Blue Kenue enhancements from 2014 to 2019

Hydrodynamic

From Parks to Partnerships: National Heritage Areas and the Path to Collaborative Participation in the National Park Service\u27s First 100 Years

National parks have been characterized as a democratic institution, a window on natural and cultural history open to all. Over its first century, however, the National Park Service’s (NPS) approach to participatory democracy has evolved. In its early years, NPS professionals applied their expertise to make decisions about park policy, administration and management with little input from the public aside from the interests of businesses that operated within the parks. Public participation in the parks was limited to using the facilities that the NPS provided for public enjoyment. Beginning in the 1930s, the NPS expanded public participation by adding management categories that included a greater range of uses, appealing to a wider public. Later, reflecting changing approaches in law, policy and political theory on how to operationalize participation effectively, the NPS increased opportunities for the public to participate in administrative and management decisions. Consulting with the public increased responsiveness to a broad range of public desires and helped the NPS develop effective management plans. In the 1980s, the NPS extended public participation even further by collaborating as partners with local communities and organizations in national heritage areas (NHAs). As a partner in NHAs, the role of the NPS moved beyond land manager as the agency took on new responsibilities in community development. Although Congress designates NHAs, they are administered by local entities with the goal of organizing heritage-based education and tourism. NHA management entities partner with the NPS to draw on its expertise in heritage tourism, interpretation and landscape management. NHAs represent a twenty-first century approach to public administration, emphasizing collaboration, partnerships, and sharing costs and responsibilities through federal-local cooperation. They expand the National Park Service’s role as guardian not only of American heritage, but also of American democracy

In-Stream Leaf Decomposition as an Indicator of Marcellus Shale Impairment Across a Land Use Gradient

Rapid development of hydrofracking, particularly in the Marcellus Shale region, has greatly outpaced ecological research assessing potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Increased sedimentation and contamination of streams from unconventional natural gas (UNG) activity could affect stream biota, resulting in altered rates of in-stream leaf decomposition. We deployed leaf packs in seven sites representing a range of UNG activity among different land uses including forest, agriculture, and development. In addition, physical and chemical variables were measured. Summer breakdown rates for all sites, mesh sizes, and leaf species were higher in the presence of UNG activity. Fall breakdown rates demonstrated no consistent trend among land uses or UNG activity. Summer deployment had more storm events than fall, promoting more runoff into streams as well as more sediment release. This suggests that higher physical breakdown rates in UNG sites could have been caused by more disturbed land, modifying stream hydrology. However, fall measurements, under more consistent flow regimes, indicate sites with flashier hydrology are prone to faster breakdown rates due to mechanical fragmentation rather than biological decomposition. Leaf breakdown rates were not a consistent indicator of UNG impairment among our sites due to factors affecting breakdown rates caused by land uses other than UNG and physical breakdown attributed to hydrologic disturbances

Framing the role of technologies in the recognition and development of staff capacities to enhance learning in higher education

There are practical initiatives which can be taken by university management to move institutions forward by engaging a broad range of staff and in cultivating leadership capabilities in teaching and learning. These initiatives are considered in terms of 12 &lsquo;levers of engagement&rsquo; currently being implemented in our university, and shown below. Deakin, as a major flexible education provider, is used as an institutional case study of the role of technology in supporting organisational change in higher education. Many of the levers of engagement are evident in other Australian universities.<br /

A World Unglued: Simultanagnosia As A Spatial Restriction Of Attention

Simultanagnosia is a disorder of visual attention that leaves a patient’s world unglued: scenes and objects are perceived in a piecemeal manner. It is generally agreed that simultanagnosia is related to an impairment of attention, but it is unclear whether this impairment is object- or space-based in nature. We first consider the findings that support a concept of simultanagnosia as deficit of object-based attention. We then examine the evidence suggesting that simultanagnosia results from damage to a space-based attentional system, and in particular a model of simultanagnosia as a narrowed spatial window of attention. We ask whether seemingly object-based deficits can be explained by space-based mechanisms, and consider the evidence that object processing influences spatial deficits in this condition. Finally, we discuss limitations of a space-based attentional explanation

The Climate Crisis A Toolkit and Resource Pack for Funders in South Africa. Why, How and the Role of Philanthropy

The Toolkit has its genesis in a three-part webinar series on Future Proofing Philanthropy in South Africa Against Climate Change, which was run by IPASA. This series of engagements demonstrated that key reasons for inaction on climate change by philanthropic funders include the difficulties in understanding the issue, applying it to their strategic thinking, and in finding effective solutions. The webinar series culminated in the development of the Toolkit, which is aimed at helping funders overcome these challenges. The Toolkit provides a range of useful, accessible, and carefully curated resources to support your journey in understanding the climate crisis and how philanthropy can respond. Our hope is that this Toolkit will catalyse new thinking and will be the beginning of a South African climate philanthropy community of practice and movement. The toolkit contains rich information and practical advice for organisations on every stage of their climate journey