Management Of Limited Resources Research Articles

Decision‐making regarding safety investments: A case study of fluidized‐bed reactors

AbstractIn chemical plants, the pressure to prioritize production and minimize operating costs often leads to delays in safety investments. To allocate limited management resources effectively, decision‐making regarding safety investments must follow a logical approach. This article outlines how engineers can provide valuable information to the management, enabling them to make informed decisions. We demonstrate that decision‐making involves both technical and economic considerations, following a well‐defined process with distinct stages. This study highlights the importance of technical data in making informed decisions regarding safety investments. Decision makers must consider various factors, including risk assessment, economic efficiency, technology reliability, and construction safety. In addition, economic efficiency considerations should incorporate new proposals that account for environmental profit/loss. Our findings confirm that effectiveness of the proposed method, particularly when applied to fluidized‐bed reactors. In conclusion, accurate allocation of management resources at appropriate times leads to reasonable risk reduction.

Community structure of shallow tropical reefs undergoing invasion by Tubastraea spp. in a Brazilian Marine Protected Area

Invasive sun corals (Tubastraea spp.) are spreading along the Brazilian coast where they compete for space with native species, produce chemical compounds with antifouling and anti-predation properties and modify community structure and function. The tropical rocky shores of the Ilha Grande Bay were the first to be invaded in the southwest Atlantic and the Tamoios Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the bay was directly in the path of the spread of Tubastraea. MPAs aim to conserve biodiversity, preventing habitat loss and fragmentation and maintain healthy ecosystems. As healthy communities might better resist invasion the aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the benthic communities of the MPA are resisting the invasion. Baseline data on the abundance of the invasive corals Tubastraea spp. and community structure (cover) were quantified at eight sites over six years. The benthic communities were dominated by multispecies algal turfs, the mat-forming zooantharian Palythoa caribaeorum and the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis and fell into five community groups two of which contained Tubastraea spp. The number of invaded sites increased over time as did the abundance of Tubastraea spp. in the communities. Tubastraea spp. sequentially invaded the studied communities within the MPA independently of differing community compositions – i.e. they did not offer better biotic resistance than unprotected areas. This was facilitated by the patchy nature of the communities which allowed Tubastraea spp. to get a foothold by initially avoiding species such as P. caribaeorum which offer greater biological resistance. At one site a significant reduction in Tubastraea spp. was detected after mechanical control. We conclude that the MPA’s status as a conservation unit was important to attract research and thus for establishing a baseline, quantifying change due to the invasion and focusing limited management resources, but not in providing significant biotic resistance to the invasion.

Multiple impacts of invasive species on species at risk: a case study in British Columbia, Canada

Invasive species are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and species extinctions across ecosystems on a global scale. The historical and ongoing focus on single-species management of invasive species and species at risk contributes to inefficiencies in management strategies that present an obstacle to achieving desired outcomes. A holistic approach that consolidates and maps linkages between the broader collective of invasive species and species at risk in an area provides a more appropriate entry point for issue-based, rather than species-based, management planning. We present a case study of this approach from British Columbia, Canada, which synthesized the identity, mechanisms of impact, mechanisms of spread, and magnitude of impacts across 782 unique pairs of invasive species and federally listed species at risk, based on a literature review of species at risk documentation. The resulting dataset was used to summarize the nature of interactions across species pairs and taxonomic groups to help guide the development of invasive species response strategies that make the best use of limited management resources. As species invasions and extinctions become increasingly interconnected, holistic approaches rooted in cumulative effects assessment and ecosystem-based management can provide a stronger foundation for reducing or mitigating this growing threat.

Establishing new populations in water-secure locations may benefit species persistence more than interventions in water-stressed locations

The effects of climate and land-use change, coupled with limited management resources, mean that managers are increasingly faced with decisions to invest in some locations at the expense of others. Given their potentially controversial nature, such decisions require predictions of likely outcomes under different management strategies and potential future climates. We develop an approach to prioritise management interventions across multiple locations in highly variable and uncertain environments, using a stochastic model of population dynamics structured to include the (dynamic) effects of environmental conditions on key vital rates. We demonstrate this approach with a case study on the endangered Australian freshwater fish, the Macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica), assessing the effectiveness of seven management interventions under five scenarios of deterministic climate change. All management interventions were predicted to improve Macquarie perch population outcomes (increased abundances, reduced risk of quasi-extinction), with the risk of declines lowest when management included augmented gene flow and enforcement of fishing regulations. The lowest levels of risk occurred in locations with stable environmental conditions, which suggests that reintroducing Macquarie perch to large, regulated rivers with suitable access to spawning habitat may be more beneficial than investment in small, unregulated streams where populations were unlikely to persist under any scenario. Population reintroductions provide opportunities to shift populations from water-stressed to water-secure locations where required (e.g. to preserve unique genetic diversity). This finding likely applies to many aquatic species, and highlights a potential need to supplement threat mitigation in water-stressed locations with efforts to establish new populations in water-secure locations.

EVALUATION AND OUTCOME OF EMERGENCY GIT SURGERIES

Background: Emergency gastrointestinal surgeries are frequently performed procedure which have mortality and morbidity much more than that of elective surgery, they carry a substantial risk of operative and postoperative complications and death. A system was developed to allow for the rst time an assessment of surgical quality that was risk adjusted for the patient's acute and chronic physiological status and for the nature of operation. The POSSUM audit system was designed to be easy and rapid to use and to have wide application across the general surgical spectrum both in the elective and emergency settings. Our study was conducted on 96 Pat Methods: ients of acute abdomen and blunt injury undergoing emergency GIT surgery and patients which develop postoperative complications admitted in department of surgery, RD Gardi Medical College,Ujjain between November 2018 to April 2020 Our study Signies that Forty-thre Results: e percent patients had morbidity in these group of patients, among which wound related complication has the predominant cause of morbidity, pulmonary complication were also common. In total eight patients died in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy four because of of MODS three due to SIRS and one due to sepsis. In our study, ve patients had cardiac risk . Respiratory signs were more prevalent seventeen patients having them, Blood loss was also higher with eleven patients having more than 1000 ml blood loss. Peritoneal soiling was also very common, with thirty seven patients having localised pus collections in forty-one, spillage of bowel contents seen in seventeen patients and hemoperitoneum in four patients Recognizing Conclusions. patients who are at high risk to develop complications and who have high risk of mortality would prompt us to take necessary and timely action and aid us in the better management of the patient. POSSUM mortality equation over predicts mortality especially in low risk groups, while predictive value improves signicantly when exponential analysis is used.Hence POSSUM scoring system has an undeniable advantage in our set up for better patient counseling, improving the surgical outcomes in emergency wards and for better management of limited resources and manpower.

Using individual‐based models to develop invasive species risk assessments by predicting species habitat suitability

Abstract Preventing invasive species establishment is a global conservation priority, yet limited management resources oftentimes restrict sites to target for prevention or monitoring. Risk assessments based on habitat suitability can identify sites most vulnerable to invasion that should be prioritized for preventative actions. Since habitat suitability is the result of interactions between environmental and organismal attributes, analyses should incorporate individual variability in demographics expected in an invasive population. Individual‐based models (IBMs) can predict habitat suitability by accounting for interactions between environmental conditions and individual‐level variability. We developed an IBM to predict suitability of rivers in the northern United States to the invasive fishes silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) and explored the projected effects of climate change on habitat suitability. All rivers supported adult survival, although complete survival of all adult demographics and positive growth only occurred in approximately 45% (17 of 38) of rivers for silver carp and 26% (10 of 38) of rivers for bighead carp. Only the largest individuals at the time of introduction survived in rivers where adult mortality occurred. Most rivers were unsuitable for young‐of‐year (89% and 92% of rivers for silver carp and bighead carp respectively). Climate change simulations had relatively little effect on adult habitat suitability but resulted in up to four times the number of rivers being suitable for young‐of‐year by the late‐21st century and greatly extended the viable spawning season by up to an additional 65 days for silver carp and 77 days for bighead carp. Synthesis and applications. Our approach of using individual‐based models as a risk assessment tool informs proactive conservation planning by identifying sites for invasive species early detection monitoring, promoting the development of contingency response plans and allowing for proactive prevention efforts. Model predictions also provide specific management guidance regarding the size and life stages to target for monitoring efforts, which capture gears to use, and the most effective time to sample for early detection monitoring.

Institutional measures and desired supports regarding COVID-19 pandemic among small and medium-sized enterprises: An interview study in Japan

Owing to the spread of COVID-19, many companies are likely to experience a significant impact on not only the safety and health of employees, but also on their businesses. The impact may be more severe for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) than large enterprises, given their limited management resources. This study aims to clarify the good practices of institutional measures, the challenges in implementing these measures, and the required supports among SMEs. The authors conducted an interview survey in August-October 2020 covering 27 SMEs in Japan regarding the infection control measures implemented and the desired supports in the future. Based on the content analysis, four researchers, comprising two occupational physicians and occupational health nurses each, extracted small categories by focusing on the commonality of codes, and gradually increased the degree of abstraction, subsequently extracting large categories. The study consolidated the implemented institutional measures into four categories: "making immediate decisions," "obtaining accurate information and sharing it with all employees," "strengthening infection control measures," and " launching efforts to continue business." In addition, challenges in implementing institutional measures were classified into five categories: "information gathering," "counter measures against unknown virus," "poor accessibility to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test," "consensus building," and "balancing business continuity and infection control." Furthermore, desired support in the future was classified into three categories: "information gathering," "accessibility to PCR test," and "compensation and subsidy." With taking the advantage of the characteristics of SMEs, not a few companies implemented the four categories of institutional measures. Therefore, it is imperative for SMEs to provide accurate information to employers for appropriately recognizing the risks. Accordingly, it is desirable for occupational health professionals at SMEs to provide support to employers to help them identify appropriate information.

The bioeconomy transformation as an external enabler of sustainable entrepreneurship

AbstractBioeconomy strategies worldwide emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship in the transformation toward a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. However, the bioeconomy transformation itself also offers great opportunities for creating new ventures. Based on interviews with bioeconomy entrepreneurs from six European countries, we investigate how entrepreneurial opportunities emerge in the bioeconomy context and what competencies entrepreneurs need to act on them. By conceptualizing the bioeconomy transformation as an external enabler of entrepreneurial activity, we open new avenues for research on sustainable development and innovation policy. We conceptualize sustainable entrepreneurship as a phenomenon that can be enabled externally via the transformation toward sustainable development. Furthermore, we show that new venture creation in the bioeconomy requires unique knowledge (transformative knowledge) and specific competencies (sustainable valorization of biomass, marketing of biobased products, and management of limited resources).

Recognizing and coordinating multidimensional dynamic stakeholder value conflicts for sustainability-oriented Construction Land Reduction projects in Shanghai, China: An integrated SA-SNA-TRIZ approach

As a characteristic new means for China to curb the excessive and disordered expansion of construction land, Construction Land Reduction (CLR) plays a significant role in achieving the sustainable use of land resources in economic, ecological and social terms. However, frequent value conflicts inevitably arise over diverse value appeals of various stakeholders throughout all phases of CLR projects, which has greatly impeded the effective implementation of CLR projects in China. To systematically recognize and strategically coordinate stakeholder value conflicts regarding multidimensional dynamic values under limited management resources and insufficient project experience, this study proposes an integrated SA (stakeholder analysis) - SNA (social network analysis) - TRIZ (theory of inventive problem solving) approach built on a systematic framework for stakeholder value conflict management. An empirical study on Shanghai's CLR projects is conducted to demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 280 pairs of value conflicts over 53 value appeals of 11 stakeholders are identified during the four phases of CLR projects in the SA-based conflict identification process, with 4 key value appeals and 21 key value conflicts prioritized in the SNA-based criticality evaluation process. Through the TRIZ-based strategy proposal process, 31 targeted coordination strategies are proposed, from which six major managerial and policy implications for CLR can be distilled. Methodologically, this study contributes to conflict management research by providing an integrated SA-SNA-TRIZ approach with a novel systematic methodological framework. Practically, the research outcomes provide policy makers and practitioners with useful new insights into managing stakeholder value conflicts, thereby driving successful project implementation and facilitating sustainability practices.

Marine restoration governance arrangements: Issues of legitimacy

AbstractA new motivation for marine restoration has been observed, associated with the dissatisfaction with current marine restoration governance arrangements (MRGAs). An MRGA consists of alliances of public and private actors (coalitions) who, through their common conceptualisation of the problem (discourses), try to influence and design marine restoration activities while considering the rules of decision‐making, and the management of limited resources. Emerging MRGAs rise in parallel to existing ones and aim to contribute to the same goals or show another way of reaching those goals. This phenomenon raises questions of legitimacy both for the emerging and the existing arrangement. Building on existing literature, this paper proposes an analytical framework to simultaneously explore input, throughput and output legitimacy as three essential pre‐conditions of legitimacy for MRGAs. The framework is tested in three European cases of MRGAs that were part of the European Union MERCES project (http://www.merces-project.eu/). Analysis showed that actors who are influential in achieving restoration goals, and also those who are impacted by restoration actions, should be involved in the MRGAs (input legitimacy); actors within MRGAs should establish and follow procedures for decision‐making that are both transparent and clear (throughput legitimacy); and actors within MRGAs need to establish a common understanding of restoration, of the goal to reach and of the related uncertainties (output legitimacy). Awareness of these pre‐conditions allows actors internal and external to MRGAs to address aspects that give legitimacy to restoration actions. It also creates a language that allows actors to engage in discussion on legitimacy that goes beyond the mere application of the rule of law.

A game theoretic power control and spectrum sharing approach using cost dominance in cognitive radio networks.

The wireless networks face challenges in efficient utilization of bandwidth due to paucity of resources and lack of central management, which may result in undesired congestion. The cognitive radio (CR) paradigm can bring efficiency, better utilization of bandwidth, and appropriate management of limited resources. While the CR paradigm is an attractive choice, the CRs selfishly compete to acquire and utilize available bandwidth that may ultimately result in inappropriate power levels, causing degradation in network’s Quality of Service (QoS). A cooperative game theoretic approach can ease the problem of spectrum sharing and power utilization in a hostile and selfish environment. We focus on the challenge of congestion control that results in inadequate and uncontrolled access of channels and utilization of resources. The Nash equilibrium (NE) of a cooperative congestion game is examined by considering the cost basis, which is embedded in the utility function. The proposed algorithm inhibits the utility, which leads to the decrease in aggregate cost and global function maximization. The cost dominance is a pivotal agent for cooperation in CRs that results in efficient power allocation. Simulation results show reduction in power utilization due to improved management in cognitive radio resource allocation.

Resource management efficiency improvement in the field of education through the logistics management method application

Introduction. Modern education in the existing form is calling out for emergency reforms. Unfortunately, there’re no significant or important shifts now. The problem is that existing educational system is unable to do any significant reforms due to its discrepancy towards the modern world’s demands and level of development. The logistic management method as the instrument of resource management efficiency increasing was defined and processed by many domestic and foreign scientists. Considering the existing problems in the Ukraine’s educational system the resource management efficiency increasing and optimization of educational processes with the help of logistic methods of management are becoming vitally important and actual for the sake of the Ukraine’s educational system development. The purpose of this paper lies in the support of the logistic management method use in order to improve the resource management efficiency. Results. The education is one of the most important in terms of forming a progressive and developed society. Education management is a complex and multidimensional process which requires effective and innovative approaches in the country’s limited resources management. This topic is very actual for the modern education of Ukraine because of the existing problems which are the reasons of its non-competitiveness on the international scale. The authors of the paper considered the concepts of logistics flow, logistics center, logistics method and measures taken to improve the efficiency of resource management in education. Conclusion. The necessary method of study and resource distribution management during the study process is the logistic flow which bases on the principles and rules of the education logistics. A significant reduction of costs and optimization of the resource use can be witnessed during with this management method implementation. The logistic center as the logistic core of all material and immaterial flows will become the origin of efficient management and control systems.

IEEE Access Special Section Editorial: Emerging Trends, Issues, and Challanges in Energy-Efficient Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is one of the most successful business models for providing a simple pay-as-you-go, and therefore is gaining much popularity in the industry. Customers and enterprises can maintain or scale-up a business easily while cutting down on their budget. However, energy consumption is one of the biggest problems in current cloud computing. It is both essential and urgent for governmental and industrial institutions to address this, to achieve rapid growth. The development of energy-efficient cloud computing has to be taken into consideration, which relies on the development of several key technologies: More energy-efficient mediums can be used in cloud computing at the platform level; energy-efficient scheduling algorithms, memory systems, storage systems, resource management policies, etc., can be adopted at the hypervisor level; energy-efficient scheduling, communications, and applications can be applied at the virtual machine level; and energy-efficient mobile cloud computing will be developed, involving green networking and wireless communications, cloud-based mobile applications, and limited resources management.

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development: with deep roots in forestry towards a "whole institution approach" in sustainability

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) is a University of Applied Sciences in Brandenburg and one of Germany's greenest universities with 4 faculties and a unique profile. The basic principle of HNEE is sustainability, anchored in the mission statement, 'Mit der Natur für den Menschen' (With nature for mankind), and research is focused in the three areas: Sustainable rural development; Sustainable production and use of natural products, and Sustainable management of limited resources. HNEE provides several innovative study programs, such as Forestry, Organic Farming, Wood Technology, International Forest Ecosystem Management on Bachelor level. On Master level the study programs are Regional Management, Global Change Management, Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Forest Information Technology, a double-degree program together with Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Furthermore, HNEE's portfolio is complemented with further education Master programs such as Strategic Sustainability Management. The Higher Education Institution at Eberswalde has a long history going back to the early 19th century when it was a Faculty of the Berlin University. During the Cold War the Faculty was closed due to political reasons. After German reunification, among others a University of Applied Sciences was founded, with focus on practical application. The current situation of HNEE is described emphasizing the so-called 'Whole Institution Approach', i.e. sustainability is seen as an integrative concept for human life and economic development. The Whole Institution Approach encompasses a sound environmental management program aiming at zero emissions. Last but not least, some features of the Faculty of Forest and Environment are outlined. Especially worth to be mentioned is the international focus of the faculty, with four international study programs and many research topics of international relevance. Moreover, the Centre for Economics and Ecosystem Management is attached to the faculty.

Vegetation classification enables inferring mesoscale spatial variation in plant invasibility

AbstractLarge-scale control of invasive plants can benefit strongly from reliable assessment of spatial variation in plant invasibility. With this knowledge, limited management resources can be concentrated in areas of high invasion risk. We assessed the influence of spatial environments and proximity to roads on the invasibility of African mustard (Brassica tournefortiiGouan) over the 280,000-ha Barry M. Goldwater Range West in southwestern Arizona, USA. We used presence/absence data ofB. tournefortiiacquired from a vegetation classification project, in which lands were mapped to the level of vegetation subassociations. Logistic regression models suggested that spatial environments represented by the subassociations, not proximity to roads, represented the only factor significantly explainingB. tournefortiipresence. We then used the best model to predictB. tournefortiiinvasibility in each subassociation. This prediction indicates management strategy should differ between the western part and the central to eastern part of the range. The western range is a large spatial continuum with intermediate to high invasion risk, vulnerable to an untethered spread ofB. tournefortii. Controlling efforts should focus on preventing existing local populations from further expansion. The central and eastern ranges are a mosaic varying strongly in invasion risk. Control efforts can take advantage of natural invasion barriers and further reduce connectivity through removal of source populations connected with other high-risk locations via roads and other dispersal corridors. We suggest our approach as one effective way to combine vegetation classification and plant invasion assessment to manage complex landscapes over large ranges, especially when this approach is used through an iterative prediction–validation process to achieve adaptive management of invasive plants.

Evaluation of possum scoring system in patients undergoing laparotomy

Background: Prediction of complications is an essential part of risk management in surgery. Knowing which patient is at risk of developing complications contributes to the quality of surgical care and cost reduction in surgery. Among the variety of scoring systems used to identify the “high risk” patient POSSUM scoring is the most widely used.Methods: Patients undergoing laparotomy were selected serially and their physiological severity score on admission and operative severity scored at the end of 30days and compared with the POSSUM predicted score.Results: In the elective surgery group, patients with morbidity correlated with high POSSUM scores but due to low overall morbidity conclusions could not be drawn while in the emergency group predicted morbidity correlated well with observed results. The low overall mortality in the study group precluded meaningful analysis.Conclusions: POSSUM scoring system has an undeniable advantage in this set up for better patient counseling, improving the surgical outcomes in both emergency and elective wards and for better management of limited resources and manpower.

Biodiversity hotspots are not congruent with conservation areas in the Gulf of California

As marine systems are threatened by increasing human impacts, mechanisms to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services are needed. Protecting areas of conservation importance may serve as a proxy for maintaining these functions, while also facilitating efficient use and management of limited resources. Biodiversity hotspots have been used as surrogates for spatial conservation importance; however, as many protected areas have been established opportunistically and under differing criteria, it is unclear how well they actually protect hotspots. We evaluated how well the current protected area network and priority areas selected through previous systematic conservation planning exercises preserve biodiversity hotspots in the Gulf of California, Mexico. We also determined spatial congruence between biodiversity hotspots based on different criteria, which may determine their ability to be used as surrogates for each other. We focus on the Gulf of California because it is a megadiverse system where limited information regarding species diversity and distribution has constrained development of strategies for conservation and management. We developed a species occurrence database and identified biodiversity hotspots using four different criteria: species richness, rarity, endemism, and threatened species. We interpolated species occurrence, while accounting for heterogeneous sampling efforts. We then assessed overlap of hotspots with existing protected areas and priority areas, and between hotspots derived by distinct criteria. We gathered 286,533 occurrence records belonging to 12,105 unique species, including 6388 species identified as rare, 642 as endemic, and 386 as threatened. We found that biodiversity hotspots showed little spatial overlap with areas currently under protection and previously identified priority areas. Our results highlight the importance of distinct spatial areas of biodiversity and suggest that different ecological mechanisms sustain different aspects of diversity and multiple criteria should be used when defining conservation areas.

Prevalence and correlates of chronic kidney disease in a group of patients with hypertension in the Savanah zone of Cameroon: a cross-sectional study in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide due to an increase in the risk factors such as hypertension. The greatest burden is in low-income settings, coupled with late diagnosis and limited management resources. This work aimed at studying the prevalence and risk factors of CKD in a group of patients with hypertension in the Savanah zone in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We carried out a cross-sectional study between January and May 2016 in the regional Hospital of Garoua-Cameroon. Participants were adults ≥18 years of both sexes, who had a diagnosis of hypertension. Patients underwent a comprehensive clinical, biological, and electrocardiographic evaluation. A total of 400 patients with hypertension were included, of whom 132 (33%; 95% CI: 28.6-37.8%) were males. Their mean age was 54.16±11.17 years. Hypertension was controlled in 122 (30.5%; 95% CI: 26.2-35.2%) participants. Twelve percent had a positive urine dipstick for proteins. The mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 75.27±24.87 mL/min/1.73m2. The prevalence of CKD was seen in 129 (32.3%; 95% CI: 27.9-36.98) participants. Stage 3A was the most frequent (62.01%). The main comorbidities were anemia (44.5%), obesity (39.75%), diabetes (32%), consumption of traditional medicines (15.75%), and hyperuricemia (10.75%). After multivariate analysis, age >50 years (aOR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.06-2.89; P=0.027), female sex (aOR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.29-3.78; P=0.0035), obesity (aOR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.01-2.44; P=0.026) and the hyperuricemia (aOR: 3.67; 95% CI: 1.78-7.58; P<0.001) were independently associated with CKD. The prevalence of CKD in adults with hypertension was high. This was associated with age greater than 50 years, female sex, obesity and the hyperuricemia.

Conflicting rationales: leader's experienced ethical challenges in community health care for older people.

Ethical challenges arise in all types of care, and leaders need to be aware of how to resolve these challenges. Healthcare systems tend to be organised around medical conditions, and the patient is often faced with a series of uncoordinated visits to multiple specialties. Ideally, care should be organised around the patient's needs. The purpose of this article was to highlight some ethical challenges perceived by leaders with responsibility for management and service distribution, finance and ensuring quality of community health services for older people. This study had a qualitative design with a qualitative content analysis of one focus group with six leaders that met four times in total. Leaders from the community healthcare sector in one Norwegian municipality were included, representing both nursing homes and home-based health care. The study followed the intentions of the Declaration of Helsinki and standard ethical principles. The Norwegian Social Science Data Services approved the study. All participants voluntarily gave written informed consent. The main theme that emerged from this study was the ethical challenge leaders felt in the form of an inherent conflict between a caring rationale versus economic or technological rationales. Four categories emerged: (i) Management: quality versus economy; (ii) Prioritisation: fair distribution of healthcare services; (iii) Responsibility: considering individuals' needs versus the needs of the whole community; and (iv) Welfare technology: possibilities and challenges. Leaders' responsibilities in community health care for older people need to strike a balance between ethical principles in the management of limited resources.

Where and how to restore in a changing world: a demographic‐based assessment of resilience

Summary Managers are increasingly looking to apply concepts of resilience to better anticipate and understand conservation and restoration in a changing environment. In this study, we explore how information on demography (recruitment, growth and survival) and competitive effects in different environments and with different starting species abundances can be used to better understand resilience. We use observational and experimental data to better understand dynamics between native Stipa pulchra and exotic Avena barbata and fatua, grasses characteristic of native and invaded grasslands in California, at three different levels of nitrogen (N) representative of a range of pollution via atmospheric deposition. A modelling framework that incorporates this information on demography and competition allows us to forecast dynamics over time. Our results showed that resilience of native grasslands depends on N inputs, where natural recovery should be possible at low N levels whereas native persistence would be difficult at high N levels. Hysteresis was evident at moderate N levels, where the starting conditions mattered. Synthesis and applications. The resilience of both invaded and native grasslands is influenced by nitrogen inputs. Our modelling approach gives direction about how best to allocate limited management resources as baselines shift: where natural recovery is possible, where best to allocate active restoration efforts, and where native remnants may be most vulnerable.