Valuing the biodiversity gains from protecting native plant communities from bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp rotundata (DC.) T.Norl.) in New South Wales: application of the defensive expenditure method

Valuation of the gains from protection of biodiversity is difficult because the services that provide the benefits do not normally pass through markets where prices can form. But the services sometimes pass through markets where consumers or producers behave in a market-oriented manner, and so the values implicit in this behaviour can be identified and derived. Estimates of the benefits of biodiversity protection are derived from the costs of protecting native plant communities from a major weed in Australia, by following this approach. In 1999, invasion of coastal areas of New South Wales by bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata (DC.) T. Norl.) was listed as a key process threatening native plants under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. In accordance with the Act, the Department of Environment and Climate Change prepared a Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) to reduce the impacts of bitou bush on biodiversity at each threatened site. The costs of protecting sites vary closely with the number of priority native species and communities at each site. Following standard economic assumptions about market transactions, these costs are interpreted to provide values the benefits of protecting extra species, communities, and sites. Key words: Bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, threat abatement plan, valuation of biodiversity, benefit-cost analysis, weed control, defensive-expenditure method.Bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, threat abatement plan, valuation of biodiversity, benefit-cost analysis, weed control, defensive-expenditure method, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Completeness and Accuracy of Emergency Medical Information on the Web: Update 2008

<p>Introduction: Reliable and accurate Web-based health information is extremely valuable when applied to emergency medical diagnoses. With this update we seek to build upon on the 2004 study by determining whether the completeness and accuracy of emergency medical information available online has improved over time.</p> <p>Methods: The top 15 healthcare information sites, as determined by internet traffic, were reviewed between February 4, 2008, and February 29, 2008. Standard checklists were created from information provided by American Stroke Association, American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and American College of Emergency Physicians to evaluate medical content on each of the Web sites for 4 common emergency department diagnoses: myocardial infarct, stroke, influenza, and febrile child. Each Web site was evaluated for descriptive information, completeness, and accuracy. Data were sorted for total medical checklist items, certification and credentialing, and medical items by topic.</p> <p>Results: Three of the 15 sites were excluded because of a lack of medical information on the selected topics. Completeness of sites ranged from 46% to 80% of total checklist items found. The median percentage of items found was 72. Two sites, MSN Health and Yahoo!Health, contained the greatest amount of medical information, with 98 of 123 checklist items found for each site. All Web sites but 1, Healthology.com, contained greater than 50% of aggregated checklist items, and the majority (ie, 7 of 12) contained greater than 70%. Healthology.com was the least complete Web site, containing 57 of 123 items. No significant correlation was found between credentialing and completeness of site (correlation coefficient = -0.385) or credentialing and site popularity (correlation coefficient = 0.184).</p> <p>Conclusion: This study indicates that the completeness and accuracy of online emergency medical information available to the general public has improved over the past 6 years. Overall, health Web sites studied contained greater than 70% of aggregated medical information on 4 common emergency department diagnoses, and 4 sites examined advanced from 2002 to 2008. [West J Emerg Med. 2011;12(4):448–454.]</p

Exploring researcher vulnerability : contexts, complications and conceptualisation

Research involving vulnerable consumer populations is on the increase and understanding the social consequences of consumption within different marketing contexts has become a common theme across Consumer Culture Theory, Transformative Consumer Research and Critical Marketing. Yet the diverse difficulties faced by researchers who investigate consumer vulnerability have not been sufficiently addressed. In line with the need for greater reflexivity in research, this paper reflects on our own research experiences and highlights the complexities associated with conducting research on sensitive topics in challenging contexts. With reference to such experiences, we illustrate the phenomenon of researcher vulnerability and discuss its implications for knowledge generation within the marketing domain

Already at a disadvantage? ICT in the home and children's preparation for primary school. (ICT Research Bursaries 2004 - Final Report)

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on pre-school children's development of competences in information and communications technologies (ICT). The study focuses on children's experiences of ICT in the home and in pre-school settings in the year before they begin formal education, and seeks to investigate concepts of advantage and disadvantage in this context. The study also aims to investigate teachers' perceptions of children's ICT competences on entry to school

Pelvic Girdle Pain in the Antepartum Population: Physical Therapy Clinical Practice Guidelines Linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health from the Section on Women’s Health and the Orthopaedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association

The purposes of these clinical guidelines are to: Describe evidence-based physical therapy practice including diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and assessment of outcome for musculoskeletal disorders commonly managed by women’s health and/or orthopedic physical therapists Classify and define common musculoskeletal conditions using the World Health Organization’s terminology related to impairments of body function and body structure, activity limitations, and participation restrictions Identify interventions supported by current best evidence to address impairments of body function and structure, activity limitations, and participation restrictions associated with common musculoskeletal conditions Identify appropriate outcome measures to assess changes resulting from physical therapy interventions Provide a description to policy makers, using internationally accepted terminology, of the practice of women’s health and/or orthopaedic physical therapists Provide information for payers and claims reviewers regarding the practice of women’s health and/or orthopaedic physical therapy for common musculoskeletal conditions Create a reference publication for women’s health and/or orthopedic physical therapy clinicians, academic instructors, clinical instructors, students, interns, residents, and fellows regarding the best current practice regarding women’s health and/or orthopaedic physical therap

Already at a disadvantage? ICT in the home and children's preparation for primary school (ICT research bursaries 2004 - Final Report)

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on pre-school children’s development of competences in information and communications technologies (ICT). The study focuses on children’s experiences of ICT in the home and in pre-school settings in the year before they begin formal education, and seeks to investigate concepts of advantage and disadvantage in this context. The study also aims to investigate teachers’ perceptions of children’s ICT competences on entry to school

Small Farmers’ Use of Social Media and Other Channels for Marketing their Agricultural Products

We examined small farmers’ use of and preference for different channels for marketing agricultural products and explored differences by gender, age group, and education level. Farmers markets and social media were preferred channels, with participants under age 55 being more likely than those 55 and over to prefer and use social media and agree that social media would be useful for promoting products and increasing sales. While selling via social media could provide a larger market, one challenge is that the average age of Mississippi farm operators is 59. Therefore, Extension must consider multiple approaches for delivering training on marketing

‘Super disabilities’ vs ‘Disabilities’?:Theorizing the role of ableism in (mis)representational mythology of disability in the marketplace

People with disabilities (PWD) constitute one of the largest minority groups with one in five people worldwide having a disability. While recognition and inclusion of this group in the marketplace has seen improvement, the effects of (mis)representation of PWD in shaping the discourse on fostering marketplace inclusion of socially marginalized consumers remain little understood. Although effects of misrepresentation (e.g., idealized, exoticized or selective representation) on inclusion/exclusion perceptions and cognitions has received attention in the context of ethnic/racial groups, the world of disability has been largely neglected. By extending the theory of ableism into the context of PWD representation and applying it to the analysis of the We’re the Superhumans advertisement developed for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, this paper examines the relationship between the (mis)representation and the inclusion/exclusion discourse. By uncovering that PWD misrepresentations can partially mask and/or redress the root causes of exclusion experienced by PWD in their lived realities, it contributes to the research agenda on the transformative role of consumption cultures perpetuating harmful, exclusionary social perceptions of marginalized groups versus contributing to advancement of their inclusion