Policy Deployment Research Articles

Factors influencing travel time and getaway time of helitack crews on wildfires in the province of Quebec

Background Reducing the delay between the detection of a fire and the arrival of the initial attack (IA) crew can have a significant impact on the likelihood of the IA’s success. Aims The objective of this study was to identify factors influencing same-day getaway time, next-day getaway time and travel time of helitack IA crews in the province of Quebec, Canada. Methods Using generalised linear modelling and model selection, we analysed the impact of multiple factors on these three distinct times. Key results Our results show that factors such as the distance between the departure base and the fire, the number of flight legs to reach a fire, dispatch hour, departure base location, the fire’s rate of spread, Julian date, the number of active fires, fuel type and the fire’s size at detection all influenced getaway time and travel time with varying degrees of influence. Conclusions The factors with the highest influence were distance for travel time and dispatch hour for both same-day and next-day getaway times. Implications Addressing these high-impact factors through the modification of deployment policies and the positioning of helitack crews could help reduce response times.

Investigating contestation around neighbourhood scale active travel infrastructure policy

Active travel infrastructure policy implemented at a neighbourhood scale has generated unexpected levels of socio-political contestation, leading to the removal of some schemes and widespread debates regarding equity and justice. Frequently, such contestation is framed as a discrete transport-centric phenomenon, engendering binary and objective pro-vs. anti-active travel infrastructure narratives, which obfuscate the intersection of policy with wider urban socio-spatial development dynamics. In response, this study adopts a critical urban approach to undertake a detailed investigation of contestation, through analysis of the subjective perspectives shaping contested discourses around neighbourhood scale active travel infrastructure. To achieve this, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders, using London as a case study. Our results show that divergent conceptualisations of sustainability, disparate experiences of decision-making processes, and heterogeneous socio-spatial contexts, all play a role in shaping and mediating contestation. Analysis of these themes highlights how processes of contestation are contingent upon the deployment of top-down technocratic policy. These findings reveal how current active travel infrastructure policy can further entrench, and give rise to, novel, uneven development processes. Thus, this study demonstrates the need for more transformative and strategic policy approaches, which offer truly participatory opportunities and consider active travel infrastructure within wider socio-spatial contexts.

Returns, Marches and Countermarches: The Agony for Truth and Justice

The present research aims to describe and characterize the actions in the reparation processes of Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, and Mothers and Relatives of Disappeared Detainees, in Argentina and Uruguay respectively, in the period from 2005 to 2015, in the face of the effects of political violence and state terrorism. It is proposed to make visible what the organizations' actions have been to influence advances in reparations, with special emphasis on concrete actions in contexts of self-styled "progressive" governments. A qualitative research is proposed, with the substantive use of the technique of documentary analysis and in-depth interviews for data collection, and for the analysis of said data we proceeded through discourse analysis. The results indicate that the central axes linked to comprehensive reparation in each organization are oriented towards: psychosocial reparation, accompaniment in the search process, progress at the legal level, recognition by the State of its responsibility before the crimes committed, the clarification of the truth, especially in the awareness of young people, with an educational paradigm that encourages education for memory. Reparatory mechanisms have manifested themselves in a similar way in the contexts of political progressivism, both in Argentina and Uruguay. However, the Argentine context has established a greater deployment of policies, with a special focus on the restitution of rights, and guarantees of non-repetition, developing an instituting policy promoted by the human rights movement. In the Uruguayan case, although progressivism enabled the creation of new institutions, providing new spaces and a budget to respond to the citizenship and mainly to the victims' relatives, for truth, justice and reparation, these have been poorly satisfactory measures, in where there is still a consolidation of policies, demanded by the human rights movement.

Police Involvement in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Qualitative Exploration of Law Enforcement Roles and Contributing Organizational Factors

Objectives Many American police organizations respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study sought to: 1) explore variation in the role of police in OHCA across emergency medical systems and 2) identify factors influencing this variation. Methods We conducted a qualitative multisite case study analysis using data collected through semi-structured key informant interviews and multidisciplinary focus groups with telecommunicators, fire, police, emergency medical services, and hospital personnel across nine Michigan emergency systems of care. Sites were sampled based on return of spontaneous circulation rates, trauma region, geography, rurality, and population density. Data were analyzed to examine police role in OHCA and the organizational factors that contribute to these roles. Transcripts and coded data were explored using iterative thematic analysis and matrices. Results Interviews included approximately 160 public safety informants of varying administrative levels (i.e., field staff, mid-level managers, and leadership). Across systems, police played four on-scene roles in OHCA response: 1) early responder, 2) resuscitation team member, 3) security, and 4) information gathering. Less consistently, police performed supplementary roles as telecommunicators and cardiac arrest educators. We found that factors including administrative structure of the police agency, resources (e.g., human and material), organizational culture, medical training, deployment and response policies, nature of response environment, and relationships with other prehospital stakeholders contributed to the degree certain roles were present. Conclusions Police serve numerous on-scene and supplementary roles in OHCA response across jurisdictions. Their roles were influenced by multiple factors at each site. Future studies may help to better understand the value of and how to optimize police engagement in OHCA response.

Do national innovation policies lead to technological specialization or diversification? The role of path dependence and spatial spillovers

Although most national innovation policy aim to promote urban innovation, their impact on technological specialization and diversification has not been thoroughly explored. This paper examines the impact of the National Innovation City Pilot Policy (NICPP) on technological specialization and diversification in Chinese cities, utilizing data from 282 cities between 2006 and 2019, and employing the difference-in-differences (DID) method. The results indicate that NICPP increases technological specialization while decreasing diversification in cities. The pathways to these outcomes include innovation path dependence, agglomeration effects, and a reduction in breakthrough innovations. Additionally, the policy's spatial spillovers contributed to technological specialization in peripheral areas. The study highlights the heterogeneity of policy effects, suggesting that cities with higher levels of initial specialization are more significantly impacted by these policies, while differences in resource endowment, geographical location, and city size lead to varying patterns of specialization. Moreover, the study verifies the synergistic effect of NICPP with other policies, where initiatives promoting high technology and environmental regulation work in conjunction with NICPP to enhance specialization in corresponding industries. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted impacts of NICPP, delivering theoretical insights and empirical evidence for strategic policy deployment, enhancing regional cooperation, and fostering synergies among policies.

Navigating geoeconomics in a new era of US–China relationship

Much of the US–China competition is about technology and the race to dominate strategic emerging sectors. The world is seeing a return of a strong role of the state as well as the deployment of industrial policies, some of which will be more successful than others. Although the rising competition heralds greater tension, a global architecture that delineates clear and transparent rules around technology competition, data flows, and one that favors more policies that strengthen oneself rather than limit others will help better manage the age of greater power competition and geoeconomics.

Sustainable Food: Reasons for the Attitude Behavioral Intention Gap among Consumers in Sustainable Consumption

Sustainable consumption is a popular trend today. The formal introduction of the term "sustainable consumption" began at the 1994 Oslo Symposium. Sustainable consumption basically refers to the use of natural, environmentally friendly, and recyclable green resources to serve society, protect the environment, improve quality of life, without affecting the lives and needs of future generations, while meeting the basic needs of humanity. The Chinese government is also actively promoting and deploying research and deployment on sustainable consumption. However, the research and practice process of sustainable consumption in China is not synchronized with developed countries. Compared to developed countries that started deploying and implementing the concept of sustainable consumption earlier, China's economic development stage is slightly behind developed countries, so the policy deployment and implementation of sustainable consumption in China was relatively late. The efforts towards sustainable development will benefit all of us. In the context of the development of sustainable consumption, the sustainability of food is a new industrial model of particular concern today. Sustainable food is cultivated and developed in ecological organic agriculture, and its continuous innovation and development help provide market opportunities for traditional agricultural farmers. The sustainability of food is committed to creating a resilient food system, achieving ecological species diversity and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

The effects of motivated consumer innovativeness on consumer acceptance of autonomous delivery robots

This research aimed to examine the impacts of motivated consumer innovativeness on customers’ acceptance of autonomous delivery robots (ADRs) using the privacy calculus theory (PCT) and motivated consumer innovativeness theory (MCI). It was suggested that this impact was mediated by perceived risks and perceived cooperativeness. Four hundred and fifty survey responses were gathered through a stratified random sampling approach to effectively represent the population of Singapore, ensuring the sample’s representativeness. The acquired data underwent analysis via structural equation modelling, uncovering that motivated consumer innovativeness (MCI) (i.e. functional MCI, hedonic MCI, cognitive MCI, and social MCI) influences the perceived (privacy) risks of using ADRs. In addition, the perceived risks influence the perceived cooperativeness of ADRs. Furthermore, the perceived risks and perceived cooperativeness both influence the consumers’ acceptance of ADRs. The combination of theories is highly effective in explaining consumers’ acceptance of ADRs, accounting for a substantial 78.3% of the variance. These findings highlight the significant impact of enhancing perceptions of ADR cooperativeness and transparent communication about privacy and safety on consumer acceptance. This, in turn, informs effective policy and strategic decisions for ADR development and deployment.

The Impact of Identity on the Success of Peacekeeping Missions: The Pakistani Perspective

Modern peacekeepers face many challenges in the areas in which they are deployed, including often dealing with a non-cooperative host population. However, if the peacekeepers shared an identity characteristic (this paper focuses on race, religion, language, gender, and geo-economics) with the host population, would this improve how peacekeepers and the host population interact, increasing the chances of the mission’s success? This study aims to answer this question and propose whether the UN should deploy peacekeeping troops based on this common identity criteria. Since the research was qualitative, data was primarily collected through interviews and focus group discussions with veteran and undertraining peacekeepers. After an extensive thematic analysis of the interviews, the thesis yielded the following results: a) A positive link exists between a shared identity (amongst peacekeepers and civilians) and success in peacekeeping missions b) Impartiality and timely provision of humanitarian assistance builds the good reputation of a UN contingent and can enhance ‘local acceptance’ for a peacekeeping mission c) While peacekeepers should not be deployed based on identity, language training before deployment can vastly improve how peacekeepers interact with the local populace. Hence, while the UN does not need to amend its deployment policies, language is a crucial identity characteristic that the UN can utilize to improve success in peacekeeping missions

Design of an efficient dynamic context‐based privacy policy deployment model via dual bioinspired Q learning optimisations

Design of an efficient dynamic context‐based privacy policy deployment model via dual bioinspired Q learning optimisations

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Other Sexual and Gender Minority Health Disparities: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+) populations in the United States continue to experience disparities in health and health care. Discrimination in both health care and society at large negatively affects LGBTQ+ health. Although progress has been made in addressing health disparities and reducing social inequality for these populations, new challenges have emerged. There is a pressing need for physicians and other health professionals to take a stance against discriminatory policies as renewed federal and state public policy efforts increasingly impose medically unnecessary restrictions on the provision of gender-affirming care. In this position paper, the American College of Physicians (ACP) reaffirms and updates much of its long-standing policy on LGBTQ+ health to strongly support access to evidence-based, clinically indicated gender-affirming care and oppose political efforts to interfere in the patient-physician relationship. Furthermore, ACP opposes institutional and legal restrictions on undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education and training on gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ health issues. This paper also offers policy recommendations to protect the right of all people to participate in public life free from discrimination on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation and encourages the deployment of inclusive, nondiscriminatory, and evidence-based blood donation policies for members of LGBTQ+ communities. Underlying these beliefs is a reaffirmed commitment to promoting equitable access to quality care for all people regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Forecasting the Economic Burden of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in the United States Through 2050: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association.

Quantifying the economic burden of cardiovascular disease and stroke over the coming decades may inform policy, health system, and community-level interventions for prevention and treatment. We used nationally representative health, economic, and demographic data to project health care costs attributable to key cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia) and conditions (coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation) through 2050. The human capital approach was used to estimate productivity losses from morbidity and premature mortality due to cardiovascular conditions. One in 3 US adults received care for a cardiovascular risk factor or condition in 2020. Annual inflation-adjusted (2022 US dollars) health care costs of cardiovascular risk factors are projected to triple between 2020 and 2050, from $400 billion to $1344 billion. For cardiovascular conditions, annual health care costs are projected to almost quadruple, from $393 billion to $1490 billion, and productivity losses are projected to increase by 54%, from $234 billion to $361 billion. Stroke is projected to account for the largest absolute increase in costs. Large relative increases among the Asian American population (497%) and Hispanic American population (489%) reflect the projected increases in the size of these populations. The economic burden of cardiovascular risk factors and overt cardiovascular disease in the United States is projected to increase substantially in the coming decades. Development and deployment of cost-effective programs and policies to promote cardiovascular health are urgently needed to rein in costs and to equitably enhance population health.

Moral commitment to gender equality increases (mis)perceptions of gender bias in hiring

AbstractExploring what modulates people's trust in evidence of hiring discrimination is crucial to the deployment of corrective policies. Here, we explore one powerful source of variation in such judgments: moral commitment to gender equality (MCGE), that is, perceptions of the issue as a moral imperative and as identity‐defining. Across seven experiments (N = 3579), we examined folk evaluations of scientific reports of hiring discrimination in academia. Participants who were more morally committed to gender equality were more likely to trust rigorous, experimental evidence of gender discrimination against women. This association between moral commitment and research evaluations was not reducible to prior beliefs, and largely explained a sex difference in people's evaluations on the issue. On a darker note, however, MCGE was associated with increased chances of fallaciously inferring discrimination against women from contradictory evidence. Overall, our results suggest that moral convictions amplify people's myside bias, bringing about both benefits and costs in the public consumption of science.

Localized economic and environmental benefits of residential solar in the United States

Between 2010 and 2020, residential solar installations grew at an average rate of 42% per year in the United States with subsidies and promises of rapid payback times contributing to adoption. However, the relationship between geographically localized economic drivers, adoption of residential solar energy, and the impact on carbon emissions remain poorly quantified. Here we assess the geospatial variations in economic payoff and carbon offset within the United States and propose a more efficient geographical roadmap for subsidies focus. The results show that the economic benefits of residential solar depend strongly on local electricity prices and energy mix. We find favorable economics in some regions with low solar irradiance and some sunny locations where residential solar will not be competitive relative to local electricity prices. Similarly, the reduction in the carbon footprint of electricity generation that the adoption of residential solar could provide varies strongly by location. We also identify optimal places for policy deployment and provide helpful data to allow for informed decisions by policymakers.

Long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms in deployed military personnel: A 10-year prospective study

BackgroundMilitary missions, especially those involving combat exposure, are associated with an increased risk of depression. Understanding the long-term course of depressive symptoms post-deployment is important to improve decision-making regarding deployment and mental health policies in the military. This study investigates trajectories of depressive symptoms in the Dutch army, exploring the influence of factors such as demographics, early-life trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and deployment stressors. MethodsA cohort of 1032 military men and women deployed to Afghanistan (2005–2008) was studied from pre- to 10 years post-deployment. Depressive and PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Symptom CheckList-90 and the Self-Rating Inventory for PTSD. Demographics, early trauma, and deployment experiences were collected at baseline and after deployment, respectively. Latent Class Growth Analysis was used to explore heterogeneity in trajectories of depressive symptoms over time. ResultsFour trajectories were found: resilient (65%), intermediate-stable (20%), symptomatic-chronic (9%), and late-onset-increasing (6%). The resilient group experienced fewer deployment stressors, while the symptomatic-chronic group reported more early life traumas. Trajectories with elevated depressive symptoms consistently demonstrated higher PTSD symptoms. LimitationsPotential nonresponse bias and missing information due to the longitudinal design and extensive follow-up times. ConclusionsThis study identified multiple trajectories of depressive symptoms in military personnel up to 10 years post-deployment, associated with early trauma, deployment stressors, adverse life events and PTSD symptoms. The prevalence of the resilient trajectory suggests a substantial level of resilience among deployed military personnel. These findings provide valuable insights and a foundation for further research.

Fluidity: Providing flexible deployment and adaptation policy experimentation for serverless and distributed applications spanning cloud–edge–mobile environments

We introduce Fluidity, a framework enabling the flexible and adaptive deployment of serverless and modular applications in systems comprising cloud, edge, and mobile nodes. Based on a declarative description of application requirements, a custom placement policy, and a formal system infrastructure description, Fluidity plans and executes an initial deployment of application components in the cloud–edge–mobile continuum. Furthermore, at runtime, Fluidity monitors resource availability and the position of mobile nodes, and adapts the deployment of the application accordingly, without any manual intervention from the application owner or system administrator. These characteristics render Fluidity an enabler for serverless applications, allowing the application developers to focus on the application code itself while abstracting out the infrastructure management. Notably, Fluidity permits developers to provide their own deployment and adaptation policies as well as to switch between different policies while the application is running. We discuss the design and implementation of Fluidity in detail and provide a realistic evaluation using a lab testbed in which the mobile node is represented as a simulated drone. In addition, we evaluate the scalability of the proposed mechanisms. Our results show that the core mechanisms of Fluidity can support flexible application execution at a reasonable overhead and experimentation with different deployment policies with minimal effort.

Antimicrobial resistance markers distribution in Staphylococcus aureus from Nsukka, Nigeria

BackgroundMultidrug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus continues to influence treatment complications in clinical settings globally. Multidrug-resistant-S. aureus (MDR-SA) is often genetically driven by resistance markers transferable in pathogenic strains. This study aimed to determine the distribution of resistance markers in clinical isolates of S. aureus in Nsukka, Nigeria.MethodsA total of 154 clinical samples were cultured on mannitol salt agar. Isolates were characterized using conventional cultural techniques and confirmed by PCR detection of S. aureus-specific nuc gene. Antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates were determined against selected antibiotics using the disk-diffusion method, while screening for antibiotic resistance genes (Mec A, Erm A, Erm B, Erm C, Van A, and Van B) was by PCR.ResultsA total of 98 isolates were identified as S. aureus by conventional methods. Of these, 70 (71.43%) were confirmed by PCR. Phenotypically, the isolates exhibited high degrees of resistance to oxacillin (95.72%), erythromycin (81.63%), and ertapenem (78.57%) and 75.51% and 47.30% against methicillin and vancomycin, respectively. Multiple antibiotic resistance indexes of the isolates ranged from 0.3 to 1, and the most prevalent pattern of resistance was oxacillin-ertapenem-vancomycin-erythromycin-azithromycin-clarithromycin-ciprofloxacin- cefoxitin-amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. PCR screening confirmed the existence of various antibiotic resistance makers among the strains, with the most common resistance genes found in the isolates being Mec A (32.14%), Van A (21.43%), Van B (10.71%), Erm B (10.71%), and Erm C (17.86%). None possessed the Erm A gene.ConclusionThe study supports the need for necessary action, including rational drug use, continuous surveillance, and deployment of adequate preventive and curative policies and actions.

Will COVID “encourage” B2B and data exchange engineering in logistic firms?

Abstract The goal of this article is to develop recommendations to assist logistic companies in formulating their B2B deployment policies as part of their engineering infrastructure strategy. It is postulated that logistic firms are likely to integrate B2B into their organizational structure in order to obtain a competitive advantage. The research examines the situation not only in the period immediately prior (2006) and after (2010) the 2008–2009 economic crisis, but also over a longer period of the following years in order to discover an eventual impact of the crisis on B2B deployment (2014, 2018). The results obtained from the 2008–2009 economic crisis are then applied analogically to the current 2020 coronavirus economic recession, where they serve as a foundation for formulating B2B deployment policy recommendations. We ascertained that B2B deployment increases in time of intensified market competition due to an economic crisis or recession and this tendency persists even in a longer horizon after the macroeconomic instability culmination. B2B systems can thus act as a significant “tool” for enhancing business competitiveness, which may be crucial for their economic “survival.”

An ancient Chinese interpretation of distributed leadership

ABSTRACT Drawing on the Huainanzi (The Master of Huainan), this article delineates an ancient Chinese understanding of distributed leadership. Accordingly, distributed leadership advocates the distribution of task that combines responsibility and authority; and the harmonious co-existence of the empowerment of others and positional authority. The distribution of responsibility and authority is undertaken by an exemplary leader who inspires others through one’s moral character and influence. Furthermore, distributed leadership infuses responsibility with positional, social and moral authority; harmonises the personal and interpersonal qualities of leaders; and reinforces rational persuasion with role-modelling by the leaders. The notion of distributed leadership that is informed by the Huainanzi contributes to the existing literature by addressing a prominent challenge and a prevailing misconception concerning this leadership construct. In addition, the proposed account guides leaders to revamp organisational structure, implement staff deployment policies and lead on the basis of fairness and moral leadership.

Turismo rural en México. Una trazabilidad histórica y socioestructural en las ruralidades

The objective of this article is to address the historical contextualisation of rural tourism in Mexico, within the framework of socio-structural change and its territorial manifestations. Analysis was applied from the theoretical-methodological perspective of problem-history posed by Erik Hobsbawm, who focuses his analytical interest on the history of structures and transformations in societies and cultures. It was concluded that, although several authors have made historical traceability on the deployment of public policies in Mexico, which impacted on agrarian and tourism issues, it is still necessary to focus on the communities where these interventions took place and account for the changes and modifications that have been generated as a result of the new economic dynamics inserted in the territory, which gave rise to the so-called New Ruralities.