Frontier Techniques for Measuring and Estimating Airport Efficiency : An Empirical Review with Practical Guidelines for Analysis and Future Research

Airport efficiency is important because it has a direct impact on customer safety and satisfaction and therefore the financial performance and sustainability of airports, airlines, and affiliated service providers. This is especially so in a world characterized by an increasing volume of both domestic and international air travel, price and other forms of competition between rival airports, airport hubs and airlines, and rapid and sometimes unexpected changes in airline routes and carriers. It also reflects expansion in the number of airports handling regional, national, and international traffic and the growth of complementary airport facilities including industrial, commercial, and retail premises. This has fostered a steadily increasing volume of research aimed at modeling and providing best-practice measures and estimates of airport efficiency using mathematical and econometric frontiers. The purpose of this chapter is to review these various methods as they apply to airports throughout the world. Apart from discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and their key findings, the paper also examines the steps faced by researchers as they move through the modeling process in defining airport inputs and outputs and the purported efficiency drivers. Accordingly, the chapter provides guidance to those conducting empirical research on airport efficiency and serves as an aid for aviation regulators and airport operators among others interpreting airport efficiency research outcomes.

CPD : Using evidence based clinical practice guidelines in the management of anaemia in patients with chronic renal failure

Anaemia is a chronic problem in patients with renal insufficiency, especially chronic renal failure (CRF). In patients with CRF, anaemia is primarily due to a deficiency in erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein growth factor that stimulates RBC production. The long-term effects and burden of anaemia for patients with CRF can be physical, emotional and financial. With efficient, systematic management of anaemia, clinicians have the potential to realise not only better clinical outcomes for CRF patients but also significant cost savings for them and the health system. During the last decade, significant advances have been made in clinicians’ understanding of how best to manage anaemia in this vulnerable population. One of the most important efforts to improve clinical practice has been the development of best practice guidelines.

Author response: "NPO practices and preoperative oral carbohydrate intake"

"We thank Dr Marsh for his thoughtful comments and acknowledge the limitations of our study, which we clearly outlined in the article. We also thank Dr Marsh for supporting our call for larger, independent trials to test the effectiveness of preoperative consumption of highcarbohydrate fluids to improve patient outcomes..."

Forging the synergy between anticipation and innovation : the futures action model

This paper presents the theory and practice of the Futures Action Model (FAM). FAM has been in development for over a decade, in a number of contexts and iterations. It is a creative methodology that uses a variety of concepts and tools to guide participants through the conception and modeling of enterprises, services, social innovations and projects in the context of emerging futures. It is used to generate strategic options that people can utilise to build opportunities for value creation as they move into the future. This paper details examples in its development, and provides theoretical and practical guidelines for educators and business facilitators to use the FAM system in their own workplaces.

ESD starts where STEM stops : integrating the social sciences into STEM

The Earth and its peoples are facing great challenges. As a species, humans are over-consuming the Earth’s resources and compromising the capacity of both natural and social systems to function in healthy and sustainable ways. Education at all levels and in all contexts, has a key role in helping societies move to more sustainable ways of living. Two areas in need of catch-up in relation to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are early childhood education and teacher education. Another area of challenge for ESD is the way it is currently oriented. To date, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on scientific and technological solutions to sustainability issues. This has led to an emphasis on STEM education as education’s main way of addressing sustainability. However, in this paper it is argued that sustainably is primarily a social issue that requires interdisciplinary education approaches. STEM approaches to ESD - emphasising knowledge construction and problem-solving - cannot, on their own, deal effectively with attitudes, values and actions towards more sustainable ways of living. In China and Australia, there are already policies, frameworks, guidelines and initiatives, such as Green Schools and Sustainable Schools that support such forms of ESD. STEM educators need to reach out to social scientists and social educators in order to more fully engage with activist and collaborative educational responses that equip learners with the knowledge, dispositions and capacities to ‘make a difference’.

Media and information literacy : policy and strategy guidelines

In the evolving knowledge societies of today, some people are overloaded with information, others are starved for information. Everywhere, people are yearning to freely express themselves,to actively participate in governance processes and cultural exchanges. Universally, there is a deep thirst to understand the complex world around us. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is a basis for enhancing access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression, and quality education. It describes skills, and attitudes that are needed to value the functions of media and other information providers, including those on the Internet, in societies and to find, evaluate and produce information and media content; in other words, it covers the competencies that are vital for people to be effectively engaged in all aspects of development.

Benchmarking the standard of environmental management practised in marinas

Most existing marinas are boat parking/storing and servicing facilities that have been built over a long period of time for the convenience of local boat owners.

Safe perioperative fasting : implementation of evidence based guidelines and an ‘at risk’ checklist

Introduction Guidelines existed at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) to direct preoperative/pre-procedural fasting in day patients undergoing general anaesthetic. However audit, risk analyses and a recent research project at the RCH identified prolonged pre-procedural fasting times in children undergoing day surgical and gastroenterology procedures. Aims 1. Reduce median fasting time to <8 hrs for children admitted for a day procedure under general anaesthetic; 2. Identify children at risk of perioperative hypoglycaemia. Methods The study was conducted in 4 phases: 1) revision and implementation of evidence-based perioperative fasting guidelines with staff education relating to these guidelines; 2) cross-sectional descriptive study with day surgical patients (n = 377) requiring preoperative fasting. ‘Normal risk’ and ‘High risk’ groups were identified for fasting hypoglycaemia using an ‘at risk’ checklist. Venous blood glucose (BGL) testing was performed at a) anaesthetic induction; b) prior to first caloric food/fluid postoperatively; 3) chart audit to evaluate efficacy of guidelines and parent information; 4) development of recommendations for clinical practice. Results The median fasting time for children having morning surgery (14 hrs, IQ range 5–22 hrs) was twice as long compared to afternoon lists (7 hrs, IQ range 6–22 hrs) (p < 0.001). Median fasting times were not significantly different between ‘at risk’ and control groups (p = 0.496). However the proportion of children who experienced hypoglycaemia (BGL <3 mmol/L) was greater in the ‘at risk’ group (5, 8%) compared to the control group (18, 4.3%). Although not statistically significant (x2 = 2.254, p = 0.133), ‘at risk’ children appear more likely to experience hypoglycaemia as children in the control group, constituting a clinically significant finding. Conclusion Appropriate identification and management of ‘high risk’ children, will reduce the risk of deleterious sequelae in children undergoing surgical or investigative procedures requiring general anaesthesia.

Corporate sustainability reporting of major commercial banks in line with GRI : Bangladesh evidence

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the tendencies of sustainability reporting by major commercial banks in Bangladesh in comparison with global sustainability reporting indicators outlined in the GRI framework together with banks' predilection toward reporting 16 GRI financial service sector (FSS) specific performance indicators. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the GRI G3 guidelines, the paper investigated banks' reporting in five broad areas of sustainability, such as environment, labour practices and decent works, product responsibility, human rights and society. The 2008/2009 annual reports of 12 major commercial banks listed on Dhaka stock exchange were analysed and coded using a content-based technique. Findings – The results show that information on society is addressed most extensively with regard to extent of reporting. This is followed by the disclosures prepared on decent works and labour practices and environmental issues. Furthermore, the disclosures of product responsibility information and the information for human rights are rather scarce in banks' reporting; on the subject of FSS-specific disclosures, only seven items out of 16 are disclosed by all sample banks. Research limitations/implications – The findings of the study indicate that Bangladeshi commercial banks' social disclosures could develop in this style to become more holistic and over time (in association with the country's central bank involvement) to resemble a type of structured reporting to the point where they are properly labelled per se. Originality/value – The study contributes to the social disclosure literature, in particular in a developing countries banking sector context, seeing as it disseminates evidence of the standing on social disclosures practices at the level of GRI with developing countries' banks data.

Physical activity guidelines and preschooler's obesity status

Aim The benefits of promoting physical activity (PA) in counteracting the high prevalence of childhood obesity have become increasingly important in the past decade. The aim of this study was to examine the association between compliance of daily PA recommendations and the risk of being overweight or obese in preschool-aged children. Methods The sample comprised 607 children aged 4–6 years, recruited from kindergartens located in the metropolitan area of Porto, Portugal. Preschooler’s body mass index was classified according to International Obesity Task Force. PA was assessed during 7 consecutive days by accelerometer. Children were classified as meeting or not meeting PA recommendations based on two guidelines: (i) at least 3 h per day of total PA (TPA); and (ii) at least 1 h per day of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 23.5 and 10.6% in girls and 17.2 and 8.9% in boys. In all, 90.2 and 97.3% of girls met the 1 h MVPA and 3 h TPA recommendations, respectively. In all, 96.2 and 99.4% boys met the 1 h MVPA and 3 h TPA recommendations, respectively. Boys were significantly more likely to achieve the 1 h MVPA and 3 h TPA recommendations than girls (P0.001). Not meeting the 1 h MVPA guideline was associated with obesity status (OR: 3.8; IC: 1.3–10.4), in girls, but not boys. No other statistically significant associations were found. Discussion These findings suggest that over 90% of children met the recommended guidelines. There is an association with low levels of MVPA and higher obesity status among preschool girls. Further, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these data.

ADSA Performance as Research Guidelines

The relationships between performance, research and scholarship in drama, theatre and performance studies have been of critical importance to ADSA and its members for more than two decades now. The ADSA Performance as Research Guidelines offer a comprehensive articulation of policies, approaches, practices, and issues impacting on the production of performance as research, particularly advise on producing performance as research in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

Author in waiting : self-portrait of Peter Goldsworthy as a boy

Review of His Stupid Boyhood by Peter Goldsworthy (Hamish Hamilton, 2013).

Adherence to physical activity and electronic media guidelines in Australian pre-school children

The aim of this study was to determine compliance with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) guideline for physical activity and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation for electronic media use among urban pre-school children in two large cities on the East Coast of Australia. Cross-sectional data were collected from 266 parents. Time spent using electronic media (watching television, DVDs or on the computer) and in physical activity were parent reported. The proportion who met each guideline was calculated. 56 per cent and 79% of children met the NASPE guideline on weekdays and weekends, respectively, while 73% and 70% met the AAP recommendation on weekdays and weekends, with no difference between boys and girls. A substantial minority do not meet physical activity and electronic media use recommendations, highlighting the need to better understand what factors contribute to physical activity and electronic media use among this group of pre-schoolers.

Compliance with physical activity guidelines : prevalence in a population of children and youth

PURPOSE To use objective monitoring of physical activity to determine the percentages of children and youth in a population that met physical activity guidelines. METHODS A total of 375 students in grades 1–12 wore an accelerometer (CSA 7164) for seven consecutive days. Bouts of continuous activity and accumulation of minutes spent in physical activity at various intensities were calculated to determine how many students met three physical activity guidelines. RESULTS Over 90% of students met Healthy People 2010, Objective 22.6 and nearly 70% met the United Kingdom Expert Consensus Group guideline, both of which recommend daily accumulation of moderate physical activity. Less than 3% met Healthy People 2010, Objective 22.7, which calls for bouts of continuous vigorous physical activity. For the United Kingdom Expert Consensus Group guideline, compliance decreased markedly with age, but gender differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Prevalence estimates for compliance with national physical activity guidelines varied markedly for the three guidelines examined. Objective monitoring of physical activity in youth appears to be feasible and may provide more accurate prevalence rates than self-report measures.