PRIOR REGULATION AND POST LIABILITY AS COMPLEMENTS: AN APPLICATION TO PRESCRIBED BURNING LAW IN THE UNITED STATES

Prescribed burning is increasingly being recognized as a useful land management and conservation tool, but with it comes the risk of fire and smoke damage to the property of others. All but two states have codified laws specifying criminal penalties or liability rules for prescribed burning, but the laws in a number of states have changed in recent years or are under review. We develop an economic model of the incentive and welfare effects of prescribed burning and the use of prior regulation and post liability as instruments to address potential external damage from the use of prescribed fire.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Gravitational waves in preheating

We study the evolution of gravitational waves through the preheating era that follows inflation. The oscillating inflaton drives parametric resonant growth of scalar field fluctuations, and although super-Hubble tensor modes are not strongly amplified, they do carry an imprint of preheating. This is clearly seen in the Weyl tensor, which provides a covariant description of gravitational waves.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Revte

The ISIS synchrotron beam control and study programme

Progress on the beam control and study programme for the 800 MeV High Intensity Proton Synchrotron of the Spallation Neutron Source ISIS, is outlined. Recent hardware upgrades to diagnostics, instrumentation and computing have increased the amount, accuracy and availability of beam information. The measurement methods employed and their planned applications for beam control, optimisation and study are described. Work includes detailed study of longitudinal and transverse dynamics at high and low intensity. Results obtained so far and future plans are summarised. (6 refs)

Nucleon-nucleus scattering as a test of shell structure of some light mass exotic nuclei

Shell model wave functions have been used to form microscopic g-folding optical potentials with which elastic scattering data from 8He, 10,11C, and 18,20,22O scattering on hydrogen has been analyzed. Those potentials, the effective two-nucleon interaction used in their formation, and the shell model details, then have been used in distorted wave approximation calculations of differential cross sections from inelastic scattering to the first excited states of five of those radioactive ions.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Substitution, delegation or addition? Implications of workforce skill mix on efficiency and interruptions in computed tomography

Objectives: This study evaluated multiple computed tomography (CT) workforce models to identify any implications on efficiency (length of stay, scan frequency and workforce cost) and scanning radiographer interruptions through substituting or supplementing with a trained CT assistant. Methods: The study was conducted in a CT unit of a tertiary Queensland hospital and prospectively compared four workforce models, including usual practice: Model 1 used an administrative assistant (AA) and one radiographer Model 2 substituted a medical imaging assistant (MIA) for the AA Model 3 was usual practice, consisting of two radiographers and Model 4 included two radiographers, with a supplemented MIA. Observational data were collected over 7 days per model and were cross-checked against electronic records. Data for interruption type and frequency, as well as scan type and duration, were collected. Annual workforce costs were calculated as measures of efficiency. Results: Similar scan frequency and parameters (complexity) occurred across all models, averaging 164 scans (interquartile range 160-172 scans) each. The median times from patient arrival to examination completion in Models 1-4 were 47, 35, 46 and 33 min respectively. There were between 34 and 104 interruptions per day across all models, with the 'assistant role' fielding the largest proportion. Model 4 demonstrated the highest workforce cost, and Model 2 the lowest. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that assistant models offer similar patient throughput to usual practice at a reduced cost. Model 2 was the most efficient of all two-staff models (Models 1-3), offering the cheapest workforce, slightly higher throughput and faster examination times. Not surprisingly, the additional staff model (Model 4) offered greater overall examination times and throughput, with fewer interruptions, although workforce cost and possible role ambiguity were both limitations of this model. These findings may assist decision makers in selecting the optimal workforce design for their own individual contexts. What is known about the topic?: Innovative solutions are required to address ongoing health workforce sustainability concerns. Workforce substitution models using trained assistants have demonstrated numerous benefits internationally, with translation to the Australian allied health setting showing promise. What does this paper add?: Building on existing research, this study provides clinical workforce alternatives that maintain patient throughput while offering cost efficiencies. This study also quantified the many daily interruptions that occur within the CT setting, highlighting a potential clinical risk. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to empirically test the use of allied health assistants within CT. What are the implications for practitioners?: Role substitution in CT may offer solutions to skills shortages, increasing expenditure and service demand. Incorporating appropriate assistant workforce models can maintain throughput while demonstrating implications for efficiency and interruptions, potentially affecting staff stress and burnout. In addition, the assistant's scope and accepted level of interruptions should be considerations when choosing the most appropriate model

The diffusion of police innovation: A case study of problem-oriented policing in England and Wales

There is significant evidence demonstrating that when done well, problem-oriented policing is associated with meaningful reductions in crime and public safety concerns. And yet, history shows that the implementation and delivery of problem-oriented policing is challenging, and that police organisations have generally not adopted it and even when they try to it is often rejected over time. This article draws on the concept of ‘diffusion of innovation’ (Rogers, E. (2003) Diffusion of Innovations, 5th edn. New York: Free Press) to unpick aspects of the processes through which problem-oriented policing has been adopted or otherwise among police forces in England and Wales. This article shows how factors related to the nature of problem-oriented policing – notably its incompatibility with prevailing norms and values of the police service, its complexity and unobservability – have influenced its adoption. Implications are also discussed