Thesis (M.A. (English) -- University of Limpopo, 2010 / This dissertation examines the way in which two South African novelists, Zakes Mda and J.M. Coetzee, portray the sexual abuse of women during the apartheid and post-apartheid eras. The two selected novels used in this research are The Madonna of Excelsior (2002) by Mda and Disgrace (2000) by Coetzee. The research, furthermore, analyses the attitudes of the sexual abusers and their victims in both eras as well as examines the effects of socio-economic imbalances that might have prompted the men to sexually abuse women whom they should be offering protection against any form of violence and abuse. The study furthermore identifies and analyses the factors that hinder victims from reporting their sexual abuse to the police. Finally, this dissertation also presents a comparative study of the differences and the similarities between the way the two novelists portray sexual abuse.

This thesis comprises of a series of personal essays exploring intersections and parallels between my life and D.H. Lawrence’s classic novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The essays discuss, among other things, Lawrence and tuberculosis, gamekeeping, mining in 20th century England, love, education, and youth. Thus, the collection creates a literary memoir.

On Earth is a collection of poems celebrating, investigating, and documenting human relationships, spiritual devotion, and both natural and cultivated environments. The focus of all five sections is largely agricultural and botanical, reflecting often on the writer’s experience of farming in Maryland and South Carolina. Onionlight is a long-form segmented essay that leaps between diverse topics including gastronomy, the agricultural and ethnobotanical history of onions, the history and culture of Bermuda, scallop shell fossils found in present-day Virginia, bulb flowers in the Amaryllidaceae family, intimate relationships, personal history, love, marriage, the specific history of the Vidalia onion, and farm experiences in the South. Short “onion epigraphs” from writers like C.D. Wright, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, and Carol Ann Duffy link the individual segments.

The overarching goal of this study is to suggest that Alexander Pope did not abandon his project for a "system of ethics in the Horatian way," but rather that in his final days he did find a way to unite the parts at hand into a viable whole. Constructing such an argument, however, requires a similar building up from the parts, and so the core focus becomes a study on the way the image of an arch can serve as a metaphor for Pope's reconciliation scheme in his Moral Essays as he "steers betwixt" seeming opposites. To justify this approach, I note the works of critics who have studied Pope's use of the sister arts, the works of architectural theorists and historians, as well the works of critics who focus on various reconciliatory strategies. Perhaps more importantly, I look back to Pope's correspondence and Joseph Spence's record to establish not only Pope's interest in architecture, but also his actual architectural endeavors. From this foundation, I relate Pope's intentions for his opus magnum and indicate the connections that can be drawn between the four epistles of Essay on Man and the four epistles that Pope selected to comprise the "death-bed" edition of his ethic work, namely To a Lady, To Cobham, To Bathurst, and To Burlington. Finally, I examine Pope's method of reconciling the extremes he presents by exemplum in the Moral Essays by comparing the personal and societal pressures that form the basis of Pope's satire to the vertical and lateral thrusts that enable an arch to stand, even as they threaten its destruction should the forces become unbalanced. From such an architectural perspective, one can trace Pope's conception of man in his middle state as he makes the transition from the abstract plan established in Essay on Man, through the pendentive formed by the arches of the Moral Essays, and ultimately to the ideal state of existence that is represented by the dome. The final result can be conceived of as no less than a monument to Pope's life and art.

This thesis presents a study of students' ways of experiencing information literacy when researching an essay in a first year university course. The aims of the study were to contribute to an understanding and awareness of information literacy from the students' experience, and to inform curriculum design for information literacy education. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 20 undergraduate students enrolled in a first year environmental studies course at the Australian National University in 2002. A phenomenographic approach was used as the methodological and theoretical basis for the study. This research was modelled on Limberg's (1998) study of Year 12 students researching an assignment. It is positioned between Limberg's study and Bruce's (1997) study of higher educators' conceptions of information literacy. The experience of information literacy included the interrelationship between the essay, information and learning. The way in which students experienced a focus on learning, focus on the essay task, use of information in the course, use of information in the essay, use of contrasting perspectives and development of argument formed the qualitative differences in experience. Students experienced information literacy when researching an essay as: looking for evidence to backup an existing argument; using background information to develop an argument; and applying learning to help solve environmental problems. A further outcome of the study is that information literacy is framed as a learning approach. These outcomes may have significance for students, teachers, librarians, academic skills advisors, academic developers, policy makers and administrators in higher education.

The aim of this thesis is to understand the conservation and transformation problems of railway heritage and to prepare a conservation and transformation principles for Iskenderun railway area. Primarily, it is tried to understand the historical process and the current situation of conservation of railway areas. In addition, in this study theoretical and historical framework of transformation of railway areas is developed in the light of international charters and documents. Transformation examples from Turkey and Europe were searched with analyzing the railway system and transformation approaches of the countries. In order to prepare a conservation and transformation principles for Iskenderun terminus area, considering the direct relation of the railway site with the port site, a wide border including the port for the study area is chosen and a detailed analyzes were done for whole area. For this study, the major concern is establishing strong principles in different scales. It is important to guide each conservation and transformation projects in Turkey. For rooted solutions, regulations have to start in the transformation strategies and railway policy.

Endo-b-1,4 xylanases (EC. 3.2.1.8) are typically produced as a mixture of different hydrolytic enzymes such as b-1,4-xylosidase (EC. 3.2.1.37) , a-Larabinofuranosidases (EC. 3.2.1.55), and feruloyl esterase (EC 3.1.1.73) that hydrolyze xylan molecule, which constitutes 20-30% of the weight of wood and agricultural wastes. Thus, xylan, a renewable biomass, can be utilized as a substrate for the preparation of many products such as fuels, solvents and pharmaceuticals. Besides, xylanolytic enzymes themselves are also used in food,feed, textile industries and pre-bleaching of kraft. In the first part of the study, xylanolytic systems of a soil isolate Bacillus pumilus SB-M13 and a thermophilic fungus Scytalidium thermophilum were investigated. Production rate and type of xylanolytic changed depending on the carbon source and the microorganism. However, xylanolytic enzyme production was found to be sequential, in synergy and under the control of carbon catabolite repression for both microorganisms. In the second part, B. pumilus SB-M13 b-1,4 xylanase was purified and biochemically characterized. The enzyme was stable at alkaline pHs and highest activity was observed at 60&deg / C and pH 7.5. Enzyme Km and kcat values were determined as 1.87 mg/ml and 43,000 U/mg, respectively. B. pumilus SB-M13 and S .thermophilum a-L-arabinofuranosidases were also purified and biochemically characterized. Although produced from a mesophilic microorganism, B. pumilus SB-M13 arabinofuranosidase was quite thermostable. Moreover, unlike other fungi, S. thermophilum produced alkaline stable arabinofuranosidases. Both enzymes were multimeric, alkaline stable and most active at 70&deg / C and pH 7.0. However, when compared to S. thermophilum, catalytic power of B. pumilus SB-M13 arabinofuranosidase was higher.

In presplit blasting operations airborne energy called air blast overpressure or impulsive sound is produced. The air blast induced by blasting may vary significantly at or around an open pit mine depending on several parameters such as the amount of charge detonated, the physical distance between the blast and the monitoring locations and the weather conditions. Therefore evaluation and assessment of noise condition at or around an open pit mine is necessary. The objective of this research study is to monitor and record the noise and to investigate and assess the noise conditions that will be induced from presplit blasting operations at Kisladag Gold Mine. In this research study, several parameters such as the amount of charge, the physical distance to the location of monitoring device or residential structures and the weather condition parameters such as wind direction, wind speed were recorded, analyzed and evaluated. It is observed that with increasing charge per delay air overpressure increases, whereas with increasing scaled distances it decreases. It is also understood that wind speed and the direction are effective in air overpressure propagation also, but this subject needs further investigation. It is concluded that according to the U.S. regulations there is no damage risk to the structures and no disturbance to the inhabitants at present. Due to the uncertainties in weather conditions, in order not to take any risks, the charge amount per delay should be kept at 35 kg or less for presplit blasting at the mine.

In this thesis 10x10 reconfigurable reflectarray is designed at 26.5 GHz where the change in the progressive phase shift between elements is obtained with RF MEMS switches in the transmission lines of unit elements composed of aperture coupled microstrip patch antenna (ACMPA). The reflectarray is illuminated by a horn antenna, and the reflected beam is designed to switch between broadside and 40&deg / by considering the position of the horn antenna with respect to the reflectarray. In the design, the transmission line analysis is applied for matching the ACMPA to the free space. The full wave simulation techniques in HFSS are discussed to obtain the phase design curve which is used in determining two sets of transmission line lengths for each element, one for the broadside and the other for switching to the 40&deg / at 26.5 GHz. The switching between two sets of transmission line lengths is sustained by inserting RF MEMS switches into the transmission lines in each element. Two types of RF MEMS switches, series and shunt configurations, are designed for the switching purpose in the reflectarray. The phase errors due to nonideal phase design curve and type of the RF MEMS switch are reduced. The possible mutual coupling effects of the bias lines used to actuate the RF MEMS switches are also eliminated by the proper design. To show the validity of the design procedure, a prototype of 20x20 reflectarray composed of ACMPA elements is designed at 25GHz and produced using Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology. The measurement results of the prototype reflectarray show that the main beam can be directed to the 40&deg / as desired. The process flow for the production of the reconfigurable reflectarray is suggested in terms of integration of the wafer bonding step with the in-house standard surface micromachined RF MEMS process.

In Turkey, one of the main problems of architecture and urban design seem to be the rapid transformation of physical environments, street experiences, and consequently the transformation of collective memory. One consequence of this basic problem can be the loss of the meaning of urban space. This calls for an historical examination of salient features of urban space that compose the collective memory. In this respect, this thesis aims to explore the changing physical characteristics of the boulevards through examining the transformation of collective memory. To provide empirical evidence for this, the thesis will study the transformation of collective memory of inhabitants from different age groups about the Atat&uuml / rk Boulevard, by exploring the changing salient features of urban space and human experiences in space through a period of the last 60 years.