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This study focuses on the social and political dimensions of the "kingdom of God" as it is depicted in Mark's narrative. Simultaneously the author assesses the implications for The Mennonite Brethren Church ofCongo( BCC) which may be attained from such research. The first chapter, consists of 1) an introduction to the motivation for the study, 2) the research methodology used, 3) chapter outlines, the limits ofthe research, and definitions offundamental concepts. In the first chapter, I try to read Mark's narrative with the presuppositions of the struggle over power and authority between classes in Roman-occupied Palestine. The story world of Mark depicts a society divided into two classes: the propertied class and the non propertied class which formed the majority ofthe population. I make use ofthe narrative approach in my exegesis of the text of Mark, while taking the sociol- political context of the text or the "world ofthe text" more seriously. The second chapter investigates the social and political context of Roman-occupied Palestine. The picture attained from this section reveals that Palestine in general, and Galilee in particular, had endured severe political and economic pressure from the Roman authorities and the Jewish local aristocracy. The relationship between the governing class and the majority ofthe population formed by peasants was ofdispossession, oppression and exploitation at the social, economic and political levels. The third chapter focuses on Mark's presentation ofJesus and thus initiates the coretheme ofthe thesis. We deduce there that Mark is using many titles to present Jesus: Son of God, Son ofman, Christ, king and servant. Mark does not seem to base Jesus' title on Davidic lineage. In Mark, Jesus seems to get his legitimacy from the God himself and from the people. He is a popular king who is not a member ofthe Davidic dynasty. The fourth chapter, forms the basis of my argument. Here, I attempt to reveal the social and political dimensions of the "kingdom of God" as depicted in Mark's narrative. The social and political nature ofthe "kingdom ofGod" is confirmed by Jesus' proclamation which reordered power and authority in Jewish Palestine. This is expressed by Jesus' conflict with the established authorities, Jesus' challenge to two basic institutions: the Temple and the Tribute to Caesar. Mark's gospel always shows how the kingdom of God meant liberation ofthe people and their welfare. The "kingdom of God" was a manifestation of power which found expressions in incidents of healing, exorcisms, casting out of demons , feeding of the hungry and revelations of Jesus' power over the forces of nature such as storm and water. The kingdom of God as a social and political reality is preached in a language accessible to the oppressed and reorders social relations among the people by making them egalitarian, non exploitative and nonauthoritarian. The last chapter applies the results ofmy investigations in chapter four to the Mennonite Brethren Church of Congo. After a section on the social, economic and political context of both The Congo and the BCC, and an overview of the Anabaptist theology and ecclesiology, I have deduced the following challenges for the BCC in the light of Mark's narrative: a reconceptualization of power and authority which is the cause ofconflicts in the church; the need for a relationship of partnership and not of patriarchal power between the leadership and the people constituting the grassroots in the BCC; a good management and use ofthe material and fmancial resources ofthe church out to contribute to the welfare ofthe people; a balanced vision on the church-state relations and development which rejects a dualistic church-society division. Equilibrium between social and spiritual ministries is advocated so as to contribute ultimately to the well-being ofthe people. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

Grundvattenmodellering av föroreningstransport   – Ett uppdragsanpassat beräkningsverktyg Emil Friberg Målet för detta arbeta var att bygga upp en modell i modelleringsprogrammet MODFLOW för spridning av förorenande ämnen i grundvattnet. Syftet med modellen var att finna en balans mellan den mycket enkla modellen som Naturvårdsverket har satt upp för förorenad mark och en fullskalig platsspecifik modell. Utgångspunkten var att studera litteraturen för att finna lämpliga generella parametrar som beskriver föroreningstransport i grundvattnet. Tre genomförda uppdrag med förorenad mark användes som referenskälla, men även för att evaluera den framtagna modellen. Föroreningarna som förekom i dessa uppdrag och som studerades i detta arbete är bensen, PCE och arsenik. Att finna lämpliga parametrar för beskrivning av transporten visade sig vara ganska enkelt, det finns en god förståelse för vilka faktorer som har betydelse. Däremot var det svårare att finna generella värden till dessa parametrar. Sammanställningar gjorda av Naturvårdsverket var en god källa. Den uppbyggda modellen döptes till ESM. Alla valda parametrar analyserades och modellen känslighetsanalyserades. Resultatet visade att vissa parametrar ger större känslighet än andra. Samtidigt visade analyserna att känsligheten varierar beroende på vilket intervall en viss parameter studeras samt att modellens känslighet även är beroende på värdena på de andra parametrarna. Bland annat visade det sig att dispersion alltid är en känslig parameter inom vissa intervall. Sorption och grundvattenflödets gradient visade sig enbart vara känsliga i vissa fall. ESM jämfördes med analytiska lösningsmetoder, Naturvårdsverkets riktlinjesmodell samt de tre utvalda uppdragen. Resultatet var blandat. I jämförelsen med den enklaste analytiska lösningsmetoden med enbart advektion och dispersion överensstämde inte resultaten . Då även sorption användes blev resultatet mycket bra med en hög överensstämmelse. Det gick inte att jämföra Naturvårdsverkets modell rakt av med ESM då förutsättningarna var ganska skilda. Däremot visade jämförelsen i ett större perspektiv att ESM ger en bättre bild av föroreningsspridningen än vad Naturvårdsverkets riktlinjesmodell ger.  Även jämförelsen mellan ESM och de utvalda uppdragen gav blandat resultat, vissa fall blev resultatet mycket bra medan andra mindre. Generellt gav ESM en bra bild av föroreningssituationen och dess karaktär men den har svårigheter att återspegla verkligheten beträffande uppmätta halter och andra mer specifika parametrar. Slutsatsen blev att ESM kan användas initialt för att få en bild av situationen och att modellen är enkel att förändra men kan inte återspegla alla aspekter på föroreningstransporten. Nyckelord: MODFLOW, MT3DMS, föroreningstransport, PCE, bensen, arsenik, riktvärde för förorenad mark Institutionen för geovetenskaper; luft-, vatten- och landskapslära. Uppsala universitet Villavägen 16, Se-752 36 UPPSALA

An increased number of participants in the construction industry is asking for accompanying terrain models to the project in order to get a better understanding of the field. When the desire to create buildings that fit together nicely with the surrounding area is increasing, it becomes more and more important to have a broad base of knowledge about the ground on which the building is to be erected. Terrain models are also very useful in the planning of logistics, documentation for landscape architecture projects, and billings for mass calculations.Surveys for creating terrain models can be performed with laser scanning. The advantage of laser scanning is the time-effective surveying, the detailed information as well as the ability of application in complex environments resulting in a cost-efficient project. With this in mind our thesis was defined in collaboration with the company Bjerking AB in Uppsala in order to investigate if there were any softwares suitable for terrain modeling. The idea was created by the company after a previous existing thesis about modeling of buildings from point clouds.The purpose of this study is to examine the possibility of filtering a point cloud and generating of terrain model by surveying with terrestrial laser scanning. The study was conducted in the form of a comparison between six different softwares and the ability to filter noise, and then create a model of the filtered data. The softwares has also been compared between several rate points. In this thesis, a chosen lane at Studenternas idrottsplats, located in central Uppsala, has been scanned containing noise such as cars, light towers, containers, etc. The scanned area resulted in a point cloud and has later on been used in the comparison of software. All six softwares investigated have got different focuses within the field of use of land and construction.The study has shown that the results between the softwares differ significantly. From manual methods to fully automatical, these softwares have been proving their own abilities to perform more or less successful calculations for selecting points and building terrain models. Our terrain models show that all softwares are capable of creating flat surfaces with equal heights, but only a few succeeded in generating slopes. The study also show that a more expensive software does not always guarantee a better result.

The Common River Frog Amietia quecketti is a well-known and widely distributed species in southern Africa. Despite the fact that it is a common species and quite prevalent in urban areas little is known about its behaviour. The North-West University Botanical Gardens was selected as study area as it supports a healthy population of Common River Frogs at a series of 18 water bodies. Each pond in the Garden was assigned a reference number and the surface area, depth and vegetation were noted. Frogs were located with the aid of strong flashlights. Specimens were caught by hand and transferred to clear plastic bags. Frogs were sexed and their mass and their snout-vent length (SVL) were determined. Frogs were subsequently individually marked by means of injecting a micro-transponder (pit-tag) subcutaneously. Field observations were conducted over two consecutive evenings every two weeks for a period of one year. On the first night all sites were visited and all frogs were scanned and their position, orientation and activity were noted. During the second night focus was on Pond 6 as it sustained the biggest population. Observation started at 19:15 and continued until 02:30. All frogs in and around the pond were scanned and detailed notes were taken, focusing on their orientation, behaviour, calling activity and distance to the nearest other frog. Results showed that limited movement between ponds in the Garden does occur. A number of individuals were recorded regularly. Some males had preferred call sites, and clear circadian and seasonal patterns with regards to males and females exist. The complex call structure consist of a chuck and a whine and then a combination of the two. / MSc (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The Common River Frog Amietia quecketti is a well-known and widely distributed species in southern Africa. Despite the fact that it is a common species and quite prevalent in urban areas little is known about its behaviour. The North-West University Botanical Gardens was selected as study area as it supports a healthy population of Common River Frogs at a series of 18 water bodies. Each pond in the Garden was assigned a reference number and the surface area, depth and vegetation were noted. Frogs were located with the aid of strong flashlights. Specimens were caught by hand and transferred to clear plastic bags. Frogs were sexed and their mass and their snout-vent length (SVL) were determined. Frogs were subsequently individually marked by means of injecting a micro-transponder (pit-tag) subcutaneously. Field observations were conducted over two consecutive evenings every two weeks for a period of one year. On the first night all sites were visited and all frogs were scanned and their position, orientation and activity were noted. During the second night focus was on Pond 6 as it sustained the biggest population. Observation started at 19:15 and continued until 02:30. All frogs in and around the pond were scanned and detailed notes were taken, focusing on their orientation, behaviour, calling activity and distance to the nearest other frog. Results showed that limited movement between ponds in the Garden does occur. A number of individuals were recorded regularly. Some males had preferred call sites, and clear circadian and seasonal patterns with regards to males and females exist. The complex call structure consist of a chuck and a whine and then a combination of the two. / MSc (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

I used 8 years of mark-recapture data to test alternative hypotheses about the relative influence of winter climate, social structure, and life history on survival, reproduction, and population dynamics of hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) in the southwest Yukon. Climate, characterized by the mean winter Pacific Decadal Oscillation index (PDO), was strongly related to juvenile survival, more weakly linked with adult survival and fecundity, and did not appear to influence breeding probability. Group social structure had little influence on population dynamics. Variation in adult and juvenile survival affected the population growth rate more strongly than fecundity or breeding probability, but the relative influence of life history parameters changed from year to year. Comparisons between hoary marmots and other alpine mammals indicated that the average environment to which an animal is adapted, the strategies employed to survive winter, and life history constraints may all affect demographic sensitivity to winter climate. / Ecology

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1975. / Bibliography: leaves 145-149. / xiii, 149 leaves

The honey possum Tarsipes rostratus is a tiny (7 - 12 g) highly specialised flower-feeding marsupial endemic to the south-western corner of Australia. The impact of fire on this small mammal was studied, over a 19-year period, in the Fitzgerald River National Park, a large (330,000 ha) area of relatively undisturbed heathland/shrubland, rich in the proteaceous and myrtaceous plants upon which the honey possum appears to rely for food. The honey possum is the most abundant and widespread mammal in this Park. Capture rates of honey possums were significantly related to the years since the vegetation was last burnt, annual rainfall in the preceding (but not the current) year, the season when trapping occurred, and the trapping grid operated. Capture rates declined markedly after fire and remained low (less than one third of those in long unburnt vegetation) for about 4 - 5 years following a fire. Rates of capture then increased steadily over the next 20 - 25 years, with maximal abundance recorded about 30 years after fire. Thereafter, there appeared to be a slight decline in capture rates, but even in the vegetation unburnt for longest (> 50 years since fire), honey possum abundance was substantial and relatively stable. In contrast to these changes in abundance, the structure of the honey possum population, with 79 % adults and 57 % males, appeared little influenced by fire history, annual rainfall, season or grid. The increase in the rates of capture of honey possums following fire paralleled the pattern of availability of cover in the vertical and, to a lesser extent, horizontal plane. Indeed, projective foliage cover took around 20 years after fire to reach levels similar to those available in areas unburnt for even longer. The trend in capture rates was also congruent with the maturation of the most frequently visited foodplants of honey possums, particularly Banksia nutans (summer flowering) and B. baueri (winter flowering). Areas long unburnt still contained shelter and foodplants adequate for honey possums even 50 years or more after fire, with only slight evidence of senescence. Pollen loads indicated that honey possums caught in burnt areas, where their preferred foodplants were absent, continued to feed on these favoured foodplants (Banksia and Dryandra spp.) at nearby unburnt areas. In addition, they also fed, in both burnt and long unburnt areas, upon a suite of other plant species that regenerated more rapidly from lignotubers and epicormic buds, as well as from seeds (e.g. Eucalyptus and Calothamnus spp.). Thus, honey possums appeared to persist with their preferences for feeding from a limited number of flowering plants despite some of these species not being available in recently burnt areas for many years. Nearby patches of unburnt vegetation can clearly be important refuges, feeding grounds and shelter for the few honey possums that visit recently burnt areas, and appear to be the source of honey possum colonists in the years following a fire. Capture rates were also greater following years when rainfall was higher than average. Indeed, rainfall had as great an influence upon capture rates as time since fire. Capture rates were also consistently higher over winter, and to a lesser extent over summer, than in either autumn or spring. Individual grids, even those close together in apparently similar vegetation with a similar fire history, still differed significantly overall in their capture rates of honey possums. This last finding has implications for the use of chronosequences in the study of post-fire changes in biota. Although not the primary focus of the study, data on the limited suite of other, far less abundant, small mammals present indicated that house mouse Mus musculus domesticus numbers peak soon after fire (about two years after fire), grey-bellied dunnart Sminthopsis griseoventer numbers somewhat later (about eight years after fire) and that southern bush rats Rattus fuscipes fiuscipes, like honey possums, are later successional species. Most species were present in vegetation over a range of post-fire ages, with data consistent with models based on sequential changes in relative abundance. Like many Australian mammals, the range of the honey possum has contracted substantially over the last 200 years and the coastal heathlands of the south-west are its last stronghold. In terms of its conservation, this study indicates that, if possible, management burns in these heathlands should be separated by intervals of at least 20 years between successive burns, and preferably even longer. If burns are required more frequently to meet other management priorities, it is highly preferable that they are small and patchy, rather than large scale. Such practices may help ensure the long-term survival of this unique, highly specialised and endemic marsupial.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on November 9, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.