Spatial and temporal features of hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry in Myponga Reservoir, South Australia.

Understanding hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes in lakes is fundamentally important to the management of phytoplankton population and the improvement of water quality. Physical processes such as wind-driven surface mixing, thermal stratification and differential heating and cooling can affect the distribution of water, phytoplankton and sediments and the availability of nutrients and light. These lake processes, which are highly variable in space and time, affect phytoplankton dynamics in the field. This study aims to determine the spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton and processes that either contribute to or override the variability in the artificially mixed Myponga Reservoir, South Australia. A sediment survey showed that sediments underlying deep water were richer in organic matter, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus than the sediments underlying shallow water. This may lead to different nutrient release rates between the shallow and deep areas. Both sediment resuspension and anoxic sediment nutrient release were important internal sources of nutrient to support phytoplankton growth in summer when external nutrient supplies were limited by low rainfall in the catchment. An analysis of historical water temperature data revealed the development of micro-stratification at the sediment-water interface in summer, especially during a heatwave (air temperature > 40ºC for several consecutive days). Prolonged micro-stratification could potentially induce anoxic layers at the sediment surface, resulting in the release of nutrients. A risk assessment was conducted to predict the release of phosphorus from anoxic sediments and to evaluate the potential impact of cyanobacterial population (Anabaena circinalis) and the release of secondary metabolites (e.g. saxitoxin and geosmin). Spatial variability of surface mixed layer depths exists between the side-arm and main basin. A simple light model based on the relationships of surface mixed layer depth, daily light dose and phytoplankton growth rate, was developed to estimate the potential variation of phytoplankton population in the two different light habitats (the main basin and side-arm). The model showed that phytoplankton abundance in the main basin was lower than in the side-arm. However, differential heating drove a large basin-scale convection, which circulated the water between the side-arm and main basin within hours. This circulation overrode the time scale of days for the light-dependent growth effect between the two sites and hence there was no observable change in phytoplankton community structure. Although no spatial variability of phytoplankton was observed at community level, significant variations of phytoplankton cellular content and stoichiometry were detected. Higher carbon cellular content in the side-arm than in the main basin was probably due to a greater exposure to light (shallower surface mixed layer in the side-arm) for photosynthesis. In the situation where nutrients were scare, higher phosphorus cellular content was found in the side-arm than in the main basin; this was possibly due to a greater exposure to resuspended nutrients from the lake bottom (shallower water in the side-arm). There was also a strong seasonal pattern in phytoplankton cellular content and stoichiometry between summer and early winter of 2009. The carbon content of phytoplankton increased over time, while the phosphorus content decreased. After the first heavy rain event (70 mm over a four-day period) in early May, carbon cellular content decreased, while phosphorus cellular content increased. These changes in phytoplankton contents were most likely related to the bio-availability of phosphorus in water. This study reviews many complex, interactive processes driving the variability of lake physics and chemistry. The variability can yield rapid biological responses at physiological and cellular levels (e.g. Fv:Fm and cellular content), but does not necessarily appear at community levels (e.g. phytoplankton biomass, diversity). Often, conventional monitoring in lakes and reservoirs overlooks the subtle variability of phytoplankton dynamics. The relative scaling among physical, chemical and biological processes, therefore, is important to adequately describe the spatial and temporal variability in lakes and reservoirs.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 201

A Research Note on using Mortality Statistics in Tort Claims

Personal injury insurers constantly need to model the future mortality experience in the process of handling tort claims. Various stochastic mortality modelling techniques are deployed so that lawyers and actuaries specialised in this field of civil litigation can effectively perform the procedures related to dispute resolution and assessment of compensation. In this project, how lump sum awards are judicially determined in Hong Kong is examined. The impact of future mortality rates is discussed in the context of future medical expenses and loss of future earning as a result of discounting the future pecuniary values into a single present-day amount. The time value of money affected by inflation and the claimant’s mortality are among the key factors to be calibrated in the present study. The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. HKU 17636316)

Regulating the sale of first-hand residential properties in Hong Kong : a study of policy and administrative dynamics

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

Characterization of measurements in quantum communications.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering. Thesis. 1974. Ph.D.MICROFICHE COPY ALSO AVAILABLE IN BARKER ENGINEERING LIBRARY.Vita.Includes bibliographical references.Ph.D

Singapore’s LIFE program: Actuarial framework, longevity risk and impact of annuity fund return

Ministry of Education, Singapore under its Academic Research Funding Tier

Enhancing Singapore’s pension scheme: A blueprint for further flexibility

Ministry of Education, Singapore under its Academic Research Funding Tier

Photo-reactive charge trapping memory based on lanthanide complex

Traditional utilization of photo-induced excitons is popularly but restricted in the fields of photovoltaic devices as well as photodetectors, and efforts on broadening its function have always been attempted. However, rare reports are available on organic field effect transistor (OFET) memory employing photo-induced charges. Here, we demonstrate an OFET memory containing a novel organic lanthanide complex Eu(tta)<sub>3</sub> ppta (Eu(tta)<sub>3</sub> = Europium(III) thenoyltrifluoroacetonate, ppta = 2-phenyl-4,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine), in which the photo-induced charges can be successfully trapped and detrapped. The luminescent complex emits intense red emission upon ultraviolet (UV) light excitation and serves as a trapping element of holes injected from the pentacene semiconductor layer. Memory window can be significantly enlarged by light-assisted programming and erasing procedures, during which the photo-induced excitons in the semiconductor layer are separated by voltage bias. The enhancement of memory window is attributed to the increasing number of photo-induced excitons by the UV light. The charges are stored in this luminescent complex for at least 10<sup>4</sup>s after withdrawing voltage bias. The present study on photo-assisted novel memory may motivate the research on a new type of light tunable charge trapping photo-reactive memory devices

The epidemiology of COVID-19 cases and the successful containment strategy in Hong Kong-January to May 2020

BACKGROUND: Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, recorded its first confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case on 23 January 2020. We reviewed the case epidemiology and the various public health measures implemented from January to May 2020. METHODS: The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the cases recorded in different phases of the epidemic were described and compared, and the effectiveness of the public health measures implemented were reviewed using the changes in the daily number of confirmed cases and the interval from symptom onset to hospital admission. RESULTS: Between January and May 2020, 1084 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, about 70% of which had a history of travel during the incubation period. The case fatality ratio was 0.4%. The local epidemic progressed through four phases: (1) preparedness and imported infection from mainland China, (2) local transmission, (3) imported infection from overseas countries associated with local transmission, and (4) controlled imported infection with limited local transmission, with an eventual reduction of the daily case number and minimization of the onset-to-admission interval. Various public health measures, including enhanced surveillance, border control, and social distancing, were introduced in phases in response to the prevailing local and global situations. DISCUSSION: The overall containment strategy in Hong Kong led to a stabilization of the number of cases and the absence of a community-wide outbreak during the 4.5 m after the first case was reported. This strategy of containment might serve as an example for future planning of preparedness and response against novel infectious agents