Coastal planning in North Shore City, New Zealand: Developing responsible coastal erosion policy

North Shore City’s coastline has been subject to intensive development pressure over the last 15 years. In this time, new developments have established along previously undeveloped areas of coastline and existing sites have redeveloped with much larger houses. This paper provides a description of the planning controls that currently affect coastal development and an assessment of the effectiveness of these controls. This is followed by an analysis of the role of local government in controlling future development. Contention arises when attempts are made to control the property rights of landowners to protect their properties from coastal erosion. The impacts of private coastal protection works on the coastline have wider impacts than their immediate location and can influence public perception of the coastal environment. Coastal erosion is a prominent issue for North Shore City and this increase in development has increased the risk to both property owners and potentially the Council. Authorities are concerned that current coastal planning controls do not address coastal erosion to a great enough degree. A methodology for assessing change along the coastline is described and used to identify where planning controls are not being effective by using indicators such as the presence of coastal protection structures and signs of erosion. Alternative policy approaches are identified and evaluated using a cost-benefit analysis framework. It is envisaged that this preliminary cost-benefit analysis will identify policy aspects requiring future in-depth investigation. The practical implications for different policy approaches regarding coastal erosion and private property rights are also explored.coast, erosion, planning, cost, benefit, development, protection, structures., Environmental Economics and Policy,

Landscape genetics of highly disturbed arable systems : insights gained from investigating a small mammal species

A large proportion of the earth’s surface is dedicated to food production, and agriculture is widely acknowledged to influence local biodiversity via habitat loss and degradation. Landscape genetics is an emerging field which can provide detailed understanding of how wildlife populations are influenced by landscape configuration and composition but the approach is yet to be fully integrated with agroecology. When addressing landscape genetics questions, small mammals may provide insight; they may act as model organisms, they are abundant, they are relatively easy to sample and they may have important ecological roles within arable ecosystems. This thesis merged the study of arable landscapes, landscape genetics and small mammals, to develop what is known about the landscape genetics of wild species in this dynamic habitat type. To decide upon a study organism, small mammals were surveyed at an example arable field site. Wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) were found to be the most abundant species and a microsatellite marker multiplex was developed for genotyping individuals. Two aspects of their landscape genetics in arable habitat were investigated. First, the possibility of temporal patterns in fine scale genetic structure of arable populations was explored, since this had not been investigated previously. Next, inter-population genetic differentiation was examined to determine whether arable habitat acted as a barrier to gene flow for this species. At the fine scale, three genetically distinct clusters of wood mice were identified and temporal variation in the spatial pattern was confirmed. There was no evidence that arable habitat acted as a barrier to gene flow for this species in comparison to populations in urban habitat, which showed significant differentiation. It is hoped that the landscape genetic insights provided by this thesis will encourage greater momentum for conducting landscape genetics studies in agricultural habitat

Co-Opting Precariousness: Can Worker Cooperatives Be Alternatives to Precarious Employment for Marginalized Populations? A Case Study of Immigrant and Refugee Worker Cooperatives in Canada

This article seeks to analyze whether, or to what degree, worker cooperatives are providing immigrant and refugee populations in Canada with a viable alternative to precarious employment, and if so, in what ways. Much of the existing research on precarious employment is limited in that it fails to address the root causes of precarious employments and fails to offer solutions or alternatives that can be organized by workers themselves, today. While several challenges remain to organizing and sustaining worker cooperatives, the cooperatives studied were successful in creating an alternative space of employment that provided control and flexibility over their work and lives and a sense of community and empowerment. More research is needed to better support and facilitate the development of cooperatives to truly harness the potential for the model

Australian Government Balance Sheet Management

Since almost eliminating net debt, the Australian Government%u2019s attention has turned to the financing of broader balance sheet liabilities, such as public sector superannuation. Australia will be developing a significant financial asset portfolio in the %u2018Future Fund%u2019 to smooth the financing of expenses through time. This raises the significant policy question of how best to manage the government balance sheet to reduce risk. This paper provides a framework for optimal balance sheet management. The major conclusions are that: %u2013 fiscal sustainability depends on both the expected path of future taxation and the risks around that path; %u2013 optimal balance sheet management requires knowledge of how risks affect the balance sheet (and therefore volatility in tax rates); and %u2013 the government%u2019s financial investment strategy should reduce the risk to government finances from macroeconomic shocks that permanently affect the budget. Based on this framework, we find that a Future Fund portfolio that included (amongst other potential investments) domestic nominal securities and equities of selected countries would reduce overall balance sheet risk.

Dissipation in the 1920s: Disparate Presentations of Alcohol Consumption in Selected Works of Hemingway and Fitzgerald

The objective of this thesis is to explore the ways in which Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald define the 1920s and, in particular, the American expatriate culture in Europe. Each author describes the culture of the “Lost Generation” in large part through alcohol consumption and dissipation. In their literary works, alcohol is portrayed as glamorous as well as destructive, as both curing and exacerbating post-WWI anomie. Through their chronicling of this era in fiction and nonfiction, each author memorializes their own participation in the culture along with their legendary consumption of alcohol. This study will concentrate upon selected short stories and nonfiction written about the 1920s, providing analysis regarding the conceptualizations of the dissipating effects of alcohol consumption. It will also explore the contrasting remedies Hemingway and Fitzgerald present for personal waste in their most highly regarded works written about and during this period: The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby. Hemingway illustrates reprieve from dissipation in individual subscription to the hero code, whereas Fitzgerald identifies a remedy in idealism and abstinence. Finally, in the nonfiction work A Moveable Feast, Hemingway presents Fitzgerald as a foil to his remedial code of heroic conduct

A Reproductive and Trophic Transfer Study Associated with Selenium Concentrations in the Upper Mud River Watershed

Selenium in mining-related discharges has created concern in the Appalachian Region where coal is a significant resource. In West Virginia, evaluation of streams receiving mining discharges focused attention on the Mud River watershed where bioaccumulation of selenium was highest in preliminary surveys. Chronic exposure (mainly dietary) of mature female fish to selenium has the potential to cause developmental abnormalities in developing embryos due to the maternal transfer of selenium into the eggs. Literature suggests that factors affecting the bioaccumulation rate of selenium, and the concentration of selenium associated with the aforementioned effects are site-specific. The purpose of this study was to determine the whole-body selenium tissue concentration which is protective of aquatic life in the watershed as defined by the effective concentration resulting in greater than ten percent deformity (EC10). Further, this study was undertaken to evaluate whether whole-body tissue concentrations in fish in the watershed are within an acceptable range and to test a trophic transfer model which would allow monitoring of selenium whole-body fish tissue concentrations via modeling of the food chain using periphyton (algae) and water column selenium concentrations. By evaluating larval fish deformities within the Mud River watershed, it is demonstrated that a whole-body selenium value of 23.69 mg/kg dry weight (dw) selenium is the concentration shown to be protective of fish communities in this watershed. Whole-body fish tissue concentrations from streams sampled within the watershed generally show compliance with this safe level. Predicting the whole-body concentration using the trophic transfer model was successful for the streams evaluated except for Sites 1 and 2 where variable interactions and site variability reduced the models predictive ability. This analysis confirms the trophic transfer model as a useful predictive tool in this watershed

Melanism as a potential thermal benefit in eastern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger)

Melanistic fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) have expanded westward and increased in frequency in the Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, metropolitan areas. The selective advantage of melanism is currently unknown, but thermal advantages have been hypothesized, especially in winter. No difference in metabolic response curves were measured between melanistic (black) and rufus (orange) fox squirrels. When exposed to sunny skies, both melanistic and rufus squirrels had higher surface (skin and fur) temperature as ambient temperatures increased. Melanistic squirrel surface temperatures did not differ when squirrels were exposed to sunny or cloudy skies. However, rufus individuals showed significantly lower increases in surface temperatures when under cloudy skies. During fall months, rufus individuals were about 1.5 times more active throughout the day than melanistic individuals. However, in winter, melanistic fox squirrels were approximately 30% more active in the mornings (before 13:00) compared to rufus squirrels. Pre-winter body condition was higher in melanistic (25.5 ± 1.8 g/cm) compared to rufus (20.30 ± 3.6 g/cm) fox squirrels; however, there were no significant differences between melanistic (22.8 ± 1.4 g/cm) and rufus (23.9 ± 0.8 g/cm) fox squirrel post-winter body condition. The results of this study indicate that melanistic fox squirrels may have a slight winter thermal advantage over rufus fox squirrels by maintaining higher skin temperatures

Changing medical student attitudes to patient safety: A multicentre study

Background: Although patient safety is becoming widely taught in medical schools, its effect has been less rigorously evaluated. We describe a multicentre study to evaluate student changes in patient safety attitudes using a standardized instrument, the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire3 (APSQ3). Methods: A patient safety training package designed for medical students was delivered in the first year and second year in four Australian medical schools. It comprises eight face-to-face modules, each of two hours. Seminars start with an interactive introduction using questions, video and role play, followed by small group break-outs to discuss a relevant case study. Groups are led by medical school tutors with no prior training in patient safety. Students and tutors then reassemble to give feedback and reinforce key concepts. Knowledge and attitudes to patient safety were measured using the APSQ3, delivered prior to safety teaching, at the end of the first and second years and 12 months after teaching ceased. Results: A significant improvement in attitude over time was demonstrated for four of nine key items measured by the APSQ3: value of patient safety teaching; danger of long working hours, value of team work and the contribution patients can make in reducing error. Informal feedback from students was very positive. Conclusion: We showed persistent, positive learning from a patient safety education intervention 12 months after teaching finished. Building on the introduction of patient safety teaching into medical schools, pathways for motivated students such as appropriate electives, option terms and team-based research projects would be of value