Academic literature on the topic 'Diversity search'
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Journal articles on the topic "Diversity search"
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Ishiguro, Shingo. "Contracts, search, and organizational diversity." European Economic Review 54, no. 5 (July 2010): 678–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2009.12.002.
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Linhares, Alexandre, and Horacio Hideki Yanasse. "Search intensity versus search diversity: a false trade off?" Applied Intelligence 32, no. 3 (September 13, 2008): 279–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10489-008-0145-8.
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Muralidhara, Koteshwara. "In Search of Unity in Diversity." Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 26, no. 2 (2022): 191. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/ijem.ijem_74_22.
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Raman, Karthik, Paul N. Bennett, and Kevyn Collins-Thompson. "Understanding Intrinsic Diversity in Web Search." ACM Transactions on Information Systems 32, no. 4 (October 28, 2014): 1–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2629553.
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Meighan, Clement W. "Letters: In Search of Intellectual Diversity." Academe 80, no. 5 (1994): 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/40250654.
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Krestel, Ralf, and Peter Fankhauser. "Reranking web search results for diversity." Information Retrieval 15, no. 5 (December 1, 2011): 458–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10791-011-9179-3.
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Bendl, Regine, Alexander Fleischmann, and Angelika Schmidt. "In Search for Diversity in Alternative Organizations." Academy of Management Proceedings 2018, no. 1 (August 2018): 17134. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2018.17134abstract.
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Yom-Tov, Elad, Susan Dumais, and Qi Guo. "Promoting Civil Discourse Through Search Engine Diversity." Social Science Computer Review 32, no. 2 (November 27, 2013): 145–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0894439313506838.
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Ghansah, Benjamin, and Shengli Wu. "A Mean-Variance Analysis Based Approach for Search Result Diversification in Federated Search." International Journal of Uncertainty, Fuzziness and Knowledge-Based Systems 24, no. 02 (April 2016): 195–211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0218488516500100.
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Resource Selection is an important step in a federated search environment. The goal of this work was to improve the collection selection process by selecting collections in terms of relevance and diversity, to best answer a user's query. Sampled documents from the Central Sample Database are first ranked by Indri retrieval algorithm and later re-ranked by a Mean-Standard deviation method that reduces uncertainty and improves diversity of collection sources. A comparative evaluation with the R-based diversification metrics shows that the proposed method significantly outperforms the baseline diversification methods; ReDDE+MMR, ReDDE+MAP-IA and state-of-the-art resource selection methods (ReDDE and CORI) in all metrics.
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Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio, and Daniele Rotolo. "Institutional diversity, internal search behaviour, and joint-innovations." Management Decision 53, no. 9 (October 19, 2015): 2088–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/md-05-2014-0256.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the innovation performance of R & D collaborations from an institutional perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct an empirical analysis based on 487 joint-inventions developed by 50 US biotechnology firms from 1985 to 2002. Findings – The authors find that institutional diversity between the partners, as reflected by firm-university partnerships, positively affects the value of their joint-innovation. This effect is reinforced by the firm’s behaviour in searching for knowledge broadly (scope) and in the non-commercial realm (science-based nature). Conversely, as the firm searches for knowledge in few domains areas (depth), the positive effect of institutional diversity is reduced. Research limitations/implications – The study contributes to literature on partner selection, university-industry collaborations, balance between exploration and exploitation, as well as to research on the interdependence between firm’s external and internal resources. Practical implications – The study reveals that when firms innovate together with universities, this promotes the development of high valuable innovations. In addition, it emerges that to fully capture the benefits of these collaborations, firms have to develop a wide set of competencies supported by a scientific approach in problem solving. Originality/value – The study sheds new light on the dynamics favouring the joint development of valuable innovations by focusing on the impact exerted by partners’ institutional differences, as revealed by how norms and rules shape innovation’s modes.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Diversity search"
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Thomas, Gemma Louise. "The search for novel antibacterials using diversity-oriented synthesis." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.612917.
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Chan, Lewis C. H. "Reduced-search sequence decoders for multiple-antenna diversity over Rayleigh fading channels." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0001/MQ28184.pdf.
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Philpot, Denise R. "Tenured/tenure-track Faculty Diversity: Does Search Committee Training Make a Difference?" Thesis, University of North Texas, 2014. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699983/.
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Diversity impacts organizations, both internally and externally. Responses to changes in demographics come from legal and moral imperatives. As a reflection of the changes in the population demographics in the United States, universities have seen and sought increased diversity in their student enrollment. Many institutions have purposeful plans to increase representation of under-represented groups as well as those students from low-income families. Some schools also recognize the importance of having diversity represented within their staff and faculty positions as a way of creating a supportive environment that also promotes diversity of thought. As schools increase the diversity of their student population, at what level are they increasing diversity among their tenured and tenure-track faculty? The purpose of this study is to examine the impact on full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty diversity compared to enrolled student diversity at institutions that promote, require, or provide access to training for faculty search committees, including diversity/cultural awareness, legal compliance, and process training, and those institutions that do not appear to have any training requirement as documented on their websites. Only tenured/tenure-track faculty were considered as they are the permanent teaching/research positions and generally represent the core faculty of every department at a university.
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Glaesener, Tim. "Exploring Siri’s Content Diversity Using a Crowdsourced Audit." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-44105.
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This thesis aims to explore and describe the content diversity of Siri’s search results in the polarized context of US politics. To do so, a crowdsourced audit was conducted. A diverse sample of 134 US-based Siri users between the ages of 18-64 performed five identical queries about the politically controversial issues of gun laws, immigration, the death penalty, taxes and abortion. The data were viewed through a theoretical framework using the concepts of algorithmic bias and media-centric fragmentation. The results suggest that Siri’s search algorithm produces a long tail distribution of search results: Forty-two percent of the participants received the six most frequent answers, while 22% of the users received unique answers. These statistics indicate that Siri’s search algorithm causes moderate concentration and low fragmentation. The age and, surprisingly, the political orientation of users, do not seem to be driving either concentration or fragmentation. However, the users' gender and location appears to cause low concentration. The finding that Siri’s search algorithm produces a long tail of replies challenges previous research on the content diversity of search results, which found no evidence of fragmentation. However, due to the limited scope of this study, these findings cannot be generalized to a larger population. Further research is needed to support or refute them.
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Walton, Nicholas. "A mechanism for the controlled evolution of diversity in multiple optima genetic search." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.435131.
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Ramskill, R. D. "A composer's search for a distinctive voice in an era of musical diversity." Thesis, Coventry University, 2009. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/055dca33-3667-66e2-3e96-1c3864ed3127/1.
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The output submitted in this portfolio manifests the composer’s search for a distinctive voice in an era of musical diversity. From my total output of some sixty original compositions (see Appendix 2 on page 71) seven have been selected for inclusion here. The reasons for their selection will be explained more fully in later sections of this overview but I feel it would be helpful to outline briefly the thinking behind their selection at the outset. Essentially the first three compositions here are works that I consider to be mature and successful ones despite the fact that they each inhabit a very different sound world from the others to the extent that the listener might, with some justification, doubt that they could have been written by the same composer. Their very lack of any hint of a unified line of progression from one work to the next graphically demonstrates the point, to be further developed later, that the process of sifting through potential compositional influences with a view to developing one’s own original voice is often more protracted and difficult for composers active from around the mid-point of the 20th century onwards than it was for earlier generations of composers. In the past young composers would make their first attempts within a comparatively settled musical environment in which there would be at least some semblance of agreement about what musical techniques and forms would represent the ‘norm’. The first three compositions in the portfolio epitomise three very different possible routes I had been investigating as part of the ‘sifting’ process mentioned above. The remaining four compositions have then been selected to demonstrate how a synthesis of these contrasting approaches was attempted and, in my view, successfully achieved. The table overleaf summarises the stylistic issues involved.
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Fior, Daniel. "Toward Environmental and Social Sustainability: in search of leverage points." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-254617.
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It may be argued that ours is far away from a sustainable society. For all the technological wonders that we have been able to produce, some basic problems such as lack of universal access to the means to satisfy one's basic needs, human rights violations, systematic degradation of the environment, among others are still present. Not for a lack of effort, but scientific progress, political effort and economic growth appear to have real limitations in their capability to help us solve some of these problems that have endured through time. Donella Meadows, an expert in systems analysis, has developed a comprehensive list of points to intervene in a system in order to effect change. Using that framework as a basis, the present study aims to try to identify potential reasons for why most of the efforts conducted so far to solve some of the previously mentioned fundamental problems appear not to be so effective. Many of the fundamental assumptions of the mainstream economic school that heavily influence policy making and individual behavior to a large extent, have been identified as potentially important leverage points being pushed in the wrong direction! Economic powers and vested interests allow for the erosion of the self-controlling elements of the global political-economic system such as democratic institutions, what Meadows classifies as weakening of negative feedback loops. The mainstream economic models promoting "success to the successful" loops such as accumulation of resources in the hands of a few, all the while concentrating power can be pointed out as an example of a positive loop getting dangerously out of control. Uncontrolled positive loops inevitably lead to system collapse. Concentration of power is specially dangerous as it can bestow upon an elite the power to set the rules of the system, one of the most effective leverage points according to Meadows. Additionally, by curtailing biological, ideological and cultural diversity we are compromising one of the fundamental conditions for our systems to endure threatening changes, the ability to self-organize, or evolve. The most powerful leverage point is the paradigm out of which the whole system is constructed. The current mainstream economic thinking is fundamentally based on a single paradigmatic assumption of scarcity by mean of the supposed impossibility of satisfying human material wants, as 'new wants are always emerging'. In this mindset, it seems to make sense for the economic system to promote limitless growth and accumulation under the assumption of unlimited material wants. In the possibility to transcend such a paradigm lies an important potential for leverage in the efforts to solve the fundamental problems that still hold our society from attaining sustainability.
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Shoji, Yoshiyuki. "A Study on Social Information Search and Analysis on the Web by Diversity Computation." 京都大学 (Kyoto University), 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/199443.
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Holmberg, Emelie. "In search of differential Space." Thesis, KTH, Arkitektur, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-123524.
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The aim is to explore indigenous life situation and by identifying problems in service and infrastructure,health and social aspects provide suggestions on how the current situation can be improved.The goal is to provide a proposal for a plan for a new community with homes that are adapted to theindigenous people’s needs and unique tradition. The plan is part of the modernization taking place inChiapas but where indigenous traditions and culture are preserved and taken advantage of. How wouldthe housing and community planning look like? What can you learn from indigenous practices to takecare of our nature and self‐sufficiency? What type of modernization from the West is important andhow to combine tradition and modernity?A number of new housing for the relocation of indigenous people has been built. These neighborhoodshave received much criticism. Santiago el Pinar is an example. The indigenous were moved to minimalhouses built on stilts in a dry hillside without vegetation. There is absolutely no land to cultivate, thefloors are made of wood which makes it impossible to cook on the floor the traditional way and thereare no natural meeting places. The new housing is absolutely not linked to the people's needs andbackground.In the autonomous communities where indigenous people live today, there is a great opportunity tofurther develop sustainable agriculture because these communities opposes neoliberalism, capitalisttrade and multinational control. At the same time they develop an autonomous system for training andregional reinforcement. There are efforts to strengthen the culture of origin and the knowledge ofhealth, education and traditional agriculture. In The housing program which the state built the residents'life is based on consumption, and they depend on the state apparatus. Food could previously beobtained relatively easily at low or no cost. In The "rural town", people must, in contrast to past lives inthe countryside, buy everything.Important in this project is to find and exploit opportunities in indigenous society today and strengthenthese but also modernize so that access to services, infrastructure an architecture improves.Syftet är att undersöka den inhemska livssituationen in Chiapas och genom att identifiera problem i service och infrastruktur, hälso-och sociala aspekter ge förslag på hur den nuvarande situationen kan förbättras. målet är att ge ett förslag till en plan för ett nytt samhälle med bostäder som är anpassade till de specifika människornas behov och unika tradition. Planen är en del av moderniseringen sker i Chiapas men där inhemska traditioner och kultur bevaras och tas tillvara. Hur skulle dessa bostäder och en sådan samhällsplanering se ut? Vad kan vi lära av den inhemska befolkningens kunskaper och traditioner? Vilken typ av modernisering från väst är viktigt och hur kan man kombinera tradition och modernitet? Ett antal nya bostäder för omlokalisering av ursprungsbefolkningen har byggts. Dessa projekt har fått mycket kritik. Santiago el Pinar är ett exempel. En inhemsk grupp flyttades till minimala hus byggda på styltor i en torr sluttning utan vegetation. Där finns ingen mark att odla, golven av trä gör det omöjligt att laga mat på traditionellt sätt. Dt finns inga naturliga mötesplatser. Det finns ett behov av nya visioner och alternatriv till den typ av samhälls och urban planering som sker både metoder och förslag. I detta examensarbetet sker detta sökande efter alternativ.
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Boothby, Gwen. "An exploration of the role of 'community' in the search for workforce diversity at the shipyard." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2017. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/20754/.
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The concept of workforce diversity has been considered from many perspectives. Based on the equality legislation, the ‘equal opportunities’ approach evolved, with the premise of moral concern (Noon and Ogbonna 2001) and equality (Cockburn 1991), where all individuals are treated the same by ensuring that ‘the rules of the game’ were fair. However, in the 1990s, a move was made to ‘managing diversity’ (Kandola and Fullerton 1994), a business case approach whereby equality was ensured by taking into account the circumstances of the individual. Although prevalent in organisational rhetoric, neither approach has fully realised its potential in terms of ensuring equality of opportunity or outcome for groups or individuals in the labour market (Miller 1996; Webb 1997; Liff 1999; Johns and Green 2009). Therefore, in this research project, other bodies of literature are used in conjunction with the equality and diversity research, to identify barriers to workforce diversity. The case study on which this research project is based, is situated at a shipyard in Barrow-In-Furness, in the North West of England. The shipyard is part of BAE Systems, a global defence, aerospace and security company, which in 2009, stated its desire to increase the diversity of its workforce. The geography and demographics of Barrow meant that this was a particularly challenging concept for the shipyard. This research was based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with four groups of employees and trade union representatives, alongside documentary and data analysis. The original contribution of this thesis has been made by considering three bodies of literature together (equality and diversity, masculine culture and occupational communities), in order to identify the key barriers to increasing the diversity of the shipyard. These barriers included the shipyard’s hegemonic masculine culture, the existence of occupational communities within the construction and engineering departments, and the impact of the local community on the diversity of the shipyard. Thus, it has been possible to identify that barriers to increasing the workforce diversity of the shipyard exist not only in the organisation, but also in Barrow’s local community.
Books on the topic "Diversity search"
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Murty, M. N., and Anirban Biswas. Centrality and Diversity in Search. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24713-3.
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Damien, Kiberd, and Cleraun Media Conference (6th : 1996 : Dublin, Ireland), eds. Media in Ireland: The search for diversity. Dublin, Ireland: Open Air, 1997.
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Jo, Handelsman, and University of Wisconsin--Madison. Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute, eds. Searching for excellence & diversity: A guide for search committees. Madison, WI: WISELI, 2012.
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Russian reflexive verbs: In search of unity in diversity. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1990.
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In search of the causes of evolution: From field observations to mechanisms. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.
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Kazuhisa, Eguchi Paul, and Azarya Victor, eds. Unity and diversity of a people: The search for Fulbe identity. Osaka, Japan: National Museum of Ethnology, 1993.
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Kazuhisa, Eguchi Paul, and Azarya Victor, eds. Unity and diversity of a people: The search for Fulbe identity. Osaka, Japan: National Museum of Ethnology, 1993.
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Diversifying the faculty: A guidebook for search committees. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges & Universities, 2002.
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Against relativism: Cultural diversity and the search for ethical universals in medicine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
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A, Raschke Carl, and Dean William D, eds. The republic of faith: The search for agreement amid diversity in American religion. Aurora, Colo: Davies Group, 2002.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Diversity search"
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Lee, Christopher D., and Edna B. Chun. "The Diversity Advantage." In Search Committees, 8–14. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003446910-2.
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Denecke, Kerstin. "Diversity-Aware Search." In Health Web Science, 109–19. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20582-3_12.
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Gossen, Tatiana. "Addressing User Diversity." In Search Engines for Children, 141–74. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-12069-6_8.
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Santos, Lucio F. D., Luiz Olmes Carvalho, Willian D. Oliveira, Agma J. M. Traina, and Caetano Traina. "Diversity in Similarity Joins." In Similarity Search and Applications, 42–53. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25087-8_4.
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Silva, Yasin N., Juan Martinez, Pedro Castro Cea, Humberto Razente, and Maria C. Nardini Barioni. "Diversity Similarity Join for Big Data." In Similarity Search and Applications, 238–52. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-46994-7_20.
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Huang, Jinbin, Xin Huang, Yuanyuan Zhu, and Jianliang Xu. "Parameter-Free Structural Diversity Search." In Web Information Systems Engineering – WISE 2019, 677–93. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34223-4_43.
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Draws, Tim, Nirmal Roy, Oana Inel, Alisa Rieger, Rishav Hada, Mehmet Orcun Yalcin, Benjamin Timmermans, and Nava Tintarev. "Viewpoint Diversity in Search Results." In Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 279–97. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28244-7_18.
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Albunian, Nasser M. "Diversity in Search-Based Unit Test Suite Generation." In Search Based Software Engineering, 183–89. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66299-2_17.
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Laumonier, Y. "Search for phytogeographic provinces in Sumatra." In The Plant Diversity of Malesia, 193–211. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1990. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2107-8_17.
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Sarkar, Debojyoti, and Anupam Biswas. "Population Diversity-Aided Adaptive Cuckoo Search." In Modeling, Simulation and Optimization, 121–33. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6866-4_9.
Full textConference papers on the topic "Diversity search"
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Angel, Albert, and Nick Koudas. "Efficient diversity-aware search." In the 2011 international conference. New York, New York, USA: ACM Press, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1989323.1989405.
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Aarabi, Parham. "Diversity-Based Media Search." In 2022 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo Workshops (ICMEW). IEEE, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/icmew56448.2022.9859474.
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Liu, Jiqun, and Fangyuan Han. "Matching Search Result Diversity with User Diversity Acceptance in Web Search Sessions." In SIGIR '22: The 45th International ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval. New York, NY, USA: ACM, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3477495.3531880.
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Hu, Wenzheng, Mingyang Li, Changhe Yuan, Changshui Zhang, and Jianqiang Wang. "Diversity in Neural Architecture Search." In 2020 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN). IEEE, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ijcnn48605.2020.9206793.
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de Rijke, Maarten. "Diversity, Intent, and Aggregated Search." In the 2014 Australasian Document Computing Symposium. New York, New York, USA: ACM Press, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2682862.2684462.
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Abdool, Mustafa, Malay Haldar, Prashant Ramanathan, Tyler Sax, Lanbo Zhang, Aamir Manaswala, Lynn Yang, Bradley Turnbull, Qing Zhang, and Thomas Legrand. "Managing Diversity in Airbnb Search." In KDD '20: The 26th ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. New York, NY, USA: ACM, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3394486.3403345.
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Arnaout, Hiba, and Shady Elbassuoni. "Result Diversity for RDF Search." In 8th International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Information Retrieval. SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.5220/0006046402490256.
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Lyu, Liang, Brandon Fain, Kamesh Munagala, and Kangning Wang. "Centrality with Diversity." In WSDM '21: The Fourteenth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining. New York, NY, USA: ACM, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3437963.3441789.
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Servajean, Maximilien, Esther Pacitti, Sihem Amer-Yahia, and Pascal Neveu. "Profile diversity in search and recommendation." In the 22nd International Conference. New York, New York, USA: ACM Press, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2487788.2488094.
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Welch, Michael J., Junghoo Cho, and Christopher Olston. "Search result diversity for informational queries." In the 20th international conference. New York, New York, USA: ACM Press, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1963405.1963441.
Full textReports on the topic "Diversity search"
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Sappington, Jayne, Esther De León, Sara Schumacher, Kimberly Vardeman, Donell Callender, Marina Oliver, Hillary Veeder, and Laura Heinz. Library Impact Research Report: Educating and Empowering a Diverse Student Body: Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research through Library Collections. Association of Research Libraries, July 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.29242/report.texastech2022.
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As part of ARL’s Research Library Impact Framework initiative, a research team from the Texas Tech University (TTU) Libraries explored methods for assessing collections related to the study and research of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics and their discoverability by users. DEI studies have increased in prominence on academic campuses along with calls to question privilege and power structures, making DEI collections assessment critical. The TTU Libraries undertook a two-part project that surveyed user needs, collections usage, cataloging and discoverability, and user behavior in searching for and evaluating DEI resources. While the researchers were not able to identify an effective method for assessing DEI in large-scale collections, key findings indicate the potential for partnering with women’s and gender studies and Mexican American and Latino/a studies and the need for increased attention on cataloging and metadata, particularly table of contents and abstract/summary fields. The research team identified that many users expressed uncertainty in searching and evaluating DEI resources and expressed interest in search enhancements for better filtering and more prominent website presence for DEI research help.
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Douglas, Kristin, Eugenia Naro-Maciel, Ana Porzecanski, and Patrick Shea. What’s in the Water? Using environmental DNA for Marine Monitoring and Planning. American Museum of Natural History, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.5531/cbc.ncep.0011.
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Coral reefs, the most biodiverse of all marine ecosystems, are of high ecological, cultural, and financial importance, yet they are declining on a global scale due to several anthropogenic factors. Current threats to coral reefs highlight the urgent need for effective research, monitoring, and management of these ecosystems. In this case study-based exercise, students will compare and contrast biodiversity information about Hawaiian reefs between traditional diver surveys and eDNA based applications, consider the benefits and limitations of each method for coral reef fish monitoring, and use these data to designate potential marine protected areas (MPAs). As part of this process, they will practice identifying species based on genetic sequencing data using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Lastly, students will be introduced to different approaches to protection of marine systems in Hawai‘i, including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and reflect on the diversity of approaches to management of seascapes.
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Djordjević, Ljubica. ECMI Minorities Blog. National Minorities and the Future of Europe. European Centre for Minority Issues, January 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.53779/kkpo2109.
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The Conference on the Future of Europe, which was finally launched on 9 May 2021, has opened “a new space for debate with citizens to address Europe’s challenges and priorities”. The initiative uses three channels for citizens’ participation: the Multilingual digital platform, European Citizens’ Panels, and Conference Plenary. Content-wise it is grounded on the indicative list of nine topics covering wide range of areas from climate change to sports. This blog post draws attention to the importance of involving national minorities in the process, both regarding participation and issues covered. The Conference should strive to reach out to various population groups, including the ones in minority or marginalized position. Moreover, the Conference could serve as a good opportunity to reconsider the EU’s position with regard to the protection of national minorities: in a complex and increasingly diverse Europe, the EU has to take responsibility and search for innovative models of diversity management, including the protection of national minorities. Provided that it leads to some tangible action, the Conference might be a valuable step forward.
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Steffenson, B. J., I. Mayrose, Gary J. Muehlbauer, and A. Sharon. ing and comparative sequence analysis of powdery mildew and leaf rust resistance gene complements in wild barley. Israel: United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.32747/2021.8134173.bard.
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Our overall, long-term goal is to exploit the genetic diversity present in cereal wild relatives for the development of cultivars with durable disease resistance. Our specific objectives for this proposal were to: 1) Utilize Association Genetics Resistance Gene Enrichment Sequencing (AgRenSeq) to identify and clone powdery mildew and leaf rust resistance gene complements in wild barley and 2) Conduct comparative sequence analyses of the cloned resistance genes to elucidate the basis of their specificity and evolution. The deployment of resistant cultivars is the most effective, economically efficient, and environmentally sound means of controlling plant diseases, especially in small grain cereals. The systems selected for study in this proposal are barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare, Hvv), its wild progenitor (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum, Hvs) and the powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei, Bgs) and leaf rust (Puccinia hordei, Ph) pathogens. We compiled a diverse panel of Hvs accessions (the Wild Barley Diversity Collection or WBDC; N = 314) from across its native range and evaluated it to 40 isolates of Bgs and 12 isolates of Ph. We obtained genomic DNA sequences enriched for Nucleotide Binding Site-Leucine Rich Repeat (NLR) type resistance genes for 203 WBDC accessions, plus cultivar Morex for which the first reference genome sequence of barley was based. We assembled the 250 bp Illumina sequencing reads into contigs using CLC assembly cell. From this effort, we successfully assembled the sequences of 201 WBDC accessions plus Morex and used NLR Parser to identify contigs containing NLR genes. AgRenSeq was then used to identify k-mers (short oligonucleotide sequences of length k) that were associated with resistance to each isolate of the two pathogens. This analysis was performed individually for all WBDC accessions and each individual pathogen race (9,898 host accession x pathogen race combinations). We visualized the results from these analyses in Manhattan plots and identified 311 and 144 peaks for powdery mildew and leaf rust resistance, respectively. The next step in the analysis was to identify the contigs associated with the peaks in the Manhattan plots. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) searches were employed to identify closely related contigs in other WBDC accessions or in Morex. We identified two candidate R genes that were only present in resistant WBDC accessions. One of these was present in seven WBDC lines and was associated with resistance to four leaf rust isolates. BLAST analysis of this gene revealed that it was Rph15, one of the most widely effective leaf rust resistance genes reported in Hordeum. This gene was cloned and functionally validated in association with our Australian colleagues (Cheng et al., 2021). We are currently in the process of cloning six of other resistance genes: four for powdery mildew and two for leaf rust. As the contigs do not contain much of the promoter sequences, we have employed a genome walking approach to identify 2,500 bp of promoter sequence. To speed up and simplify the cloning of resistance genes from the WBDC, the PI established the International Wild Barley Sequencing Consortium (IWBSC; https://iwbsc.umn.edu/) comprised of over 60 researchers from 14 different countries and raised over $150,000 through crowdfunding to pay for 10X depth sequence coverage. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data identified extremely strong and clear signals of association for several resistance genes which will facilitate gene cloning in concert with a wild barley pan-genome currently under construction. The cloning of multiple resistance gene can facilitate the development of durably resistant cultivars by inserting, through transgenesis, cassettes of multiple resistance genes.
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O'Connell, Kelly, David Burdick, Melissa Vaccarino, Colin Lock, Greg Zimmerman, and Yakuta Bhagat. Coral species inventory at War in the Pacific National Historical Park: Final report. National Park Service, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.36967/2302040.
Full textAbstract:
The War in the Pacific National Historical Park (WAPA), a protected area managed by the National Park Service (NPS), was established "to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of those participating in the campaigns of the Pacific Theater of World War II and to conserve and interpret outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values on the island of Guam." Coral reef systems present in the park represent a vital element of Guam?s cultural, traditional, and economical heritage, and as such, are precious and in need of conservation. To facilitate the management of these resources, NPS determined that a scleractinian (stony coral) species survey was necessary to establish a baseline for existing coral communities and other important factors for conservation. EnviroScience, Inc. performed a survey of stony coral species, coral habitat, and current evidence of stressors at WAPA?s H?gat and Asan Units in 2022. This report summarizes these findings from a management perspective and compares its findings to previous survey data from 1977 and 1999 (Eldridge et al. 1977; Amesbury et al. 1999). WAPA is located on the tropical island of Guam, located on the west-central coast of the island, and encompasses 2,037 acres. Underwater resources are a significant component of the park, as 1,002 acres consists of water acres. The park is comprised of seven units, of which two of these, the H?gat and Asan Beach Units, include all the oceanic water acres for the park. The H?gat Beach Unit (local spelling, formerly known as ?Agat?) is located at the south-west portion of the park and consists of 38 land acres and 557 water acres (NPS 2003). The Asan Beach Unit consists of 109 acres of land and 445 water acres (NPS 2003). A current baseline for existing coral communities and other important factors for conservation necessitates the need for up-to-date data on the location, presence, relative abundance, and present health of corals. Park managers need this updated data to determine where and how to best focus conservation priorities and identify restoration opportunities. Management actions in park reef areas informed by this inventory included identifying locations where there were: high rates of sedimentation; high coral biomass; rare or threatened species, with a priority given to species endemic to Guam and listed as ?threatened? under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA; Acropora globiceps, A. retusa, A. speciosa, and Seriatopora aculeata); coral persistence and decline, disease and/or nuisance species, including the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris, ?COTS?) and the sponge Terpios hoshinota; and bleached areas. All work carried out was in accordance with the NPS statement of work (SOW) requirements, which involved a quantitative inventory using both new and pre-existing transects. The resulting transects totaled 61 (including the four from the 1999 study), each measuring 50 meters in length and distributed across depths of up to 50 feet. Divers took photo-quadrat samples covering an area of approximately 9 m?, encompassing 50 photo-quadrats of dimensions 0.50 m x 0.36 m (n=50). The collective area surveyed across all 61 transects amounted to ~549 m?. Additionally, a qualitative search was conducted to enhance documentation of coral species that have limited distribution and might not be captured by transects, along with identifying harmful species and stressors. Timed roving diver coral diversity surveys were carried out at a total of 20 sites occurring within the waters of WAPA, including eight sites at the H?gat unit and 12 sites at the Asan unit. The findings from this report reveal significant disparities in benthic cover compositions between H?gat and Asan units. The H?gat unit exhibits high abundances of turf algae and unconsolidated sediment while the Asan beach unit presents a different scenario, with hard coral as the dominant benthic cover, followed closely by crustose coralline algae (CCA). The Asan unit is also more difficult to access from shore or boat relative to H?gat which provides that unit some protection from human influences. The Asan beach unit's prevalence of hard coral, CCA, and colonizable substrate suggests a more favorable environment for reef growth and the potential benefits of maintaining robust coral cover in the area. These distinct differences in benthic communities highlight the contrasting ecological dynamics and habitats of the two study areas. Across both H?gat and Asan beach unit transects, a total of 56 hard coral species were recorded from 27 genera, with 44 species recorded from the H?gat unit and 48 species recorded from the Asan unit. Of the four historical transects surveyed in the Asan unit from 1999, three experienced declines in percent coral cover (17.38-78.72%), while the fourth had an increase (10.98%). During the timed roving diver coral diversity surveys, a total of 245 hard coral species, including 241 scleractinian coral species representing 49 genera and 4 non-scleractinian coral species representing 4 genera were recorded. Uncertainties related to coral identification, unresolved boundaries between morphospecies, differences in taxonomists' perspectives, and the rapidly evolving state of coral taxonomy have significant implications for species determinations during coral diversity surveys. While the recent surveys have provided valuable insights into coral diversity in WAPA waters, ongoing taxonomic research and collaboration among experts will be essential to obtain a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of coral biodiversity in the region. Of the several ESA coral species that were searched for among the H?gat and Asan beach units, Acropora retusa was the only coral species found among quantitative transects (n=2) and A. globiceps was observed during coral diversity surveys. Acropora speciosa, which was dominant in the upper seaward slopes in 1977, is now conspicuously absent from all the surveys conducted in 2022 (Eldredge et al., 1977). The disappearance and reduction of these once-dominant species underscores the urgency of implementing conservation measures to safeguard the delicate balance of Guam's coral reefs and preserve the diversity and ecological integrity of these invaluable marine ecosystems. Other formerly common or locally abundant species were infrequently encountered during the diversity surveys, including Acropora monticulosa, A. sp. ?obtusicaulis?, A. palmerae, Stylophora sp. ?mordax?, Montipora sp. ?pagoensis?, and Millepora dichotoma. Significant bleaching-associated mortality was recorded for these species, most of which are restricted to reef front/margin zones exposed to moderate-to-high levels of wave energy. Sedimentation was present in both H?gat and the Asan units, though it was more commonly encountered in H?gat transects. While significant portions of the reef area within the WAPA H?gat unit are in poor condition due to a variety of stressors, some areas still hosted notable coral communities, which should be a potential focus for park management to prevent further degradation. There is a need for more effective management of point source pollution concerns, particularly when subpar wastewater treatment or runoff from areas with potential pollution or sediment-laden water is flowing from nearby terrestrial environments. Future monitoring efforts should aim to establish a framework that facilitates a deeper understanding of potential point source pollution incidents. This would empower park managers to collaborate with adjacent communities, both within and outside of park boundaries, to mitigate the localized impacts of pollution (McCutcheon and McKenna, 2021). COTS were encountered during transect surveys as well as in coral diversity surveys. including along the upper reef front/reef margin at site Agat-CS-2. The frequency of these observations, particularly in the WAPA H?gat unit and where stress-susceptible corals are already uncommonly encountered, raise concern about the ability of the populations of these coral species to recover following acute disturbance events, and calls in to question the ability of some of these species to persist in WAPA waters, and in Guam?s waters more broadly. More frequent crown-of-thorns control efforts, even if only a handful of sea stars are removed during a single effort, may be required to prevent further loss to vulnerable species. There were several documented incidents of Terpios hoshinota covering large sections of branching coral in the reef flat along transects, but it is still unclear how detrimental this sponge is to the overall reef system. There is a concern that elevated levels of organic matter and nutrients in the water, such as those resulting from sewage discharge or stormwater runoff, could lead to increased Terpios populations (De Voogd et al. 2013). Consequently, it is important to track populations in known areas of sedimentation and poor water quality. The presence of unique species at single survey sites within the study areas underscores the ecological importance of certain locations. Some species are known to occur in other locations in Guam, while a few may be limited to specific sites within WAPA waters. These differences are likely influenced by environmental and biological factors such as poor water quality, severe heat stress events, chronic predation by crown-of-thorns sea stars, disease, and reduced herbivore populations. These factors collectively shape the condition of the benthic community, leading to variations in species distribution and abundance across the study sites. Documenting coral stress and identifying potentially harmful species allows for proactive management strategies to prevent the establishment of nuisance or detrimental species while populations are still manageable. Updated data on the location, presence, relative abundance, and health of corals is essential for park managers to prioritize conservation efforts and identify restoration opportunities effectively. Observations from this report raise concerns about the health and resilience of coral ecosystems in the H?gat unit and emphasize the need for knowledge of local factors that shape benthic community structure. Understanding the drivers responsible for these variations is crucial for effective conservation and management strategies to preserve the ecological balance and overall health of coral reefs in both units. Continued monitoring efforts will be critical in assessing long-term trends and changes in benthic cover and enabling adaptive management approaches to safeguard these valuable marine ecosystems in the face of ongoing environmental challenges.
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Pawlowski, Wojtek P., and Avraham A. Levy. What shapes the crossover landscape in maize and wheat and how can we modify it. United States Department of Agriculture, January 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.32747/2015.7600025.bard.
Full textAbstract:
Meiotic recombination is a process in which homologous chromosomes engage in the exchange of DNA segments, creating gametes with new genetic makeup and progeny with new traits. The genetic diversity generated in this way is the main engine of crop improvement in sexually reproducing plants. Understanding regulation of this process, particularly the regulation of the rate and location of recombination events, and devising ways of modifying them, was the major motivation of this project. The project was carried out in maize and wheat, two leading crops, in which any advance in the breeder’s toolbox can have a huge impact on food production. Preliminary work done in the USA and Israeli labs had established a strong basis to address these questions. The USA lab pioneered the ability to map sites where recombination is initiated via the induction of double-strand breaks in chromosomal DNA. It has a long experience in cytological analysis of meiosis. The Israeli lab has expertise in high resolution mapping of crossover sites and has done pioneering work on the importance of epigenetic modifications for crossover distribution. It has identified genes that limit the rates of recombination. Our working hypothesis was that an integrative analysis of double-strand breaks, crossovers, and epigenetic data will increase our understanding of how meiotic recombination is regulated and will enhance our ability to manipulate it. The specific objectives of the project were: To analyze the connection between double-strand breaks, crossover, and epigenetic marks in maize and wheat. Protocols developed for double-strand breaks mapping in maize were applied to wheat. A detailed analysis of existing and new data in maize was conducted to map crossovers at high resolution and search for DNA sequence motifs underlying crossover hotspots. Epigenetic modifications along maize chromosomes were analyzed as well. Finally, a computational analysis tested various hypotheses on the importance of chromatin structure and specific epigenetic modifications in determining the locations of double-strand breaks and crossovers along chromosomes. Transient knockdowns of meiotic genes that suppress homologous recombination were carried out in wheat using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing. The target genes were orthologs of FANCM, DDM1, MET1, RECQ4, and XRCC2.
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Cherian, Jerald, Jodi Segal, Ritu Sharma, Allen Zhang, Eric Bass, and Michael Rosen. Patient Safety Practices Focused on Sepsis Prediction and Recognition. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), April 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.23970/ahrqepc_mhs4sepsis.
Full textAbstract:
Objectives. Patient safety practices (PSPs) focused on sepsis prediction and recognition, encompass interventions designed to identify patients with sepsis early and improve timely adherence to guidelines. Our objectives were to review the evidence published after the previous Making Healthcare Safer (MHS) report to determine the effectiveness of sepsis prediction and recognition PSPs on patient safety related outcomes. Methods. We searched PubMed and the Cochrane library for systematic reviews and primary studies published from January 2018 through August 2023, supplemented by gray literature searches. We included reviews and primary studies of sepsis prediction and recognition PSPs reporting measures of clinical process (time to diagnosis or treatment, adherence to guidelines, Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle), patient outcomes (hospital or intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, mortality), implementation (use, barriers, and facilitators), or costs. Findings. We focused on 7 systematic reviews and 8 primary studies that were eligible for full review, and briefly summarized 36 pre-post studies that lacked a separate comparison group. All the sepsis prediction and recognition PSPs were multi-component interventions. Across the systematic reviews and primary studies of neonates, the PSPs improved clinical process measures (low strength of evidence), but evidence was insufficient about length of stay or mortality outcomes. Across the systematic reviews and primary studies of adults, the PSPs did not demonstrate an effect on clinical process, length of stay, or mortality outcomes. In primary studies of adults, evidence was insufficient in the prehospital setting for mortality, length of stay, and clinical process measures. In the emergency department setting, strength of evidence was low for mortality and clinical process measures and insufficient for length of stay. In ward or hospitalwide settings, strength of evidence was low across all three outcome types. The secondary outcome of alerting system performance (e.g., positive predictive value) could not be meaningfully compared across studies due to diversity in populations and interventions. Conclusions. This review finds that recent primary studies and systematic reviews do not support that specific PSPs for sepsis prediction and recognition are effective at reducing mortality or length of stay or improve clinical processes in adults in pre-hospital, emergency department, or hospitalwide settings as compared to usual care. Sepsis prediction and recognition PSPs may improve clinical process outcomes in neonates in ICUs.
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Shan, Yina, Praem Mehta, Duminda Perera, and Yurissa Yarela. Cost and Efficiency of Arsenic Removal from Groundwater: A Review. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, February 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.53328/kmwt2129.
Full textAbstract:
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water, leading to significant health complications, and social and economic losses. Currently, a wide range of technologies exists to remove arsenic from water. However, despite ongoing research on such technologies, their widespread application remains limited. To bridge this gap, this review aims to compare the effectiveness and costs of various arsenic remediation technologies while considering their practical applicability. A search conducted using the Medline and Embase databases yielded 31 relevant articles published from 1996 to 2018, which were categorized into laboratory and field studies. Data on the effectiveness of technologies in removing arsenic and associated costs were extracted and standardized for comparison as much as was possible, given the diversity of ways that studies report their key results. The twenty-three (23) technologies tested in laboratory settings demonstrated efficiencies ranging from 50% to ~100%, with the majority reaching relatively high removal efficiencies (>90%). Approximately half achieved the WHO standard of 10 µg/L. Laboratory studies used groundwater samples from nine (9) different countries – Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guatemala, India, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. The fourteen (14) technologies tested in the field achieved removal efficiency levels ranging between 60% and ~99%, with ten (10) attaining above 90% removal efficiency. Of these, only five (5) reached established the WHO standard. Some of the technologies under-performed when their influent water contained excessive concentrations of arsenic. Only six (6) countries (Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, India, and Nicaragua) were represented among the studies that implemented and tested technologies in the field, either at household or community level. For technologies tested in the laboratory, the cost of treating one cubic meter of water ranged from near-zero to ~USD 93, except for one technology which cost USD 299/m³. For studies conducted in the field, the cost of treating one cubic meter of water ranged from near-zero to ~USD 70. Key factors influencing the removal efficiencies and their costs include the arsenic concentration of the influent water, pH of the influent water, materials used, the energy required, absorption capacity, labour used, regeneration period and geographical location. Technologies that demonstrate high removal efficiencies when treating moderately arsenic-contaminated water may not be as efficient when treating highly contaminated water. Also, the lifetime of the removal agents is a significant factor in determining their efficiency. It is suggested that remediation technologies that demonstrate high arsenic removal efficiencies in a laboratory setting need to be further assessed for their suitability for larger-scale application, considering their high production and operational costs. Costs can be reduced by using locally available materials and natural adsorbents, which provide near zero-cost options and can have high arsenic removal efficiencies. A notable feature of many arsenic removal approaches is that some countries with resource constraints or certain environmental circumstances – like typically high arsenic concentrations in groundwater –aim to reach resultant arsenic concentrations that are much higher than WHO’s recommended standard of 10 µg/L. This report maintains that – while this may be a pragmatic approach that helps progressively mitigate the arsenic-related health risks – it is unfortunately not a sustainable solution. Continuing exposure to higher levels of arsenic ingestion remains harmful for humans. Hence arsenic-removal technology should only be seen efficient if it can bring the water to the WHO standard. A less radical approach effectively shifts the attention from the origin of the problem in addressing the impacts and postpones achieving the best possible outcome for populations. The quantitative summary of costs and effectiveness of arsenic remediation technologies reviewed in this report can serve as a preliminary guideline for selecting the most cost-effective option. It may also be used as an initial guideline (minimum standard) for summarising the results of future studies describing arsenic remediation approaches. Looking ahead, this study identifies four priority areas that may assist in commercializing wide-scale implementation of arsenic removal technologies. These include: i) focusing efforts on determining market viability of technologies, ii) overcoming practical limitations of technologies, iii) determining technology contextual appropriateness and iv) concerted effort to increase knowledge sharing in and across regions to accelerate the implementation of research on the ground. Overall, the current science and knowledge on arsenic remediation technologies may be mature enough already to help significantly reduce the global numbers of affected populations. The missing link for today’s arsenic removal challenge is the ability to translate research evidence and laboratory-level successes into quantifiable and sustainable impacts on the ground. Achieving this requires a concerted and sustained effort from policymakers, engineers, healthcare providers, donors, and community leaders.
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Whitaker, Stephen. Rocky intertidal community monitoring at Channel Islands National Park: 2018–19 annual report. National Park Service, August 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.36967/2299674.
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Channel Islands National Park includes the five northern islands off the coast of southern California (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara Islands) and the surrounding waters out one nautical mile. There are approximately 176 miles of coastline around the islands, about 80% of which is composed of rock. The diversity and undisturbed nature of the tidepools of this rocky coastline were recognized as special features of the islands in the enabling legislation. To conserve these communities unimpaired for future generations, the National Park Service has been monitoring the rocky intertidal communities at the islands since 1982. Sites were established between 1982 and 1998. Site selection considered visitation, accessibility, presence of representative organisms, wildlife disturbance, and safety. This report summarizes the 2018–2019 sampling year efforts (from November 2018 to April 2019) and findings of the Channel Islands National Park Rocky Intertidal Community Monitoring Program. Specific monitoring objectives are 1) to determine the long-term trends in percent cover of key sessile organisms in the rocky intertidal ecosystem, and 2) to determine population dynamics of black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii), owl limpets (Lottia gigantea), and ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus). Objectives were met by monitoring percent cover of core species in target intertidal zones using photoplots and transects, and by measuring size frequency and abundance of black abalone, owl limpets, and sea stars using fixed plots or timed searches. Twelve key species or assemblages, as well as the substrate, tar, have been monitored twice per year at 21 sites on the five park islands as part of the rocky intertidal community monitoring program. Fixed photoplots were used to monitor the percent cover of thatched and acorn barnacles (Tetraclita rubescens, Balanus glandula/Chthamalus spp., respectively), mussels (Mytilus californianus), rockweeds (Silvetia compressa, and Pelvetiopsis californica (formerly Hesperophycus californicus), turfweed (Endocladia muricata), goose barnacles (Pollicipes polymerus) and tar. Point-intercept transects were used to determine the percent cover of surfgrass (Phyllospadix spp.). Information about size distribution (i.e., “size frequency” data) was collected for owl limpets in circular plots. Size distribution and relative abundance of black abalone and ochre sea stars were determined using timed searches. The maximum number of shorebirds and pinnipeds seen at one time were counted at each site. The number of concession boat visitors to the Anacapa tidepools was collected and reported. All sites were monitored in 2018–2019. This was the third year that we officially reduced our sampling interval from twice per year (spring and fall) to once in order to streamline the program and allow for the implementation of additional protocols. Weather conditions during the site visits were satisfactory, but high wind coupled with strong swell and surge limited or prevented the completion of some of the abalone and sea star searches. The percent cover for most key species or assemblages targeted in the photoplots was highly variable among sites. Mussel (Mytilus californianus) cover remained below average at Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands. Record or near record low abundances for Mytilus were measured at Middle West Anacapa (Anacapa Island), Harris Point (San Miguel Island), Prisoner’s Harbor (Santa Cruz Island), and Sea Lion Rookery (Santa Barbara Island) sites. The only site that appeared to have above average Mytilus cover was Scorpion Rock on Santa Cruz Island. All other sites had mussel cover near or below the long-term mean. Qualitatively, Mytilus recruitment appeared low at most sites. Both rockweed species, Silvetia compressa and Pelvetiopsis californica (formerly Hesperophycus californicus), continued to decrease markedly in abundance this year at the majority of sites compared to combined averages for previous years. Fossil Reef and Northwest-Talcott on Santa Rosa Island, Sea Lion Rookery on Santa Barbara Island, and South Frenchy’s Cove on Anacapa Island were the only sites that supported Silvetia cover that was near the long-term mean. No sites exhibited above average cover of rockweed. Extremely high levels of recruitment for Silvetia and Pelvetiopsis were documented at many sites. Most sites exhibited marked declines in S. compressa abundances beginning in the early 2000s, with little recovery observed for the rockweed through this year. Barnacle (Chthamalus/Balanus spp.) cover fell below the long-term means at all islands except Anacapa, where barnacle cover was slightly above average. Endocladia muricata abundances remained comparable to the grand mean calculated for previous years at Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa Islands, while cover of the alga decreased slightly below the long-term means at Anacapa and San Miguel Islands. Black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) abundances at the islands remain less than one percent of 1985 population levels. Zero abalone were found throughout the entire site at Landing Cove on Santa Barbara Island and South Frenchy’s Cove on Anacapa Island. Above average abundances relative to the long-term mean generated from post-1995 data were observed at all but five sites. Juvenile black abalone were seen at all islands except Santa Barbara. Ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) populations crashed in 2014 at all monitoring sites due to Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, an illness characterized by a suite of symptoms that generally result in death. The mortality event was widely considered to be the largest mortality event for marine diseases ever seen. Beginning in June 2013, the disease swiftly and significantly impacted P. ochraceus (among other species of sea stars) populations along the North American Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. By the beginning of 2014, P. ochraceus abundances had declined by >95% at nearly all Channel Islands long-term intertidal monitoring sites, in addition to numerous other locations along the West Coast. At various times during the past decade, extremely high abundances (~ 500 P. ochraceus) have been observed at multiple sites, and most locations have supported >100 sea stars counted during 30-minute site-wide searches. This year, abundances ranged 0–13 individuals per site with all but one site having fewer than 10 P. ochraceus seen during routine searches. Insufficient numbers of sea stars were seen to accurately estimate the size structure of P. ochraceus populations. Only two juveniles (i.e., <50 mm) were observed at all sites combined. Giant owl limpet densities in 2018–2019 were comparable or slightly above the long-term mean at seven sites. Exceptionally high densities were measured at Northwest-Talcott on Santa Rosa Island, Otter Harbor on San Miguel Island, and Willows Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. The sizes of L. gigantea this year varied among sites and islands. The smallest L. gigantea were observed at Otter Harbor followed closely by Willows Anchorage and Anacapa Middle West, and the largest were seen at Northwest-Talcott. Temporally, the mean sizes of L. gigantea in 2018–2019 decreased below the long-term mean at each island except Anacapa. Surfgrasses (Phyllospadix spp.) are typically monitored biannually at two sites each on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands. Beginning in 2015, all transects at each of the monitoring sites were only sampled once per year. At East Point on Santa Rosa Island, the conditions were not conducive to sampling the surfgrass transects, but qualitatively, percent cover of surfgrass appeared to be near 100% on all three transects. Relative to past years, cover of surfgrass increased above the long-term mean at Fraser Cove on Santa Cruz Island, fell slightly below the mean at Trailer on Santa Cruz Island, and remained approximately equivalent to the mean at the two Santa Rosa Island sites. Overall, the abundance and diversity of shorebirds in 2018–2019 at all sites appeared similar to observations made in recent years, with the exception of elevated numbers of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) observed at East Point on Santa Rosa Island. Black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) were the most ubiquitous shorebird seen at all sites. Black turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala) were not common relative to past years. Pinniped abundances remained comparable in 2018–2019 to historical counts for all three species that are commonly seen at the islands. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were seen in the vicinity of eight sites this year. As in past years, harbor seals were most abundant at Otter Harbor and Harris Point on San Miguel Island. Elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) were seen at six sites during the year, where abundances ranged 1–5 individuals per location. California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) were common at Santa Barbara Island; 117 individuals were observed at Sea Lion Rookery. Sea lion abundances were higher than usual at Harris Point (N = 160) and Otter Harbor (N = 82) on San Miguel Island. Relative to past years, abundances this year were considered average at other locations.
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Tipton, Kelley, Brian F. Leas, Emilia Flores, Christopher Jepson, Jaya Aysola, Jordana Cohen, Michael Harhay, et al. Impact of Healthcare Algorithms on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Healthcare. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), December 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.23970/ahrqepccer268.
Full textAbstract:
Objectives. To examine the evidence on whether and how healthcare algorithms (including algorithm-informed decision tools) exacerbate, perpetuate, or reduce racial and ethnic disparities in access to healthcare, quality of care, and health outcomes, and examine strategies that mitigate racial and ethnic bias in the development and use of algorithms. Data sources. We searched published and grey literature for relevant studies published between January 2011 and February 2023. Based on expert guidance, we determined that earlier articles are unlikely to reflect current algorithms. We also hand-searched reference lists of relevant studies and reviewed suggestions from experts and stakeholders. Review methods. Searches identified 11,500 unique records. Using predefined criteria and dual review, we screened and selected studies to assess one or both Key Questions (KQs): (1) the effect of algorithms on racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare outcomes and (2) the effect of strategies or approaches to mitigate racial and ethnic bias in the development, validation, dissemination, and implementation of algorithms. Outcomes of interest included access to healthcare, quality of care, and health outcomes. We assessed studies’ methodologic risk of bias (ROB) using the ROBINS-I tool and piloted an appraisal supplement to assess racial and ethnic equity-related ROB. We completed a narrative synthesis and cataloged study characteristics and outcome data. We also examined four Contextual Questions (CQs) designed to explore the context and capture insights on practical aspects of potential algorithmic bias. CQ 1 examines the problem’s scope within healthcare. CQ 2 describes recently emerging standards and guidance on how racial and ethnic bias can be prevented or mitigated during algorithm development and deployment. CQ 3 explores stakeholder awareness and perspectives about the interaction of algorithms and racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. We addressed these CQs through supplemental literature reviews and conversations with experts and key stakeholders. For CQ 4, we conducted an in-depth analysis of a sample of six algorithms that have not been widely evaluated before in the published literature to better understand how their design and implementation might contribute to disparities. Results. Fifty-eight studies met inclusion criteria, of which three were included for both KQs. One study was a randomized controlled trial, and all others used cohort, pre-post, or modeling approaches. The studies included numerous types of clinical assessments: need for intensive care or high-risk care management; measurement of kidney or lung function; suitability for kidney or lung transplant; risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, lung cancer, prostate cancer, postpartum depression, or opioid misuse; and warfarin dosing. We found evidence suggesting that algorithms may: (a) reduce disparities (i.e., revised Kidney Allocation System, prostate cancer screening tools); (b) perpetuate or exacerbate disparities (e.g., estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] for kidney function measurement, cardiovascular disease risk assessments); and/or (c) have no effect on racial or ethnic disparities. Algorithms for which mitigation strategies were identified are included in KQ 2. We identified six types of strategies often used to mitigate the potential of algorithms to contribute to disparities: removing an input variable; replacing a variable; adding one or more variables; changing or diversifying the racial and ethnic composition of the patient population used to train or validate a model; creating separate algorithms or thresholds for different populations; and modifying the statistical or analytic techniques used by an algorithm. Most mitigation efforts improved proximal outcomes (e.g., algorithmic calibration) for targeted populations, but it is more challenging to infer or extrapolate effects on longer term outcomes, such as racial and ethnic disparities. The scope of racial and ethnic bias related to algorithms and their application is difficult to quantify, but it clearly extends across the spectrum of medicine. Regulatory, professional, and corporate stakeholders are undertaking numerous efforts to develop standards for algorithms, often emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and representativeness. Conclusions. Algorithms have been shown to potentially perpetuate, exacerbate, and sometimes reduce racial and ethnic disparities. Disparities were reduced when race and ethnicity were incorporated into an algorithm to intentionally tackle known racial and ethnic disparities in resource allocation (e.g., kidney transplant allocation) or disparities in care (e.g., prostate cancer screening that historically led to Black men receiving more low-yield biopsies). It is important to note that in such cases the rationale for using race and ethnicity was clearly delineated and did not conflate race and ethnicity with ancestry and/or genetic predisposition. However, when algorithms include race and ethnicity without clear rationale, they may perpetuate the incorrect notion that race is a biologic construct and contribute to disparities. Finally, some algorithms may reduce or perpetuate disparities without containing race and ethnicity as an input. Several modeling studies showed that applying algorithms out of context of original development (e.g., illness severity scores used for crisis standards of care) could perpetuate or exacerbate disparities. On the other hand, algorithms may also reduce disparities by standardizing care and reducing opportunities for implicit bias (e.g., Lung Allocation Score for lung transplantation). Several mitigation strategies have been shown to potentially reduce the contribution of algorithms to racial and ethnic disparities. Results of mitigation efforts are highly context specific, relating to unique combinations of algorithm, clinical condition, population, setting, and outcomes. Important future steps include increasing transparency in algorithm development and implementation, increasing diversity of research and leadership teams, engaging diverse patient and community groups in the development to implementation lifecycle, promoting stakeholder awareness (including patients) of potential algorithmic risk, and investing in further research to assess the real-world effect of algorithms on racial and ethnic disparities before widespread implementation.