What can Australia learn from the Europeans about public participation? Article 6 of the Aarhus Convention and environmental impact statements

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) is the only international convention that is exclusively devoted to public participation in environmental matters. Although it is European in origin, much of the detail of the Convention draws upon national environmental legislation, including aspects of the Australian environmental legal system. This article compares the public review provisions relating to environmental impact statements in Australia with Art 6 of the Convention governing "Public Participation in Decisions on Specific Activities". The article finds that much of the Australian laws with some exceptions satisfy the minimum requirements of public participation in Art 6.

Development of construction best practice expert system

The performance level of construction industry in the UK is generally considered to be low. The reasons for this situation are twofold, firstly due to the temporary organisational structure of construction team and secondly the inefficient construction process. Previous research in this area has focused on developing a generic model to represent the construction process. It is necessary to develop a process model, which clearly identifies the roles and responsibilities of the major parties on the building team and identifies the key issues within the project cycle. The method for presenting this model is by using an expert system. The primary aim of this paper is to discuss the development of the CONstruction Best Practice System (CONBPS). The theoretical framework of CONBPS and the development and evaluation of the system will be described. The future research will also be discussed. Finally, the advantage of this model will be identified.

Reduced emergency calls and improved weekend discharge after introduction of a new electronic handover system

Objectives: To measure the frequency and content of electronic handover before and after implementation of the Blue BARRWUE handover system, and to measure its effect on patient safety and hospital efficiency over weekends.

Design, setting and participants: Point-prevalence study comparing outcomes for general medical inpatients present over weekends before implementation (1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009) and after implementation (1 May 2009 to 30 April 2010) of the Blue BARRWUE handover system at Geelong Hospital.

Intervention: Implementation of the Blue BARRWUE handover system and its components (updated working diagnosis, background, alerts, resuscitation status, requests, who to do what and when, updates and executable discharge plan).
Main outcome measures: Presence of any written handover notes or updated working diagnoses in the BOSSnet clinical information system, content of handover notes, frequency of weekend discharges and medical emergency team (MET) calls before and after implementation.

Results: In the 12 months before implementation of the Blue BARRWUE handover system, 976 patients (47.98%) had a handover note in BOSSnet, versus 1646 patients (95.09%) in the 12 months after implementation (P< 0.001; rate ratio [RR], 20.75; 95% CI, 16.33–26.44). Before implementation, 289 patients (14.21%) were discharged over weekends, versus 353 patients (20.39%) after implementation, (P < 0.001; RR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.25–1.65). MET calls were made for 152 general medical patients before implementation (7.47%), versus 95 general medical patients (5.49%) after implementation (P= 0.01; RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.57–0.94).

Conclusions: The Blue BARRWUE system has sustainably improved written handover in our organisation and was associated with improvement in both patient safety and hospital efficiency.

Background and context of the study

This chapter provides the necessary background and context for the study. Australia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have a long history of trade and investment activities between them. Trade and investment have evolved gradually over the years. However, the acceleration of globalisation and the resulting changes taking place in the structure of the world economy have led many small economies such as Australia and the GCC states to engage strategically with their trading partners in order to remain an integral part of the global economy. Australia and GCC started to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) in 2007 with negotiations slowing down for a number of years. Recently, Australia has shown a strong determination to conclude a successful FTA with the GCC. Such a prospect raises a number of interesting questions regarding the potential benefits of a successful Australia–GCC FTA which is the subject of this research.

Financial regulation and international criminal policy: the anti-money laundering system in Brazil and Argentina

The objective of this paper is to present and compare the process and the results of the implementation of the anti-money laundering system in Brazil and Argentina. Considering that the internal transformations cannot be discussed without a clear understanding of the international apparatus, attention will be given to the description of the “international policy” designed and conducted by FATF. Therefore, its incorporation into two different national realities, the Brazilian and the Argentinean ones, will shed light not only on the transnational transformations both States underwent but also on the anti-money laundering regime itself. The paper is divided into five parts. The first one presents a brief introduction on the emergence and development of the relationship between financial regulation and criminal policy. The two following sections are designed to present an overview of the anti money laundering system in Brazil and Argentina and of the role of FATF in their implementation process. The fourth section presents two Brazilian examples of situations in which full advantage of the FATF regime was taken: the National Strategy to Combat Corruption and Money Laundering and the BacenJud, a communication channel between the financial system and the judicial power. To conclude, final comments will be presented in connection with the central questions of the project this paper is part of .

Barriers faced by the Brazilian business community to access the United States market system

Trade history between Brazil and the United States is long and complicated but it is only in recent years that the trade balance has become more equal in terms of both imports and exports. As Brazil continues to establish its position in the world economy and expand its export market it is only natural that it seeks to increase exports to its single largest trading partner, the United States, and maintain the market share already established. In order to achieve success in these regards Brazil must have a deep understanding of the American political economy system. Part of this entails understanding barriers that must be overcome by Brazilian businesses to access United States markets, particularly the access of certain products at the industry level.

Structural Aspects of the Distinct Biochemical Properties of Glutaredoxin 1 and Glutaredoxin 2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of intermittent feeding on growth in early juveniles of the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus

Three experiments were conducted with juveniles of the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus to investigate the effect of intermittent feeding regimes on growth and the ability to tolerate the shortage of food. In experiment 1, stage III juveniles were assigned to one of seven intermittent feeding groups (from FS1: 1 day fed/1 day non-fed to FS7: 7 days fed/7 days non-fed) and two control groups, continuously fed (CF) and continuously starved (CS) animals; this experiment comprised a short-term intermittent feeding period until the first molt, followed by a continuous feeding period. In the experiment 2, stage III juveniles were assigned to one of three intermittent feeding groups (FS2 to FS4) and one control group (CF); it consisted of a prolonged intermittent feeding period, until the end of the experiment In the experiment 3, stage VI and VII juveniles were assigned to one of three intermittent feeding groups (FS2 to FS4) and one control (CF); it also consisted of a prolonged intermittent feeding period. The red claw crayfish juveniles were able to tolerate periods of intermittent feeding and underwent compensatory growth after continuous feed was re-established. The ability of crayfish to tolerate intermittent feeding was influenced by developmental stage and duration of the intermittent feeding period. Stage III juveniles survived, but decreased growth, when subjected to prolonged intermittent feeding. However, they showed full compensatory growth when the intermittent feeding period was short and followed by continuous feeding. on the other hand, stage VI-VII tolerated 60 days of prolonged intermittent feeding without any change in growth and survival. The hepatosomatic index (based on wet weight) values of the treatments and the control were similar, suggesting that intermittent feeding may not be considered a nutritional stress condition. The relative pleon weight (based on wet weight) values of the treatments and control were similar suggesting low use of nutrients from the muscle to increase the chance for survival. The juveniles of C quadricarinatus can tolerate relatively long periods of low food availability and this is an important adaptation for their survival in changing/unpredictable environments and an attribute favorable for the production of the species. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Construction of an alkaline phosphatase-liposome system: a tool for biomineralization study

Alkaline phosphatase is required for the mineralization of bone and cartilage. This enzyme is localized in the matrix vesicle, which plays a role key in calcifying cartilage. In this paper. we standardize a method for construction an alkaline phosphatase liposome system to mimic matrix vesicles and examine a some kinetic behavior of the incorporated enzyme. Polidocanol-solubilized alkaline phosphatase, free of detergent, was incorporated into liposomes constituted from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), dilaurilphosphatidylcholine (DLPC) or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). This process was time-dependent and >95% of the enzyme was incorporated into the liposome after 4 h of incubation at 25 degreesC. Although, incorporation was more rapid when vesicles constituted from DPPC were used, the incorporation was more efficient using vesicles constituted from DMPC. The 395 nm diameter of the alkaline phosphatase-liposome system was relatively homogeneous and more stable when stored at 4 degreesC.Alkaline phosphatase was completely released from liposome system only using purified phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC). These experiments confirm that the interaction between alkaline phosphatase and lipid bilayer of liposome is via GPI anchor of the enzyme, alone. An important point shown is that an enzyme bound to liposome does not lose the ability to hydrolyze ATP, pyrophosphate and p-nitrophenyl phosphate (PNPP), but a liposome environment affects its kinetic properties, specifically for pyrophosphate.The standardization of such system allows the study of the effect of phospholipids and the enzyme in in vitro and in vivo mineralization, since it reproduces many essential features of the matrix vesicle. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Densitometric and biochemical values of broiler tibias at different ages

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of the hemogram in healthy canines under cisplatin therapy

Objective. To evaluate the average values of the hemogram test in healthy dogs during chemotherapy with cisplatin. Materials and methods. The hemogram parameters of eight healthy canines, which underwent therapy with cisplatin, were evaluated. These canines were divided into two groups. The dogs in the first group were given cisplatin (70mg/m(2), i.v.) and to prevent kidney poisoning they were given physiological serum at 0.9% (25mL/kg/h, i.v.). The dogs in group two were not given cisplatin. Results. The hemogram of the dogs in the first group did not show any significant difference (p>0.05) as compared to the dogs in group 2.Conclusions. The data obtained indicate the protocol used with cisplatine does not significantly alter the average values of the hemogram test and the number of chemotherapy sessions increases the risk of diminishing the values of the hemogram test.

Observational Characterization of the Downward Atmospheric Longwave Radiation at the Surface in the City of São Paulo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Insulin and glucose sensitivity, insulin secretion and beta-cell distribution in endocrine pancreas of the fruit bat Artibeus lituratus

The fruit bat Artibeus lituratus absorbs large amounts of glucose in short periods of time and maintains normoglycemia even after a prolonged starvation period. Based on these data, we aimed to investigate various aspects related with glucose homeostasis analyzing: blood glucose and insulin levels, intraperitoneal glucose and insulin tolerance tests (ipGTT and ipITT), glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (2.8, 5.6 or 8.3 mmol/L glucose) in pancreas fragments, cellular distribution of beta cells, and the amount of pAkt/Akt in the pectoral muscle and liver. Blood glucose levels were higher in fed bats (6.88 +/- 0.5 mmol/L) than fasted bats (4.0 +/- 0.8 mmol/L), whereas insulin levels were similar in both conditions. The values of the area-under-the curve obtained from ipGTT were significantly higher when bats received 2 (5.5-fold) or 3 g/kg glucose (7.5-fold) b.w compared to control (saline). These bats also exhibited a significant decrease of blood glucose values after insulin administration during the iplTT. Insulin secretion from fragments of pancreas under physiological concentrations of glucose (5.6 or 8.3 mmol/L) was similar but higher than in 2.8 mmol/L glucose 1.8- and 2.0-fold, respectively. These bats showed a marked beta-cell distribution along the pancreas, and the pancreatic beta cells are not exclusively located at the central part of the islet. The insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation was more pronounced in the pectoral muscle, compared to liver. The high sensitivity to glucose and insulin, the proper insulin response to glucose, and the presence of an apparent large beta-cell population could represent benefits for the management of high influx of glucose from a carbohydrate-rich meal, which permits appropriate glucose utilization. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

5-HT1B receptor in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)