System Stakeholders Research Articles

Research and Development Priorities for Security of Embedded Hardware Devices

Supply chains for embedded hardware devices are subject to a variety of security threats that are concerning to governments and industry. Such threats include counterfeit parts, cyber-attacks, Trojan attacks, reliance on offshore-manufactured and controlled hardware, software, and rapid increase of network technologies. Addressing these threats is vital to maintain and enhance system trust and security. This article develops a framework to address initiatives and success criteria which accounts for different perspectives of system stakeholders and identify different potential emergent conditions and scenarios which are most and least impactful to the trust and security of the supply chain. The article demonstrates a research and development priorities preferences method that accounts for evolving perspectives of supply chain stakeholders and describing the example application of embedded hardware devices as a system.

Design and Internal Validation of an Educational-Therapeutic Model for Addressing Co-Dependency Based on Perceived Lived Experiences of Adolescents

Purpose: Adolescence is the third developmental stage, beginning after the completion of childhood. This stage, influenced by developmental changes, exposes individuals to a higher risk of developmental dysfunctions and psychosocial harm compared to other life stages. The present study aimed to design and internally validate an educational-therapeutic model for addressing co-dependency based on the perceived lived experiences of co-dependent adolescents in the Khattam region. Methods and Materials: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach was employed. The qualitative part utilized inductive content analysis, while the quantitative part gathered opinions from professors and experts through a survey. In the qualitative section, the statistical sample for semi-structured interviews included 15 co-dependent adolescents from the Khattam region. In the quantitative section, 12 professors and specialists were selected as the sample. Based on the content analysis, 5 main themes and 12 sub-themes were extracted. Findings: The qualitative findings indicated that the themes and sub-themes were divided into two dimensions, individual and social. The individual dimension included reactivity with sub-components (denial, obsession, and anger), the need for control with sub-components (suppression of emotions and difficulty in establishing relationships), and alienation. The social dimension included interpersonal dependency with sub-components (controlling, distrust, abnormal relationships, weak boundaries), and external focus with sub-components (caring for others and being influenced by external factors). Conclusion: It can be concluded that educational system stakeholders should consider the proposed model of this research for designing and implementing effective education aimed at enhancing the self-efficacy of adolescents.

Driving value-based healthcare through a new vision for Queensland's health system.

The purpose of this case study is to explain the development of Queensland's strategic approach to health system reform, which promotes partnership across the health system to better deliver integrated and value-based health care across the continuum of care. The new health system vision was informed by undertaking literature searches on national and international health system approaches to reform and supported by extensive consultation across Queensland with more than 1100 stakeholders. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key themes that were translated into a high-level vision document that communicated Queensland's renewed focus on wellness and delivering more care in the community. This was circulated to stakeholders for iterative and collaborative refinement before final approvals. Collaboratively and iteratively developing the new health system vision for Queensland with key stakeholders has contributed to a shared understanding and ownership of a vision that is committed to system reform, focused on delivering high-value care that reflects what is important to consumers and health system stakeholders.

Access to childhood cancer medicines in South Africa: a health systems analysis of barriers and enablers.

We sought to identify what barriers and facilitators determine current perceived access to childhood cancer care in South Africa through in-depth interviews with stakeholders in South Africa's public and private sectors. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 key health system stakeholders, including policy-makers and regulators, medical insurance scheme informants, medicine suppliers, healthcare providers and civil society stakeholders. Identified barriers and facilitators in access to medicines and broader care were structured according to the pharmaceutical value chain (PVC). Barriers and facilitators were identified across all components of the PVC. Key barriers included (1) a lack of political commitment to childhood cancers, (2) discontinuation of essential chemotherapeutics, (3) incomplete insurance coverage for childhood cancers, (4) stock-outs of essential medicines, (5) the inability to access care, including travel to healthcare facilities and (6) low awareness on childhood cancers among primary healthcare (PHC) workers. Proposed priority interventions included pricing flexibilities, increased transparency and consistency in decision-making and healthcare spending, and improved training of PHC staff, nurses and pharmacists on childhood cancers. This first comprehensive study of determinants of access to medicines used in childhood cancer in South Africa provides context-specific evidence for targeted policy development.

A Holistic Perspective towards Perils of and Pathways to Addiction Recovery in Pakistan: Exploring Indigenous Factors

A multi-angled approach and formation of a holistic body of insights about drug addiction relapse and recovery is the key objective of this qualitative study. Based on a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, a total 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted from 10 recovering persons, 10 relapsed person and 10 chief caregivers of each set of recovering and relapsed persons. Out 20 recovering and relapsed persons, 7 were within age of 18-25, 10 were within 26-35 years of age and 3 respondents were over 35 years of age. Their respective 20 chief caregivers included their parents, siblings, spouses and case managers. Furthermore, 2 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted having 4 participants i.e., Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Case Managers hailing from Drug Rehab Centers in each group. The digitally recorded interviews were transcribed/translated and further analyzed in NVIVO – Windows. Following the processes of Open, Axial and Selective Coding, five core categories of Familial, Personal, Socio-cultural, Psycho-emotive and Treatment Factors emerged to form the theoretical framework of the substantive grounded theory titled as Perils of and Pathways to Addiction Recovery. The theory connects various dimensions of the causal factors and recovery-assuring remedial measures. This framework serves as an indigenous work for developing policy, interventions and treatment. This study reveals contributing factors for the efficacy of different treatment approaches and practices in Pakistan. This five factor theoretical model has high-resolution data driven insights collected from all possible stakeholders of the eco system of falling prey to addiction and recovering from it.

Adapting Corporate Governance for Sustainable Organizational Performance: A Case Study of the Banking Sector in Pakistan amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose - Corporate governance is a crucial aspect of creating a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, fairness, and openness. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global financial crisis, which has increased attention to corporate governance issues. In light of this, the objective of this study is to examine the impact of corporate governance on the sustainable organizational performance of the banking sector in Pakistan particularly in the context of COVID-19.
 Study Design/Methodology/Approach - This research analyses the annual reports of sample banks and uses secondary data from 2016 to 2022; therefore, there is no doubt about the reliability and validity of the data. This study measured firm sustainable financial performance based on accounting data, using return on assets, return on equity, and earnings per share. The suggested model was investigated by the generalized method of moments through the Arellano-Bond Dynamic Panel-Data estimator.
 Findings - The overall findings of the study reveal that corporate governance components such as board size, audit committee independence, number of board meetings, and chief executive officer duality have a significant impact on organizational performance. Furthermore, the Fixed Affect model indicates that CEO duality has no discernible effect on organizational sustainable performance, while board size, audit committee independence, and the frequency of board meetings all positively affect it.
 Practical and theoretical implications- This study has implications for all stakeholders of the banking system, economic policymakers, and academicians by highlighting the importance of components of corporate governance that enhance overall organizational performance. Theoretically, compliance with corporate governance regulations should lower agency costs, which will improve the overall business's performance now and in the future.
 Originality/Novelty- This study indicates that the use of corporate governance practices enhances and improves the overall sustainable performance of the banking sector. This study adds value to the existing body of literature by considering corporate governance and its association with organizational performance, particularly from the COVID-19 perspective.

How Do Professional Associations Influence Health System Transformation? Lessons from Ontario, Canada

Introduction: Internationally, there are increasing collaborative efforts to transform health care systems in ways that align with the principles of integrated care. Within the Canadian context, the current province-wide reorganization of health care into Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) is an example of a large-scale system transformation, requiring collaboration between system stakeholders at macro-, meso- and micro-levels. Literature on the topic inter-organizational collaboration does not fulsomely consider the role of local professional associations in health system transformations. There is value in examining the role of professional associations in influencing health system transformations, as they have significant expertise and influence, particularly in the domain of health policy. 
 Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the research question: what strategies have local professional associations used to influence the development of Ontario Health Teams? We collected data from eight, 60-minute interviews with senior level leaders from eight professional associations. Interviews were transcribed and data were analyzed using content analysis to construct four descriptive themes. 
 Results: During times of health system transformation, professional associations balance the functions of: (1) supporting members, (2) negotiating with government, (3) collaborating with stakeholders, and (4) reflecting on their role. In this presentation, we focus primarily on themes #2 and #3, given the specific relevance of governance, leadership, and collaboration. In both themes, participants emphasized the importance of findings areas of alignment with the government and other stakeholders; and using shared aims as way to amplify their influence. Characteristics of a “good” collaborator included consistent demonstration of mutual respect, clear communication, and interest in building trusting relationships. Participants also described barriers to collaboration, such as power imbalances and lack of role clarity. These challenges were heightened within the context of the “low rules” OHT rollout, in which OHTs had a high degree of control in adapting their team structures to ideally meet the needs of their local care partners and patient population(s),
 Conclusion and Implications: Professional associations are highly connected groups, deeply engaged with their members (often frontline clinicians) and regularly engaged with other key stakeholders and decision-makers (e.g., government). PAs play a critical role in influencing health system transformations, by bringing forward practical solutions to government that reflect the needs of their members, often frontline clinicians. Sharing insights from this work with an international audience could support global dialogues with health system leaders, policymakers, and researchers about leveraging the strengths of professional associations to enhance large-scale health system transformations via strategic collaboration.
 Next Steps: This research was conducted to fulfill the requirements of the Health System Impact Fellowship (doctoral level, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research). We have continued to engage selected professional associations in building a collaborative framework, grounded in their experiences of participating the development of Ontario Health Teams.

Doing Meso-Level Integration: The cultural, relational, and communications practices that draw primary care closer to the broader system.

Introduction: In alignment with the conference’s first theme, this paper draws on qualitative research to address issues of change management implementation at the meso-level in integration. It uses a case study of integration efforts as they played out during the first wave of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Alberta, Canada to identify practical ways of doing organization-to-organization integration in Primary Care (PC).
 Background: While the existing literature describes three high-level approaches to enabling the integration of health and social systems in a range of contexts, it is unclear how stakeholders in PC and health system organizations might practically operationalize these approaches. How, specifically, should those stakeholders go about: enacting a pro-integration culture; doing the relationship work required for integration; and communicating to support integration? Put differently, what are the practical change management behaviours that give life to these three key approaches and make integration real?
 Approach: A subset of semi-structured interviews with key informant stakeholders was drawn from a larger study of policy and change management implementation under pandemic conditions in Alberta, Canada. Participants in these interviews were directly involved in efforts to integrate PC into the province’s health system response to COVID-19 generally, and specifically into the response to the Omicron wave. The 10 interviews averaged 65 minutes in length and included key informants from both independent PC and central health system organizations. The Interpretive Description technique was used to analyze the interview transcripts and so identify practical enactments of pro-integration culture, relationship work for integration, and integration-supportive communication.
 Results: Key ways of enacting a pro-integration culture included: sending signals with staffing choices; making personal expressions of commitment to the values of integration; and ensuring communal commitments to those same values. Doing integration relationships involved: following through on rhetorical commitments; and persevering at proving oneself in the eyes of counterparts from other organizations. Finally, communicating in ways that supported integration involved: bidirectional communication that included listening as well as talking; the elimination of intermediaries to close the social and knowledge distance between PC and health system stakeholders; and actuating a mix of formal and informal communication channels rather than relying on purely formal committee work or informal contacts.
 
 Conclusions: Practical steps towards achieving meso-level organization involve making high-level approaches to culture, relationships, and communication real in everyday behaviour. Efforts to integrate PC into a broader pandemic response in Alberta Canada provide a window on these specific change management implementation behaviours and so how to ‘do’ integration. Doing pro-integration culture involves sending signals through staffing choices, personal, and group commitments. Doing integration relationships involves following through on commitments and persevering. Doing integration communications involves listening as well as talking, closing the distance between stakeholders, and taking advantage of formal and informal channels. Stakeholders seeking to integrate at the meso-level may wish to consider these practical action

What Stops to Switch on to Solar Energy? An Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

This is an exploratory and qualitative study based on a survey. The study aims to generate a list of factors hindering switching to solar energy systems. The study design comprises the literature review, data analysis and discussion. The population under study includes stakeholders of solar energy systems, e.g., solar penal producers, importers, sellers, marketers, buyers/consumers, regulators, etc. Twenty-one samples are drawn from within the stakeholders, constituting a non-probability purposive sample of experts. The data are collected using a matrix-type questionnaire from experts. To perform analysis on data, the classical technique of Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) combined with Matriced' Impacts Cruise's Multiplication Appliquee a U.N. Classement (MICMAC) is used. Findings of ISM modeling show that limited production and uncertainty about after sale service fall at Level I, in contrast, lack of expertise and lack of social awareness fall at Level V & VI (respectively) of the model. All other barriers lye in middle on the continuum of bottom-to-top. It is worth mentioning that the barriers contained at Level I are the least important and those held at Level V & VI are the most important ones. Findings of MICMAC show that barriers, namely limited production and uncertainty about after sale service, fall in the independent cluster. In contrast, barriers, namely weak infrastructure structure, non-availability of feed-in tariff (fit) system, limited production and uncertainty about after sale service, fall in the dependent cluster. All the other barriers fall in the linkage cluster. This is an original valuable study based on real-time data collected from stakeholders that contributes new information about inter-relationships of barriers about the phenomenon under study. The study has various implications for the stakeholders, i.e. solar penal producers, wholesalers, retailers, importers, marketers, regulators, buyers, society and economy, etc.

Determinants of the integrity climate of public organizations – a procurement perspective

The role of public procurement in a country’s economy is well recognized, as also its vulnerability to corruption. While procurement involves various organizational levels, with outcomes evaluated against the organizational goals, anti-corruption studies have focussed on the project level. This study broadens the perspectives on anti-corruption from these focal boundaries toward an organizational standpoint. The study explores an organization’s integrity climate, which provides a reference framework to guide behavior and decision-making in procurement. Twenty-two integrity climate measures (ICMs) are identified as determinants of the integrity climate through literature survey, interactions with practitioners, and a Delphi survey among anti-corruption experts. Their perceived criticality and implementation level are evaluated by 193 practitioners across 15 large public organizations in India through a questionnaire survey. Transparency, the role of leadership, and fair competition emerge as the most critical ICMs. Factor analysis followed by multiple regression reveals four critical factors: key process management, control and oversight, commitment to integrity, and system accessibility & stakeholders’ engagement. Correlation network analysis applied to two organizations illustrates the synergies among the ICMs and the organizational uniqueness. The structure of the integrity climate presented will aid policymakers and practitioners in identifying specific actions to enhance integrity in procurement.

The association between research design and the perceived treatment effectiveness: a cross-sectional study.

To evaluate the impact of research design on the perceived medical treatment effectiveness among researchers, healthcare workers (HCWs) and consumers in Croatia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to February 2022 using an online survey. The participants were researchers, HCWs and consumers from Croatia. The survey had six scenarios about the same medical treatment presented within different study designs and in random order. Participants were asked to assess on a scale from 1 to 10 if the descriptions presented a sufficient level of evidence to conclude that the treatment was effective. For researchers (n = 97), as the number of participants and degree of variable control in the study design increased, the perceived level of sufficient evidence also increased significantly. Among consumers (n = 286) and HCWs (n = 201), no significant differences in scores were observed between the cross-sectional study, cohort study, RCT, and systematic review. There is a need to implement educational courses on basic research methodology in lower levels of education and as part of Continuing Medical Education for all stakeholders in the healthcare system. Trial registration: this study has been registered on the Open Science Framework prior to study commencement (https://osf.io/t7xmf).

ESPO AND BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SECTION SYMPOSIUM: BRIDGES TO ELDER JUSTICE: BUILDING COLLABORATIONS AND COALITIONS TO CATALYZE ELDER MISTREATMENT RESEARCH

Abstract Elder mistreatment is a widespread public health problem, affecting 1 in 6 older persons every year. Despite its high frequency and severity, relatively little attention has been paid to ensuring that the findings of elder mistreatment research can be implemented in routine care and clinical practice. Forging meaningful partnerships with health care systems may hold promise to facilitate this translational process, and ultimately improve health outcomes for older persons. In this symposium, we will identify proven approaches and mechanisms to successfully build, maintain, and sustain elder mistreatment research-to-practice partnerships with various health care system stakeholders. Dr. Karl Pillemer will describe best approaches in forging researcher-practitioner collaboration with long-term care providers to implement and disseminate evidence-based resident-to-resident aggression intervention program. Dr. Lena Makaroun will examine lessons learned from four high-impact Veterans Health Administration-led collaborations to accelerate applied elder mistreatment research. Dr. Kristen Lees Haggerty will discuss strategies and successes in developing a novel elder mistreatment screening and response tool for emergency departments nationwide in partnership with the National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment. Finally, Dr. Zach Gassoumis will describe his experiences with conducting intervention and observational research as well as provide advice to early career scholars looking to build partnerships with health care systems. Taken together, these presentations will shed light on the practice, policy, and research implications in strengthening health care system partnerships to closing the discovery-delivery gap.

This needs to be a journey that we’re actually on together’—the introduction of integrated care systems for children and young people in England: a qualitative study of the views of local system stakeholders during winter 2021/22

BackgroundIntegrated care has become a central feature of health system reform worldwide. In England, Integrated Care Systems (ICS) are intended to improve integration across public health, the National Health Service (NHS), education and social care. By April 2021, England had been divided into 42 geographical areas, each tasked with developing local ICS provision. However, it was not clear how ICSs would address the specific needs of children and young people (CYP). This study elicited the views of senior professional stakeholders in the first year of the ICS national roll out, to learn how integrated care for CYP was being implemented within the ICSs and future plans for service provision.MethodsA qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, NHS managers and local authority leaders (n = 25) selected from a diverse sample of ICSs (n = 7) across England, conducted during winter 2021/22. Reflexive thematic analysis involving a collaborative coding approach was used to analyse interview transcripts.ResultsFour themes were identified, indicating challenges and opportunities for ICSs in relation to the health of CYP: 1) Best start in life (a more holistic approach to health afforded by integrated care); 2) Local and national contexts (tensions between local and national settings and priorities); 3) Funding and planning (instituting innovative, long-term plans using limited existing CYP funding streams); 4) Organisational complexities (integrating the work of diverse organisations).ConclusionsThe views of stakeholders, provided at the beginning of the journey towards developing local ICS CYP provision, revealed a common aspiration to change focus from provision of acute, largely adult-orientated services towards one with a broader, population health remit, including prevention and early intervention. This would be delivered by integration of a range of local services, including health, education, housing and social care, to set CYP on a life-long path towards improved health and wellbeing. Yet there was an awareness that change would take place over time within existing national policy and funding frameworks, and would require overcoming organisational barriers through further developing local collaborations and partnerships. As ICSs mature, the experiences of stakeholders should continue to be canvassed to identify practical lessons for successful CYP integrated care.

Understanding the Relationship between Faith-based Locus of Control and Academic Self-Efficacy among Muslim Students in Nigeria

In spite of numerous research reports demonstrating the relationship between locus of control (LOC) and academic self-efficacy (ASE) among Muslim students, studies on how faith-based LOC relates to ASE among Muslim students in Nigeria are scarce. This study employed a correlation survey to examine the relationship between faith-based LOC and ASE among Muslim students in Nigeria. The sample comprised university undergraduates (n=124) [71 females and 53males] aged between 18 and 35 years in the federal universities in South East, Nigeria. A purposive sampling procedure was used to get the sample for the study. The researchers adopted two instruments for this study: A 20 item structured Faith-based external LOC Scale (FBLCS) adapted from Rotter (1966). The second instrument is a five-item General Academic Self Efficacy Scale (GASES) adapted from Braun et al. (2021). The instrument was used in measuring students’ ASE. The data analysis in this study was done using version 29 of IBM SPSS. The relationship between the study variables was established using regression analysis while linear regression (t-test) and Hayes’ PROCESS were used to analyze the hypotheses. Result shows that there is a significant positive relationship between faith-based LOC and ASE among Muslim students in Nigeria. Furthermore, result also shows that there is no significant influence of gender on the relationship between faith-based LOC and ASE among Muslim students in Nigeria. It was recommended that teachers and stakeholders in Islamic Education system should strive to incorporate the faith aspect of their LOC into their curriculum for optimal development.

Population growth as the elephant in the room: teachers’ perspectives and willingness to incorporate a controversial environmental sustainability issue in their teaching

Although population growth (PG) is acknowledged as a major factor that drives the global environmental crisis, this issue is rarely included in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) because of its controversiality. This mixed-methods study explores the perspectives of Israeli ESE and non-ESE teachers regarding PG as an environmental risk, their willingness to include PG in their teaching, the frequency and foci of including it, the reasons for including or disregarding it, and the factors that predict their inclusion of it. The findings reveal that the deep-rooted pronatalist culture in Israel and a national pronatalist agenda impact the education system. It was found that an academic background in ESE had limited impact on teachers’ perceptions concerning PG or on their willingness to discuss its controversiality in class. Teachers’ attitudes related to PG demonstrated socially, culturally, and politically oriented disavowal justification regarding the negative impacts of rapid PG. The absence of PG from school curricula and the Israeli public discourse have been reported as major reasons for disregarding it in schools. To encourage teachers to incorporate this controversial issue in their teaching, and successfully confront dominant pronatalist cultures, they need ongoing support. Stakeholders in the education system must bring the population debate into schools as part of human efforts to mitigate environmental degradation and as an opportunity to strengthen tolerance among students towards diverse opinions.

Discovering the core stakeholders in the Nigerian urban water supply system

Core stakeholders’ engagement and involvement are now a sine qua non of resources administration and management. This followed the emergence of pluralistic forms of governance, which call for greater democracy and emphasises transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and engagement as credentials for sustainable resource management. Nigeria has embraced these pluralistic forms of governance in its water sector as part of efforts to promote sustainable water resource management. However, to successfully engage and involve core stakeholders in the face of myriad urban water supply challenges and achieve optimal outcomes remain a challenge as it is unclear who the core stakeholders are. This study examines Nigerian’s urban water supply system and the extent of the interests of the stakeholders to identify the core stakeholders as an input towards facilitating sustainable water resources management in the country based on a survey of urban water supply experts in the country. The study finds 15 core or primary stakeholders out of 25 stakeholders and note that their core stakeholder status is linked to their direct involvement or connection with the water supply system and its successful running, which is rooted in them being customers or investors or regulators and enforcers of regulation, funders, supervisors, and the need to respect community and social interests. The study concludes that whilst the engagement of all stakeholders is good for sustainable water resources management in Nigeria, engagement, and involvement of the 15 core stakeholders is paramount to the sustainable and successful operations of the country’s urban water supply system.

From worker empowerment to managerial control: The devolution of AI tools' intended positive implementation to their negative consequences

AI tools are increasingly being deployed in organizations with the promise to support workers, enable faster and more accurate processes, and thus to contribute to enhanced organizational outcomes. However, in practice, the introduction of AI tools often fails to meet these expectations and results in negative consequences, such as worker resistance and dissatisfaction. Yet we have little understanding of the process of how and why initially positive design intentions of AI tools result in negative consequences. Building on a qualitative in-depth case study of a Chinese firm introducing an AI tool in sales, we found that whereas the AI tool's initial design seemingly intended to lead to salespeople's empowerment and first achieved respective outcomes, over time the tool was appropriated for managerial control. We show that this devolution emerged organically from a growing managerial awareness of the affordances that the AI tool offered managers to perform their work better. Our study contributes to the literature on AI by highlighting the potential dangers of AI tools and emphasizing the importance of including workers in the AI tool's design and implementation phases.

Spatial Analysis of Risk Exposure of Urban Trees: A Case Study from Bologna (Italy)

In Europe, more than two-thirds of the population live in urban areas. The management of urban green areas and trees is becoming increasingly relevant involving different players and stakeholders, as well for keeping a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals. Society and policy makers are often unaware of the disservices that neglecting these areas can cause. Appropriate monitoring interventions can protect both citizens and trees themselves. The aim of the study was to assess the risk potential in urban trees in Bologna suburbs (Italy). For each tree in the city of Bologna, three target variables identifying the number and categories of streets, buildings, and walking and cycle paths near the tree were considered and used as covariates. A multiple regression model assessing the relationship between a dependent synthetic spatial variable (digital number, DN), proxy of the likelihood of tree failure, and the three independent covariates was estimated. Both the number of streets and walking and cycle paths in the area surrounding a tree are shown to be significantly associated with the DN value. The use of open data can assist in monitoring and maintaining urban green areas. The tool supports a virtuous circle between stakeholders in urban systems through sustainability and efficiency.

Investigating predictors of juvenile traditional and/or cyber offense using machine learning by constructing a decision support system

The present study aims to examine whether criminogenic risk factors can be applied to explain different types of juvenile offenses involving traditional and/or cyber offenses, and explore their common and unique patterns presented among juvenile offenders. To achieve the goals, this study employs machine learning (ML) techniques to construct a decision support system that predicts different types of juvenile offenses (i.e., non-offense, hacking only, traditional offense only, and both offenses) by risk factors rooted in a variety of criminological theories. This study is based on the data from the Second International Self-Report of Delinquency Study. The results demonstrate the generalizability of mainstream criminological theories to juvenile hacking and dual offenses involving both traditional offense and hacking. ML predictive models can successfully distinguish between different types of juvenile offenders and identify the most influential risk factors (e.g., gender, digital piracy, substance use, victimization, and parental supervision). The relative importance of risk factors provides valuable information to decision-makers and stakeholders in the juvenile justice system for developing more effective risk assessments and early intervention programs targeting different types of juvenile offenders.

The impact of MAMCA as a stakeholder engagement tool during the setup of an energy community

As they foster active participation in their daily operations, energy communities (ECs) are often regarded as important tools for the empowerment of civil stakeholders in the energy system. To ensure the incorporation of stakeholder needs, participation must also be guaranteed throughout the design phase of the EC. Despite a general consensus on the importance of stakeholder engagement in the setup of sustainability-fostering projects, the impact of engagement initiatives often goes unassessed. This makes it difficult to determine whether their application advances stakeholder interest.Therefore, we wanted to study the effects of a specific stakeholder engagement tool (Multi Actor Multi Criteria Analysis, MAMCA) that was used in the setup phase of eight different ECs. Through a survey with 102 participants, three core aspects are assessed: 1) the effect on participants' knowledge of ECs, 2) the effect on social learning, and 3) the extent to which the engagement goals and participant expectations are fulfilled. The study results show that stakeholder appreciation of the method is high and MAMCA has important value as a learning methodology, with 96% of participants indicating their knowledge was raised significantly and 94% marking increased awareness of other viewpoints. This led to a relevant rise in willingness to join an EC (from 75% of participants to 93%). The interactive aspect and expert assistance are seen as crucial elements in the MAMCA process. More attention to raising participants’ technical knowledge and feedback on the follow-up of the engagement initiative results are identified points of improvement for future applications.