La familia de dípteros Rhiniidae (Diptera: Oestroidea) se encuentra distribuida fundamentalmente en las areas tropicales y subtropicales de las regiones Afrotropical, Australiana, Oriental y Paleártica. Tradicionalmente era considerada con el rango taxonómico de subfamilia de la familia Calliphoridae. No obstante, estudios filogenéticos recientes, basados en el análisis de caracteres morfológicos y moleculares, evidencian que Calliphoridae no es un grupo monofilético. Esto provocó diversos cambios sistemáticos, considerando a los rhiniidos con el rango taxonómico de familia independiente. Actualmente, se reconocen casi 400 especies de Rhiniidae agrupadas en dos subfamilias y 30 géneros. La región Afrotropical alberga la mayor diversidad de rhiniidos a nivel mundial, con un total aproximado de 170 especies comprendidas en 5 géneros de la subfamilia Rhiniinae y 11 de Cosmininae. Existe muy poca información sobre la diversidad, biología y distribución geográfica de la familia Rhiniidae. El ciclo biológico y en particular los hábitos y morfología larvaria es desconocido para la mayoría de las especies. La mayor parte del conocimiento se limita a unas pocas especies restringidas a enclaves geográficos muy concretos. En general, se conoce que tienen una fuerte asociación ecológica a ambientes naturales, que los adultos frecuentan flores por lo que se cree que son importantes polinizadores y que algunas especies parecen tener una estrecha relación con termitas. En cuanto al estudio de su diversidad y taxonomia, desde los años setenta muy pocas investigaciones se han realizado en relación a Rhiniidae en la región Afrotropical, por lo cual el conocimiento del grupo se encuentra desactualizado. Además, su identificación morfológica, en muchos casos, depende exclusivamente de la terminalia masculina y por lo tanto muchos ejemplares femeninos permanecen sin identificar o inadecuadamente identificados. El objetivo general de esta tesis doctoral es contribuir y actualizar el conocimiento de la familia Rhiniidae en la región Afrotropical, a través del estudio de su diversidad, taxonomía y filogenia en la región, con especial énfasis en Sudáfrica. Para ello, en primer lugar se realizó un estudio taxonómico y de la diversidad de la familia en Sudáfrica, país que a nivel mundial se considera como un hot-spot de biodiversidad. Se examinaron más de 4.000 especímenes de Rhiniidae depositados en colecciones entomológicas de África, Europa y los Estados Unidos. Se generó una lista actualizada de las especies presentes en el país, así como se revisó el estatus taxonómico de las mismas. Adicionalmente, se generaron mapas de distribución histórica y fotografías de alta resolución del habitus para la mayoría de las especies estudiadas. Entre los resultados más importantes que se han obtenido destacan nueve citas nuevas para el país, para un total de 73 especies de Rhiniidae, alrededor de 15 nuevas especies a ser descritas en trabajos futuros y la compilación de información bionómica novedosa para varias especies (Capítulo I). Posteriormente profundizamos dentro de la familia con la revisión taxonómica del género Fainia Zumpt, 1958, exclusivo de la región Afrotropical. Este género incluye siete especies descritas, pero el estatus taxonómico de algunas de ellas es controvertido. Se realizó un estudio morfológico de la terminalia masculina de las especies descritas, junto a la revisión de su respectivo material tipo disponible, para así aclarar el estatus taxonómico de sus especies. De esta forma, se aportan nuevas herramientas de identificación para el género, tales como claves de identificación para ambos sexos, redescripciones, y fotografías de alta resolución de la morfología general del adulto y terminalia masculina, así como nuevas sinonimias. Este estudio se complementó con la homogenización y actualización de la nomenclatura morfológica utilizada para la familia Rhiniidae, así como con la proposición de posibles sinapomorfias para la diagnosis de las dos subfamilias actuales Cosmininae y Rhiniinae (Capítulo II). Finalmente, empleamos herramientas moleculares con el fin de corroborar las identificaciones basadas en morfología, asociar los morfotipos femeninos a sus masculinos conspecíficos, explorar las relaciones filogenéticas entre géneros y especies, y generar la primera biblioteca de códigos de barras de ADN (CO1) para las especies de Rhiniidae. Para ello, generamos fragmentos de códigos de barras de ADN (CO1) de 138 especímenes de Rhiniidae. Para inferir los límites entre especies y su monofilia se utilizaron árboles de Inferencia Bayesiana y Máxima Verosimilitud. Esto se complementó con las variaciones genéticas intraespecíficas e interespecíficas reconstruidas con distancias por pares utilizando el modelo de sustitución de nucleótidos de Kimura-dos-parámetros (K2P) y la delimitación de especies mediante el análisis ABGD. La mayoría de las especies delimitadas a nivel morfológico se lograron recuperar como monofiléticas. Se determinaron entre 65 y 68 posibles especies de Rhiniidae presentes en nuestro estudio, así como 31 morfotipos femeninos se vincularon con éxito a sus machos conspecíficos (Capítulo III). Esta investigación demuestra la importancia de revisar las colecciones entomológicas para mejorar el conocimiento de la diversidad y de usar la información que aportan las etiquetas de los especímenes como un valioso recurso de datos para interpretar: ocurrencia temporal y espacial, preferencias ambientales y asociaciones con plantas u otros organismos como termitas, que a su vez son relevantes para estudios de biología de la conservación, polinización e interacciones ecológicas. Además, los códigos de barras de ADN mostraron eficiencia como medio complementario para la revisión taxonómica de Rhiniidae; sin embargo, entre especies muy similares a nivel morfológico no tuvo el éxito esperado, lo que sugiere una posible divergencia evolutiva reciente y la necesidad de realizar más estudios moleculares. / Parcialmente financiada por H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission (RISE), project 645636: ‘Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications’ (FlyHigh).

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Graphs provide powerful abstractions, and are widely used in different areas. There has been an increasing demand in using the graph data model to represent data in many applications such as network management, web page analysis, knowledge graphs, social networks. These graphs are usually dynamic and represent the time evolving relationships between entities. Enforcing and maintaining data quality in graphs is a critical task for decision making, operational efficiency and accurate data analysis as recent studies have shown that data scientists spend 60-80% of their time cleaning and organizing data [2]. This effort motivates the need for effective data cleaning tools to reduce the user burden. The study of data quality management focuses along a set of dimensions, including data consistency, data deduplication, information completeness, data currency, and data accuracy. Achieving all these data characteristics is often not possible in practice due to personnel costs, and for performance reasons. In this thesis, we focus on tackling three problems in two data quality dimensions: data consistency and data deduplication. To address the problem of data consistency over temporal graphs, we present a new class of data dependencies called Temporal Graph Functional Dependency (TGFDs). TGFDs generalize functional dependencies to temporal graphs as a sequence of graph snapshots that are induced by time intervals, and enforce both topological constraints and attribute value dependencies that must be satisfied by these snapshots. We establish the complexity results for the satisfiability and implication problems of TGFDs. We propose a sound and complete axiomatization system for TGFDs. We also present efficient parallel algorithms to detect inconsistencies in temporal graphs as violations of TGFDs. To address the data deduplication problem, we first address the problem of key discovery for graphs. Keys for graphs use topology and value constraints to uniquely identify entities in a graph database and keys are the main tools for data deduplication in graphs. We present two properties that define a key, including minimality and support and an algorithm to mine keys over graphs via frequent subgraph expansion. However, existing key constraints identify entities by enforcing label equality on node types. These constraints can be too restrictive to characterize structures and node labels that are syntactically different but semantically equivalent. Lastly, we propose a new class of key constraints, Ontological Graph Keys (OGKs) that extend conventional graph keys by ontological subgraph matching between entity labels and an external ontology. We study the entity matching problem with OGKs. We develop efficient algorithms to perform entity matching based on a Chase procedure. The proposed dependencies and algorithms in this thesis improve consistency detection in temporal graphs, automate the discovery of keys in graphs, and enrich the semantic expressiveness of graph keys. / Dissertation / Doctor of Science (PhD)

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A timber frame is a structural building system composed of heavy timber members connected using carpentry-style joinery that may include metal fasteners. A common variant of mortise-and-tenon joints are keyed (or wedged) through-tenon joints. No research on the behavior of wedged joints in timber frames is available. This research provides design knowledge of keyed through-tenon joints from experimental observations and comparisons between mathematical models and experimental measurement. Evaluation of through-tenon keyed mortise and tenon joints was performed by measuring tensile load and stiffness of white oak (Quercus alba) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) joints with four- and 11-inch tenons with one and two keys and comparing these results to mathematical models developed from the National Design Specification of Wood Construction (NDS), General Dowel Equations for Calculating Lateral Connection Values (TR-12), and engineering mechanics. Variables included joint species (white oak or Douglas-fir), protruding tenon length (four or 11 inches), and number of keys (one or two). Joints were tested to ultimate load, then model input specimens were cut from tested joints and additional key stock to generate inputs for joint load predictions that were compared to experimental joint load results for validation. Forty joints were tested with white oak keys and six of these joints were retested with ipe (Tabebuia) keys. Joints with four-inch tenons behaved in a brittle manner with tenon failures. Most joints with 11-inch tenons behaved in a ductile manner with key bending and crushing failures. Joint load and stiffness was similar between white oak and Douglas-fir joints. Joints with 11-inch tenons had greater load and stiffness than with four-inch tenons. Joints with two keys had greater load and stiffness than joints with one key, after normalizing joint load and stiffness responses on key width. Joints retested with ipe keys had greater load than joints originally tested with white oak keys. Tenon relish (row tear-out) failure was predicted for all joints with four-inch tenons. Horizontal key shearing was predicted for all joints with 11-inch tenons. Ratios of predicted ultimate joint load divided by experimental ultimate joints load (calculated/tested) or C/T ratios were used to validate the models chosen for load prediction. C/T ratios showed that ultimate load model predictions over predicted joint load which was due to occurrence of unpredicted tenon failures and simultaneously occurring key failures where models predicted key failures independently. Design safety factors (DSFs) were developed by dividing experimental ultimate joint load by governing allowable (design) load predictions. C/T ratios and DSFs were most similar between white oak and Douglas-fir joints and most different between joints with one and two keys. Alternative design values (ADVs) were developed for comparison to design load predictions. Comparisons between ADVs and DSFs showed that model predictions were most conservative for joints fastened with denser keys than joint members. / Master of Science

How can architects let their buildings interact with the water while protecting occupants from the potential danger? The two intents are very different and often compete with one, either protection or recreation, as the primary program in one project. Water draws people, everyone likes being near water. People visit waterfalls and the beach just to experience moving water, they go boating and kayaking just to be on the water. Water views and access are considered an amenity that drive up prices in buildings. Whenever possible architects should strive to connect their architecture and water and to let occupants interact with the water. However, water can be dangerous too. Overfull rivers wash away roads and cars. Floods inundate entire cities, and hurricanes devastate huge islands. In addition to catastrophic damage sea levels are rising around the world causing damage and rendering low lying land uninhabitable. Architects must protect against these dangers. If designed correctly buildings can offer shelter from storms and resist rising water of all kinds. For my thesis I decided to study how to reconcile these two conflicting approaches to water. / Master of Architecture

Thesis (MPhil)–Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A suitable South African literary text is translated from English to Afrikaans to investigate the possibility of enriching the target culture, although literary translations from English have a limited readership in Afrikaans. The choice of Portrait with Keys by Ivan Vladislavić as source text is motivated in a discussion of its relevance to the target culture, and of its intrinsic literary merit. Enrichment of the target culture is defined within the context of the hermeneutic approach in translation studies. The interpretation of the source text and the role of the translator is emphasised, as seen in Steiner’s account of the hermeneutic motion and Venuti’s views on the visibility of the translator and cultural filtering. Lewis’s concept of abusive fidelity is considered, and ultimately Bandia’s proposed aim of achieving balance, or a middle course between foreignising and domesticating offers an attainable strategy. The annotation of the practical translation of a selection of texts from Portrait with Keys shows that a strategy of foreignisation, of rendering the characteristics of the source texts as closely as possible in the target text, is continually balanced by the translator with a strategy of domestication, in other words creating an idiomatic, accessible target text. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ’n Geskikte Suid-Afrikaanse literêre teks word uit Engels in Afrikaans vertaal om die moontlikheid te ondersoek dat die doeltaal daardeur verryk kan word, hoewel literêre vertalings uit Engels ’n beperkte leserstal het. Die keuse van Portrait with Keys deur Ivan Vladislavić word gemotiveer deur ’n bespreking van die toepaslikheid daarvan binne die doelkultuur, en die intrinsieke literêre meriete van die teks. Die verryking van die doelkultuur word binne die konteks van die hermeneutiese benadering in vertaalstudies bespreek. Die interpretasie van die bronteks en die rol van die vertaler word voorop gestel, soos blyk uit Steiner se uiteensetting van die hermeneutiese handeling en Venuti se beskouings oor die sigbaarheid van die vertaler en kulturele filtering. Lewis se konsep van weerstandige getrouheid, abusive fidelity, word oorweeg en uiteindelik bied Bandia se klem op die bereiking van balans, of ’n middeweg tussen veruitheemsing, of foreignisation, en verinheemsing, of domestication, ’n uitvoerbare strategie. Die annotasie van die praktiese vertaling van ’n seleksie van tekste uit Portrait with Keys toon dat ’n strategie van veruitheemsing, deur die kenmerke van die bronteks so getrou moontlik in die doelteks weer te gee, deurgaans deur die vertaler opgeweeg word teen ’n strategie van verinheemsing, dit wil sê die daarstelling van ’n idiomatiese, toeganklike doelteks.

Preface -- Why creativity now -- Your incredible mind -- Activating your god-given creative force -- Creativity and the number five -- How to foster a constant creative environment -- Why set creative goals? -- The role of wisdom in unlocking creative potential -- 12 keys to releasing your creative potential -- Use the creative keys -- Master the keys -- Appendix A -- Appendix B -- Appendix C -- Appendix D -- Appendix E. "In this book Dr. Jasmine Renner provides valuable keys for unlocking your unlimited creative potential. The goal of this book is to help individuals realize and understand the depth of their creative abilities and to use the multifaceted wisdom keys espoused to unlock their creative potential. This book will introduce you to the invaluable nuggets gained from discovering that creativity is not an additional project you add to your already full to do list but springs out of the essence of who you really are. Using wisdom as a guide and tool in understand and releasing your creative potential is crucial. Dr. Renner points out that wisdom is an essential part of the quantum or spiritual level of creativity. The keys espoused in this book are the same and can be applied in every nation, in every tribe and for all peoples. This is because there are universal undeniable principles that govern every human being. The wisdom keys espoused in this book are universal for all who will dare to use then appropriately. A farmer in Australia applying these keys correctly will have the same result as a billionaire in Wall Street. It is her desire that as you read this book you will be birthed into an innate awareness of your creative potential and ultimately be released into your creative potential." / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1091/thumbnail.jpg