Modelling crop physiology for integrated decision making

Crop modelling has had a mixed press over the years, driven as much by the community's expectations as by the targets identified by modellers. This short review gives a personal perspective on the scope and value of models of crop processes and performance, in the context of the increasing demand to make predictions about the best course of action for farmers. The goal for these predictions can range from the best rate or timing for a pesticide spray to the likely pressure on the farming community if predicted levels of climate change are realised. The primary conclusion is that a clear statement of objectives is the most important precursor to the use of models of crop processes or systems.     

Economic framework for decision making in biological control

Economic analyses are a valuable input into the decision-making process for biological control programs. The challenge though is how to incorporate qualitative risk assessments of biological control programs, or the risk of nontargeted effects into mathematical economic models. A technique known as threshold cost/benefit analysis is presented and an example on how to apply this method is illustrated using the yellow starthistle biological control program. The results show that incorporating uncertainty into the analysis can have a significant impact on the decision to undertake a biological control program.     

Economic framework for decision making in biological control

Economic analyses are a valuable input into the decision-making process for biological control programs. The challenge though is how to incorporate qualitative risk assessments of biological control programs, or the risk of nontargeted effects into mathematical economic models. A technique known as threshold cost/benefit analysis is presented and an example on how to apply this method is illustrated using the yellow starthistle biological control program. The results show that incorporating uncertainty into the analysis can have a significant impact on the decision to undertake a biological control program.     

Integrating biodiversity into decision making

The prominent theme in the debates concerning biodiversity has been the integration of biodiversity into social and economical processes. Integration has meant two different but related things: on one hand, biological phenomena have been contextualized in social and economical processes; on the other hand, biological issues have been incorporated into decision making. These two aspects of integration are related: knowing the context of biodiversity helps in assessing its worth for decision making. In what follows we will first look at the ramifications of decision making, on how to proceed when dealing with apparently incommensurable dimensions. Secondly, we will highlight some key issues in both biological and social impact assessment. Finally, we will propose a process model which takes into account the multiple aspects of biodiversity.     

Behavior-analytic approaches to decision making

Behavior analysis has much to offer the study of phenomena in the area of judgement and decision making. We review several research areas that should continue to profit from a behavior-analytic approach, including the relative merit of contingency-based and rule-governed instruction of solving algebra and analogy problems, and the role of conditioned reinforcement and the inter-trial interval in a type of Prisoner's Dilemma Game. We focus on two additional areas: (1) the study of base-rate neglect, a notorious reasoning fallacy and (2) the study of the sunk-cost effect, which characterizes ill-conceived investment decisions. In each of these two cases we review studies with humans and pigeons as subjects.     

Consensus decision making in animals

Individual animals routinely face decisions that are crucial to their fitness. In social species, however, many of these decisions need to be made jointly with other group members because the group will split apart unless a consensus is reached. Here, we review empirical and theoretical studies of consensus decision making, and place them in a coherent framework. In particular, we classify consensus decisions according to the degree to which they involve conflict of interest between group members, and whether they involve either local or global communication; we ask, for different categories of consensus decision, who makes the decision, what are the underlying mechanisms, and what are the functional consequences. We conclude that consensus decision making is common in non-human animals, and that cooperation between group members in the decision-making process is likely to be the norm, even when the decision involves significant conflict of interest.     

Aging and consumer decision making

Research on consumer decision making and aging is especially important for fostering a better understanding of ways to maintain consumer satisfaction and high decision quality across the life span. We provide a review of extant research on the effects of normal aging on cognition and decision processes and how these age-related processes are influenced by task environment, meaningfulness of the task, and consumer expertise. We consider how research centered on these topics generates insights about changes in consumption decisions that occur with aging and identify a number of gaps and directions for future research.     

Training in ethical decision making

Advances in biotechnology and evolving attitudes of biomedical professionals and members of the general public toward illness, medical care, and research generate topics for ethics discussions. The author offers advice for training animal care staff in ethical decision making.     

Dual equipoise shared decision making: definitions for decision and behaviour support interventions

Background

In the experience of health professionals, it appears that interacting with peers in the workplace fosters learning and information sharing. Informal groups and networks present good opportunities for information exchange. Communities of practice (CoPs), which have been described by Wenger and others as a type of informal learning organization, have received increasing attention in the health care sector; however, the lack of uniform operating definitions of CoPs has resulted in considerable variation in the structure and function of these groups, making it difficult to evaluate their effectiveness.

Objective

To critique the evolution of the CoP concept as based on the germinal work by Wenger and colleagues published between 1991 and 2002.

Discussion

CoP was originally developed to provide a template for examining the learning that happens among practitioners in a social environment, but over the years there have been important divergences in the focus of the concept. Lave and Wenger's earliest publication (1991) centred on the interactions between novices and experts, and the process by which newcomers create a professional identity. In the 1998 book, the focus had shifted to personal growth and the trajectory of individuals' participation within a group (i.e., peripheral versus core participation). The focus then changed again in 2002 when CoP was applied as a managerial tool for improving an organization's competitiveness.

Summary

The different interpretations of CoP make it challenging to apply the concept or to take full advantage of the benefits that CoP groups may offer. The tension between satisfying individuals' needs for personal growth and empowerment versus an organization's bottom line is perhaps the most contentious of the issues that make CoPs difficult to cultivate. Since CoP is still an evolving concept, we recommend focusing on optimizing specific characteristics of the concept, such as support for members interacting with each other, sharing knowledge, and building a sense of belonging within networks/teams/groups. Interventions that facilitate relationship building among members and that promote knowledge exchange may be useful for optimizing the function of these groups.     

Neuronal microcircuits for decision making in C. elegans

The simplicity and genetic tractability of the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans make it an attractive system in which to seek biological mechanisms of decision making. Although work in this area remains at an early stage, four basic types paradigms of behavioral choice, a simple form of decision making, have now been demonstrated in C. elegans. A recent series of pioneering studies, combining genetics and molecular biology with new techniques such as microfluidics and calcium imaging in freely moving animals, has begun to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioral choice. The new research has focussed on choice behaviors in the context of habitat and resource localization, for which the neuronal circuit has been identified. Three main circuit motifs for behavioral choice have been identified. One motif is based mainly on changes in the strength of synaptic connections whereas the other two motifs are based on changes in the basal activity of an interneuron and the sensory neuron to which it is electrically coupled. Peptide signaling seems to play a prominent role in all three motifs, and it may be a general rule that concentrations of various peptides encode the internal states that influence behavioral decisions in C. elegans.