Comparing legislative mechanisms for SEA screening and decision-making: Austrian and Australian experiences

Austrian and Australian approaches to strategic environmental assessment (SEA) are compared with particular emphasis upon the legal basis for the initial phase of agreement/screening and the final stage of SEA decision-making and implementation. In Austrian SEA, screening is compulsory and the outcome leads only to recommendations, meaning that the SEA results have to be considered, but are not binding for the approval decision. In Australia engagement in SEA is largely voluntary but the process results in legally binding conditions of approval that can be applied to relevant actions arising from an assessed policy, plan or programme; the incentive for proponents to participate voluntarily is that subsequent project level activities may be exempt from further assessment processes. Compulsory SEA in Australia also provides a legally certain outcome, a factor of benefit to proponents. Examples of SEAs are provided to demonstrate the operation of the respective stages in the two countries. In Austria compulsory screening results in a lot of energy being spent avoiding triggering a full SEA. Although Australian proponents have been somewhat cautious in volunteering for SEA of their activities, there are signs that this is changing. We argue that the regulatory framework characteristics are a key determinant of the behaviour of proponents and the competent authority in practice and subsequently of SEA potential and outcomes. Consideration of the construct of the regulatory framework for SEA screening and decision-making provides a useful point of reflection for practitioners attempting to understand the effectiveness of SEA processes in a given jurisdiction

Using Commercial Off-The-Shelf Fuses in Vacuum

In the summer of 2015 during thermal vacuum testing of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series (GOES-R) observatory, a heater circuit that was part of the ground support equipment in the vacuum chamber developed an electrical short. The current flow through the short melted and vaporized approximately a meter of 14-gauge polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) insulated twisted pair copper wire. The test event was treated as a mishap, and an independent team investigated the failure. The mishap investigation team found as a contributing root cause that the test setup lacked sufficient circuit protection, and for future testing of the next three GOES-R observatories, they recommended the use of fusing or circuit interruption to protect the heater circuit wires [1]. In response to this recommendation, the GOES-R flight project traded two fusing options. One option was to locate the fuses for the wires inside the vacuum chamber, and the other was to locate the fuses external to the chamber. To support fusing inside the vacuum chamber, developmental testing of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) fuses was initiated. Based on the heater circuit design, the testing focused on fusing 9 A at 250 V direct current (VDC) in both soft,130 Pa (1 torr), and hard, <30 mPa (2 10(exp 4) torr), vacuum conditions. If the selected fuses do not open a shorted circuit, then the test heater wires could vaporize again and cause another contamination event. If the fuses open below the required 9 A, then the spacecraft thermal vacuum testing campaign will be interrupted to open the chamber to replace test heater fuses

A semianalytical satellite theory for weak time-dependent perturbations

The modifications of the semianalytical satellite theory required to include these 'weak' time dependent perturbations are described. The new formulation results in additional terms in the short periodic variations but does not change the averaged equations of motion. Thus the m monthly terms are still included in the averaged equations of motion. This contrasts with the usual approach for the strongly time dependent perturbations in which the m monthly (or m daily, if tesseral harmonics are being considered) terms would be eliminated from the averaged equations of motion and included in the short periodics computation. Numerical test results for the GPS case obtained with a numerical averaging implementation of the new theory demonstrate the accuracy improvement

Simulation models for autonomous rendezvous and capture

Autonomous rendezvous and capture (AR&C) is a critical space technology with significant application to a variety of missions. Martin Marietta Astronautics Group (MMAG) has been developing AR&C technical capability in support of several recent NASA contracts. The use of AR&C for the Mars Rover/Sample Return (MRSR) mission was studied through a contract with JSC. Incorporation of AR&C in the Space Transportation Vehicle (STV) lunar mission was studied through a contract with MSFC. The MMAG has also been developing AR&C simulation capability under independent research and development studies. Simulation development was driven by two goals: comprehensive software simulation of the autonomous rendezvous and capture mission from launch to final capture; and integration of the overall software and hardware simulation to support an AR&C flight demonstration. This presentation will highlight the AR&C software simulation tools and analyze results from their application to the STV lunar mission. Plans for an integrated software and hardware simulation will also be summarized

Usefulness of species traits in predicting range shifts

Information on species’ ecological traits might improve predictions of climate-driven range shifts. However, the usefulness of traits is usually assumed rather than quantified. We present a framework to identify the most informative traits, based on four key range-shift processes: (i) emigration of individuals or propagules away from the natal location, (ii) the distance a species can move, (iii) establishment of self-sustaining populations, and (iv) proliferation following establishment. We propose a framework that categorises traits according to their contribution to range-shift processes. We demonstrate how the framework enables the predictive value of traits to be evaluated empirically, how this categorisation can be used to better understand range shift processes, and illustrate how range shift estimates can be improved

Pengaruh Kecerdasan Spiritual Pada Total Quality Service Di Rumah Sakit Umum Queen Latifa YOGYAKARTA

Banyaknya pemberitaan yang berkaitan dengan pelayanan yang kurang baikpada sebuah rumah sakit menuntut setiap rumah sakit untuk meningkatkankualitas pelayanannya dari segi organisasi pelayanan kesehatan dan mutusumber daya manusia atau tenaga profesional kesehatan. Mutu sumber dayamanusia menjadi kunci penentu atas kualitas pelayanan. Tenaga kesehatanharus mampu memberikan pelayanan yang baik dengan menggunakanhati nurani. Hati adalah sumber energi dan perasaan mendalam yangmenuntut kita belajar, menciptakan kerjasama, memimpin dan melayani.Jenis penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif deskriptif. Metodepengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah angket,wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah tenagakesehatan yang ada di Rumah Sakit Queen Latifa Yogyakarta. Sampel yangdiambil sebanyak 47 responden. Analisis instrumen menggunakan analisisvaliditas dan reliabilitas, sedangkan analisis data menggunakan analisisdeskriptif, analisis korelasi, dan analisis regresi sederhana. Hasil penelitianini menunjukkan adanya pengaruh secara positif dan signifikan antarakecerdasan spiritual dengan total quality service sebesar 0. 362 atau 36.2%.Berdasarkan hasil tersebut dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat pengaruhsecara positif dan signifikan antara kecerdasan spiritual dengan total qualityservice di Rumah Sakit Queen Latifa Yogyakarta

Peran Mediasi Affective Commitment Pada Hubungan Procedural Justice, Perceived Organizational Support Dengan Employee Engagement

Organisasi yang memiliki karyawan yang engagement pada pekerjaan akan dapat meraih keunggulan kompetitif. Keadilan prosedural (procedural justice), persepsi atas dukungan yang diberikan organisasi (perceived organizational support) dan komitmen afektif (affective commitment) dapat sebagai variabel untuk membangun employee engagement.Penelitian ini dilakukan pada karyawan bagian produksi Perusahaan manufaktur di Surabaya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh procedural justice dan perceived organizational support terhadap employee engagement dengan affective commitment sebagai variabel mediasi. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantiatif. Sampel pada penelitian ini adalah karyawan tetap bagian produksi Perusahaan manufaktur di Surabaya sejumlah 182 sampel dengan menggunakan metode sensus. Teknik analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teknik analisis Partial Least Square (PLS)Hasil pada penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa procedural justice dan perceived organizational support berpengaruh secara signifikan employee engagement dan affective commitment sebagai variabel mediasi karyawan bagian produksi Perusahaan manufaktur

Recurrence of intestinal metaplasia and early neoplasia after endoscopic eradication therapy for Barrett’s esophagus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Conflicting data exist with regard to recurrence rates of intestinal metaplasia (IM) and dysplasia after achieving complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CE-IM) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) patients. Aim (i) To determine the incidence of recurrent IM and dysplasia achieving CE-IM and (ii) to compare recurrence rates between treatment modalities [radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with or without endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) vs stepwise complete EMR (SRER)]. Methods A systematic search was performed for studies reporting on outcomes and estimates of recurrence rates after achieving CE-IM. Pooled incidence [per 100-patient-years (PY)] and risk ratios with 95 %CI were obtained. Heterogeneity was measured using the I 2 statistic. Subgroup analyses, decided a priori, were performed to explore heterogeneity in results. Results A total of 39 studies were identified (25-RFA, 13-SRER, and 2 combined). The pooled incidence of any recurrence was 7.5 (95 %CI 6.1 – 9.0)/100 PY with a pooled incidence of IM recurrence rate of 4.8 (95 %CI 3.8 – 5.9)/100 PY, and dysplasia recurrence rate of 2.0 (95 %CI 1.5 – 2.5)/100 PY. Compared to the SRER group, the RFA group had significantly higher overall [8.6 (6.7 – 10.5)/100 PY vs. 5.1 (3.1 – 7)/100 PY, P = 0.01] and IM recurrence rates [5.8 (4.3 – 7.3)/100 PY vs. 3.1 (1.7 – 4)/100 PY, P &lt; 0.01] with no difference in recurrence rates of dysplasia. Significant heterogeneity between studies was identified. The majority of recurrences were amenable to repeat endoscopic eradication therapy (EET). Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate that the incidence rates of overall, IM, and dysplasia recurrence rates post-EET are not inconsiderable and reinforce the importance of close surveillance after achieving CE-IM.</jats:p

Lincoln University entomological expedition to Pitt Island

The expedition had two objectives: 1. To search for the Pitt Island longhorn beetle, Xylotoles costatus and determine its distribution, abundance and conservation status. 2. To undertake general entomological survey work, particularly in the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera by using trapping methods not previously used on Pitt Island

Dual-Laser-Pulse Ignition

A dual-pulse laser (DPL) technique has been demonstrated for generating laser-induced sparks (LIS) to ignite fuels. The technique was originally intended to be applied to the ignition of rocket propellants, but may also be applicable to ignition in terrestrial settings in which electric igniters may not be suitable