In this work suitable habitats for hazel grouse (Bonasa bonasia) were identified using ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA). The results from ENFA reveal that hazel grouse utilize a different and more restricted niche than what is generally available in the study area. When a landscape is fragmented the amount of edge increases, which is negative for many species and thus will affect the amount of available area. The perimeter-area ratio was used to analyze the relative importance of geometric shape. In order to estimate a correlation between incidence of hazel grouse and landscape features census data and land cover maps were analyzed with logistic regression models. It is concluded that hazel grouse is tied to coniferous forest and avoid open areas. However, the result indicates that there is a scale effect that should be considered. The amount of edge in a landscape seems to be important and shape of patches could be a better measure in metapopulation dynamics. In this study the Incidence function model was used to estimate occupancy levels and capacity of a landscape to sustain a metapopulation according to four different area measurement scenarios. Results from the simulations indicate that perimeter-area related measures of patch size combined with capacity could be a more important measure for estimation of population dynamics compared to a basic area measurement. Using a landscape genetic approach, hazel grouse genetic structure, neighbourhood size and dispersal distance were estimated. Genetic estimates of dispersal were in concordance with previous ecological estimates. The results indicate evidence of a population structure reminiscent of what has been found in many other Scandinavian animals with a basic north-south divide. No evidence was found that geographic and environmental structures affected gene flow and dispersal patterns for the hazel grouse.

As habitat loss and fragmentation are major causes of decline in animal species, studying habitat requirements in these species is a key component of their recovery. I investigated the relationship between landscape composition and habitat use of Blanding’s turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, a freshwater turtle threatened by habitat loss and road mortality on most of its Canadian range. In 2010, I conducted a radio-telemetry survey of 44 Blanding’s turtles in southern Québec, Canada, and modelled their home range size from land cover proportions measured at many spatial scales. I also used data from a visual survey conducted in 2008 and 2009 to model wetland occupancy of the species at the landscape scale. Home range size of the Blanding’s turtle was significantly correlated to landscape composition, and the proportions of agriculture, open water and anthropogenic lands had the strongest relationships with home range size. However, those relationships were weak and the models were unable to predict home range size accurately. At the landscape scale, land cover and road density poorly predicted probability of occurrence, and Blanding’s turtles occupied wetlands in both disturbed and natural sites. Management of the species should focus on protecting sites of occurrence with high wetland density, low road density, and sufficient suitable habitat to cover their seasonal movement patterns.

SAMMANFATTNING Syftet med studien var att undersöka patienters inställning till att dela rum med patienter av motsatt kön och ålder. Metoden som användes var en deskriptiv tvärsnittsstudie med kvantitativ ansats som utfördes på två akutkirurgiska avdelningar. Det var 33 inneliggande patienter som deltog i studien. En studiespecifik enkät delades ut med tio frågor och två frågor om kön och ålder. Frågorna rörde olika synpunkter om hur det är att dela rum med andra patienter och om hur det är att dela rum med patienter med motsatt kön och ålder. Enkäten innehöll även en öppen fråga där deltagarna kunde lämna övriga synpunkter. Materialet analyserades med beskrivande statistik. För att jämföra skillnaden mellan män och kvinnor användes Mann Whitney U test och för att jämföra skillnader mellan de olika åldersgrupperna användes Kruskall Wallis. Resultatet visade att kvinnor ansåg att det var något obekvämare att dela rum med motsatt kön än vad det var för männen. Kvinnorna ville också i större utsträckning få information om detta innan man blev tilldelad en sal och plats. Den yngsta åldersgruppen 18-30 år upplevde sig mest besvärad av störd nattsömn jämfört med de två äldre grupperna. Slutsatsen var att kvinnor tyckte att det var mer obekvämt att dela rum med personer av motsatt kön. De yngsta deltagarna ansåg att det var mest besvärande att dela rum med andra och då med tanke på störd nattsömn. Det som skapade mest oro på patientsalen var när medpatienterna inte visade hänsyn eller om det var medicinskt oroliga. / ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the patient´s views on their expirience and preference of sharing a patient room with other patients of the opposite sex en age. The metod was a deskriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitavie analyxix. A survey was conducted at two surgical departments. The sample consisted of 33 inpatients. The investigation included questions of gender and age in order to compare differances between men and women and between age groups. The differences between sexes were analysed using Mann Whitney U test and the Kruskall Wallis test was used to determine differances between age groups. The results showed that women felt it somewhat inconvenient to share a room with the opposite sex than men did. The women would also like to receive information about this before the were assigned a room and place. the youngest age group of 18-30 years was the most troubled by disturbed sleep compared with the two older groups. The conclusion was that women found it more uncomfortable to share a room with people of the opposite sex. Among age groups the youngest participants experienced that it was most embarrassing to share a room with others and especially when considering distrubed sleep. What created the most concern was when the other patients did not show respect or if they were medically worried.

Although efficient use of stock is an important issue of housing economics and policies, there is very little research on the subject in Turkey. This study aims to investigate the stock efficiency in Turkey by measuring the degree to which the housing stock matches household size. Distributions between dwelling units and the households in terms of their size are investigated for this purpose. The stock is studied within three zones of occupational density: comfort, overcrowding and underoccupation, according to international occupancy standards. The findings reveal that the rapid rise in underoccupation in the stock is the dominant character of housing in Turkey, which is a result of housing system producing larger and larger dwellings despite the declining average household size in the country. The analyses in the province center level show that there are great differences between the western and eastern parts of the country. Reasons of overcrowding and underoccupation are also investigated by means of regression analysis. Tenure, income level and proportion of gecekondu emerge as the most effective variables in explaining the differentiation of overcrowding and underoccupation across province centers.

This study assessed the desirability for High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) through stated preference and revealed traffic volume data gathering and analysis techniques. 4,000 surveys, distributed in five sample areas, asked respondents how much they would be willing to pay to escape congestion in eight unique trip conditions. Stated preference results found considerable public support for HOT-lanes in the GTA. In six out of eight trip conditions, a majority of respondents preferred to pay to travel in express lanes rather than endure congestion. Respondent willingness to pay (WTP) mean values varied considerably by trip condition. Willingness to pay to escape congestion was influenced by trip characteristics and driver factors. Trip urgency, traffic speed, and freeway trip distance were found to be statistically significant trip characteristic indicators of WTP. Previous exposure to electronic tolling and annual household income were found to be significant driver factor indicators of WTP in most trip conditions. Respondent gender and freeway travel frequency were found to be statistically significant driver factor indicators of WTP in some trip conditions. The presence of Hwy 407-ETR, an electronically tolled by-pass to Hwy 401, allowed for an examination of the effects of Hwy 401 volume and trip urgency on driver choice to use the tolled alternative. Results indicated that trip urgency and Hwy 401 volume were correlated with Hwy 407 throughput share. During periods of high trip urgency and high Hwy 401 volume, a substantial proportion of Hwy 401/407 corridor drivers chose to pay approximately $0.20/km to escape congestion.

This study assessed the desirability for High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) through stated preference and revealed traffic volume data gathering and analysis techniques. 4,000 surveys, distributed in five sample areas, asked respondents how much they would be willing to pay to escape congestion in eight unique trip conditions. Stated preference results found considerable public support for HOT-lanes in the GTA. In six out of eight trip conditions, a majority of respondents preferred to pay to travel in express lanes rather than endure congestion. Respondent willingness to pay (WTP) mean values varied considerably by trip condition. Willingness to pay to escape congestion was influenced by trip characteristics and driver factors. Trip urgency, traffic speed, and freeway trip distance were found to be statistically significant trip characteristic indicators of WTP. Previous exposure to electronic tolling and annual household income were found to be significant driver factor indicators of WTP in most trip conditions. Respondent gender and freeway travel frequency were found to be statistically significant driver factor indicators of WTP in some trip conditions. The presence of Hwy 407-ETR, an electronically tolled by-pass to Hwy 401, allowed for an examination of the effects of Hwy 401 volume and trip urgency on driver choice to use the tolled alternative. Results indicated that trip urgency and Hwy 401 volume were correlated with Hwy 407 throughput share. During periods of high trip urgency and high Hwy 401 volume, a substantial proportion of Hwy 401/407 corridor drivers chose to pay approximately $0.20/km to escape congestion.

Bakgrund: Personer över 80 år har ökat med nästan 22 % under åren 1992 – 2005. Under samma tid har vårdplatserna inom hela akutsjukvården nästan halverats. Detta har lett till ökat vårdbehov och större belastning på framför allt akutmottagningar, medicinkliniker, primärvården och kommunen. Tidigare studier har visat att inadekvata akutmedicinska inläggningar sker ofta runtom i Europa. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att studera inskrivning och utskrivning av patienter vid akutmedicinska avdelningar på ett sjukhus i Sverige. Metod: Studien genomfördes under 2007 på en akutmedicinsk klinik i Sydöstra Sverige. 411 akutmedicinska patientinläggningar bedömdes med Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP). Lika många hade möjlighet att besvara en enkätfråga, riktad till patienter, sjuksköterskor och läkare, om bedömning av utskrivningen. Resultat: Studien visar att 28,7% av patientinläggningarna inte uppfyllde AEP’s kriterier. De flesta patienter hade bröstsmärta som inskrivningsorsak oavsett adekvat eller inadekvat inläggning. Nära 30 % av patienterna, sjuksköterskorna och läkarna bedömde möjlig utskrivning ett dygn tidigare. Slutsats: Studien visar att inadekvata akutmedicinska inläggningar, enligt instrumentet AEP utgör en betydande del av beläggningen på en medicinklinik som är potentiellt påverkbar. Studien visar också att beläggningen kan påverkas genom tidigarelagd utskrivning enligt bedömningar av såväl patienter som sjuksköterskor och läkare. Resultatet talar för att en bättre kommunikation mellan patienter, sjuksköterskor och läkare skulle kunna optimera längden för akuta medicinska vårdtillfällen. / Background: Persons aged over 80 has increased by almost 22% during 1992-2005. In that time, bed occupancy throughout the emergency medical services has almost decreased to the half. This has led to increased care needs and greater burden, especially on emergency wards, medical clinics, primary care and community. Previous studies have shown that inadequate emergency medical admissions are frequently around Europe. Aim: The aim was to study admission and discharge of patients in acute medical wards at a hospital in Sweden. Method: The study was conducted in 2007 at an acute medical clinic in Southeast Sweden. 411 acute medical patient admissions were assessed with the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP). Just as many were able to answer a survey question, directed to patients, nurses and doctors, on the assessment of discharge. Results: The study shows that 28.7% of patients' admissions did not meet AEP's criteria. Most patients had chest pain that enrollment cause any adequate or inadequate curing. Almost 30% of patients, nurses and doctors thought that discharge of the patient was possible one day earlier. Conclusion: The study shows that inadequate emergency medical admissions, with the instrument AEP, are an important part of the hospital bed occupancy of a medical clinic that is potentially impressionable. The study also shows that the hospital bed occupancy can be influenced by earlier discharge according to assessments by both patients, nurses and doctors.

The growing importance of dogs in people’s lives and in high-density urban environments has increased demand for a place where people and their dogs can interact and exercise together. The recent increase in the number of dog parks across the country is evidence of these demands of dog owners and their companions. However, due to the absence of empirical study on dog parks and their attribute of non-market values, the benefits of dog parks are often underestimated and considered less in the decision making process regarding resource allocation. A post-occupancy evaluation at four dog parks was conducted to investigate use patterns of dog parks and user activities, to identify user preferences and the environmental factors influencing activities, to provide insights and guidelines in developing effective dog parks, and to estimate users’ willingness to pay for dog parks using contingent valuation method. A multiple-method approach was used to collect data including site observations and analysis, a questionnaire and behavioral mapping. The results indicated that dog parks received considerable use, served a variety of demographic groups and supported their exercise and social activities. Dog-park users were generally satisfied with dog parks but they expressed various preferences and needs. It is evident that dog parks are not only a place for dogs to exercise but a place for people to exercise, socialize, relax and enjoy greenery just like other parks. Proximity of dog parks was found to be a critical factor in encouraging frequent dog park use and satisfying users’ needs. Over eighty percent of survey respondents expressed that they were willing to pay an annual fee for dog parks, indicating the importance of visiting dog parks as outdoor recreation. Conservative estimate of average willingness to pay was $56.17/ household/ year. Satisfaction with maintenance and facilities, income, education and family size were found to be significantly associated with willingness to pay. These results could assist local governments and park planners in estimating aggregate monetary value of the dog parks and cost-benefit analysis to justify the development and maintenance of dog parks. Design guidelines and recommendations were generated based on the empirical findings for future design of dog parks.

The junior high schools and primary schools which are numerous and located in the equal distribution are the largest public facility lands in Taiwan. Under the circumstances that the urban area not only has high density of population and spends expensive cost but also has not enough public facilities, the campus which has the green land as well as open space is becoming the only chance of the neighborhood accessing to nature. Proper adjustment of campus planning or architectural design of school buildings is to make the best use of the limited resource of public facilities in the city and to bear the duties and responsibilities of improving the community environmental needs. Regarding ¡§Challenge 2008: National Development Program¡ÐThe Community Landscape Construction of the New Hometown¡ÐCommunity Landscape Construction Program,¡¨ we expect to build up a living space of high quality and humanization to make the best of the characteristics of the local nature, history and cultural landscape. We aim to reconstruct urban and rural landscape to push forward the improvement and to stimulate the potentials of the development of the Taiwanese society step by step; and ¡§the commuting networks of community school children¡¨ is the most urgent item to subsidize. In Kaohsiung City, there are already 5 commuting networks of community school children completed at the first phase. This research proceed beneficial evaluation on the commuting networks of Ling-Jou Primary School after it is put in usage to collect the empirical data. Hence, a significant feedback and improvement in this program can be achieved. The researcher selects three dimensions including the dimension of ¡¥functions¡¦, ¡¥psychologies¡¦, and ¡¥policies¡¦ of the commuting networks in the community as the evaluation of effectiveness based on literature review, the researcher also interviews students, inhabitants and teachers to collect the data of their feedback of every specific item including the safety of school trip, the convenience of pick-up students, the facilities of the commuting networks, recreational function, beautiful natural scenery, the levels of satisfaction, the whole environmental image, identification with schools, the creative potential of the public to resolve problems, the experience and ability of participating in public affaires, the buildup of the multiple space aiming to satisfy the human needs, and the effect of publicizing the facilities of the primary schools.¡@ The results of the present study reveal that: (1) The planning and use of the commuting networks in the community which leads to the interaction between school and community is an efficient method to combine school and community so as to help community inhabitants to build up identification and participation with schools. (2) The case of the commuting networks in the community helps the public to perceive the questions, to estimate the reality, to stir up the imagination, to create community features, and to reveal the meaning of community participation. (3) The commuting networks provide the green land, barrier-free pathway so that the inhabitants enjoy doing exercise and taking a walk to achieve the recreational function. The dimensions such as the construction will begin upon the integration of the public ideas can meet the demand of human nature; according to all the interviewees, it is believed that the effect of publicizing the facilities of primary schools provides with a platform for the interaction between school and community, merging the ideas of the inhabitants into the facilities of schools, combine public art to uplift the quality of recreational life of the public, etc. However, the utilization of the inhabitants also increases the burden on the maintenance management of the school. In the other hand, the relevant suggestions to improve the publicizing the facilities of the primary schools as well as urban space planning are provided.

Abstract Police stations are located nationwide, deeply involved with people¡¦s daily life and can be seen everywhere. Whenever people encounter problems, they can easily access to the police stations where the police offer the most prompt services to help solve problems. The scope of police station services often involves urgent matters, and the police are expected to deliver services to the general public to alleviate their anxiety and to provide safety. Hence, the rebuilding of service environment should be appropriately planned to meet these ends. The rebuilding plan begins from external architecture, interior design, to layout should give warmth to people who will have no fear and will not be reluctant to access the police service. To the aspect of improving internal customer-relations, the station should be designed as a comfortable working place to inspire the police officers to have a change of attitude and willingness to render better services for the people. Police administrators should update their knowledge and professionalism when working on a suitable precinct (police) station rebuilding plan. They should also take into consideration police duties, operations, and daily needs. Meanwhile, the public¡¦s needs for space, facility, business-conduct convenience and practicality, reasonable service facility update and upgrade, and warm and friendly environments should also be accommodated in order for them to contact the police and to place trust in them. This research is based on the viewpoints of post-occupancy evaluation, (abbreviated as POE). Focus is placed on the present conditions of Penghu County Police Precinct/Stations after the service environment rebuilding was completed. The study subjects are police officers and the general public. Through analyses of data collected through questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews, the post-occupancy satisfaction level and recognition level are found. Moreover, the open-ended opinions are reviewed for the reference in the future construction and reconstruction of police stations. The study findings show: 1.The satisfaction level of the general public towards police station service environment rebuilding: high satisfaction levels are achieved at the overall environment perceived satisfaction level, technical aspect satisfaction level, functional aspect satisfaction level, and behavior aspect satisfaction level. However, the satisfaction level for case filing through the Internet is the least satisfactory aspect for the public. 2.The satisfaction level of police officers toward police station service environment: the overall environment perceived satisfaction level, technical aspect satisfaction level, functional aspect satisfaction level, and behavior aspect satisfaction level have all achieved high satisfaction levels. 3.Differential comparison between the satisfaction level toward police station service environment rebuilding for the public and the police: in terms of the functional aspect of environment satisfaction level, it is found that the public and the low-rank police officers show significant differences in ¡§convenience of single window application processing.¡¨ In terms of the behavioral aspect of environment satisfaction level, it is found that the people and the low-rank police officers show significant differences in ¡§the recreational furniture laid out in the police station help bring the general public closer.¡¨ 4.The awareness level of the public towards police station service environment rebuilding, on average, is 3.83: It shows that the general public regards the overall environment highly; thus, environment-rebuilding works in this item are supported. 5.The awareness level of police officers toward police station service environment rebuilding, on average, is 3.91: It shows that the police officers have a high recognition level for the overall rebuilding. This study sums up the thorough analysis and conclusions, and proposes valuable policy recommendations for Penghu County Police Bureau in its efforts to promote service environment rebuilding, suggestions are also made for future research.