Turning over a new franchise: assessing the current health of public transport management in Melbourne

Melbourne‟s unique franchise model for public transport management and service delivery, now a decade old, is a subject of international interest for practitioners and scholars of transport planning.In December 2009, two new franchisees, under reworked eight-year contract arrangements, took over the operation of Melbourne‟s train and tram systems ending the ten-year run of the two survivors of the first decade of public transport privatisation – Connex (Veolia) and the Transdev/Transfield consortium.Based on material from public documents and interviews with senior managers from the departing companies and the Victorian Department of Transport, this research uses the perspectives of the departing franchisees, with their previous intimate engagement and current detachment from on-going operational and institutional issues, to provide a unique insight into the dynamics of Melbourne‟s franchise system.The research explores the lessons of the first decade of privatisation of transit operations in Melbourne. It examines financial performance, the value to government of the franchises as a means to distance itself from public criticism over the operation of public transport, and the effectiveness of planning for current and future patronage growth

Media Influence on Opinion about Man-Made Global Warming as Moderated by Individual Ecological Orientation and Personal Experience

Abstract – The purpose of the study was to assess the opinions of two equal groups of QUALTRICS panelists, one having lived through a CAT 5 storm and the other not, on their respective beliefs about the effect man-made global warming has had on increasing the intensity of major weather events. The authors identified individuals in each group based on individual eco-orientation. The author then tested for opinion differences based on three factors related to eco-orientation as well as the role played by the media on influencing opinions related to man’s impact on increasing storm intensit

Can virtual nature improve patient experiences and memories of dental treatment? A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background Dental anxiety and anxiety-related avoidance of dental care create significant problems for patients and the dental profession. Distraction interventions are used in daily medical practice to help patients cope with unpleasant procedures. There is evidence that exposure to natural scenery is beneficial for patients and that the use of virtual reality (VR) distraction is more effective than other distraction interventions, such as watching television. The main aim of this randomized controlled trial is to determine whether the use of VR during dental treatment can improve the overall dental experience and recollections of treatment for patients, breaking the negative cycle of memories of anxiety leading to further anxiety, and avoidance of future dental appointments. Additionally, the aim is to test whether VR benefits dental patients with all levels of dental anxiety or whether it could be especially beneficial for patients suffering from higher levels of dental anxiety. The third aim is to test whether the content of the VR distraction can make a difference for its effectiveness by comparing two types of virtual environments, a natural environment and an urban environment. Methods/design The effectiveness of VR distraction will be examined in patients 18 years or older who are scheduled to undergo dental treatment for fillings and/or extractions, with a maximum length of 30 minutes. Patients will be randomly allocated into one of three groups. The first group will be exposed to a VR of a natural environment. The second group will be exposed to a VR of an urban environment. A third group consists of patients who receive standard care (control group). Primary outcomes relate to patients’ memories of the dental treatment one week after treatment: (a) remembered pain, (b) intrusive thoughts and (c) vividness of memories. Other measures of interest are the dental experience, the treatment experience and the VR experience. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN4144280

A Qualitative Study of the Transition from High School to University Chemistry

The transition from high school to university chemistry varies from student to student, and is likely to affect their future performance in university. This study is intended to determine the factors affecting success for students enrolled in first-year chemistry courses at the University of Toronto. As part of a larger project, semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted and students were encouraged to discuss their transition. The interviews were then coded according to six broader categories for comments related to high school and seven broader categories for comments related to university. The broader categories were further divided into more specific sub-categories which were given a score ranging from strongly negative to strongly positive based on the students’ comments. The results were graphed according to the overall score obtained by a category. The categories that scored highly and further analysis of the underlying sub-categories indicated that student study skills developed through evaluations in high school such as tests and labs were inadequate to cope with the increase in workload and change of evaluation style in University. As part of the same project, results from the Approaches to Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) survey were statistically analyzed to provide further insight. Interviews were used to clarify discrepancies in student responses to survey questions concerning time management and organized study methods. The ASSIST data concerns study skills in an in-depth manner

Measurement of OH reactivity by laser flash photolysis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

OH reactivity (k’OH) is the total pseudo-first-order loss rate coefficient describing the removal of OH radicals to all sinks in the atmosphere, and is the inverse of the chemical lifetime of OH. Measurements of ambient OH reactivity can be used to discover the extent to which measured OH sinks contribute to the total OH loss rate. Thus, OH reactivity measurements enable determination of the comprehensiveness of measurements used in models to predict air quality and ozone production, and, in conjunction with measurements of OH radical concentrations, to assess our understanding of OH production rates. In this work, we describe the design and characterisation of an instrument to measure OH reactivity using laser flash photolysis coupled to laser-induced fluorescence (LFP-LIF) spectroscopy. The LFP-LIF technique produces OH radicals in isolation, and thus minimises potential interferences in OH reactivity measurements owing to the reaction of HO2 with NO which can occur if HO2 is co-produced with OH in the instrument. Capabilities of the instrument for ambient OH reactivity measurements are illustrated by data collected during field campaigns in London, UK, and York, UK. The instrumental limit of detection for k’OH was determined to be 1.0 s-1 for the campaign in London and 0.4 s-1 for the campaign in York. The precision, determined by laboratory experiment, is typically < 1 s-1 for most ambient measurements of OH reactivity. Total uncertainty in ambient measurements of OH reactivity is ~6 %. We also present the coupling and characterisation of the LFP-LIF instrument to an atmospheric chamber for measurements of OH reactivity during simulated experiments, and provide suggestions for future improvements to OH reactivity LFP-LIF instruments