Biodiversity is a fundamental part of the functioning of ecosystems and their ability to provide ecosystem services. It has been shown that a high biodiversity increases the robustness of an ecosystem according to the insurance hypothesis. I propose that a similar effect can be seen on a higher scale, where a high diversity of ecosystem types might stabilize the ecological functionality of a region. By comparing eleven network characters in 70 tropical and temperate ecosystems, their diversity was measured as Euclidean distance between the systems in the 11-dimensional room defined by these characters.  The diversity of ecosystems was shown to be significantly higher in tropical latitudes than in temperate. A possible explanation to this result could be that the higher species diversity in the tropics allows for more types of ecosystems. A higher diversity of ecosystems in a region might indicate a larger amount and variation of possible ecosystem goods and services as well as provide the region with an increased robustness. The measurement of ecosystem diversity between regions might also be of importance in a conservation perspective, where unique and vulnerable ecosystems can be discovered and protected.

Elsa Joubert has been a prominent author of Afrikaans novels since the 1950's and has received several important literary prizes. This dissertation is a study of issues of identity and the experience of the female characters in the following five novels by Joubert: Ons wag op die Kaptein, Die Wahlerbrug, Bonga, Die swerfiare van Poppie Nongena and Die reise van lsobelle. It is clear from the analyses of the novels that geographical. ideological and political matters greatly influence the identity of the characters. Interpersonal relations within the family and with a loved one, also play a crucial role in the development of a personal identity. Theoretical concepts from feminism and female writing, postmodernism, New Journalism and travel literature as genre are used as points of departure for the discussion of the novels. A brief overview of Joubert's oeuvre is provided. The main focus of the study is the way in which the main characters in the selected novels (Leonora, Agnes, Isobelle, Leo, Lottie, lnacia Maria, Ana-Paula and Poppie) experience a sense of identity. It becomes clear that there is a close relation between identity and space and therefore it is necessary to analyse cultural contexts, spatial relations (the country and the continent as place) and the love of travel in the novels. The lives of all these female characters are influenced deeply by experiences of love and falling in love often brings about a radical change in their sense of identity. Most of the female characters in the selected novels many men from other cultures. Often they experience an identity crisis as a consequence of being confronted with a strange culture. They might long for the comfort of what is well-known and loved, but they also want to accept and conform to the new circumstances as is expected from them by a beloved. The emotional pain resulting from being tom between their cultural inclination and love, affect their self-esteem and sense of identity. Initially the love relationship is a way to develop a new self-contained identity and is part of a personal rebellion and a quest for freedom. Often however, they have to conform to the norms of society and of the cultural context. It is remarkable that many of these characters never experience true love and they are torn between their own cultures and the 'love' for a man who expects them to conform to a new way of living and a new identity. Therefore many of these characters experience themselves as outsiders. The women in Elsa Joubert's novels do not have easy lives. They have to struggle against odds, they have to make difficult choices, they have little power and fulfillment often evades them. Joubert, however, does not present a pessimistic view of either the prospects of women in general or of life in Africa. Die reise van lsobelle ends in a positive way as the character Leo takes control of her life and makes her own decisions. She is not a victim, but a liberated woman, a victor. She is the personification of the new, emancipated woman who will survive and find a place in Africa. / Thesis (MA (Afrikaans en Nederlands))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This thesis is devoted to a problem in the representation theory of the symmetric group over C (the field of the complex numbers). Let d be a positive integer, and let S_d denote the symmetric group on d letters. Given a partition k of d, the Specht module V_k is a finite dimensional vector space over C which admits a natural basis indexed by all standard tableaux of shape k with entries in {1, 2, ..., d}. It affords an irreducible representation of the symmetric group S_d, and conversely every irreducible representation of S_d is isomorphic to V_k for some partition k. Given two Specht modules V_k, V_t their tensor product representation is in general reducible, and hence it splits into a direct sum of irreducibles. This raises the problem of describing the S_d equivariant projection morphisms (alternately called S_d-homomorphisms) in terms of the standard tableaux basis. In this work we give explicit formulae describing this morphism in the following cases: k=(d-1, 1), (d-2, 1,1), (2, 1,... ,1). Finally, we present a conjecture formula for the q-morphism in the case k=(d-r, 1, ..., 1).

The primary purpose of the study was to examine, analyze, and describe teacher behavior in physical education classes in selected schools in Northeast Arkansas with regard to teacher function, direction, mode, and substance. Another purpose of the study was to compare the subjects' perception of their classroom behavior with actual observed behavior with regard to teacher functions. A third purpose of the study was to compare the findings of the total group. A final purpose of the study was to compare the findings of this study with the findings of similar studies in another geographic area.In order to examine the research questions above, a series of demographic descriptors was collected on each subject prior to observation. Three consecutive and two random visits were made to observe the classroom behavior of each teacher; all information was prepared for computer analysis; and all data were computer analyzed. Six null hypotheses were tested by using chi-square analysis. The 0.05 level of significance was established as the critical probability level for the rejection of hypotheses.Findings1. In six instances, there was a significant difference in the teachers' perceptions of how time was spent in the classroom and the actual observed classroom behavior with regard to the ten teacher functions.2. There was no significant difference at the 0.05 level between the results of the Northeast Arkansas, 1985, study and previous studies in another geographic area with regard to the teacher function dimension.3. Observed professional teacher direction dimension of this study population revealed some findings not consistent with findings in another geographic area.4. Observed professional teacher mode dimension of the study population of Northeast Arkansas revealed a lack of consistency with some findings of earlier studies in another geographic area.5. Multi-racial classes did not cause an alteration in professional teacher function dimension, direction dimension, mode dimension, or substance dimension.6. Teachers in the study population of Northeast Arkansas, 1985, developed unit plans and daily lesson plans, and varied teaching styles and substance.Conclusions1. A difference exists between teacher perceptions of their behavior in the classroom and their actual behavior in the classroom with regard to the teacher function dimension.2. It is not clear whether geographic location of the study group was a factor since the findings produced conflicting results with regard to teacher behaviors.3. Race of teacher revealed no significant difference in teacher behaviors with regard to teacher function dimension, direction dimension, mode dimension, and substance dimension.4. All teachers in the study population developed unit plans.5. Seventeen percent of the time, the teachers in the study population employed no daily lesson plans.6. Teachers participating in the Northeast Arkansas, 1985, study employed variety in teaching styles.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-72). / ii, 72 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This play, Weaving Worlds, and the accompanying case study of its use of multimedia examine how multimedia can complexify space in theatre. The case study explores the process of writing a play that has multimedia elements scripted into it. Space in theatre can be defined in terms of its function as well as its location, its representational ideas and as an area used to present an argument, otherwise known as the fictional space. This is achieved through the narrative (that is presented traditionally in theatre through movement, gesture, and text). Multimedia has complexified this fictional space by expanding its location and being able to deliver multiple narratives within it. Multimedia has complexified the time and the space continuum of the narrative through its ability to present mediated images from the stage to the audience at the same time as traditional live performance. This challenges the definition of live performance. The multimedia elements in the play are soundscapes, virtual characters composed of multimedia animations captured on pre-recorded digital video, and live video displays of performance. The world of the play exists in an augmented reality of the memories of the two main characters, Bev and Ben. The addition of multimedia assisted me as a playwright to present my idea of augmented reality in the world of the play, as well as a means of presenting the underpinning themes of the play being disassociation and recorded memory, violence as a means of control, and issues on change. Twentieth century theatre theorists, including Erwin Piscator and Bertolt Brecht, pioneered the use of multimedia in the theatre. In some way they contributed to a contemporary theatre that has evolved in tandem with multimedia. Correspondingly, multimedia requires its own skill sets and equipment and brings with it new aesthetic possibilities as well as becoming an agent of narrative. Multimedia creates opportunities for improvisation. This means that despite the pre-recorded nature of multimedia elements each presentation of multimedia that involves live actors can still create a unique performance experience. The exchange of touch is removed between virtual characters created by multimedia technology and live actors. At the same time the idea of live performance is challenged by the inclusion of multimedia elements. New audiences understand the narrative presented by multimedia because their world is filled with technologies that contain multimedia applications. Playwrights, who are aware of the spatial implications of multimedia, can utilise these new elements to create narratives to alter the structure of their work, and to create new ways of presenting characters, soundscapes and thematic digital displays to enhance and support the performance of their plays.

Masters Research - Master Creative Arts / Food, as a social signifier, is an important device in literature that has been used skilfully by writers like Woolf, Proust and Carver. My short story collection, A Taste of Dreams, employs food as a theme across the collection to reveal details about characters and the relationships between those who come together to cook and dine. The essay that follows examines suburban fiction and domestic routines including the preparation and consumption of food, food-related spaces such as the kitchen and dining table and the significance of meals beyond the food itself. Domestic fiction set in the Australian suburbs had a late and uncertain beginning. The image of the Australian bush and frontier dominated both art and literature through the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, well after the cities and suburbs were established. It was only after the Second World War, with the great postwar land boom, that artists and writers turned to the suburbs. Initially, this residential space, where the majority of Australians lived, was derided and spurned, viewed as homogeneous, status-oriented and uniformly conservative. Intellectuals attacked the architecture of the new landscape and concluded that the residents who bought into this lifestyle were conditioned by their streetscape. In the 1970s, new writers like Garner, Winton, Malouf and Updike emerged. They looked beyond the streetscape, front fence and lawns to reveal the details, the diversity and complexities of lives within the suburban milieu. Domestic situations were explored against a background of iconic symbols and signifiers—the backyard, shed, garage, bedroom, laundry and kitchen—to reveal the unique details of characters’ lives within the suburban home. A Taste of Dreams is a contribution to the genre of short story writing set in the Australian suburbs. Food links the stories and provides an avenue through which the reader can gain an understanding of the characters, their homes and their relationships.

Masters Research - Master Creative Arts / Food, as a social signifier, is an important device in literature that has been used skilfully by writers like Woolf, Proust and Carver. My short story collection, A Taste of Dreams, employs food as a theme across the collection to reveal details about characters and the relationships between those who come together to cook and dine. The essay that follows examines suburban fiction and domestic routines including the preparation and consumption of food, food-related spaces such as the kitchen and dining table and the significance of meals beyond the food itself. Domestic fiction set in the Australian suburbs had a late and uncertain beginning. The image of the Australian bush and frontier dominated both art and literature through the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, well after the cities and suburbs were established. It was only after the Second World War, with the great postwar land boom, that artists and writers turned to the suburbs. Initially, this residential space, where the majority of Australians lived, was derided and spurned, viewed as homogeneous, status-oriented and uniformly conservative. Intellectuals attacked the architecture of the new landscape and concluded that the residents who bought into this lifestyle were conditioned by their streetscape. In the 1970s, new writers like Garner, Winton, Malouf and Updike emerged. They looked beyond the streetscape, front fence and lawns to reveal the details, the diversity and complexities of lives within the suburban milieu. Domestic situations were explored against a background of iconic symbols and signifiers—the backyard, shed, garage, bedroom, laundry and kitchen—to reveal the unique details of characters’ lives within the suburban home. A Taste of Dreams is a contribution to the genre of short story writing set in the Australian suburbs. Food links the stories and provides an avenue through which the reader can gain an understanding of the characters, their homes and their relationships.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 86-96)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 172-175) Also available in print.