Resource Curse or Cure?: On the Sustainability of Development in Western Australia

Addresses often unanswered questions about the costs and benefits of resource-based development The first book to offer a suitably comprehensive critique of Western Australia's development path Provides a multi-facetted perspective thanks to its truly cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional authorship Globalisation and rapid social and environmental change in recent decades have brought into sharper focus not only the benefits but also the costs of economic development. The once assumed link between economic development and societal well-being is being increasingly questioned in the face of growing social and environmental problems and unfulfilled expectations concerning political and commercial decision-makers. The orthodox development dogma is being tested in particular in resource-based economies such as Western Australia, where globalisation pressures and the concomitant rise in the demand for natural resources highlight the difficulties of effectively balancing broader societal interests with those of industry and the state. This book provides a critical review of the socio-political, environmental and cultural state of play in Western Australia, offering an analysis of how resource-based developments are shaping the state and its people.

Integrating understandability in the evaluation of consumer health search engines

In this paper we propose a method that integrates the no- tion of understandability, as a factor of document relevance, into the evaluation of information retrieval systems for con- sumer health search. We consider the gain-discount evaluation framework (RBP, nDCG, ERR) and propose two understandability-based variants (uRBP) of rank biased precision, characterised by an estimation of understandability based on document readability and by different models of how readability influences user understanding of document content. The proposed uRBP measures are empirically contrasted to RBP by comparing system rankings obtained with each measure. The findings suggest that considering understandability along with topicality in the evaluation of in- formation retrieval systems lead to different claims about systems effectiveness than considering topicality alone.

Evaluation of public hospital performance in Khanh Hoa Province : Vietnam in connection with patient and staff satisfaction surveys

This research aimed to develop a framework for performance evaluation of public hospitals in Vietnam that is culturally, socially, and politically appropriate. The research included both qualitative and quantitative methods and identified and validated novel instruments to measure patient satisfaction and job satisfaction of hospital staff and to determine a set of hospital indicators that reflect the quality of hospital performance. New models for understanding the determinants of patient and staff satisfaction were developed along with a new performance indicator framework for hospital performance. These instruments will now be applied to the evaluation of hospital services in Khanh Hoa Province, permitting longer term evaluation of their effectiveness in changing system wide performance and satisfaction.

Benefit evaluation for information providing system by WebGIS in view of users' travel costs

This paper estimates the benefit of a plan for information providing system on road administration by WebGIS. The system will reduce travel costs of visitors from their business establishments to a road administration section of a city office. The authors had individual interviews with the visitors at the section of the Ichikawa City Office. Annual total sum of travel costs was estimated at 37 million yen at most. This paper also proposes formulas which expect the frequency of visits or the total sum of travel costs from the spatial distribution of the business establishments without questionnaires.

Caring for emergency service personnel : does what we do work?

Most emergency service organisations have some form of staff support program that share general aims of promoting and maintaining the mental health of their workforce. Yet few of these services have been subject to evaluation and fewer still have commissioned external professional researchers to scrutinise their programs. The Queensland Ambulance (QAS) Service provides a comprehensive and multifaceted program that is both proactive and reactive in design and with the support of the Commissioner, was the subject of a rigorous evaluation throughout 2013. In this paper the program services are briefly outlined and the considered approach to the evaluation is presented within the context of existing scientific literature. Using focus groups, information regarding the uptake of the program’s various ‘arms’, and survey data, results suggest the program is widely used and that staff are very satisfied with the services provided. Further, analysis of established psychometric measures demonstrated organisational and interpersonal factors that are important in the promotion of mental health and in warding off the deleterious impacts that frontline emergency service staff can endure. Data presented in this paper indicate how best to ensure a professional quality of life for ambulance personnel, how to promote resilience to the sometimes extremely challenging aspects of the work role, and ways in which difficulties such as depression may be minimised.

Review: "Measuring and evaluating sustainability : ethics in sustainability indexes" by Sarah E. Fredericks, New York, Routledge, Routledge Studies in Sustainable Development, 2014

The concept of ‘sustainability’ has been pushed to the forefront of policy-making and politics as the world wakes up to the impacts of climate change and the effects of the rapid urbanisation and modern urban lifestyles (Yigitcanlar and Teriman 2014). Climate change and fossil fuel-based energy policy have emerged as the biggest challenges for our planet, threatening both built and natural systems with long-term consequences. However, the threats are not limited to the impacts of climate change and unsustainable energy system only – e.g., impacts of rapid urbanisation, socioeconomic crises and governance hiccups are just to name a few (Yigitcanlar 2010a). Along with these challenges, successfully coping with the enormous transformations that our cities, societies and the environment have been going through during the last few decades, and their...

Community arts and appropriate internet technology : participation, materiality, and the ethics of sustainability in the digitally networked era

This thesis delivers new knowledge about how Australian community arts practices of appropriate technology are shifting due to the internet. It reconfigures the sector's incumbent ethics of sustainability in response to emerging concerns about how the internet's material politics are affecting cultural participation.

Beyond point forecasting : evaluation of alternative prediction intervals for tourist arrivals

This paper evaluates the performances of prediction intervals generated from alternative time series models, in the context of tourism forecasting. The forecasting methods considered include the autoregressive (AR) model, the AR model using the bias-corrected bootstrap, seasonal ARIMA models, innovations state space models for exponential smoothing, and Harvey’s structural time series models. We use thirteen monthly time series for the number of tourist arrivals to Hong Kong and Australia. The mean coverage rates and widths of the alternative prediction intervals are evaluated in an empirical setting. It is found that all models produce satisfactory prediction intervals, except for the autoregressive model. In particular, those based on the biascorrected bootstrap perform best in general, providing tight intervals with accurate coverage rates, especially when the forecast horizon is long.

IT-enabled sustainability transformation—the case of SAP

This teaching case describes how SAP, a leading global information technology (IT) solutions provider, embarked on a large-scale transformation program to implement a dual sustainability strategy of: (a) internally transforming the organization, and (b) addressing a business opportunity by developing IT solutions that enable their customers to become more sustainable. This case provides students with significant information about the development of SAP towards sustainability, including the company's underlying motivation, their approach to change and related challenges, and their use of IT to enable the transformation. The teaching case provides an opportunity to critically examine the benefits and risks of using IT in an effort to improve the sustainability of an organization, and to develop appropriate models for sustainable strategies and IT implementation efforts.

Control of energy and matter at nanoscales : challenges and opportunities for plasma nanoscience in a sustainability age

Plasma nanoscience is an emerging multidisciplinary research field at the cutting edge of a large number of disciplines including but not limited to physics and chemistry of plasmas and gas discharges, materials science, surface science, nanoscience and nanotechnology, solid-state physics, space physics and astrophysics, photonics, optics, plasmonics, spintronics, quantum information, physical chemistry, biomedical sciences and related engineering subjects. This paper examines the origin, progress and future perspectives of this research field driven by the global scientific and societal challenges. The future potential of plasma nanoscience to remain a highly topical area in the global research and technological agenda in the age of fundamental-level control for a sustainable future is assessed using a framework of the five Grand Challenges for Basic Energy Sciences recently mapped by the US Department of Energy. It is concluded that the ongoing research is very relevant and is expected to substantially expand to competitively contribute to the solution of all of these Grand Challenges. The approach to controlling energy and matter at nano- and subnanoscales is based on identifying the prevailing carriers and transfer mechanisms of the energy and matter at the spatial and temporal scales that are most relevant to any particular nanofabrication process. Strong accent is made on the competitive edge of the plasma-based nanotechnology in applications related to the major socio-economic issues (energy, food, water, health and environment) that are crucial for a sustainable development of humankind. Several important emerging topics, opportunities and multidisciplinary synergies for plasma nanoscience are highlighted. The main nanosafety issues are also discussed and the environment- and human health-friendly features of plasma-based nanotech are emphasized.

Performance evaluation of three-level Z-source inverters under semiconductor-failure conditions

This paper evaluates and proposes various compensation methods for three-level Z-source inverters under semiconductor-failure conditions. Unlike the fault-tolerant techniques used in traditional three-level inverters, where either an extra phase-leg or collective switching states are used, the proposed methods for three-level Z-source inverters simply reconfigure their relevant gating signals so as to ride-through the failed semiconductor conditions smoothly without any significant decrease in their ac-output quality and amplitude. These features are partly attributed to the inherent boost characteristics of a Z-source inverter, in addition to its usual voltage-buck operation. By focusing on specific types of three-level Z-source inverters, it can also be shown that, for the dual Z-source inverters, a unique feature accompanying it is its extra ability to force common-mode voltage to zero even under semiconductor-failure conditions. For verifying these described performance features, PLECS simulation and experimental testing were performed with some results captured and shown in a later section for visual confirmation.

Evaluation of resonant damping techniques for Z-source current-type inverter

For the renewable energy sources whose outputs vary continuously, a Z-source current-type inverter has been proposed as a possible buck-boost alternative for grid-interfacing. With a unique X-shaped LC network connected between its dc power source and inverter topology, Z-source current-type inverter is however expected to suffer from compounded resonant complications in addition to those associated with its second-order output filter. To improve its damping performance, this paper proposes the careful integration of Posicast or three-step compensators before the inverter pulse-width modulator for damping triggered resonant oscillations. In total, two compensators are needed for wave-shaping the inverter boost factor and modulation ratio, and they can conveniently be implemented using first-in first-out stacks and embedded timers of modern digital signal processors widely used in motion control applications. Both techniques are found to damp resonance of ac filter well, but for cases of transiting from current-buck to boost state, three-step technique is less effective due to the sudden intermediate discharging interval introduced by its non-monotonic stepping (unlike the monotonic stepping of Posicast damping). These findings have been confirmed both in simulations and experiments using an implemented laboratory prototype.

Rapid on-site evaluation of fine needle aspiration specimens by cytology scientists : a review of 3032 specimens

Objectives To determine: (1) the accuracy of cytology scientists at assessing specimen adequacy by rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) at fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology collections; and (2) whether thyroid FNA with ROSE has lower inadequacy rates than non-attended FNAs. Methods The ROSE of adequacy for 3032 specimens from 17 anatomical sites collected over a 20-month period was compared with the final report assessment of adequacy. ROSE was performed by 19 cytology scientists. The report profile for 1545 thyroid nodules with ROSE was compared with that for 1536 consecutive non-ROSE thyroid FNAs reported by the same cytopathologists during the study period. Results ROSE was adequate in 75% (2276/3032), inadequate in 12% (366/3032) and in 13% (390/3032) no opinion was rendered. Of the 2276 cases assessed as adequate by ROSE, 2268 (99.6%) were finally reported as adequate for assessment; eight specimens had adequacy downgraded on the final report. Fifty eight per cent of cases with a ROSE assessment of inadequate were reported as adequate (212/366), whereas 93% (363/390) with no opinion rendered were reported as adequate. The overall final report adequacy rate for the 3032 specimens was 94% (2843/3032). Confirmation of a ROSE of adequacy at reporting was uniformly high amongst the 19 scientists, ranging from 98% to 100%. The inadequacy rate for thyroid FNAs with ROSE (6%) was significantly (P < 0.0001) lower than for non-ROSE thyroid FNAs (17%). A significantly (P = 0.02) higher proportion of adequate ROSE thyroid specimens was reported with abnormalities, compared with non-ROSE thyroid collections. Conclusions Cytology scientists are highly accurate at determining specimen adequacy at ROSE for a wide range of body sites. ROSE of thyroid FNAs can significantly reduce inadequate reports.