Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Australia

The Australian continent has an extremely variable climate, as a result of the different oceanic currents and atmospheric variation. Australia has regular cycles of droughts and floods resulting in highly variable storage volumes in its major dams. The population in Australia is nearly 23 million (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011) of which the majority lives in the South-East coast of Australia. The largest cities (see Figure 1) are Sydney (4.58 million people.), Melbourne (4.08 million people), Brisbane (1.07 million people) and Canberra (358,600 people) (ABS, 2011). The water supply storage for these cities is located in the nearby mountain ranges and brought to the metropolitan areas through large distribution water pipes. The urban fringe areas, rural locations and the outback have limited reticulated water supply and often rely on capturing roof water, farm dam water and bore water for their water supply. The roof water in these regions provides the principal potable water supply, whilst farm dam and bore water are often used to meet non-potable requirements and for livestock (ABS, 2010). Historically, this has been different in the urban areas where potable and non-potable supply demands are met with a reticulated water supply. A shift has occurred in the Australian Water industry as a result of population growth, the worst drought in living memory (Horstman, 2007) and a desire to become more sustainable. Total Water Cycle Management has gained momentum in Australia and new property developments must consider all aspects of the water cycle, including water supply, waste water treatment, stormwater control and water quality control of all discharges and supplies (Argue, 2004; Argue & Pezzaniti, 2009; Barton & Argue, 2009; Hardy, 2009; Hardy et al., 2003; Wong, 2006b, c; Wong et al., 2008; Wong & Brown, 2009). Rainwater tanks are being installed in urban areas, resulting in an increase resilience of the cities to droughts and a reduction of mains water demand. These rainwater tank installations are encouraged in various Development Control Plans (DCPs), through state legislation, such as the NSW Building and Sustainability Index (BASIX Sustainability Unit, 2009), and by providing rebates (Blacktown City Council, 2006; Blue Mountains City Council, 2005; Gardiner & Hardy, 2005; Ku-ring-gai Council, 2005; Penrith City Council, 2010). The reasons for installing a rainwater tank in Australia include reducing mains water costs, helping the environment, irrigating the garden and because it was mandatory when the house was built (ABS, 2010; Blackburn et al., 2010; White, 2010)

Trading Representation: Diplomacy's Influence on Preferential Trade Agreements

A multidisciplinary literature explores the implications of economic diplomacy, but has largely ignored international cooperation on economic agreements. We provide a first exploration of the implications of bilateral diplomatic missions for the formation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs). We argue that high-level diplomatic relations increase the likelihood of PTA ratification between two countries because diplomats have a number of political and economic incentives to see these agreements implemented. Evidence from a global panel of country dyads spanning 1960-2005 indicates that the presence of ambassadors is linked to an increased probability that a PTA will be concluded within a dyad, opening new avenues for further research

Investigation of amphibian mortality events in wildlife reveals an on-going ranavirus epidemic in the North of the Netherlands

In the four years following the first detection of ranavirus (genus Ranavirus, family Iridoviridae) infection in Dutch wildlife in 2010, amphibian mortality events were investigated nationwide to detect, characterize and map ranaviruses in amphibians over time, and to establish the affected host species and the clinico-pathological presentation of the disease in these hosts. The ultimate goal was to obtain more insight into ranavirus disease emergence and ecological risk. In total 155 dead amphibians from 52 sites were submitted between 2011 and 2014, and examined using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, virus isolation and molecular genetic characterization. Ranavirus-associated amphibian mortality events occurred at 18 sites (35%), initially only in proximity of the 2010 index site. Specimens belonging to approximately half of the native amphibian species were infected, including the threatened Pelobates fuscus (spadefoot toad). Clustered massive outbreaks involving dead adult specimens and ranavirus genomic identity indicated that one common midwife toad virus (CMTV)-like ranavirus strain is emerging in provinces in the north of the Netherlands. Modelling based on the spatiotemporal pattern of spread showed a high probability that this emerging virus will continue to be detected at new sites (the discrete reproductive power of this outbreak is 0.35). Phylogenetically distinct CMTV-like ranaviruses were found in the south of the Netherlands more recently. In addition to showing that CMTV-like ranaviruses threaten wild amphibian populations not only in Spain but also in the Netherlands, the current spread and risk of establishment reiterate that understanding the underlying causes of CMTV-like ranavirus emergence requires international attention

Research methods of Talking About The Smokes: an International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Objective: To describe the research methods and baseline sample of the Talking About The Smokes (TATS) project.Design: The TATS project is a collaboration between research institutions and Aboriginal community-controlled health services (ACCHSs) and their state and national representative bodies. It is one of the studies within the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, enabling national and international comparisons. It includes a prospective longitudinal study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers and recent ex-smokers; a survey of non-smokers; repeated cross-sectional surveys of ACCHS staff; and descriptions of the tobacco policies and practices at the ACCHSs. Community members completed face-to-face surveys; staff completed surveys on paper or online. We compared potential biases and the distribution of variables common to the main community baseline sample and unweighted and weighted results of the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). The baseline survey (Wave 1) was conducted between April 2012 and October 2013.Setting and participants: 2522 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 35 locations (the communities served by 34 ACCHSs and one community in the Torres Strait), and 645 staff in the ACCHSs.Main outcome measures: Sociodemographic and general health indicators, smoking status, number of cigarettes smoked per day and quit attempts.Results: The main community baseline sample closely matched the distribution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the weighted NATSISS by age, sex, jurisdiction and remoteness. There were inconsistent differences in some sociodemographic factors between our sample and the NATSISS: our sample had higher proportions of unemployed people, but also higher proportions who had completed Year 12 and who lived in more advantaged areas. In both surveys, similar percentages of smokers reported having attempted to quit in the past year, and daily smokers reported similar numbers of cigarettes smoked per day.Conclusion: The TATS project provides a detailed and nationally representative description of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking behaviour, attitudes, knowledge and exposure to tobacco control activities and policies, and their association with quitting

The effect of pack warning labels on quitting and related thoughts and behaviors in a national cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers

Introduction:The high prevalence of smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia (39%) contributes substantially to health inequalities. This study assesses the impact of warning labels on quitting and related thoughts and behaviors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers.Methods:Participants were recruited from communities served by 34 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and communities in the Torres Strait, Australia, using quota sampling. A cohort of 642 daily/weekly smokers completed relevant questions at baseline (April 2012–October 2013) and follow-up (August 2013–August 2014).Results:We considered three baseline predictor variables: noticing warning labels, forgoing cigarettes due to warning labels (“forgoing”) and perceiving labels to be effective. Forgoing increased significantly between surveys only for those first surveyed prior to the introduction of plain packs (19% vs. 34%); however, there were no significant interactions between forgoing cigarettes and the introduction of new and enlarged graphic warning labels on plain packaging in any model. Forgoing cigarettes predicted attempting to quit (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–2.06) and, among those who did not want to quit at baseline, wanting to quit at follow-up (AOR: 3.19, 95% CI: 1.06–9.63). Among those less worried about future health effects, all three variables predicted being very worried at follow-up. Often noticing warning labels predicted correct responses to questions about health effects that had featured on warning labels (AOR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.20–2.82) but not for those not featured.Conclusions:Graphic warning labels appear to have a positive impact on the understanding, concerns and motivations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers and, through these, their quit attempts.Implications:Graphic warning labels are likely to be effective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers as they are for the broader Australian population

StratIT– Ein Rahmenwerk zu den Inhalten von ITStrategien. Grundlegung und methodische Fundierung

Bis heute ist kein Konsens über die Inhalte von IT-Strategien vorhan-den. Daraus folgt eine gewisse Unsicherheit, wenn es gilt, die Themenbereiche einer IT-Strategie festzulegen. Dieser Missstand soll durch den Entwurf eines Rahmenwerks/Frameworks behoben werden. Die Fachgruppe Strategisches In-formationsmanagement der Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI-Fachgruppe SIM) hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, ein entsprechendes Rahmenwerk zu entwickeln. Dieses dient dazu, die Erstellung von IT-Strategien zu unterstützen. Der vorlie-gende Beitrag beschreibt den aktuellen Stand der Arbeit und zeigt im Sinne einer Diskussionsgrundlage auf, in welche thematischen Perspektiven, Domä-nen und Elemente sich IT-Strategien gliedern lassen. Darüber hinaus werden die methodische und wissenschaftstheoretische Fundierung sowie der „modus operandi“ der Arbeitsgruppe beschrieben. Das Rahmenwerk „StratIT“ entsteht in Zusammenarbeit von Forschern und Praktikern

Habilidades funcionales de niños, niñas y adolescentes con parálisis cerebral y su relación con el compromiso motor y la discapacidad intelectual en Argentina.

Introducción: El compromiso motor caracteriza la parálisis cerebral (PC), y suele asociarse a la discapacidad intelectual (DI). Se han desarrollado sistemas de clasificación estandarizados para describir las funciones de personas con PC. Objetivo: caracterizar funcionalmente a niños, niñas y adolescentes de 0 a 18 años con PC de Argentina e indagar la asociación entre el compromiso motor (GMFCS), la DI y las clasificaciones funcionales. Métodos: Estudio transversal. Se recolectaron datos a través de entrevistas a las familias y revisión de historias clínicas. Se incluyeron personas con PC. Los datos se recolectaron de 19 instituciones de distintas ciudades de Argentina. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó test de Fisher y odds ratio [IC95%], con significación <0,05. Resultados: participaron 182 niños, niñas y adolescentes con PC. Según clasificación GMFCS prevaleció el nivel V con 36,3%. Quienes presentan compromiso motor más severo (GMFCS IV-V), tienen 72 [25,4;206,0] veces y 13 [5,9;28,2] veces más chances de presentar un nivel severo de MACS y CFCS respectivamente. Pero, presentaron 34 [7,9;146,0] veces más chances de un nivel leve a moderado de EDACS. Quienes presentaron DI tuvieron 10 [5,1;20,5] veces más chances de presentar un nivel severo GMFCS, 6 [3,4;13,2] veces más chances un nivel severo MACS y 4 [2,0;7,8] veces más chances de un nivel severo CFCS. Por el contrario, tienen 4 [1,9;9,5] veces más chances de presentar un nivel leve-moderado EDACS. Conclusión: el nivel de GMFCS y la presencia de DI influyen en la funcionalidad general y aumentan la severidad en el compromiso, habilidades manuales y de comunicación