Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by tourist development along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico represents a big threat to the survival of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbirds. This habitat plays a crucial role for successful migration for many migratory birds. However, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on these birds have not been well documented in the region. From September- December, 2006-2008, we mist-netted and conducted transect surveys to assess the variation in the avian community among three different levels of development (high, medium and low). The study area included two small reserves (10-20 ha) in the hotel zone associated with the Riviera Maya (high development), two sites with limited development within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve associated with small fishing camps (medium development), and two undeveloped sites located on a private ranch within Sian Ka’an (low development). I assessed species richness and abundance of four avian groups: the entire community, year-round residents, winter residents, and transients. Species richness and abundance decreased significantly with the greatest levels of disturbance. The high development level had the least species richness and abundance, whereas the medium development level had the greatest richness for all bird classes. However, my results suggest that small reserves in the hotel zone can be important compliments to the large, undisturbed reserves (Sian Ka’an) for both resident and migrant birds. Forty-six percent of all birds species captured in mist nets were Nearctic-Neotropical migrants; thus this group composed a significant component of the avian community. The dominance in the year-round resident community by the endemic Black Catbird (Dumetella glabrirostris) at medium and low development sites showed that coastal dune vegetation is also important in maintaining populations of endemic species, which are sensitive to levels of disturbance. The use of two different survey methods (mist-netting and transect surveys) produced complimentary descriptions of community composition. Because many year-round resident species and migrants depend on this scarce and discontinuous coastal habitat, and because of the intense development pressure on this coastal zone, better conservation strategies are needed to successfully sustain the avian community of this region.

<p>This study investigated, within the context of Brain Reserve Capacity (BRC) theory, whether repeated concussions resulted in residual deficits in cognitive and academic functioning of early adolescent rugby players relative to non-contact sports controls.</p>

This study is an investigation of a sub community within the community of Hovsjö. The local government has financed a project in Hovsjö which is intended to bring about positive development. The prior object of this paper is to describe the project, it’s planning, it’s methods, it’s carrying through, and it’s goals. This study presents the district of Hovsjö in Södertälje. According to a government agency the district is classified as one of Sweden’s twelve most socioeconomicly exposed metropolitan sub-areas. Our goal is to tell about the prevailing condition there and to present the experiences of a group of residents. From a pedagogical and sociological point of view this commitment in Hovsjö can become a tool to break the alienation. Our study of the metropolitan sub-area and the Hovsjö investment project is empirical. However in our concluding discussion we suggest that the Hovsjö investment project will succeed in breaking alienation there.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has become increasingly important in Texas due to the high level of program participation, particularly in the high plains of Texas. There is also a seemingly large amount of CRP contracts that will expire, particularly in the next five years. As these contracts expire, it becomes very important for landowners to evaluate fully the options that are available for future land use. This research focused primarily on the ten counties in Texas having the most acres of CRP enrollment, which include Gaines, Deaf Smith, Lamb, Hale, Floyd, Dallam, Hockley, Terry, Castro, and Swisher Counties. The primary objective was to provide landowners in these counties with a comprehensive list of options available after CRP contract expiration. The options were identified as re-enrollment in CRP, conversion back into crop production, lease land to a tenant as rangeland, or lease land to a tenant as cropland. Latin Hypercube simulation was used to generate a stochastic value for probable net returns per acre for the four options. The four options were then evaluated based on a variety of methods typically used to rank risky alternatives. The results indicate that CRP enrollment is the most preferred option for landowners. Dryland crop production, while it can return very high net returns per acre, also has the highest amount of risk involved. However, it is important to note that the best ranking method and decision are dependent on the specific decision maker and situation. The second objective of the research was to determine if there are measurable economic impacts to the agricultural services industry associated with CRP enrollment. OLS regression models were only run for five of the ten counties in the study area due to a lack of data reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Of the five counties modeled, the Gaines, Dallam, and Hale County models indicated that CRP has played a significant role in the annual earnings of the agricultural services industry. The results suggest that there would be a benefit in conducting further research to examine the relationship between CRP enrollment and the agricultural services sector.

Biosphere reserves have evolved out of a responsibility to resolve conflict by reconciling the needs of humans with the need to maintain ecological integrity and biodiversity. Participatory approaches to planning and management are seen as key to linking conservation and sustainable development. The purpose of this research was to investigate participation in planning and management activities in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) located in Uttaranchal, India. Eco-development and microplanning have emerged in India as two government-initiated mechanisms allowing greater opportunity for other sectors to have a role in conservation-related planning and management activities. Although there has been progress in the application of participatory processes, the two case studies in this research illustrate the need to bolster civic and private sector participation in planning and management of the NDBR. One important and positive outcome of the participatory processes that were applied was that relationships had improved between the sectors. / February 2007

After a review of the general characteristics of Aboriginal businesses on Canadian reserves, the empirical part of this research compares a sample of 22 on-reserve businesses interviewed within four reserves in Northern Ontario to a control sample of 229 businesses from across Northern Ontario. Both samples were surveyed in Spring/Summer 1997 by the Small Business Research Group, from Laurentian University's School of Commerce and Administration. The results confirmed the literature in showing a lack of structure, with 88% of the businesses unincorporated, a lack of capital, a sense of isolation and of being out of the information channels (a majority of respondents saw no benefits to networking), literacy problems among the population) and frustrations with government agencies. However, as among other groups in the Canadian business population, Aboriginal entrepreneurs were more educated than the general Aboriginal population. The remainder of the article discusses issues related to the development of entrepreneurship among the First Nations, including the Delgamuukw v. British Columbia decision by the Supreme Court of Canada and its potential effects. / This article is partly based upon research funded by FedNor by the Small Business Research Group of the School of Commerce and Administration, Laurentian University of Sudbury. The author thanks Sherrie·Anne Frost, Research Assistant, for her help, Chief Margaret Penasse-Mayer and Adjunct Professor Ovide Mercredi for their comments on the early versions of the manuscript. This research was also partly funded by Human Resources Development Canada, the School of Commerce and Administration, Laurentian University of SUdbury, and College Boréal at Surgeon Falls.

Kashechewan, a flood-prone remote First Nation in northern Ontario, is the focus of this thesis. It is an exploration into the factors that have contributed to the community’s decline and current state. By looking at how these factors influence built form, the principles, possibilities, and concepts that are latent within it are used to re-establish ways in which the people can view, value, and act upon the land to create lasting change. The discussion has larger implications about how we, as Canadians, live with the land and built forms, and react to one another both as a collective, and as individuals. It is an attempt to dissolve the distinction between ‘aboriginal’ and ‘colonizer’ to open up greater design possibilities. Composed as a series of explorations into the physical and spiritual form of the community, this thesis weaves together three parts of its larger story connected with the thread of narrative poem. Part I opens a discourse that considers the impact of the system and establishment of Aboriginal Reserves on the community. Part II explores the notion of remoteness alongside methods of movement and transportation of people and materials. Part III engages the ephemeral, discussing memory and the meaning of transient moments. Stemming from these streams of exploration, three individual designs are proposed. The first explores flood-resilient architecture as a sensitive response to the river and engages the future expansion of the community beyond the walls of the dike. The second envisions an integration of movement into a centralized community hub. The third lays out an approach to abandoning the site while preserving its sacred spaces. In each case, the design explores built form as a tool for fusing back together the spirit of the land and the narrative of the people. Through the metaphor of flooding as a conversation between the light and the dark, this thesis looks at the history of abuse between aboriginal and colonizer, and the current abuse of substance and soul from which an architectural premise moves forward. The thesis attempts to embrace the complexity and difficulty of designing with such inherent obstacles to overcome by taking inspiration from the simple and sublime beauty of the place and distilling it into built form.

Our country, the same type of deposit applies the same interest rate. The reserve ratio in the world has gradually been reduced even adjusted to zero. Because of the control policy increases in bank operating costs, and impact the efficiency of resource allocationa. The competent national authorities still see the control policy as the main monetary policy. Domestic banks under this system face a very high control costs. Presently our country is still unable to adopt "zero" reserve, so this study consider existing banking supervision system to develop a "Risk-Based Deposit System" for existing national reserve system.The concept of risk stratification derives from deposit insurance, using the capital adequacy ratio, banks integrated risk rating score and the financial leverage ratio. Each Bank based on their respective level of risk to employ different deposit reserve ratio. "Risk-Based Deposit System" can make the banking sector to spontaneously reduce their own business risk in order to meet the lower deposit reserve ratio of the risk criteria. Therefore, it will help banking sector to reduce regulatory burden, and assist banks in Taiwan to follow Basel III to strengthen its competitiveness and meet the world trend.

My research focuses on the reasons for banking crises and the corresponding policy rules that could help prevent such crises. This abstract briefly reviews the two essays in my dissertation. The first essay focuses on the optimal mechanism design of the deposit insurance system while the second essay studies the impact of international illiquidity on domestic banking crises. The Recent Deposit Insurance Reform in the U.S. raised the coverage limit for certain types of deposits. In chapter II, I study the optimal coverage limit in a model of deposit insurance in the banking system. Because of the coverage limit, depositors have incentives to monitor the bank’s risk-taking behavior, threatening banks with the withdrawal of deposits if necessary. The model includes risk-taking banks, heterogeneous depositors, and a benevolent insurance company providing deposit insurance. I find that partial coverage combined with risk-sensitive premia in the presence of capital requirements can improve social welfare and manage banks’ risktaking behavior. Moreover, when a partial coverage limit is in place, banks are better off by finding a balance between the higher premia and the depositors’ monitoring and withdrawals. Unlike chapter II, chapter III focuses on the role played by international illiquidity. I build a dynamic general equilibrium model (DGEM) of a small, open economy. The features I include in the model are nontrivial demands for fiat currencies, unanticipated sunspots, and financial/banking crises originated by sudden stops of foreign capital inflows are. This chapter gives us a better understanding of the performance of alternative exchange rate regimes and associated monetary policies under a simple setup. I show the existence of multiple equilibria that may be ranked based on the presence of binding information constraints and on welfare. Moreover, I show that a strong connection of the scope for existence and for indeterminacy of equilibria with the underlying policy regime. I also find that the presence of binding multiple reserve requirements help in reducing the scope for financial fragility and panic equilibria.

The electric power is the modernized life cornerstone, is the economical development power. In recent years but as a result of the energy shortage, the fuel price anabatic wind rose, the peak load continued to grow, creates the electric power supply becoming serious. If the power supply cost is unable to respond in the electrovalence, how also creates the enterprise own to continue forever the management. This research main goal thoroughly is analyzing the Taiwan Telegraphic Transmission electrovalence structural model and the set price law, and the electrovalence difference¡£season electrovalence, the time electrovalence¡¤rationality, and on the external environment, faces the fuel price anabatic wind to rise and under the unreasonable low price electrovalence arduous situation, then discusses it in accordance to it road¡FFinally will attempt summarizes in accordance to the future transport business environment, the formulation electrovalence adjustment mechanism, will conform to present situation, will be full responded each kind of factor in the electrovalence, hoped for this research will be able to become the future to establish in the electrovalence model formulation process the reference. This study research for the document company, after the process material analysis, will establish "the most suitable electrovalence set price pattern" the factor induction to be as follows¡G (1) Brings into line with "the fuel cost". (2) To consider "the reserve capacity rate". (3) Enhancement breaks a contract the penal regulations. (4) To enhance the time electrovalence section several. (5) Change unreasonable electrovalence structure. (6) Reference various countries electrovalence model.