The Waikato Region: Major tourism issues and opportunities to facilitate tourism development: Public summary

A regional tourism project was commissioned by Katolyst, the Waikato Economic Development Agency, to assess the following: What is meant by regional tourism; the current views of industry stakeholders within the tourism and hospitality sectors; major issues, drivers, and obstacles facing tourism and pathways to address them, including industry capabilities and new opportunities for industry growth. The purpose of this research was to record the voice of tourism operators and stakeholders at the grass roots, to identify the specific issues facing the Waikato. Visitors do not focus on geographical or political boundaries, but rather are seeking an experience that transcends these boundaries. The region is generally ignorant of the significant economic impacts of the tourism sector, and education and advocacy is urgently needed. Tourism should not be seen in isolation to other key economic generators for the region, and there is potential for cross sector regional initiatives between tourism and other major sectors within the Waikato that could lead to cross sector strategic growth. The Waikato is a significant player in international visitor expenditure (7th out of 30 tourism regions), although the forecasted growth to 2012 for the Waikato is less than the national average. Although the Australian visitor market is significant for Hamilton International Airport, it comprises just 2% of all Australian visitors to New Zealand. Domestic visitors are the major driver of visitor expenditure in the region, with domestic visitor expenditure in the Waikato the third highest among the 30 tourism regions in New Zealand. Events are a driver, yet there is a perception that there is a lack of coordination and regional linkages. i-SITEs are inadequately funded and can rely on non-visitor revenue streams. There is a need to improve tourism expertise and knowledge to facilitate product development, especially getting current and potential tourism product export ready and to understand the distribution channels for domestic and international marketing. Most operators in the region are small owner operated firms with a few medium sized firms. A number are lacking tourism sector knowledge and business capabilities

Factors influencing nurses' engagement with CPD activities: a systematic review.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is necessary for nurse registration and development. Understanding the factors influencing engagement may enhance CPD uptake. What factors influence hospital-based nurses' engagement with CPD activities in the UK? This was a systematic review incorporating narrative synthesis. Database searches for published and grey literature from January 1995 to November 2018 were conducted via EBSCO Discovery Service, the British Nursing Index and the British Library. An approved systematic review protocol was followed with studies then assessed against strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Included studies were critically appraised, data extracted and a narrative synthesis conducted. Five studies were reviewed. Four themes emerged: nurses' individual resources, their professional motivation, organisational commitment to learning and development, and managerial support. Factors influencing nurses' engagement with activities are multifaceted and inter-woven. A question-based checklist to facilitate discussions between nurses and educators, managers or appraisers is presented

Physiological and behavioural responses to fear and discomfort i dogs and goats

Animal welfare is an issue of great public and scientific interest. In this thesis, physiological and behavioural methods were used to evaluate fear and discomfort in two different species; dogs and goats. In the first study, fear of gun shots and different floor surfaces was investigated in collie dogs. Dogs that were fearful of floors had higher heart rates than dogs that were less fearful. Dogs fearful of gunshots had higher heart rates, haematocrit and plasma concentrations of cortisol, progesterone, vasopressin and β-endorphin, than less fearful dogs, which demonstrates that fear of gunshots is a serious stressor. In the second study, it was shown that housing and company of other animals affects arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and the concentrations of β-endorphin and oxytocin in goats. However, cortisol and vasopressin concentrations did not differ between goats that were tethered respectively loosely housed in pairs. In the dairy industry, the permanent early separation of mother and offspring is of great concern. In the third study, we found no changes in heart rate, arterial blood pressure or plasma concentrations of cortisol, β-endorphin, oxytocin and vasopressin in goats after separation. However, both goats and kids vocalised intensively. In the fourth and fifth studies, kids were either permanently separated, daily separated, or kept full-time with mothers, and were subjected to an isolation test with a dog bark at two weeks and two months of age, and an arena test with a suddenly appearing novel object at two months of age. All kids had similar growth rates. Kids kept with their mothers showed more hiding behaviours at two weeks, and early separated kids were more active with another kid. Early separated kids also deviated most in the isolation test at two weeks by reducing their vocalisation earlier and having a higher heart rate before and after dog barking, and at two months by having higher heart rate throughout the test. Daily separated kids bleated comparatively more at two weeks, decreased their heart rate after dog bark and showed the strongest fear reaction in the arena test at two months. In conclusion, it is important to measure several different physiological and behavioural parameters when assessing animal welfare

Subaqueous morphology of Lake Lucerne (Central Switzerland): implications for mass movements and glacial history

Bathymetric data available for Swiss lakes have typically only low to moderate resolution and variable quality, making them insufficient for detailed underwater geomorphological studies. This article presents results of a new bathymetric survey in perialpine Lake Lucerne using modern hydrographic equipment. A digital terrain model (DTM) of the lake floor (raster dataset with 1m cell size) covering the Chrüztrichter and Vitznau basins documents signatures of major Holocene mass movements and relics from the glacial history of the lake. Combining the bathymetry data with reflection seismic profiles and an existing event chronology allows investigating the morphology in its geological context. Subaqueous sediment slide scars with sharp headwalls cover large areas on moderately inclined slopes. The particularly large Weggis slide complex, correlated with an historical earthquake (ad 1601), features a ~9km long and 4-7m high headwall and covers an area of several square kilometers. Large debris cones of prehistoric rockfalls and the deposits of recent rockfall events imaged on the almost flat basin plain document mass-movement activity on steep slopes above the lake. Six transverse moraines, visible as subaqueous ridges, as lake-floor lineaments, or only imaged on reflection seismic profiles, indicate a complex glacial-inherited morphology. As many of the documented features result from potentially catastrophic events, high-resolution bathymetry can significantly improve natural hazard assessment for lakeshore communities by extending classical hazard maps to the subaqueous domai

Subaqueous morphology of Lake Lucerne (Central Switzerland): implications for mass movements and glacial history

Bathymetric data available for Swiss lakes have typically only low to moderate resolution and variable quality, making them insufficient for detailed underwater geomorphological studies. This article presents results of a new bathymetric survey in perialpine Lake Lucerne using modern hydrographic equipment. A digital terrain model (DTM) of the lake floor (raster dataset with 1m cell size) covering the Chrüztrichter and Vitznau basins documents signatures of major Holocene mass movements and relics from the glacial history of the lake. Combining the bathymetry data with reflection seismic profiles and an existing event chronology allows investigating the morphology in its geological context. Subaqueous sediment slide scars with sharp headwalls cover large areas on moderately inclined slopes. The particularly large Weggis slide complex, correlated with an historical earthquake (ad 1601), features a ~9km long and 4-7m high headwall and covers an area of several square kilometers. Large debris cones of prehistoric rockfalls and the deposits of recent rockfall events imaged on the almost flat basin plain document mass-movement activity on steep slopes above the lake. Six transverse moraines, visible as subaqueous ridges, as lake-floor lineaments, or only imaged on reflection seismic profiles, indicate a complex glacial-inherited morphology. As many of the documented features result from potentially catastrophic events, high-resolution bathymetry can significantly improve natural hazard assessment for lakeshore communities by extending classical hazard maps to the subaqueous domai

Age and Prostate-Specific Antigen Level Prior to Diagnosis Predict Risk of Death from Prostate Cancer.

A single early prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level has been correlated with a higher likelihood of prostate cancer diagnosis and death in younger men. PSA testing in older men has been considered of limited utility. We evaluated prostate cancer death in relation to age and PSA level immediately prior to prostate cancer diagnosis. Using the Veterans Affairs database, we identified 230,081 men aged 50-89 years diagnosed with prostate cancer and at least one prior PSA test between 1999 and 2009. Prostate cancer-specific death over time was calculated for patients stratified by age group (e.g., 50-59 years, through 80-89 years) and PSA range at diagnosis (10 ranges) using Kaplan-Meier methods. Risk of 10-year prostate cancer mortality across age and PSA was compared using log-rank tests with a Bonferroni adjustment for multiple testing. 10.5% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer died of cancer during the 10-year study period (mean follow-up = 3.7 years). Higher PSA values prior to diagnosis predict a higher risk of death in all age groups (p < 0.0001). Within the same PSA range, older age groups are at increased risk for death from prostate cancer (p < 0.0001). For PSA of 7-10 ng/mL, cancer-specific death, 10 years after diagnosis, increased from 7% for age 50-59 years to 51% for age 80-89 years. Men older than 70 years are more likely to die of prostate cancer at any PSA level than younger men, suggesting prostate cancer remains a significant problem among older men (even those aged 80+) and deserves additional study

Dominantly Inherited Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Motor Neuron Disease)

The term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was first introduced by Charcot to describe cases with mixed upper and lower motor neuron signs without sensory impairment. Later the syndromes of progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) and progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) were recognized to be variations of the same pathological process, and ALS was used as an inclusive term to refer to these syndromes as well. Although some authors reserve the term ALS for the specific syndrome of mixed upper and lower motor neuron lesions and use the term “motor neuron disease” to refer to the constellation of syndromes, most of the literature on familial cases uses ALS as a generic title. We will adhere to this convention

S100B is increased in Parkinson’s disease and ablation protects against MPTP-induced toxicity through the RAGE and TNF-α pathway

Peer reviewedPublisher PD