Towards a new framework to assess agri-food value chains' sustainability - The case of chestnut value chain

Food systems rely on natural resources for production causing their depletion. Sustainability assessment can encourage farms and agri-food companies to improve sustainability performances. Sustainability assessment frameworks and tools differ in their purposes, scope, methods of application, and required time for execution; however, most of them do not fit with value chains, or they do not cover all sustainability dimensions. Our objective is to propose a holistic framework to assess sustainability at agri-food value chains level. The proposed framework combines the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA) (El Hage, 2012) [1] and The Agri-food Evaluation Framework (TEEB) [2]. It incorporates the concepts of Socio-Ecological Systems, Assemblage, and Social Practices. It integrates system dynamics by emphasising human and natural capital stocks and their users. We explain in detail the methodological steps we followed to construct and to apply this new framework to two case studies in Italy and France. The new framework was applied to real-life case studies and has shown its effectiveness and demonstrates its potential for widespread use in similar scenarios.

The economics impacts of long-run droughts: Challenges, gaps, and way forward

Quantifying drought's economic impacts has been key for decision-making to build future strategies and improve the development and implementation of proactive plans. However, climate change is changing drought frequency, intensity, and durability. These changes imply modifications of their economic impact, as longer droughts result in greater cumulative economic losses for water users. Though the longer the drought lasts, other factors also play a crucial role in its economic outcomes, such as Infrastructure capacity (IC), the Amount of Water in Storage (AWS) in reservoirs and aquifers, and short- and long-term responses to it. This study proposes and applies an analytical framework for the economic assessment of long-run droughts, assessing and explaining central Chile megadrought economic effects through the factors that begin to influence the economic impact level in this setting. High levels of both IC and the AWS, as well as short- and long-term responses of water users, allow for high resilience to long-run droughts, tolerating extraordinary water disruption in its society with relatively low total economic impacts. Despite this adaptability, long-term droughts bring places to a water-critical threshold where long-term adaptation strategies may be less flexible than short-term strategies, escalating the adverse economic effects. This fact suggests that the economic evaluation of megadrought needs to focus on future tipping points (substantial water scarcity). The tipping point depends on the IC, how water users manage the AWS, and adaptation strategies. Establishing the tipping point should be a priority for future interdisciplinary research.

Responsible design and implementation of technologies for the prevention of infectious diseases: towards a values-based assessment framework for the Dutch government

OBJECTIVES

The Dutch government implemented the apps 'CoronaMelder' and 'CoronaCheck' to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. They faced many questions on how to responsibly implement such technologies. Here, we aim to develop an assessment framework to support the Dutch national government with the responsible design and implementation of technologies for the prevention of future infectious diseases.

STUDY DESIGN

Three-stage web-based Delphi process.

METHODS

The assessment framework was developed through two research phases. During the Initial Design phase, a conceptual version of the assessment framework was developed through a scoping review and semistructured interviews with a scientific board. The Consensus phase involved a three-stage web-based Delphi process with an expert community.

RESULTS

The final assessment framework consists of five development phases, 10 values, and a total of 152 questions.

CONCLUSIONS

Technology assessment frameworks help policymakers to make informed decisions and contribute to the responsible implementation of technologies in society. The framework is now available for the Dutch government and other stakeholders to use in future pandemics. We discuss the possibilities of using the framework transnationally.

Exploring the feasibility of using the ICER Evidence Rating Matrix for Comparative Clinical Effectiveness in assessing treatment benefit and certainty in the clinical evidence on orphan therapies for paediatric indications

BACKGROUND

The evaluation of clinical evidence takes account of health benefit (efficacy and safety) and the degree of certainty in the estimate of benefit. In orphan indications practical and ethical challenges in conducting clinical trials, particularly in paediatric patients, often limit the available evidence, rendering structured evaluation challenging. While acknowledging the paucity of evidence, regulators and reimbursement authorities compare the efficacy and safety of alternative treatments for a given indication, often in the context of the benefits of other treatments for similar or different conditions. This study explores the feasibility of using the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) Evidence Rating Matrix for Comparative Clinical Effectiveness in structured assessment of both the magnitude of clinical benefit (net health benefit, NHB) and the certainty of the effect estimate in a sample of orphan therapies for paediatric indications.

RESULTS

Eleven systemic therapies with European Medicines Agency (EMA) orphan medicinal product designation, licensed for 16 paediatric indications between January 2017 and March 2020 were identified using OrphaNet and EMA databases and were selected for evaluation with the ICER Evidence Rating Matrix: burosumab; cannabidiol; cerliponase alfa; chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA); dinutuximab beta; glibenclamide; metreleptin; nusinersen; tisagenlecleucel; velmanase alfa; and vestronidase alfa. EMA European Public Assessment Reports, PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Clinical Key, and conference presentations from January 2016 to April 2021 were searched for evidence on efficacy and safety. Two of the identified therapies were graded as "substantial" NHB: dinutuximab beta (neuroblastoma maintenance) and nusinersen (Type I SMA), and one as "comparable" NHB (CDCA). The NHB grade of the remaining therapies fell between "comparable" and "substantial". No therapies were graded as having negative NHB. The certainty of the estimate ranged from "high" (dinutuximab beta in neuroblastoma maintenance) to "low" (CDCA, metreleptin and vestronidase alfa). The certainty of the other therapies was graded between "low" and "high". The ICER Evidence Rating Matrix overall rating "A" (the highest) was given to two therapies, "B+" to 6 therapies, "C+" to five therapies, and "I" (the lowest) to three therapies. The scores varied between rating authors with mean agreement over all indications of 71.9% for NHB, 56.3% for certainty and 68.8% for the overall rating.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the ICER Matrix to grade orphan therapies according to their treatment benefit and certainty is feasible. However, the assessment involves subjective judgements based on heterogenous evidence. Tools such as the ICER Matrix might aid decision makers to evaluate treatment benefit and its certainty when comparing therapies across indications.

CSEC framework assessment dataset: Expert evaluations of cybersecurity skills for job profiles in Europe

This dataset contains expert assessments of the cybersecurity skills required for six job profiles in Europe, as determined via surveys responded by cybersecurity experts from academia and industry. The data can be used to identify educational needs in the cybersecurity sector and compare against other frameworks. The six cybersecurity-oriented job profiles used in the surveys are: General cybersec auditor; Technical cybersec auditor; Threat modelling engineer; Security engineer; Enterprise cybersecurity practitioner; Cybersecurity analyst. Data-i.e. expert assessments-was collected via surveys, targeted at European experts in cybersecurity from academia and industry. Respondents characterised the skills needed to perform in six job profiles using the CSEC⁺ framework: a cybersecurity skills framework prepared as a spreadsheet where cybersecurity skills must be ranked in a Likert scale from 0 (irrelevant) to 4 (advance knowledge needed). Metadata requested included the type of organisation of the respondent (Large company, SME, Academic/Research, Public administration, Other) and the country of origin. There were three data-collection phases: (1) an initial phase, used also to refine later larger-scale processes, carried out in Oct 2021-Jan 2022 and resulting in 13 expert assessments from four EU countries; (2) a second phase implemented as an online service broadcast to a larger audience, carried out in Mar-Apr 2022 and resulting in 15 assessments from eight European countries; (3) and a third phase, allowing direct online input and distributed in PC and mobile form, carried out in Sep-Oct 2022 and resulting in 32 assessments from ten European countries. The raw data gathered was stored and processed via spreadsheets, computing statistical information (mean, stdev) on how much each cybersecurity skill and area was deemed necessary to perform in each job profile. This is visualised as a heatmap where colour intensity symbolises value, and circle diffusion symbolises spread. Processed data further includes visualisations on how the area of origin of the respondent (academia, as in "producer of education", vs. industry, as in "consumer of education") influences the responses. This is shown as bar plots, where whiskers represent confidence intervals used for statistical-significance tests. This data can serve as basis to understand the educational needs for the cybersecurity sector in Europe. It can be reused for comparison against frameworks, other than CSEC⁺, to assess the need of education in specific cybersecurity sectors such as human security. Furthermore, the Qualtrics survey template (included) is a ready-made solution for replication studies.

T-PALS framework to assess children who stutter with coexisting disorders: A tutorial

The purpose of this paper is to present a tutorial on a diagnostic framework developed to assess children who stutter and exhibit co-existing disorders. While we have guidelines for treating these children, there are no specific guidelines for assessing them. We provide a rationale for the development of T-PALS with support from the literature. The T-PALS framework assesses 5 foundational key elements for the child: Temperament (T), Pragmatics (P), Articulation/phonology (A), Language (L), and Stuttering (S). Both qualitative and quantitative measures are used within each dimension. This framework is discussed with reference to using two clinical case examples. T-PALS observation data are presented as well as treatment suggestions for each case. We conclude that T-PALS may be a useful framework for both clinicians and researchers, working with children who present with stuttering and comorbid conditions. Clinicians are encouraged to reach beyond the traditional focus on solely assessing the stuttering behavior, even when that is the main concern for referral, and to consider a broader view of the child. It is hoped that this more integrative approach to assessment may yield a more holistic diagnostic picture of a dual diagnosis child from which treatment goals can be derived.

Water-carbon nexus relationship and interaction mechanism analysis within Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration

As the total water resources consumption control and carbon mitigation continuous improvement, the weak water-carbon incorporate management is increasingly exposed. In this study, a water-carbon nexus assessment framework is proposed to analyze the nexus relationship between water consumption and carbon emission, and distinguishes the coupled water-carbon transmission intensity and the transfer paths under regional and industrial scales. According to the practical input-output table, water consumption, and carbon emission information, the framework is applied to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration (BTHUA), a population, resource, and trade intensive area of China. Inter-regional/intra-regional water consumption and carbon emission transfer fluxes between sectors, the pairwise ecological relationship, and the water-carbon nexus were analyzed. Results indicated that the water-carbon transfer indexes from Hebei to Beijing and Tianjin were 161.85 kg/m³ and 113.88 kg/m³ in the study period, along with the most water consumption and carbon emission, and the worst water-carbon nexus. From the industrial perspective, electricity and gas supplying industry provided 7.8% and 29.1% of the total carbon transfer in Tianjin and Hebei, as the most key node sectors on the water-carbon nexus in the BTHUA. The research provides valuably supporting the adjustment of the existing urban agglomeration water-carbon nexus management schemes.

Community resilience to pandemics: An assessment framework developed based on the review of COVID-19 literature

The COVID-19 outbreak in 2019 and the challenges it posed to communities around the world, demonstrated the necessity of enhancing the resilience of communities to pandemics. In this regard, assessment frameworks can play an essential role and guide resilience-building efforts. However, the lack of a comprehensive assessment framework has led to a focus on sectoral evaluation. This study aims to propose an integrated framework for assessing the pandemic resilience of communities. For this purpose, we rely on a systematic review of literature indexed in major academic databases. We have thoroughly analyzed a total number of 115 related documents to extract relevant criteria. Findings show that many criteria and factors affect community resilience to pandemics. By inductive content coding in MAXQDA software, we have categorized these criteria into five dimensions of Institutional, Social, Economic, Infrastructural, and Demographic. Good leadership and management, insurance and governmental support, planning and preparation, expertise and labor, and available equipment and technologies are the most important institutional criteria. Communication and collective identity, mutual support, public safety and protection, public awareness, and social justice are the influential social criteria. Economic sustainability and resource availability are criteria of economic resilience. Sufficiency of services, public spaces, housing tenure, and transportation system are the main criteria related to the built environment and infrastructural dimension. Finally, demographic resilience includes physical health, psychological well-being, life quality, and hygiene. Based on these criteria, this study develops an integrated evaluation framework that researchers can implement along with conventional assessment and ranking methods to determine the level of community resilience to pandemics.

A framework to assess the impact of ecological water conveyance on groundwater-dependent terrestrial ecosystems in arid inland river basins

Overexploitation of water resources at middle reaches has threatened downstream oasis in arid inland river basins. To achieve sustainable development, ecological water conveyance is one effective measure to reallocate water resources between socio-economic and natural systems. A comprehensive impact assessment of ecological water conveyance on groundwater-dependent ecosystems that are common in downstream inland river basins is needed. The present study integrated the technologies of remote sensing analysis, trend detection, and numerical simulation into a technical framework that identifies the spatial response and temporal dynamics of vegetation to groundwater changes induced by ecological water conveyance. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used as a proxy to estimate vegetation. The structure of the framework we used is clear and reasonable. We used remote-sensing data and ground truth information, and a decision tree that incorporates an iterative self-organizing data analysis technique. The decision tree classifies the land cover into affected and unaffected areas, and the results indicate the spatial range of impact. The Mann-Kendall algorithm and Sen's slope detect the tendency in NDVI series that indicates the temporal response of vegetation. The Verhulst logistic function, combined with environment carrying capacity function, constitutes a simplified vegetation dynamic model that can be used to predict potential impact through scenario analysis. An application in the Shiyang River basin in Northwest China evaluated the performance and usefulness of the framework; the accuracy of the results suggested that the framework is effective and practical. Additional case studies are required to assess the reliability and applicability of the framework and identify the factors that affect assessment results beyond our case study in the Shiyang River basin.

Mapping global eco-environment vulnerability due to human and nature disturbances

Identifying vulnerable levels of eco-environment over a global scale is critical for environmental management and ecological conservation. We present the method to optimize the use of freely assessable datasets to derive 16 factors for a proposed assessment framework (Nguyen and Liou, 2019; Liou et al., 2017; Nguyen et al., 2016) [[1], [2], [3]]. Results show that the datasets are suitable for evaluating global eco-environmental vulnerability (GEV). PM_2.5 that is a hazardous substance in environment and an anthropogenic disturbance associated with nature and human-made influence is selected to validate the GEV map. The GEV map well correlates with PM_2.5 distribution patterns with correlation coefficient of approximately 0.82. All datasets and mapping procedures are processed in ArcGIS 10.3/QGIS 2.16.3 software. Advantages of our method include three aspects:

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The analysis procedure is simple but powerful, while dealing with various complex environmental issues.

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The framework is flexible to adjust influential indicators subject to the conditions of concerned regions and purposes of decision makers.

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The framework can be easily applied for different concerned regions over various scales.

Our findings include GEV mapping and eco-protection zoning that provide key hotspots of eco-environmental vulnerability levels over a global scale for the decision makers and people to take further actions to lessen disturbances and achieve environmental sustainability.

Assessing modified risk tobacco and nicotine products: Description of the scientific framework and assessment of a closed modular electronic cigarette

Cigarette smoking causes many human diseases including cardiovascular disease, lung disease and cancer. Novel tobacco products with reduced yields of toxicants compared to cigarettes, such as tobacco-heating products, snus and electronic cigarettes, hold great potential for reducing the harms associated with tobacco use. In the UK several public health agencies have advocated a potential role for novel products in tobacco harm reduction. Public Health England has stated that "The current best estimate is that e-cigarettes are around 95% less harmful than smoking" and the Royal College of Physicians has urged public health to "Promote e-cigarettes widely as substitute for smoking". Health related claims on novel products such as 'reduced exposure' and 'reduced risk' should be substantiated using a weight of evidence approach based on a comprehensive scientific assessment. The US FDA, has provided draft guidance outlining a framework to assess novel products as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP). Based on this, we now propose a framework comprising pre-clinical, clinical, and population studies to assess the risk profile of novel tobacco products. Additionally, the utility of this framework is assessed through the pre-clinical and part of the clinical comparison of a commercial e-cigarette (Vype ePen) with a scientific reference cigarette (3R4F) and the results of these studies suggest that ePen has the potential to be a reduced risk product.

How to assess driver's interaction with partially automated driving systems - A framework for early concept assessment

The introduction of partially automated driving systems changes the driving task into supervising the automation with an occasional need to intervene. To develop interface solutions that adequately support drivers in this new role, this study proposes and evaluates an assessment framework that allows designers to evaluate driver-support within relevant real-world scenarios. Aspects identified as requiring assessment in terms of driver-support within the proposed framework are Accident Avoidance, gained Situation Awareness (SA) and Concept Acceptance. Measurement techniques selected to operationalise these aspects and the associated framework are pilot-tested with twenty-four participants in a driving simulator experiment. The objective of the test is to determine the reliability of the applied measurements for the assessment of the framework and whether the proposed framework is effective in predicting the level of support offered by the concepts. Based on the congruency between measurement scores produced in the test and scores with predefined differences in concept-support, this study demonstrates the framework's reliability. A remaining concern is the framework's weak sensitivity to small differences in offered support. The article concludes that applying the framework is especially advantageous for evaluating early design phases and can successfully contribute to the efficient development of driver's in-control and safe means of operating partially automated vehicles.

'Ecosystem service opportunities': A practice-oriented framework for identifying economic instruments to enhance biodiversity and human livelihoods

Economic instruments that promise "win-win" solutions for both biodiversity conservation and human livelihoods have become increasingly popular over recent years. There however remains a gap in terms of practical and policy-relevant guidance about appropriate approaches that take into account the local needs and the specific cultural, legal, and ecological context in which such instruments are being developed and applied. This paper presents a step-by-step framework that helps conservation and development planners and practitioners to identify economic instruments that can promote pro-conservation behaviour in a specific setting. The concept of 'ecosystem service opportunities' builds on, and brings together, general economic principles and an ecosystem services perspective. The framework was designed to also address a number of concerns regarding economic approaches in order to help practitioners recognise the potentials and limits of economic approaches to nature conservation. The framework is illustrated by its application within the realm of a biodiversity conservation project in Thailand.

Towards sustainable management of groundwater: policy developments in The Netherlands

This article presents and discusses the main elements for a fundamental policy change for groundwater management in The Netherlands. The study analyzes the status and current use of groundwater, the increasing pressure in The Netherlands and many other countries on the natural soil-water system, the effects on quality and quantity of groundwater and the use of the subsoil. An overview is given of the current national and European regulations regarding groundwater and related policies for e.g. drinking water, soil policies and other interventions in the subsurface. The Dutch National Government is developing a new framework for groundwater management that aims a sustainable use of groundwater not only in environmental, but also in economic and social perspective. This framework for groundwater will benefit the Structure vision on the subsoil. The question is how 'sustainable use' can be a guiding principle in groundwater management, strengthening the relation between groundwater quantity and quality. It is proposed to define a generic National approach for the assessment of new and existing activities with potential effects on groundwater and for groundwater quality assessment. Additionally it is proposed to give local authorities the opportunity to set area-specific objectives on a regional or local scale to adjust for specific societal needs and area-specific characteristics. For setting these objectives it is recommended to use the concept of ecosystem services as a leading principle for defining the groundwater quality and quantity (e.g. for use as source for drinking water, aquifer thermal storage and sustaining terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems).

A comprehensive framework for the assessment of new end uses in recycled water schemes

Nowadays, recycled water has provided sufficient flexibility to satisfy short-term freshwater needs and increase the reliability of long-term water supplies in many water scarce areas, which becomes an essential component of integrated water resources management. However, the current applications of recycled water are still quite limited that are mainly associated with non-potable purposes such as irrigation, industrial uses, toilet flushing and car washing. There is a large potential to exploit and develop new end uses of recycled water in both urban and rural areas. This can greatly contribute to freshwater savings, wastewater reduction and water sustainability. Consequently, the paper identified the potentials for the development of three recycled water new end uses, household laundry, livestock feeding and servicing, and swimming pool, in future water use market. To validate the strengths of these new applications, a conceptual decision analytic framework was proposed. This can be able to facilitate the optional management strategy selection process and thereafter provide guidance on the future end use studies within a larger context of the community, processes, and models in decision-making. Moreover, as complex evaluation criteria were selected and taken into account to narrow down the multiple management alternatives, the methodology can successfully add transparency, objectivity and comprehensiveness to the assessment. Meanwhile, the proposed approach could also allow flexibility to adapt to particular circumstances of each case under study.