We studied the effects of presentation formats (frequency, 1-in-N, and visual) and numeracy level on students' understanding of prenatal screening results, as well as their risk assessment for having a fetus with Down syndrome. Frequency format (vs. 1-in-N and visual formats) improved participants' ability to accurately assess the chances of having a fetus with Down syndrome, and was associated with lower risk estimates. High numeracy levels were associated with a better ability to judge risk likelihood. For individuals of low numeracy levels, however, the frequency format significantly facilitated accurate understanding of probability information. This suggests that presenting information in frequency format is particularly beneficial for certain populations.
Is -diversity‖ a modern concept, like indigeneity or biodiversity, which is conceived precisely at the time that it seems to be threatened and on the verge of disappearing? In the face of perceived threats to diversity, projects and policies have been crafted to protect, promote, or conserve diversity, but in doing so they have often demonstrated a paradoxical propensity toward purity and authority in representations of diversity. Perceptions of -pure‖ natural diversity might represent native forests comprised solely of native species; -pure‖ cultural diversity might represent indigenous peoples who still speak indigenous languages and wear native dress. If purity is emblematic of diversity, what, then, is the place of hybrid landscapes and peoples? In our study, we draw on a range of examples-of agrobiodiversity conservation in Bolivia, satellite mapping initiatives in Madagascar and Ecuador, scientific authority about anthropogenic climate change, indigenous language and identity in Peru, and a comparison of the Amazon and Atlantic Forest in Brazil-to demonstrate gaps between representations of diversity, and the heterogeneous local realities they obscure. We suggest that hybridity is a form of diversity unto itself-albeit a form of diversity that is more complex, and thus harder to codify and categorize.
OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2013, 5 2496
This article analyses the linked histories and changing national discourses surrounding a transnational mining concession and subsequent plans for hydroelectric development in Costa Rica. The analysis shows how project framing shifted from un-environmental to green, paralleling a change in public debate from defence against a transnational threat to support of national sovereignty. Dissenters questioned an imperial project that would preclude the state and its citizens from the benefits of industrial development; now the problem is recalled as extractive development itself. Thus popular protests against the mine have come to be remembered as a defence of the nation's environment. This article defines environmental sovereignty as a relational concept that decentres human dominion. In addition, it argues for increased scholarly attention to unimplemented development. This case demonstrates how land deals transcend their own boundaries in time, space and imagination.
We propose that facilitation can be used as a research method to improve the collaborative synthesis of interdisciplinary teams’ socio-environmental work. As described in this communication, our approach to facilitation adapts to teams’ practical and conceptual needs as their research develops. Our synthetic practice of facilitating interdisciplinary meetings at the US National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) further emphasizes the importance of process, intentionality, and advance preparation. By combining facilitation fundamentals with research skills, it is possible to create the conditions for effective interdisciplinary integration.
International audienceIn the Viewpoints section, academics, practitioners and experts share their perspectives on policy questions relevant to sustainable development. In this issue, experts address the question: “Is the concept of a green economy a useful way of framing policy discussions and policymaking to promotesustainable development?
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