A class of migrant workers in China that have left their official rural residence in search of work and wealth in the more developed coastal cities have created a new process of urbanization. The ‘floating population’ numbering 150 million has created immense demand for low-cost housing. Village enterprises within the city region of expanding metropolises have self-organized to supply affordable housing. However, economic incentives and ownership constraints on rural land deter long-term considerations and favour rapid development. The building (and destruction) of a country cannot be recklessly left to coincidental solutions of profit opportunities in remnant policies. An understanding of the systemic political, economic and social properties that generate the built fabric of today and of traditional villages can allow us to manipulate the current process of development. The village of Zhangpeng in Dongguan city of the Pearl River Delta region is on the brink of explosive growth. Major infrastructural developments have been constructed and planned on its expropriated lands. Without proper guidance, the status quo process of urbanization will destroy the village overnight. The proposed alternative is to manipulate market-demand through village-led investment in its public space network in order to spur private development of village properties. The method is through strategic and incremental investment on village public space and property and monitoring the catalytic effect of these changes on private redevelopment. Adjustments in land development is made to steer the built fabric into a form between what the village wants it to become and what it has the propensity to be. The aim is to create a system of land development that will preserve, adapt and extend traditional village fabric and its way of life.

Biomineralization is a process encompassing all mineral containing tissues produced within an organism. The most dynamic example of this process is the formation of the mollusk shell, comprising a variety of crystal phases and microstructures. The organic component incorporated within the shell is said to dictate this remarkable architecture. Subsequently, for the past decade considerable research have been undertaken to identify and characterize the protein components involved in biomineralization. Despite these efforts the general understanding of the process remains ambiguous. This study employs a novel molecular approach to further the elucidation of the shell biomineralization. A microarray platform has been custom generated (PmaxArray 1.0) from the pearl oyster Pinctada maxima. PmaxArray 1.0 consists of 4992 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) originating from the mantle, an organ involved in shell formation. This microarray has been used as the primary tool for three separate investigations in an effort to associate transcriptional gene expression from P. maxima to the process of shell biomineralization. The first investigation analyzes the spatial expression of ESTs throughout the mantle organ. The mantle was dissected into five discrete regions and each analyzed for gene expression with PmaxArray 1.0. Over 2000 ESTs were differentially expressed among the tissue sections, identifying five major expression regions. Three of these regions have been proposed to have shell formation functions belonging to nacre, prismatic calcite and periostracum. The spatial gene expression map was confirmed by in situ hybridization, localizing a subset of ESTs from each expression region to the same mantle area. Comparative sequence analysis of ESTs expressed in the proposed shell formation regions with the BLAST tool, revealed a number of the transcripts were novel while others showed significant sequence similarities to previously characterized shell formation genes. The second investigation correlates temporal EST expression during P. maxima larval ontogeny with transitions in shell mineralization during the same period. A timeline documenting the morphologicat microstructural and mineralogical shell characteristics of P. maxima throughout larval ontogeny has been established. Three different shell types were noted based on the physical characters and termed, prodissoconch I, prodissoconch 11 and dissoconch. PmaxArray 1.0 analyzed ESTs expression of animals throughout the larval development of P. maxima, noting up-regulation of 359 ESTs in association with the shell transitions from prodissoconch 1 to prodissoconch 11 to dissoconch. Comparative sequence analysis of these ESTs indicates a number of the transcripts are novel as well as showing significant sequence similarities between ESTs and known shell matrix associated genes and proteins. These ESTs are discussed in relation to the shell characters associated with their temporal expression. The third investigation uses PmaxArray 1.0 to analyze gene expression in the mantle tissue of P. maxima specimens exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of a shell-deforming toxin, tributyltin (TBT). The shell specific effects of TBT are used in this investigation to interpret differential expression of ESTs with respect to shell formation functions. A lethal and sublethal TBT concentration range was established for P. maxima, noting a concentration of 50 ng L- 1 TBT as sub-lethal over a 21 day period. Mantle tissue from P. maxima animals treated with 50 ng L- 1 TBT was assessed for differential EST expression with untreated control animals. A total of 102 ESTs were identified as differentially expressed in association with TBT exposure, comparative sequence identities included an up-regulation of immunity and detoxification related genes and down-regulation of several shell matrix genes. A number of transcripts encoding novel peptides were additionally identified. The potential actions of these genes are discussed with reference to TBT toxicity and shell biomineralization. This thesis has used a microarray platform to analyze gene expression in spatial, temporal and toxicity investigations, revealing the involvement of numerous gene transcripts in specific shell formation functions. Investigation of thousands of transcripts simultaneously has provided a holistic interpretation of the organic components regulating shell biomineralization.

Understanding the relationship between organisms and their environment is particularly important for the conservation and management of endangered species. The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus, Gray 1845) is a critically endangered, lek breeding, flightless nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand. In April 1998, a total population of fifty-six kakapo was known to survive on offshore islands. Twenty-six kakapo, thirteen males and thirteen females, were temporarily transferred to Pearl Island (518 ha), southern Stewart Island, from April 1998 to April 1999. The translocation of kakapo to Pearl Island, and subsequent breeding season, provided an ideal experimental framework to study kakapo dispersal, movement patterns, home range development, habitat selection, and lek development during the non-breeding and breeding seasons. A total of 4425 radio locations were analysed for all twenty-six birds, with a mean error polygon of 0.03 ha and an estimated average radio telemetry error of 21.6 m. Various home range analysis techniques were used to estimate kakapo home range size and overlap including: minimum convex polygons (MCP), modified minimum convex polygons (MMCP), harmonic mean analysis, adaptive kernel methods and cluster analysis. Estimates of kakapo home range size differed significantly depending on the method used (ANOVA, general linear model: F₁₃, ₁₀₇₆ = 63.99, p < 0.0001) and the season (F₂, ₁₀₇₆ = 160.75, p < 0.0001). Breeding home range size was significantly larger than non-breeding range size (mean difference = 67.6 ha, t₂₅ = 15.27, p < 0.0001). Calculations from 100% MCP and 95% harmonic mean analysis resulted in larger estimates of home range size and overlap compared to other methods. Cluster and kernel analyses appeared to give the most accurate home range representation for kakapo. Core home range areas showed a greater degree of similarity between methods. Male and female mean annual home range size did not differ significantly, whereas males had significantly (p < 0.05) larger home ranges than females during the nonbreeding season. Minimum convex polygons and harmonic mean analysis suggested that there was no significant difference in the way in which males and females interacted with each other. Kernel and cluster analyses indicated that females would overlap a greater proportion of another bird�s home range than males would. Cluster analysis also indicated that a female would have more of her home range occupied by another bird than a male would. The fact that different methods produced different quantitative results is an important consideration when using home range analysis to make conservation management decisions. Researchers must determine which method is the most appropriate for a particular research objective, species, or study area. The application of geographical information systems, ERDAS image classification techniques and global positioning systems was an integral part of this study. A large-scale vegetation classification map of Pearl Island was produced in order to quantify habitat selection by kakapo. The unsupervised classification technique produced the least accurate vegetation map, with an accuracy measure of 17-23%, compared to 52% for the supervised classification. The highest accuracy was obtained using an integrated approach involving inductive classification and deductive mapping, resulting in a vegetation classification map which correctly classified 95% of vegetation samples. Thirty-seven ecotone classes were identified and a total ecotone length of approximately 124 km was detected. Resource selection ratios and resource selection functions were estimated using a combination of discrete, continuous and area-based habitat variables. Circular buffers around used and available point locations were generated to determine whether kakapo selectively use vegetation mosaics. The probability of selection increased with increasing species diversity in each 75-metre radius buffer. Kakapo selected habitat mosaics and vegetation types with higher species diversity and moderate to high abundance of mature rimu and yellow silver pine trees.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-156).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, June, 2003. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-88)

In the past two decades, as regional free trade agreements prevailed between states and governments, there is an imperative need for the concerned trade control authorities to minimise non-tariff trade barriers. Trade facilitation policy becomes one of the essential tools to enhance the competitive strength of a state in the global market. As the common yardstick adopted to assess policy effectiveness, the global trade efficiency indicators seem to reflect that state-level trade facilitation policies may not be generating the expected results. Not only the validity of such indicators have been challenged by some scholars, their application in port-level studies are also questionable. This project develops an evaluation framework that consists of a qualitative and a quantitative assessment tool to evaluate port-based trade facilitation policies. The qualitative analytical instrument examines how trade facilitation measures affect port-based supply chain. The quantitative survey tool measures the extent of these policies may impact on the supply chain activities of port-related firm, infrastructure, and institutional stakeholders. The evaluation framework is applied to investigate the effects of trade facilitation policies on hub ports of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Such framework not only provides an instrument to measure policy impact, but also illustrates how a trade facilitation programme may affect the competitiveness of port supply chain. The qualitative tool by adopting multiple supply chain perspectives, contributes a consistent and comprehensive assessment method for trade facilitation studies to extend the research scope to port level. The quantitative instrument provides a mechanism that could facilitate an accurate measurement of the trade facilitation policy impacts not only in a single port but also in a networked ports' environment.

Growth and survival of juvenile pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera Linnaeus, 1758) "in-situ" indicates suitable habitats for their rearing and subsequent reintroduction. Six streams in Aš region (Rokytnice, Lužní potok, Pekelský potok, Újezdský potok, Perlový potok, Bockbach) including 15 profiles were evaluated throughout the season (1. 6. 31. 8. 2015). One year old pearl mussels (n = 580) sized from 700 1400 ?m. Mean survival of pearl mussels was 63 % in all streams. Mean absolute growth increment attained 755 ?m throughout the season. Growth of pearl mussels (1+) was positively correlated with the water temperature (R2 = 0,1084). Both the highest survival (70 %) and the highest absolute growth (1027 ?m and 997 ?m) of pearl mussels was determined on localities in Bockbach (Bockbach 11 and 1). In contrast to Bockbach 11 and 1 mean survival (28%) and absolute growth (304 ?m) was the lowest in Lužní potok 2. Survival rate of two years old pearl mussels was higher than that of one year old pearl mussels. Both of these age categories grew similarly.