title: Valuing quality changes in Caribbean coastal waters for heterogeneous beach visitors

authors: Beharry-Borg, Nesha

subjects: choice experiment

abstract: The quality of the coastal waters is now a major environmental issue in Tobago due to its role in supporting the economically important tourism sector and for safeguarding public health. In this paper we report the results of two choice experiments designed to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for an improvement in coastal water quality for two groups of beach recreationists: snorkellers and nonsnorkellers. Responses from 284 respondents were analyzed and included both locals and tourists to the island who participated in beach recreation. Latent class and mixed multinomial logit models were used in the analysis of the responses to explain the presence of any unobserved taste heterogeneity. An additional advantage of using these models was the ability to determine individual-specific WTP estimates for each attribute. The results indicate that individual specific-means of WTP estimates vary significantly between snorkellers and nonsnorkellers. The results from the analysis using the latent class model identified two subgroups with distinct preferences with the snorkeller group. Unobserved taste heterogeneity was better represented for the nonsnorkellers with a mixed multinomial logit model. This study not only addresses the lack of valuation estimates on this island but also demonstrates the importance of using estimation methods that account for individual-specific differences in WTP estimates. The inclusion of individual preferences is especially important in the context of a small-island developing country where there is a need to prioritise policy recommendations due to limited financial resources and conflicting objectives for natural resource management.

text: Valuing quality changes in Caribbean coastal waters for heterogeneous beach visitors The quality of the coastal waters is now a major environmental issue in Tobago due to its role in supporting the economically important tourism sector and for safeguarding public health. In this paper we report the results of two choice experiments designed to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for an improvement in coastal water quality for two groups of beach recreationists: snorkellers and nonsnorkellers. Responses from 284 respondents were analyzed and included both locals and tourists to the island who participated in beach recreation. Latent class and mixed multinomial logit models were used in the analysis of the responses to explain the presence of any unobserved taste heterogeneity. An additional advantage of using these models was the ability to determine individual-specific WTP estimates for each attribute. The results indicate that individual specific-means of WTP estimates vary significantly between snorkellers and nonsnorkellers. The results from the analysis using the latent class model identified two subgroups with distinct preferences with the snorkeller group. Unobserved taste heterogeneity was better represented for the nonsnorkellers with a mixed multinomial logit model. This study not only addresses the lack of valuation estimates on this island but also demonstrates the importance of using estimation methods that account for individual-specific differences in WTP estimates. The inclusion of individual preferences is especially important in the context of a small-island developing country where there is a need to prioritise policy recommendations due to limited financial resources and conflicting objectives for natural resource management.

year: 2010

title: On the origin of anisotropy in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: the role of higher-order correlations

authors: Oughton, Sean

subjects: magnetic fields

abstract: Evolution of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence is often discussed in terms of second-order statistics like the energy spectra, but consideration of the structure of the von K´arm´an–Howarth hierarchy for MHD indicates that higherorder statistical correlations occupy an influential role. Here we show that both spectral anisotropy and energy decay are strongly associated with higher-order statistics. Dynamical emergence of spectral anisotropy must occur at a higher order in the statistical hierarchy, while numerical evidence suggests that strong variations in energy decay are connected with variations in higher-order statistics.

text: On the origin of anisotropy in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: the role of higher-order correlations Evolution of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence is often discussed in terms of second-order statistics like the energy spectra, but consideration of the structure of the von K´arm´an–Howarth hierarchy for MHD indicates that higherorder statistical correlations occupy an influential role. Here we show that both spectral anisotropy and energy decay are strongly associated with higher-order statistics. Dynamical emergence of spectral anisotropy must occur at a higher order in the statistical hierarchy, while numerical evidence suggests that strong variations in energy decay are connected with variations in higher-order statistics.

year: 2013

title: Ngā Tohu o te Ora: traditional Māori healing and wellness outcomes

authors: Ahuriri-Driscoll, Annabel

abstract: The Ngā Tohu o te Ora (signs of wellness) research project was developed to investigate outcomes associated with rongoā Māori, in order that this traditional practice might enjoy increased support as a funded service. The primary aims were to: 
1. Identify wellness outcome measures used by traditional Māori healers, and 
2. Develop and test a framework of traditional Māori wellness outcome measures. 
Secondary aims included integrating the wellness outcomes framework with the Pūrākau framework (developed by the authors in a previous HRC seeding grant), and disseminating research findings among healing, health service delivery and research communities. 10 Work towards Aims 1 and 2 were undertaken in two distinct stages in the research: identifying wellness outcomes and weaving them together in the form of a framework comprised Stage I research activities (June 2008 - December 2009), and testing the use of the framework by Whare Oranga constituted Stage II (January 2010 - July 2011). Recognising the importance of meaningful engagement for both research 'success' and healer benefit, emphasis was placed on ensuring high quality relationships between the research team and participating practitioners/Whare Oranga throughout; this constituted an implicit process aim. Several further aims emerged from engagement with healers, within which healers and research team members discussed potential service-oriented benefits that the research project would work towards. These included: 
• Enhancing the capacity of Whare Oranga to provide service information to funders that might support their wider understanding of rongoā Māori, with a view to securing additional contracts; 
• Providing newly established or developing Whare Oranga with tools and frameworks to support and strengthen their entry into health service provision in their local communities; and 
• Articulating clearly defined, assessable and progressive steps toward targeted domains of wellbeing for use by practitioners and their clients.

text: Ngā Tohu o te Ora: traditional Māori healing and wellness outcomes The Ngā Tohu o te Ora (signs of wellness) research project was developed to investigate outcomes associated with rongoā Māori, in order that this traditional practice might enjoy increased support as a funded service. The primary aims were to: 
1. Identify wellness outcome measures used by traditional Māori healers, and 
2. Develop and test a framework of traditional Māori wellness outcome measures. 
Secondary aims included integrating the wellness outcomes framework with the Pūrākau framework (developed by the authors in a previous HRC seeding grant), and disseminating research findings among healing, health service delivery and research communities. 10 Work towards Aims 1 and 2 were undertaken in two distinct stages in the research: identifying wellness outcomes and weaving them together in the form of a framework comprised Stage I research activities (June 2008 - December 2009), and testing the use of the framework by Whare Oranga constituted Stage II (January 2010 - July 2011). Recognising the importance of meaningful engagement for both research 'success' and healer benefit, emphasis was placed on ensuring high quality relationships between the research team and participating practitioners/Whare Oranga throughout; this constituted an implicit process aim. Several further aims emerged from engagement with healers, within which healers and research team members discussed potential service-oriented benefits that the research project would work towards. These included: 
• Enhancing the capacity of Whare Oranga to provide service information to funders that might support their wider understanding of rongoā Māori, with a view to securing additional contracts; 
• Providing newly established or developing Whare Oranga with tools and frameworks to support and strengthen their entry into health service provision in their local communities; and 
• Articulating clearly defined, assessable and progressive steps toward targeted domains of wellbeing for use by practitioners and their clients.

year: 2012