Mångfunktionell grön infrastruktur har en betydande roll för städers resiliens tackvare de ekosystemtjänsterna de bidrar med. På grund av den snabba expansionen avstäder skapas ofta målkonflikter gällande markanvändning vilket har lett till att dengröna infrastrukturen i många fall bortprioriterats. För att motverka denna utvecklingär det viktigt att beakta den gröna infrastrukturen och dess ekosystemtjänster tidigt iplaneringsskedet. Syftet med arbetet är att skapa en modell för att utvärderamångfunktionalitet samt hur ekosystemtjänster påverkas vid förändring i urban miljö.Metoden som legat till grund för arbetet har varit analyser av öppna rumsliga datakombinerat med multikriterieanalys. Arbetet har avgränsats till endast inkluderamiljömångfald, konnektivitet, klimatreglering, samt rekreation. Resultatet av arbetetvisar att genom kombinationen av rumsliga analyser och multikriterieanalys kan fleraekosystemtjänster och ekologiska funktioner analyseras samtidigt. Vidare kanmodellen användas som planeringsunderlag för att identifiera styrkor och utmaningarvid förändring av den gröna infrastrukturen i urbana miljöer. / Multifunctional green infrastructure (GI) is central for the resilience of cities, due tothe ecosystem services (ES) it provides. The rapid expansion of cities often createsconflicting interests regarding the land use, which has led to the undermining of theurban green infrastructure (UGI). It’s, therefore, important to consider GI and ES inthe early stages of urban planning. The aim of this study is to develop a model for GImultifunctionality and ES evaluation. The method used to accomplish this is acombination of a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) and spatial analyses. This study’sscope only incorporates environmental variety, connectivity, climate regulation andrecreation. The results of this study show that the combination of MCA and spatialanalyses allow the evaluation of several ES and ecological functions simultaneously.Furthermore, the model can be used as a basis for the urban planning process throughthe identification of strengths and challenges of the UGI.

Beside the point of whether the country is developed or underdeveloped, energy crisis is a common scene all over the world. In order to balance energy supply and demand, either one has to increase the supply or decrease the demand. The latter seems to be the better choice since we have limited sources of energy. About 20% - 40% of energy produced by a country is being consumed by HVACs in buildings. Hence much e ort is towards energy conservation in buildings. Around 30% of the building energy consumption in India is due to cooling load. Previous studies have shown that around 60% of the heat due to solar radiation enters through the roof of the building. The present work aims to reduce the heat load entering through the roof by coming up with a better roofing technique for moderate climatic regions. In the present work, enclosures with the side walls and the floor (bottom slab) insulated has been studied both numerically and experimentally. Heat transfer between the ambient and enclosure is only through the roof (top slab). Six common roofing types have been studied in this thesis. Reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roof Mangalore tile roof Thatched roof GI Sheet roof and Concrete roof with lawn (green roof) Concrete roof with a layer of wet sand The experimental studies have been carried out to understand heat transfer through these roofs. A comparative study of all six types of roofs has been done. Apart from this, the effect of a shade net on room models with bare RCC roof and GI sheet roof is also studied and presented in this thesis. Each enclosure has a height of 0.3m and the sides are 1m in size. Mangalore tile and thatched roofs are inclined to the horizontal. To understand the heat flow process, the temperature variations of different surfaces and enclosure air, and, air temperatures near the top and bottom slabs were recorded. In addition, weather conditions such as solar radiation, ambient air temperature, and wind speed are recorded. The details of the experimental set up are given in chapter 3. In chapter 2, a mathematical model to determine the temperature variations in the enclosure is given. All the three modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) are present and the system is unsteady. The objective is to find the temperatures of the walls and the enclosure air temperature. Heat flows either from surroundings to the enclosure or from enclosure to the surroundings through the walls of the enclosure. As the solar radiation data is known for a given location, un-steady heat conduction equation is solved for the walls of the enclosure with heat flux boundary conditions to solve for the temperatures. Standard correlations have been used for calculating the convective heat transfer to the ambient and in the enclosure. Most importantly, the experiments conducted were field experiments. The main objective of the study had been to understand the effect of roof on thermal comfort conditions inside the scaled model rooms under five different weather conditions which are commonly observed in warm tropics: (1)summer, (2)winter, (3)cloudy, (4)unsteady, and, (5)rainy. The details of weather conditions have been discussed in chapter 4. In the present analysis, various issues were looked upon such as, temperature values, time lag, thermo-physical properties of the roof material, weather conditions, average over a 24 hours cycle etc. For the comparative analysis, bare RCC roof has been assumed to the base case as most of the buildings are built with RCC roof (for example, in India, around 29% of the buildings have RCC roof, as per 2011 census). On one side we have passive cooling techniques (lawn over RCC roof and wet sand over RCC roof), and, on the other side we have breathing roofs (Mangalore tile roof and thatched roof). Apart from these, the GI sheet roof is commonly used for small scale industries and residential houses. It has been observed that the concrete roof with lawn (hereafter called as lawn over RCC roof ) being the best one among the considered six roofs. Having lawn over RCC roof could result reduction in both solar gain and the diurnal variation of enclosure inside temperatures. The range of temperature variation was least disturbed due to change in weather conditions. In the case of wet sand over RCC roof, the diurnal variations of enclosure inside temperatures were relatively higher as compared with those in the lawn over RCC roof case. As far as breathing roofs are concerned, the two were found to be better than bare RCC roof with thermal comfort as point of view. On the other hand, breathing effects are found to be better in case of Mangalore tile roof than in case of thatched roof. GI sheet roof was found to be the worst among considered for thermal comfort. The effect of using shade net over RCC and GI sheet roof proves to have good potential to reduce cooling load with negligible adverse effects during night time. Detailed discussion of results has been done in chapter 4. Numerical simulations have been carried out for the case of model room with bare RCC roof. A comparative analysis of both experimental and numerical results has been discussed in chapter 5. The important conclusions are discussed in chapter 6.

Stormwater Management (SWM) or Best management practices (BMPs) treat the stormwater runoff that carries pollutants. Pollutants in the waters and in the stormwater, negatively impact the environment, the ecology, and natural resources. Stormwater Control Measures (SCM) are used in different projects to improve water quality and quantity. This thesis aims to understand the connection between SWMs, the economy, and environmental sustainability. This thesis evaluates the cost-effectiveness of SWMs in Mediterranean climates. The research aims to guide the next project managers to choose better SWMs based on cost-effectiveness, socio-economic, and environmental implications. Various studies suggest that the terms SWM, SWM, and SCM are used interchangeably. The research methodology uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative data analysis The research was conducted in Los Angeles at the request of UCLA. Therefore, it focused on water quality improvement projects in Los Angeles. The costs for the projects, areas, and whatSWMs are used will be acquired through data gathering and personal communication with experts. This thesis compares several projects which include different SWMs. It calculates the cost-effectiveness with two different methods, firstly, the cost per drainage area, and secondly, the cost per pollutant removed. Data is gathered from the city of LA and other secondary data sources to calculate the cost-effectiveness. The calculation results showed that the Glenoaksproject and the Machado lake project were the most cost-effective. Glenoaks utilizes infiltration wells and grass swales, and the Machado lake is a large wetland. Based upon these facts, generally, wetlands and grass swales can be recommended for Mediterranean climates. The expensive total costs of SWMs or their inability to remove pollutants can strongly affect the cost-effectiveness of some projects, and produce a negative impact on the economy. Quantitative assessment of study investigates cost-effectiveness of SWMs and for highlighting its economic impact. For qualitative assessment thematic analysis of 14 sample studies related to stormwater management (SWM) was carried out. Findings reveal that 78% of sample studies reflect the themes associated with the positive economic impact of SWMs. Additionally, the sample studies confirm a 76% positive impact of SWMs on the environment and ecology of the region. Further research with better data and more accurate calculations are needed. It would be beneficial if other factors such as recreation and unquantifiable factors such as the aesthetic improvements and community benefits were incorporated into or considered together with the cost-effectiveness for future projects.

Dans un effort pour mettre en valeur la pertinence de l’étude du jeu de cartes japonais Yu-Gi-Oh en tant que facteur non négligeable de la construction identitaire de ses joueurs, ce mémoire s’intéresse à l’analyse du rapport qu’entretiennent lesdits joueurs à leur jeu fétiche. Pour ce faire ce travail s’intéresse à trois des spécificités qui caractérisent le jeu de cartes Yu-Gi-Oh à savoir : l’élaboration transmédiatique de sa narration, le caractère décisif des interactions entre ses joueurs ainsi que l’appropriation personnalisée du jeu par les participants. A la croisée de multiples disciplines telles que la psychologie, la ludologie, la narratologie ou encore la sociologie et soutenues par plus deux mois de terrain, les analyses et propos présentés dans ce travail ont également pour objectif d’offrir une plongée aussi immersive qu’enrichissante au sein du milieu socio-culturel des joueurs de Yu-Gi-Oh rappelant du même coup l’importance que peut avoir la pratique ludique pour l’être humain moderne. Enfin, avec ce devoir j’espère pouvoir démontrer que les joueurs de Yu-Gi-Oh ont tendance à se raconter des histoires à propos d’eux-mêmes à partir de leur médium de choix. Les cartes aussi ont une histoire. / In an effort to highlight the relevance of the study of the Japanese card game Yu-Gi-Oh as a significant factor in the « identity building » of its players, this master thesis focuses on the analysis of the relationship between said players to their favorite game. To do this, this work focuses on three of the specificities that characterize the Yu-Gi-Oh card game, namely: the transmedia development of its narration, the decisive nature of the interactions between its players as well as the personalized appropriation of the game by the participants. At the crossroads of multiple disciplines such as psychology, ludology, narratology or sociology and supported by more than two months of fieldwork, the analyzes and remarks presented in this work also aim to offer a dive as immersive as it is enriching within the socio-cultural environment of Yu-Gi-Oh players recalling at the same time the importance that playful practice can hold for the modern man. Finally, with this work i hope to be able to demonstrate that Yu-Gi-Oh players tend to tell stories about themselves from their medium of choice. Cards also have stories to themself.

本論文全部一冊，共計十六萬字，分五章十三節。 本文主旨在探討中國自光緒二十四年至民國五年間（即公元一八九八年∼一九一六年 ），有關憲政之思想，及有關該思想的演化進步的情形。 首章為緒論，就本文的研究範圍，相關的概念先作界定，並就研究方法及架構作一說 明，以為底下各章的準備。 第二章由清末憲政思想的源起，即萌芽及茁長論起，此為清末民初憲攻思想的第一階 段。此後憲政思想即發展為兩股不同的憲政救國論，一股是以康有為、梁啟超為首的 君主立憲論，另一股乃是以 孫中山先生為首的共和立憲論。前者主張改革，後者主 張革命，此為本章第二及第三節所論述。 第三章探討君主立憲思想的演進過程，由第一節興起的原因背景論起，進而在第二節 說明此股思想的主張內容，亦即其成熟時期的思想。第三節說明思想成熟後所採取的 具體措施。第四節探討該股思想在高潮後的衰退現象。即以興趣－成熟－具體化－衰 退的階段論，為研究架構。 第四章探討共和立憲思想的演進過程，亦以興起－成熟－具體化－受阻的階段論為架 構。第一節說明興起的原因背景。第二節探討思想的主張內容，即成熟後之思想。第 三節探討此股思想所形成的具體措施，第四節採討該股思想所受的阻礙，以致不能順 利實行的現象。 第五章結論，綜合以上各章所論，期能對清末民初這段期間，憲政思想的演進方向與 模式，以社會變遷與政治發展的理論，作一明確的歸類，以作為理想憲政演進的參考 。並指出較理想的憲政演進型態。

Preface - Biotechnology is generally considered to be the wave of the future. To facilitate accurate and rapid development of medication and treatments, it is critical that we are able to simulate the human body. One section of this complex model would be the human energy system. Pharmaceutical companies are currently pouring vast amounts of capital into research regarding general simulation of cellular structures, protein structures and bodily processes. Their aim is to develop treatments and medication for major diseases. Some of these diseases are epidemics like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, stress, obesity, etc. One of the most important causes of these diseases is poor blood glucose control. Current management methods for insulin dependent diabetes are limited to trial and error systems: clearly ineffective and prone to errors. It is critical that better management systems be developed, to ease the diabetic epidemic. The blood glucose control system is one of the major systems in the body, as we are in constant need of energy to facilitate the optimum functioning of the human body. This study makes use of a developed simulation model for the human energy system to ease the management of Diabetes mellitus, which is a malfunction of the human energy system. This dissertation is presented in two parts: The first part discusses the human energy simulation model, and the verification thereof, while the second presents possible applications of this model to ease the management of Diabetes. The human energy system simulation model - This section discusses the development and verification of the model. It also touches on the causes, and current methods, of managing diabetes, as well as the functioning of the human energy system. The human energy model is approached with the conservation of energy in mind. A top down model is developed, using data from independent studies to verify the model. Application of human energy simulation model - The human energy simulation model is of little use if the intended audience cannot use it: people suffering from malfunctioning energy systems. These include people having trouble with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. To facilitate this, we need to provide a variety of products useable by this group of people. We propose a variety of ways in which the model can be used: Cellular phone applications, Personal digital assistants (PDAs) applications, as well as computer software. By making use of current technology, we generate a basic proof-of-concept application to demonstrate the intended functionality. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering) North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004

Preface - Biotechnology is generally considered to be the wave of the future. To facilitate accurate and rapid development of medication and treatments, it is critical that we are able to simulate the human body. One section of this complex model would be the human energy system. Pharmaceutical companies are currently pouring vast amounts of capital into research regarding general simulation of cellular structures, protein structures and bodily processes. Their aim is to develop treatments and medication for major diseases. Some of these diseases are epidemics like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, stress, obesity, etc. One of the most important causes of these diseases is poor blood glucose control. Current management methods for insulin dependent diabetes are limited to trial and error systems: clearly ineffective and prone to errors. It is critical that better management systems be developed, to ease the diabetic epidemic. The blood glucose control system is one of the major systems in the body, as we are in constant need of energy to facilitate the optimum functioning of the human body. This study makes use of a developed simulation model for the human energy system to ease the management of Diabetes mellitus, which is a malfunction of the human energy system. This dissertation is presented in two parts: The first part discusses the human energy simulation model, and the verification thereof, while the second presents possible applications of this model to ease the management of Diabetes. The human energy system simulation model - This section discusses the development and verification of the model. It also touches on the causes, and current methods, of managing diabetes, as well as the functioning of the human energy system. The human energy model is approached with the conservation of energy in mind. A top down model is developed, using data from independent studies to verify the model. Application of human energy simulation model - The human energy simulation model is of little use if the intended audience cannot use it: people suffering from malfunctioning energy systems. These include people having trouble with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. To facilitate this, we need to provide a variety of products useable by this group of people. We propose a variety of ways in which the model can be used: Cellular phone applications, Personal digital assistants (PDAs) applications, as well as computer software. By making use of current technology, we generate a basic proof-of-concept application to demonstrate the intended functionality. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering) North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004

Preface - Biotechnology is generally accepted to be the next economical wave of the future. In order to attain the many benefits associated with this growing industry simulation modelling techniques have to be implemented successfully. One of the simulations that ne' ed to be performed is that of the human energy system. Pharmaceutical companies are currently pouring vast amounts of capital into research regarding simulation of bodily processes. Their aim is to develop cures, treatments, medication, etc. for major diseases. These diseases include epidemics like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, stress, hypertension, etc. One of the most important driving forces behind these diseases is poor blood sugar control. The blood glucose system is one of the major subsystems of the complete human energy system. In this study a simulation model and procedure for simulating blood glucose response due to various external influences on the human body is presented. The study is presented in two parts. The first is the development of a novel concept for quantifying glucose energy flow into, within and out of the human energy system. The new quantification unit is called ets (equivalent teaspoons sugar). The second part of the study is the implementation of the ets concept in order to develop the simulation model. Development of the ets concept - In the first part of the study the ets concept, used for predicting glycaemic response, is developed and presented. The two current methods for predicting glycaemic response due to ingestion of food are discussed, namely carbohydrate counting and the glycaemic index. Furthermore, it is shown that it is currently incorrectly assumed that 100% of the chemical energy contained in food is available to the human energy system after consumption. The ets concept is derived to provide a better measure of available energy from food. In order to verify the ets concept, two links with ets are investigated. These are the links with insulin response prediction as well as with endurance energy expenditure. It is shown that with both these links linear relationships provide a good approximation of empirical data. It is also shown that individualised characterisation of different people is only dependent on a single measurable variable for each link. Lastly, two novel applications of the ets concept are considered. The first is a new method to use the ets values associated with food and energy expenditure in order to calculate both short-acting and long-acting insulin dosages for Type 1 diabetics. The second application entails a new quantification method for describing the effects of stress and illness in terms of ets. Development of the blood glucose simulation model - The second part of the study presents a literature study regarding human physiology, the development for the blood glucose simulation model as well as a verification study of the simulation model. Firstly, a brief overview is given for the need and motivation behind simulation is given. A discussion on the implementation of the techniques for construction of the model is also shown. The procedure for solving the model is then outlined. During the literature study regarding human physiology two detailed schematic layouts are presented and discussed. The first layout involves the complex flow pathways of energy through the human energy system. The second layout presents a detailed discussion on the control system involved with the glucose energy pathway. Following the literature review the model for predicting glycaemic response is proposed. The design of the component models used for the simulations of the internal processes are developed in detail as well as the control strategies implemented for the control system of the simulation model. Lastly, the simulation model is applied for glycaemic response prediction of actual test subjects and the quality of the predictions are evaluated. The verification of the model and the procedure is performed by comparing simulated results to measured data. Two evaluations were considered, namely long-term and short-term trials. The quality of both are determined according to certain evaluation criteria and it is found that the model is more than 70% accurate for long-term simulations and more than 80% accurate for short-term simulations. Conclusion - In conclusion, it is shown that simplified simulation of the human energy system is not only possible but also relatively accurate. However, in order to accomplish the simulations a simple quantification method is required and this is provided by the ets concept developed in the first part of this study. Some recommendations are also made for future research regarding both the ets concept and the simulation model. Finally, as an initial endeavour the simulation model and the ets concept proposed in this study may provide the necessary edge for groundbreaking biotechnological discoveries. / PhD (Mechanical Engineering) North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2003

Preface - Biotechnology is generally accepted to be the next economical wave of the future. In order to attain the many benefits associated with this growing industry simulation modelling techniques have to be implemented successfully. One of the simulations that ne' ed to be performed is that of the human energy system. Pharmaceutical companies are currently pouring vast amounts of capital into research regarding simulation of bodily processes. Their aim is to develop cures, treatments, medication, etc. for major diseases. These diseases include epidemics like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, stress, hypertension, etc. One of the most important driving forces behind these diseases is poor blood sugar control. The blood glucose system is one of the major subsystems of the complete human energy system. In this study a simulation model and procedure for simulating blood glucose response due to various external influences on the human body is presented. The study is presented in two parts. The first is the development of a novel concept for quantifying glucose energy flow into, within and out of the human energy system. The new quantification unit is called ets (equivalent teaspoons sugar). The second part of the study is the implementation of the ets concept in order to develop the simulation model. Development of the ets concept - In the first part of the study the ets concept, used for predicting glycaemic response, is developed and presented. The two current methods for predicting glycaemic response due to ingestion of food are discussed, namely carbohydrate counting and the glycaemic index. Furthermore, it is shown that it is currently incorrectly assumed that 100% of the chemical energy contained in food is available to the human energy system after consumption. The ets concept is derived to provide a better measure of available energy from food. In order to verify the ets concept, two links with ets are investigated. These are the links with insulin response prediction as well as with endurance energy expenditure. It is shown that with both these links linear relationships provide a good approximation of empirical data. It is also shown that individualised characterisation of different people is only dependent on a single measurable variable for each link. Lastly, two novel applications of the ets concept are considered. The first is a new method to use the ets values associated with food and energy expenditure in order to calculate both short-acting and long-acting insulin dosages for Type 1 diabetics. The second application entails a new quantification method for describing the effects of stress and illness in terms of ets. Development of the blood glucose simulation model - The second part of the study presents a literature study regarding human physiology, the development for the blood glucose simulation model as well as a verification study of the simulation model. Firstly, a brief overview is given for the need and motivation behind simulation is given. A discussion on the implementation of the techniques for construction of the model is also shown. The procedure for solving the model is then outlined. During the literature study regarding human physiology two detailed schematic layouts are presented and discussed. The first layout involves the complex flow pathways of energy through the human energy system. The second layout presents a detailed discussion on the control system involved with the glucose energy pathway. Following the literature review the model for predicting glycaemic response is proposed. The design of the component models used for the simulations of the internal processes are developed in detail as well as the control strategies implemented for the control system of the simulation model. Lastly, the simulation model is applied for glycaemic response prediction of actual test subjects and the quality of the predictions are evaluated. The verification of the model and the procedure is performed by comparing simulated results to measured data. Two evaluations were considered, namely long-term and short-term trials. The quality of both are determined according to certain evaluation criteria and it is found that the model is more than 70% accurate for long-term simulations and more than 80% accurate for short-term simulations. Conclusion - In conclusion, it is shown that simplified simulation of the human energy system is not only possible but also relatively accurate. However, in order to accomplish the simulations a simple quantification method is required and this is provided by the ets concept developed in the first part of this study. Some recommendations are also made for future research regarding both the ets concept and the simulation model. Finally, as an initial endeavour the simulation model and the ets concept proposed in this study may provide the necessary edge for groundbreaking biotechnological discoveries. / PhD (Mechanical Engineering) North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2003