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In my workshops, Storytelling and Storyboarding Science, I teach scientists how to use the narrative techniques and strategies employed in movies to produce persuasive presentations and publications. Although the movie Don't Look Up was initially intended as an allegory about climate change and the idea that decision makers are not listening to scientists, this movie does in fact highlight important issues regarding how scientists communicate science to the wider public. In this article, I discuss how this movie illustrates the challenges that I teach my students to cope with in science communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That policymakers adopt technoscientific viewpoints and lack reflexivity is a common criticism of scientific decision-making, particularly in response to moves to democratize science. Drawing on interviews with UK-based national policymakers, I argue that an elite sociotechnical imaginary of 'science to the rescue' shapes how public perspectives are heard and distinguishes what is considered to be legitimate expertise. The machinery of policy-making has become shaped around this imaginary – particularly its focus on science as a problem-solver and on social and ethical issues as 'nothing to do with the science' – and this gives this viewpoint its power, persistence and endurance. With this imaginary at the heart of policy-making machinery, regardless of the perspectives of the policymakers, alternative views of science are either forced to take the form of the elite imaginary in order to be processed, or they simply cannot be accounted for within the policy-making processes. In this way, the elite sociotechnical imaginary (and technoscientific viewpoint) is enacted, but also elicited and perpetuated, without the need for policymakers to engage with or even be aware of the imaginary underpinning their actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation decisions are challenging, not only because they often involve difficult conflicts among outcomes that people value, but because our understanding of the natural world and our effects on it is fraught with uncertainty. Value of Information (VoI) methods provide an approach for understanding and managing uncertainty from the standpoint of the decision maker. These methods are commonly used in other fields (e.g. economics, public health) and are increasingly used in biodiversity conservation. This decision‐analytical approach can identify the best management alternative to select where the effectiveness of interventions is uncertain, and can help to decide when to act and when to delay action until after further research. We review the use of VoI in the environmental domain, reflect on the need for greater uptake of VoI, particularly for strategic conservation planning, and suggest promising areas for new research. We also suggest common reporting standards as a means of increasing the leverage of this powerful tool. The environmental science, ecology and biodiversity categories of the Web of Knowledge were searched using the terms 'Value of Information,' 'Expected Value of Perfect Information,' and the abbreviation 'EVPI.' Google Scholar was searched with the same terms, and additionally the terms decision and biology, biodiversity conservation, fish, or ecology. We identified 1225 papers from these searches. Included studies were limited to those that showed an application of VoI in biodiversity conservation rather than simply describing the method. All examples of use of VOI were summarised regarding the application of VoI, the management objectives, the uncertainties, the models used, how the objectives were measured, and the type of VoI. While the use of VoI appears to be on the increase in biodiversity conservation, the reporting of results is highly variable, which can make it difficult to understand the decision context and which uncertainties were considered. Moreover, it was unclear if, and how, the papers informed management and policy interventions, which is why we suggest a range of reporting standards that would aid the use of VoI. The use of VoI in conservation settings is at an early stage. There are opportunities for broader applications, not only for species‐focussed management problems, but also for setting local or global research priorities for biodiversity conservation, making funding decisions, or designing or improving protected area networks and management. The long‐term benefits of applying VoI methods to biodiversity conservation include a more structured and decision‐focused allocation of resources to research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relying on effect size as a measure of practical significance is turning out to be just as misleading as using p-values to determine the effectiveness of interventions for improving clinical practice in complex organizations such as schools. This article explains how effect sizes have misdirected practice in education and other disciplines. Even when effect size is incorporated into RCT research the recommendations of whether interventions are effective are misleading and generally useless to practitioners. As a result, a new criterion of practical benefit is recommended for evaluating research findings about the effectiveness of interventions in complex organizations where benchmarks of existing performance exist. Practical benefit exists when the unadjusted performance of an experimental group provides a noticeable advantage over an existing benchmark. Some basic principles for determining practical benefit are provided. Practical benefit is more intuitive and is expected to enable leaders to make more accurate assessments as to whether published research findings are likely to produce noticeable improvements in their organizations. In addition, practical benefit is used routinely as the research criterion for the alternative scientific methodology of improvement science that has an established track record of being a more efficient way to develop new interventions that improve practice dramatically than RCT research. Finally, the problems with practical significance suggest that the research community should seek different inferential methods for research designed to improve clinical performance in complex organizations, as compared to methods for testing theories and medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the participation of 13 secondary science teachers in informal support networks and how that participation was associated with their nature of science (NOS) teaching practices 2 to 5 years after having graduated from the same science teacher education program. The nine teachers who participated in informal support networks taught the NOS at high/medium levels, while the four non-participating teachers taught the NOS at low levels. The nine high/medium NOS implementation teachers credited the informal support networks for maintaining/heightening their sense of responsibility for teaching NOS and for helping them navigate institutional constraints that impede effective NOS instruction. Several high/medium NOS instruction implementers initially struggled to autonomously frame and resolve the complexities experienced in schools and thus drew from the support networks to engage in more sophisticated forms of teacher decision-making. In contrast, the NOS pedagogical decisions of the four teachers not participating in support networks were governed primarily by the expectations and constraints experienced in their schools. Implications of this study include the need for reconsidering the structure of teacher mentorship programs to ensure they do not promote archaic science teaching practices that are at odds with reform efforts in science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines how the increased use of meta-analyses have led to further scientific debate rather than provide definitive evidence to support a position. It discusses how the practice of meta-analyses requires decision making from researchers that could result in conscious or unconscious bias.

Using the appropriate methodology for strategic decision-making in higher education is crucial to make effective decisions. In this paper, the analytic network process (ANP), one of the most suitable decision-making methods in terms of higher education issues, is presented and evaluated from the position of the user. After recognising some characteristics of the ANP that can be improved, the main objective of this research was to develop a new method based on the characteristics of the ANP and social network analysis (SNA). The research methodology used in this paper is the design science research process (DSRP), which is often used to design new artefacts, such as models, methods and methodologies. The main phases of this approach include problem identification, objectives of a solution, design and development, demonstration of the artefact, evaluation and dissemination. By using the DSRP, a new decision-making method is designed and proposed. The new method has two components that are based on the ANP and SNA. The first component is related to determining the importance of criteria with respect to the goal of decision-making. The second component is related to modelling influences/dependencies between criteria, and identifying criteria that strongly influence others, as well as criteria that others depend on. A measure that describes how strong a particular criterion is in terms of influences/dependencies is based on the centrality degree, one of the most fundamental centrality measures. In this paper, the new method, which was evaluated on several cases, is demonstrated with example of evaluating scientists, and a comparison of the new method’s results and the ANP method’s results is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present a critical discussion of existing strategies to emphasize possible pitfalls and expected trends that arise from method validation to result assessment. It critically presents some aspects of the three main historical steps, namely terminology, method validation and quality of results. In addition to the formal link between method validation and measurement uncertainty that was recently demonstrated, the abundance of propositions also leads to some problems of consistency. Particular interest is given to the use of tolerance intervals as an appropriate tool to make decisions in method validation, control charts and determination of measurement uncertainty, considering various possibilities regarding adjustments of coverage percentage that can present difficulty for most analytical scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transdisciplinary research is a central commitment in efforts to advance sustainability. Transdisciplinarity requires integrating knowledge from a variety of groups, including scientists, policymakers, and regulators. Success in integrating multiple ways of knowing is influenced by the relative authority that science, as an epistemology, holds within a collaborative effort. This study draws from the literature on epistemic authority and science communication to explore epistemic authority and engagement within a sustainability science collaboration. Our results highlight persistent contradictions in commitments to epistemic diversity and the privileging of science, demonstrating tensions between conceptual commitments to participatory approaches within sustainability science and practices of engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of weather and climate on infrastructure are numerous: snow and ice on roads, railway buckling, leaves on the line, wind impacts on power cabling, etc. Advances in modeling mean that these impacts can now be predicted at a high resolution so that mitigation activities can be targeted at vulnerable sections of the infrastructure network. However, while high-resolution models have been in operational use for the last decade, in an environment of increasing litigation, practitioners remain nervous about making mitigation decisions solely based on model output. This means that the verification of forecasts is now needed on a scale previously not required, and it is only with this step that end users will become more open to using risk-based methods (e.g., decision support systems that enable selective salting for winter road maintenance where only the coldest sections of road are treated or localized rail speed restrictions in hot weather as opposed to the blanket restrictions currently used). However, existing monitoring techniques are simply not capable of producing this information. Traditional in situ measurements are too expensive to install in the numbers required and therefore lack the spatial resolution. Conversely, mobile measurements lack the temporal resolution to provide the full picture. This paper outlines how the emerging Internet of Things is starting to provide the enabling technology to saturate our infrastructure with low-cost sensors. In doing so, it will provide unprecedented monitoring of weather impacts as well as facilitating a new generation of products harnessing the benefits of high-resolution observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aim to identify and critically appraise clinical prediction models of mortality and function following ischaemic stroke. Methods: Electronic databases, reference lists, citations were searched from inception to September 2015. Studies were selected for inclusion, according to pre-specified criteria and critically appraised by independent, blinded reviewers. The discrimination of the prediction models was measured by the area under the curve receiver operating characteristic curve or c-statistic in random effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was measured using I2. Appropriate appraisal tools and reporting guidelines were used in this review. Results: 31395 references were screened, of which 109 articles were included in the review. These articles described 66 different predictive risk models. Appraisal identified poor methodological quality and a high risk of bias for most models. However, all models precede the development of reporting guidelines for prediction modelling studies. Generalisability of models could be improved, less than half of the included models have been externally validated(n = 27/66). 152 predictors of mortality and 192 predictors and functional outcome were identified. No studies assessing ability to improve patient outcome (model impact studies) were identified. Conclusions: Further external validation and model impact studies to confirm the utility of existing models in supporting decision-making is required. Existing models have much potential. Those wishing to predict stroke outcome are advised to build on previous work, to update and adapt validated models to their specific contexts opposed to designing new ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When prevention of invasive species' introductions fails, society faces the challenge to manage invasive species in an effective and efficient way. The success of this depends on biological aspects and on cooperation between decision makers and scientists. Using the case of the round goby Neogobius melanostomus, one of Europe's 'worst invasive species', we propose an approach guiding scientists to co-produce effective and efficient population control measures in collaboration with decision makers., We surveyed the effectiveness, urgency and simplicity perceived by decision makers as well as the support of two population control options: removal of eggs and/or adults. Using a field study and a dynamical population model, we investigated the effectiveness and efficiency for both options in different population contexts., Decision makers initially seemed to lack a clear preference for either control option. After being presented with preliminary field and modelling results, decision makers mostly approved measures being developed to implement the two control options., Starting population control early after detecting the species requires in total fewer years for eradication than controlling an established population: to reach an eradication success rate of 95%, 13 years for early start vs. 18 years for late start are needed when removing eggs and adults; when removing adults only, 20 vs. 29 years are needed. Removing eggs and adults combined results in a yearly effort of 5.01 h/m2, while removing adults only results in a yearly effort of 1.76 h/m2. Thus, removing adults only proves to be the most efficient option to eradicate the population. Nonetheless, considerable effort is needed: when removing less than 57% of the adult population, eradication is not feasible, even assuming low survival and fecundity rates for the population. Furthermore, inflow of new propagules renders eradication efforts ineffective., Synthesis and applications. Scientists who aim to support decision makers in finding an optimal control strategy for invasive species need to be able to provide scientific knowledge on effectiveness and efficiency of different options. For round goby and most non-native species, eradication is only feasible if started early in recently arrived populations and if inflow of new propagules can be prevented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reintroduction biology is a field of scientific research that aims to inform translocations of endangered species. We review two decades of published literature to evaluate whether reintroduction science is evolving in its decision-support role, as called for by advocates of evidence-based conservation. Reintroduction research increasingly addresses a priori hypotheses, but remains largely focused on short-term population establishment. Similarly, studies that directly assist decisions by explicitly comparing alternative management actions remain a minority. A small set of case studies demonstrate full integration of research in the reintroduction decision process. We encourage the use of tools that embed research in decision-making, particularly the explicit consideration of multiple management alternatives because this is the crux of any management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As spatial technology has evolved and become integrated in to archaeology, we face a new set of challenges posed by the sheer size and complexity of data we use and produce. In this paper I discuss the prospects and problems of Geospatial Big Data (GBD) – broadly defined as data sets with locational information that exceed the capacity of widely available hardware, software, and/or human resources. While the datasets we create today remain within available resources, we nonetheless face the same challenges as many other fields that use and create GBD, especially in apprehensions over data quality and privacy. After reviewing the kinds of archaeological geospatial data currently available I discuss the near future of GBD in writing culture histories, making decisions, and visualizing the past. I use a case study from New Zealand to argue for the value of taking a data quantity-in-use approach to GBD and requiring applications of GBD in archaeology be regularly accompanied by a Standalone Quality Report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists have always played an important role in informing policy decisions. However, many controversial policy problems regarding science and technology, such as agricultural biotechnology, are often characterised by low value consensus and high level of complexity. In these circumstances various policy actors legitimate their policy preferences using science. In this article, we challenge the linear model of science and policy and argue that the stakeholder model of science in policy is more appropriate for governance of controversial policy problems regarding science and technology. We build our argument on available literature and empirical data from interviews and two online surveys. We choose agricultural biotechnology as the case study to illustrate scientists' perception about their role in policy-making. Our study illustrates that agricultural biotechnology scientists sympathise with the stakeholder model of science and policy. However, there is a gap between perceived ideal role for scientists in policy-making and the role, which these scientists actually take. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science learning was affected by various kinds of sources which students perceived and participated in classroom. The purpose of this study aims to investigate the science learning environment of preservice science teachers from Thailand and Czech Republic. Data were collected from 72 Czech and 37 Thai preservice science teachers by the six-element of CLES questionnaire. Findings revealed that preservice science teachers from Czech and Thai contexts had different level of constructivist science learning environment which is concerned classroom learning environments, and knowledge base for applying constructivist teaching into classroom. This may have implications for enhancing constructivist teaching in school context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested science operations strategies developed for use in remote mobile spacecraft missions, to determine whether reconnoitering a site of potential habitability prior to in-depth study (a walkabout-first strategy) can be a more efficient use of time and resources than the linear approach commonly used by planetary rover missions. Two field teams studied a sedimentary sequence in Utah to assess habitability potential. At each site one team commanded a human “rover" to execute observations and conducted data analysis and made follow-on decisions based solely on those observations. Another team followed the same traverse using traditional terrestrial field methods, and the results of the two teams were compared. Test results indicate that for a mission with goals similar to our field case, the walkabout-first strategy may save time and other mission resources, while improving science return. The approach enabled more informed choices and higher team confidence in choosing where to spend time and other consumable resources. The walkabout strategy may prove most efficient when many close sites must be triaged to a smaller subset for detailed study or sampling. This situation would arise when mission goals include finding, identifying, characterizing or sampling a specific material, feature or type of environment within a certain area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making in socioscientific issues (SSI) constitutes a real challenge for both biology teachers and learners. The assessment of students’ performances in SSIs constitutes a problem, especially for biology teachers. The study at hand was conducted in Germany and uses a qualitative approach following the research procedures of grounded theory to focus on teachers’ concepts and, especially, coping strategies in assessment concerning students’ decision-making in SSIs. Semi-structured interviews with six teachers, in combination with video-vignettes, were used for data generation. The results show predominantly defensive strategies when teachers are confronted with the assessment of students’ performances in SSIs. These results and implications for teacher education and teacher training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science and technology innovation has always been present in Asia, but its application in disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been differential. In Asia, globally significant hotspots of disasters and economic development have emerged in which the application of science and technology in DRR has become an essential requirement for informed decision making. Science has supported establishment and implementation of major international initiatives in DRR, including the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. The more recent Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 recognizes the importance of science and technology in all of its priority action areas, and subsequent global and regional forums and conferences have reconfirmed science and technology's importance. To perceive and monitor the progress of science and technology in DRR, a qualitative assessment of different countries is made using three major attributes: (1) science-based decision making; (2) investment in science and technology; and (3) the intensity of science's link to the public. This assessment exercise points out several strengths and weaknesses in science and technology application; the method can be employed to develop future multistakeholder and multidisciplinary science and technology plans at the country level. To implement regional and national activities, a set of 15 recommendations is put forward, which will strengthen the collective regional "science voice" in DRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented which addresses the claim that the U.S. 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act's (TSCA's) systematic review method could have a detrimental impact on science-based decision making, American public health, and pregnant women and children that are vulnerable to chemical exposures. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention is addressed, along with a disregard for research findings.

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience and perspective of patients regarding scientific evidence in health and the degree that this information impacts health behavior and medical decision making. A focus group study was conducted. Participants were recruited from an urban primary-care practice. The focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded by two independent investigators. Emergent themes were identified. Participants (n = 30) ranged in age from 30 to 79 years, 60% were female, 77% were black, and 50% had at least some college experience. Three thematic areas informed a wide range in level of interest regarding scientific study design and result information: (1) scientific literacy, (2) medical decision making style, and (3) impact of culture and community on decision making. Our findings indicate that communication strategies that incorporate key elements of scientific study design, methods, and results will most effectively translate findings from comparative effectiveness research to patient-informed decision making regarding evidence-based health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boundary theory has assumed that two distinct organizations—scientists and policy-makers—can interface with one another via an external boundary organization, yet boundary management contexts often call for different strategies where a neutral third party is not involved. Recent scholarship has highlighted alternative models for boundary organizations, including the emergence of boundary organizations within universities. Most of these studies have taken an organizational perspective, yet as universities increasingly fulfill the role of boundary organizations by direct engagement with policy-makers, we need a deeper understanding of the roles scientists should play within this context. This study highlights the need to understand context before designing and implementing boundary management strategies, and considers the complexities of direct engagement between scientists and policy-makers. We draw from a case study conducted in Maine to argue that there are contexts in which scientists need to manage and span the science–policy boundary. The complexities involved in preparing scientists to engage more thoroughly in policy activities and the challenges in garnering institutional support for advancing the participation of scientists in boundary-spanning activities are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of a recent proposal to exclude research from consideration at the Environmental Protection Agency, John Ioannidis points out that "perceived perfection is not a characteristic of science, but of dogma" and envisions how governments can promote a standard of openness in science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate here a novel use of statistical tools to study intra- and inter-site assay variability of five early drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics in vitro assays over time. Firstly, a tool for process control is presented. It shows the overall assay variability but allows also the following of changes due to assay adjustments and can additionally highlight other, potentially unexpected variations. Secondly, we define the minimum discriminatory difference/ratio to support projects to understand how experimental values measured at different sites at a given time can be compared. Such discriminatory values are calculated for 3 month periods and followed over time for each assay. Again assay modifications, especially assay harmonization efforts, can be noted. Both the process control tool and the variability estimates are based on the results of control compounds tested every time an assay is run. Variability estimates for a limited set of project compounds were computed as well and found to be comparable. This analysis reinforces the need to consider assay variability in decision making, compound ranking and in silico modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author discusses organizing biological knowledge in adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework focusing on adverse health. Topics discussed include enhancing use of pathway-based data for regulatory decision making, transformation of AOP by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and, role of AOP to practice regulatory toxicology.

In order to ensure consistency in the decision making process over time, a discrimination testing program must take into account all of five elements: The testing protocol, the sample size, the Type I error ( α ), the Type II error ( β ) (power = 1 − β ) and a measure of the threshold above which the scientist has established that the difference is meaningful to the consumer ( δ R ). Two putatively different products will always be found to be different provided that the sample size is large enough. This fact underscores the need to set δ R . The concept of discriminators is attractive but flawed, as the same underlying sensory difference will result in different proportions of distinguishers depending on the method used. Prescott, Leslie, Kunst, and Kim (2005) proposed the idea of consumer rejection threshold which avoids the pitfalls of the proportion of discriminators concept. However, it is limited to differences that can be linked to a specific compound, such as one responsible for a product defect or off-flavor. In this manuscript two alternative approaches are discussed. The first one uses a special feature of the same-different protocol which permits the estimation of the size of the sensory difference above which consumers would call two products “different”. The second one links the estimate of a standardized measure of sensory difference, d ′, to consumer hedonic response between the product pairs and finds the threshold above which a sensory difference results in a meaningful preference result. Experimental research is needed to study the suitability of these approaches. Ultimately, establishing δ R is essential to ensure that results from a discrimination testing program are actually relevant to the consumers whose behavior it is trying to predict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I introduce a framework for guiding future citizens to think criticallyaboutnature of science (NOS) andwithNOS as they engage in socioscientific decision making. The framework, referred to as the critical thinking–nature of science (CT-NOS) framework, explicates and targets both NOS as a learning objective and NOS as a means for socioscientific decision making, has critical thinking as its foundational pillar, and provides the possibility of creating a developmental pathway for NOS learning. I provide a theoretical basis for the framework, followed by a description of its characteristics and an illustrative example. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Individuals' risk attitudes are known to guide choices about uncertain options. However, in the presence of others' decisions, these choices can be swayed and manifest as riskier or safer behavior than one would express alone. To test the mechanisms underlying effective social 'nudges' in human decision-making, we used functional neuroimaging and a task in which participants made choices about gambles alone and after observing others' selections. Against three alternative explanations, we found that observing others' choices of gambles increased the subjective value (utility) of those gambles for the observer. This 'other-conferred utility' was encoded in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and these neural signals predicted conformity. We further identified a parametric interaction with individual risk preferences in anterior cingulate cortex and insula. These data provide a neuromechanistic account of how information from others is integrated with individual preferences that may explain preference-congruent susceptibility to social signals of safety and risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One fundamental question in decision making research is how humans compute the values that guide their decisions. Recent studies showed that people assign higher value to goods that are closer to them, even when physical proximity should be irrelevant for the decision from a normative perspective. This phenomenon, however, seems reasonable from an evolutionary perspective. Most foraging decisions of animals involve the trade-off between the value that can be obtained and the associated effort of obtaining. Anticipated effort for physically obtaining a good could therefore affect the subjective value of this good. In this experiment, we test this hypothesis by letting participants state their subjective value for snack food while the effort that would be incurred when reaching for it was manipulated. Even though reaching was not required in the experiment, we find that willingness to pay was significantly lower when subjects wore heavy wristbands on their arms. Thus, when reaching was more difficult, items were perceived as less valuable. Importantly, this was only the case when items were physically in front of the participants but not when items were presented as text on a computer screen. Our results suggest automatic interactions of motor and valuation processes which are unexplored to this date and may account for irrational decisions that occur when reward is particularly easy to reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the literature on values in science is limited in its perspective because it focuses on the role of values in individual scientists' decision making, thereby ignoring the context of scientific collaboration. I examine the epistemic structure of scientific collaboration and argue that it gives rise to two arguments showing that moral and social values can legitimately play a role in scientists' decision to accept something as scientific knowledge. In the case of scientific collaboration some moral and social values are properly understood to be extrinsic epistemic values, that is, values that promote the attainment of scientific knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic scientific literature abounds with critique of natural resource managers for not utilising scientific evidence when making decisions in their day-to-day operations. Little regard is given by the critics to the practical constraints on the use of research findings, as experienced by managers in their work environments. To explore these issues, we conducted a case study of the Working for Water (WfW) program, a government-funded invasive alien plant (IAP) management program that has been operational in South Africa for nearly two decades. We investigated the extent to which decision makers in WfW use scientific evidence to inform their decisions pertaining to the clearing of IAPs and also identified opportunities for, and constraints to, evidence-based practice. Our results indicate that the use of scientific evidence is limited by the fact that the management of natural resources involves much more than science. The social context within which decisions are made, which includes organizational structure, priorities and capacity, plays an important part in the extent to which science informs practice. On the basis of our findings, we highlight the importance of generating evidence in practice through an iterative process of implementation, monitoring, learning and reflection, and subsequent feedback into the planning of restoration projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioural decision-making theories provide insights into how people make choices under conditions of uncertainty. However, few have been studied in paediatrics. This study introduces these theories, reviews current research and makes recommendations for their application within the context of shared decision-making. Conclusion As parents are expected to share decision-making in paediatrics, it is critical that the fields of behavioural economics, communication and decision sciences merge with paediatric clinical ethics to optimise decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the use of numeric quantifiers as primary sources of information for decision making in science and human judgment. Topics discussed include linguistic accounts of numeric quantifiers, an influential test of decision making coherence, and role of linguistic inferences on numeric quantifier interpretations.

The article presents a study which described an ecosystem approach in understanding the marine social-ecological system within the framework of the European Union (EU)-funded project Knowledge-Based Sustainable Management of Europe's Seas (KnowSeas). The approach is based on several ecology-based concepts including the Driver Pressure State Welfare Response (DPSWR) framework, environmental decision-making based on nonlinear models, and non-matching spatial and temporal scales.

Meeting human needs while sustaining the planet's life support systems is the fundamental challenge of our time. What role sustenance of biodiversity and contrasting ecosystem services should play in achieving a sustainable future varies along philosophical, cultural, institutional, societal, and governmental divisions. Contrasting biophysical constraints and perspectives on human well-being arise both within and across countries that span the tropics and temperate zone. Direct sustenance of livelihoods from ecosystem services in East Africa contrasts with the complex and diverse relationships with the land in Mexico and the highly monetary-based economy of the United States. Lack of understanding of the contrasting contexts in which decision-making about trade-offs occurs creates impediments to collective global efforts to sustain the Earth's life support systems. While theoretical notions of the goals of sustainability science seek a unified path forward, realities on the ground present challenges. This Special Feature seeks to provide both an analytical framework and a series of case studies to illuminate impediments posed to sustainability by contrasting biophysical constraints and human perspectives on what should be sustained. The contributors aim to clarify the trade-offs posed to human welfare in sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services and the challenges in managing for a sustainable future in which human well-being is not compromised as compared to today. Our goal is to provide novel insights on how sustainability can be achieved internationally through exploration of constraints, trade-offs, and human values examined at multiple scales, and across geographic regions from a range of cultural perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication is essential to resilience, as interactions among humans influence how social-ecological systems (SES) respond to change. Our research focuses on how specific communication interactions on sustainability science teams, such as how people meet with each other; the ways in which they categorize themselves and others; the decision-making models they use; and their communication competencies affect outcomes. We describe research from a two-year study of communication in Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative, a statewide network of sustainability science teams. Our results demonstrate that decision making and communication competencies influenced mutual understanding, inclusion of diverse ideas, and progress toward sustainability-related goals. We discuss our results in light of key resilience themes and conclude with recommendations for communication design in sustainability teams for improved collaborative process and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread disconnect between scientific projections of climate change and the implementation of responsive management actions has escalated calls for knowledge production processes able to exercise a stronger voice in decision making. Recently, the concept of coproduction has been championed as a potential answer. The term 'knowledge coproduction' is used loosely in the literature to describe an inclusive, iterative approach to creating new information; it is distinguished by its focus on facilitating interactions between stakeholders to develop an integrated or transformational understanding of a sustainability problem. Whether a coproduction process is successful in this integration of science and policy depends on a range of capabilities that should be understood as 'coproductive capacities.' We draw on the literature from sustainability science to propose a conceptual framework that specifies the sequential goals of knowledge coproduction and potential sources of coproductive capacity. We apply this framework to examine our experience facilitating the coproduction of a climate change action plan for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and World Heritage Site. This framework offers a structure for systematically investigating the capacities, mechanisms, and dynamics of knowledge coproduction and for guiding the design of coproduction processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision makers that are responsible for stewardship of natural resources face many challenges, which are complicated by uncertainty about impacts from climate change, expanding human development, and intensifying land uses. A systematic process for evaluating the social and ecological risks, trade-offs, and cobenefits associated with future changes is critical to maximize resilience and conserve ecosystem services. This is particularly true in coastal areas where human populations and landscape conversion are increasing, and where intensifying storms and sea-level rise pose unprecedented threats to coastal ecosystems. We applied collaborative decision analysis with a diverse team of stakeholders who preserve, manage, or restore tidal marshes across the San Francisco Bay estuary, California, USA, as a case study. Specifically, we followed a structured decision-making approach, and we using expert judgment developed alternative management strategies to increase the capacity and adaptability to manage tidal marsh resilience while considering uncertainties through 2050. Because sea-level rise projections are relatively confident to 2050, we focused on uncertainties regarding intensity and frequency of storms and funding. Elicitation methods allowed us to make predictions in the absence of fully compatible models and to assess short- and long-term trade-offs. Specifically we addressed two questions. (1) Can collaborative decision analysis lead to consensus among a diverse set of decision makers responsible for environmental stewardship and faced with uncertainties about climate change, funding, and stakeholder values? (2) What is an optimal strategy for the conservation of tidal marshes, and what strategy is robust to the aforementioned uncertainties? We found that when taking this approach, consensus was reached among the stakeholders about the best management strategies to maintain tidal marsh integrity. A Bayesian decision network revealed that a strategy considering sea-level rise and storms explicitly in wetland restoration planning and designs was optimal, and it was robust to uncertainties about management effectiveness and budgets. We found that strategies that avoided explicitly accounting for future climate change had the lowest expected performance based on input from the team. Our decision-analytic framework is sufficiently general to offer an adaptable template, which can be modified for use in other areas that include a diverse and engaged stakeholder group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments of ecosystem services have been proposed as one way of incorporating concerns about environmental change and ecosystem conditions into subnational development planning. In Thailand a policy window for such initiatives is opening because of a transition in national policy toward area-based planning combined with broader political reforms to expand public participation and encourage more evidence-based decision making. We explored three case studies in Thailand in which central and local government agencies and research organizations partnered to engage local communities and other stakeholders in assessments of ecosystem services and human well-being. The analysis focused on the role ecosystem assessments play in building and creating demand for coproductive capacity. By coproductive capacities we mean the ability to combine scientific resources and governance capabilities in ways that bring about informed social change. We found evidence that the assessments built capacities for governance actors to explore scientific and research-based evidence, to consult scientific experts, and then to evaluate existing policies and plans using this newly acquired information. At the same time, scientific experts also learned to explore public policy issues, to consult planners and decision makers in government, and based on this knowledge to evaluate scientific evidence and revise the scope and goals of their research and analytical activities to better meet policy needs and demands. Coproductive capacities were built when various stakeholders jointly engaged in compilation and interpretation of evidence. Doing so helped legitimize the assessment process with positive feedback on both governance and science capacities. We also found evidence, however, of significant cultural and institutional constraints to designing and making better use of ecosystem services assessments. These constraints included insufficient resources for both knowledge making and decision making. Power relations and organizational culture likewise had implications for capacities to govern and do science. Nevertheless, by creating demand for greater capacities, assessments contribute to improving the quality of evidence-based social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in molecular biology have led to the massive discovery of new marker candidates for the prediction of patient survival. To evaluate the predictive value of these markers, statistical tools for measuring the performance of survival models are needed. We consider estimators of discrimination measures, which are a popular approach to evaluate survival predictions in biomarker studies. Estimators of discrimination measures are usually based on regularity assumptions such as the proportional hazards assumption. Based on two sets of molecular data and a simulation study, we show that violations of the regularity assumptions may lead to over-optimistic estimates of prediction accuracy and may therefore result in biased conclusions regarding the clinical utility of new biomarkers. In particular, we demonstrate that biased medical decision making is possible even if statistical checks indicate that all regularity assumptions are satisfied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many argue that encouraging critical dissent is necessary for promoting scientific objectivity and progress. Yet despite its importance, some dissent can have negative consequences, including undermining confidence in existing scientific consensus, confusing the public, and preventing sound policy. For example, private industries and think tanks have funded dissenting research to create doubt and stall regulations. To protect scientifically sound policies, some have responded by attempting to minimize or discourage dissent perceived to be problematic. We argue that targeting dissent as an obstacle to public policy is both misguided and dangerous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty exists widely in geographic data. However, it is often disregarded during data analysis and decision making. Proper visualization of uncertainty can help map users understand uncertainty in geographic data and make informed decisions. The study reported in this paper examines map users' perception of and preferences for different visual variables to report uncertainty on bivariate maps. It also explores the possible impact that knowledge and training in Geographic Information Sciences and Systems (GIS) may have on map users' decision making with uncertainty information. A survey was conducted among college students with and without GIS training. The results showed that boundary fuzziness and color lightness were the most preferred visual variables for representing uncertainty using bivariate maps. GIS knowledge and training was found helpful for some survey participants in their decision making using bivariate uncertainty maps. The results from this case study provide guidance for reporting uncertainty on bivariate maps, aiming at encouraging informed decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities and research institutions have the responsibility to produce science and to provide training to new generations of researchers. In this paper, we propose a model to analyze the determinants of a senior scientist's decisions about allocating time between these tasks. The results of this decision depend upon the characteristics of the research project, the senior scientist's concern for training and the expected innate ability of the junior scientist involved. We analyze the role that a regulator can play in defining both the value of scientific projects and the future population of independent scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]