Configurable software systems adapt to changes in hardware and execution environments, and often exhibit a variety of complex maintenance issues. Many tools exist to aid developers in analysing and maintaining large configurable software systems. Some are standalone applications, while a growing number are becoming part of Integrated Development Environments (IDE) like Eclipse. Reusable tooling frameworks can reduce development time for tools that concentrate on software configuration analysis. This thesis presents C-CLEAR, a common, reusable, and extensible tooling framework for software configuration analysis, where clear separation of concern exists between tooling functionality and definitions that characterise a software system. Special emphasis will be placed on common mechanisms for data abstraction and automatic IDE integration independent of the software system that is being analysed. / Graduate

South Africa started the Women’s Budget Initiative in 1995 as part of its commitment to meeting its gender equality objectives and gender mainstreaming. However, in later years, research has found that government Gender Responsive Budgeting or GRB initiatives in South Africa are either dormant or dead. There is a range of reasons for this and some of them are not directly related to gender budgets or even gender. Research has shown that perhaps the greatest weakness is the lack of advocacy. From the review of existing literature, it is clear that there is a need for strong alliances between key stakeholders, which are Parliament, non-governmental organisations, academics, United Nations and the media to sustain the momentum of the gender budget process. Capacity building and training are also important for budget officers, civil society, national and local parliamentarians, given the low level of skilled financial personnel in municipalities. The availability of adequate sex-disaggregated data is an important success factor for municipalities so that they can deliver services equitably to their communities. This research is exploratory in nature and focuses on assessing GRB in one of South Africa’s largest urban municipalities. It also reviewed the 2012/13 Integrated Development Plan through a focus on health, housing infrastructure, safety and security and education. These are some of the wellknown variables to ease the plight of the poor and are good quality of life indicators for men, women, boys and girls. The research method that has been used in this research is both qualitative and quantitative. This study has found that there is no clear co-coordinated plan for the implementation of GRB in this metropolitan municipality. The lack of resources is also seen as the main challenge to GRB in this metropolitan municipality. / Public Administration / M.P.A.

Neste trabalho serão discutidas novas ferramentas para a construção de um espectrômetro de Ressonância Magnética (RM) totalmente digital. A motivação parte das dificuldades encontradas pelos pesquisadores no momento de programar um equipamento de RM, incluindo a falta de ferramentas para desenvolvimento de metodologias, as quais não são oferecidas pelos softwares atuais. Em particular tratamos do desenvolvimento de uma biblioteca, a PyMR (Python Magnetic Resonance), de uma API (Application Program Interface) e de um IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Nesta estrutura, a biblioteca PyMR é o front-end para programação e setup dos equipamentos de RM enquanto a API constitui o back-end. O IDE, por sua vez, é uma ferramenta de auxílio especializado para criação e gerenciamento das metodologias e protocolos de RM de forma funcional e amigável. O desenvolvimento baseado no estado-da-arte das tecnologias de Computação e Ressonância Magnética garante a qualidade, robustez, adaptabilidade e ainda assim, a simplicidade para uso dos menos experientes. Para a validação do sistema, além de métricas de software, foi montada uma sequência de pulsos conhecida como CPMG (Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill) executada no espectrômetro local sobre uma amostra de CuSO4 em solução, o qual mostrou valores de T2 compatíveis com os valores esperados. Os resultados do novo sistema mostram sua capacidade de atender as principais exigências dos usuários e desenvolvedores de metodologias de RM, oferecendo um amplo conjunto de ferramentas. Em suma, este projeto provê a estrutura básica e funcional de uma nova forma de se programar e utilizar equipamentos de RM, gerando um poderoso instrumento para a pesquisa na área. / In this study we discuss new tools for the building of a fully digital Magnetic Resonance (MR) spectrometer. The research was motivated by several difficulties experienced by researchers in programming MR machines, which include the lack of tools for the development of methodologies that are not currently offered by companies. In particular, we treat the development of a library, PyMR (Python Magnetic Resonance), an API (Application Program Interface) and an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). In this structure, the PyMR library acts as a front-end for MR equipment programming and setup while the API is a back-end. Finally, the IDE is a user-friendly tool that helps the developer to create and manage methodologies and protocols. The state-of-the-art of Computer Sciences and Magnetic Resonance technologies adopted here has ensured the quality, robustness and adaptability keeping simplicity for non-experienced users. For the validation of the system, besides software metrics, a pulse sequence known as CPMG (Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill) was assembled and performed on an onsite spectrometer, using a solution of CuSO4 as a sample, which exhibited compatible T2 values. The results show that the system can meet the main requirements of both users and developers and offer a large set of tools. This project provides a basic and functional structure of a new way to program and use the MR equipment and a powerful tool for researchers in this area.

Submitted by Marilene Donadel (marilene.donadel@unioeste.br) on 2018-09-04T22:01:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 João_Avelar_2018.pdf: 2557228 bytes, checksum: da6799afb7449873683f4a915ad8ad9b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T22:01:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 João_Avelar_2018.pdf: 2557228 bytes, checksum: da6799afb7449873683f4a915ad8ad9b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-04 / The transboundary region of the Twin Cities (Cidades Gêmeas) consists of the areas located along the line separating the cities/territories of Foz do Iguaçu/ Brazil, Puerto Iguazú/Argentina and Ciudad del Este/Paraguay, respectively, being, nowadays, a center of great commercial flow and a touristic potential region. The objective of the research is to analyze how the Brazilian public policies developed in the Transboundary Region of the Twin Cities were perceived by the three cities and provided the opportunity to form an integrated development project. During the cited period, Brazilian government implemented relevant public policies for border areas, some of them carried out in the region under study. Concerning to Brazilian side, the research data indicate that, although those policies have occurred during a considerable socioeconomic development period of Foz do Iguaçu city, there is no sufficient evidence to considerate such policies as a result of their implementation. Moreover, there is a lack of statistical data related to the other cities involved in the study to undertake a comparative analysis. It can be said that there is an effective work of the economic and social developmental councils of each city, in an attempt to consolidate an integrated development Project. However, the results obtained until now are poor and not so relevant and the reflexes of Brazilian public policies have not been enough yet to affirm that they contribute significantly for the socioeconomic development of Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazú. On the other hand, the data point out that Itaipu Technological Park (PTI) is one of the main developmental agents in the regionand that local governance can make a significant contribution to promoting joint actions between the three cities. / A Região Transfronteiriça das Cidades Gêmeas consiste nas áreas localizadas ao longo da linha que separa os territórios de Foz do Iguaçu no Brasil, Puerto Iguazú na Argentina e de Ciudad del Este no Paraguai, sendo um local de grande fluxo comercial e grande potencial turístico. O objetivo da pesquisa é analisar o quanto as políticas públicas brasileiras desenvolvidas na Região Transfronteiriça das Cidades Gêmeas foram percebidas pelas três cidades e oportunizaram a formação de um projeto integrado de desenvolvimento. Neste período o governo brasileiro implantou importantes políticas públicas para a faixa de fronteira, sendo que algumas dessas políticas foram realizadas na região em estudo. Os dados da pesquisa indicam que embora tenha ocorrido no período desenvolvimento socioeconômico em Foz do Iguaçu, não há evidências que esse desenvolvimento resultou apenas do papel dessas políticas e que nas outras duas cidades a falta de dados estatísticos impossibilita uma análise comparativa. Na região há um trabalho efetivo dos conselhos de desenvolvimento econômico e social de cada cidade na tentativa de consolidar um projeto de desenvolvimento integrado, porém, os resultados obtidos ainda são pífios e os reflexos das políticas públicas brasileiras ainda não foram suficientes para contribuir de forma significativa para o desenvolvimento socioeconômico de Ciudad del Este e de Puerto Iguazú. A pesquisa indica que o Parque Tecnológico Itaipu (PTI) é um dos principais agentes de desenvolvimento na região e que a governança local pode contribuir de forma significativa para promover ações conjuntas entre as três cidades.

Magister Artium - MA / The birth of democracy in South Africa in 1994 not only meant the end of apartheid, but also served as the catalyst for community participation in the affairs of local government. Despite the creation of an enabling environment, i.e. the adoption of the concept of Developmental Local Government and Integrated Development Planning Framework to ensure the participation of communities, public participation remains contested today and still does not achieve its expected results. A range of problems besets public participation in governance and development planning. Accordingly, this thesis presents a case study of the barriers to meaningful public participation as well as exploration of the context and extent of public participation in Ward 28, Elsies River, Cape Town, South Africa. The investigation examined the link between public participation, development planning and service delivery. In order to achieve the stated aim, the researcher employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods including secondary analysis, observation, informal interviewing, focus group discussions as well as the administration of a structured questionnaire to various stakeholders. Based on the empirical results of this research, the study provides a number of developmental guidelines and public participation recommendations to enhance planning and service delivery, especially in poor communities. / South Africa

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The occurrence of disasters around the world has in the past few decades increased at an alarming rate, which has necessitated an urgent need for mitigation strategies. As part of its planning and precautionary measures in responding to disasters, the City of Cape Town(CoCT) established a Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC) to co-ordinate such occurrences. This study is focused on investigating to what extent the CoCT’s DRMC has prepared individuals and communities to stay resilient.South Africa lies within a region of Southern Africa that has a semi-arid to arid climate,thereby making most parts of the country vulnerable to numerous disasters. Given the prevalence of the localised disasters in the country, they have the potential to overwhelm the capacity of any affected community. Furthermore, in 2011, the CoCT was approached by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives(ICLEI) to sign up as a Role Model City for the “Making Cities Resilient--My City is Getting Ready’’ Campaign, in collaboration with UNISDR. It became the first in South African City to be granted “Role Model City’’ status, becoming the second African city to be designated as a ‘‘Role Model City’’.The findings of this study indicate that the CoCT, through its DRMC, has tried to heighten awareness in communities to prepare them against disasters. Another important finding is that there is inadequate involvement of communities in CoCT training programmes. Poorer communities, which are mostly affected by disasters, barely receive any form of capacity building, that is, through training. In addition, the language of communication used in brochures, leaflets and other forms of media is mostly in English and Afrikaans, while the majority of people living in informal settlements speak isiXhosa. The study provides an insight into the need to consolidate strategies to address disaster management

In South Africa all the major categories of violent crime (homicide, aggravated robbery, serious assault and rape) showed an increase during the early 2000s. More than half of the total offences that were committed in South Africa during 2005 were aggressive offences. The goal of the study was to explore the perception of offenders regarding the triggering and contributing socio-economic factors to aggravated robbery with a view to inform rehabilitation and re-integration programmes for these offenders. Within the context of the interrelatedness of socio-economic factors such as poverty, inequality, unemployment and human rights, developmental social welfare and its underpinning theory of social development was an appropriate theoretical framework for the study. A qualitative research approach was utilised for the study and data was gathered by means of semi-structured interviews. Respondents for the study included maximum-term offenders that were serving an imprisonment sentence for aggravated robbery. The research findings indicate a reciprocal relationship between poverty, inequality, unemployment, intoxicating substances and intra- and interpersonal factors as possible triggering and contributing factors to aggravated robbery. Unemployment, which is exacerbated by a lack of education and skills development and linked to intra- and interpersonal factors, appears to be a dominant socio-economic factor that could contribute to or trigger aggravated robbery. The study concluded that rehabilitation programmes still lack a holistic, integrated developmental approach and hence do not prepare ex-offenders for full integration into society. The Department of Correctional Services was pointed out as a significant role-player in facilitating rehabilitation programmes that include skills development for job creation in a holistic, integrated developmental manner. Recommendations include that the Department of Correctional Services should seek partnerships and closer working relations with external service providers, and develop and implement integrated developmental rehabilitation programmes that will facilitate the creation of productive economic opportunities for offenders while they are still incarcerated and once they have been released back into the community. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Since 1994, the South African Government has developed two strategic policies that embrace the principles of sustainable development: Tourism and Land Reform. Both policies seek redress and economic development for previously disadvantaged black people, but both policies were not integrated to form part of a sustainable development strategy for communities. In terms of the land redistribution programme (as one leg of the land reform programme), the commonage sub-programme has primarily advocated an agrarian style development despite the decline in contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product. By promoting one development option, other livelihood opportunities such as tourism have not been explored. The White Paper on Tourism (1996) has also recognised the limited integration of local communities and previously neglected groups as an impediment to sustainable tourism development in South Africa. The aim of this study is to provide integrated planning guidelines for sustainable tourism development for commonages in Namaqualand. The study poses the question: What role could sustainable tourism play in commonage projects? In an attempt to fulfil the aim of the study and answer the research question, nine objectives were devised to guide the direction of the study. The objectives primarily focussed on conceptualising land redistribution and sustainable tourism through various local and international case studies in order to draw commonalities and identify negative and positive impacts of these approaches. In so doing, the sustainability of a purely agrarian focus of land reform policies across the global spectrum was brought into question. Various debates concerning the sustainable tourism concept are also considered, including a discussion on its subset ecotourism and sustainable tourism through Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). The sustainability of tourism in peripheral and desert areas is discussed in the context of the case-study area, Namaqualand, which is recognised geographically and politically as a rural/peripheral area featuring a desert ecosystem. The methodological theory is derived from the Critical Social Science school of thought, which sees the study delving beyond surface illusions to uncover the real structures in order to help people change the world. A six-step case-study approach based on this paradigm was adopted. Six commonage projects and one sustainable tourism project (Rooiberg Conservancy project) were selected through non-probability purposive sampling. In adopting the case-study approach, the study followed six steps: Determination and definition of the research questions <ul> <ol>1. Selection of the cases and determination of the data gathering and analysis techniques</ol> <ol>2. Preparation to collect the data</ol> <ol>3. Collection of the data</ol> <ol>4. Analyses of the data</ol> <ol>5. Formulation of the recommendations based on the results obtained from data.</ol></ul> The synthesis of the literature and empirical research resulted in the formulation of integrated planning guidelines for sustainable tourism on commonages based on the concept of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) approach, as adopted for local government planning in South Africa. The following factors formed the basis for the guidelines:< <ul> -- baseline information; -- vision and goals; -- objectives; -- legislation and control measures; -- impact management and mitigation; -- communication and decision-making; -- implementation including funding incentives; -- monitoring and evaluation; and -- feedback and control.</ul> Limitations of time and finance prevented the researcher from consulting with the appropriate stakeholders on these guidelines in order to obtain their buy-in, but emphasis is placed on the recognition of the guidelines as a framework for comprehensive sector-planning for sustainable tourism development on commonages in Namaqualand. Copyright / Thesis (PhD (Tourism Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Tourism Management / unrestricted

Community Economic Development (CED) in South Africa is shaped by the historicalprocesses of the former Apartheid regime that discriminated the social and economic rights of the majority of people, thus disempowering them to participate in development. The notion of Integrated Community Economic Development (ICED) enhances the concept of participation in community economic development in that it advocates for an empowerment dimension in development. In order to facilitate this participation, the government has introduced the participatory mechanisms of the IDP and ward committee system. Paradoxically, inequalities in development persist in previously disadvantaged homelands which were excluded from participation in developmental initiatives of the former regime. Consequently, these mechanisms for ICED have not been able to achieve participation of communities in ICED. Winterveldt is one such area with a legacy of social exclusion through racial and ethnic discrimination. The goal of the study was to explore the lack of participation of the Winterveldt community in ICED guided by the research question: “What are the reasons for the lack of participation of the Winterveldt community in ICED?” A qualitative research approach was followed and the research design was a case study. Data was gathered through focus group interviews and document studies. The focus groups were comprised of 13 community participants and 10 ward committee personnel from Winterveldt. Research findings revealed various reasons for the lack of participation in the ICED of Winterveldt including role confusion, the lack of information and training on the IDP and political power abuse. The study concluded that participation flows along lines that safeguard the interests of local government with little respect for the community’s capacity to make decisions concerning their development. Recommendations towards the achievement of participation in the ICED of Winterveldt include training on the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the development of a guideline for implementing the IDP and changes in attitudes of all actors in the ICED of Winterveldt. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Over the last two decades the impact of power in communicative planning has gained prominence in discussions about meaningful planning, i.e. planning that achieves the goals as set out in the plan and also has wider socially desirable environmental, social and economic outcomes. This study aims to examine the influence of power on communication in the compilation of municipal Integrated Development Planning in South Africa, specifically as it affects intra- and intergovernmental relations in the IDP preparation process in local municipalities. This dissertation is the result of a historical study into the 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 Integrated Development Plan process in the local governments of Kungwini Local Municipality, and Klerksdorp Local Municipality as study areas. The time lapse between the events that took place in these municipalities and the completion of this study assists in providing a more objective view of the power relations at play. Throughout the study emphasis is placed on certain concepts that influence the outcome of planning processes and the planning processes itself, as summarised in the final chapter. They are: <ul> <li> The quality of inter- and intra-governmental relationships;</li> <li> The awareness and use of power in planning;</li> <li> The concept and nature of “meaningful communication”; and</li> <li> The role and impact of power on such communication.</li> </ul> As an exploratory historical study into the power interface in IDP, it provides an interesting perspective on the dynamics of compiling an IDP and opens up the opportunity for more such studies in other local governments in South Africa with the influence of power on communication in intergovernmental planning processes (specifically IDP in local municipalities) and general studies regarding the effect of power in communicative planning as focus. This study also provides an indication of the pressures planners face in the pursuit of meaningful/useful planning results. / Dissertation (MT&RP)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Town and Regional Planning / unrestricted