Maintaining environmental values in a commercial environment : a framework for commercial development in Victoria's national parks

This research has focussed on the development of a commercial business model (CBM) for providing tourism and support service based commercial activities in Victoria's national parks which also allowed for the protection of the parks natural values. National parks are vital if we as a nation are to retain our natural heritage - but the public sector land stewards of these important assets are facing increasing funding and user pressures. The result is a growing focus on the commercialisation of our national parks to provide services and generate the revenue required to maintain these assets. However, this has resulted in the exacerbation of a long existing conflict - these commercial operators are primarily focus on the achievement of a commercial return, while the land stewards' main responsibility is in the protection of the natural values of these assets. In completing this project an abductive research approach (using grounded theory) has been adopted. Specifically, the research activities undertaken included data collection via a number of techniques including stakeholder interviews, detailed examination of existing commercial arrangements, literature research on international approaches and models, development of a suggested commercial business model based on a synthesise of the research outcomes and, finally, obtaining user feedback. The use of the various data sources, and subsequent sourcing of user feedback facilitated the triangulation of the research results. The findings from this research challenge a number of the practices currently adopted in the structuring of commercial activities suggesting that these practices are inhibiting the quality of the service being provided to the national park visitor along with the level of protection being afforded to the parks natural values. The resulting CBM provides park managers with a framework for identification and structuring of commercial business activities, practical guidance on the actions required in the completion of a concession process and identification of a number of the relevant issues which need to be considered and addressed in establishing and managing a national park concession. The CBM has been developed specifically for application within Victoria's national parks (based on a public/private sector relationship). The output will also provide guidance on methods for embedding natural values on public/private sector relationships in other settings

Quiet propulsive lift for commuter airlines

The performance of STOL or RTOL aircraft and NASA's research program to provide options for future design and certification of quiet propulsive-life transports is described

Marine Benthic Habitat Mapping of Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska With an Evaluation of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard III

Seafloor geology and potential benthic habitats were mapped in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, using multibeam sonar, ground-truth information, and geological interpretations. Muir Inlet is a recently deglaciated fjord that is under the influence of glacial and paraglacial marine processes. High glacially derived sediment and meltwater fluxes, slope instabilities, and variable bathymetry result in a highly dynamic estuarine environment and benthic ecosystem. We characterize the fjord seafloor and potential benthic habitats using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) recently developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NatureServe. Substrates within Muir Inlet are dominated by mud, derived from the high glacial debris flux. Water-column characteristics are derived from a combination of conductivity temperature depth (CTD) measurements and circulation-model results. We also present modern glaciomarine sediment accumulation data from quantitative differential bathymetry. These data show Muir Inlet is divided into two contrasting environments: a dynamic upper fjord and a relatively static lower fjord. The accompanying maps represent the first publicly available high-resolution bathymetric surveys of Muir Inlet. The results of these analyses serve as a test of the CMECS and as a baseline for continued mapping and correlations among seafloor substrate, benthic habitats, and glaciomarine processes

An overview of the quiet short-haul research aircraft program

An overview of the Quiet Short Haul Research Aircraft (QSRA) Program is presented, with special emphasis on its propulsion and acoustic aspects. A description of the NASA technical participation in the program including wind tunnel testing, engine ground tests, and advanced aircraft simulation is given. The aircraft and its systems are described and, measured performance, where available, is compared to program goals. Preliminary data indicate that additional research and development are needed in some areas of which acoustics is an example. Some of these additional research areas and potential experiments using the QSRA to develop the technology are discussed. The concept of the QSRA as a national flight research facility is explained

ATHENA: A Phase 3, Open-Label Study Of The Safety And Effectiveness Of Oliceridine (TRV130), A G-Protein Selective Agonist At The µ-Opioid Receptor, In Patients With Moderate To Severe Acute Pain Requiring Parenteral Opioid Therapy.

Background:Pain management with conventional opioids can be challenging due to dose-limiting adverse events (AEs), some of which may be related to the simultaneous activation of β-arrestin (a signaling pathway associated with opioid-related AEs) and G-protein pathways. The investigational analgesic oliceridine is a G-protein-selective agonist at the µ-opioid receptor with less recruitment of β-arrestin. The objective of this phase 3, open-label, multi-center study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability, of IV oliceridine for moderate to severe acute pain in a broad, real-world patient population, including postoperative surgical patients and non-surgical patients with painful medical conditions. Methods:Adult patients with a score ≥4 on 11-point NRS for pain intensity received IV oliceridine either by bolus or PCA; multimodal analgesia was permitted. Safety was assessed using AE reports, study discontinuations, clinical laboratory and vital sign measures. Results:A total of 768 patients received oliceridine. The mean age (SD) was 54.1 (16.1) years, with 32% ≥65 years of age. Most patients were female (65%) and Caucasian (78%). Surgical patients comprised the majority of the study population (94%), most common being orthopedic (30%), colorectal (15%) or gynecologic (15%) procedures. Multimodal analgesia was administered to 84% of patients. Oliceridine provided a rapid reduction in NRS pain score by 2.2 ± 2.3 at 30 mins from a score of 6.3 ± 2.1 (at baseline) which was maintained to the end of treatment. No deaths or significant cardiorespiratory events were reported. The incidence of AEs leading to early discontinuation and serious AEs were 2% and 3%, respectively. Nausea (31%), constipation (11%), and vomiting (10%) were the most common AEs. AEs were mostly of mild (37%) or moderate (25%) severity and considered possibly or probably related to oliceridine in 33% of patients. Conclusion:Oliceridine IV for the management of moderate to severe acute pain was generally safe and well tolerated in the patients studied. ClinicalTrialsgov identifier:NCT02656875

'Appreciating' Drainage Assets in New Zealand Cities: Rain Garden Treatment and Hydraulic Performance

Despite recognising rain gardens as a best management practice (BMP) to mitigate urban stormwater runoff, there is a dearth of knowledge about their treatment and infiltration performance. It is believed that organic substrates may enhance some contaminant removal but hinder hydraulic throughput although data showing this is sparse. In order to evaluate the influence of substrate composition on bioinfiltrative system effectiveness, mesocosm-scale (180 L, 0.17 m2) laboratory rain gardens were established. Saturated (constant head) hydraulic conductivity was determined before and after the experimental treatment tests that employed stormwater collected from a neighbouring catchment to investigate contaminant removal efficiencies. The principal contaminant (Zn, Cu, Pb and nutrients) removal efficiencies were investigated for three substrates comprising various proportions of organic topsoil. All total metal concentrations in the effluent were <50% of influent concentrations, with the exception of copper in the topsoil-only system that had negligible reduction due to a high dissolved fraction. The system comprising topsoil only had the lowest saturated hydraulic conductivity of 162 mm/hr and demonstrated the poorest metal (Cu, Zn) removal efficiencies. Interestingly, the system with a combination of sand and topsoil demonstrated most promising metal removal of Cu (53%), Zn (81.2%) and Pb (89.1%) with adequate hydraulic performance (296 mm/hr) required for a stormwater infiltrative system. Overall, metal removal was greater at an effluent pH of 7.38 compared to the 6.24 pH provided in the raw stormwater. Some pH buffering was provided by the calcareous sand in two of the systems, whereas the topsoil-only system lacked such buffering potential to facilitate adequate metal removal. These data highlight the influence of organic topsoil on pH that clearly governs metal speciation and hence removal efficacy in bioinfiltrative systems. Nitrate was net exported from all the systems, especially topsoil contrary to what is believed to be easily removed

Multidisciplinary health professionals' assessments of risk: how are tools used to reach consensus about risk assessment and management?

Author accepted manuscript (Post-Print) made available in accordance with publisher copyright policy.Risk assessment and management are among the most important and complex tasks health professionals undertake in their practice to prevent harm to patients and ensure safe and effective treatment. The aim of this study was to examine how multidisciplinary team members use tools to assess and manage risk, through examination of how tools are used to gather, record and “score” risk information; and how this process impacts on the formulation of risk assessment and management plans, interaction with patients, and consensus with colleagues regarding patient care. Fourteen professionals completed an assessment for a hypothetical client using a risk assessment and management tool, and then discussed their assessment in semi-structured interviews. Professionals were in moderate agreement in their assessments of the client on the tool, and highlighted the complexity of their decision making. Clinical management decisions, such as the amelioration of particular risks, followed assessment of the patient in a consistent way. The tool was an important way to for clinicians to communicate their judgments to others and set plans to direct patient care. Implications for the use of clinical decision making tools and instruments in mental health care, and the need for a focus on multidisciplinary decision making, are highlighted

Placing the university: thinking in and beyond globalization

In some respects, the impact of globalization on universities is well rehearsed (competition for international students; the drive for status in global rankings; the opening of overseas campuses; the dream of massive open online courses and other forms of digital education), but the relationship between universities as place-based institutions and globalization is less well understood. It is on that this chapter focuses. Drawing on work undertaken as part of an Economic and Social Research Council project (“Higher Education and Regional Social Transformation”) the author sets the arguments in a wider context. He explores the extent to which and ways in which universities have become key players in the reimagination of their city regions in a (neoliberal) global context. As well as reflecting on the wider public (and local) role of universities, he also considers how universities use the tools available to them to position themselves effectively as successful businesses within the new world in which they find themselves

A DBR Framework for Designing Mobile Virtual Reality Learning Environments

This paper proposes a Design Based Research framework for designing mobile virtual reality learning environments. The application of the framework is illustrated by two design-based research projects that aim to develop more authentic educational experiences and learner-centred pedagogies in higher education. The projects highlight the first two stages of the DBR framework, involving the exploration of mobile virtual reality (VR) to enhance the learning environment, and the design of prototype solutions for the different contexts. The design of the projects is guided by a set of design principles identified from the literature. These design principles will be modified in light of the subsequent project evaluation stages

Magnetism and Disorder Effects on muSR Measurements of the Magnetic Penetration Depth in Iron-Based Superconductors

It is shown that attempts to accurately deduce the magnetic penetration depth of overdoped BaFe_{1.82}Co_{0.18}As2 single crystals by transverse-field muon spin rotation (TF-muSR) are thwarted by field-induced magnetic order and strong vortex-lattice disorder. We explain how substantial deviations from the magnetic field distribution of a nearly perfect vortex lattice by one or both of these factors is also significant for other iron-based superconductors, and this introduces considerable uncertainty in the values of the magnetic penetration depth obtained by TF-muSR.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure