Compensating for severe nuclear accidents: An expert elucidation

We present the results of a structured discussion held in London in July 2014 involving a panel of experts drawn from three communities: specialists on aspects of risk and insurance; lawyers concerned with issues of nuclear law; and safety and environmental regulators. The discussions were held on the basis of participant anonymity. The process emphasised three considerations: conceptions of loss arising from a severe nuclear accident; the specifics of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident and what it means for policy and strategy going forward; and the future of liability regimes. We observe some stoicism from those closest to implementation of policies and procedures associated with nuclear risks, but a lower level of certainty and confidence among those concerned with nuclear energy regulation

The Curriculum of the dissenting academies with special reference to factors determining it: 1660-1800

Tutors of English academies between 1660 and 1800 are arranged in three groups: Chapter 2: Tutors trained at Oxford and Cambridge; Chapter 3: Tutors without Oxford or Cambridge experience, but apparently endeavouring to reproduce, with some modification, the traditional curriculum; Chapter 4: Tutors constructing their own curricula - classified thus: I. Doddridge and his successors; II. Unitarians; III. Orthodox; IV. Baptists; V. Methodist Revival.(Appendices contain lists of tutors not included in the body of the Thesis, and an original theory concerning the Short family).Details are given of curricula in a number of academies, and some longer original accounts, with some textbook lists, are reproduced in an appendix. Determining factors for the curriculum are shown principally by investigating (i) statements by tutors (and other influential men), (ii) textbooks written by tutors, (iii) educational and other antecedents of tutors. Evidence is given of the educational effect on the academies of various influences, including that of the Cambridge Platonists and those of foreign (particularly Dutch . and - although not so significantly in some matters concerning the curriculum as sometimes claimed - Scots) universities. In more than one case the inspiration of an innovation is traced back to a less-known predecessor of the tutor (eg. Rowe, Doddridge, Oldfield) who introduced it. The part played by the academies in shaping the curriculum of modern English higher education is indicated, particularly in relation to the introduction of new subjects (English Language and Elocution, English Literature, Modern Languages, Modern History and Political Theory), to the reorientation of approach to traditional subjects, and to other matters (including specialization and integration of the curriculum, lecture-method, freedom of discussion, and the instructional use of the vernacular)

Southern Cross Soloists 2017 Concert Season

Ensemble in Residence at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Southern Cross Soloists present three concerts with guest performers Damien Beaumont (presenter) and Alexandra Flood (soprano). Featuring music of all periods from the history of Western art music up to today, with new works by Australian composers Elena Kats-Chernin and John Rotar

Standing dead trees are a conduit for the atmospheric flux of CH4 and CO2 from wetlands

In vegetated wetland ecosystems, plants can be a dominant pathway in the atmospheric flux of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Although the roles of herbaceous vegetation and live woody vegetation in this flux have been established, the role of dead woody vegetation is not yet known. In a restored wetland of North Carolina’s coastal plain, static flux chambers were deployed at two heights on standing dead trees to determine if these structures acted as a conduit for methane emissions. Methane fluxes to the atmosphere were measured in five of the chambers, with a mean flux of 0.4±0.1 mg m-2 h-1. Methane consumption was also measured in three of the chambers, with a mean flux of -0.6±0.3 mg m-2 h-1. Standing dead trees were also a source of the flux of CO2 (114.6±23.8 mg m-2 h-1) to the atmosphere. Results confirm that standing dead trees represent a conduit for the atmospheric flux of carbon gases from wetlands. However, several questions remain regarding the ultimate source of these carbon gases, the controls on the magnitude and direction of this flux, the mechanisms that induce this flux, and the importance of this pathway relative to other sources at the landscape level

Southern Cross Soloists Season 2016

Ensemble in Residence at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Southern Cross Soloists present three concerts: Forbidden Love (with Jack Liebeck, Violin)– 20th March 2016 at 3pm Visions of Earth (with William Barton, Didjeridu)– 19th June 2016 at 3pm Heavenly Voice (with Sara Macliver, Soprano)– 27th November 2016 at 3p

Evaluating Interprofessional Fast Forward Rounds for Transition of Care Education

Background: Interprofessional Education is gaining recognition by key pharmacy organizations for its value in healthcare education, producing various models for implementation among healthcare students and professionals. Unfolding cases incorporating transitions of care may improve student skills and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration. Objectives: This project assessed the efficacy of unfolding cases in improving interprofessional skills and attitudes among pharmacy, nursing, and social work students. The ultimate goal is to integrate this model, if proven effective, into the curricula of multiple health science centers. Methodology: First, pharmacy, nursing, and social work students completed a pre-intervention survey regarding interprofessional skills and attitudes before discussing the first “fast-forward rounds” case in professional silos. After a transitions of care lecture, subjects completed the alternative cases in interprofessional groups in a crossover design. The comparable transitions of care cases included common healthcare topics that were challenging but within the scope of regular practice. “Fast forwards” between transitions of care required students to interpret changes in the case throughout the hospital stay. Following the interprofessional session, group debriefing allowed for feedback on cases, transitions, and differences working with and without other professions. Finally, a post-intervention survey was administered to measure changes in interprofessional attitudes and skills. Analysis: Kruskall-Wallis analysis identified differences among the three majors on the pretest and posttest separately. The Wilcoxon sign rank test assessed changes within each group since normal distribution was not assumed. A Chi-squared test analyzed demographic data. Results: Data analysis of results from the conference revealed a significant improvement in 15 of 25 survey questions in the composite group, while 14, 7, and 4 questions showed significant improvement in the pharmacy, nursing, and social work sub-analyses, respectively. Fewer questions showed significant improvement in the social work group, possibly due to the specific medical details of the cases as well as fewer social work participants relative to pharmacy and nursing. Discussion: Results suggest that this intervention can effectively improve student attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and understanding of transitions of care. Changes can be made to improve the benefit to social work students and to increase the number of majors participating

Going With the Flow or Against the Grain? The Promise of Vegetation for Protecting Beaches, Dunes, and Barrier Islands From Erosion

Coastlines have traditionally been engineered to maintain structural stability and to protect property from storm‐related damage, but their ability to endure will be challenged over the next century. The use of vegetation to reduce erosion on ocean‐facing mainland and barrier island shorelines – including the sand dunes and beaches on these islands – could be part of a more flexible strategy. Although there is growing enthusiasm for using vegetation for this purpose, empirical data supporting this approach are lacking. Here, we identify the potential roles of vegetation in coastal protection, including the capture of sediment, ecological succession, and the building of islands, dunes, and beaches; the development of wave‐resistant soils by increasing effective grain size and sedimentary cohesion; the ability of aboveground architecture to attenuate waves and impede through‐flow; the capability of roots to bind sediments subjected to wave action; and the alteration of coastline resiliency by plant structures and genetic traits. We conclude that ecological and engineering practices must be combined in order to develop a sustainable, realistic, and integrated coastal protection strategy

Structural Relationships Across the Sevier Gravity Slide of Southwest Utah and Implications for Catastrophic Translation and Emplacement Processes of Long Runout Landslides

The physical processes that facilitate long-distance translation of large-volume gravity slides remain poorly understood. To better understand these processes and the controls on runout distance, we conducted an outcrop and microstructural characterization of the Sevier gravity slide across the former land surface and summarize findings of four key sites. The Sevier gravity slide is the oldest of three mega-scale (\u3e1,000 km2) collapse events of the Marysvale volcanic field (Utah, USA). Field observations of intense deformation, clastic dikes, pseudotachylyte, and consistency of kinematic indicators support the interpretation of rapid emplacement during a single event. Furthermore, clastic dikes and characteristics of the slip zone suggest emplacement involved mobilization and pressurized injection of basal material. Across the runout distance, we observe evidence for progressive slip delocalization along the slide base. This manifests as centimeter- to decimeter-thick cataclastic basal zones and abundant clastic dikes in the north and tens of meters thick basal zones characterized by widespread deformation of both slide blocks and underlying rock near the southern distal end of the gravity slide. Superimposed on this transition are variations in basal zone characteristics and slide geometry arising from interactions between slide blocks during dynamic wear and deposition processes and pre-existing topography of the former land surface. These observations are synthesized into a conceptual model in which the presence of highly pressurized fluids reduced the frictional resistance to sliding during the emplacement of the Sevier gravity slide, and basal zone evolution controlled the effectiveness of dynamic weakening mechanisms across the former land surface

Bella España

The Resonate concert series for 2015 brings art and music together in a highly original program featuring some of Australia’s best-loved performers. An internationally successful ensemble based at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, the Southern Cross Soloists have helped set the benchmark for Australian chamber music since 1995. The Soloists have earned a well-deserved reputation for artistic excellence and continue to surprise and delight audiences with their constantly evolving repertoire and ever-changing annual programs. Their informal, up-close-and-personal performance style creates an intimate, inviting and deeply engaging experience. Acclaimed guitarist Slava Grigoryan joins the Southern Cross Soloists to present Bella España, a fiery program of Latin-influenced works celebrating dance and romance. Grigoryan, already a favourite with Gallery audiences, is one of Australia’s most renowned classical guitarists and a former Young Australian of the Year for the arts. In this program, works by Granados, De Falla and De Milan are paired with the flaming sounds of Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla, showcasing the beauty and intimacy of chamber music and the brilliance of the Spanish guitar

Limited domestic introgression in a final refuge of the wild pigeon

Domesticated animals have been culturally and economically important throughout history. Many of their ancestral lineages are extinct or genetically en dangered following hybridization with domesticated relatives. Consequently, they have been understudied compared to the ancestral lineages of domestic plants. The domestic pigeon Columba livia, which was pivotal in Darwin’s studies, has maintained outsized cultural significance. Its role as a model organism spans the fields of behavior, genetics, and evolution. Domestic pigeons have hybridized with their progenitor, the Rock Dove, rendering the latter of dubious genetic sta tus. Here, we use genomic and morphological data from the putative Rock Doves of the British Isles to identify relictual undomesticated populations. We reveal that Outer Hebridean Rock Doves have experienced minimal levels of introgres sion. Our results outline the contemporary status of these wild pigeons, high lighting the role of hybridization in the homogenization of genetic lineages.publishedVersio