure. Second, because of the unique contribution to the bacterial community structure in 30 cm and 60 cm samples, the norank_f__norank_o__norank_c__norank_p__Armatimonadota and Candidatus_Xiphinematobacter could be utilized as key bacterial genera during ecological system analysis, belonging to the Armatimonadota and Verrucomicrobiota, respectively. Finally, the relative abundances of ko00190, ko00910, and ko01200 were all higher in 60 cm samples than those in 30 cm samples, which showed that through the increase in metabolic function abundance, the relative contents of C, N, and P elements in grassland soil had been reduced with the increase in depth. These results will provide references for further study on the spatial change of bacterial communities in typical grassland.

Challenges in identifying simple pattern-forming mechanisms in the development of settlements using demographic data.

The rapid increase of population and settlement structures in the Global South during recent decades has motivated the development of suitable models to describe their formation and evolution. Such settlement formation has been previously suggested to be dynamically driven by simple pattern-forming mechanisms. Here, we explore the use of a data-driven white-box approach, called SINDy, to discover differential equationmodels directly from available spatiotemporal demographic data for three representative regions of the Global South. We show that the current resolution and observation time of the available data are insufficient to uncover relevant pattern-forming mechanisms in settlement development. Using synthetic data generated with a generic pattern-forming model, the Allen-Cahn equation, we characterize what the requirements are for spatial and temporal resolution, as well as observation time, to successfully identify possible model system equations. Overall, the study provides a theoretical framework for the analysis of large-scale geographical and/or ecological systems, and it motivates further improvements in optimization approaches and data collection.

Place attachment and social barriers to large-scale renewable energy development: a social–ecological systems analysis of a failed wind energy project in the south-central United States

Place attachment and social barriers to large-scale renewable energy development: a social–ecological systems analysis of a failed wind energy project in the south-central United States

Mental Health and Injury Outcomes in Liberia, 1990–2017: An Ecological Systems Analysis

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development is widely used to explain health outcomes, but most research focuses on the more immediate microsystem influences. Over the last 30 years, Liberia has experienced two civil wars, government regime changes, and an Ebola outbreak. We considered associations between those macrosystem and chronosystem shifts in Liberia on four public health outcomes from 1990 to 2017: suicide, depression, sexual violence, and substance use disorders. We conducted separate analyses for women and men. The results indicated substantial changes in health that coincided with macrosystem and chronosystem changes in Liberia. Men’s suicide rates increased during wartime and decreased afterwards, especially during the stable Sirleaf presidency. Both men and women experienced decreasing depression rates during the First Civil War. Depression rates for both men and women flattened during the stable Sirleaf presidency and increased during the Ebola outbreak. The rate of sexual violence was high for both genders during wartime and economic turmoil but declined markedly, especially among women, during the Sirleaf presidency, when government policies were enacted to reduce sexual violence. Substance use disorders were highest during times of economic stability and growth. Men experienced higher rates of suicide and substance use and lower rates of depression and sexual violence compared to women at all times. Consistent with Bronfenbrenner’s model, the results indicate how macrosystem and chronosystem shifts coincided with changes in individual-level mental health and injury outcome trends. We recommend macrosystem-level changes to prevent violence and increase mental health services, both in Liberia and globally.

Shaping science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum in Australian schools: An ecological systems analysis

Improving young people’s engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is being promoted worldwide as a means of addressing projected shortfalls in expertise needed to further nations’ economic, social and environmental goals. Responding to this, schools are reforming traditional discipline-based curricula into interdisciplinary approaches based on problem and project-based designs, to make STEM learning more relevant and meaningful for students. This study drew on a dataset of 449 Australian principal and teacher interviews, to identify factors influencing STEM curriculum in their schools. It utilised Ecological Systems Theory to build understanding relating to the influence of activities and outputs originating at macro, exo and meso system levels, on STEM curriculum and practices in classrooms. Results demonstrated how many innovative schools were able to successfully leverage community, business and national resources to enhance their STEM curriculum, while others struggled due to limitations imposed by geographic or socio-economic factors, or limited access to resources, expertise or advice. Central to achieving this was the powerful influence of principals’ and teachers’ proximal processes and developmental assets in establishing effective and engaging interdisciplinary STEM curricula, despite constraints imposed by, at best, ambiguous national and state curriculum and policies, rigid assessment regimes and compliance-focused reporting requirements.

An ecological systems analysis of food access barriers and coping strategies adopted by older adults in Ghana

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits to ending hunger and achieving food security for all. However, little is known about the food access experiences of older adults in Ghana. This paper explores if there are barriers to accessing food and if there are, what strategies have been adopted to negotiate these barriers. Through purposive sampling, a total of 123 older adults were recruited in Ghana to participate in sharing circles (n = 10) and semi‐structured interviews (n = 42). Data analyses were done in NVivo using a thematic analytical approach. Functional impairment and poor health, poverty, inadequate social support, lack of control over household resources, policy neglect, low crop yields, and sociocultural values were found to hinder older people's access to food. They navigate these barriers by rationing meals, engaging in income‐earning activities, seeking support from social networks, and begging. Our findings contribute to discourses on food security and highlight the need for a multilevel, comprehensive approach that targets both the individual and the broader human environment in addressing the food needs of older people.

Modeling and Verication Analysis of Ecological Systems via a First Order Logic Approach

This paper addresses the modeling and verification analysis of the mutual relationships among plants, animals, and their environment. We start our study of mathematical ecology by considering the interaction of two species, one of which the predators eat the preys thereby affecting each other, such pairs exist throughout nature: fish and sharks, lions and gazelles, birds and insects, to mention some. Not all species form predator-prey relationships, we can also have the case of a two-species ecosystem in which both species compete for the same limited source of nutrients. If two competitors try to occupy the same realized niche, one species will try to eliminate the other. Therefore, two instances are worth to be considered. On the one hand, there is a need to cooperate sharing part of the resource so that both organisms will benefit from it. On the other hand, if one of the two species is stronger than theother, there will be no cooperation and the strongest species will imposeits conditions. In this work, the ecological interaction system between species is modeled as a formula of the first order logic. Then, using the concept of logic implication, and transforming this logical implication relation into a set of clauses, called Skolem standard form, qualitative methods for verification as well as performance issues, for some queries, are applied.

The natural assurance value of nature-based solutions: A layered institutional analysis of socio ecological systems for long term climate resilient transformation

Nature based solutions are proposed as integrated solutions to transform the current water intensive economic model to a more balanced model, where water is considered as an eco-social asset. We analyse the logic of action and underpinning belief systems, values, and norms of these evolving economic (and underpinning value) systems, through a conceptual frame based on a three layered institutional framework, considering new institutional economics and old institutionalism. This is applied to the case study of an intensively used aquifer of Medina del Campo in Spain, in relation to drought and water scarcity. We examine how water scarcity and drought are framed, and the implicit underpinning economic development models and values that help to legitimise decisions. It offers an application of the potential for natural assurance schemes as a specific type of nature based solutions to create safe landscapes and help transform the system through deep territorial transformation, based on a wider and deeper range of eco-social values. Systems which are more adaptable under climate change. The analysis of the definition of the problem (through individual stakeholder interviews) and the co-design of preferred choices through a series of participatory workshops led to the consideration of a wider range of options by stakeholders. We conclude that in Medina del Campo, the de-construction of the values and beliefs underpinning the concept of water scarcity as a problem, helps to re-construct adaptation to water scarcity as an opportunity for a more diversified and resilient economic model for long-term development. This is reflected in the selection of hybrid nature-based strategies (as compared to sole grey infrastructure strategies) that incorporate a broader range of values shifting from the single prioritisation of provision services to understanding water as a eco-social asset, encompassing the full range of ecosystem services, thus opening the decision-making space for additional long term climate resilient development.

Hearing the voices of children and young people: An ecological systems analysis of individual difference and experiences during the Covid-19 lockdown

Hearing the voices of children and young people: An ecological systems analysis of individual difference and experiences during the Covid-19 lockdown

The Eco-Techno Spectrum: Exploring Knowledge Systems’ Challenges in Green Infrastructure Management

Infrastructure crises are not only technical problems for engineers to solve—they also present social, ecological, financial, and political challenges. Addressing infrastructure problems thus requires a robust planning process that includes examination of the social and ecological systems supporting infrastructure, alongside technical systems. An integrative Social, Ecological, and Technological Systems (SETS) analysis of infrastructure solutions can complement the planning process by revealing potential trade-offs that are often overlooked in standard procedures. We explore the interconnected SETS of the infrastructure problem in the US through comparative case studies of green infrastructure (GI) development in Portland and Baltimore. Currently a popular infrastructure solution to a wide variety of urban ills, GI is the use and mimicry of ecological components (e.g., plants) to perform municipal services (e.g., stormwater management). We develop the ecological-technological spectrum—or ‘eco-techno spectrum’—as a framing tool to bridge all three SETS dimensions. The eco-techno spectrum becomes a platform to explore the institutional knowledge system dynamics of GI development where social dimensions are organized across ecological and technological aspects of GI, exposing how governance differs across specific forms of ecological and technological hybridity. In this study, we highlight the knowledge system challenges of urban planning institutions as a key consideration in the realization of innovative infrastructure crisis ‘fixes.’ Disconnected definition and measurement of GI emerge as two distinct challenges across the knowledge systems examined. By revealing and discussing these challenges, we can begin to recognize—and better plan for—gaps in municipal planning knowledge systems, promoting decisions that address the roots of infrastructure crises rather than treating only their symptoms.

Екоморфічний підхід оцінки біорізноманіття угруповань ґрунтової макрофауни міських парків

An ecomorph reveals the relationship between organisms and the environment and reflects the level of their adaptation to the most important elements of the biogeocenosis. The eco-morphic approach to the analysis of ecological systems is a component of the concept of ecomorphic matrices. The ecomorphic matrices consist of blocks comprising the synecological properties of the soil animal community, each reflecting a particular aspect of its ecological features. The systemic combination of these characteristics is able to provide a comprehensive reflection of the diversity and functional state of the community. As a result of research on the territory of green areas in the city of Dnieper and Melitopol revealed 53 species or taxon species level representatives of soil macrofauna of the 48 genera and 32 families, 13 orders, 7 classes and 3 types. The article presents the biological and ecological characteristics of macrofauna species. Analysis of the ecomorphic structure of communities of soil macrofauna showed that in the cenomorphic structure prevail syl-vants, which represent 44.2% of the species richness of the community. Differences between com-munities Melitopol and Dnieper on cenomorphic structure statistically not reliable. Saprophages and predators prevail in trophic structure of soil macrofauna communities. Topomorphic structure of communities is dominated by epigeic forms (65.4%) and considerably exceeded by endogean forms (32.7%) Only one species represents burrowing soil animals – D. nassonovi. The community is dominated by mesophiles, which is typical for forest cenoses. Megatrophocenomorphs predomi-nate in the trophocenomorphic structure of the community. Aerophiles (48.1%) and subaerophiles (34.6%) predominate in the communities. The dominance of aeromorphs sensitive to the provision of air for breathing, indicates a satisfactory air regime in the soil green areas of public use. Carbon-atophiles are most represented in the community. Communities of soil macrofauna of public green spaces has features of amphicenosis, in which steppe and meadow components are significantly represented against the background of predominance of forest component. Tree plantations in a city park form a common forest environment, although they do not form a stable forest monocenosis. Recreation and other forms of anthropogenic influence do not allow the formation of a forest mono-cenosis or pseudomonocenosis. The trophic aspect of the structure deciphers the importance in the community of the cenotic components. The trophic structure of sylvants repeats the trophic structure of the community as a whole and this allows us to consider sylvants as the functional basis of the soil fauna community. Phytophages prevail among sylvanians, which fully corresponds to typical trophic structure of steppe zonal communities. This peculiarity taking into account proportional representation of zoophages and saprophages allows to estimate as functionally stable structure of the steppe community.

The world experience analysis of ecological systems in construction on the high-rise air purification and filtration towers example

The article discusses the world experience in the construction and operation of high-rise towers with the air purification and filtrationfunction. The main advantages of this technology are considered, the pros and cons are given, as well as the examples of existing buildings and structures. It is concluded that modern urban planning focuses on environmental friendliness and energy efficiency of buildings, therefore, air purification and filtration technology is extremely relevant.

Pollen assemblage and environmental DNA changes: A 4300-year-old bat guano deposit from Jamaica

The discovery of two undisturbed caves in Jamaica with 14C and 210Pb dating indicating that the oldest layers of guano were ca. 200 years old in the first cave (81 cm long core), and as much as 4300 years old in the second cave (129 cm long core) provides exciting possibilities to examine past ecological communities. We analyzed genetic and pollen profiles in these ancient bat guano deposits and revealed DNA sequences most similar to arthropods, mainly insects such as caddisflies (Trichoptera), butterflies (Lepidoptera) and mayflies (Ephemeroptera), suggesting a potential source for past dietary data. Palynological analysis failed to recover well-preserved pollen grains and spores older than ca. 200 years, however in layers preserving pollen, angiosperms were the most abundant plants observed, with a regular occurrence of the potato (Solanaceae) and pepper families (Piperaceae), which are frequently bat-dispersed. In general, changes in frequency of particular plant taxa appear to reflect changes of vegetation and land use in the cave vicinity; however, some changes could be linked to hurricanes, leading to forest canopy damage and promoting the growth of light-demanding species such as guarumo (Cecropia). Higher amounts of mangrove (Rhizophora) pollen have also been recorded in the periods of heavy hurricane activities. Our data highlight the value of bat guano deposits in caves as a resource for the analysis of past ecological systems and stress the conservation values of these deposits.

De-individualising the ‘NEET problem’: An ecological systems analysis

Periods of being NEET (not in education, employment or training) can have long-term consequences for individuals’ future job opportunities, earnings, psycho-social well-being and health, all with high societal costs. Therefore, policy-makers across Europe seek interventions that successfully reduce NEET numbers. Drawing on a longitudinal qualitative study in London, this paper explores the processes and mechanisms that contribute to young people becoming NEET after leaving education. Through analysis of 53 young NEETs’ accounts of their school and transition experiences, we draw upon Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to explore the multitude of factors and structures of disadvantage that might have contributed to these young people’s marginalisation in education and employment. We discuss how unfulfilled support needs, a lack of career advice and socio-economic disadvantage can lead to educational disengagement, dropping out and, ultimately, becoming NEET. While many of these issues were presented as personal difficulties, in this article we reject the individualisation of the ‘NEET problem’. Instead, we argue that negative school experiences need to be understood in the context of structural conditions, including funding cuts in education and support services, transformations in the labour market and socio-economic deprivation.