The fauna of brackish ponds at Port Canning, lower Bengal : Part VII: further observations on the Polyzoa, with the description of a new genus of Entoprocta

A considerable change has taken place in the Polyzoa of the ponds this winter, apparently owing to last summer's floods, which broke down the embankment that separated the ponds from the river, joining thelll together temporarily. It will, therefore, be well to publish the observations arising from. a visit to Port Canning in December, 1907, both as regards the species already recorded and as regards a new genus that appears to have been introduced since last winter. A con1parison with European specimens, moreover, has also made it necessary to recognize the Bengal Victorella as a distinct species

Fauna of the Chilka Lake : the Polyzoa of the lake and of brackish water in the Gangetic Delta

Eight species of Polyzoa ilave been found in brackish water on the coasts of India, but of these only three occur, so far as we know, in the Chilka Lake. A fourth was abundant some years ago in small pools of brackish water near its inner.shore, but has now disappeared and has not been taken in the lake itself. A list of the eight species will be found in the Table of Contents on the opposite page. One half of these species are apparently endemic in estuarine tracts, maritime swamps and lagoons in India, while the other half are cosmopolitan or at any rate very widely distributed. The two series may be tabulated thus:· ENDEMIC INDIAN SPECIES. Membranipora bengalensis, Victorella bengalensis, Loxosomatoides colonialis, Loxosomatoides laevis. WIDELY DISTRIBUTED SPECIES. Membranipora hippopus, Bowerbankia caudata, Alcyonidium mytili, Barentsia discreta. ..

Zoological results of a tour in the far east : Polyzoa Entoprocta and Ctenostomata

The Polyzoa discussed or described in this paper are all from fresh or brackish water. The majority are from the Tale Sap in the north-eastern part of the Malay Peninsula} but a few come from the Tai-Hu in the Kiangsu Province of China. I have also included notes on one Indian form. The following species are to be considered: ENTOPROCTA. Chitaspis athleticus, gen. et sp. nov., from the Tale Sap. CTENOSTOMATA. Alcyonidium mytili, Dalyell, from Indian estuaries, etc. Triticella pediceltata (Alder), from the Tale Sap. Bowerbankiacaudata, Hincks, from the Tale Sap and Perak. Paludicella elongata, Leidy, from the Tai-Hu. Paludicella pentagonalis, sp. nov., from the Tale Sap. Victorelta bengalensis, Annandale, from the Tale Sap. Hislopia cambodgiensis (Jullien), from the Tai-Hu. Hislopia malayensis. sp. nov., from Jalor in the Malay Peninsula. It will be as well to defer consideration of the biology and distribution of these species until I have been able to deal systematically with the Phylactolaemata and Cheilostomata collected on my tour. All that need be said here is that while the species of Paludicella and Hislopia are from fresh water, the others. on the list are from brackish water

Seasonal demand for emergency department services : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Systems in Information Systems at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

There may be various explanations for what appears to be temporary breakdowns in the operations of Emergency Departments. One obviously can not anticipate natural disasters - what is also referred to as acts of God, but what of other situations which may develop ever so often? This begs several questions, including: • Are there "seasonal" factors at play which influence the influx of ED attendances? • And if that is the case - are there "seasonality"-related problems with the management of such surges in demand for ED services? In fact, when questions to this effect were first raised with some in ED Management in the "District" (managed by the District Health Board) the existence of "seasonality" was acknowledged, as was its potential for causing operational difficulties. In other words, there is an acknowledgement that there are "ebbs and flows" in demand for Emergency Services, and that while such can not always be anticipated absolutely, an attempt must none the less be made to pre-empt its fluctuations more accurately, and thus the following rephrased problem description "derived" from the foregoing questions: There seems to be some seasonality in the demand for ED services and it is causing operational difficulties. · For the purpose of brevity the following succinct Problem Description will be used liberally throughout the remainder of this Research Project / Thesis, namely that this is an attempt at determining Seasonal Demand for ED Services. This compacted rework of the original questions and discussion therefore represent mentioned questions and discussion. Whenever used in the remainder of this Research Project it implies that which precedes it in Chapter 1.1. For the time being that will suffice, but the author will define "season" and "seasonality" more specifically later in the Thesis, in view of some of the earlier "weather" / "season"-related studies mentioned in the Literature Review / References (Section 2.4.2 of Chapter 2). [FROM INTRODUCTION

The impact of voluntary environmental protection instruments on company environmental performance

In the last decade there has been increasing emphasis on the use of voluntary environmental protection tools such as corporate environmental reporting (CER) and environmental management systems (EMSs). There has been relatively little research, however, on the impact of these tools on the actual environmental performance of companies. This paper presents the findings of a survey of 40 companies operating in Western Australia to determine the extent to which the implementation of two voluntary instruments has influenced company environmental performance. The research considered four questions: To what extent have CER and EMSs influenced the environmental performance of companies operating in Western Australia? What are the characteristics of these influences? How does the influence of EMSs on environmental performance compare to that of CER? Have other external factors concurrently influenced environmental performance? In general, most respondents indicated that EMSs had influenced environmental management practices to some extent. On the other hand, CER was seen more as a public relations exercise and had less impact on company practices compared with EMSs. Other factors that influenced environmental performance included pressure from clients, senior management, the public and regulators; corporate culture; and cost savings

Exploring embodiment in drama therapy for enhancing intercultural communication

A research report submitted to the Wits School of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts by coursework and research report in the field of Drama Therapy, in the faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. March 2017This qualitative research study examines the ways in which embodiment in drama therapy can be an effective intervention aimed at enhancing intercultural communication amongst South Africans. South Africa is a multicultural society owing to the diverse cultures people belong to. Communication is required in order for multiculturalism to succeed and peaceful coexistence to be stimulated. This study involved six participants who engaged in a series of six drama therapeutic group sessions focused on embodiment. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis the study found that the participants were able to enhance the intercultural communication amongst them as well as develop cross-cultural relationships. This research report consists of an exploration of the South African context. Thereafter embodiment, culture and communication are discussed to understand how these aspects influence the participants and their daily lives. Chapter three is the exploration of both globalisation and intercultural communication. Chapter four gives an explication of embodiment as a drama therapy approach and what embodiment offers the individual, followed by chapter five which demonstrates the methodology applied to investigate the method of embodiment. The main chapter of this study is chapter six and discusses the embodied drama therapy process and how it became a comfort zone for the participants in which they could communicate and develop meaningful relationships with the fellow participants. Chapter seven concludes and discusses the limitations and recommendations for the research. The drama therapy methodologies empowered participants and enabled them to think about themselves, their behaviour and how they communicate in a different way. It further enabled unconscious material to surface to the conscious mind, thereby evoking introspection and reflection.MT 201

STep DOWn InhAlers in the Real WorlD (TOWARD): a feasibility study

INTRODUCTIONCurrent clinical guidelines recommend the use of inhaler corticosteroids (ICS) in combination with long-acting bronchodilators in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite their use being recommended in patients who exacerbate frequently, in practice they are more broadly prescribed potentially exposing patients to side effects but little or no benefit with a cost burden. Randomised studies with strict inclusion/exclusion criteria have demonstrated it is possible to safely stop an ICS. This feasibility study aimed to test a real-world protocol to stop ICS in patients with stable COPD, despite having the typical exclusion criteria seen in the randomised studies.METHODSStable participants with a confirmed diagnosis of COPD who were prescribed ICS as well as 2 long-acting bronchodilators were recruited. Those with an exacerbation within six weeks, a history of asthma or peripheral blood eosinophil count >600 dl/l were excluded. Participants were shown the four currently licensed dual long-acting bronchodilators combination inhalers and were asked to select one. After confirming effective inhaler technique, they were prescribed the combination inhaler. Participants were free to restart an ICS at any point. Lung function (FEV1) and quality of life scores (CAT) were recorded at baseline, 4 and 52-week visits. Exacerbations urequiring treatment were compared 12 months pre and post inhaler switch. Feasibility was measured using a Model with predefined criteria.RESULTSOf the 10 feasibility criteria 60% were met (participant follow up/completion; data collection, primary care access; cost savings) and 40% not met (recruitment targets; primary care staff participation; numbers completing study not on an ICS; exacerbation rates). 3 participants died within the study period but none attributed to their participation. 57% (n=37) of participants did not restart an ICS and there was no significant rise in exacerbation rates when compared to the 12 months prior to the study (p=0.229). There was an increase in hospital admission rate but still very low from 0.05/year to 0.2/year (p=0.007). There was no significant change in FEV1 (p=0.883) or CAT scores (p=0.662). Overall prescribing cost savings were significant and estimated at >£18K (p=<0.001). Analysis by outcome (those completing study on ICS and those not) demonstrated a clear difference in the 2 groups at baseline with those not restarting an ICS having less exacerbations in the 12 months prior to the study with better lung function and quality of life.DISCUSSIONThe results suggest that overall, the study protocols were safe with the potential to discontinue ICS therapy in some patients. The clear differences within the group at baseline may account for those needing to restart ICS therapy and appears those with more severe disease continued the decline in terms of exacerbations, lung function, quality of life and hospital admissions. These factors could be considered and potentially result in amendments to the study protocol for a future larger study. A larger study would be feasible but recruitment targets would need to be re-evaluated and who delivers the intervention considered, as Primary Care have no capacity to directly support such a study

SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT IN FLOOD CONTROL DAMS

Reservoir sedimentation reduces economic value and longevity of flood control dams. Periodic sediment removal allows extension of reservoir life. An optimal control model is developed to evaluate alternative sediment management strategies for flood control dams. An illustrative empirical analysis shows that sustainable management is economically desirable for a wide range of parameter values.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,