Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title from title screen (viewed on Oct. 5, 2006) "Submitted to Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in enterprise technology and management." Includes bibliographical references.

This paper is a benefit-cost analysis of the coal development undertaken by Kaiser Resources Ltd. in the Crowsnest area of British Columbia. The benefit-cost analysis is undertaken from the "point of view" of residents living in the East Kootenay prior to the development. The analysis seeks to examine the production efficiency of the allocation of resources resulting from the project from the point of view of East Kootenay residents. The project will provide primary gross benefits in the form of payroll income to local labour. The social opportunity cost of the use of this local labour must be subtracted from payroll income to obtain the net primary benefit. The social opportunity cost of labour is the value of the marginal product of the labour in alternative employment. A secondary benefit will accrue to local factors in the form of an increase in local income through an expansion of service and retail industries. The expansion will result from the regional multiplier effect of the increase in payroll income in the East Kootenay. The general level of unemployment was high in the East Kootenay prior to the development, and I assume that sufficient local labour and facilities exist to supply the increase in demand for services without requiring importation of labour or capital. Income generated by the regional multiplier will therefore accrue to local factors, located in the East Kootenay prior to the development. Intangible benefits in the form of training in coal mining and an increase in the cultural activities of the community will also occur. The costs attributable to the project include the negative externality effect on wildlife and the deterioration of the quality of the environment in the East Kootenay. A decline of wildlife will decrease the value added by local labour in supplying services to non-resident and residents hunters. The consumers’ surplus obtained by residents from hunting will decline, since greater expenditures will be incurred elsewhere for the same or a lower quality of hunting. The tourist industry will also decline in the East Kootenay. The decrease in local value added due to a decline in the quality of hunting and tourism can be estimated. However, the cost to residents of the East Kootenay from deterioration of the quality of the environment cannot be estimated and the effect is denoted as an unmeasurable intangible cost. The cumulative present value of net measurable benefits at 9% is $l4,717.983. A decision concerning the desirability of the project cannot be made on the basis of this calculation alone. The unmeasurable intangible costs and benefits must also be taken into account. The community, using the relative valuations placed on increased regional income versus the quality of the environment as expressed in a political consensus, must decide how large the unmeasurable intangible costs and benefits are. The project is desirable when only measurable benefits and costs are considered. However, if the cumulative present value of net unmeasurable intangibles is negative and exceeds in magnitude the cumulative present value of net measurable benefits, the Kaiser project should be terminated. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

Finanční analýza společnosti Slůně - svět jazyků s.r.o. poskytuje vedení firmy informace o finančním zdraví včetně srovnání s konkurencí v oboru.

This thesis presents the hedging theory and its application in order to create an optimal hedging strategy for Retal Industries Ltd. on the PET market. Through this work the hedging theory is tested and assessed basing on its relevance for actual business needs.

In recent years, Canada's previously stable energy economy has undergone a series of remarkable changes. The early seventies, and particularly the dramatic OPEC price increases of 1973, have marked the advent of a new era in energy policy. Canadian governments seem unwilling to accept the fact that national net self-sufficiency in energy, particularly in oil, may well be a thing of the past. Thus, mammoth energy projects have been proposed or undertaken by industry and government alike, in a desperate attempt to reduce dependence on foreign sources of supply. This new sense of urgency has led to unprecedented co-operation between government and industry, while increasing the traditional tension amongst different levels of government. Typical both of the novel pattern of development and of the unusual government-industry alliance is the Syncrude project, the latest attempt at exploiting the Alberta oil sands. This paper investigates the potential role that the oil sands might play in Canada's energy future. Mora specifically, the economics of Syncrude itself are analysed, and conclusions of a general nature are based on this case study. In section 1, the reader is introduced to the topic through a description of the oil sands, a review of currently available recovery and refining methods, and a short history of oil sands development. Sections 2 and 3 constitute the main body of the paper, dealing first with the expected costs and benefits of the Syncrude project and, second, with the likely macroeconomic consequences. Finally, section -i explores the implications of more substantial oil sands development, compares the various techniques that might be employed in the future, and discusses the oil sands' role in the national energy policy. The conclusions of the paper have several dimensions. With regard to the cost-benefit analysis, Syncrude as a whole seems to be a rather marginal venture. Particularly interesting is the manner in which the returns are distributed among the various consortium members, as alberta and the private industry participants are subsidized by Ontario and the federal government. Although consideration of sunk costs at the time of Syncrude's "go" decision somewhat improves the basic economic picture, an analysis of risk and uncertainty demonstrates how sensitive returns are with respect to several unknown parameters. Some of the special arrangements of royalty and taxation that distinguish Syncrude from the petroleum industry in general are quantified, thus demonstrating the extent to which this project is being subsidized relative to others. Also, a crude appraisal of the scale economies in oil sands development is attempted. On the macroeconomic side, a dynamic simulation model of Syncrude is incorporated into RDX2, an aggregate econometric model of the Canadian economy. This enables an appraisal of the likely consequences that oil sands development may have for the national economy. The major conclusion is that such projects can hardly be justified on the basis of their aggregate effects, if the cost-benefit results are unfavourable. In the final section, an analysis of more intensive oil sands development (several Syncrude-size plants) shows that the present government-industry arrangements are unlikely to apply to future oil sands ventures. Thus, private industry will probably be dissuaded from engaging in further surface-mining schemes, pending some major cost-rsducing technological breakthrough and/or a substantial increase in the relative price of oil. Although similar financial and technical problems currently haunt 'in situ' development, it is believed that this recovery method will play a greater part in the oil sands' future. Finally, some critical remarks are included on the national energy policy and the governments' handling of Syncrude. An attempt is made to analyze why Ottawa, Alberta and Ontario decided to join the companies in an obviously marginal and risky undertaking. Sy results suggest that little, if any, analysis preceded either the federal or the Ontario government's decision to participate in the project. In this regard, I conclude that Syncrude could set a dangerous precedent for the future management of the country's resources. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) is a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) developed to induce neuroplasticity. TBS usually consists of 50 Hz bursts at 5 Hz intervals. When applied intermittently, it can lead to facilitation of motor evoked potentials (MEPs), although these effects can be variable between individuals. Here, we aimed to determine whether a version of intermittent TBS (iTBS) consisting of 30 Hz bursts at 6 Hz intervals would produce less variable modulation. Nineteen healthy adults underwent single-pulse TMS to assess corticomotor excitability at baseline as reflected in MEP amplitude. 30 Hz iTBS was then administered and MEP amplitude was reassessed at 5-, 20- and 45-mins after the iTBS protocol. Compared to baseline, MEPs were significantly facilitated up to 45-min post-iTBS and most participants exhibited the expected facilitation. These observations suggest that 30 Hz/6 Hz iTBS may provide a sound alternative to induce consistent neuromodulatory effects over the commonly used 50 Hz/5 Hz protocol.

No description available.

Dopamine cells within the ventral tegmental area of the brain are involved in motivation and reward. Drugs of abuse target these dopamine cells altering their activity and plasticity resulting in addiction. While dopamine cell activity is primarily involved in addiction, the GABA neurons in the VTA have also been shown to have an indirect role. By decreasing the activity of the inhibitory GABA inputs onto dopamine neurons abusive drugs can indirectly increase dopamine cell activity resulting in addictive behaviors. However, although GABA neurons are important in the perception of reward, much less is known about how the excitatory inputs to these cells are regulated and possibly altered by drugs of abuse. Using transgenic mice expressing GFP attached to the GAD promoter, GABA cells were located and patched using whole cell voltage clamp and EPSCs were measured. High frequency stimulation induced LTD of the excitatory inputs to GABA neurons. The endocannabinoid analogue R- methanandamide also induced LTD at these excitatory synapses. These results suggest that endocannabinoids could potentially regulate the activity of GABA cells and as a result the activity of dopamine neurons. The endocannabinoid receptor involved is likely CB1, but not TRPV1 as only the CB1 antagonist AM-251 blocked this high frequency stimulus-induced LTD. Future research could then determine if the pathways involved in this LTD could potentially be altered by drugs of abuse contributing to addiction.