Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of southern Africa is one of the world’s most unique biodiversity hotspots. However, this biodiversity continues to be threatened by habitat loss due to rapid urbanisation, agriculture and alien vegetation encroachment, and now, by future groundwater extraction and climate change. Previous work had shown that soil moisture is important in structuring wetland plant communities at fine-scale. What is not fully known, however, is how the spatial distribution of species at a local scale is related to soil hydrology and what the response in the future of species distributions will be to perturbations arising from changes in climate or subsurface moisture in the future. The current research investigated the water regime of the Restionaceae which is a key family in the Fynbos biome and the implications of possible changes in soil hydrology caused by climate change in communities within this region. The Restionaceae were particularly appropriate because they are shallow rooted perennials with the ability to tolerate a wide range of water regimes which allows them to successfully co-habit within mixed plant communities as segregated clusters along fine-scale hydrologic gradients. Vegetation survey counts for the presence of these species along with measurements of soil water table depth and moisture content data generated from eight small-scale plots (50 x 50 m) were used to investigate the possible hydrological niches and to envision the potential impacts of a substantial reduction in rainfall and an increase in temperature as projected by Global Climate Models (GCMs) on the structure of Restionaceae communities in seasonal wetlands by 2100. A comparative analysis of the effects of two extreme Representative Concentration emission Pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) on significant hydrological variables to plant water regimes was carried out. The IPCC AR5 report describes the RCP8.5 emissions scenario as the likely ‘business as usual’ scenario where emissions continue to rise through the 21st century while the RCP2.6 scenario assumes that emissions peak between 2010 and 2020 and substantially subside thereafter.

This thesis traces the production process of colonial urban space in Seoul. In particular, the research analyses how the space of the dead (the gravesite) was transformed into a space of urban settlers during the colonial period. The Government General Korea introduced the burial rule in 1912, the first modern law of its kind, to control (the space of) the dead within the realm of the state. At the core of the 1912 burial rule was the prohibition of long-standing interment customs - such as feng-shui-based private gravesites - and the installation of public cemeteries as the only place for interment. The rule also introduced cremation into Korean society, a practice that had long been taboo. The gravesite had embodied significant meaning and served important functions within Korean society in the past, but the burial rule changed the whole relationship between the living and the gravesite. Indeed, as this thesis shows, the burial rule was one of the governing strategies deployed in shaping and transforming Koreans' institutions, physical space, and consciousness. To capture the inter-relational mechanisms between the transformation of the gravesite and the wider urban development of the colonial capital Seoul, the thesis uses a unique theoretical and analytical framework, which the author calls 'institutional political economy.' Through this framework and echoing Lefebvre's spatial triad of the production of space, this thesis argues that urban space is produced through the dialectical relations of the institutions, material space, and experience/consciousness. The gravesite, especially in Seoul, underwent a major transformation during the colonial period, which consequently had a substantial impact on Koreans' attitudes towards and notions of death and the gravesite. The thesis demonstrates how these changing attitudes corresponded and interacted with the capitalist urbanisation of Seoul, which would ultimately produce a new urban landscape and urban consciousness and subjectivity within modern Seoul.

No abstract.

Water is subject to uncertainty of supply (quantity) and quality, which affects decisions determining allocation, use and management for human and environmental functions. Tensions concerning water and its allocation reflect conflicting ideologies influencing development. Focusing on water governance enables the allocation and management of environmental resources and tensions in development to be explored. ¶ This research has as its central argument the notion that water governance is conceptualised differently at different scales and as discourses become localised, hybrid forms emerge. Place-specific hybrid governance systems which are cognisant of transformations in the local political economy and environmental characteristics can be useful in managing risks and uncertainty about water supply. This is particularly so where local knowledge about formal institutions regulating water governance and environmental conditions is low. This is because hybrid systems are more likely to be responsive to local needs than national or supra-national discourse allows. However, there are limitations with hybrid systems, particularly in terms of allocating responsibility and risk, which require effective coordination. ¶ The aim of this research is to uncover local perspectives and knowledge about water governance and hybridity in urban environments which can be used to shape and influence urban water management. I explore the hybridisation of water governance by considering the problem of ensuring urban water supply in a developing country context. The research was undertaken as an inductive, qualitative inquiry comprising a case study in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, the Philippines. Tagbilaran is a small sized city with a population of approximately 87,000 people. The city is experiencing relatively rapid population growth along with urban development and expansion in which water demand already outstrips water supply. Ethnographic, interpretive techniques were used to distil local perspectives about water governance which are juxtaposed with official policy and discourse. Research methods included participant observation, semi-structured interviews with government employees, government officials and key informants from other organisations. Other methods included structured household surveys and the use of documentary sources. ¶ This research reveals how formal approaches to urban water governance systems have been shaped by international development thinking and discourse. Current strategies to manage water emphasise an integrated approach which encompasses environmental, social and economic domains. At the same time neoliberal discourse exerts a powerful influence over how urban water is conceptualised and managed, and who should be responsible for its provision. The case study allows for the exploration of the ways in which development and water governance discourse have been articulated and the consideration of the local factors which have enabled the emergence of hybrid water supply services embedded in a localised hybrid governance system. ¶ I show how water governance in Tagbilaran is hybrid because of the global-local dialectic that informs policy and practice, public-private engagement in water provision, and inter-jurisdictional water sharing. I also demonstrate how households’ experiences of water supply and their physical environment influence decisions about household allocation and perceptions about human-environment interactions and water security. As a consequence, knowledge about water governance held at the household level emerges as localised and specific in which everyday experience shapes ideas around responsibility and agency such that local forms of government and engagement have more meaning for households than national and supra-national discourse. The juxtaposition of formal, bureaucratic governance institutions with household knowledge exposes multiple understandings of water governance and water supply in Tagbilaran. ¶ The findings of this research reveal that household conceptions of water governance are divorced from formal conceptions of water governance. There is a risk, therefore, that an over-emphasis on network expansion without due consideration of water resource management may lead to greater levels of consumption. This will continue to place pressure on resources and may ultimately lead to water insecurity. This is because local knowledge of the formal political, economic, and administrative institutions is limited at the household level. Therefore, this research argues that local perspectives and knowledge need to be incorporated more into management and policy decision making. Alternatively, greater effort needs to be made to communicate formal policy to the household level.

In the last few decades protection of the environment has moved to the forefront of earth science research. Sustainable development is becoming more important to rapidly growing communities throughout southern Ontario including the City of Waterloo which has adopted an ecosystem planning approach toward future urban expansion. The City of Waterloo is located in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo which relies mainly on local groundwater resources for its drinking water supply. The Waterloo West Side is a collective name for several new developments occurring at the western limit of the City of Waterloo. Development of the Waterloo West Side is encroaching on a potential regional groundwater recharge area. Recent studies have recommended that some of these developments will require artificial infiltration facilities to augment the reduction in infiltration rates at the post-development stage. For this study, the pre-development groundwater flow system was characterized using a three-dimensional finite element model (WATFLOW). The regional Waterloo Moraine Model (approximately 750 km2) was refined in the study area (approximately 25 km2) so as to include the regional-scale influence on the local-scale groundwater flow. In addition, to approximate the complex groundwater flow system, within the study area, modifications were made to the current conceptual model. Several existing techniques were utilized in the numerical approach including three-dimensional parameterization and automated calibration methods. Simulations were completed to steady-state therefore results are averaged on a yearly basis. The potential impact of urbanization on the groundwater flow system was investigated by modifying the surficial boundary condition to simulate post-development infiltration rates (increased runoff) in areas where development will occur. The impact to local surface water was investigated for each post-development scenario. In addition, the effect on the regional and local groundwater flow systems were compared for each scenario.

Texte remanié de: Ph. D. dissertation--Jerusalem--Hebrew university, 1996. / Bibliogr. p. 123-138.

Texte remanié de: Thèse de doctorat--Géographie de la santé--Montpellier 3, 2005. Titre de soutenance : Assainissement, salubrité et santé en milieu urbain : le cas de Saint-Louis du Sénégal. / Bibliogr. p. 173-180.

Motivation: Cardiovascular dysfunction and hypertension are some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the African population. According to the World Health Organisation the increases in these diseases are escalating in developing countries. Apart from the contributory role of genetics towards the incidence of hypertension, evidence regarding lifestyle as a determinant or marker of cardiovascular diseases in this group is not well known. The interaction of psychological and physiological mechanisms can contribute towards a broader scope of behavioural physiology in the higher prevalence of hypertension in Africans. Objectives: The main objective of the research in this thesis was to compare specific coping mechanisms of Africans with regard to cardiovascular dysfunction. Methodology: Manuscripts presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5 made use of the cross-sectional comparative epidemiological "Transition and Health during Urbanisation in South Africa" (THUSA) project. The subjects included apparently healthy African men and women, which were recruited as a convenience sample from the North West Province, South Africa. Anthropometric measurements were taken and demographic questionnaires completed. An adapted Setswana COPE questionnaire was used to classify men and women as predominantly active (AC) or passive (PC) in coping style. Subjects were further subdivided into rural and urban groups (Manuscript Two), as well as younger (≤ 40) and older (≥ 45) age groups (Manuscript Three). The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used to measure subjective perception of health in all three manuscripts. Blood pressure was recorded continuously before and during application of the handgrip test using the Finapres apparatus. Subjects were classified as normotensive and hypertensive after blood pressure measurement by the Finapres and the Riva-Rocci/Korotkoff method. The emphasis in this study was on the cardiovascular reactivity values. Fasting, resting serum renin activity, cortisol, prolactin, testosterone, high density lipoprotein, triglycerides, glucose and plasma fibrinogen values were correlated with cardiovascular and psychological variables. Significant differences between variables were determined by means of variance analyses (Manuscript One and Two adjusted for age; Manuscripts One, Two and Three adjusted for resting cardiovascular data). A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the most significant determinants of urbanisation. All THUSA subjects and parents of under-aged adolescents gave informed consent and the study - was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. The reader is referred to the abstracts at the beginning of each separate manuscript in Chapters 3 - 5 for a description of the subjects, study design and analytical methods used in each paper. Results and conclusions of the individual manuscripts: Results from the THUSA study showed that PC men and women reported more symptoms typical of an abnormal psychological and physiological profile than AC men and women. The PC men, compared to AC men, exhibited a larger vascular reactivity response as well as larger plasma renin activity. In contrast, the AC women showed a larger non-significant vascular reactivity response than PC women. All subjects though reacted with increased vascular reactivity on the stressor. Men with a PC strategy showed enhanced vascular reactivity, a perception of poorer health and larger stressor plasma renin activity. PC women reported more depressive symptoms and younger PC women indicated a higher prevalence of hypertension than younger AC women. As a follow-up on the first manuscript, the aim was focused mainly on including the environmental effect, namely urbanisation, as possible explanatory factor for the atypical physiological AC women’s' coping style. The rural AC subjects indicated more typical active coping central cardiac responses than rural PC subjects whereas urbanised AC and PC subjects indicated greater peripheral responses and hypertension prevalence rates. In addition, the urbanised AC men and women and PC women as opposed to their rural counterparts indicated symptoms more of a distress situation with increased values of prolactin and decreased values of testosterone. This was also accompanied by a perception of poorer health in women. Results of the AC style suggests that the typical physiological AC stimulation pattern of urbanised subjects and especially the women is dissociated from the "normal" physiological AC reaction and is now exhibited as a typical PC physiological stimulation pattern. The greater vascular reactivity, hypertension prevalence, perception of poorer health and endocrine distressed profile are associated with a PC and dissociated physiological AC style in an urban context in African men and women. No differences with regard to resting blood pressure or endocrine values were obtained when the AC and PC urbanised groups were compared. Africans develop cardiovascular dysfunction/hypertension during chronic stress or urbanisation. This implies a dissociation/habituation of physiological systems of African men and women despite having an active coping strategy. Active coping is, therefore, not necessarily "successful". Results of the first two manuscripts direct further investigation concerning the effects of ageing and urbanisation on the development of cardiovascular dysfunction and metabolic syndrome indicators in gender groups. The second manuscript showed that all rural AC subjects exhibit a more typical active coping central cardiac response and that rural PC and all urbanised subjects (AC and PC) exhibit enhanced peripheral vascular responses on the - handgrip test. Where peripheral vascular responses were more expected from older individuals in Manuscript Three, the occurrence of this pattern is strengthened in the younger subjects. The greater fibrinogen values in all younger urbanised women (AC and PC) compared to rural women further strengthen the risk for the development of cardiovascular disease. Increased vascular reactivity, abdominal obesity and increased levels of triglycerides as well as perception of poorer health were apparent in the urbanised AC women, PC men and women in comparison to their rural counterparts. The typical physiological AC stimulation pattern of urbanised women is dissociated from the "normal" physiological AC responses and is now exhibited as a typical PC physiological stimulation pattern. A typical PC style in older urbanised subjects is implicated in the greater hypertension prevalence. To conclude, it seems as if young urbanised Africans, and especially women, exhibit an AC style behaviourally with a dissociated physiological AC reaction pattern. Physiologically these women resemble a typical PC physiological cardiovascular and endocrine profile. This typical PC cardiovascular stimulation pattern is strengthened by a distressed endocrine profile, significant metabolic syndrome indicators and a 'perception of poorer health. Older PC style subjects also presented a greater hypertension prevalence. In this study it seems that cardiovascular changes that appear at a younger age might be influenced by other factors including urbanisation as a lifestyle factor as well as specific coping styles. Finally, a careful suggestion is made that specific coping mechanisms could be seen as a possible risk marker in the development of the metabolic syndrome. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Physiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Les services de communication de nouvelle génération doivent pouvoir coopérer pour répondre à des besoins spécifiques tout en gardant leur autonomie. Ceci nécessite de maîtriser leurs architectures et de partager ces architectures au sein de l'entreprise. Des cadres architecturaux communs sont alors indispensables. Après avoir fait le point des travaux sur ce sujet dans les domaines télécoms, web et IT, et après avoir discuté des enjeux de la convergence des services télécoms, nous introduisons ici quatre angles de vue (métier, fonctionnel, technique et applicatif), ainsi qu'une méthodologie pour construire des vues de référence partagées au sein d'une entreprise et des vues d'architecture propres à chaque service. Nous illustrons cette démarche à l'aide d'exemples et montrons ses applications pour construire des offres de service, pour rationnaliser les services existants et pour réaliser une convergence entre différents services.

Motivation: Cardiovascular dysfunction and hypertension are some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the African population. According to the World Health Organisation the increases in these diseases are escalating in developing countries. Apart from the contributory role of genetics towards the incidence of hypertension, evidence regarding lifestyle as a determinant or marker of cardiovascular diseases in this group is not well known. The interaction of psychological and physiological mechanisms can contribute towards a broader scope of behavioural physiology in the higher prevalence of hypertension in Africans. Objectives: The main objective of the research in this thesis was to compare specific coping mechanisms of Africans with regard to cardiovascular dysfunction. Methodology: Manuscripts presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5 made use of the cross-sectional comparative epidemiological "Transition and Health during Urbanisation in South Africa" (THUSA) project. The subjects included apparently healthy African men and women, which were recruited as a convenience sample from the North West Province, South Africa. Anthropometric measurements were taken and demographic questionnaires completed. An adapted Setswana COPE questionnaire was used to classify men and women as predominantly active (AC) or passive (PC) in coping style. Subjects were further subdivided into rural and urban groups (Manuscript Two), as well as younger (≤ 40) and older (≥ 45) age groups (Manuscript Three). The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used to measure subjective perception of health in all three manuscripts. Blood pressure was recorded continuously before and during application of the handgrip test using the Finapres apparatus. Subjects were classified as normotensive and hypertensive after blood pressure measurement by the Finapres and the Riva-Rocci/Korotkoff method. The emphasis in this study was on the cardiovascular reactivity values. Fasting, resting serum renin activity, cortisol, prolactin, testosterone, high density lipoprotein, triglycerides, glucose and plasma fibrinogen values were correlated with cardiovascular and psychological variables. Significant differences between variables were determined by means of variance analyses (Manuscript One and Two adjusted for age; Manuscripts One, Two and Three adjusted for resting cardiovascular data). A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the most significant determinants of urbanisation. All THUSA subjects and parents of under-aged adolescents gave informed consent and the study - was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education. The reader is referred to the abstracts at the beginning of each separate manuscript in Chapters 3 - 5 for a description of the subjects, study design and analytical methods used in each paper. Results and conclusions of the individual manuscripts: Results from the THUSA study showed that PC men and women reported more symptoms typical of an abnormal psychological and physiological profile than AC men and women. The PC men, compared to AC men, exhibited a larger vascular reactivity response as well as larger plasma renin activity. In contrast, the AC women showed a larger non-significant vascular reactivity response than PC women. All subjects though reacted with increased vascular reactivity on the stressor. Men with a PC strategy showed enhanced vascular reactivity, a perception of poorer health and larger stressor plasma renin activity. PC women reported more depressive symptoms and younger PC women indicated a higher prevalence of hypertension than younger AC women. As a follow-up on the first manuscript, the aim was focused mainly on including the environmental effect, namely urbanisation, as possible explanatory factor for the atypical physiological AC women’s' coping style. The rural AC subjects indicated more typical active coping central cardiac responses than rural PC subjects whereas urbanised AC and PC subjects indicated greater peripheral responses and hypertension prevalence rates. In addition, the urbanised AC men and women and PC women as opposed to their rural counterparts indicated symptoms more of a distress situation with increased values of prolactin and decreased values of testosterone. This was also accompanied by a perception of poorer health in women. Results of the AC style suggests that the typical physiological AC stimulation pattern of urbanised subjects and especially the women is dissociated from the "normal" physiological AC reaction and is now exhibited as a typical PC physiological stimulation pattern. The greater vascular reactivity, hypertension prevalence, perception of poorer health and endocrine distressed profile are associated with a PC and dissociated physiological AC style in an urban context in African men and women. No differences with regard to resting blood pressure or endocrine values were obtained when the AC and PC urbanised groups were compared. Africans develop cardiovascular dysfunction/hypertension during chronic stress or urbanisation. This implies a dissociation/habituation of physiological systems of African men and women despite having an active coping strategy. Active coping is, therefore, not necessarily "successful". Results of the first two manuscripts direct further investigation concerning the effects of ageing and urbanisation on the development of cardiovascular dysfunction and metabolic syndrome indicators in gender groups. The second manuscript showed that all rural AC subjects exhibit a more typical active coping central cardiac response and that rural PC and all urbanised subjects (AC and PC) exhibit enhanced peripheral vascular responses on the - handgrip test. Where peripheral vascular responses were more expected from older individuals in Manuscript Three, the occurrence of this pattern is strengthened in the younger subjects. The greater fibrinogen values in all younger urbanised women (AC and PC) compared to rural women further strengthen the risk for the development of cardiovascular disease. Increased vascular reactivity, abdominal obesity and increased levels of triglycerides as well as perception of poorer health were apparent in the urbanised AC women, PC men and women in comparison to their rural counterparts. The typical physiological AC stimulation pattern of urbanised women is dissociated from the "normal" physiological AC responses and is now exhibited as a typical PC physiological stimulation pattern. A typical PC style in older urbanised subjects is implicated in the greater hypertension prevalence. To conclude, it seems as if young urbanised Africans, and especially women, exhibit an AC style behaviourally with a dissociated physiological AC reaction pattern. Physiologically these women resemble a typical PC physiological cardiovascular and endocrine profile. This typical PC cardiovascular stimulation pattern is strengthened by a distressed endocrine profile, significant metabolic syndrome indicators and a 'perception of poorer health. Older PC style subjects also presented a greater hypertension prevalence. In this study it seems that cardiovascular changes that appear at a younger age might be influenced by other factors including urbanisation as a lifestyle factor as well as specific coping styles. Finally, a careful suggestion is made that specific coping mechanisms could be seen as a possible risk marker in the development of the metabolic syndrome. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Physiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.