Trading Carbon into Agriculture: making it happen

With agriculture occupying approximately sixty per cent of Australia’s land surface, policy makers, scientists and land managers are becoming increasingly interested in opportunities to sequester greenhouse emissions through land use change. The announcement of the Labor Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative brings Australian agriculture a step closer to participating in recognised domestic and international climate change mitigation action. In this paper, the costs and opportunities for carbon sequestration options under the Carbon Farming Initiative are assessed. The following section discusses the substantial hidden costs that may be associated with an offset trading scheme and potential for these costs to substantially shrink the size of the market. The paper concludes by presenting some potential solutions to the challenges raised and identifies some critical questions for policy makers.carbon trading, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Creating A Game-Based Learning Tool for Optimizing Intra-Hospital Disaster Response

Preparing for Disasters such as Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs), whether of natural or human origin, are of increasing concern. When these incidents occur, hospitals are overrun with an influx of new patients and day-to-day operations are interrupted. Concurrently, increased demand for intensive care resources can outpace the ability of hospital staff to organize appropriately. In such events, efficient management of space (emergency rooms, operating rooms), medical staff, and supplies (blood, hospital beds) is imperative for reducing injury, illness and saving lives. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently identified key disaster categories for which United States hospitals need to be prepared: Large-scale natural disasters, complex MCIs, and catastrophic health events. Each category poses its own set of challenges for effective management of operations and resources. During a complex MCI, demand for space, staff, and supplies quickly expand beyond the bounds of Emergency Departments (ED). Although many training tools exist for both the field and ED, surprisingly few exist for hospital-wide disaster response. Programs that do exist come in the form of infrequent, costly, and time-intensive large-scale simulations. A game-based instructional modality was developed to practice the medical knowledge, teamwork, and complex decision making required by multidisciplinary teams. As part of this research, a physical board game was developed using an iterative design approach. Additionally, a wireframe prototype of a complimentary digital version was developed using the Waterfall design approach. Both these options were chosen to reduce training costs, and increase training frequency and efficacy compared to large-scale MCI simulations. The purpose of this project is to create an accessible and cost-effective game-based disaster readiness training tool specifically for intra-hospital personnel. The desired outcome is to increase efficiency and effectiveness of intra-hospital disaster response for MCI. For this project, a mass-shooting scenario has been selected as the focus of gameplay

Negative input for grammatical errors: effects after a lag of 12 weeks

Effects of negative input for 13 categories of grammatical error were assessed in a longitudinal study of naturalistic adult-child discourse. Two-hour samples of conversational interaction were obtained at two points in time, separated by a lag of 12 weeks, for 12 children (mean age 2;0 at the start). The data were interpreted within the framework offered by Saxton’s (1997; 2000) contrast theory of negative input. Corrective input was associated with subsequent improvements in the grammaticality of child speech for three of the target structures. No effects were found for two forms of positive input: non-contingent models, where the adult produces target structures in non-error-contingent contexts; and contingent models, where grammatical forms follow grammatical child usages. The findings lend support to the view that, in some cases at least, the structure of adult-child discourse yields information on the bounds of grammaticality for the language-learning child

Peer-led intervention to prevent and reduce STI transmission and improve sexual health in secondary schools (STASH): protocol for a feasibility study

Background: Young people in the UK are at highest risk of sexually transmitted infections and report higher levels of unsafe sex than any other age group. Involving peer supporters in intervention delivery is acceptable to students and effective in reducing risk behaviours via ‘diffusion of innovation’, particularly where peer supporters are influential in their networks. Informal peer-led interventions offer a useful alternative to peer-led didactic teaching, which has shown limited effects. Building on the successful ASSIST anti-smoking intervention, the ‘STis And Sexual Health’ (STASH) intervention involves identification and recruitment of the most influential students as peer supporters, training and support to these students by specialist trainers, positive sex and relationships messages, spread by peer supporters to their friendship groups in person and via social media. Methods/design: This protocol describes a feasibility trial of the STASH intervention in six schools. It builds on an earlier study phase of intervention co-development using patient and public involvement (PPI) activities, followed by a pilot of intervention components and evaluation tools in one school. Participants are fourth year (S4) students (aged 14–16) in state-funded Scottish secondary schools who have received some level of teacher-led sex education. The previous cohort of S4 students (those completing S4 in the year prior to the intervention) will serve as controls. Data will be collected from controls (month 16), baseline (month 20–21) and follow-up (month 27–30) via a web-based questionnaire, which will measure (and test the reliability of) primary outcome measures for a phase III trial (delayed initiation of/abstinence from sex and consistent condom use), secondary outcomes and mediators of sexual behaviour (including school climate and social networks). The main feasibility outcome is whether the study meets pre-set progression criteria regarding feasibility and acceptability, measured largely via a process evaluation (basic measures in all 6 schools and in-depth in 2-4 schools). An economic evaluation reporting costs alongside consequences will be conducted. Discussion: This study will inform decisions on the feasibility, design and sample size for a phase III effectiveness trial to assess whether the STASH intervention is effective in reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections in young people