The neural correlates that underpin fine motor control of the hand and their connections with the primary motor cortex (M1) require further investigation. Brodmann’s area 5 located in the superior parietal lobule (SPL) is suggested to be an important cortical area involved in the processing of somatosensory input important for precision movements. Area 5 is present in monkey species capable of opposable thumb movements and it is proposed that this area evolved with the ability to execute manual behaviours such as pinch grip. Further, area 5 is dominated by the representation of the hand and forelimb, and has direct connectivity with M1 implicating its role in the control of hand movements. Few studies have investigated the function of area 5 in humans and none have examined the connectivity between area 5 and ipsilateral M1. This thesis presents a novel approach to study the influence of area 5 on M1 output in healthy and awake humans during the processing of somatosensory inputs and during performance of motor tasks involving the hand. Using paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation over left area 5 and ipsilateral M1, the connections between the two cortical loci was probed. It was hypothesized that area 5 would facilitate M1 output at short and long latencies during the processing of tactile inputs and during the performance of motor tasks compared to rest. The current results demonstrate that changes in M1 output are task and temporally specific. Facilitation of the motor evoked potential (MEP) was present at short latency of 6 ms during the processing of somatosensory input whereas inhibition was present during conditions where the hand was performing a task with the thumb and index finger. Further, an inhibitory effect was seen at 40 ms during cutaneous stimulation. In experiments 1 and 2, there was no net influence of area 5 on M1 output observed at rest. The findings presented may have revealed a novel path with which to alter the motor output, and possibly movement of hand muscles.

This study investigates the relationship between built heritage resources in community improvement projects and social, cultural and economic integrity within their geographical boundaries. These projects are concerned specifically with initiatives that strive to boost the local economy by improving aspects the built environment. These renewal projects often focus on street beautification, individual community-based culture and visually pleasing architecture which draw pedestrians, customers, tourists and businesses. More importantly, these projects are meant to give the community the opportunity to improve their properties and as a result, improve the quality of life. This study focuses on three Business Improvement Areas in the City of Hamilton, Ontario as a case study. Hamilton’s long-standing dependence on the steel industry has created its widely-recognised identity as a blue-collar town. Hamilton’s built landscape reflects this identity with numerous industrial buildings and workers housing which dominates large sections of the inner-city and shoreline. However, the end of the 20th century marked a change from an industrial-based economy, to a knowledge and technology-based economy. This translated into a built landscape in need of renewal and improvement in order to accommodate new use. Some parts of Hamilton are currently feeling the effects of urban decline, where vacancy and poorly maintained urban areas are forming a cyclical relationship between social problems, such as crime and poverty (Milgrim, 2010). Fortunately, Hamilton’s previous success in the steel industry resulted in an urban landscape full of unique old historic buildings. These buildings can be used in creating a renewed urban landscape with an authentic identity that is true to Hamilton’s history and cultural identity. Recognising this, the City of Hamilton initiated several financial incentives and grant programs in order to help the community break the cycle of community degeneration and improve the built landscape. While Hamilton has issued reports outlining its economic contributions, no studies have been conducted in order to understand how these financial incentive programs are affecting communities economically, socially and culturally in relation to the historic built landscape. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between Hamilton’s Business Improvement Areas and the state of economic, social and cultural integrity, paying special attention to its built heritage resources. This study includes both primary and secondary data. Primary data includes a building condition and use survey, business-mail in surveys, key stakeholder interviews, and observational research. Secondary includes (but is not limited to) market evaluations from the City of Hamilton that specifically relate to the three selected Business Improvement Areas. This study ultimately concluded that the International Village Business Improvement Area compared to the Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area and the Barton Village Business Improvement Area had the highest scores for economic, social, and cultural integrity. It also concluded that the Barton Village Business Improvement area had the lowest scores for economic, social, and cultural integrity.

This study investigates the relationship between built heritage resources in community improvement projects and social, cultural and economic integrity within their geographical boundaries. These projects are concerned specifically with initiatives that strive to boost the local economy by improving aspects the built environment. These renewal projects often focus on street beautification, individual community-based culture and visually pleasing architecture which draw pedestrians, customers, tourists and businesses. More importantly, these projects are meant to give the community the opportunity to improve their properties and as a result, improve the quality of life. This study focuses on three Business Improvement Areas in the City of Hamilton, Ontario as a case study. Hamilton’s long-standing dependence on the steel industry has created its widely-recognised identity as a blue-collar town. Hamilton’s built landscape reflects this identity with numerous industrial buildings and workers housing which dominates large sections of the inner-city and shoreline. However, the end of the 20th century marked a change from an industrial-based economy, to a knowledge and technology-based economy. This translated into a built landscape in need of renewal and improvement in order to accommodate new use. Some parts of Hamilton are currently feeling the effects of urban decline, where vacancy and poorly maintained urban areas are forming a cyclical relationship between social problems, such as crime and poverty (Milgrim, 2010). Fortunately, Hamilton’s previous success in the steel industry resulted in an urban landscape full of unique old historic buildings. These buildings can be used in creating a renewed urban landscape with an authentic identity that is true to Hamilton’s history and cultural identity. Recognising this, the City of Hamilton initiated several financial incentives and grant programs in order to help the community break the cycle of community degeneration and improve the built landscape. While Hamilton has issued reports outlining its economic contributions, no studies have been conducted in order to understand how these financial incentive programs are affecting communities economically, socially and culturally in relation to the historic built landscape. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between Hamilton’s Business Improvement Areas and the state of economic, social and cultural integrity, paying special attention to its built heritage resources. This study includes both primary and secondary data. Primary data includes a building condition and use survey, business-mail in surveys, key stakeholder interviews, and observational research. Secondary includes (but is not limited to) market evaluations from the City of Hamilton that specifically relate to the three selected Business Improvement Areas. This study ultimately concluded that the International Village Business Improvement Area compared to the Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area and the Barton Village Business Improvement Area had the highest scores for economic, social, and cultural integrity. It also concluded that the Barton Village Business Improvement area had the lowest scores for economic, social, and cultural integrity.

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This study focuses on globalisation and its impact on the governance of local authorities, with particular reference to the eThekwini Municipality. The research is topical and relevant to the times. Currently, local government and administration in South Africa is undergoing restructuring and transformation in accordance with key national policies and recent legislative mandates. The restructuring of local government has been driven by the process of democratization and re-distribution. This drive has changed local government boundaries, introduced new structures and systems and re-orientated planning and the general environment. This phase in the transformation represents a fresh and final opportunity for local government to transform itself in a manner that will achieve sustainable and a developmental local government that will improve the quality of life of all South Africans economically, politically, socially, culturally and technologically. New conceptual frameworks, and new ways of dealing with problems and challenges have been introduced and the process of giving effect to the changes is bound to continue for some time into the foreseeable future. As South Africa confronts critical domestic challenges of economic growth and job creation, meeting basic needs, alleviating poverty, developing its people and ensuring a safe and secure environment, it continues to deliberate in international forums such as Southern African Development Community (SADC) and New Partnership on Africa's Development (NEPAD), and perform other global responsibilities. Globalisation is commonly portrayed as a multi-faceted phenomenon with trends in trade, technology, international capital movements and multi-national organizations all moving towards the creation of a new autonomous and homogenous global economic realm. In simple terms it demands that trends being developed by Local xvm Government keep abreast of what is happening in other countries throughout the World. Globalisation has brought into sharp focus the rapidly evolving functions of "regionalisation" in the World. The ease with which goods, services and finances are sourced has impacted on how the world operates. On a negative level, it has resulted in growing inequalities and polarization between more localities and regions that are able to engage and compete within the global economy and those who are unable to. Within the current political framework in South Africa's core principles, basic systems, and procedures are designed to encourage and facilitate community participation and strengthen local governance, management and development. This would allow for progressive steps towards social and economic upliftment of communities as envisaged in the White Paper on Local Government. Good governance and democracy are essential to ensure maximum participation and ownership of the decision making process at the local level. Moreover, key pillars of the strategy at the eThekwini Municipality are meeting basic needs, strengthening the economy and building skills and improving technology. In local government the emergence of a uniquely South African organization and leadership culture that recognizes the values and skills inherent in our cultural diversity is fundamental in sustaining the trends of globalisation. This holistic differences in approach should be viewed as a unique competitive advantage that improves the quality of decisionmaking. This study recognizes that South Africa needs to participate positively within the global community as a key player while addressing a multitude of domestic challenges. The study was conceptualized within a framework of globalisation and its fit into the paradigm of local governance. It also focuses on the traditional, innovative and global xix approaches to public administration and focuses on the impact and relevance to globalisation. The positive and negative implications of globalisation are highlighted and recommendations are made on the basis that South Africa and more particularly the eThekwini Municipality cannot ignore globalisation. Globalisation is here to stay and South Africa must plat its role within the global context. The study attempts to bridge the gap between theory and practice of globalisation. As South Africa deliberates within the African Union and embarks on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) while confronting domestic challenges, it also has to perform global responsibilities. The research instruments and techniques used in this study consisted of theoretical search, empirical survey and data interpretation. The empirical survey captures the understanding of globalisation, responses within the core themes of each hypotheses, overall objectives and relationship between core themes. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used. The study proposes and makes valuable recommendations for globalisation and its impact on the governance of local authorities. For the eThekwini Municipality to conform to these domestic and global trends the following recommendations should be considered: • Embrace globalisation as a fact and view it as a challenge for Africa. • Develop effective public-private partnerships, which will sustain the impact of local governance. • Enhance information technology, knowledge, skills and competencies. • Develop regional agreements for local and global cities. • Provide training to improve capacities to contribute towards organizational effectiveness. • To make the global economy more sustainable and inclusive in the developing countries. xx • Develop local leadership to meet the globalisation challenge. • Institute structural and institutional adjustment for developmental local government. • The eThekwini Municipality must emulate best practices of global cities. • Establish globalisation committee to keep abreast of the globalisation issues. • Use cultural diversity to improve the quality of decision-making. • Although the eThekwini has a generally well-developed infrastructural system, it is largely concentrated within the urban core and its principal development corridors. This system needs to be extended, maintained and upgraded if the core and periphery areas of eThekwini are to become integrated, support internationally competitive partners and attract new alliances. • Twinning of cities is an important measure to monitor global trends and alliances. • Further research and studies into the trends and influences of globalisation as applied with local authorities needs to be undertaken. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

Millions of Black South Africans still lack access to adequate housing, mainly as a result of apartheid era development policies. The delivery of low income, state subsidised, housing includes the provision of water, sewer drainage and electricity supply services. These services are provided via individual connections to the bulk infrastructure, or grid, supply network. Whilst this delivery mechanism meets community aspirations, it masks the environmental impact of this access to natural resources. This research investigates the low income housing delivery mechanism in South Africa, both past and present, and considers the associated infrastructural service delivery in the context of what is understood as sustainable development. In order to identify a more environmentally sustainable format of service delivery, the notion of autonomous housing is investigated. This investigative research establishes the body of knowledge in respect of rainwater harvesting and renewable energy sources capable of being harvested at a domestic level and uses this knowledge to inductively derive theoretical models for the provision of water and electricity supply as well as sewer drainage to low income housing in the Ethekwini Municipal area. The objective of the research is therefore to propose a more autonomous, or self reliant, system of service delivery that constitutes sustainable development. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, Durban, 2004.