Large-scale Programs Research Articles

ЕКОНОМІЧНА РЕКОНСТРУКЦІЯ: ВПЛИВ ДРУГОЇ СВІТОВОЇ ВІЙНИ НА ПІСЛЯВОЄННЕ ЕКОНОМІЧНЕ ЗРОСТАННЯ

In order to achieve post-war recovery of the country, integrate the economy into the European space and global value chains, Ukraine needs to implement a large-scale recovery program. With the current development of information technologies (big data, cloud technologies, high-speed internet coverage, modern satellite systems, etc.), the world has not seen recovery projects on the scale of Ukraine's future recovery. Therefore, Ukraine needs to create its own recovery model using the best principles of recovery from natural disasters and military conflicts, as well as modern digital tools. To achieve this goal, this study examined the international experience of post-World War II recovery. The main focus of the analysis was on approaches and tools that produced the maximum result. The study also showed the necessity for Ukraine to form a new paradigm of economic thinking and development. Its content lies in the transition to thinking in terms of reconstructive type of economic development. It is shown that reconstructive development is possible both on the basis of economic growth and under certain conditions with zero or even negative rates of economic growth. In analyzing the issues outlined in the title of the article, it is relevant to refer to the experience of developed countries around the world. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the main factors that helped countries recover and develop after wars and military conflicts, in order to take them into account when creating a new concept for the reconstruction of Ukraine's economy. Looking at the examples of state intervention in post-war economic growth processes that have been analyzed, there are somewhat common features in foreign experience that indicate the importance of targeted international assistance for the recovery of production capacity and stable economic growth. The Golden Age of capitalism was characterized by an unprecedented growth in international trade combined with impressive rates of global economic growth, and modern thinking and development practices are largely a result of it. Long-term economic planning was recognized as important, and industrialization was promoted as a means of promoting economic development in less developed countries.

Habitat suitability correlates with mean population fitness of a threatened marsupial predator

Context Measuring the quality of habitats necessary for the survival of threatened species is a priority for conservation management, but traditional metrics are often too costly to implement. As a result, many practitioners rely on proxies such as habitat suitability, which are measured by relating environmental variables to species occurrence data using habitat suitability models. However, little research has examined how these proxies relate to actual measures of habitat quality, such as body condition. Aim By testing the relationship between habitat suitability and habitat quality – as characterised by mean population fitness – the aim of this study was to improve our understanding of ways in which we can reliably map habitat of high importance for a particular species, as well as habitats where populations are most susceptible to local extinction. Methods We used data from a large-scale monitoring program on the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), a threatened marsupial predator, which collected data on three measures of population mean fitness (measured as body mass accounting for size, tail circumference, and body mass). We correlated these measures with habitat suitability derived from a habitat suitability model. Key results We found quoll mean population fitness increased with increasing habitat suitability. In addition, we found mean population fitness increased with increasing topographic ruggedness, annual rainfall, rainfall variability, and decreasing distance to water, consistent with previous studies that suggest quolls are able to persist better in habitat where resource availability (shelter, food) is higher. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of habitat suitability models for predicting habitat quality for a threatened predator at a large scale, and that predictions of habitat suitability can correspond with measures of fitness. In addition, they support previous studies in highlighting the importance of topographically complex habitat for this species. Implications These findings have important implications for identifying both source populations, where species recruitment is likely to exceed mortality, and more vulnerable populations that may require targeted conservation interventions to ensure their long-term persistence and stability.

Unpacking Neighborhood Effects: Experimental Evidence from a Large-Scale Housing Program in Brazil

Unpacking Neighborhood Effects: Experimental Evidence from a Large-Scale Housing Program in Brazil

Ranking constraint relaxations for mixed integer programs using a machine learning approach

Solving large-scale Mixed Integer Linear Programs (MIP) can be difficult without advanced algorithms such as decomposition based techniques. Even if a decomposition technique might be appropriate, there are still many possible decompositions for any large MIP and it may not be obvious which will be the most effective. The quality of a decomposition depends on both the tightness of the dual bound, in our case generated via Lagrangian Relaxation, and the computational time required to produce that bound. Both of these factors are difficult to predict, motivating the use of a Machine Learning function to predict decomposition quality based a score that combines both bound quality and computational time. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the predictive capabilities of a ML function for predicting the quality of MIP decompositions created via constraint relaxation. In this analysis, the role of instance similarity and ML prediction quality is explored, as well as the benchmarking of a ML ranking function against existing heuristic functions. For this analysis, a new dataset consisting of over 40000 unique decompositions sampled from across 24 instances from the MIPLIB2017 library has been established. These decompostions have been created by both a greedy relaxation algorithm as well as a population based multi-objective algorithm, which has previously been shown to produce high quality decompositions. In this paper, we demonstrate that a ML ranking function is able to provide state-of-the-art predictions when benchmarked against existing heuristic ranking functions. Additionally, we demonstrate that by only considering a small set of features related to the relaxed constraints in each decomposition, a ML ranking function is still able to be competitive with heuristic techniques. Such a finding is promising for future constraint relaxation approaches, as these features can be used to guide decomposition creation. Finally, we highlight where a ML ranking function would be beneficial in a decomposition creation framework.

Understanding Childhood Constipation through the Prism of the Caretaker.

Childhood constipation is presenting with increasing frequency at pediatric surgical clinics. The caregiver's role in prevention and management is pivotal. This study aimed at determining mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to childhood constipation and the association of these with demographic variables. This was a survey-based descriptive study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in South India. Randomly selected mothers of children aged 1-10 years consulting for any problem other than constipation were included in the study. Data collection was done by means of a pretested and prevalidated questionnaire. There were 169 mothers with a median age of 30 years. Over half were homemakers and of a rural background. Urban mothers scored better than their rural counterparts in the attitude section (P = 0.034). Mothers with greater knowledge had better attitude (P = 0.001) and practice (P = 0.020) scores. Those with higher attitude scores also fared better in the practice section (P = 0.04). Knowledge, attitude and practice concerning childhood constipation are connected to each other. South Indian mothers are sufficiently aware of the nuances surrounding childhood constipation, but focused large-scale outreach programs and health education are necessary to bridge the gaps.

Об экономическом самочувствии и актуальных мерах поддержки малых форм хозяйствования в сельском хозяйстве Калининградской области

Small forms of management in the agricultural system of the Kaliningrad region contin­ue to be an important structural element. At the same time, for the rural area of the region, they perform a more complex role, ensuring, among other things, an increase in the quality of life of the rural population. The current geopolitical and geo-economic conditions in which the Kaliningrad region operates have required strengthening and differentiation of measures and forms of state support for such enterprises. The region has a large-scale program to support farmers, including both financial and non-financial instruments. At the same time, it is nec­essary to assess not only support measures, but also the economic well-being of local agricul­tural entrepreneurs in a dynamically changing economic environment. With the help of ex­pert interviews with local entrepreneurs, key problems faced by local producers were identi­fied and certain practical tools were proposed that can provide a solution to some of these problems. One of the main conclusions of this study is the assurance that despite the change in external conditions that have negatively affected the conditions of operation, small busi­nesses in the Kaliningrad region continue to work and are actively developing, thereby providing conditions for the development of rural areas of the Kaliningrad region.

Agriculture and Agricultural Water Management: Historical Perspectives and Integration of Research and Extension/Outreach for Large-Scale Technology Adoption in Production Fields

Highlights AWMN had a significant impact on enhancing agricultural production efficiency. Irrigated land area represented by the Network partners reached 1.20 million ha. On a 16-yr average, the reduction in water withdrawal was 144 mm/ha per growing season. AWMN reduced irrigation water withdrawal by 5 billion m3 from 2005 to 2020. $304 million was saved due to consuming less diesel fuel for pumping irrigation water. A total reduction of 900,000 tons in CO2 emissions was achieved from 2005 to 2020. Abstract. To achieve impact for water resources conservation enhancement and agricultural crop water productivity (CWP) per unit of input for meeting the food, fiber, feed, fuel, finance, and farmstead (6Fs) needs of the rapidly increasing global population, societies must find innovative ways to enable the transfer of research- and science-based data, knowledge, information, technology, and strategies for adoption in agricultural production fields. The objective of this study is to present historical perspectives on the evolution of agriculture and agricultural water management in different parts of the world and present a modern-era agricultural water management network, its objectives, and functions in achieving large-scale impacts to enhance water resource management. The Agricultural Water Management Network (AWMN) was established in 2005 to integrate science, research, and education/outreach principles into producers’ practices to help them make better-informed decisions, conserve water and energy resources, reduce CO2 emissions, and enhance CWP. Through coordinated research, demonstration, and education programs, the AWMN significantly enhanced water resource management and the protection of the environment. It contributed to the sustainability of natural resources and the agricultural economy through the adoption of innovative methodologies and strategies. Since the beginning of the AWMN, over 18,000 producers, crop consultants, state and federal agency personnel, irrigation district personnel, agricultural industry personnel, and other professionals have participated as learners and adopters in over 800 Extension, education, and/or outreach programs conducted by the AWMN team between 2005 and 2020. The irrigated land area represented by the Network partners and collaborators reached over 1.20 million ha in 2020. Water withdrawal for irrigation was reduced from 119 mm/ha per growing season in 2006 to 163 mm/ha per growing season in 2020, with a 16-year average of 144 mm/ha, due to the adoption of technologies and management strategies demonstrated and taught in the Network. Between 2005 and 2020, the AWMN is estimated to have reduced water withdrawal for irrigation by over 5 billion m3 (5 km3; 4.1 million acre-ft). Due to the reduction in irrigation water withdrawals, conservatively, over $304 million was saved by consuming less diesel fuel for pumping irrigation water. The AWMN has effectively reduced CO2 emissions due to a reduction in diesel fuel use, which was over 125,000 tons in 2020 alone with a total reduction of about 900,000 tons from 2005 to 2020. Due to the AWMN’s efforts, tools and technologies introduced in the AWMN are being cost-shared by the Natural Resources Districts for the producers, up to 50% to 70% of the total cost. The AWMN has become the largest and most impactful research-based water management program in the United States that has accomplished substantial adoption of technology and information/knowledge transfer in agriculture through the strong and dedicated partnership of universities, private industry, state and federal agencies, producers, irrigation districts, and crop consultants. The Network is an excellent example of a large-scale program that successfully integrated science, research, and Extension/outreach/education to have significant positive impacts on irrigation agriculture. Keywords: Agricultural education, Agriculture, Crop water productivity, Irrigation, Irrigators network, Technology adoption, Water conservation, Water management.

Contribution of British Colonial Rule to the Conservation and Maintenance of Ancient Irrigation Works in Sri Lanka

The earliest irrigation system in Sri Lanka dates back to the sixth century BC. It had reached its peak of development around the twelfth century AD. With the migration of civilization to the southwest, the arid zone was overgrown and destroyed by the abandonment of ancient irrigation industries. But many of the old irrigation industries are still active today as living heritage. This was due to the conservation and maintenance are done by the local rulers as well as the colonial rulers who ruled the country. The purpose of this research was to trace the contribution of the British colonial rulers who ruled the country for more than a century to the conservation and maintenance of the ancient irrigation industry. The research problem here is what kind of conservation and maintenance was done during the British colonial rule on the ancient irrigation system of Ceylon. Because this research is based on a qualitative approach, the methodology used in the case studies used the study of archival records and documents, direct observation, and the examination of physical archeological remains. The irrigation system, which was widespread throughout the dry zone plains, was initially protected by the people who built it and by the conservation and maintenance work done by the state machinery itself. Centuries after the collapse of civilization, ancient irrigation was rediscovered and identified, and proposals for conservation were made during British colonial rule. In addition, funding for the conservation of the irrigation industry and the implementation of small and large-scale irrigation conservation programs, as well as the formulation of laws, regulations, and institutions for conservation work, were important processes during the British colonial period.

Economic analysis of different throughput scenarios and implementation strategies of computer-aided detection software as a screening and triage test for pulmonary TB.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems have demonstrated potential in detecting tuberculosis (TB) associated abnormalities from chest X-ray (CXR) images. Thus, they might provide a solution to radiologist shortages in high TB burden countries. However, the cost of implementing computer-aided detection (CAD) software has thus far been understudied. In this study, we performed a costing analysis of CAD software when used as a screening or triage test for pulmonary TB, estimated the incremental cost compared to a radiologist reading of different throughput scenarios, and predicted the cost for the national scale-up plan in Pakistan. For the study, we focused on CAD software reviewed by the World Health Organization (CAD4TB, Lunit INSIGHT CXR, qXR) or listed in the Global Drug Facility diagnostics catalogue (CAD4TB, InferRead). Costing information was obtained from the CAD software developers. CAD4TB and InferRead use a perpetual license pricing model, while Lunit and qXR are priced per license for restricted number of scans. A major implementer in Pakistan provided costing information for human resource and software training. The per-screen cost was estimated for each CAD software and for radiologist for 1) active case finding, and 2) facility based CXR testing scenarios with throughputs ranging from 50,000-100,000 scans. Moreover, we estimated the scale-up cost for CAD or radiologist CXR reading in Pakistan based on the National Strategic Plan, considering that to reach 80% diagnostic coverage, 50% of TB patients would need to be found through facility-based triage and 30% through active case finding (ACF). The per-screen cost for CAD4TB (0.25 USD- 2.33 USD) and InferRead (0.19 USD- 2.78 USD) was lower than that of a radiologist (0.70 USD- 0.93 USD) for high throughput scenarios studied. In comparison, the per-screen cost for Lunit (0.94 USD- 1.69 USD) and qXR (0.95 USD-1.9 USD) were only comparable with that of the radiologists in the highest throughput scenario in ACF. To achieve 80 percent diagnostic coverage at scale in Pakistan, the projected additional cost of deploying CAD software to complement the current infrastructure over a four-year period were estimated at 2.65-19.23 million USD, whereas Human readers, would cost an additional 23.97 million USD. Our findings suggest that using CAD software could enable large-scale screening programs in high TB-burden countries and be less costly than radiologist. To achieve minimum cost, the target number of screens in a specific screening strategy should be carefully considered when selecting CAD software, along with the offered pricing structure and other aspects such as performance and operational features. Integrating CAD software in implementation strategies for case finding could be an economical way to attain the intended programmatic goals.

Visual impairment in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

WHO Prevention of Blindness Program launched ‘‘VISION 2020” in 1999 to reduce visual impairment and eradicate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. Ethiopia launched the “VISION 2020” initiative in 2002. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to present the national prevalence of visual impairment at the end of “VISION 2020”. Electronic search was conducted on the PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Google scholar databases for including articles. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Endnote reference manager was used for downloading, organizing, and citing articles. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality appraisal tool for prevalence studies. Statistical analysis was done using the STATA™ software version 14. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, 18 studies involving 14,953 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of visual impairment in Ethiopia after correction for publication bias by Duval and Tweedie’s trim and fill analysis was estimated to be 6.24% (95% confidence interval [CI] = [2.66, 9.82]). The pooled prevalence of visual impairment among school children and adults in Ethiopia was 6.13% (95% CI = [4.27, 7.98]) and 19.89% (95% CI = [10.85, 28.93]), respectively. The most common causes of visual impairment in decreasing order of prevalence were refractive error, cataract, trachoma, glaucoma, and corneal opacity. Amblyopia was the cause of visual impairment among school-age child. The prevalence of visual impairment in Ethiopia was still significant at the end of “VISION 2020” program. Therefore, the program of “VISION 2020” should be extended and other large-scale programs were needed to reduce the prevalence of vision impairment in Ethiopia.

MODERN PEDAGOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES AS THE BASIS OF FUTURE MILITARY SPECIALISTS’ SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH COMPETENCE

The article is devoted to the scientific basis analysis of the construction and application of pedagogical technologies of project activity in the course of training future military specialists-officers of the tactical and operational-tactical levels. Based on the scientific positions of leading Ukrainian scientists and work experience of higher educational institutions, modern pedagogical technologies of military specialists’ (officers of the tactical and operational-tactical levels) project activities have been singled out as the basis for the formation of their scientific and research competence. It has been found that project activity develops personal qualities that are significant for a military specialist. They are the following: creative thinking, independence, perseverance, responsibility, and humanity, which are especially relevant in the difficult circumstances of military operations on the territory of the country; pedagogical technology of project activity creates for students of higher military education the prospect of choosing their position and role in the system of relations in the project group, allows choosing individual means of research on each project – from a solution to complex and large-scale military models and programs.
 The importance of implementing the principle of the unity of professional training theory and practice in the process of organizing future officers’ project activities is clarified; conclusions have been made that the effectiveness of future military specialists’ planned, substantiated, conscious and algorithmized project activities can be increased using the means of pedagogical technologies: social interaction (interaction, mutual support, assistance during work on a project task); research (choice of effective research methodology, idea generation); organizational and management (planning, design and distribution of responsibilities, management decision, organization of joint activities); communicative (discussion of public speeches, formulation of one’s own point of view, preparation of conclusions, defense of one’s opinion, use of modern types of visualization, presentation and defense of the results of one’s own research); reflective (self-evaluation and mutual evaluation of results and decisions, self-analysis of products, etc.).

Objective hearing threshold identification from auditory brainstem response measurements using supervised and self-supervised approaches

Hearing loss is a major health problem and psychological burden in humans. Mouse models offer a possibility to elucidate genes involved in the underlying developmental and pathophysiological mechanisms of hearing impairment. To this end, large-scale mouse phenotyping programs include auditory phenotyping of single-gene knockout mouse lines. Using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) procedure, the German Mouse Clinic and similar facilities worldwide have produced large, uniform data sets of averaged ABR raw data of mutant and wildtype mice. In the course of standard ABR analysis, hearing thresholds are assessed visually by trained staff from series of signal curves of increasing sound pressure level. This is time-consuming and prone to be biased by the reader as well as the graphical display quality and scale.In an attempt to reduce workload and improve quality and reproducibility, we developed and compared two methods for automated hearing threshold identification from averaged ABR raw data: a supervised approach involving two combined neural networks trained on human-generated labels and a self-supervised approach, which exploits the signal power spectrum and combines random forest sound level estimation with a piece-wise curve fitting algorithm for threshold finding.We show that both models work well and are suitable for fast, reliable, and unbiased hearing threshold detection and quality control. In a high-throughput mouse phenotyping environment, both methods perform well as part of an automated end-to-end screening pipeline to detect candidate genes for hearing involvement. Code for both models as well as data used for this work are freely available.

Contextual Characteristics Inside and Outside of School Walls as Predictors of Differential Effectiveness in Teacher Professional Development

The current study examined the contexts in which a preschool teacher professional development intervention was more versus less effective in improving student outcomes. We used a fixed intercept, random coefficient (FIRC) modeling approach to explore the contextual characteristics inside and outside school walls that predicted differential effectiveness of the NCRECE teacher professional development experimental intervention on students’ language and literacy skills, executive functioning, and learning behaviors (N = 1,230 children and 317 teachers within 192 center-based preschools; the majority of preschools were publicly funded). Overall, most characteristics inside and outside school walls were not associated with treatment impact on student outcomes. The only exception is that some characteristics outside school walls were associated with treatment impact on students’ executive functioning skills, where the professional development intervention (course and/or coaching) had a more positive effect on children’s executive functioning in preschools located in neighborhoods with lower levels of institutional resources and lower structural/social processes. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for large-scale teacher professional development programs and systems.

DEFINING TRANSLATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE IN GERONTOLOGY

Abstract Innovation in Aging requires a statement from authors on translational significance. This requirement forces authors to consider the implications of their research for changing some component of aging. How does the research address a challenge posed by aging bodies, minds, relationships, or societies? The editorial board has developed criteria for assessing translational significance. Translational research must meet at least one of three criteria. It (i) must predict or explain a health or behavioral outcome, (ii) be advanced enough in deployment or development to assess these effects, and (iii) have a clear pathway to large-scale program delivery or change in clinical practice. The criteria rule out some kinds of submissions, such as scale development, single-case studies, or reviews of literature. We use these criteria to structure each article’s required translational significance statement. Rethinking translation may help focus research across the full set of GSA journals.

The Financial Costs of Mass Media Interventions Used for Improving Breastfeeding Practices in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

Breastfeeding is essential for child survival but globally less than fifty percent of infants receive adequate breastfeeding. Gaps in breastfeeding knowledge and misinformation are widespread. Mass media aims to motivate mothers and families, encourage care-seeking, improve social norms, and counteract misleading advertising. However, the costs and coverage of mass media are not well documented. Our study provides a cost-accounting of four large-scale mass media interventions and coverage obtained through mass media. We retrospectively calculated annual costs and costs per beneficiary of mass media interventions based on expenditure records in four countries. The interventions were a part of multi-component breastfeeding strategies in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Vietnam. Annual costs ranged from 566,366 USD in Nigeria to 1,210,286 USD in Vietnam. The number of mothers of children under two years and pregnant women ranged from 685,257 to 5,566,882, and all designated recipients reached during the life of programs ranged from 1,439,040 to 11,690,453 in Burkina Faso and Bangladesh, respectively. The cost per mother varied from USD 0.13 USD in Bangladesh to 0.85 USD in Burkina Faso. Evaluations showed that mass media interventions reached high coverage and frequent exposure. This analysis documents the financial costs and budgetary needs for implementing mass media components of large-scale breastfeeding programs. It provides annual costs, cost structures, and coverage achieved through mass media interventions in four low- and middle-income countries.

Exploring Critical Factors Associated with Completion of Childhood Immunisation in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

(1) Background: surveillance data from the Saudi Ministry of Health shows that the Kingdom’s large-scale immunisation programme has significantly reduced the mortality and morbidity of the target diseases among children. In this study, we review relevant literature and test a number of hypotheses related to the association between demographic, socio-economic, clinic-related, and parents-related variables and completion of childhood immunisation. In doing so, this study identifies critical factors associated with completion of childhood immunisation and presents important implications to healthcare practitioners, particularly in Saudi Arabia; (2) Literature review: a systematic literature review was conducted to understand what is currently published concerning parents’ immunisation compliance in Saudi Arabia and the factors associated with immunisation compliance. (3) Methods: from March to May 2022, an online survey was administered to parents attending one of the 27 primary health care (PHC) centres in Qatif. Data from parents (n = 353) were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, correlation, and a series of OLS and logistic regression models; (4) Results: parental (child) age was negatively (positively) associated with the completion status of childhood immunisation (both p < 0.05). Parents with positive attitudes, social norms, perceptions towards immunisation, and those working in private companies were more likely to immunise their children (all p < 0.05). Conversely, living in an apartment building, walking to PHCs, waiting longer at PHCs, and having higher knowledge of immunisation were negatively associated with the completion of childhood immunisation (all p < 0.05); (5) Conclusions: several factors that positively or negatively influence the completion of childhood immunisation have been identified. Future studies may investigate the causal link between these factors and parental decision-making regarding childhood immunisation.

Housing policies in Turkey post 2002

Turkey, under the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), has launched large-scale national housing programmes in line with the emerging international trend in low-income housing provision. This paper analyses the place of the government’s housing programmes in economic policy and in the international context to illustrate the overall picture of the Turkish housing policy in the AKP era. Housing programmes have enabled low and middle-income people to access homeownership. However, other areas of housing policy such as land provision, taxes, subsidies, or housing finance have ignored the housing needs of low-income households. The case of Turkey reveals that the area on which the government should focus for low-income housing provision is access to affordable finance.

Ecological restoration can enhance the radiation benefit of sand fixation service: A simulated evidence of Xilingol League, China

Large-scale ecological restoration programs have been initiated globally with the aim of combating desertification and improving ecosystem services, especially for sand fixation service (SF) in arid and semi-arid regions. However, the effectiveness of ecological restoration in the radiation benefit of SF, such as improving air quality, remains not well known. In this study, we selected Xilingol as the study area, investigated the dynamics of SF, and quantified the radiation benefit of SF in downwind areas by employing PM10 concentration as the proxy. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was applied to assess the response of radiation benefit to ecological restoration by designing land use scenarios. Results showed that the SF in Xilingol increased with fluctuation at an average rate of 0.27%/year from 2000 to 2018. Under the effect of ecological restoration, the radiation benefit in the downwind regions was substantially improved, as manifested by a 104.22 μg/m3 reduction in PM10 concentration. The changes in radiation benefit varied greatly across space, and northern and southern Xilingol were hot spots for increased radiation benefit. Based on regional disparity in benefit level, this work could provide a reference to make differentiated cross-regional ecological compensation schemes at the national level.

The development of the concept of return-on-investment from large-scale quality improvement programmes in healthcare: an integrative systematic literature review

BackgroundReturn on Investment (ROI) is increasingly being used to evaluate financial benefits from healthcare Quality Improvement (QI). ROI is traditionally used to evaluate investment performance in the commercial field. Little is known about ROI in healthcare. The aim of this systematic review was to analyse and develop ROI as a concept and develop a ROI conceptual framework for large-scale healthcare QI programmes.MethodsWe searched Medline, Embase, Global health, PsycInfo, EconLit, NHS EED, Web of Science, Google Scholar using ROI or returns-on-investment concepts (e.g., cost–benefit, cost-effectiveness, value). We combined this terms with healthcare and QI. Included articles discussed at least three organisational QI benefits, including financial or patient benefits. We synthesised the different ways in which ROI or return-on-investment concepts were used and discussed by the QI literature; first the economically focused, then the non-economically focused QI literature. We then integrated these literatures to summarise their combined views.ResultsWe retrieved 10 428 articles. One hundred and two (102) articles were selected for full text screening. Of these 34 were excluded and 68 included. The included articles were QI economic, effectiveness, process, and impact evaluations as well as reports and conceptual literature. Fifteen of 68 articles were directly focused on QI programme economic outcomes. Of these, only four focused on ROI. ROI related concepts in this group included cost-effectiveness, cost–benefit, ROI, cost-saving, cost-reduction, and cost-avoidance. The remaining articles mainly mentioned efficiency, productivity, value, or benefits. Financial outcomes were not the main goal of QI programmes. We found that the ROI concept in healthcare QI aligned with the concepts of value and benefit, both monetary and non-monetary.ConclusionOur analysis of the reviewed literature indicates that ROI in QI is conceptualised as value or benefit as demonstrated through a combination of significant outcomes for one or more stakeholders in healthcare organisations. As such, organisations at different developmental stages can deduce benefits that are relevant and legitimate as per their contextual needs.Trial registrationReview registration: PROSPERO; CRD42021236948.

Rare and declining bird species benefit most from designating protected areas for conservation in the UK

There have been recent renewed commitments to increase the extent of protected areas to combat the growing biodiversity crisis but the underpinning evidence for their effectiveness is mixed and causal connections are rarely evaluated. We used data gathered by three large-scale citizen science programmes in the UK to provide the most comprehensive assessment to date of whether national (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and European (Special Protection Areas/Special Areas of Conservation) designated areas are associated with improved state (occurrence, abundance), change (rates of colonization, persistence and trend in abundance), community structure and, uniquely, demography (productivity) on a national avifauna, while controlling for differences in land cover, elevation and climate. We found positive associations with state that suggest these areas are well targeted and that the greatest benefit accrued to the most conservation-dependent species since positive associations with change were largely restricted to rare and declining species and habitat specialists. We suggest that increased productivity provides a plausible demographic mechanism for positive effects of designation.