Future directions for scientific advice in Europe

Across Europe, scientific evidence and advice is in great demand, to inform policies and decision making on issues such as climate change, new technologies and environmental regulation. But the diversity of political cultures and attitudes to expertise in different European countries can make the task of designing EU-wide advisory institutions and processes both sensitive and complex. In January 2015, President Juncker asked Commissioner Moedas to report on options for improving scientific advice within the European Commission. At a time when these issues are higher than usual on the political agenda, it is important that the case for scientific advice and evidence-informed policy is articulated and analysed afresh. To support these efforts, this collection brings together agenda-setting essays by policymakers, practitioners, scientists and scholars from across Europe. Authors include Anne Glover, Ulrike Felt, Robert Madelin, Andy Stirling, Vladimír Šucha and Jos van der Meer. Their contributions outline various challenges but also constructive ways forward for scientific advice in Europe

Chaotic advection, transport and patchiness in clouds of pollution in an estuarine flow

We present an application of the transport theory developed for area preserving dynamical systems, to the problem of pollution and in particular patchiness in clouds of pollution in partially stratified estuaries. We model the flow in such estuaries using a $3+1$ dimensional uncoupled cartoon of the dominant underlying global circulation mechanisms present within the estuarine flow. We separate the cross section up into different regions, bounded by partial and complete barriers. Using these barriers we then provide predictions for the lower bound on the vertical local flux. We also present work on the relationship between the time taken for a particle to leave the estuary, (ie. the exit time), and the mixing within the estuary. This link is important as we show that to optimally discharge pollution into an estuary both concepts have to be considered. We finish by suggesting coordinates in space time for an optimal discharge site and a discharge policy to ensure the continually optimal discharge from such a site (or even a non optimal site).Peer Reviewe

Update of MRST parton distributions.

We discuss the latest update of the MRST parton distributions in response to the most recent data. We discuss the areas where there are hints of difficulties in the global fit, and compare to some other updated sets of parton distributions, particularly CTEQ6. We briefly discuss the issue of uncertainties associated with partons

MRST global fit update.

We discuss the impact of the most recent data on the MRST global analysis - in particular the new high-ET jet data and their implications for the gluon and the new small x structure function data. In the light of these new data we also consider the uncertainty in predictions for physical quantities depending on parton distributions, concentrating on the W cross-section at hadron colliders

An investigation into the impact of hydrothermal carbonisation on the suitability of biomass for fuel switching

Biomass has the potential to be a useful low-carbon replacement for coal in a number of applications. Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is a pre-treatment technology which has the potential to alleviate many of the drawbacks of replacing coal with biomass, as it improves many of the fuel properties of biomass. This study was conceived as a means to investigate the impact of HTC on the suitability of biomass for this purpose, and to investigate the chemisty of HTC so that the process could be more deeply understood. HTC experiments were performed using a Parr reactor heated by a sand bath, and numerous analytical techniques were used to investigate the composition and properties of the biocoal produced. Major analytical techniques used include thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, gas chromatography, XRF spectrometry, textural analsyis, and NMR. Devolatilisation of samples in a drop tube furnace was also used so that chars generated under high heating rates equivalent to what is seen in pulverised fuel combustion could be investigated. The impact of HTC process parameters on the yield and composition of biocoal was investigated, and HTC temperuature was found to have the largest impact. Increasing temperature decreased the yield of HTC, and resulted in a biocoal with a lower moisture and volatile matter content, with a higher fixed carbon content. Temperature also had a significant effect on the energy yield and energy densification of biocoal, with increasing temperature decreasing the yield and increasing the densification. A good compromise was found at a midpoint temperature of 225ᵒC, before the energy yield dropped considerably. Anaerobic digestion was calculated to have significant potenital for increasing the energy yield of HTC, especially when there is sinigicant loss of organic matter to the process liquor. The feedstock was also found to have a significant effect on the outcomes of HTC, primarily linked to the biochemical compostion of the feedstock. The removal of alkali and alkaline earth metals was found to have a strong impact on the char reactivity of biocoal, with surface area and biocoal composition providing secondary impact. Biocoal produced from soft wood biomass was shown to have a char reactivity similar to that of high-volatile bituminous coal, but HTC of biomass with higher levels of alkali and alkaline earth metals resued in a biocoal with a reactivity lower than that of the feedstock biomass, but higher than that of high-volatile bituminous coal. A coal-equvalent fuel was generated by torrefaction of soft wood biocoal. The role of water in the aromatisation reactions occuring during HTC in comparison to torrefaction was investigated. Lower levels of aromatisation were seen in HTC than in torrefaction, indicating that the water present in HTC suppresses aromatisation. HTC was found to have little impact on the yield of activated carbon production, and was found to lower the surface area of activated carbon due to deposition of organic matter in the pores of the feedstock

Performance measurement in alcohol and other drug treatment services

In Australia, there is no standardised approach to measuring performance of alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services. Non-government organisations (NGOs) that provide AOD treatment in Australia manage contracts from multiple funding sources, with performance measures varying between funders. They have reported a high reporting burden and inconsistent expectations from different funders to demonstrate accountability. The primary aim of this thesis was to establish a list of performance measures that are acceptable to service users, treatment providers, and funders; explore approaches to improve implementation of performance measures; and make recommendations to funders of non-government AOD treatment. The research approach involved three phases: 1) an assessment by three independent raters of existing measures used in contracts against best practice; 2) focus groups with service users, treatment providers, and funders (n=10 focus groups) to identify the most important performance measures among diverse stakeholders and explore the challenges associated with implementation; 3) a Delphi process with a purposeful sample of service users, treatment providers, and funders to prioritise a core set of performance measures. Phase One found over 500 unique measures used in contracts for AOD treatment services, with most not adhering to best practice. Further, the majority were output and process measures. In Phase Two, focus groups identified that access, outcome, and experience measures were the most important measurement types across all stakeholder groups, with structural measures also important to service users. In Phase Three, 17 performance measures reached consensus. In contrast to Phase One, the final set were mostly outcome, access, and structural measures (n= 11/17) with only one measure each for output and process. Further, key findings from the focus groups highlighted that identification of measures is only part of a robust performance measurement system. Support systems for collecting, analysing, interpreting, and reporting performance data are also needed. At the policy-level, implementation of the final set of measures can improve accountability of public funds, and support the collection of standardised performance-related data to inform funding decisions and treatment planning. At the practice-level, the measures have the potential to reduce reporting burden, improve organisational efficiency, and inform quality improvement initiatives

The impact of hydrothermal carbonisation on the char reactivity of biomass

Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is an attractive biomass pre-treatment as it produces a coal-like fuel, can easily process wet biomass and wastes, and lowers the risk of slagging and fouling in pulverised fuel (PF) combustion boilers. One of the major factors in determining the suitability of a fuel as a coal replacement for PF combustion is matching the char reactivity and volatile matter content to that of coals, as these significantly affect heat release and flame stability. The char reactivity of wood and olive cake biocoals and their respective drop tube furnace chars have been studied using thermogravimetric analysis in comparison to other biomass fuels and high-volatile bituminous coal. It was found that HTC reduces the reactivity of biomass, and in the case of HTC of wood pellets the resulting biocoal has a char reactivity similar to that of high-volatile bituminous coal. Proximate analysis, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and textural characterisation were used to show that this effect is caused primarily by removal of catalytic alkali and alkaline earth metals. Subsequent torrefaction of the wood biocoals was performed to tailor their volatile matter content to match that of sub-bituminous and high volatile bituminous coals without major impact on char reactivity

Ever Expanding Responsibilities: Upstream and Downstream Corporate Social Responsibility

The debate on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been on the public and academic agenda for several decades. In general, CSR issues can be divided into production-related issues (along the supply chain - or how things are made) and consumption-related issues (towards the consumer and society at large - or how things are used). Following the terminology of Phillips and Caldweli, Z upstream CSR refers to the CSR debate along the supply chain, and downstream CSR refers to corporate responsibility towards consumers and society at large. The chapter examines current CSR issues, and proposes a social connection model to understand the most recent CSR demands up and down the corporate value chain. In the sweatshop debat

Ever Expanding Responsibilities: Upstream and Downstream Corporate Social Responsibility

The debate on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been on the public and academic agenda for several decades. In general, CSR issues can be divided into production-related issues (along the supply chain - or how things are made) and consumption-related issues (towards the consumer and society at large - or how things are used). Following the terminology of Phillips and Caldwell, upstream CSR refers to the CSR debate along the supply chain, and downstream CSR refers to corporate responsibility towards consumers and society at large. The chapter examines current CSR issues, and proposes a social connection model to understand the most recent CSR demands up and down the corporate value chain

Deep silences: a spiritual autoethnography: reclaiming inner space and silence as a locus of the sacred

Spiritual matters lie at the heart of a good dying. However, the shape and focus of spiritual care in palliative care has, I believe, shifted away from the original vision of hospice pioneers, such as Cicely Saunders. Assessing the value of spiritual care has become a priority to those who value a ‘scientific’ evidence-based practice. The issue this thesis addresses is whether there is a better ‘artistic’ way to evaluate the care given to dying people. This thesis describes the current landscape of care and then argues for spiritual artistry, as a way to reclaim ‘inner space’ and ‘deep silences’ as sites of sacred encounters. This radical move takes the focus of spiritual care away from both evaluative endeavours and also beyond the alternative meaning-making and narrative models, which are currently offered. I hope to shift the focus towards a relational spirituality in which greater attention is given to spiritual awakenings. Dying and grieving can both be viewed as the space of spiritual quests. The challenge is to discover a new way of seeing these complex and sometimes chaotic spiritual contexts in which important things occur which sometimes are beyond measurement and communication. An innovative methodology, spiritual autoethnography, which integrates creative arts, autoethnography and theology, is chosen to pursue this research. In the process of interrogating the silences enounterered in spiritual care at the end of life new insights and understandings are generated. I illustrate the deep silences that occur in times of trauma, shame, cognitive impairment, betrayal and grief, and how understanding these sheds light on marginalised areas rarely the focus of current models of spiritual care. However, the radically new insights gleaned from this research come from the construction of inner space and deep silences as a locus of the sacred. These heuristic constructs, offer a new framework to shape the role of hospice chaplain, and the delivery of spiritual care. In conclusion, spiritual artistry, founded on a poetics, is presented as enabling chaplains to inhabit ‘inner space’ and ‘deep silences’; to say the unsayable and delight in the gifts that accompany griefs. This new understanding of the role of the hospice chaplain, and of the delivery of spiritual care, benefits all those confronting their mortality and their grief