No description available.

Ph.D.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Tian Xia / China has always been one of the world’s largest grain producers, and Jilin is the largest grain-producing province in China. According to the Report on the Work of the Government 2018, the yield per mu (0.165 acre) has remained the first of the country for the past five years; and the grain commodity rate, the volume of transfers and the possession per capita have remained at the forefront of the country, making a significant contribution to ensuring national food security. This study is to compare efficient allocation of resources through designing a linear programming model with current allocation of resources to find out potential improvements and policy suggestions for future agricultural structure, rational cultivation of grains and market prediction for Jilin, China. In addition, this study examines what role the government regulations play in the grain production in China and how the trade war affects the grain production.

The continuing tightening of emission regulations has encouraged extensive research into fuel spray vaporising and combustion. This thesis is an investigation into the effect that the cylinder boundaries have upon the quantity and composition of the unburnt hydrocarbons present in the exhaust gas and particulate matter. To determine the cylinder boundaries' effect on the exhaust hydrocarbon content a series of engine tests was completed. The engine used for these experiments was a modem four cylinder turbo charged direct injection diesel engine, operated at five steady state test points. The test consisted of two standard engine builds to determine the accuracy of measurement and to supply a base point for comparison. The second test used standard pistons with modified oil control rings to increase the oil film thickness. The final test used pistons with the top ring moved nearer the top of the piston by 5.5 mm to reduce the top land crevice volume by ?55%.The composition of the particulate soluble organic fraction (SOF) for the test using the low tangential load oil control piston ring was shown to have a greater fuel content than for other tests, showing that adsorption of the fuel in the lubricating oil contributes to the particulate. The reduction of the top ring crevice volume produced similar quantities of particulate SOF but it consisted of generally lighter hydrocarbon species. The effects of these changes were replicated in a mathematical model which calculated the in cylinder values for fuel, soot, temperature and hydrocarbons. The model also simulated the oxidation of hydrocarbons at the cylinder boundary and consisted of 3 primary zones; the combustion chamber, crevice volume and oil film. This research shows that careful design of engine components can influence the quantity and composition of the particulates exhaust gas and allow the reduction of regulated components.

Sauger Sander canadensis are a native top level predator and popular sport fish. They are native to large, turbid midwestern rivers and are a highly migratory species that relies on unrestricted access to specific habitats throughout their lifespan. Due to specific habitat requirements and popularity as a sport fish, Sauger are in decline across much of their range. Habitat alterations including barriers, channelization and sedimentation, as well as overharvest, have resulted in population declines. Sauger are often subject to relatively high levels of exploitation because of their tendency to concentrate below dams during migrations, which leaves them vulnerable to anglers. The lower Kaskaskia River below Carlyle Lake dam and the lower Ohio River contain important Sauger sport fisheries despite the presence of multiple dams on both rivers and the potential for high levels of exploitation. However, effects of current and potential harvest regulations on Sauger stocks in the Kaskaskia and Ohio rivers have not been assessed. From previous annual monitoring surveys, Sauger in the Ohio and Kaskaskia rivers have very different size and age structures and are managed under different regulations. Additionally, the Kaskaskia River and its largest reservoir (Carlyle Lake) are stocked annually with Sauger, but the contributions of stocked Sauger and immigrants from the Mississippi River to the Kaskaskia River Sauger stock are unknown. I first sought to assess population demographics of Sauger in the Kaskaskia and Ohio Rivers to gain a baseline understanding of both populations and then used these data to evaluate harvest regulations on each river. This objective tested the null hypothesis that no differences in recruitment indices, growth rates and mortality rates exist between Sauger populations within each river. Sauger in the Kaskaskia River are currently managed under a 356-mm minimum length limit and a 6-fish daily bag limit. Prior to 2018, the lower Ohio River was managed under no minimum length limit and a 10-fish daily bag limit. To assess the contribution of Sauger from different environments to the Kaskaskia River stock, I used otolith microchemistry to infer recruitment sources of fish and assess movement of fish between the Kaskaskia and middle Mississippi rivers. This objective tested the null hypothesis that no difference existed in the contribution of different rivers to the Kaskaskia River sauger population. The Ohio River Sauger population had a small age and size structure relative to the Kaskaskia River. Sauger from each river exhibited fast growth rates and high annual mortality. Population modeling indicated that the current 356-mm minimum size limit for Sauger in the Kaskaskia River is sufficient at preventing growth overfishing and is likely resulting in the larger size structure compared to the Ohio River. Sauger were likely experiencing growth and recruitment overfishing in the Ohio River under no minimum length limit and will likely benefit from the 356-mm minimum length limit implemented in 2018. Otolith microchemistry revealed that Sauger from the Mississippi River represented a small contribution to the Kaskaskia River Sauger stock; however, some fish showed evidence of moving between the Kaskaskia and Mississippi rivers. Similar water chemistry between the hatchery and Carlyle Lake prevented the identification of hatchery origin Sauger. Because the Sauger stock in the Kaskaskia River appears to be primarily supported by stocking of fish into Carlyle Lake or natural reproduction within the Kaskaskia River, fisheries managers should focus on quantifying the contribution of hatchery fish to the Kaskaskia River stock.

Magister Pharmaceuticae - MPharm / The purpose of this research thesis, is to evaluate the appropriateness of the current regulatory guidelines on the manufacture of medicinal products within the radiopharmaceutical industry. The manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals is governed by two main regulatory bodies. The regulatory authority responsible for the governance of the pharmaceutical product has the primary objective of ensuring the safety, efficacy and purity of the products manufactured, while the nuclear regulator has the responsibility of ensuring that the products used and manufactured are done so in a safe and responsible manner. The main problem faced by this industry is one where the requirements between the two regulators are, in some instances, in direct conflict of each other. The methodology employed in this study included the review of current regulatory guidelines applicable to the manufacture of orthodox pharmaceuticals, compared to its applicability to the radiopharmaceutical industry. This review showed that the regulatory guidelines, when adopted without industry specific concessions, resulted in an industry which is not as appropriately regulated as orthodox medicines are. It is therefore concluded that, in order for the radiopharmaceutical manufacturing industry to be as appropriately regulated as the orthodox pharmaceutical industry, industry-specific guidelines are required to be developed by the regulatory authorities and adopted by the manufacturing industry.

No description available.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / This study is a quantitative investigation into anglers’ environmental behaviours, as associated with the human-nature relationship, within the context of sustainability and conservation psychology. Although much has been researched around pro-environmental behaviours that link to the household (such as energy use and recycling behaviours) and materialism (buying environmentally friendly products), there is comparatively little to show for variables associated with pro-environmental decision-making that relates to the protection of nature. One such environmental problem involves the disregard for environmental laws protecting marine life. The study aimed to extend this line of research by looking at certain environmental fishing behaviours in a sample of recreational False Bay anglers, and using their relationship with nature (i.e. the degree to which the self recognises an interconnectedness between humans and the natural world) to explain these behaviours. Participants were required to sign a consent form, and participated anonymously in the study, particularly due to the sensitive nature of the information they disclose. A convenience sample of 99 anglers was assessed. ANOVA yielded significant biographical differences in NR with regards to particular age, level of education and residential area groups. Logistic regression analysis indicated that Nature Relatedness had significant predictive capacity for these environmental behaviours ( = 0.061), although the Nature Relatedness subscales did not. In conclusion it was speculated that NR might not offer a deep explanation for environmental behaviours in this group, considering a weak correlation between NR and behaviour (r = -.186) and the inability of the NR subscales to predict behaviour. Further research in this area is needed to provide more conclusive results.

In this dissertation I study ways in which regulatory institutions affect firms in India. The first chapter (coauthored with Michael Gechter) investigates the effects of an important but little-researched set of Indian labor regulations which only apply to establishments that hire 10 or more employees. Using data from India's 2005 Economic Census, we observe that the distribution of establishments by size closely follows a power law, but with a significant drop in the distribution for establishments with 10 or more workers. By fitting this distribution to a model of firm size choice in the presence of size-based regulations, we use this break in the observed distribution to estimate the implied costs of the regulation. In the second chapter I examine whether the speed of courts contributes to economic growth. I do this by making the assumption - following Nunn (2007) - that fast courts should be more beneficial to firms in contract-intensive industries, where contract intensity is measured by the proportion of inputs in an industry that cannot be bought on an organized exchange. Using data on Indian firms covering the period 1999-2008 I find that firms profits and value-added grew faster in contract-intensive industries that were located in states with faster courts. The third chapter (also coauthored with Michael Gechter) examines the effects of removal of regulations between 2001-06 that had previously reserved certain products for exclusive production by firms with capital below a certain threshold. Our main finding is that de-reservation led to an increase in firm investment and output by certain groups of firms.

The current state of environmental laws has placed business in a quandary regarding compliance with the myriad regulations directed at everything from the manufacture of new products, substances, or chemicals to the generation and disposal of waste. A variation from the guidelines imposed may result in liability, civil and criminal, for the unwary violator. In addition to possessing knowledge of current regulations affecting operations, managers must also track numerous future changes applicable to their processes in order to avoid missing the effective date of a new requirement. In general, vast resources must be expended in complying with the environmental laws. Perhaps the industry that most feels the sting of the environmental regulations is manufacturing. This paper will address the results of a survey completed by over 200 manufacturing firms located primarily in Tennessee to determine effects of compliance with environmental regulations on business operations.