Reconciling the supply of and demand for carbon cycle science in the US agricultural sector

When asking the question, ``How can institutions design science policies for the benefit of decision makers?'' Sarewitz and Pielke Sarewitz, D., Pielke Jr., R.A., this issue. The neglected heart of science policy: reconciling supply of and demand for science. Environ. Sci. Policy 10] posit the idea of ``reconciling supply and demand of science'' as a conceptual tool for assessment of science programs. We apply the concept to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) carbon cycle science program. By evaluating the information needs of decision makers, or the ``demand'', along with the supply of information by the USDA, we can ascertain where matches between supply and demand exist, and where science policies might miss opportunities. We report the results of contextual mapping and of interviews with scientists at the USDA to evaluate the production and use of current agricultural global change research, which has the stated goal of providing ``optimal benefit'' to decision makers on all levels. We conclude that the USDA possesses formal and informal mechanisms by which scientists evaluate the needs of users, ranging from individual producers to Congress and the President. National-level demands for carbon cycle science evolve as national and international policies are explored. Current carbon cycle science is largely derived from those discussions and thus anticipates the information needs of producers. However, without firm agricultural carbon policies, such information is currently unimportant to producers. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Don't sell social science short

The News of the Week article that reports on Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) questioning the need to fund social science research at the National Science Foundation is alarming and shortsighted ("Senate panel chair asks why NSF funds social sciences," 12 May, p. 829). Social science research is at the fundamental core of basic research and has much to contribute to the economic viability of the United States. Twenty years of direct and jointly funded social and ecosystem science research at Colorado State University's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory has produced deep insights into environmental and societal impacts of political upheaval, land use, and climate change in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Beyond greatly advancing our understanding of the coupled human-environmental system, the partnership of social and ecosystem science has brought scientists and decision-makers together to begin to develop solutions to difficult problems.

Theatre audience contribution : facilitating a new text through the post-performance discussion

Theatre Audience Contribution introduces a new approach to theatre audience research: audience contribution through the post-performance discussion. This volume considers the physical and vocal behaviour of audience members as an integral part of the theatrical event that changes, adds to and informs the theatrical experience. Post-performance discussions, although rising in popularity, are yet an under-explored and under-utilised avenue for audience contribution. Beginning with an overview of reception theory and the historical role of theatre audiences, the author introduces a new method for the facilitation of post-performance discussions that encourages audience contribution and privileges the audience voice. Two case studies explore post-performance discussions that inform the theatrical event and discover a new role for the contemporary audience: audience critic. This accessible volume has significant implications for theatre theorists, practitioners and audiences alike.

Contact Lens Practice, 2nd Edition

Thoroughly revised and updated, this popular book provides a comprehensive yet easy to read guide to modern contact lens practice. Beautifully re-designed in a clean, contemporary layout, this second edition presents relevant and up-to-date information in a systematic manner, with a logical flow of subject matter from front to back. This book wonderfully captures the ‘middle ground’ in the contact lens field … somewhere between a dense research-based tome and a basic fitting guide. As such, it is ideally suited for both students and general eye care practitioners who require a practical, accessible and uncluttered account of the contact lens field. Contents Part 1 Introduction Historical perspective. The anterior eye Visual optics Clinical instruments Part 2 Soft contact lenses Soft lens materials Soft lens manufacture Soft lens optics Soft lens measurement Soft lens design and fitting Soft toric lens design and fitting Soft lens care systems Part 3 Rigid contact lenses Rigid lens materials Rigid lens manufacture Rigid lens optics Rigid lens measurement Rigid lens design and fitting Rigid toric lens design and fitting Rigid lens care systems Part 4 Lens replacement modalities Unplanned lens replacement Daily soft lens replacement Planned soft lens replacement Planned rigid lens replacement Part 5 Special lenses and fitting considerations Scleral lenses Tinted lenses Presbyopia Continuous wear Sport Keratoconus High ametropia Paediatric fitting Therapeutic applications Post-refractive Surgery Post-keratoplasty Orthokeratology Diabetes Part 6 Patient examination and management History taking Preliminary examination Patient education Aftercare Complications Digital imaging Compliance Practice management Appendices Index

Science and technology supervision resources

This document is an adaptation of a report submitted to the ALTC in 2009, with additional data collected through subsequent interviews with science supervisors. The organisation of the contents also reflects a development of thought since the original project. The framework presented in this document is intended to provide science and technology supervisors with a range of options with respect to supervisory pedagogy. It has been developed to highlight different aspects of thinking about supervision as a teaching and learning practice; as well as approaches, strategies and roles associated with supervision. It will enable science and technology supervisors to become aware of the diverse options available to them and provide systematic ways of thinking about supervisory practices. Use of this framework will encourage supervisors to make choices based on broader, rather than more limited, repertoires. It will also encourage thinking about supervision as a teaching and learning practice.

Understanding the impact of strategic alignment on the operational performance of post implemented technological innovations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of three strategies - organisational, business and information system – in post implementation of technological innovations. The findings reported in the paper are that improvements in operational performance can only be achieved by aligning technological innovation effectiveness with operational effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to apply a two-stage methodological approach. Unstructured and semi structured interviews, based on the findings of the literature, were used to identify key factors used in the survey instrument design. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine structural relationships between the set of observed variables and the set of continuous latent variables. Findings – Initial findings suggest that organisations looking for improvements in operational performance through adoption of technological innovations need to align with operational strategies of the firm. Impact of operational effectiveness and technological innovation effectiveness are related directly and significantly to improved operational performance. Perception of increase of operational effectiveness is positively and significantly correlated with improved operational performance. The findings suggest that technological innovation effectiveness is also positively correlated with improved operational performance. However, the study found that there is no direct influence of strategiesorganisational, business and information systems (IS) - on improvement of operational performance. Improved operational performance is the result of interactions between the implementation of strategies and related outcomes of both technological innovation and operational effectiveness. Practical implications – Some organisations are using technological innovations such as enterprise information systems to innovate through improvements in operational performance. However, they often focus strategically only on effectiveness of technological innovation or on operational effectiveness. Such a focus will be detrimental in the long-term of the enterprise. This research demonstrated that it is not possible to achieve maximum returns through technological innovations as dimensions of operational effectiveness need to be aligned with technological innovations to improve their operational performance. Originality/value – No single technological innovation implementation can deliver a sustained competitive advantage; rather, an advantage is obtained through the capacity of an organisation to exploit technological innovations’ functionality on a continuous basis. To achieve sustainable results, technology strategy must be aligned with organisational and operational strategies. This research proposes the key performance objectives and dimensions that organisations should focus to achieve a strategic alignment. Research limitations/implications – The principal limitation of this study is that the findings are based on investigation of small sample size. There is a need to explore the appropriateness of influence of scale prior to generalizing the results of this study.

Intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin retinal ganglion cell contributions to the pupillary light reflex and circadian rhythm

Recently discovered intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin retinal ganglion cells contribute to the maintenance of pupil diameter, recovery and post-illumination components of the pupillary light reflex and provide the primary environmental light input to the suprachiasmatic nucleus for photoentrainment of the circadian rhythm. This review summarises recent progress in understanding intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cell histology and physiological properties in the context of their contribution to the pupillary and circadian functions and introduces a clinical framework for using the pupillary light reflex to evaluate inner retinal (intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin ganglion cell) and outer retinal (rod and cone photoreceptor) function in the detection of retinal eye disease.

Magnocellular and parvocellular pathway mediated luminance contrast discrimination in amblyopia

To evaluate whether luminance contrast discrimination losses in amblyopia on putative magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC) pathway tasks reflect deficits at retinogeniculate or cortical sites. Fifteen amblyopes including six anisometropes, seven strabismics, two mixed and 12 age-matched controls were investigated. Contrast discrimination was measured using established psychophysical procedures that differentiate MC and PC processing. Data were described with a model of the contrast response of primate retinal ganglion cells. All amblyopes and controls displayed the same contrast signatures on the MC and PC tasks, with three strabismics having reduced sensitivity. Amblyopic PC contrast gain was similar to electrophysiological estimates from visually normal, non-human primates. Sensitivity losses evident in a subset of the amblyopes reflect cortical summation deficits, with no change in retinogeniculate contrast responses. The data do not support the proposal that amblyopic contrast sensitivity losses on MC and PC tasks reflect retinogeniculate deficits, but rather are due to anomalous post-retinogeniculate cortical processing of retinal signals.

Cultural Science and Methodological Challenge!

The processes of digitization and deregulation have transformed the production, distribution and consumption of information and entertainment media over the past three decades. Today, researchers are confronted with profoundly different landscapes of domestic and personal media than the pioneers of qualitative audience research that came to form much of the conceptual basis of Cultural Studies first in Britain and North America and subsequently across all global regions. The process of media convergence, as a consequence of the dual forces of digitisation and deregulation, thus constitutes a central concept in the analysis of popular mass media. From the study of the internationalisation and globalisation of media content, changing regimes of media production, via the social shaping and communication technologies and conversely the impact of communication technology on social, cultural and political realities, to the emergence of transmedia storytelling, the interplay of intertextuality and genre and the formation of mediated social networks, convergence informs and shapes contemporary conceptual debates in the field of popular communication and beyond. However, media convergence challenges not only the conceptual canon of (popular) communication research, but poses profound methodological challenges. As boundaries between producers and consumers are increasingly fluent, formerly stable fields and categories of research such as industries, texts and audiences intersect and overlap, requiring combined and new research strategies. This preconference aims to offer a forum to present and discuss methodological innovations in the study of contemporary media and the analysis of the social, cultural,and political impact and challenges arising through media convergence. The preconference thus aims to focus on the following methodological questions and challenges: *New strategies of audience research responding to the increasing individualisation of popular media consumption. *Methods of data triangulation in and through the integrated study of media production, distribution and consumption. *Bridging the methodological and often associated conceptual gap between qualitative and quantitative research in the study of popular media. *The future of ethnographic audience and production research in light of blurring boundaries between media producers and consumers. *A critical re-examination of which textual configurations can be meaningfully described and studied as text. *Methodological innovations aimed at assessing the macro social, cultural and political impact of mediatization (including, but not limited to, "creative methods"). *Methodological responses to the globalisation of popular media and practicalities of international and transnational comparative research. *An exploration of new methods required in the study of media flow and intertextuality.

A new undergraduate model for broadly based spatial science curriculum at Queensland University of Technology : diversity in surveying curriculum

This paper provides an overview of the current QUT Spatial Science undergraduate program based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It discusses the development and implementation of a broad-based educational model for the faculty of built environment and engineering courses and specifically to the course structure of the new Bachelor of Urban Development (Spatial Science) study major. A brief historical background of surveying courses is discussed prior to the detailing of the three distinct and complementary learning themes of the new course structure with a graphical course matrix. Curriculum mapping of the spatial science major has been undertaken as the course approaches formal review in late 2010. Work-integrated learning opportunities have been embedded into the curriculum and a brief outline is presented. Some issues relevant to the tertiary surveying/ spatial sector are highlighted in the context of changing higher education environments in Australia.

Spatial science news from the School of Urban Development, QUT April, 2010

EDM calibration/comparison at Coombabah,Gold Coast; Survey Staffer wins Vice-Chancellor’s Performance Fund Award; Focus on Surveying Service Teaching; Flexible Spatial Science Minor units; Reminder: Staff and Laboratories moving end of April.

Spatial science news from QUT : industry report : JULY 2010

Real-World Survey practical at Coombabah with GPS surveying; BEE student prizes Evening; Engaging Students in real-world learning at SERF.

Oxycodone or oxycodone plus paracetamol for acute postoperative pain in adults

In this short communication we wanted to find out what is the analgesic effect of single dose oral oxycodone, with or without the addition of paracetamol, for adults with postoperative pain? Oxycodone at doses of 5mg and above is an effective analgesia for patients with moderate to severe postoperative pain. The efficacy of oxycodone is increased with the addition of paracetamol. The use of oxycodone 10mg plus paracetamol 625mg can be considered for use in the pain relief protocol in post-operative settings. Clinicians should consider a range of factors before prescribing or administering oxycodone for acute post-operative pain, including but not limited to, individual patient clinical profile, adverse effects, cost and patient preference.

Levels of awareness of professional ethics used as a sensitizing method in project-based learning

There is a need for educational frameworks for computer ethics education. This discussion paper presents an approach to developing students’ moral sensitivity, an awareness of morally relevant issues, in project-based learning (PjBL). The proposed approach is based on a study of IT professionals’ levels of awareness of ethics. These levels are labelled My world, The corporate world, A shared world, The client’s world and The wider world. We give recommendations for how instructors may stimulate students’ thinking with the levels and how the levels may be taken into account in managing a project course and in an IS department. Limitations of the recommendations are assessed and issues for discussion are raised.

Dealing with the problem of cybercrime

Lack of a universally accepted and comprehensive taxonomy of cybercrime seriously impedes international efforts to accurately identify, report and monitor cybercrime trends. There is, not surprisingly, a corresponding disconnect internationally on the cybercrime legislation front, a much more serious problem and one which the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says requires „the urgent attention of all nations‟. Yet, and despite the existence of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, a proposal for a global cybercrime treaty was rejected by the United Nations (UN) as recently as April 2010. This paper presents a refined and comprehensive taxonomy of cybercrime and demonstrates its utility for widespread use. It analyses how the USA, the UK, Australia and the UAE align with the CoE Convention and finds that more needs to be done to achieve conformance. We conclude with an analysis of the approaches used in Australia, in Queensland, and in the UAE, in Abu Dhabi, to fight cybercrime and identify a number of shared problems.