Iwi interests and the RMA: An evaluation of the quality of first generation council plans

This working paper analyses the processes adopted by councils for involving hapū /iwi in plan implementation, including the resource consents process. Three topic issues were investigated to assess plan implementation — urban amenity, storm water, and issues of importance to iwi. Questions were asked about the capacity of hapū/iwi to engage in the resource consent process, which resource issues were of concern to them, their relationship with council and consent applicants, and their perception of the consent process. Most resources listed in the questionnaire were of concern to hapū/iwi, with water quality, wāhi tapu and heritage the most commonly cited. In conclusion, we found a general dissatisfaction on the part of hapū/iwi with councils’ performance with respect to both Treaty relationships and consent processing under the RMA. A further contributing factor to the poor relationships found between hapū/iwi and councils, was the lack of clarity over the role of hapū and iwi in resource management. In several districts, diverging responses from hapū/iwi and councils to questions about level of understanding and commitment suggests there is a need for more effective communication. These problems are compounded by the generally low capacity of hapū/iwi to participate in resource consent processes. These findings suggest that there is much to be done to improve relationships and behaviour of these key stakeholder groups in the plan implementation process if key provisions in the RMA related to hapū/iwi interests are to be fulfilled. The differences shown in reciprocal perceptions have serious implications for establishing a sound working partnership between councils and hapū/iwi in their areas. Making clear these discrepancies is a first step towards taking the measures needed for building a better partnership. Further, the capacity of hapū/iwi to participate could be better utilised if there was greater integration between regional and district councils on issues of significance and processes for iwi involvement

Caracterización de las condiciones oceanográficas cerca de la Isla Coiba y el Pacífico de Panamá utilizando 20 años de mediciones satelitales de estrés del viento, TSM y clorofila-a

Coiba Island and the associated Special Zone of Marine Protection represent an important, yet poorly studied marine reserve along the Pacific coast of Panama. While efforts have recently began to establish monitoring programs in the region, a range of historical, marine-related environmental measurements already exist, derived from satellite-based observations. The goal of this paper was to use long-term datasets for key variables to provide qualitative insights (i.e. descriptive oceanography) of climatological conditions and interannual variability in the Pacific Panama region. These are underpinned with numerical assessments, providing an important baseline for ongoing and future studies, particularly in the Coiba Island/Gulf of Chiriqui region. In particular, we examined 20 years (January 2003-December 2022) of wind stress, sea surface temperature (SST), and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), spanning the neritic and pelagic regions of the Pacific Panama coast. During the dry season (northern winter), the well-known, seasonal, regional Panama wind jet appeared across the Gulf of Panama, leading to surface mixing and SST cooling that eventually extended across most of the Panama Bight. West of the Azuero Peninsula, SST increased and surface warming extended further offshore from January through April. The SST in the Gulf of Chiriqui during this period was about 1 °C warmer on average than east of Coiba Island. By July and August, offshore SST gradients became largely longitudinal, cooling occured across the season, and the SST on either side of Coiba Island was nearly the same. The influence of the Panama jet in the Gulf of Panama was clear in the Chl-a data as well, with upwelling-driven values peaking in February/March (up to 11 mg m-3, with a monthly climatological value of around 2 mg m-3 during this period). During the rest of the year, the Chl-a concentration in this region averaged around 0.5-1.0 mg m-3. In the Gulf of Chiriqui and the region east of Coiba Island, the climatological monthly averages were roughly 0.3-0.5 mg m-3 and 0.4-0.6 mg m-3, respectively. Somewhat surprisingly, very high Chl-a values were present in the satellite data for the Gulf of Chiriqui during May 2007 and June 2008, peaking at 16 mg m-3 and 32 mg m-3 at a location just west of Coiba Island, respectively. It remains unclear as to the cause of these apparent blooms. Even when the high Chl-a values were excluded in the calculation of climatological averages in the Gulf of Chiriqui, however, there is a suggestion of modest seasonality in Chl-a values, with slightly elevated values (~ 0.4 mg m-3) peaking around May and October. During the extreme El Niño event of 2015-2016, the monthly-averaged SST along the Panama Pacific coast was warmer than average, with elevated levels of up to + 2 °C and lasting 12 months in the Gulf of Chiriqui. In the Gulf of Panama, the monthly-averaged SST anomalies were up to + 1.7 °C, although the temperatures returned to near-seasonal averages after roughly 5 months.La Isla Coiba y la Zona Especial de Protección Marina asociada representan una reserva marina importante, aunque poco estudiada, a lo largo de la costa del Pacífico de Panamá. Si bien recientemente se han iniciado esfuerzos para establecer programas de monitoreo en la región, ya existe una variedad de mediciones ambientales históricas relacionadas con el mar, derivadas de observaciones satelitales. El objetivo de este artículo fue utilizar conjuntos de datos a largo plazo para variables clave para proporcionar información cualitativa (es decir, oceanografía descriptiva) de las condiciones climatológicas y variabilidad interanual en la región del Pacífico de Panamá. Estos se basan en evaluaciones numéricas, lo que proporciona una base importante para estudios en curso y futuros, particularmente en la región de la Isla Coiba y el Golfo de Chiriquí. En particular, examinamos 20 años (enero de 2003-diciembre de 2022) de estrés eólico, temperatura de la superficie del mar (TSM) y clorofila-a (Chl-a), que abarcan las regiones neríticas y pelágicas de la costa del Pacífico de Panamá. Durante la estación seca (invierno del norte), el conocido chorro de viento estacional regional de Panamá apareció a lo largo del Golfo de Panamá, lo que provocó una mezcla de la superficie y un enfriamiento de la TSM que finalmente se extendió por la mayor parte de la Bahía de Panamá. Al oeste de la Península de Azuero, la TSM aumentó y el calentamiento de la superficie se extendió más lejos de la costa desde enero hasta abril. La TSM en el Golfo de Chiriquí durante este período fue alrededor de 1° C más cálida en promedio que al este de la Isla Coiba. En julio y agosto, los gradientes de TSM en alta mar se volvieron en gran medida longitudinales, se produjo un enfriamiento a lo largo de la temporada, y la TSM a ambos lados de la isla Coiba fue casi la misma. La influencia del chorro de Panamá en el Golfo de Panamá también fue evidente en los datos de Chl-a, con valores impulsados por las surgencias que alcanzaron su punto máximo en febrero/marzo (hasta 11 mg m-3, con un valor climatológico mensual de alrededor de 2 mg m-3 durante este período). Durante el resto del año, la concentración de Chl-a en esta región promedió alrededor de 0,5-1,0 mg m-3. En el Golfo de Chiriquí y la región al este de la Isla Coiba, los promedios climatológicos mensuales fueron aproximadamente 0,3-0,5 mg m-3 y 0,4 - 0,6 mg m-3, respectivamente. Algo sorprendente es que en los datos satelitales del Golfo de Chiriquí durante mayo de 2007 y junio de 2008 estuvieron presentes valores muy altos de Chl-a, alcanzando un máximo de 16 mg m-3 y 32 mg m-3 en un lugar justo al oeste de la isla Coiba, respectivamente. Aún no está clara la causa de estas aparentes floraciones. Sin embargo, incluso cuando se excluyeron los valores altos de Chl-a en el cálculo de los promedios climatológicos en el Golfo de Chiriquí, hay una sugerencia de estacionalidad modesta en los valores de Chl-a, con valores ligeramente elevados (~ 0,4 mg m-3) que alcanzan su punto máximo alrededor de mayo y octubre. Durante el evento extremo de El Niño de 2015-2016, el promedio mensual de TSM a lo largo de la costa del Pacífico de Panamá fue más cálida que el promedio, con niveles elevados de hasta + 2 °C y con duración de 12 meses en el Golfo de Chiriquí. En el Golfo de Panamá, las anomalías promedio mensuales de la TSM fueron de hasta + 1,7 °C, aunque las temperaturas volvieron a los promedios casi estacionales después de aproximadamente 5 meses

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Bedtime Behavioral Intervention for Military Children with a Deployed Parent

While there are advantages and disadvantages to the lifestyle of a military family, challenges often include frequent moves, stressful military work environments, and deployments of the active duty member to dangerous war zones. Military children often display an array of internalizing and externalizing problems, with one common problem being disrupted sleep. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the use of current technology to minimize problematic sleep behaviors affecting young children with a recently deployed parent. The intervention required parents to show their child a previously recorded DVD of the deployed parent reading a children’s book prior to the child’s bedtime. Sleep diary data were collected for two children who had been previously identified as having significant bedtime resistant behavior. A nonconcurrent, multiple-baselines across participants research design was used to evaluate data with two data collection phases for both participants. Analyses revealed considerable reductions in the number of bedtime resistant behaviors post-intervention and large effect sizes were yielded for the intervention phases for both participants. Implications for clinical practice are discussed

Influence of ultrasound machine settings on quantitative measures derived from spatial frequency analysis of muscle tissue

Background Ultrasound is a powerful tool for diagnostic purposes and provides insight into both normal and pathologic tissue structure. Spatial frequency analysis (SFA) methods characterize musculoskeletal tissue organization from ultrasound images. Both sonographers in clinical imaging and researchers may alter a minimized range of ultrasound settings to optimize image quality, and it is important to know how these small adjustments of these settings affect SFA parameters. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of making small adjustments in a typical default ultrasound machine setting on extracted spatial frequency parameters (peak spatial frequency radius (PSFR), Mmax, Mmax%, and Sum) in the biceps femoris muscle. Methods Longitudinal B-mode images were collected from the biceps femoris muscle in 36 participants. The window depth, foci locations, and gain were systematically adjusted consistent with clinical imaging procedures for a total of 27 images per participant. Images were analyzed by identifying a region of interest (ROI) in the middle portion of the muscle belly in a template image and using a normalized two-dimensional cross-correlation technique between the template image and subsequent images. The ROI was analyzed in the frequency domain using conventional SFA methods. Separate linear mixed effects models were run for each extracted parameter. Results PSFR was affected by modifications in focus location only (p \u3c 0.001) with differences noted between all locations. Mmax% was influenced by the interaction of gain and focus location (p \u3c 0.001) but was also independently affected by increasing window depth (p \u3c 0.001). Both Mmax and Sum parameters were sensitive to small changes in machine settings with the interaction of focus location and window depth (p \u3c 0.001 for both parameters) as well as window depth and gain (p \u3c 0.001 for both) influencing the extracted values. Conclusions Frequently adjusted imaging settings influence some SFA statistics. PSFR and Mmax% appear to be most robust to small changes in image settings, making them best suited for comparison across individuals and between studies, which is appealing for the clinical utility of the SFA method

To Link or Not to Link? Multiple Team Membership and Unit Performance

Multiple team membership is common in today’s team-based organizations, but little is known about its relationship with collective effectiveness across teams. We adopted a microfoundations framework utilizing existing individual- and team-level research to develop a higher-level perspective on multiple team membership’s relationship with performance of entire units of teams. We tested our predictions with data collected from 849 primary care units of the Veterans Health Administration serving over 4.2 million patients. In this context, we found multiple team membership is negatively associated with unit performance, and this negative relationship is exacerbated by task complexity

Effect of MIN-AD Ruminal Buffer and Roughage Level on Ruminal Metabolism and Extent of Digestion in Steers

Six ruminally and duodenally cannulated steers were used in a metabolism experiment to determine effects of adding a ruminal buffer to diets containing increasing levels of roughage. Steers were fed high-concentrate diets containing 4.5, 9.0, or 13.5% alfalfa hay with or without 1.0% MIN-AD ruminal buffer. There were no differences observed in feed intake, ruminal metabolism, or total tract digestibility due to MIN-AD inclusion in the diet. Average pH increased and time below pH 5.6 and pH 5.3 decreased with increasing alfalfa level. Total tract digestibility decreased with increasing alfalfa level. Addition of MIN-AD to high-concentrate diets did not produce a response similar to increasing the roughage level in the diet

District plan implementation under the RMA: Confessions of a resource consent

This report focuses on results from Phase 2 of PUCM - the quality of plan implementation in six district councils selected for their range of plan quality and capacity to plan. Only those results considered to be important for assisting the six councils (and others) to improve implementation of their plans are included in this report. The findings and recommendations, both specific and general, ought to be instructive for other councils, thereby helping to improve their plans and implementation processes. Since hapu/iwi interests formed a key component of the research, the outcomes will help enhance their case for better consideration of their interests when dealing with local government. As well, many of the findings and recommendations relate to matters of governance and capacity building that require Government action, which until done will make it difficult for councils to achieve quality plans and implementation processes

THOSE WITH THE MOST FIND IT HARDEST TO SHARE: EXPLORING LEADER RESISTANCE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEAM-BASED EMPOWERMENT

We use a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to explore barriers to the successful implementation of a team-based empowerment initiative within the Veterans Health Administration. Although previous research has suggested that leaders often actively obstruct empowerment initiatives, little is known about the reasons behind and effects of such hindering. Using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design, we support a hypothesis that higher-status physician leaders are less successful than lower-status nonphysician leaders in implementing team-based empowerment. In parallel, we analyze qualitative data obtained through interviews conducted during early months of the teambased empowerment initiative to identify common themes for why and how leaders facilitated or obstructed implementation. Leader identity work and leader delegation were identified as themes explaining (1) why higher-status leaders struggled with the new empowering role and (2) how specific leader actions either facilitated or inhibited sharing of tasks and leadership. Results suggest that team-based empowerment creates a status threat for high-status leaders who then struggle to protect their old identity as someone with distinct professional capabilities, which in turn leads to improper delegation behavior. Therefore, in order for team-based empowerment to succeed, leaders may need to change their perceptions of who they are before they will change what they do

Biodiversity characterisation and hydrodynamic consequences of marine fouling communities on submerged marine structures in the Orkney Islands Archipelago, Scotland, UK.

<p>As part of ongoing commitments to produce electricity from renewable energy sources in Scotland, Orkney waters have been targeted for potential large-scale deployment of wave and tidal energy converting devices. Orkney has a well-developed infrastructure supporting the marine energy industry; recently enhanced by the construction of additional piers. A major concern to marine industries is biofouling on submerged structures, including energy converters and measurement instrumentation. In this study, the marine energy infrastructure and instrumentation were surveyed to characterise the biofouling. Fouling communities varied between deployment habitats; key species were identified allowing recommendations for scheduling device maintenance and preventing spread of invasive organisms. A method to measure the impact of biofouling on hydrodynamic response is described and applied to data from a wave-monitoring buoy deployed at a test site in Orkney. The results are discussed in relation to the accuracy of the measurement resources for power generation. Further applications are suggested for future testing in other scenarios, including tidal energy.</p

Biodiversity characterisation and hydrodynamic consequences of marine fouling communities on submerged marine structures in the Orkney Islands Archipelago, Scotland, UK.

As part of ongoing commitments to produce electricity from renewable energy sources in Scotland, Orkney waters have been targeted for potential large-scale deployment of wave and tidal energy converting devices. Orkney has a well-developed infrastructure supporting the marine energy industry; recently enhanced by the construction of additional piers. A major concern to marine industries is biofouling on submerged structures, including energy converters and measurement instrumentation. In this study, the marine energy infrastructure and instrumentation were surveyed to characterise the biofouling. Fouling communities varied between deployment habitats; key species were identified allowing recommendations for scheduling device maintenance and preventing spread of invasive organisms. A method to measure the impact of biofouling on hydrodynamic response is described and applied to data from a wave-monitoring buoy deployed at a test site in Orkney. The results are discussed in relation to the accuracy of the measurement resources for power generation. Further applications are suggested for future testing in other scenarios, including tidal energy