Disentangling trade-offs and synergies around ecosystem services with the influence network framework: illustration from a consultative process over the French Alps

An important aspect of sustainability is to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning while improving human well-being. For this, the ecosystem service (ES) approach has the potential to bridge the still existing gap between ecological management and social development, especially by focusing on trade-offs and synergies between ES and between their beneficiaries. Several frameworks have been proposed to account for trade-offs and synergies between ES, and between ES and other components of social-ecological systems. However, to date, insufficient explicit attention has been paid to the three facets encompassed in the ES concept, namely potential supply, demand, and use, leading to incomplete descriptions of ES interactions. We expand on previous frameworks by proposing a new influence network framework (INF) based on an explicit consideration of influence relationships between these three ES facets, biodiversity, and external driving variables. We tested its ability to provide a comprehensive view of complex social-ecological interactions around ES through a consultative process focused on environmental management in the French Alps. We synthetized the interactions mentioned during this consultative process and grouped variables according to their overall propensity to influence or be influenced by the system. The resulting directed sequence of influences distinguished between: (1) mostly influential variables (dynamic social variables and ecological state variables), (2) target variables (provisioning and cultural services), and (3) mostly impacted variables (regulating services and biodiversity parameters). We discussed possible reasons for the discrepancies between actual and perceived influences and proposed options to overcome them. We demonstrated that the INF holds the potential to deliver collective assessments of ES relations by: (1) including ecological as well as social aspects, (2) providing opportunities for colearning processes between stakeholder groups, and (3) supporting communication about complex social-ecological systems and consequences for environmental management.

Spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapies engaging muscle synergies improve motor control after spinal cord injury.

Electrical neuromodulation of lumbar segments improves motor control after spinal cord injury in animal models and humans. However, the physiological principles underlying the effect of this intervention remain poorly understood, which has limited the therapeutic approach to continuous stimulation applied to restricted spinal cord locations. Here we developed stimulation protocols that reproduce the natural dynamics of motoneuron activation during locomotion. For this, we computed the spatiotemporal activation pattern of muscle synergies during locomotion in healthy rats. Computer simulations identified optimal electrode locations to target each synergy through the recruitment of proprioceptive feedback circuits. This framework steered the design of spatially selective spinal implants and real-time control software that modulate extensor and flexor synergies with precise temporal resolution. Spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapies improved gait quality, weight-bearing capacity, endurance and skilled locomotion in several rodent models of spinal cord injury. These new concepts are directly translatable to strategies to improve motor control in humans.

Building bridges for innovation in ageing:synergies between action groups of the EIP on AHA

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have often worked in silos and, consequently, synergies between Action Groups have been proposed to strengthen the triple win of the EIP on AHA. The paper presents the methodology and current status of the Task Force on EIP on AHA synergies. Synergies are in line with the Action Groups’ new Renovated Action Plan (2016-2018) to ensure that their future objectives are coherent and fully connected. The outcomes and impact of synergies are using the Monitoring and Assessment Framework for the EIP on AHA (MAFEIP). Eight proposals for synergies have been approved by the Task Force: Five cross-cutting synergies which can be used for all current and future synergies as they consider overarching domains (appropriate polypharmacy, citizen empowerment, teaching and coaching on AHA, deployment of synergies to EU regions, Responsible Research and Innovation), and three cross-cutting synergies focussing on current Action Group activities (falls, frailty, integrated care and chronic respiratory diseases).

Les formes d’organisation utilisées pour développer des synergies d’écologie industrielle et territoriale : propositions de positionnement pour Électricité de France (EDF)

L’objectif de cet essai est d’analyser les freins et leviers à la mise en place de synergies d’écologie industrielle et territoriale, afin de suggérer comment l’entreprise Électricité de France pourrait contribuer à leur développement. Historiquement, les échanges de flux interentreprises se faisaient déjà de manière autonome, pour des raisons économiques et pratiques. Aujourd’hui, avec l’essor de l’économie circulaire, de plus en plus d’acteurs soutiennent la mise en place de projets organisés par un tiers acteur. L’aspiration de ces démarches est de rassembler des acteurs économiques et territoriaux, dans le but d’identifier des pistes de collaborations et de trouver des solutions locales pour valoriser les flux de matière et d’énergie au sein d’un territoire. La mise en place de ces projets, permettant l’optimisation des systèmes productifs et la réalisation de gains économiques, environnementaux et sociaux, bénéficie d’ailleurs d’un certain soutien institutionnel. Toutefois, il existe encore des freins au développement d’une écologie industrielle et territoriale mature en France. Les échanges de flux créent notamment des liens d’interdépendance entre les acteurs. Dans ce contexte, comment les acteurs peuvent-ils s’organiser pour développer de nouvelles synergies ? Différents leviers peuvent être mobilisés dans le cadre de projets d’écologie industrielle et territoriale. Les subventions publiques et le financement participatif sont des appuis financiers avantageux. Une évolution de la réglementation concernant les entreprises habilitées à traiter des déchets, ainsi que le recours à la procédure de sortie de statut de déchet pourraient faciliter la mise en place de synergies. De plus, faire réaliser des études techniques par des acteurs spécialisés et construire de nouvelles structures adaptées permettraient de répondre aux besoins de valorisation grandissants. Aussi, une contractualisation appropriée des échanges permet de mieux gérer les liens d’interdépendance et de formaliser les ententes issues d’échanges transparents entre les acteurs. Enfin, la sensibilisation et l’instauration d’une dynamique collaborative auprès des parties prenantes, ainsi que des échanges réguliers entre les acteurs, favorisent leur implication et leur motivation. L’aboutissement des démarches organisées par un tiers acteur, aujourd’hui fortement incitées par les collectivités locales, ambitionne d’instaurer une dynamique collaborative entre les acteurs publics et privés des territoires, afin de provoquer l’organisation de synergies autonomes sur le long terme. L’évolution du contexte institutionnel semble être favorable au développement futur de nouvelles synergies. Toutefois, cet avancement doit aussi être accompagné par des solutions d’écoconception et d’économie de la fonctionnalité, tel que planifié dans la stratégie nationale de l’économie circulaire. Finalement, un enjeu humain majeur à aborder consiste à la sensibilisation du public et des industriels afin de susciter leur engagement. L’entreprise Électricité de France, disposant de ressources substantielles, pourrait fortement contribuer à cet accomplissement, en développant des offres innovantes et en trouvant des pistes de collaboration avec ses clients. Le renforcement de son image de marque lui permettrait de légitimer sa position d’acteur central dans la transition énergétique, de participer au développement industriel et territorial durable et de gagner en compétitivité, tout en méritant la confiance du public.

Frock paper scissors : a comparative case study

This paper discusses the ways in which synergies across design disciplines can be developed through student engagement on authentic design projects. The paper focuses on a comparative case study where students from the Fashion, and Communication Design discipline areas in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) work on the production of the Frock Paper Scissors magazine and web site. The Frock Paper Scissors magazine has been the focus of assessment in a Fashion and Style Journalism class for the last three years, and for the last two years, students from an Advanced Web Design class have been involved in the production of the accompanying web site, http://frockpapersissors.com/. In this paper we focus on how this authentic assessment task has been integrated into the two design (and communication) classes; discussing the different approaches taken by teaching staff, the challenges faced, and the ways in which student learning outcomes have been improved through interactions between design disciplines. The paper concludes by outlining a set of observations on how to successfully engage students from different design (and creative industries) fields on an authentic design project within their studies.

Living walls - a way to green the built environment

Actions Towards Sustainable Outcomes Environmental Issues/Principal Impacts The increasing urbanisation of cities brings with it several detrimental consequences, such as: • Significant energy use for heating and cooling many more buildings has led to urban heat islands and increased greenhouse gas emissions. • Increased amount of hard surfaces, which not only contributes to higher temperatures in cities, but also to increased stormwater runoff. • Degraded air quality and noise. • Health and general well-being of people is frequently compromised, by inadequate indoor air quality. • Reduced urban biodiversity. Basic Strategies In many design situations, boundaries and constraints limit the application of cutting EDGe actions. In these circumstances, designers should at least consider the following: • Living walls are an emerging technology, and many Australian examples function more as internal feature walls. However,as understanding of the benefits and construction of living walls develops this technology could be part of an exterior facade that enhances a building’s thermal performance. • Living walls should be designed to function with an irrigation system using non-potable water. Cutting EDGe Strategies • Living walls can be part of a design strategy that effectively improves the thermal performance of a building, thereby contributing to lower energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. • Including living walls in the initial stages of design would provide greater flexibility to the design, especially of the facade, structural supports, mechanical ventilation and watering systems, thus lowering costs. • Designing a building with an early understanding of living walls can greatly reduce maintenance costs. • Including plant species and planting media that would be able to remove air impurities could contribute to improved indoor air quality, workplace productivity and well-being. Synergies and References • Living walls are a key research topic at the Centre for Subtropical Design, Queensland University of Technology: http://www.subtropicaldesign.bee.qut.edu.au • BEDP Environment Design Guide: DES 53: Roof and Facade Gardens • BEDP Environment Design Guide: GEN 4: Positive Development – Designing for Net Positive Impacts (see green scaffolding and green space frame walls). • Green Roofs Australia: www.greenroofs.wordpress.com • Green Roofs for Healthy Cities USA: www.greenroofs.org

The problem of measurement indeterminacy in complex neurobiological movement systems

In the study of complex neurobiological movement systems, measurement indeterminacy has typically been overcome by imposing artificial modelling constraints to reduce the number of unknowns (e.g., reducing all muscle, bone and ligament forces crossing a joint to a single vector). However, this approach prevents human movement scientists from investigating more fully the role, functionality and ubiquity of coordinative structures or functional motor synergies. Advancements in measurement methods and analysis techniques are required if the contribution of individual component parts or degrees of freedom of these task-specific structural units is to be established, thereby effectively solving the indeterminacy problem by reducing the number of unknowns. A further benefit of establishing more of the unknowns is that human movement scientists will be able to gain greater insight into ubiquitous processes of physical self-organising that underpin the formation of coordinative structures and the confluence of organismic, environmental and task constraints that determine the exact morphology of these special-purpose devices.

The Brisbane media map : participatory design and authentic learning to link students and industry

The Brisbane Media Map is both an online resource and a tertiary-level authentic learning project. The Brisbane Media Map is an online database which provides a detailed overview of about 600 media industry organisations in Brisbane, Australia. In addition to providing contact details and synopses for each organisation’s profile, the Brisbane Media Map also includes supplementary information on current issues, trends, and individuals in the media and communication industry sectors. This resource is produced and updated annually by final-year undergraduate Media and Communication students. This article introduces the Brisbane Media Map, its functionality and systems design approach, as well as its alignment with key learning infrastructures. It examines authentic learning as the pedagogical framework underpinning the ongoing development work of the resource and highlights some synergies of this framework with participatory design principles. The Brisbane Media Map is a useful example of an authentic learning approach that successfully engages students of non-traditional and non-design areas of study in human-computer interaction, usability, and participatory design activities.

Multidisciplinary students on Property core units : comparative analysis of introductory and advanced units

The composition of many professional services firms in the Urban Development area has moved away from a discipline specific ‘silo’ structure to a more multidisciplinary environment. The benefits of multidisciplinarity have been seen in industry by providing synergies across many of the related disciplines. Similarly, the Queensland University of Technology, Bachelor of Urban Development degree has sought to broaden the knowledge base of students and achieve a greater level of synergy between related urban development disciplines through the introduction of generic and multidisciplinary units. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of delivering core property units in a multidisciplinary context. A comparative analysis has been undertaken between core property units and more generic units offered in a multidisciplinary context from introductory, intermediate and advanced years within the property program. This analysis was based on data collected from course performance surveys, student performance results, a student focus group and was informed by a reflective process from the student perspective and lecturer/ tutor feedback. The study showed that there are many benefits associated with multidisciplinary unit offerings across the QUT Urban Development program particularly in the more generic units. However, these units require a greater degree of management. It is more difficult to organise, teach and coordinate multidisciplinary student cohorts due to a difference in prior knowledge and experience between each of the discipline groups. In addition, the interaction between lecturers/ tutors and the students frequently becomes more limited. A perception exists within the student body that this more limited face to face contact with academic staff is not valuable which may be exacerbated by the quality of complimentary online teaching materials. For many academics, non-attendance at lectures was coupled with an increase in email communication. From the limited data collected during the study there appears to be no clear correlation between large multidisciplinary student classes and student academic performance or satisfaction.

Learning wellness : how ageing Australians experience health information literacy

Given identified synergies between information use and health status greater understanding is needed about how people use information to learn about their health. This article presents the findings of preliminary research into health information literacy which sought to explore how this is phenomenon is experienced among ageing Australians. Analysis of data from semi-structured interviews has revealed six different ways ageing Australians experience using information to learn about their health within one aspect of community life. Health information literacy is a new terrain for information literacy research endeavours and one which warrants further attention by the profession to foster and promote within the community.

Building a successful partnership to increase affordable rental housing supply in Queensland

Accessibility to housing for low to moderate income groups in Australia has been experiencing a severe decline since 2001. On the supply side, the public sector has been reducing its commitment to the direct provision of public housing. Despite high demand for affordable housing, there has been limited supply generated by non-government housing providers. One possible solution to promote an increase in affordable housing supply, like other infrastructure, is through the development of multi-stakeholder partnerships and private financing. This research aims to identify current issues underlying decision-making criteria for building multi-stakeholder partnerships to deliver affordable housing projects. It also investigates strategies for minimising risk and ensuring the financial outcomes of these partnership arrangements. A mix of qualitative in-depth interviews and quantitative surveys has been used as the main method to explore stakeholder experiences regarding their involvement in partnership arrangements in the affordable housing sector in Queensland. Two sets of interviews were conducted following an exploratory pilot study: one set in 2003-2004 and the other in 2007-2008. There were nineteen respondents representing government, private and not-for-profit organisations in the first stage interviews and surveys. The second stage interviews were focussed on twenty-two housing providers in South East Queensland. Initial analyses have been conducted using thematic and statistical analyses. This study extends the use of existing decision making tools and combines the use of a Soft System Framework to analyse the ideal state questionnaires using qualitative thematic analysis. Soft System Methodology (SSM) has been used to analyse this unstructured complex problem by using systematic thinking to develop a conceptual model and carrying it to the real world situations to solve the problem. This research found that the diversity of stakeholder capability and their level of risk acceptance will allow partnerships to develop the best synergies and a degree of collaboration which achieves the required financial return within acceptable risk parameters. However, some of the negativity attached to future commitment to such partnerships has been found to be the anticipation of a worse outcome than that expected from independent action. Many interviewees agree that housing providers' fear of financial risk and community rejection has been central to dampening their enthusiasm for entering such investment projects. The creation of a mixed-use development structure will mitigate both risk and return as the commercial income will subsidise the affordable housing development and will normalise concentration of marginalised low-income people who live in a prime location with an award winning design. In addition, tenant support schemes and rent-to-buy incentive programs will encourage them to secure their tenancies and significantly reduce the risk of rent arrears and property damage. There is also a breakthrough investment vehicle offered by the social developer which sells the non-physical but financial product to individual and institutional investors to mitigate further financial risk. Finally, this study recommends modification of the current value-for-money framework in favour of broader partnership arrangements which are more closely aligned with risk minimisation strategies.

Managing a portfolio of corporate venture units : challenges in achieving within-unit focus and between-unit coordination

Principal Topic: There is increasing recognition that the organizational configurations of corporate venture units should depend on the types of ventures the unit seeks to develop (Burgelman, 1984; Hill and Birkinshaw, 2008). Distinction have been made between internal and external as well as exploitative versus explorative ventures (Hill and Birkinshaw, 2008; Narayan et al., 2009; Schildt et al., 2005). Assuming that firms do not want to limit themselves to a single type of venture, but rather employ a portfolio of ventures, the logical consequence is that firms should employ multiple corporate venture units. Each venture unit tailor-made for the type of venture it seeks to develop. Surprisingly, there is limited attention in the literature for the challenges of managing multiple corporate venture units in a single firm. Maintaining multiple venture units within one firm provides easier access to funding for new ideas (Hamel, 1999). It allows for freedom and flexibility to tie the organizational systems (Rice et al., 2000), autonomy (Hill and Rothaermel, 2003), and involvement of management (Day, 1994; Wadwha and Kotha, 2006) to the requirements of the individual ventures. Yet, the strategic objectives of a venture may change when uncertainty around the venture is resolved (Burgelman, 1984). For example, firms may decide to spin-in external ventures (Chesbrough, 2002) or spun-out ventures that prove strategically unimportant (Burgelman, 1984). This suggests that ventures might need to be transferred between venture units, e.g. from a more internally-driven corporate venture division to a corporate venture capital unit. Several studies suggested that ventures require different managerial skills across their phase of development (Desouza et al., 2007; O'Connor and Ayers, 2005; Kazanjian and Drazin, 1990; Westerman et al., 2006). To facilitate effective transfer between venture units and manage the overall venturing process, it is important that firms set up and manage integrative linkages. Integrative linkages provide synergies and coordination between differentiated units (Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967). Prior findings pointed to the important role of senior management (Westerman et al., 2006; Gilbert, 2006) and a shared organizational vision (Burgers et al., 2009) to coordinate venture units with mainstream businesses. We will draw on these literatures to investigate the key question of how to integratively manage multiple venture units. ---------- Methodology/Key Propositions: In order to seek an answer to the research question, we employ a case study approach that provides unique insights into how firms can break up their venturing process. We selected three Fortune 500 companies that employ multiple venturing units, IBM, Royal Dutch/ Shell and Nokia, and investigated and compared their approaches. It was important that the case companies somewhat differed in the type of venture units they employed as well as the way they integrate and coordinate their venture units. The data are based on extensive interviews and a variety of internal and external company documents to triangulate our findings (Eisenhardt, 1989). The key proposition of the article is that firms can best manage their multiple venture units through an ambidextrous design of loosely coupled units. This provides venture units with sufficient flexibility to employ organizational configurations that best support the type of venture they seek to develop, as well as provides sufficient integration to facilitate smooth transfer of ventures between venture units. Based on the case findings, we develop a generic framework for a new way of managing the venturing process through multiple corporate venture units. ---------- Results and Implications: One of our main findings is that these firms tend to organize their venture units according to phases in the venture development process. That is, they tend to have venture units aimed at incubation of venture ideas as well as units aimed more at the commercialization of ventures into a new business unit for the firm or a start-up. The companies in our case studies tended to coordinate venture units through integrative management skills or a coordinative venture unit that spanned multiple phases. We believe this paper makes two significant contributions. First, we extend prior venturing literature by addressing how firms manage a portfolio of venture units, each achieving different strategic objectives. Second, our framework provides recommendations on how firms should manage such an approach towards venturing. This helps to increase the likelihood of success of their venturing programs.

Heavy vehicle suspensions : testing and analysis

Transport regulators consider that, with respect to pavement damage, heavy vehicles (HVs) are the riskiest vehicles on the road network. That HV suspension design contributes to road and bridge damage has been recognised for some decades. This thesis deals with some aspects of HV suspension characteristics, particularly (but not exclusively) air suspensions. This is in the areas of developing low-cost in-service heavy vehicle (HV) suspension testing, the effects of larger-than-industry-standard longitudinal air lines and the characteristics of on-board mass (OBM) systems for HVs. All these areas, whilst seemingly disparate, seek to inform the management of HVs, reduce of their impact on the network asset and/or provide a measurement mechanism for worn HV suspensions. A number of project management groups at the State and National level in Australia have been, and will be, presented with the results of the project that resulted in this thesis. This should serve to inform their activities applicable to this research. A number of HVs were tested for various characteristics. These tests were used to form a number of conclusions about HV suspension behaviours. Wheel forces from road test data were analysed. A “novel roughness” measure was developed and applied to the road test data to determine dynamic load sharing, amongst other research outcomes. Further, it was proposed that this approach could inform future development of pavement models incorporating roughness and peak wheel forces. Left/right variations in wheel forces and wheel force variations for different speeds were also presented. This led on to some conclusions regarding suspension and wheel force frequencies, their transmission to the pavement and repetitive wheel loads in the spatial domain. An improved method of determining dynamic load sharing was developed and presented. It used the correlation coefficient between two elements of a HV to determine dynamic load sharing. This was validated against a mature dynamic loadsharing metric, the dynamic load sharing coefficient (de Pont, 1997). This was the first time that the technique of measuring correlation between elements on a HV has been used for a test case vs. a control case for two different sized air lines. That dynamic load sharing was improved at the air springs was shown for the test case of the large longitudinal air lines. The statistically significant improvement in dynamic load sharing at the air springs from larger longitudinal air lines varied from approximately 30 percent to 80 percent. Dynamic load sharing at the wheels was improved only for low air line flow events for the test case of larger longitudinal air lines. Statistically significant improvements to some suspension metrics across the range of test speeds and “novel roughness” values were evident from the use of larger longitudinal air lines, but these were not uniform. Of note were improvements to suspension metrics involving peak dynamic forces ranging from below the error margin to approximately 24 percent. Abstract models of HV suspensions were developed from the results of some of the tests. Those models were used to propose further development of, and future directions of research into, further gains in HV dynamic load sharing. This was from alterations to currently available damping characteristics combined with implementation of large longitudinal air lines. In-service testing of HV suspensions was found to be possible within a documented range from below the error margin to an error of approximately 16 percent. These results were in comparison with either the manufacturer’s certified data or test results replicating the Australian standard for “road-friendly” HV suspensions, Vehicle Standards Bulletin 11. OBM accuracy testing and development of tamper evidence from OBM data were detailed for over 2000 individual data points across twelve test and control OBM systems from eight suppliers installed on eleven HVs. The results indicated that 95 percent of contemporary OBM systems available in Australia are accurate to +/- 500 kg. The total variation in OBM linearity, after three outliers in the data were removed, was 0.5 percent. A tamper indicator and other OBM metrics that could be used by jurisdictions to determine tamper events were developed and documented. That OBM systems could be used as one vector for in-service testing of HV suspensions was one of a number of synergies between the seemingly disparate streams of this project.