Efficiency or technology adoption: A case study in waste-treatment technology

Improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of supply-side waste management are necessary in many countries. In Japan, municipalities with limited budgets have delayed the introduction of new waste-management technologies. Thus, the central government has used subsidies to encourage municipalities to adopt certain new technologies to improve waste-management efficiency. In this study, we measure the efficiency of waste management and explore how technology is related to technical efficiency. We find that municipalities are likely to adopt less-efficient technologies and that the central government's policies are likely to promote inefficient technology adoption by local governments.

ACE research briefing paper 008 : How to Design and Manage Successful Joint Ventures in the Exploration Space

Joint ventures are formed and dissolved regularly in the mining industry. What impact do such changes have on the viability of mineral exploration projects? The Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research (ACE) has taken 9 years' worth of data (2002-2011) on 1,025 joint ventures in the Australasian mining industry and studied trends in fomentation, dissolution, and reconfiguration and how they impact project outcomes. This research is generously sponsored by the Queensland Exploration Council (QEC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

Ultrafine particle emission of waste incinerators and comparison to the exposure of urban citizens

On the basis of the growing interest on the impact of airborne particles on human exposure as well as the strong debate in Western countries on the emissions of waste incinerators, this work reviewed existing literature to: (i) show the emission factors of ultrafine particles (particles with a diameter less than 100 nm) of waste incinerators, and; (ii) assess the contribution of waste incinerators in terms of ultrafine particles to exposure and dose of people living in the surrounding areas of the plants in order to estimate eventual risks. The review identified only a limited number of studies measuring ultrafine particle emissions, and in general they report low particle number concentrations at the stack (the median value was equal to 5.5×103 part cm-3), in most cases higher than the outdoor background value. The lowest emissions were achieved by utilization of the bag-house filter which has an overall number-based filtration efficiency higher than 99%. Referring to reference case, the corresponding emission factor is equal to 9.1×1012 part min-1, that is lower than one single high-duty vehicle. Since the higher particle number concentrations found in the most contributing microenvironments to the exposure (indoor home, transportation, urban outdoor), the contribution of the waste incinerators to the daily dose can be considered as negligible.

Barriers and supports for development of a clinician scientist role in cerebrovascular nursing: A position paper

This position paper will: 1. Provide an update on relevant current developments in the education, training and positioning of clinician nurse scientists; 2. Provide and promote a rational argument for the development of the clinician nurse scientist role, and; 3. Discuss issues related to capacity building in clinical research in neuroscience nursing, with specific reference to and support for the cerebrovascular (stroke) specialty nursing area.

Understanding pressures on the future of roads: A sustainable built environment National Research Centre Discussion Paper

According to the Australian Government, when combined with expected population growth and internal migration, expected changes in temperature and rainfall are expected to increase road maintenance costs by over 30 percent by 2100. This presents a significant future economic risk, in response, this paper will discuss the potential for roads to improve their resilience to the impacts of climate change and other key pressures. The paper will also highlight how such measures can inform state and national main road infrastructure planning and reduce future associated risks and costs.

Submission to the Productivity Commission issues paper business set-Up, transfer and closure

The Commission has been asked to identify appropriate options for reducing entry and exit barriers including advice on the potential impacts of the personal/corporate insolvency regimes on business exits...

Considering the application of biophilic urbanism: A Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre discussion paper

Biophilic urbanism, or urban design which refl ects human’s innate need for nature in and around and on top of our buildings, stands to make signifi cant contributions to a range of national, state and local government policies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Potential benefi ts include reducing the heat island effect, reducing energy consumption for thermal control, enhancing urban biodiversity, improving well being and productivity, improving water cycle management, and assisting in the response to growing needs for densifi cation and revitalisation of cities. This discussion paper will give an overview of the concept of biophilia and consider enablers and disablers to its application to urban planning and design. The paper will present findings from stakeholder engagement related to a consideration of the economics of the use of biophilic elements (direct and indirect). The paper outlines eight strategic areas being considered in the project, including how a ‘daily minimum dose’ of nature can be received through biophilic elements, and how planning and policy can underpin effective biophilic urbanism.

A Web-based system enabling the integration, analysis, and 3D sub-surface visualization of groundwater monitoring data and geological models

The 3D Water Chemistry Atlas is an intuitive, open source, Web-based system that enables the three-dimensional (3D) sub-surface visualization of ground water monitoring data, overlaid on the local geological model (formation and aquifer strata). This paper firstly describes the results of evaluating existing virtual globe technologies, which led to the decision to use the Cesium open source WebGL Virtual Globe and Map Engine as the underlying platform. Next it describes the backend database and search, filtering, browse and analysis tools that were developed to enable users to interactively explore the groundwater monitoring data and interpret it spatially and temporally relative to the local geological formations and aquifers via the Cesium interface. The result is an integrated 3D visualization system that enables environmental managers and regulators to assess groundwater conditions, identify inconsistencies in the data, manage impacts and risks and make more informed decisions about coal seam gas extraction, waste water extraction, and water reuse.

Paper and electronic antenatal records: What do women and health care providers tell us about their use?

The antenatal paper hand-held record (PHR) has been used extensively in general practice (GP) shared-care management of pregnant women, but recently the antenatal electronic health record (EHR) was introduced. This study aimed to examine the experiences of women and health care providers who use the PHR and the EHR, and find out the relative role of these records in the integration of care. Purposive homogenous samples of women and health care providers were interviewed as users of the PHR in phase 1 and the EHR in phase 2 of the study. Qualitative data were collected via interview with women and GPs and focus groups held with hospital health care providers. Interviews were coded manually and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Fifteen women participated in phase 1 and 12 in phase 2. Seventeen GPs participated in phase 1 and 15 in phase 2. Five focus groups with hospital health care providers were conducted in each phase. Results were categorised into four themes: 1. Record purpose; 2. Perception of the record; 3. Content of the record, and; 4. Sharing information in the record. Both women and health care providers were familiar with the PHR, but identified that some information was missing or not utilised well, and reported underuse of the EHR. The study identified continued widespread use of the PHR and several issues concerning the use of the EHR. An improvement in the strategic implementation of the EHR is suggested as a mechanism to facilitate its wider adoption.

From maternity paper hand-held records to electronic health records: What do women tell us about their use?

The paper hand-held record (PHR) has been used extensively in general practice (GP) shared care management of pregnant women, and recently, the first Mater Shared Electronic Health Record (MSEHR) was introduced. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine women’s experiences using the records and the contribution of the records to integrate care. At the 36-week antenatal visit in a maternity tertiary centre clinic, women were identified as a user of either the PHR or the MSEHR and organised into Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies respectively. Fifteen women were interviewed in Phase 1 and 12 women in Phase 2. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Four main themes were identified: (1) purpose of the record; (2) perceptions of the record; (3) content of the record, and; (4) sharing the record. Findings indicate that the PHR is a well-liked maternity tool. The findings also indicate there is under-usage of the MSEHR due to health-care providers failing to follow up and discuss the option of using the electronic health record option or if a woman has completed the log-in process. This paper adds to an already favourable body of knowledge about the use of the PHR. It is recommended that continued implementation of the MSEHR be undertaken to facilitate its use.

Re-valuing construction materials and components through design for disassembly

The construction industry accounts for a significant portion of the material consumption of our industrialised societies. That material consumption comes at an environmental cost, and when buildings and infrastructure projects are demolished and discarded, after their useful lifespan, that environmental cost remains largely unrecovered. The expected operational lifespan of modern buildings has become disturbingly short as buildings are replaced for reasons of changing cultural expectations, style, serviceability, locational obsolescence and economic viability. The same buildings however are not always physically or structurally obsolete; the materials and components within them are very often still completely serviceable. While there is some activity in the area of recycling of selected construction materials, such as steel and concrete, this is almost always in the form of down cycling or reprocessing. Very little of this material and component resource is reuse in a way that more effectively captures its potential. One significant impediment to such reuse is that buildings are not designed in a way that facilitates easy recovery of materials and components; they are designed and built for speed of construction and quick economic returns, with little or no consideration of the longer term consequences of their physical matter. This research project explores the potential for the recovery of materials and components if buildings were designed for such future recovery; a strategy of design for disassembly. This is not a new design philosophy; design for disassembly is well understood in product design and industrial design. There are also some architectural examples of design for disassembly; however these are specialist examples and there is no significant attempt to implement the strategy in the main stream construction industry. This paper presents research into the analysis of the embodied energy in buildings, highlighting its significance in comparison with operational energy. Analysis at material, component, and whole-of-building levels shows the potential benefits of strategically designing buildings for future disassembly to recover this embodied energy. Careful consideration at the early design stage can result in the deconstruction of significant portions of buildings and the recovery of their potential through higher order reuse and upcycling.

Impacts of tillage and application methods on atrazine and alachlor losses from upland fields: Research paper

The effects of tillage practises and the methods of chemical application on atrazine and alachlor losses through run-off were evaluated for five treatments: conservation (untilled) and surface (US), disk and surface, plow and surface, disk and preplant-incorporated, and plow and preplant-incorporated treatments. A rainfall simulator was used to create 63.5 mm h^-1 of rainfall for 60 min and 127 mm h^-1 for 15 min. Rainfall simulation occurred 24-36 h after chemical application. There was no significant difference in the run-off volume among the treatments but the untilled treatment significantly reduced erosion loss. The untilled treatments had the highest herbicide concentration and the disk treatments were higher than the plow treatments. The surface treatments showed a higher concentration than the incorporated treatments. The concentration of herbicides in the water decreased with time. Among the experimental sites, the one with sandy loam soil produced the greatest losses, both in terms of the run-off volume and herbicide loss. The US treatments had the highest loss and the herbicide incorporation treatments had smaller losses through run-off as the residue cover was effective in preventing herbicide losses. Incorporation might be a favorable method of herbicide application to reduce the herbicide losses by run-off.

Response to: Electronic health records and healthcare identifiers : legislation discussion paper

Public submission # 029 to a Australian federal parliamentary committee considering proposed legislative changes to the Commonwealth's Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 and the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Act 2012.