PRIVATE SECTOR AGRICULTURAL TENANCY ARRANGEMENTS IN EUROPE: THEMES AND DIMENSIONS; A CRITICAL REVIEW OF CURRENT LITERATURE

Although there is widespread support for the "ideal model" of agricultural production being based around the owner-occupier farmer, it is recognized that, for a variety of reasons, this ideal is neither always attainable nor desirable. There is also a need to ensure that farming becomes competitive when exposed fully to world markets. This means that farmers are likely to require the flexibility to expand their businesses in circumstances where they may not have the capital to purchase the additional assets. The need to find suitable systems for agricultural tenancy reform remains paramount as a means both for sustaining rural communities generally and for establishing mechanisms suitable for matching the demand for and supply of private land for rent. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently commissioned a study of agricultural land tenure systems in order to identify elements of good practice in existing arrangements for the leasing of private sector agricultural land. This report is confined to a consideration of and commentary on the existing literature on tenure and tenancy arrangements as a basis for identifying examples of good practice. For the purposes of establishing good practice, this report concentrates on the market economies of northern and western Europe, predominantly the fifteen current member states of the European Union, while being aware of the principal dimensions of land reform in central and eastern European and former Soviet Union countries.Farm tenancy--Europe, Farm tenancy--Europe--Bibliography, Farm tenancy--Government policy--Europe, Land tenure--Europe, Land Economics/Use,

’Too many empty homes, too many homeless’ – A novel design and procurement framework for transforming empty homes through sustainable solutions

The Retro-Tek research project investigates the potential of existing buildings in the UK contributing towards the EU 2050 CO2 target, through a sustainable retrofit programme aimed specifically at empty homes. It proposes a novel design and procurement methodology to bring empty homes back into use, integrate sustainable technologies and materials and offer them back to the market. Along with the obvious environmental sustainability benefits, it also assists communities and areas in need of regeneration, supporting the developments to both help address housing shortages and tackle socio-economic problems with empty, dilapidated dwellings. The project has formed a consortium of stakeholders and established unique design and procurement processes and methodologies relevant to the sustainable retrofit process. Their viability was tested via undertaking two case studies of representative empty homes, establishing results within a measurable data format. The research further developed a commercial output model based on financing, procurement, the supply chain and the project management process and is currently applying for funding to launch a major scheme of bringing 1000 empty homes back in use by 2020.Z.ENV.AB.8322 CR & D Project 8 Retro-Tek (ERDF funded) Sustainable Construction i-Net Collaborative R&D Gran

Guidelines for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis for GPs

Copyright © 2004 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Copyright to Australian Family Physician. Reproduced with permission. Permission to reproduce must be sought from the publisher, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.Background: Since the last series of guidelines on the management of osteoporosis from Osteoporosis Australia was published in Australian Family Physician (October 2002), there have been further advances in our understanding of the treatment involved in both the prevention of bone loss and the management of established osteoporosis. Objective: This article provides updated guidelines for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis to assist general practitioners identify those women at risk, and reviews current treatment strategies. DISCUSSION: Osteoporosis and its associated problems are major health concerns in Australia, especially with an aging population. While important principles of management are still considered to be maximising peak bone mass and preventing postmenopausal bone loss, new clinical trial data about drugs such as the bisphosphonates, raloxifene and oestrogen have recently become available and the relative role of various agents is gradually becoming clearer. The use of long term hormone therapy has mixed risks and benefits that requires individual patient counselling.O'Neill S; MacLennan A; Bass S; Diamond T; Ebeling P; Findlay D; Flicker L; Markwell A; Nowson C; Pocock N; Sambrook P; Singh M

Safety Related HVAC Systems in PWR Nuclear Power Plants

This paper is for the completion of MEMS 500 - Independent Study at Washington University in St. Louis. The materials and coursework are based off MEMS 5420 HVAC Analysis and Design I. This course covered readings and problems from chapters 1-8 of Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Design and Analysis - sixth edition by McQuiston, Parker, and Spitler. Topics included moist air prop- erties, indoor environmental quality (comfort and health), heat transmission in building structures, space heating loads, and cooling loads. This paper focuses on a few of the safety related HVAC systems found in PWR or pressurized water reactor type nuclear power plants. HVAC systems provide personal comfort and safety through heating, cooling, and ventilation air at appropriate temperatures, humidities, and flow rates for normal machine operations. Due to the sheer number and complexity of these systems, my focus is on only a few considerations. This includes an overview of each building on a campus and their HVAC needs. Special topics include a breakdown of radioactive filtration systems, and ventilation for excess hydrogen in battery rooms

THE ANTECEDENTS OF TRUST BETWEEN A TECHNOLOGY SERVICE PROVIDER AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS

There is an intense focus in business today on digital transformation, with technology departments as a key enabler. In a large organization, a trusting relationship between business stakeholders and their technology department is critical to enable the delivery of their strategic imperatives. This doctoral dissertation details the findings of a quantitative research study conducted at Loblaw Companies Limited in the fall of 2020 to understand trustworthiness and fairness as key antecedents of a trusting relationship between the organization’s technology department (Loblaw Technology) and its business stakeholders. The study sets out to determine how closely that level of trust is connected to the level of satisfaction the stakeholders have in the outcomes Loblaw Technology delivers. The level of trust in Loblaw Technology from the perspective of its business stakeholders is a key measure of the value that the Loblaw Technology department produces for the organization, because trust facilitates the exchange relationships between Loblaw Technology and its business stakeholders and results in their satisfaction with outcomes delivered. This quantitative study examined the category-based trust relationship between individuals (business stakeholders) and a service department that supports them (Loblaw Technology) and explored the antecedents that affect trust as the Loblaw Technology department makes decisions and provides services to their business stakeholders. These antecedents include the three antecedents of trustworthiness: ability, benevolence, integrity, and the four elements of organizational justice and fairness experienced by the business stakeholders, i.e., distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice. The most important positive antecedents of trust were found to be ability, integrity, and distributive justice, although issues with discriminant validity weaken the results of this study. Higher levels of trust are required for high levels of satisfaction, with satisfaction being a key indicator of the value that Loblaw Technology delivers to the organization. Understanding the strength of the relationships between the antecedents of trust enables the leadership of Loblaw Technology to build programs focused on the most important antecedents, which will foster improved trust with their business stakeholders, thus increasing the satisfaction in the delivery of key strategic technology enablers, increasing the value realized through Loblaw’s investments in technology.2021-1

Implementation of a Standardized Acute Care Plan for Complex Care Medicine Service Patients: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Abstract BACKGROUND: Care transition plans, locally called Acute Care Plans (ACPs), are created specifically for super utilizers of the Complex Care Medicine Service (CCMS) and are a target for improvement. The purpose of this project was to improve care for CCMS patients by developing, implementing, and evaluating a standardized CCMS ACP. A multidisciplinary approach was chosen to facilitate the transitions of care process during an admission or discharge from the hospital. LOCAL PROBLEM: The purpose of the ACP is to get a quick summary of how to treat a patient when they come to the hospital. The ACPs are unstructured, content is greatly variable, and updates lack ownership. METHODS: The intervention for this quality improvement initiative includes the following: to standardize the ACP for CCMS patients; to educate CCMS providers on transitions of care and what to include in the standardized ACP; huddles with the Emergency Department (ED) providers to evaluate the implementation process; and huddles with CCMS providers to identify barriers and successes evident from the ACP improvement process. The intervention was evaluated after twelve weeks by comparing the number of CCMS patients that have a standardized ACP in place at the time of discharge compared to the start of the Quality Improvement project. RESULTS: The results of the standardization of the CCMS ACPs were favorable. At the start of this QI project there were 40 CCMS patients that had an ACP in the EMR. At the completion of this QI project there were 65 CCMS patients that have a standardized ACP in the EMR. This project demonstrated that by standardizing the ACPs, the care of the CCMS patients improved. CONCLUSIONS: This project demonstrated that by standardizing the ACPs, providers perceived that their care of CCMS patients improved. At the close of the project, all ACPs at issue had a standardized plan of care

“It feels like you’re just plastering over a crack” The use of reduced timetables in secondary schools

There is a plethora of research around school exclusions within the literature, given the stark consequences and frequency of the practice. Schools use a variety of methods to support young people at risk of exclusion. One method of managing behaviour that is starting to gain mention within the literature is reduced timetables. Research exploring reduced timetables is sparse and little is known about how reduced timetables operate. There is also very little research that seeks the views of young people regarding their experiences of reduced timetables. There has been no attempt to collect in-depth qualitative data on the operationalisation of reduced timetables, nor the experiences of young people placed on reduced timetables in England. This thesis used an ecological lens to explore how and why reduced timetables are being operationalised in schools, and what the experiences are of the young people that are involved in them. Thus, the research presents a two-phase structure. In the first phase, eight professionals from schools and wider local authority teams that have a role in supporting young people on reduced timetables were interviewed. In the second phase, young people who have been placed on reduced timetables were interviewed. A reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, providing contextual information regarding reduced timetables and the lived experiences of those involved with them. Findings from professionals highlighted three key themes: the varied process of reduced timetables, reasons for reduced timetables, and challenges and tensions within the reduced timetables process. Findings from young people highlighted three key themes: experiences of school, relationships with teachers, and experiences of reduced timetables. Discussions and conclusions focus on the importance of reduced timetables being part of a well-planned, wider support plan that aims to address the underlying needs of young people. The findings hold significant recommendations for educational psychologists, schools, local authorities, and policy makers