New South Wales Auditor-General’s report: financial audit volume fourteen 2014 focusing on trade and investment

Executive Summary Introduction This report sets out the results of the financial statement audits of the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services (DTIRIS) cluster agencies for the year ended 30 June 2014. Unqualified audit opinions were issued on 54 financial statements. One set of financial statements is outstanding and eight audits have not been completed for 30 June 2014. This includes the Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC) for which a disclaimer of opinion may be issued when the signed financial statements are received. Comment on WAMC and incomplete audits appear later in this report. Entities in the Cluster DTIRIS is the State’s lead economic development agency. It achieves results by collaborating with and supporting businesses, industries and communities with respect to investment, trade, innovation, productivity and regional growth across all sectors. DTIRIS cluster agencies promote trade and investment locally and internationally, providing business support, technical knowledge, and science and research capabilities to industries. They also support the tourism, hospitality, racing and cultural sectors. Agencies work to secure and regulate energy and mineral resources for New South Wales, support food and fibre industries, and encourage natural resource management. We audited 63 agencies in the DTIRIS cluster. These agencies include nine Electricity and eight Water agencies which were reported on in the NSW Auditor-General’s report to Parliament Volume Five 2014. Two of those 2014 audits are ongoing. Commentary in this volume is on the remaining 46 DTIRIS cluster agencies

Marine Ecosystem Governance in the Making : Planning for petroleum activity in the Barents Sea-Lofoten area

The Papers in this thesis are not available in Munin: 1.Knol, Maaike: 'Scientific advice in integrated ocean management : The process towards the Barents Sea plan', Marine Policy 34 (2): 252-260 (publishers' restriction). Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2009.07.009 2. Knol, Maaike: 'Mapping ocean governance : From ecological values to policy instrumentation' (accepted manuscript version). Published version: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Vol. 54, No. 7, September 2011, 979–995, available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2010.547686 3. Knol, Maaike: 'Constructing knowledge gaps in Barents Sea management : How uncertainties become objects of risk', MAST 9(1): 61-79 (Publishers' restriction). 4. Knol, Maaike: 'The uncertainties of precaution : Zero discharges in the Barents Sea', Marine Policy Volume 35, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 399-404 (Publishers' restriction). Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2010.10.018Expanding petroleum activity in the Barents Sea-Lofoten area has worked as a catalyst for the development and introduction of the first integrated, ecosystem-based management plan in Norway. This plan sets the framework, in particular, for further petroleum activities. Building on Science and Technology Studies (STS) this thesis provides an analysis of the practices and instrumentation of marine ecosystem governance, which encompasses the broader dynamics around the introduction of integrated, ecosystem-based management. It follows processes of co-production at the science-policy interface and analyzes how scientific knowledge is mobilized and translated into governance practices and policy instrumentation for the regulation of oil and gas activities and their related risks and uncertainties. While the thorough expert processes are characterized by a focus on integrated natural scientific knowledge production, the political implementation of marine ecosystem governance is characterized by the introduction of rather general, rigid policy measures. This comes to light when studying the two main instruments for the regulation of petroleum activity in the Barents Sea-Lofoten area: a zoning arrangement and a zero discharge regulation. These instruments function as the obligatory passage points for the expansion of petroleum activity into the Barents Sea area. Apart from designing durable and mobile instruments, the design processes for ecosystem governance are directed at building in responsiveness to environmental change. This, however, does not necessarily provide guidance to governance intervention when the critical limits of the ecosystem are within reach. Since risk is a central organizing concept in the governance of oil and gas activities, this thesis looks into the governance of risk related to normal petroleum operations, as well as to events of acute pollution. It demonstrates the relevance to study risk assessment and management as a part of a complex process that includes politics as much as science. This thesis emphasizes the centrality of uncertainties and knowledge gaps in marine governance practices, and develops the argument that the focus on knowledge gaps illuminates the dominant framings of risk. Although the production of more knowledge can lead to a refinement of the very notion of risk, this thesis emphasizes that scientific and social indeterminacy are constant challenges to be dealt with

Ascertaining the nature and timing of mire degradation : using palaeoecology to assist future conservation management in Northern England

This study was initiated under contract VT0419 from English Nature (Natural England) to CECQR. In 2015, additional funding was provided by the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, for 210Pb dating, to refine age–depth estimates. We thank the following for fieldwork co-ordination, logistics or field assistance: Miriam Baynes, Mike Sutcliffe, Martin Furness, Gez Marshall, Paul Duncan, Tim Page, Andrew Windrum, Craig Sandham and Jackie Smith. We thank the Editor and two anonymous reviewers for suggestions for improvements.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

An Interprofessional Consensus of Core Competencies for Prelicensure Education in Pain Management: Curriculum Application for Physical Therapy

Core competencies in pain management for prelicensure health professional education were recently established. These competencies represent the expectation of minimal capabilities for graduating health care students for pain management and include 4 domains: multidimensional nature of pain, pain assessment and measurement, management of pain, and context of pain (Appendix 1). The purpose of this article is to advocate for and identify how core competencies for pain can be applied to the professional (entry-level) physical therapist curriculum. By ensuring that core competencies in pain management are embedded within the foundation of physical therapist education, physical therapists will have the core knowledge necessary for offering best care for patients, and the profession of physical therapy will continue to stand with all health professions engaged in comprehensive pain management

The quantitative soil pit method for measuring belowground carbon and nitrogen stocks

Many important questions in ecosystem science require estimates of stocks of soil C and nutrients. Quantitative soil pits provide direct measurements of total soil mass and elemental content in depth-based samples representative of large volumes, bypassing potential errors associated with independently measuring soil bulk density, rock volume, and elemental concentrations. The method also allows relatively unbiased sampling of other belowground C and nutrient stocks, including roots, coarse organic fragments, and rocks. We present a comprehensive methodology for sampling these pools with quantitative pits and assess their accuracy, precision, effort, and sampling intensity as compared to other methods. At 14 forested sites in New Hampshire, nonsoil belowground pools (which other methods may omit, double-count, or undercount) accounted for upward of 25% of total belowground C and N stocks: coarse material accounted for 4 and 1% of C and N in the O horizon; roots were 11 and 4% of C and N in the O horizon and 10 and 3% of C and N in the B horizon; and soil adhering to rocks represented 5% of total B-horizon C and N. The top 50 cm of the C horizon contained the equivalent of 17% of B-horizon carbon and N. Sampling procedures should be carefully designed to avoid treating these important pools inconsistently. Quantitative soil pits have fewer sources of systematic error than coring methods; the main disadvantage is that because they are time-consuming and create a larger zone of disturbance, fewer observations can be made than with cores

KM Maturity Factors Affecting High Performance in Universities

This paper aims to measure Knowledge Management Maturity (KMM) in the universities to determine the impact of knowledge management on high performance. This study was applied on Al-Quds Open University in Gaza strip, Palestine. Asian productivity organization model was applied to measure KMM. Second dimension which assess high performance was developed by the authors. The controlled sample was (306). Several statistical tools were used for data analysis and hypotheses testing, including reliability Correlation using Cronbach’s alpha, “ANOVA”, Simple Linear Regression and Step Wise Regression.The overall findings of the current study suggest that KMM is suitable for measuring high performance. KMM assessment shows that maturity level is in level three. Findings also support the main hypothesis and it is sub- hypotheses. The most important factors effecting high performance are: Processes, KM leadership, People, KM Outcomes and Learning and Innovation. Furthermore the current study is unique by the virtue of its nature, scope and way of implied investigation, as it is the first comparative study in the universities of Palestine explores the status of KMM using the Asian productivity Model

Managing Soil Quality: Challenges in Modern Agriculture

Soil quality is a concept that allows soil functions to be related to specific purposes. Previous books on soil quality have emphasized descriptive aspects, by focusing on e.g. soil quality indicators, indexing, and minimum data sets. This book takes a management oriented approach by identifying key issues in soil quality and management options to enhance the sustainability of modern agriculture. Topics covered include major plant nutrients (N, P, K), soil acidity, soil organic matter, soil biodiversity, soil compaction, erosion, pesticides and urban waste. Also included are in-depth treatments of the soil quality concept, its history, and its applicability in research and in developed and developing societies. The book will be of significant interest to post-graduate students and researchers in agronomy and in soil, crop and environmental sciences, and to stakeholders involved in issues related to land use and agricultural development

Bibliometric studies on single journals: a review

This paper covers a total of 82 bibliometric studies on single journals (62 studies cover unique titles) published between 1998 and 2008 grouped into the following fields; Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (12 items); Medical and Health Sciences (19 items); Sciences and Technology (30 items) and Library and Information Sciences (21 items). Under each field the studies are described in accordance to their geographical location in the following order, United Kingdom, United States and Americana, Europe, Asia (India, Africa and Malaysia). For each study, elements described are (a) the journal’s publication characteristics and indexation information; (b) the objectives; (c) the sampling and bibliometric measures used; and (d) the results observed. A list of journal titles studied is appended. The results show that (a)bibliometric studies cover journals in various fields; (b) there are several revisits of some journals which are considered important; (c) Asian and African contributions is high (41.4 of total studies; 43.5 covering unique titles), United States (30.4 of total; 31.0 on unique titles), Europe (18.2 of total and 14.5 on unique titles) and the United Kingdom (10 of total and 11 on unique titles); (d) a high number of bibliometrists are Indians and as such coverage of Indian journals is high (28 of total studies; 30.6 of unique titles); and (e) the quality of the journals and their importance either nationally or internationally are inferred from their indexation status