Fire is a major disturbance force that affects global ecosystems and associated biomes and plays a pivotal role in the determination of ecosystem structure, functionality and dynamics. Anthropogenic environmental disturbances have resulted in shifts in fire regimes and the biogeochemical processes of these ecosystems are thus unable to function as they have done in the past, impacting both floral and faunal species. Therefore there is a need for anthropogenic management. Prescribed burning is one of the few beneficial fire management options available to decrease the severity of wildfires, decrease the associated costs in suppressing these fires and restore fire-dominated ecosystems. The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site (UDP-WHS) is predominantly managed for water resource and nature conservation, and fire hazard reduction. It is divided into management compartments in which prescribed management burns are conducted, (i.e. manager’s burn by compartment). These compartments are subdivided by three altitudinal belts (alpine, sub-alpine and montane). Each of these belts contains different vegetation communities and therefore requires different fire regimes. However these compartments do not coincide with the natural contours and consequently, the altitudinal belts of the Park. This is problematic for management as a certain percentage per altitudinal belt is required to be burnt annually. When burning a compartment that falls within two or more belts, the total area of that compartment needs to be sub-divided into its respective altitudinal belts as a whole compartment can be prescribed to burn not a sub-division thereof. A fire management environmental decision support system (EDSS) was developed to achieve prescribed burning objectives in the UDP-WHS. The system is based on ecologically ideal fire regimes and fire management objectives of the heritage site, using GIS and associated graphs to visually display the required fire regimes. The EDSS data preparation, statistical analysis and modelling was completed using ESRI ArcGIS suite (ArcMap, Scene and Catalog). Its main components are two models, an excel spreadsheet and an ArcMap document. The spreadsheet contains the historical burning data of the management compartments based on the compartment codes, with each compartment being not burnt or having a burning treatment. Years Since Last Burnt (YSLB) was calculated from these data and joined to the management compartments in the ArcMap document. The Intermediate output model was developed to create numerous temporary outputs allowing decision makers to decide which compartments to treat with prescribed burning by re-running the model with required alterations. The second model (Final Output model) is then run to export the selected burning treatment in table format to update the original historical data, and consequently YSLB, in the excel and ArcMap document. The ArcMap document contains the user interface housing the graphs for each altitudinal belt showing the percentage area selected to be burnt per YSLB compared to the minimal, maximum and ideal fire regimes. The fire management EDSS for the UDP-WHS consists of an ArcMap document, geodatabase, excel document and folders, which are all housed in one single folder. The use of GIS and EDSSs in environmental management improves the efficiency and accuracy of the decision making process and provides the ability to validate outputs. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Among elderly people, falls lead to a considerable amount of immobility, morbidity, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate methods for predicting falls, and to evaluate a fall prevention program among elderly people living in residential care facilities. A fall was defined as any event in which the resident unintentionally came to rest on the floor or the ground regardless of whether or not an injury was sustained. In developing the prediction methods, it was hypothesised that older persons showing difficulties in performing a familiar second task while walking were more likely to fall within six months. For residents who stopped walking when talking, the relative risk of falling was 3.5 (95% CL2.0-6.2) compared to those who continued walking. For residents with a time difference (diffTUG) of at least 4.5 seconds between two performances of the Timed Up&amp;Go test, with and without carrying a glass, the hazard ratio for falls was 4.7 (95% Cl: 1.5-14.2) compared to those with a shorter diffTUG. A screening tool, the Mobility Interaction Fall (MIF) chart, was developed and evaluated, then validated in a new sample. This tool included a mobility rating, ‘Stops walking when talking’, ‘diffTUG’, a test of vision, and a concentration rating. In the first sample, the hazard ratio was 12.1 (95% 0:4.6-31.8) for residents classified as ‘high-risk’ compared to ‘low-risk’. The positive predictive value was 78%, and the negative predictive value, the sensitivity, and the specificity were above 80% for falling in six months. In the second sample the prediction accuracy of the MIF chart was lower (hazard ratio 1.7, 95% Cl: 1.1-2.5) and a 6-month fall history or a global rating of fall risk by staff were at least equally valuable. A combination of any two of the methods - the MIF chart, staff judgement, fall history - was more accurate at identifying high risk residents than any method alone. Half of the residents classified by two methods as ‘high risk’ sustained a fall within 6 months. In a randomised study a prevention program directed to residents, staff, and environment resulted in a significant reduction in the number of residents falling (44% vs. 56%; odds ratio 0.62, 95% CF0.41-0.92), the incidence of falls (incidence rate ratio IRR 0.80, 95% CF0.69-0.94) and of femoral fractures (IRR 0.25, 95% 0:0.08-0.82) in the intervention compared to the control group. In conclusion, a combination of any two of the staff judgement, fall history or MIF chart has the potential to identify a large proportion of residents at particular high fall risk. A multidisciplinary and multifactorial fall prevention program directed to residents, staff, and the environment can reduce the numbnumber of residents falling, of falls and of femoral fractures. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2000,, härtill 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

The environmental governance sphere in South Africa is fragmented. This fragmentation is exacerbated in the provinces. Fragmentation manifests in various ways, including, inter alia, structural fragmentation between the various spheres and line functions of government, fragmented environmental legislation which is silo-based and issue-specific, jurisdictional overlaps, and duplication of procedures and processes. Fragmentation poses several disadvantages and may ultimately hamper effective and sustainable service-delivery by government. The problem of fragmentation forms the crux of this study. The principal objective of this thesis is accordingly to investigate possible solutions to address fragmentation and to propose a more sustainable strategy to achieve integration of currently fragmented environmental governance efforts in South Africa and the North-West Province (NWP). The NWP has specifically been chosen as a case study in this regard since problems of fragmentation are exacerbated in the provinces. The first step in this thesis is to analyse the theoretical concept of sustainability in order to establish the eventual objective of what integrated environmental governance efforts should achieve. The concept of fragmented governance and possible generic reasons for fragmentation, including unco-operative and unsustainable organisational behaviour, are also investigated to highlight the nature and disadvantages of fragmentation and other factors that may contribute to it. A further component of the theoretical analysis includes an investigation of the concepts of integrated, or holistic governance, and an investigation of the concepts integrated environmental management (IEM), co-operative environmental governance (CEG), and integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC). These concepts are investigated in order to ascertain the possible solutions for integration that they may pose. Secondly, this thesis investigates the current state of the fragmented environmental governance regime in South Africa and the NWP. The extent and reasons for fragmentation are discussed; and unco-operative organisational behaviour patterns in the national, provincial and local spheres of government are investigated. The concepts of IEM, CEG and IPPC, as they are established in South African law, are also discussed. Thirdly, this study investigates integrated approaches to environmental governance in the international sphere by way of a comparative study. For this purpose, the relevant provisions of the European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive, 1996 are discussed. The comparative study is concluded with an investigation of the provisions of the Directive as they are applied in national legal frameworks in the EU, with specific reference to Finland and the Netherlands. The main objective of this part of the study is to ascertain whether established solutions for integration of governance efforts are available in practice, and if so, to what extent they are employed to address fragmentation. This study concludes with recommendations on how the fragmented environmental governance sphere in South Africa may be integrated. These include short-, medium-and long-term scenarios, namely: a less radical strategy which must aim to optimise the current environmental governance regime by employing established concepts such as IEM, CEG and IPPC; a more radical strategy, which aims to establish a single act to regulate all procedural aspects relating to environmental governance and authorisations, and a single authority that is responsible for all procedural aspects in terms of the act; and an extremely radical strategy, which aims to establish a one-stop environmental governance shop, with a single act regulating all procedural and substantive aspects, and a single lead agent responsible for regulation in terms of this act. / Thesis (LL.D. (Estate Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

毒品的存在由來已久，近年在生活壓力漸增下，毒品濫用的問題愈演愈烈，此可見諸於我國吸毒入監人數以及毒品吸食的再犯率屢創新高。在這樣的發展趨勢下，政府為了抑制社會毒品濫用的問題，減少犯罪與社會危害，遂推動地方毒品危害防制中心的政策措施，希望能結合政府與民間的資源與力量，共同進行反毒作戰。此一新的反毒政策創新成為本研究的主要焦點，在該政策預期達到的政策目的上，實質蘊含了政策網絡的組織連結概念，因此本研究運用政策網絡的概念分析工具與觀察架構，以現有反毒文獻較缺乏的政策執行過程面向切入，意圖深入了解地方毒品危害防制中心的實際運作。 本研究主要採取深度訪談法與次級資料分析法，從縱貫面的觀察架構輔以橫切面的要素分析，企圖了解地方毒品危害防制中心的實際運作內涵。研究發現該政策主要是植基於應急式的反毒政策推動，為了因應漸趨嚴重的毒品問題，政府採取運用現有的組織資源方式來做政策推動，在此資源侷限下，主責單位僅能以建立網絡、遊說與政策指導、尋找資源的策略來加以因應，實際產生的政策變革有限，組織間的連結也為初步形成的弱連結型態。除此之外，中心組織運作所抱持的反毒醫療、輔導觀點在實質運作中也遭遇吸毒犯心理依賴強烈與病識感不足的困境，實質進展有限。因此，本研究建議應在中央政府成立專責的反毒機構，擺脫現有反毒資源不足的困境；對於民間而言，更應擴大其政策參與的角色；而就現有的政府機關協調問題上，應指派專門的政務委員進行部門間的政策協調工作，讓毒品政策的組織衝突能獲得解決；最後，在現有的社區輔導成效有限下，應回歸監獄輔導與職訓功能的強化。 / Drug has existed for a long time. Recently, due to the escalating life stress, drug abuse problem becomes much more serious in the society. The growing number of people sent to jail for drug abuse and high percentage of retaking drugs are evidences in this trend. In order to tackle this problem, our government set up the local drug prevention and control center. Through this organization, they hoped that it can put government and non-governmental organizations together to prevent drug abuse and crimes. This research focuses on this innovative organization. By using policy network analysis, the research tries to understand the policy implementation of local drug prevention and control center. This research adopts in-depth interview and secondary data analysis to investigate the implementation of local drug prevention and control center. The research findings reveal several things. First, the government set up local drug prevention and control center to solve drug problem. However, because drug policy had long been neglected and drug users had strong psychological dependence, the resources that anti-drug actors can use were always scarce. Under this circumstance, the local drug prevention and control center took the form of task force but had few resources available. Second, network-building, persuading, policy guidance and resource-seeking were the strategies that actors used in policy implementation. In fact, the policy transformation did happen, but limited. Policy network formation was one of the changes worth noting, even though the networks were primary type and weak-tied. Last, lack of sick awareness in drug user group made policy implementation even more difficult. Based on these findings, the research suggests that it should set up a specialized, dedicated organization responsible for drug policy in the central government; drug policy planning and implementation must include more non-governmental actors; the government should designate one minister of state in charge of drug policy coordination; finally, the drug policy implementation ought to focus on the counseling and job training in the jail, rather than in the community.

環保投資往往造成廠商成本負擔之增加，若缺乏政府管制或經濟誘因，廠商極有可能降低環保方面的投資，導致自然環境的污染及社會外部成本之發生，故透過公共環保政策之適度介入，似乎是不得不存在之必要手段。而本文所欲探討的環保補貼政策，即是存有多元見解及爭議之一種經濟誘因工具。 本文先介紹環保補貼之範圍、定義與各國適用之情形，並採用文獻回顧之方式，整理各學者對政府獎勵企業污染防治措施之爭議，以瞭解環保補貼對環境保護或全球整體經濟的影響。 肯定環保補貼對經濟發展及環境保護有正面的效果之後，接著討論環保補貼與SCM協定中「禁止性補貼」、「可控訴補貼」及「不可控訴補貼」類型間之關係，並探討當「不可控訴補貼」類型所依據之SCM協定相關規定停止適用後目前之定位，同時提出環保補貼於SCM協定下合法規避他國控訴之方式。 本文最後檢驗與分析我國之環保補貼於SCM協定下之適法性，並對我國環保補貼政策未來之發展與方向提出建議。 / The use of subsidies as environmental policy instruments has increased in recent years since firms usually aren’t willing to pay for the expense of pollution prevention and control. Environmental subsidies involving financial support by the government, as an economical incentive approach, are deemed to be important and effective by many researchers. However, it still remains controversial because some researchers argue that government intervention would always result in resources distortion and economic inefficiency. Therefore, this thesis focuses on subsidies with a positive impact on the environment and aims to discuss their utility and compatibility with relevant WTO covered agreements, especially the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measure (the SCM Agreement). The thesis first introduces the definition, scope and practice of environmental subsidies, and, by using literature review, presents several studies on the environmental and economic impact of environmental subsidies. The thesis then discusses the relevant regulations under the SCM Agreement framework and finds that environmental subsidies may be categorized as more than one type, ie non-actionable subsidy, of subsidies under the SCM Agreement. Furthermore, the thesis also analyzes how environmental subsidies can be designed in a way that complies with the SCM Agreement, thus avoiding the risk of being challenged under the WTO by other WTO Members. Finally, the thesis examines various types of environmental subsidies provided by Taiwanese government to understand whether they are consistent with the regulations of the SCM Agreement. Suggestions based on this research are put forward at the end of the thesis.

<p>Dental caries is a multi-factorial disease that affects everyone irrespective of race, class or gender, however, the burden of the disease is often found in children from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The nature of the disease is such that it can be prevented. Various international studies on fluoride have shown a reduction in the prevalence of dental caries. By using geographical information systems, oral health data can be linked to the fluoride levels and further analysis could be done to identify areas at risk of dental caries as well as show patterns in the distribution of dental caries. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the effects of different levels of fluoride on the prevalence of dental caries in selected towns in the Northern Cape and Westen Cape. It also examined the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to oral health data.</p>

<p>The effect of industrialisation has thrust the pharmaceutical profession into a clinical paradigm where the approcah to pharmaceutical decisions is more disease and patient orientated. Consequently, South African community pharmacies are inundated with requests from the public for advice and treatment on a wide range of medical conditions, including sexually transmitted infections (STI's). Although community pharmacies are often the first port of call for undiagnosed STI, limited diagnostic skills and legally-imposed prescribing restrictions preclude pharmacists from providing the necessary clinical management. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to present objective arguments and evidences (new and existing) around an expanded role for pharmacists in STI partner management.</p>

Thesis (M.E.S.)--The Evergreen State College, 2007. / Title from title screen (viewed 1/23/2008). "A thesis: essay of distinction submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Environmental Studies, The Evergreen State College, June 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-70).

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2008. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 106, 1 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MSc (Geography and Environmental Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / A multitude of unique fauna and flora exist within the Western Cape of South Africa. Fire plays an intricate role in the conservation and extinction of many of these species. It is therefore imperative to understand this delicate relationship in order to help preserve the province’s uniquely balanced ecosystem. The Western Cape Nature Conservation Board (WCNCB) expressed the need for a system that would allow reserve managers to produce basic fire frequency and veld age maps with considerable ease. These maps are needed for intelligent decisionmaking regarding the management of veldfires. Information concerning vegetation and historical veldfires in the Western Cape, collected over a period of 50 years exist in tabular format in databases of the WCNCB. Some of these tables contain spatial information elements, such as areas affected by fires. Tabular data with spatial elements can be converted to a geographical information system (GIS) format, extracting value previously shielded from the user. Using GIS techniques and the programming language Avenue, two tools with powerful decision-making qualities were created to extract value from these datasets. One tool shows the fire history of a specified area as a digital map. This map shows areas with varying occurrences of fires over time, thereby highlighting hot spots within the specified location. The ability to view various fire scar datasets spatially over a specified period, as opposed to records in a table, enables the user to understand the extent to which areas have been repeatedly exposed to fire and quickly identify areas most affected. The second tool shows vegetation age in a similar fashion, allowing the user to see the current spatial distribution of vegetation and its age. Knowledge about the age of indigenous vegetation, such as fynbos, in a predetermined area, facilitates the reserve manager in decisions related to block burning. This is an accepted practise in areas where vegetation requires fire to stimulate germination. Both tools provide decisionmaking support to reserve managers regarding the most suitable course of action in terms of the implementation of a proactive or passive approach towards fires. This study satisfies the needs of the WCNCB by exploring the hidden value within their datasets. GIS supported by the programming language, Avenue, was successfully utilised in the development of a system capable of extracting information from current datasets to support reserve managers in their critical decision-making processes.