An extension of the recreational carrying capacity concept : a procedure for recreation resource allocation in the planning of natural landsapes

Includes bibliography.Investigating the recreational carrying capacity of a new coastal national park in South Africa was the initial problem to be addressed. However, an examination of the concept and attempts to operationalize it shows clearly that it is illusory. Instead, the problem is conceived of as a process in which decisions about the allocation of recreation opportunities in the landscape must be made. ·The dissertation examines the complexities of decision-making in the face of multiple objectives, a spectrum of values, the uncertainties of predicting environmental impacts and the influence of the subjective values and preferences of decision makers. This leads to the conclusion that a framework is required to guide the recreation opportunity allocation decision process. This framework is to be systematic, comprehensive and above all, explicit. The subjective nature of the decision process is given overt recognition, and the role of science in environmental decision-making put in perspective. A tiered recreation planning system is proposed. At the scale of a single area such as a national park, two levels of planning are seen as necessary. The dissertation is largely concerned with elaborating an area-level procedure for allocating recreation "packages" or opportunities in the landscape. The procedure proposed combines the approach of the Limits of Acceptable Change planning system with techniques from decision analysis, to structure the subjective aspects of the process, and techniques of land evaluation to systematize the ecological basis for recreation planning in landscapes of particular conservation importance. A second, detailed level of planning at the site and recreation activity scale is proposed as being necessary, but is not developed further in the dissertation. The Limits of Acceptable Change process defines a range of recreation opportunity classes in terms of social and resource conditions and managerial approaches necessary to maintain these conditions. Environmental quality standards for each class are formulated to monitor compliance with the objectives for each class. These recreation opportunity classes must be allocated in the landscape. A decision tree is constructed to expose the actual process by which recreation opportunity classes are spatially designated. The decision-tree comprises a tiered series of questions, the answers to which are decided by explicitly defined decision rules or criteria. The basis of these decision rules are the analyst's interpretation of the data available on the system. This decision-making process was tested on the Weskus National Park at Langebaan on the Cape West coast of South Africa. It was found to be effective in allocating recreation opportunities in the landscape, and offers a defensible planning strategy for conservation agencies operating under time and financial constraints in the face of an increasingly environmentally aware and articulate public

The love of the soil as a motivating force in literature relating to the early development of the Middle West

Submitted to the Department of English and the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Wine as an Alternative Asset Class

Using a dataset that spans the period 1996 to 2007 and contains transaction prices for all reported auctions at the Chicago Wine Company, we analyze how the prices of high-end wines have evolved during this time period. The best wines according to characteristics like vintage, rating and ranking earn higher returns and tend to have a lower variance than poorer wines. Nevertheless, the different categories of wines seem to follow a rather similar trend over the long run. Wine returns are only slightly correlated with other assets and can consequently be used to reduce the risk of an equity portfolio. Wine looks even more attractive when the investor also has concerns about the skewness of his portfolio. However, the part to be invested in wine is reduced once the kurtosis is included into the analysis. Finally, it seems advisable to diversify across different wine categories as their short-run movements are partially independent of each other. First growths and wines rated as extraordinary by Robert Parker deliver the best tradeoff in terms of portfolio expected returns, variance, skewness and kurtosis for most investor preference settings under consideration. (JEL Classification: C60, G11, Q11

Automatic effects of illness schema activation on behavioral manifestations of illness.

Objective: Relatively little research has directly evaluated the schematic nature of illness representations proposed by the common sense model of illness. Four studies tested the hypothesis that illness schema activation leads directly and automatically to behavioral manifestations of illness. Method: Study 1 was a survey (N = 970) that evaluated the proposition that the mental representation of common cold symptom experience includes functional deviation from the usual prototypical self. Studies 2 and 3 were experiments that tested effects of cold schema activation using a subliminal priming paradigm on walking speed (Study 2, N = 53) and free recall in a memory task (Study 3, N = 30). Study 4 (N = 65) used a 2 (cold prime vs. control) × 2 (alternate self vs. control) experimental design to investigate attenuation of the effect of the cold prime on free recall. Results: Study 1 confirmed the multifactorial nature of functional self-deviations representing the common cold symptomology. Studies 2 and 3 showed that participants primed with the common cold schema walked more slowly and performed worse on a memory recall task relative to controls in whom the schema was not activated. These effects were automatic in the sense that participants were not aware of the prime or of this influence. In Study 4, priming an alternative self-identity overcame the deleterious effect of automatic common cold schema activation on free recall in a memory task. Conclusions: Subliminal activation of a schematic representation of illness automatically activates behavioral manifestations of illness

Manpower and military conscription in Acton, 1916-1918

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.The human resource – or ‘manpower’ – problem faced by the British during the First World War is a topic that has been neglected and is therefore much misunderstood. This thesis sheds light on the ways in which the nation attempted to organise its citizens to serve four concomitant manpower needs: the sufficient supply of men for the armed forces, the workforce required for the munitions industry, the personnel needed to cater for the needs of the civilian population, and the people who worked to maintain the country’s financial and economic stability. This is done through study of the implementation and administration of compulsory military service. The principal archival source is the Middlesex Appeal Tribunal archive, held at The National Archives in Kew. The urban district of Acton has been used as a data sample. This thesis examines five different occupations and considers the three groups of people involved in the tribunal process: the potential conscripts, their associated contemporaries and the tribunal members. This thesis demonstrates the complexities involved in balancing the nation’s manpower needs. Indeed, many of the problems were never fully solved. With little overall central guidance the demands made by various government departments, the military authorities, trade associations, employers, the local populace, family members and the appellants themselves were often difficult for the military service tribunals to resolve. This thesis shows that home front imperatives were a fundamental aspect of the decision making with regard to the nation’s manpower. A man’s skill, his local influence and his health were important points to consider when deciding whether he should remain on the home front or serve in the armed forces. In addition it is clear that tribunals paid mere lip service to some central government advice, such as that related to one-man businesses. Much of Britain’s manpower legislation was enacted as a reaction to the problems caused by the country’s implementation of compulsory military service in the middle of the war. As this thesis demonstrates, tribunals were expected to implement a manpower policy that was constantly evolving to deal with the very conscription they were supposed to manage.University of Wolverhampto

Cheryl Cifelli, David Allen Wehr, Caroline Henderson, and Glenda Secrest in a Faculty Recital

This is the program for the faculty recital featuring clarinetist Cheryl Cifelli, pianist David Allen Wehr, saxophonist Caroline Henderson, and soprano Glenda Secrest. This recital took place on February 1, 2001, in the W. Francis Mcbeth Recital Hall

Outcome of instrumental vaginal delivery in university of Abuja teaching hospital: a five-year review

Background: Most women will achieve spontaneous vaginal delivery; however, a few will need assistance in form of Instrumental vaginal delivery (IVD). These are employed to shorten the second stage on labour and to minimize the incidence of cesarean section. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and outcomes of instrumental vaginal delivery at the University of Abuja teaching hospital.Methods: This was a retrospective study of women who had instrumental vaginal delivery over a 5-year period at the University of Abuja teaching hospital. Data on socio-demographic variables, type of instrumental delivery performed, Apgar scores of neonates delivered, indications and complication were obtained from the labour ward registers and case notes of patients and entered into a proforma and analysed using SPSS software for Windows version 23.Results: Instrumental vaginal delivery (IVD) rate performed for both Vacuum or Forceps) was 0.99%, Forceps delivery was 0.30% and vacuum accounted for 0.69% of all deliveries. The mean maternal age was 27.53±5.5 years and 51 (54.8%) of the parturient were primigravidae, 55 (59.1%) were booked patients.  Delayed second stage of labour (38.7%) was the most common indications for IVD. Maternal complications noted were genital tract laceration 17 (18.3%) and primary post-partum haemorrhage 10 (10.8%). The mean APGAR scores was 6 and 8 in the first and fifth minutes respectively, live births were 85 (91.4%), stillbirths were 7 (7.5%) and one early neonatal death was recorded (1.1%) due to asphyxia as a result of difficult forceps delivery.Conclusions: The IVD rate at UATH is low with good maternal and fetal outcome and preference for vacuum delivery

New synthetic cannabinoids and the potential for cardiac arrhythmia risk

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) have been associated with QT interval prolongation. Limited preclinical information on SCRA effects on cardiac electrogenesis results from the rapid emergence of new compounds and restricted research availability. We used two machine-learning-based tools to evaluate seven novel SCRAs' interaction potential with the hERG potassium channel, an important drug antitarget. Five SCRAs were predicted to have the ability to block the hERG channel by both prediction tools; ADB-FUBIATA was predicted to be a strong hERG blocker. ADB-5Br-INACA and ADB-4en-PINACA showed varied predictions. These findings highlight potentially proarrhythmic hERG block by novel SCRAs, necessitating detailed safety evaluations