Fourth Year Of Implementation Research Articles

Building Bridges for Ocean Sustainability: The Evolution and Impact of the Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) Programme

Abstract Since its endorsement as a global network Programme in June 2021, the Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) Programme has been instrumental in supporting ocean professionals worldwide through funding, training, networking opportunities, and career development initiatives. Rooted in the vision of elevating diverse perspectives, the ECOP Programme fosters knowledge exchange between experienced professionals and ECOPs to promote ocean sustainability. As the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) enters its fourth year of implementation, the ECOP Programme has grown and diversified to a formidable extent, both geographically and thematically. With over 5,200 ECOPs from 151 countries and overseas territories, the global ECOP community is currently dispersed across five regional nodes and more than 40 national hubs. This commentary brings some of the most active ECOP nodes into the limelight, amplifying their collective efforts to better understand, engage, and empower the next generation of ocean professionals across different cultural contexts. This is also an opportunity to showcase the successes, milestones, and challenges that ECOP nodes have encountered over the past 2 years, including on thematic priorities such as communications and outreach, capacity development, and ocean literacy. Moving forward, the ECOP Programme aims to further expand geographically, enhance funding capacities, deepen capacity development efforts, and promote greater awareness of the UN Ocean Decade ecosystem and its vast portfolio of endorsed Actions. As the next generation of ocean professionals will inherit our interconnected ocean beyond 2030, building trust, transferring knowledge, and taking true ownership of the global ocean agenda are paramount.

Using Implementation Research to Inform Scaling of Parenting Programs: Independently Conducted Case Studies from Zambia and Bhutan.

Two case studies of parenting programs for parents of children 0 to 36 months of age, developed and implemented by Save the Children/Ministry of Health/Khesar Gyalpo University in Bhutan and UNICEF Zambia, were conducted by an independent research group. The focus was on how program delivery and scale-up were revised on the basis of feedback from implementation research. Feedback on workforce delivery quality was based on observations of deliveries using a monitoring form, as well as survey and interview data collected from the workforce. In-depth interviews with the resource team during the fourth year of implementation revealed how the feedback was used to address horizontal and vertical scaling. Delivery quality was improved in some cases by revising the delivery manual, offering refresher courses, and instituting regular monitoring. Scaling challenges in Zambia included slow progress with regard to reaching families in the two districts, which they addressed by trialing group sessions, and stemming workforce attrition. The challenges in Bhutan were low attendance and reducing the workload of providers. Vertical scaling challenges for both countries concerned maintaining demand through continuous advocacy at community and government levels to sustain financing and to show effectiveness in outcomes.

Developing Students’ Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent in Rural After-School Settings: Rural Educators’ Affordances and Barriers

This study uses a naturalistic inquiry approach to investigate how rural educators navigate the affordances and barriers of implementing an out-of-school program to identify and develop middle school STEM talent in rural communities. At the time of this study, the STEM program was in its fourth year of implementation. Participants included 34 educators and 324 students in Grades 6–8 across 10 school districts in a predominately rural state. We used maximum variation purposive sampling to select 3 of the 10 districts as case study sites. The cross-case analysis resulted in the themes of (a) exercising local control, (b) expanding community for advanced STEM learning, and (c) leveraging the intersectionality of rurality, local agency, and expanded resources. One implication is that when supported with resources, rural educators will leverage the systems of their schools and communities to create robust ecosystems for advanced STEM talent development.

Impact of Brazil's More Doctors Program on hospitalizations for primary care sensitive cardiovascular conditions.

Globally, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of disease burden and death. Timely and appropriate provision of primary care may lead to sizeable reductions in hospitalizations for a range of chronic and acute health conditions. In this paper, we study the impact of Brazil's More Doctors Program (MDP) on hospitalizations due to cerebrovascular disease and hypertension. We exploit the geographic variation in the uptake of the MPD and combine coarsened exact matching and difference-in-difference methods to construct valid counterfactual estimates. We use data from the Hospital Information System in Unified Health System, the MDP administrative records, the Brazilian Regulatory Agency, the Ministry of Health, and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, covering the years from 2009 to 2017. Our analysis resulted in estimated coefficients of −1.47 (95%CI: −4.04,1.10) for hospitalizations for cerebrovascular disease and −1.20 (95%CI: −5.50,3.11) for hypertension, suggesting an inverse relationship between the MDP and hospitalizations. For cerebrovascular disease, the estimated MDP coefficient was −0.50 (95%CI: −2.94,1.95) in the year of program introduction, −5.21 (95%CI: −9.43,-0.99) and −8.21 (95%CI: −13.68,-2.75) in its third and fourth year of implementation, respectively. Our results further suggest that the beneficial impact of MDP on hospitalizations due to cerebrovascular disease became discernable in urban municipalities starting from the fourth year of implementation. We found no evidence that the MDP led to reductions in hospitalizations due to hypertension. Our results highlight that increased investment in resources devoted to primary care led to improvements in hospitalizations for selected cardiovascular conditions. However, it took time for the beneficial effects of the MDP to become discernable and the Program did not guarantee declines in hospitalizations for all cardiovascular conditions, suggesting that further improvements may be needed to enhance the beneficial impact of the MDP on the level and distribution of population health in Brazil.

Animal production and economic viability of integrated crop livestock systems

Integrated crop-livestock-forest system appears as strategy to reduce pasture recovery costs and diversify farmer’s income with the sale of the wood of eucalyptus trees. The objective of this work was to evaluate the animal performance and economic viability of systems without shade availability (ICL: Integrated Crop-Livestock) and with two tree densities (ICLF-1L: Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest, 196 trees ha-1; ICLF-3L: Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest, 448 trees ha-1). Sixty castrated Nellore cattle were used to evaluate performance during rearing and finishing. For economic analysis, the cash receipts, cash outflow, cash flow, net cash flow and internal rate of return (IRR) were evaluated between December 2012 and June 2016. The performance of the animals was lower in ICLF-3L system (P<0.05) due to the higher density of trees, and consequently, greater shading of the pasture. In ICL and ICLF-1L systems, the revenue from soybean and corn fully paid for the costs of implementing the systems, and ICLF-1L still covered the cost of forest deployment. In ICLF-3L, the costs were almost completely covered. The reduction in the productive indices also reduced the revenue from the slaughter of cattle in ICLF-3L, with the highest revenue in ICL and ICLF-1L, respectively. In addition, the IRR in ICL and ICLF-1L was higher. ICLFs contribute to the amortization of the recovery costs of the pastures and the implantation of eucalyptus. The ICL and ICLF-1L is more economically viable tham ICFL-3L until the fourth year of implementation.

Sustainability analysis of the cooperative form in Russian agrarian sector under institutional theory of the firm context

«Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Экономика» — научно-теоретический рецензируемый журнал, обобщающий результаты исследований ученых всего мира в различных областях науки, включая мировую экономику, историю развития экономики и экономической мысли, финансы, кредит и страхование, теорию и практику управления, статистику и учет, экономико-математическое моделирование.

A voluntary conservation agreement reduces the risks of lethal collisions between ships and whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary (Québec, Canada): From co-construction to monitoring compliance and assessing effectiveness.

Lethal collisions with ships are limiting the recovery of several at-risk whale species worldwide. In the St. Lawrence Estuary (Quebec, Canada), the endangered blue whale and of special concern fin whale are among the migratory species subject to collisions with large ships. In 2011, a working group composed of representatives from the maritime industry, the government, non-governmental organizations, and academia was created to explore solutions to mitigate ship-whale collisions in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Adopting an adaptive risk management framework, the working group took advantage of the best available scientific data and tools to co-construct realistic collision mitigation options and evaluate their likely benefits for whale conservation and costs for the industry. In 2013, the working group recommended the implementation of voluntary measures to mitigate collision risks, consisting of a slow-down area, a no-go area, and a caution area; a recommended route was added in 2014. Along with the voluntary framework, the working group agreed to continuously monitor compliance with and assess effectiveness of these mitigation measures. After the fourth year of implementation, voluntary measures showed encouraging results, with a reduction of up to 40% of lethal collision risks with fin whales in the highest density area. This reduction in risk is mainly related to ship speed reduction in the slow-down area from 14.1 ± 2.6 knots in 2012 to 11.3 ± 1.7 knots since 2014. The presence of a mandatory pilotage area overlapping with the slow-down area was instrumental to facilitate communication about the mitigation measures, with the pilotage corporation sitting as a regular member of the working group. This resulted in significantly slower speeds in the slow-down area for ships with a pilot from the pilotage corporation onboard compared to those without (-0.8 knots, p-value < 0.001). It is also likely to explain the weaker compliance of the maritime industry with the no-go area located outside of the mandatory pilotage area. Other factors of success include: the continuous dedication of the government to a voluntary and transparent participatory process; the use of available data, tools and institutions; the presence of an environmental certification program representative in the working group; and the adoption by consensus of an adaptive risk management approach. The traditional regulatory approach to conservation is often blamed for its focus on deterring negative behaviors, doing nothing to encourage and reward positive ones. In agreement with other case studies, the benefits of the voluntary measures implemented in the St. Lawrence Estuary include the pro-active commitment from the industry (which is likely to reduce conflicts with regulators), the greater flexibility and freedom that allowed to come up with cost-effective and tailored-made mitigation measures, and the fast achievement of conservation gains. More importantly perhaps, the human and working capital built throughout the concertation process have the potential to be a fundamental cornerstone in dealing with more complex issues such as the chronically increasing level of underwater noise in whale habitats.

Collective digital storytelling at school: a whole-class interaction

There is a growing interest in the use of collaborative technologies for education. However, their adoption and implementation in formal education is still lagging behind. One feature of cooperative technologies makes them particularly unusable in classroom settings: most tools, environments and interfaces for co-located collaboration are designed to support the interaction of small groups rather than entire classes. This paper proposes ‘collective digital storytelling’ as a way to engage whole classes into activities that provide substantial educational benefits. The paper draws on empirical data from a large-scale digital storytelling project in Italy, in its fourth year of implementation, and examines several aspects and benefits related to the use of digital storytelling in formal education, focusing upon two specific issues: (1) how digital storytelling can engage the whole class, rather than individuals or small groups and (2) how digital storytelling can be integrated in the curricular activities, generating substantial learning benefits.

P5-S6.24 Comprehensive, competent and compassionate care for people living with HIV in coastal Andhra Pradesh

BackgroundDistricts in coastal Andhra Pradesh, south India have the highest burden of HIV in both rural and urban areas. A comprehensive care program focused on improving clinical care and community...

P2-S2.11 Focused and early intervention in rural areas can impact on HIV transmission in Southern India

BackgroundA number of districts in Karnataka, south India have an equal prevalence of HIV in rural and urban areas. A link worker scheme focused on prevention interventions with rural female...

Joining the dots: Conditional pass and programmatic assessment enhances recognition of problems with professionalism and factors hampering student progress

BackgroundProgrammatic assessment that looks across a whole year may contribute to better decisions compared with those made from isolated assessments alone. The aim of this study is to describe and evaluate a programmatic system to handle student assessment results that is aligned not only with learning and remediation, but also with defensibility. The key components are standards based assessments, use of "Conditional Pass", and regular progress meetings.MethodsThe new assessment system is described. The evaluation is based on years 4-6 of a 6-year medical course. The types of concerns staff had about students were clustered into themes alongside any interventions and outcomes for the students concerned. The likelihoods of passing the year according to type of problem were compared before and after phasing in of the new assessment system.ResultsThe new system was phased in over four years. In the fourth year of implementation 701 students had 3539 assessment results, of which 4.1% were Conditional Pass. More in-depth analysis for 1516 results available from 447 students revealed the odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for failure was highest for students with problems identified in more than one part of the course (18.8 (7.7-46.2) p < 0.0001) or with problems with professionalism (17.2 (9.1-33.3) p < 0.0001). The odds ratio for failure was lowest for problems with assignments (0.7 (0.1-5.2) NS). Compared with the previous system, more students failed the year under the new system on the basis of performance during the year (20 or 4.5% compared with four or 1.1% under the previous system (p < 0.01)).ConclusionsThe new system detects more students in difficulty and has resulted in less "failure to fail". The requirement to state conditions required to pass has contributed to a paper trail that should improve defensibility. Most importantly it has helped detect and act on some of the more difficult areas to assess such as professionalism.

GAUDIUM SACERDOTALE A Program for Priestly Renewal

Established in 2007 by Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., this program of renewal for priests aims to assist priests who desire to rekindle their zeal and enthusiasm in their priestly life and ministry. The Archdiocese of Caceres used to send priests to different centers of priestly renewal in the country until this renewal program was conceptualized. Prior to this, the Archdiocese had sent two of its priests to take part in the CBCP-sponsored Assist Ministry Program for Priests in the hope that upon returning, they could initiate themselves a similar program of renewal as part of the continuing formation of priests in the Archdiocese. Nothing to this effect, however, immediately materialized until then Auxiliary Bishop of Caceres, Bishop Jose R. Rojas, organized a team of committed talk-givers, spiritual directors, guidance counselors and psychologists, including those priests who had been trained by the Assist Ministry and the graduates of other renewal programs elsewhere in the country. Bishop Rojas subsequently formulated a program which he named Gaudium Sacerdotale, drawing inspiration from the title of the book, “The Joy of Priesthood”, written by Stephen Rosetti of Saint Luke Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A. The content, however, of this program does not necessarily reflect the philosophy behind the programs offered by the American-based institute. The first batch of Gaudium Sacerdotale participants included ten priests of the Archdiocese of Caceres. Since then, Gaudium sacerdotale has evolved from being an archdiocesan to a regional program of renewal for priests in Bicol. The program is now on its fourth year of implementation. (F. Tordilla)

Green Credit, Green Stimulus, Green Revolution? China’s Mobilization of Banks for Environmental Cleanup

To tackle China’s profound environmental problems, Chinese leaders are now incorporating environmental targets in 5-year plans and experimenting with market-based mechanisms to supplement their traditional command and control mechanisms for environmental protection. In the recent years, China has produced a series of green policies, including green tax, green procurement, as well as green policies relevant to the financial sector, namely, green credit, insurance, and security policies. Of the three, the green credit policy is the most advanced, with three agencies (the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Peoples’ Bank of China, and the China Banking Regulatory Commission) sharing the responsibility for implementation. The policy, approaching its fourth year of implementation, has proved resistant to China’s massive economic upheaval following the global financial crisis. Its future success depends on effective environmental data collection and dissemination, technical guidance, and provision of true financial incentives for banks. The continued success in implementation could potentially provide China with the experience and confidence to address new challenges, such as the environmental and social conduct of its enterprises overseas.

Behavioral Change in Female sex workers of Lahore, Pakistan, for HIV/AIDS prevention

Background: Although commercial sex is illegal in Pakistan, the number of FSWs in Lahore is on the increase. The dynamics are also fast changing. Traditional big brothels are fast dwindinling, while small brothels called kothikhanas are disappearing. Majority of the FSWs now operate from homes (52%), while 25% of street based work from small hotels. Thus, the obvious is disappearing to avoid discrimination and marginalization. While discrimination becomes less for home based and street based. Identification of these categories of FSWs for any preventive measure against HIV has become increasingly difficult particularly because of prevalent illiteracy, thus increasing their vulnerability to HIV infection and STIs. Description: There was a dire need to promote safe sex. Four special health centers were established under PACP in areas of FSW concentrations. The defined targets were to improve the knowledge about transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, bring a positive change in attitude and change behavior for using condoms regularly. Two major strategies were used to provide PHC to gain confidence of FSWs and local communities but importantly to inform, counsel, provide skills and empower FSWs to practice safe sex. Four rounds of counseling were carried out using IPC as the major tool. The first round provided knowledge while the rest were focused on changing behavior, attitude and practices. Trained peer educators played a very important role throughout. The project is in its fourth year of implementation. There are encouraging changes in the indicators. Lessons learned: The success of the intervention is evident by the consistent use of condoms in majority and ability to negotiate with their clients. FSWs who have been empowered are greatest advocates of the project as they convince their fellow FSWs and clients on using condoms. Recommendations: Such innovative interventions may be expanded to other high risk groups and areas.